Thursday, March 26, 2015

Something cool! SPRINT, a daily project!

I've something very special to share with all of you! It's something you can do for yourself that will be quite fun.
It's called Creative Sprint and you can learn more about it HERE.
For those of you who have thought about a 365 project and found it daunting, here's an un-daunting project for you. Try it, you've nothing to lose.
Oh, and disclaimer, it's my kids project!
Check it out.
Let me know if you're going to do it. I am!

Some art, and a reminder about Slow Art

 A collage on an old book cover. I'll be sending this out with the address on the same side as the collage? I left room for that and yet, I'm not sure about doing it that way. I guess I can add an address label on the reverse on the book cover image. What do you think? Address this side? or leave it alone?
Advice?
My friend Andrea, of Found Art fame, sent me some things including an old postcard from Russia.  She said that I could alter it, so I did.
 Here's a photo from last year's Slow Art Day event. Folks looking at a Jasper John's painting, slowly.


So if you can join me, register HERE so I'll know you're coming.
If you don't live near me, find a venue near where YOU live. Check out the venues HERE.

Come along, bring friends, family, whomever, all ages welcome.

No experience needed, just a time to look at art slowly and enjoy.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Sunday, fun day.

#51

#52

#53

#54
I just learned about a postcard project through Brain Pickings. Wow, check it out HERE.
This group of mail art collages were made using scraps sent to me by Cecil Touchon of the Museum of Collage, Assemblage and construction.  Well, actually, I donated money by purchasing a packet of the scraps. What a cool idea. And in return, I cleared a path on my own work table and sent him a bunch of scraps to use for collage night at the museum. Fun, this is such fun.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Ah, mid-week update! Mail Art and Slow Art.

#48

#49

#50
 The above three collages use scraps that friends sent to me. I really love using these old bits and adding my own touches. #50 is made on the cover of an old children's book that someone gave me to cut up. The cover fell off so I used it in this way.

I purchased a scrap kit from the Museum of Collage, Cecil Touchon's place, to help support the museum. It arrived yesterday and I'll make several pieces of mail using the scraps from Cecil's studio. I decided to send scraps from MY studio to Cecil to use for collage night. Happy to pass scraps along.

Ah, move slowly like a turtle - that's what we'll do on Slow Art Day 2015.

I've set up an EventBrite page here. Just click on "here" and sign up. It's free to attend and I'll be able to prepare enough handouts if I know you're participating.

And if you aren't in Richmond, VA, check your city and see if there's a Slow Art Event where you are. Venue's here.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Some fun news!

 This is the atrium of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA.) I took this photo when this new space first opened. It looks the same though it's usually always filled with people now. The museum is open 365 days of the year and is free of charge except for special exhibits. How nice, right? We love hanging out there.

AND here is #1 FUN NEWS!
 I will, once again, host  Slow Art Day at VMFA.

Participants will meet me at the museum on Saturday,  11 April, at 11 a.m. and view 5 works of art for an hour. Then we'll convene at the Best Cafe, at noon,  for an informal conversation about the experience. I'm excited to be doing this again. If you are in the area, please sign up on my Facebook Page, Slow Art Day 2015 - Richmond, VA - VMFA 
  or leave me a message on this blog, or send me an e-mail.. If you comment as anonymous leave me your name and info so I can get information to you. Bring children if you have them or know any who'd enjoy this activity, as well as adults. It's open to anyone.

Cover
First page

Fun Thing #2 - I'm so happy to be participating in The Sketchbook Project again. I missed the deadline because I wasn't being mindful, but then, the deadline was
e x t e n d e d!
Lucky me! Hooray.
So here's the cover and the first page. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to do before starting so that it's all come together for me.
It's minimal, as usual. 
  I'll show more pages eventually, or tomorrow.
Fun Thing #3 - my page from the Artists Coloring Book will be among several featured at a festival in Cape Town, South Africa.  Check out the link and see the cool things that are happening all around the world via Micro-Galleries.

Fun, right? This is all so fun.



Saturday, March 14, 2015

Mail Art - catching up, still.

#42

#43
 I have many of these old postcards. This particular view is so boring that I rarely use them. Since the location is near a friend's home, I decided to alter it and send it to them.

For some reason, placing a real person there as a "sculpture bust" seemed like a good idea. My story about it is that it creates a problem for drivers who often miss the turn onto the expressway. What do you think? Does it work?

I found a stash of my cut out paintings that I'd forgotten about, and made another in my series of Landscape Beautification Projects.

This one works nicely. The story is that the boaters enjoy it but the people who live in it's shadow, not so much.
#44

#45




While going through some little drawers of collage bits that I hadn't explored in awhile, I found these bits of photos that I'd cut out. Why I'd taken photos of eggplants, I don't know. And why I'd had those photos printed, wow, a mystery, and then, I cut them out!

So I had to use them in Mail Art collages, right?




Do you think I used these to best advantage?

Any other ideas for me as I have a few left.
#46









Combining photo, photo from a magazine, and very old newsprint.
#47











Figures are from old magazines that an aquaintance dropped off at my house. I don't like the musty smell of them so I work quickly to find images to cut out then drop the magazine in the recycle bin.




Mail Art catch-up! Did you miss me?

#33

#37

#38

#39

$40
Here's a series of Mail Art pieces that I made using scraps sent to me by some Mail Art friends. Aren't I lucky to have such good friends?

How did I get into this?

I was asked when I started doing Mailart. Good question. Like many artists, I was making and mailing art without even knowing it had a name ...