Happy Halloween

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh – Skull with Cigarette (1886)

This image was made just prior to the beginning of the 19th century; however it demonstrates a starting point for the shifting trend in skulls and skeletons in art. Van Gogh painted this work while studying figures from life models at the Academy of Art in Antwerp. The students were at the time learning in the academic tradition, which relied heavily on the classical examples and practices of ancient Rome and Greece. Because Van Gogh did not agree with this form of painting, this image was most likely meant as a joking mockery of the academic practice.

The bust and felting soap

I saw this bust in a downtown shop in Salem about a year ago and wanted it sooooo much but thought I should not spend the money. Every time I went in I looked for it and was relieved to see it still there. Then one day I'm on the street walking by and there it is in the display window with a very very appealing display ("Oh no someone will buy it now for sure."). Well you can figure it out the display worked.

Last weekend at the art retreat I made this hat but had the chore of making soap, not bad but takes some time. My face didn't look that sad......

however it was nice to have a pile of soap made.

Artist Retreat

What a weekend, we all enjoy a spot in Creevy Commons to visit, laugh and make art at the Portland Art Collectives fall retreat... painters,knitters,jewelers, sculptors, artisan's of all sorts work together and share knowledge....

we had a small table of show and tell, next time I want a big one its so nice to see the work others are doing....

the demos went well.... new addictions....

Jan concentrates....I can't wait to see that one done...

or this book....that Dayna works on...

Linda helps me get the panty hose on the wool covered balloon ? what ?

it became a hat.. my sis Becky models...

Diane's faces come out for some air...

little mushrooms pop in the leaf litter...

and Jan captures them.....

thank you to the group for a very nice card and gift, you touch me in so many ways.....

as I said in the first line "What a Weekend"

Fun ladies and great felting

The Purl District in the lovely little town of Silverton where ladies gather, laugh, knit and play with wool, we had a fantastic felting class. I taught three 2 hour classes and we created a bag (or hat in some cases), the handle, needle felted a design, made a flower from a rock, a little colorful ball and covered a bar of soup in wool. It can’t get any better than that.

Celia the shop owner makes everyone who enters a friend, she is the one waving . Here we are in week one starting our bags.

and check it out a mouse on the back....

the soap smells sooooo good.....

flowers bloom in many colors....

fetching....

just look at that yummy color....

the possibility's are endless...

this one looks like a little brook trout...

and here little birds eat winter berry's...

what a fabulous bunch of gals thank you for a great class.

A close up on autumn

Autumn: a time of full maturity a beginning of seeds and planting, of hatching out to lay an egg. The glory of the flower in the summer sun is only there to produce a seed to be dropped in autumn. . It is a season of rejuvenation and rest. It all begins now in the fall lighting fires and dawning masks to frighten off evil, reading books, learning and thinking, preparing thoughts and food to sustain body and soul. It is my favorite time of year.


I am very happy with the photograph this time is looks nice if you click on the picture to enlarge them, the lady bug looks wet, the spider has thorny legs, the flowers and plants have such nice texture to see up close.

In autumn the littlest one among us can feel tall with long shadows.

an odd plant makes a final push to insure propagation...


mother makes a push of her own to gather food...

Nightshade, It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, ancient Romans, including the wives of two Emperors, and by Macbeth of Scotland before he became a Scottish King.

Fly away little seeds find a nice bed and sleep until the earth warms again.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.
Fall poem by John Muir

Assemblage under glass

I have been having fun with a new idea of combining the super shine of clean glass with the old worn assemblage items I'm so addicted to. Here a photo I love "chicken boy" or in this case three chicken boys ride around a real nest that is enclosed with a iron wire fence. On the next level is a real quail egg that has the appearance of it floating above the nest. And on the top stands a Flickers flight feather. The three levels are soldered together for stability.

This next piece looks so fun sitting on the coffee table, from across the room it looks like a hurricane lamp or an old light bulb, it's not until you get up close that you can see it is a assemblage.

The top or finial is a bell from an old type writer then in the small glass globe are old tin stars...

A boy on a pony rides among trees made from type writer hammers, the ground is covered in shinny black seed beads. The title of this piece is " A Ride Under The Stars"

There will me more to come I have numerous idea's....

Flying free

Monday morning is always busy at the immediate care center in Woodburn but this Monday a feathered friend needed immediate care more than ever. We think she flew into a window trying to escape from a mob of crows. The receptionist Ana saw this and got help from the nurse practitioner Liz and the center manager Becky, they gave immediate care and transportation to the Portland Audubon Society care center.

The patient a Sharp-shinned Hawk spent a few days in the care center and regained her strength. She has just fledged this year and is learning the dangers of flying into new territory.

Here she is getting ready to go home. I drove her back to Woodburn and.....

Ana, Liz and Becky set her free.....

she came out of the box like a rocket.....

we watched her circle getting her bearings until she was just a speck in the sky.

Good work ladies !!!

A little more information on why the crows would mob her....
A small hawk, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is a regular visitor to bird feeders, where it eats birds, not seed. The male and female show a greater disparity in size than any other American hawk; the female is nearly twice the weight of the male.

2009 Wild Arts Festival

This project is to help the Portland Audubon Society, the 6x6 canvases for every artists was donated by Art Media.

The theme is birds .... This piece is called "Oops"

All the art will be exhibited and sold at the 2009 Wild Arts Festival held at Montgomery Park. They will be priced at $40 each (can you believe that) and all the proceeds will support conservation, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation.

Click here to find out more about this event.

Home and back at it!

Home from Art and Soul !
I taught the wire sculpture crow class and what a fun time we had, the students were fantastic and made some very nice crows. Each one had a wonderful whimsical face and personality's to fall in love with.

Here a student concentrates on soldering a wing.

A finished crow drys after a paint job.

Lorna's crow was awesome, very animated!

This is a sneak peek at a new class being offered at Art and Soul in Madison WI. It's title is ART ON A HOT TIN ROOF, a cottage with a punched tin roof, paper cut walls that are illuminated from within. This will be a fun one and I just love little glowing lights.