Making my "Cabin in the Woods" happen!

In less than 3 short weeks, my "cabin in the woods"project-the smaller art studio-has seen a some changes. Once I committed to the idea and stopped waffling, things began to happen!

First, because the only convenient place originally to set the 12 x 20 shed down was at the 

renovations in progress!

.

edge of our dirt/gravel driveway, I knew I had to make another entrance opening.

I also needed more light-a door at the north end or bigger windows!

Bringing in a re-modeler friend who happened to have a spare 6 ft. sliding door, he and his crew made short work of the 10 x 16' deck and door installation!

I hired the neighbor's son to dig the "trench" to lay electrical wire. Our big studio is on a separate meter so it seemed logical to pull power from that. Brent had a lot of help from one of our chickens the afternoon he dug it!

Chickens are fascinated by any "scratching" in the earth.

Digging the trench from the big studio

Our remodeler came out the next day and he and hubby hooked up the power to the small studio and I was in business so to speak! Even the simple ability to turn on lights was inspiring :-)

The changes have been fabulous! Below is from just the day after Christmas when my youngest son and hubby (artist Stephen Filarsky) installed the sheetrock on the ceiling (the hardest part of sheetrocking!) as part of my Christmas present! It's already looking bigger and brighter!

Sheetrocking the ceiling

I'll add a small stoop to the door side-I might just close it off but in the summer I know an amazing crossbreeze can come through there so...still thinking!
In the meantime, my "Cabin in the Woods" is coming to life!

In just a few days...ART RETREAT!

JUNE 8 ART RETREAT!

LADIES ART RETREAT!

Join Theresa and her special guest, artist Ophelia Staton, Saturday JUNE 8 from 1:00-4:00 at our LADIES ART RETREAT and learn some new and exciting tips in creating or adding to your Art Journals!   Ophelia is a creative and carefree artist whose easy teaching  style will inspire and motivate you to step into the world of art journaling, expressionism and "no holds barred" art. 

HTTP://WWW.ARTSTUDENTACADEMY.COM/LADIES-ART-RETREAT-2.HTML

Read more about Ophelia here:http://opheliasart.blogspot.com
Read more about Theresa here: www.ArtsyJourneys.com

Ladies Art Retreat!

There is no doubt that the atmosphere was super-charged, the activity level on "high alert" and the resulting fun...well, you just had to be there :-)

Combine me, Theresa, with my level of art journaling and add the incomparable journaler, Ophelia Staton and plop us into my art studio out on the country and you have the ingredients for a remarkable level of a accomplishment! Sound far fetched? Nope, I am not exaggerating :-) My only regret is that I did not get a group photo of the 15 of us holding up our books and canvas creations so you could see the beautiful results.

A collage of the day-video coming!

For some of our participants it was a continuation of  their journaling and for others, a new beginning. We love to be responsible for the fun of introducing  new ideas, activities and happiness into someone's life. 
Our next Ladies Art Journaling Retreat with Ophelia and I will be Saturday, April 13! Want us to come to you? Let me know and we can arrange a Retreat at your Location!

Exploring with Abstract Art

Abstract paintings-a marvelous artsy way to explore almost any array of art in any form!
So what do i create when I move away from my much loved portraits?
Well, abstracts of course with a touch of mixed media!

 

Inspired by Nature and keeping it all simple!

I am one of those artists and art journal individuals inspired by simple pleasures :-) It can be as spectacular as our recent art show location near Boone, NC or the light bouncing off a hanging basket of flowers on my front porch.

My husband absorbing the wildflowers on top of an NC Mountain

An art or travel journal is supposed to be fun! It is not all about new techniques or the latest fad.  Make your journal as creative as YOU want to make it.

There are so many magazines now out there with a gazillion "do this" to be creative articles that it is easy to be overwhelmed. Remember that most of the authors are paid to come with new ideas! Do what comes naturally and creatively to you.  If a new method or idea "despires" instead of "inspires" then
wait for another day!

