Back from ART CAMP II

Art Camp is over for this season. And I'm ready to relax and just enjoy the country and what little of summer remains. It's 100 degrees today so I think it may be with us a little longer. Here are a few pictures of the Art Ladies at camp.

Rockin'girl Blogger

Evie nominated me for as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. I'll be making some nominations myself after I catch my breath. Thanks Evie.

SICL - Stockton Institute for Continued Learning

Today was registration day.  The Art and Artists class is one I take every semester. I like the instructor and the people who attend. I'll probably take it forever, as it is a nice place to share art and make friends. Classes start right off in Sept.

I want to continue to spend as much time in the country as possible, and get to the coast too. Not enough time! Isn't that always the way, either too much to do, or nothing at all?

Altered Books - some thoughts

In the process of gathering materials for my next altered book, it occured to me that there are many types of altered books. There are those who rely on techniques such as structural changes (tearing, cutting, niches, shapes, etc.) , those who make eye candy (using images and colors to create an object of beauty - a feast for the eyes), those who use altered books for journaling or for scrapbooks, or found text, or those who work more like I do, as an artist/anthologist. I have given myself that title now and may just add that to my business cards.


My next book (food poisoning) will be an anthology. The research and gathering process is so seductive and enriching (reminds me of working in the library) that sometimes that's as far as I get with a project.

 It will have two common threads weaving it together. Odd food experiences, and Shakespeare's voice. I'm never happy with just one thread. I usually like to aim for three and by the time this altered book is developed, it may have that many. I self impose a limit of three, feeling that more is not better.

New technique

I've been thinking for quite a while about using recycled popsicle sticks in my art. Today, I carried some down to the studio and decided to go for it. The first thing at hand was a Smithsonian magazine which had some interesting images - so I looked for things that would fit on the sticks and still leave some exposed. This is Caravaggio's David with the head of Goliath. The map was in the same article, as was the text used. I found this was very labor intensive, and it took a lot more time than I usually give a project - but as I had never seen this done before, I thought I'd give it my all. Here is my new creation.

New art work

I signed on for two swaps with the Cloth Paper Studio group. ATCs with texture and geometric designs. So I made ATCs. Here are a couple of spares. We only had to make three to get three back. One of them I just made for the fun of it - it is not the swap theme. You can see I'm playing with Shakespeare quotes here.

The second swap was for 5 x 7 journal pages, a 10 for 10 swap. I mailed my ten in today. In a month or so, I'll get back 10 pages by other artists. Then I'll construct them into a little art journal.

Home again

The quiet of the hills was disrupted with the constant chattering of two eleven year old girls for the last couple days - and screeching and giggling in the swimming pool. The squirrels and birds can come out of hiding now. Next week I plan to take Trevor, Nathan and Candis. This will be their last outing before school starts the following week.

Now, out to the studio, if it is still there.

Mail art

I finished up some post cards - they are going out in the mail today to CPS birthday girls. Here are the pics.

New altered book idea - Food Poisoning

I am going to work on an altered book entitled "Food Poisoning". Its is little odd old medical book I bought at the flea market.

We had some odd eating habits in our family. We never ate anything with cooked tomatoes. So, no tomato sauce, no spaghetti, no pizza. We would put ketchup on macaroni and cheese and call it spaghetti. We never ate out, so didn't know the difference. None of the family are very adventurous cooks. We have a few things we cook well, but more things that we don't. None of us were ever very impressed with food so didn't develop very sophisticated palates. We ate to stay healthy - good healthy meals, but rather devoid of much flavor. Mother was an Iowa farm girl, so big meals, lots of meat and potatos were the common fare. My dad was always a gentleman and thanked and complimented her every day for dinner.

This book will feature the mistakes, the errors in judgement, the burnt beans, the creamed tuna made with plaster of paris, the lead-like buckwheat pancakes, and what we used to call candy - which tasted more like medicine (Mother bought them at the health food store) - Horhound drops. Yuch. No wonder I never developed a taste for hard candy. After spending the weekend with my brother talking about our childhoods, I realized there was an altered book just waiting to be constructed on the memories of food that are sort of unique to our family. My daughters-in-law cook, the grandchildren cook. Maybe I can tap into their horror stories too.

So now that the book is chosen, and the theme is developing - the next step is gathering the images that will help illustrate it. Family photos of course, and other found images. Maybe some old recipes. I think the whole thing is a bit silly, but I think it will be fun. I have photos of animals in strange contortions that will probably be used to illustrate tummyaches and so forth. I think that this will probably develop pretty fast. It's kind of a family journal of our eating history. I guarantee this is one of a kind. I'm so glad I found that little book at the flea market. No one else would have bought it. Indeed they had boxes and boxes of books that were not selling. If I could have gone back in the afteroon, I would have got more for next to nothing - but I was back in camp waiting for Ace hardware to deliver my new lawn swing. Oh well, I probably have enough books for awhile.

Since posting the beginning of this post, I have been in the studio where I picked up a book of Shakespeare quotations which I think I will use in this book. I seldom quote Shakespeare - but maybe just this once. Things like "Good sooth, she is the queen of curds and cream." or, "For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps."

I'm already envisioning a page stamped with real green beans in black ink to commemorate my mom's penchant for leaving them on the stove until smoke filled the house. Then later, we would get out the ladder and wash the ceiling and walls. Not one of my fondest memories, but it does give me a giggle now, looking back. She was the greatest baker of bread and cinnamon rolls. She and my aunt Verna Mae. I'll never have cinnamon rolls like that again. Maybe this winter I'll try to duplicate them. Yummm. All the family loves them. "Then to breakfast with What appetite you have." Yes, Shakespeare is going to work out fine for this one.

Then there was the night my high school sweetheart came back from the beach with gunny sacks full of tiny little fish for us to "cook?" My mother was not pleased with this great gift and my brother and I were dispatched to the backyard to bury them. "thou deboshed fish thou."

Yes, a food book is in the works.

Back from the hills

I've been missing in action again. The hills were calling and I answered. My brother and sister-in-law were with me for the long weekend. It was our annual trek to the White Pines Flea Market just outside of Arnold, CA. It is always the same weekend of every year and we mark our calendars ahead. It starts at 8 a.m on Saturday and Sunday. I got some books, mystery puzzles, Hawaiin shirts for the boys (and one for me), some interesting things to do rubbings of, and a Yamaha keyboard (WAHOO!) Look who thinks she can figure the thing out. A grandson has one nearly like it - maybe he can teach me. We took lots of nice walks and found that the campground now has Yfi in the adult center so we can catch up with emails there. Also, we watched the new DVD Bob produced on their trip to China. It was fabulous, particularly the layout of the work and the way he wove the music through the photos. I' m so proud of him.