artwork, photos, Valentine card made...

Any week that includes art is a great week! I set up a small table in the tv room so I could work and still watch the hockey games with dh - and pulled out some paints (especially metallic) and got to work on decorating a recycled almond can. I had to use a pair of pliers to push down the sharp flange around the edge. Then I painted the entire can antique gold; the closest color to its "natural" color. Over that I put a layer of green mixed with silver, then i began dabbing purple, then layered dabs of silver over that.

Getting the clutter down to manageable size...

Every time I think I've managed to whittle down the pile of magazines & junk mail that makes its way into the house, something happens, like how I was sick for three weeks beginning Christmas Eve!! All I paid attention to were the bills - everything else got thrown into a pile (and hopefully I didn't miss any bills...)

At any rate, I've spent a bunch of hours trying to defeat the piles - AGAIN - and then I will have time to MAKE ART again! Got a bunch of calligraphy paper - beautiful sheets! from John Neal Booksellers.

TGIF...Jan 25...

Well - thank GOD it's Friday is always a good phrase around here - I don't work on Fridays, generally speaking! I will probably have to do something today since the HFBC newsletter has to be mailed, either today or tomorrow...

I'm thinking about trying to start an "inchies" swap at my B_R_A_G yahoo group...that would be fun. And Anna at BRAG posted a faux silk technique that I want to try.

I can't attend my calligraphy guild's play day tomorrow, because (boo hoo) I waited too long to register and now there are already 2 people on the waiting list before me...Oh well. What I should do is make the most of the time and DO ART at home! I've been working on some polymer clay stuff, and have some new paper from John Neal Booksellers that I should try working some calligraphy on...I bought some new inks from JNB also...

Cyberscribes (the calligraphy yahoo group I belong to) has had some very interesting threads of conversation lately, on preparing art for reproduction (at a printer's) and Sheila Waters has been posting about some of her beginner classes she has been teaching. I doubt her students realize what a treasure they are being exposed to!! She is one of the WORLD'S best calligraphers!

Well - finally better get something accomplished - it's already past 12:30 pm!

oh - any music lovers out there - especially classic rock - should try the internet streaming of 107.7 the Lake. www.107.7thelake.com

Do it now!

19 days into the new year of 2008...how astute!

I am not sure how this year is going to go...of course, who ever knows for sure?

Some things I'm hoping for - greater involvement in both the polymer clay guild (wnypcg) and the Genesee Valley Calligraphy Guild (GVCG); more art made (every day?); more music discovered...that one is easy; people contacted that I haven't talked to in many years; greater involvement with my college alma mater - RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and perhaps a better knowledge of what is going on in the printing industry these days...

I have enough supplies to last to the next decade - at least - and I just ordered a bunch more from John Neal Booksellers, for calligraphy. I'm actually hoping to get a piece finished for RIT's r gallery auction. That is due in less than a month...hmmm. We'll see. I don't seem to be making progress very quickly.

Also thinking about pulling together a newsletter for the polymer clay guild. Tentative title:
Millefiore Musings & More... (silly, but fitting...)

Damien Rice is the newest musician I've "discovered." Amazing.

"I'm SO excited, I just can't HIDE it..."

"...I'm about to lose control and I think I like it..."

Well - this song was definitely NOT written about zines (say "zeenz") but wow! it works for the seven zines I received this week from The Gleaner Zine summer 7 for 7 zine swap! Seven super, original, cool zines from seven super artistes! I haven't had the time to really sit down and take more than a superficial glance, but my oh my they will be fun to look at! And in a day or two I will post parts of the zine that I created for the swap. I want to make sure everyone gets their zines before I "give away" any of the secrets...in case anyone is out there reading this blog...

I also had the chance to finish a card that was part of a Card Kit challenge by one of the members of my B_R_A_G yahoo e-group - Lois Appleton put together identical kits for all who wanted to join in, and sent them all out, and each of us had to use those materials to create a card (and she sent enough materials for 3-4 cards...thanks Lois!). It should be very interesting to see whose card is selected as "best" - and it's exciting because the winner gets ALL the cards!

Well - time to keep on cleaning my new work space! (I've taken over daughter #1's old bedroom as my craft space - after all, she is 22 and living in her own apartment - and dh bought me new shelving to help me get all my stuff straight...I'd forgotten how many supplies and tools I've purchased over the years!

Last one out is a rotten avocado...

It's impossible to think about trying to be interesting without thinking about how my life has been centered in this "small city" of less than 10,000 people for over 25 years. Not my hometown; it is my dh's (dear husband) hometown and his mom is still here and alive 'n kickin' - at age 81 she lives about 2 miles from us...so we are still tied to town...

And now that both my girls are graduates of the high school, in a town that has so much "town pride" that they gave out over $170,000 (!) of scholarships to graduating seniors this year, well, it appears that I will be forever associated with this town. And I need to get going on the business that I have been, pretty much half-heartedly, trying to establish since 1999. PurpleOrchardArts. I've had a website or two, neither being active at the moment. I do calligraphy, graphic design, and multi-media artwork. All by special commission, although I do some work just for the hell of it.

I also find myself spending alot of time involved in swaps in yahoo groups, which actually are alot of fun. I finished a zine recently for a 7 for 7 zine swap; I'm looking forward to seeing what I get in return. Should be soon.

And I did a little contest on my B_R_A_G yahoo group and now have 3 winners to send stuff to. So I need to get on the ball for that.

So - enough said for today. Let's get busy...!

Forty-nine will be a very good year...I can tell...

After all, wasn't it 1849 when we had the Gold Rush? Actually I don't know my history that well but it sounds good...

I haven't had the chance yet to put up the pix of the piece that I entered into Washington Pavillion's Punch Card exhibit, which was earlier in the year, so I will do that here. There were two punch cards in the entry envelope, so even though the rules said we only had to use one of the punch cards, I decided to use both and make an ABC ROYGBV booklet. This side that you see to the left is Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-
Violet (ROYGBV) with alphabetical stamping over it. Sorry I don't remember off-hand the company that made the alphabet stamp - it might have been MaVinci. I can check if anyone is interested.

Then on the inside I did a totally different technique. The image is above on the right. I used a pen to create patterns around the "ABC" "XYZ" - then I folded the punch cards accordian-style, and bound the two together with funky fibers and ended the fibers with beads. I like the way it came out.

I also wanted to share today my love of polymer clay art, and my love of the work of Frida Kahlo. I do tend to be somewhat "feminist" in my tastes; I am always extra-motivated to support women artists - I especially like it when a woman calls herself a "womyn" - thereby dropping the reference to men. I'm not sure why I like this; I have been married - to a man - (lol) for nearly 27 years and I have two beautiful daughters who are both adults (ages 22 and 18).

Well - enough for the moment. I really welcome comments!
Kathie