Traveling light-markers, white crayon, couple of brushes and water bottle! 

Often while traveling your supplies are limited by what can be easily carried and used. Stick with the basics and keep it simple!

Organizing the art studio

Whew! I'm getting ready for a kid's summer art camp week in Sculpture and as always, getting organized in an art studio where the tables are covered with paintings heading off for the next show-this one in Blowing Rock, NC....the cool mountains! 


Organizing any studio is a lesson in discipline. Anyone can come in and organize a place but it's up to you to keep it that way. A recent article in an issue of Cloth,Paper,Scissors has a free download on studio organization for artists and there may be some fun and useful tips in it that you did not think about!

http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/free-art-studio-organization-ideas/?a=cpe120706

As charming as this photo of a studio is (above) I am a firm believer in plastic bins (well marked) and cabinets with doors. Unused chairs simply collect stuff! You can buy shelves and cabinets ready to put together at any big box store and home supply store. As a former single mom with four children, I had to rely on part of the kitchen table and used a sheet to cover up the clutter and discourage little hands from borrowing the art supplies! In fact I have a chapter in my ebook devoted just to finding space to create and store in rental homes (a given for the single moms as some point) where there is none! 

Now, be inspired to have a clutter free area to work and see if it does not make a huge difference!

skeleton keys-where to find?

It did not take the flea market crowd long to realize that old skeleton type keys were becoming very popular with the artsy crowd!

After spending a fruitless day browsing one of the larger ones in our state of NC and finding a $2.00 key (a bargain when everyone else wanted $4-7.00 per key!) I browsed the old stand by-Ebay.

It rapidly progressed from "old" and "ephemera" to 'reproduction"! And I could not be happier!

Sunsettraders on Ebay sells these reproduction and lovely skeleton keys for a fraction of the cost. 14 keys cost me $10.00. He has 21 listed for $14.00 and so on.

In my recent art journaling class retreat where I supplied everything, these were a BIG hit! Who would not want their journal to have the symbolic "key" and all it could mean somewhere within the journal or on the cover?

Thoughts such as "Key to my Heart" or "Key to my thoughts", "Key to Happiness", etc. all come to mind!

My cover below had the $2.00 key but visit other posts in this blog and you will see the reproductions in use!

example of a cover with key

Exciting Art Journal Covers!

Art Journal cover (from beginner)

 A close up of the cover of one of the participant's journal

She did an equally beautiful job on the miniature art journal made from scratch (so to speak!)

size of miniature (2.5 x 3") journal

Another participant's duo!

Continue down to see another example!

Starting a miniature art journal

Look at the beautiful results from our beginner art journalists and see if you aren't impressed? Also notice the gorgeous miniature journals they created from scratch? A few participants got away before I took photos but I will post them soon-simple a wonderful time with lots and lots of art supplies!

June 30 Ladies Art Retreat!

Hey it's tomorrow! Only two spots left for this fun opportunity to learn to start your own art journal! No men-just us ladies :-)

http://artstudentacademy.com/Ladies-Journaling-Retreat.html

Bringing in the vintage photos!

Little Victorian girl

Nothing says "Art Journal" as well as vintage elements brought together such as ephemera ads, photos, postcards and old books.

In my upcoming Art Retreat we will be using this image and many like it. I have so many sources for old images but found this one and the following two on a super blog called "freevintagedigistamps" . I will find the link again as the downloads are all free and fun to browse through!

Check out this super cool image! Can you imagine using this within one of your pages?    Or how about this enchanting young girl from another era?

You can print your images out on computer paper and incorporate them into your journal with words, art   and your imagination. Keep watching for what my students create this weekend!

Lovely Victorian era child

                                                              

Starting a Travel Journal

A page from my travel journal

Art Journaling offers the perfect venue to create, maintain and embellish a travel journal.

You simply fill a bag with your journal, travel watercolors, a small container of mat medium (or elmers glue), markers, scissors and you're good to go!

