Mixed Media Artists of Northern California

This week we
 created small books made of envelopes and embellishments.

SICL classes

Here are some photos from the last two weeks in SICL Art and Artists class. I'm home again and ready to pick up the pieces and get back to a normal routine. Going to class today was a good start.

Just me

Verna Mae

My cousin's wife took this great photo of Verna Mae. I saw it yesterday for the first time and thought - this is exactly the way I want to remember her. Spunky, happy, cute, smart. The picture captured her perfectly.

Thursday - inkjet transfers with just water

Yesterday during class at Delta, I tried to demonstrate a technique to transfer an image with water. I forgot to use the right kind of paper to print the image, so I just had a plain paper injet image with me. Well, what the heck? Try it. I took the paper I was going to transfer the image to and ran it under the tap then laid it out flat on the counter. Then I took the inkjet print and laid it face down on the dampened blank page. It took awhile, but finally a faint image began to transfer. I dampened the back of the injet image and left it for awhile - probably 10 or 15 minutes. When I went back to it, there was the image transferred over. Some of the color was fugitive - it separated. Green didn't transfer. Here is the image and the transfer.

New Fabric Book

I just finished my fabric book based on Artist's self portraits. I started this one before I decided to make Don's book from papers, so I had set it aside. A few rainy days gave me the perfect opportunity to finish it up. Here are some pics. This is a present for artist/friend Sue Barry.

Verna Mae's art

Here are some of the beautiful silks that Verna Mae dyed. This was her chosen art form when she was in her 70s and 80s. She sold them at the La Selva Show, and other art shows in Carmel, San Jose, Atherton, Watsonville, Santa Cruz, and in shops in Watsonville, Pacific Grove, and Sedona, AZ. The last piece is a delicate pastel of the beach at La Selva.

Altered Fashions tag swap

these are the tags that I made for a group swap. Images are placed using packing tape transfer method.

Verna Mae's watercolors

Here are a couple pieces of her work.

Family photos link

This is the link to the family albums. http://panoramabob.smugmug.com/Family/283660

Mystery in garden. Bird cage puzzle

In my garden I have old birdcages sitting here and there. Sometimes I use them to protect plants, other times they are just for decoration. When I was leaving the studio today, my dogs were barking furiously.  It was raining and I knew they wouldn't be out there unless there was something really interesting. Usually it is a cat on the fence, or one they have chased under the studio. But today was a different story.

Buddy and Suzie were on either side of an old birdcage that sits on the ground. It has no floor. Inside the bird cage was a wild bird about the size of a small robin, greybrown in color. It was very much alive and not liking the dogs barking, but unable to escape.

 How did it get in the cage? That's the puzzling thing. The cage sits flush on the ground. Door was closed, and spring loaded so it would be impossible for a little bird to pry it open.  Gaps between wires were too tight for a bird that size to squeeze through... or were they?  I dont' have a clue. I got my daughter-in-law to step out and look - I knew no one would believe me. She held on to the dogs while I lifted the cage. The bird just sat there so I gave it a tiny nudge and it flew right up into a tree. I'd sure like to know how this happened.

Verna Mae photos and art

Mostly I'm working in an altered book lately. It is hard to scan so I haven't been showing it here.

I'm also working with my brother on getting my aunt's photos in the family online photo site. I thought I'd share a few favorites here too. The drawings are ones she did probably in 1930's or 40's. I'll post more of her artwork another day.

SICL class

Today was SICL class at Delta again. This time we had a full house, lots of new people, lots of activities. A couple photos from class are here.