CHARLIE'S GARDEN

A mixed media assemblage of found objects.  I have been wanting to do a "recycled garden" for a long time.  I have a nice pile of collected things..  been saving odd bits and pieces for years.  Yes, it piles up.  Yes, I should clear it out.  But being an artist who loves to repurpose it just is hard to get rid of the treasures.  In my dreams, I would love to spend a week sorting and categorizing everything.  Then store in clear containers clearly labeled.  But then I wouldn't always experience the serendipitous discovery of reaching for an element (not knowing what I was looking for) and ta-da there it is. 

 Perfect!  

This is done on a cradle board.  I painted the background then started compiling the flowers.   I have a lot of the old molds that I have collected from thrift shops and garage sales.  I hammered these flat, snipping some 

to allow the bowl shape to spread out... which added a petal look.  Old spoons were hammered as well and I had a nice stash of red bottle caps to pop a little color on the spoon flowers.  An old zipper, an old

electric cloth covered cord, some carpenter's rulers and wire created the stems.  I decided I needed some dimension at the base of the flowers and found an old purse at the thrift shop that was green with printed

xoxo's  and hearts.  So I cut out strips and nailed them to the board creating the depth I was looking for.

The one flower with the red bullseye is special to me.  And it does stand out prominently.  The red disk was something I found in my husband's garage trash.. he had cut it out of metal.  The center white is a big old washer from my dad's stash that I gleaned from his garage after he passed away.  He was a tinker and had boxes of goodies that I have been rationing into my art.  The blue and yellow pieces of tin are from a windmill that Dad had made.  He made several of these.  When I got them, the little motors no longer worked, but I knew I would find a use of the propellers someday.  The leaves on this flower are old screen

from some old screen door with lovely old paint and rust.  So after I was done with this piece, I decided to

call it Charlie's Garden.. for my Dad.  He loved to garden after he retired.  

I have a show coming up in a few week with some very fun talented ladies: Whimsical Women of the West.  It's our Spring Show..and I need to pump out as much fun art as I can.

wish me luck..

I need TIME to create.  And that is not always an abundant commodity for me!!!!!

JUST LIKE ME

Finished this new one.. so much fun creating a whimsical gathering of birds.  I love doing birds.. something 

so sweet and comical about the little birds in the spring.  Hopping around, busily looking for yummies to eat.

I hang a bird feeder outside all winter and it's a little sad to pull it down in the spring.  Bears love feeders.  So the birds on are their own for food.. thankfully  there is more to eat now.

I have a great local outlet for my art... a friend's shop in the downtown area who loves my art and let's me hang as much as I want to bring in.  She only charges me a minimum fee for sold work and it's fun for her to hang up the art.  She likes the quirky and colorful which is my favorite choice to do!!!  

And I have another hanging in June at a great popular breakfast place in Carbondale for the month of June.  So I have a lot of art to do.. plus with shows and markets coming up this summer, I want to build my inventory as much as possible.   

I have been neglecting my morning art time.. which has been sorely missed.  Always seeming to find "more important things to do" and duh... my daily art time is really critical for me.  So having a lot of commitments for my art will get me back in the groove.  It's magical to come into my studio and sit at my art desk with my birds chirping over my head and immerse myself in my art.  

This year I am determined to create at a steady flow.. for many reasons least of all my SELF.  I will be posting here more often and hope to soon restock my empty etsy store.  tsk tsk.  

Funny how I become more stagnant in the winter and when spring rolls around, a time when I have a ton of chores in the garden, I wake up with wanting to do art all the time!!!!!  But I do a lot more reading in the winter..  which is lovely.  

so that's my game plan...

plus my kids are moving back to our valley in a few weeks.  and I am giddy with excitement.....

ta

NEW ART

This was a new fun art for me.   Such great FUN!!!

I started out with a multi wash of color.

I love watercolor so working on this wood using very wet acrylics

is as much fun for me as doing watercolors.

After this dried,

I started adding some wispy plant designs.. again with a wet brush dipped in

watered down acrylics, but with enough color to show up.

Drying time again.  Sometimes I speed this up with my heat gun.

Next I stamped some designs with paint.. for added elements.

And then took an old plastic dollie and used it as a stencil to spray paint over.

This really gives a nice lacy garden feel.

Next came the blackbird and the branch.  And lastly,

the collaged dictionary pages for the poppies.

Lastly the berries.. which I loved.

Now my artistic juices are flowing,

and I want to do MORE!

ta for now

WORK IN PROGRESS

Favorite jeans... slowly evolving into an art project.

Happy jeans.  Happy me.

Work in Progress. 

Funky chicken.  Using boards cast off from local cabinet shop.  I like the feel of

the wood and especially when there are knots and rough edges.  

And, finally, I think this piece is done.

Using a child's chalkboard easel works great for me.

I just kept playing with colors until

I was happy with the outcome.

Feels good to be doing art again.

It's been a long time for me.

ta

PINTEREST

I usually come around.

Eventually.

A little bird told me about Pinterest.

I have been seeing it around.

So I finally looked into it..

found it fun.

Though it can be a time sucker.

and that....

I.  don't.  need.

but will start slipping some fun things onto my boards...

fun.

can't so no.

ta

EMBRACING ART IN TINY INCREMENTS

Gave myself 2 minutes to play!

January was basically a write off for me.

Sick nearly the entire month.

THANKFULLY

what I was being told was a serious chronic illness

WAS NOT!

So art, business, life in general

was very minimal for me.

But I am RALLYING!

Wearing my pink Born flats this morning

scored at the local Thrift Shop yesterday.

Made me a healthy smoothie this morning

and decided I needed to not only attend to my health

but my ART as well.

Even if it means only a couple of minutes of art time...

I am taking January and shoving it aside.

The good part that came out of all this

is a renewed sense of JOY 

in my life and of course

GRATITUDE.

LIFE

is

a 

GIFT.

My

art 

is 

a 

gift.

and I am using both to my best advantage.

NEW WORD FOR 2012?

EMBRACE.

GETTING IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

LOVE IT.

Now the real story of this design..

First came the lips/leaves.. like 8 years ago?

then last year I added the heart background.

liked the combo, but it wasn't IT.

Then I was working on backgrounds for my kitchen rules designs.

I created the red polka dot with turquoise blue inset.

and then I worked on heart flowers.  

and then all of a sudden...

(here's where you picture cupid appearing over my creative brain....

and tada...

it all came together

and shot arrows straight through my heart.

I am smiling.

and 

SMOOCHIE MAMA

was born.

another day in my life.

ta