Art and Soul Retreat - Day 4

Day 4 is here.   It's going by really fast.   Yesterday was such fun with all the funky birds.   Funky birds are  out of my confort zone, but oh so much fun.

Today I am taking Jesse Reno's class - Follow The Leader.  It's painting!   Something abstact by the description.  Now I am not an abstract person, but hope to adapt a bit.   Should be fun.  Also out of my comfort zone.

Examples of Jessie's art work.

This is so far out of my comfort zone it's hard for me to get a grip on it. The following are phases of my first painting- the bright Orange one in the corner.  

The following are examples students did in class.  The bottom right is my masterpiece.  

Art and Soul Retreat - Day 3

Today is Day 3 and the class I'm taking is Give 'em  the Bird by Doris Ardnt.   I should have three small paintings done by the end of the day.   Should be great fun.

I did get them done.  .

Top picture is brochure, Doris explaining how to do birds, my practice sheet and finally boards with background colors painted on.

The top two pictures are instructors paintings and the bottom are my first effort at funky birds.  

Come back tomorrow to see more painting efforts.

Art and Soul Retreat - Day 2

A much better night.   Didn't wake up wide awake in the middle of night.   That's a good thing.   

I am taking another collage class today.   Today's class is called COLLAGE A PET.   That should be fun.  I brought about 6 pictures for inspiration.   I have one with Benny and Uno (our cat), but don't know if it will be the best model to do.   I learned lots last night about collage.   Things I never knew.  This class is also taught by Susan  Schenk.    The first time I had seen her works was in the  publication, Cloth, Paper, Scissors.    It's amazing that you an do so much with just strips of paper cut from magazines and old scraps of craft paper, maps, newspapers, etc.   Recylcing at its finest.   Makes me really happy all those magazines are not going into land fills.   

The other things about her classes is she supplies all the items needed to do the class.   When you're travelling with tons of stuff, that's a real incentive to do her class.   Today the only thing we had to bring was a picture of our pet.   Last night, nothing.   This really works well for me.   

The following pictures are, from left to right.   Photo of Benny, pieces being glued to background in the next 7 pictures, finished with me holding the finished project.

The following projects are of other projects in the class.   Sorry I can't put the rooster, McKenzie is it's name, upright.   Tough doing blogging on my iPad.   Will get better tho.

The following are all framed.   These were examples the instructor had done.

Here I am again

It has been a great day.   Having fun!!   Come back tomorrow and see day 3.  

Art and Soul Retreat - Day 1

It's 2:30 in the morning and I am ready to go Make Something!!!    Unfortunately, it's way too early.   Have talked to Ron and he was amazed that I was up already, but the old body clock doesn't stop just because you change to 3 time zones earlier.   Hopefully I will get a few thoughts off my mind and go back to sleep until it's time to go down and find breakfast.

Wow, I know Key West and Portland , Oregon are far apart but after about 3 hours of a 5 hour flight, the thrill went out of the flight.   Dinner on the flight was very good.   I did manage to get a short nap, but it didn't readjust my body clock.

When I got to the hotel, there were still having an opening gathering and I went and met a few of the instructors and visited with Marie, the first Art and Soul Person I met two years ago.    Got to see an upclose view of my first class  that I am taking - I can't wait.    Pictures to follow!

Got my first trade.  "What is a trade?" you ask.    It can be anything and you swap with other people.   I made stamps to use in paintings out of wine corks;  wire wrapped pieces to use on necklaces or other art pieces and made up bags of interesting beads and other interesting items.      Two years ago, I got such interesting things and used them in all sorts of various pieces.   I"m sure it will be great this year too.  

Went to my class and worked fast and hard all day.  The class was a tin shrine.

Top left is tin shrine as received.

Bottom left after sanding, painting and re sanding.

Top right is main panel.   

Bottom right is nearly finished.   Don't like the too shiny hearts.  

Class was taught my Laurie Mika.  

Evenings:

Took a collage class by Susan Schenk

Can't wait to get it framed; then I can search for wall space.   

Just gotta share

I follow an artist, Kecia Frazee Deveney on facebook.  I love her art.  But this weekend she posted a photo and it is much too interesting not to share.

 I think this is really cool!

Water your plants

I love some artists and follow their works for a long time.   I have been inspired by Lisa Kaus' work and have taken a couple of her classes.   I don't beleive in copying artists' works, but I do use them for inspiration. 

Here is my latest attempt at doing somehting other than miniatures ( If you follow www.Raggedykingdom.blogspot.com  you know I do a lot of miniatures)  

I love gold and I love  crystals.   Old faucet spray painted gold with a crystal hanging from the opening.   I love it.

I always do somthing on the back because I think it is boring to look at the back of something and there is nothing to look at. 

I also do things on the side.  

This was a FUN project.      Hopefully inspiration will strike again.  

I love my stuff (as if you didn't know)

 I love my stuff.   However, if you've followed this blog or my sister blog (www.raggedykingdom.blogspot.com) you know I love my stuff.  I have a ton of 'stuff' that I fully intend to use in some format.   However, sometimes your stuff is just stuff.   Here's some of my stuff.

This is a layout of some of my stuff.   Kinda liked it but it always changes during the anchoring of object phase. 

 

Really hate the glare but I find it very difficult to photograph anything that has glass or Plexiglas that doesn't show some glare.   I added a few more items.    Covered the back of the frame with dress pattern.   Stark black was too stark.

 

All my stuff to enjoy and none of the dust to worry about.   Give your stuff a special place.