Karen's Fiber Art hanging at the show

Although the weather was a bit dreary, we really had a great time at the GAP Art Show at the Lancaster Theater in Grapevine, this past Saturday. Karen and I had a great spot, thanks so much to all who braved the wet weather and came out to support the arts.  I was able to get in some painting and Karen and I were able to visit with so many great people about our art. People loved Karen’s new “Fiber Art” and it was so interesting to hear her talk about her loom.  It’s a whole new vocabulary; one which she has learned well, and is excelling at. I am working on a new piece featuring Clematis flowers which are going crazy on our trellis in the side yard. I’ll keep you posted on it’s progress.

Painting in our booth

Here they are, my completed Weaving projects. I made six scarfs, I am in the process of tying fringe on each end of the scarfs. Two of the scarfs are the ones I call Hobo scarfs, One is for my daughter and one for my sister. They are my favorite ones! I really enjoyed making these scarfs, They are like a painting, each time you put a thread through the shed and beat it into the weave, it’s like putting a brush stroke of paint on a canvas, the picture is building with each stroke, each time the shuttle goes through! Here are some more pictures of the pieces.

Summer and Sunflowers revisited in progress

A couple of weeks ago, at a GAP meeting, I had the opportunity to speak with a fellow artist, I had met at a GAP show last summer. She wanted to get together, visit and share ideas. So, I invited a couple of other artists, I had met recently and we set a date. We met at the Corner Bakery, had some lunch and then spent about 2 hours brainstorming. We shared ideas, encouragements, fears and frustrations. It was such a great experience. Those opportunities to share real life experiences of doing art, marketing your art and building an art business with other artist are priceless. I came away with some great ideas, three new friends and a date to meet again next month. You can find information about two of the artists and there work below:

http://www. shellyburden.com

http://paintpalettecolors.blogspot.com

One of the things I love about creativity is the diversity of its expression. Sharen and I both have been lucky, we have been creative people all our lives and it has taken so many forms. From painting to sewing, we have imagined and then created some really neat things. Not long ago, I was reading a book Sharen had given me and with in its pages, one of the characters raised angora rabbits for their fur. The author painted (in words) such an interesting picture of spinning and weaving that it inspired me to get a loom and try my hand at it. I started with a great book, Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler. My first piece was a sampler, where I was able to try different techniques and learn the workings of the loom. My second piece was a scarf for my daughter. The pictures are of that project in progress.

My goal is to do art weaving, wall hangings and rugs. I love the whole process and hope to continue creating with yarn.

VISIT DOWNTOWN GRAPEVINE DURING THE GRAPEVINE ART PROJECT ANNUAL SHOW & SALE
OCTOBER 2 & 3, 2009
LANCASTER THEATRE

Friday, October 2nd:
Art Show – 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Artist Reception – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 3rd:
Art Show & Sale – 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Our first annual show for Grapevine Art Project members
with over $1,000 in prizes awarded to winning artists.  Cash
drawing of $100 for attendees who participate in the People’s
Choice art competition.  Raffle for gift certificates and framed limited
edition art piece for attendees who buy tickets to support the Grapevine
Art Project.  This event is free to the public and will also provide information
on membership in the Grapevine Art Project.

Doing Art

Just thought I would share some of my favorite quotes about art:

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be. -Abraham Maslow

Art is Man’s nature.  Nature is god’s art.  ~James Bailey

Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul – and you answer.  ~Star Richés

A painting is what you make of it, besides which, ‘Moon, Weeping’ has a better ring to it than ‘Paintbrush, Dripping.’  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Art is not a thing; it is a way.  ~Elbert Hubbard

One of the best things about paintings is their silence – which prompts reflection and random reverie.  ~Mark Stevens

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.  ~André Gide

This represent a little food for thought. Be creative, open up your heart and let it flow!

If you have only one book in your artist studio, it should be “New Artist’s Handbook” by Ray Smith. This book is packed with information on the visual arts, featuring over 1000 full color illustrations. It is a guide to the tools, materials and techniques of the artist’s craft. Mr. Smith covers many exciting modern processes, as well as a wide range of traditional skills, something for ever artist, no matter what your media. There is instructional material as well as inspirational challenges for using more creative techniques.  This book is for beginners and accomplished artists alike.

There are chapters on Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, digital media and photography and many more. With the step by step photo instructions, it offers each of us an opportunity to try new techniques and improve our skills in what ever media you currently use.

I have used my book over and over through the years. The most current addition is updated to include the ever expanding world of digital media and computer art. Get a copy today.

This past week we set up at the Grapevine Arts Project Summer Show. Displaying our work in an outdoor show in the Texas heat was challenging but well worth it. We meet so many people and had a great time talking with everyone.

Set up began at 2:00 and took almost all of the two hours we had to get everything in its place. The display system we use is made by Pro-Panels, www.propanels.com  out of Dallas, Texas. The panels are easy to set up and very versatile as to booth layout. The weather was a little hot but not in the 100′s as it had been the day before! Twin mix had its debut at this show and was well received. Sharen’s “Summer One” painting and Sunflowers were the hit of the show. “Moonshine” and “American Paint” were also well liked.

We enjoy painting and really put a lot of our personality and heart into each one. Creating a piece of Art becomes an extension of myself. Putting it out for the public to see and getting their feed back is a wonderful way to improve your work. We were so pleased with the turn out, the friendliness of everyone involved and very appreciative of the beautiful work of all the other artist who participated.

When I am creating a picture, it is like a treasure hunt looking for just the right piece to fit. You have the ability to change the whole look of the design by adding a different color form paper or add a found object and make a statement! Some artists say that a collage is never really finished. The pieces can be shifted, added to, removed, glued down, covered over or torn off. That makes it great for someone starting out.

You can begin with simple materials and techniques, use bristol board, canvas board or illustration board as your base. Pick a theme, that is, a main idea that will unify your Collage. It can be anything that reflects your interests, fashion, show biz, sports, family, pets and so on. Start collecting odds and ends, such as photos, mementos, magazine pictures and wrapping paper that relate to your theme. Just let yourself go, don’t worry about artistic concepts in the beginning. You can paint your background using Acrylic paints or glue paper down. White glue or acrylic medium work well to glue things down. Mod Podge is fantastic, it will hold down all kinds of things. Arrange the pieces on the base support without gluing them down. Move the pieces on the base until you find the arrangement you like. Once you have the “look” you want, begin gluing the pieces down. Starting with the big pieces first, use an old paintbrush to spread the glue over the entire back of each picture. Press each piece firmly onto the base, smoothing the pieces from the center out. Make sure you get the picture as smooth as possible. If you do get air bubbles, use a small straight pin to prick the bubble and release the air. There you have it, you have created your very first collage!

Breaking with tradition is what makes collage a great way to challenge yourself as an artist. It challenges you and stimulates your creativity. You can even recycle trash into your art objects and make environmental statement.

Many art critics say that “collage is the single most revolutionary artistic innovation in this century and as an art form it is uniquely a twentieth-century phenomenon with the capacity to dominate visual art in the twenty-first century”. I believe this is true. There is so much that can be done with this medium. The sky is the limit!