Collect postcards, maps, travel brochures,...all available at welcome centers and tourist stops, and when the time presents itself, assemble the pieces into your book!

It's a fabulous way to pass the time in the car, a motel, on the beach  (a little sand in the glue?) and create lasting memories of a road trip!

I'm off on a road trip to the coast this weekend to participate in an outdoor art show and I'll bring along my journal to work in when things are quiet!

Teen art journaling

Right now I am teaching a week long summer camp for children 8-10 and 11-15. The kids are amazing, fun, energetic and I have to add that my animals on our mini farm are so happy to have all the attention during break!
My Art camps are what I call "all inclusive." I like to take the energy level, enthusiasm and abilities of my young students and not only paint (this is a Painting Camp!) but let them experience new concepts. On top of that, let's bring in the childhood pleasure of fresh air, flowers, climbing trees, petting animals and running for the sheer pleasure of it!   See it HERE:

Art camp collage

Watch it HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECX-JNgRi70



"Serious" art can wait. The teens whom I taught all year long in my children's classes, have continued their art journaling during the summer break with beautiful results!

Maddie's journal page. Age 14

Art Journal Glitz with paint and kitchen wrap!

art journal page of 9 x 12 book

 As an artist, I have a slew of various paints and assorted art mediums sitting around. Some have sat awhile, fallen out of favor or simply not used to their potential.

It did not take me long to realize that ANYTHING can be used in art journaling! Dust off old pens, paints, markers, pastels, rummage through kitchen drawers for odds and ends.....and by all means, pull out that favorite food saver, the box of clear plastic wrap!

I had a few tubes of Turner acryl "gouache" and simply blended a few of the "pearl" colors onto the previously gessoed pages of one of my journals. ( Gouache is an ancient medium usually seen as an opaque watercolor but more recently re-invented as an acrylic gouache with much the same properties as Golden, Liquitex, etc. Beautiful colors!)

Then I crumpled up the clear wrap, pushed it onto the wet paint, let it sit about 10 minutes, then pulled it off.

The results are a beautifully textured surface, shimmery with gouache paint to which I applied purple and black markers and a few cut out phrases.

Simple, effective and oh so easy!

close up of textured surface

Economical papers and fabrics

Purchasing individual sheets of scrapbooking paper can be an expensive undertaking, especially when you may not be sure what to do with them yet.

A good substitute? Both wallpaper and fabric sample books from your local recycling centers, back rooms of fabric shops or Goodwill type stores. A HUGE assortment of fabric textures, colors, patinas...all available for a fraction of the cost.

When you consider one sheet of 9 x 12 paper from a retail craft store can be $4.99-9.99, investing $2-4.00 for a 20 pound book with easily 500 samples ranging in sizes from "3 x 9" to as large as 12 " x 12" sheets of paper or fabric, well the choice is clear!

My next post will show you what I did with a few of the papers and fabrics. 

What do I need to start an Art Journal?

My trip to the Scrap Exchange netted several books filled with wallpaper and fabric samples. Finds such as these can offer a huge assortment of colors, textures and opportunities to simple experiment. After all, nothing happens if you don't try it!
But  don't underestimate what is already in your home. Markers, crayons, colored pencils, poster paints are usually in the art corner or drawer of every home. Did you know that scribbling on a page with markers and then lightly brushing over it with a wet brush will cause the colors to spread and blend into a beautiful random design?

An inexpensive box of markers

 As school begins to start back (yes I know, it's hardly out) the big discount stores will offer HUGE savings on basic art supplies such as Markers, Crayons, Glue (when was the last time you paid .17 cents for a bottle of glue? Rulers, colored pencils, puff paints, craft paints....
and the all important ways to organize them all!

Check the fabric sections in the same stores for sales on ribbons and buttons, zigzag material...KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Running around and around collecting "stuff" can block your creative abilities. Just use what is there, in front of you. The rest will come in good time!

Blending colors. A super background effect!