While writing my book...

I am being pulled away for a few days to partake of masses doses of creativity, female bonding and gorgeous scenery at Artfest outside of Port Townsend! Kelly Rae Roberts alerted me to a sudden opening vacated by one of her dear friends and made the festival sound so alluring that I had to do it! I will stay with Kelly Rae and her mommy in one of the officers quarters in the middle of Fort Warden.

Light House at Fort Warden

Fort Warden is one of my family's favorite camping spots and the boys will come down Friday to join me - I get to sleep in the house and they will be camping in our VW Westfalia. The fort has an amazing labrynth of gun batteries - my kids love it.

Fort Warden

I'll bring my computer with me and write, write, write (don't worry Julie - I'll make my deadline!!) in between classes by LK Ludwig, Judy Wise and Bee Shay. I'm so excited!

By the way, thank you to all of you who helped me name my piece (I promise this is the last time you have to look at it!):

'Undersea Volcano'
Molten lava flows out of an undersea volcano extinguishing life on tropical islands, like Hunga Ha ‘apai. Yet from the devastation, new life emerges in a never-ending cycle.

Just For Fun!

'Hot Pear' - torn paper collage

For those of you who followed the color discussions / exercises from a few posts back (starting with Value of Texture), here is a fun project that goes just a little further! Inspired by the amazing collage work by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, this Still Life Collage project is one I do with 3rd through 6th graders after having them go through all of the color study work that you have done.

All of the elements we've discussed so far come into play:

• Value and Texture - to show depth and movement
• Color Transitions - to gently move the eye from one color to another
• Saturation - elements of similar saturation stand out against backgrounds of different saturation

All you need to know on how to do these has been covered in the 3 posts referenced above. But if you have questions, please let me know!

Here are a few pieces I made - each in under an hour (that's how long my classroom time is). I don't claim to be a collage artist and many of you will do oh-so-much-more with this - but boy it's a blast! And that's what it is all about, isn't it?

Here is a variation on the pear theme. This time the background is low value and more saturated. The pear is high value and low saturation.

'White Pear' - torn paper collage

This scene was inspired by a logo on the magazine I tore up to make the collage!:

'Little House in the Hills' - torn paper collage

A few years ago I planted a symphony of sunflowers in my garden - red, orange, chocolate, yellow with red centers... with the idea that I would fill my house with huge, colorful bouquets all summer and fall. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to pollen and do you know how much pollen sunflowers contain? Aaaarrgh! I can't breathe within 15 minutes of walking into a house with them. So much for that. But I still love these gorgeous flowers and enjoy them in my garden.

'Sunflower' - torn paper collage

Apples and pears are such fabulous subjects for beginning artists learning about value - I have my little students (the grade schoolers) draw them with charcoal, reverse charcoal, paint them in acrylics and even use them in collage. I really dig them!

'Red Apple' - torn paper collage

'Tulips' - torn paper collage

All of the above are pretty simple shapes, but you could go even simpler and just try a sphere! This one started out on it's side but seemed to be eerily floating in air. So I tipped it over and added a lamp post - see it doesn't have to be a gorgeous work of art! It's just for fun!

'Mardi Gras Lamp' - torn paper collage

And here is one my 11 year old son did...

'Tree on the Hill' - Morgan Gilbert

"Things are about the same here...

(card by Leslie Moak Murray)

...what's new with you?" This is pretty much about how I look today!

On another note, many of you asked about my New Camera:

and here are the details:

• Canon Rebel XSI and lens - EF-S 18-55 with image stabilizer
• Zoom lens - EF-S 55-250 with image stabilizer
• Macro lens - EF 50mm 1-2.5

The photo editing program I've been using so far is the one that came with the camera - I placed an order for Photoshop, but don't have it yet...

Playing with my New Camera

...mixing colors,

messing with saturation,

... and having so much fun!

A Walk Through My Garden...

... looking for spring.

She is very late here - normally the trees are bursting with blossoms by now, the bulbs and early spring shrubs a riot of color. But after our abnormally cold winter, everything still seems to be in hibernation.

I have to look closely to find them, but they are there - little buds opening on the trees, new leaves unfurling. The hellebores, snowdrops and daffodils drooping under the weight of rain drops. I'm looking closely through the lens of my new camera and finding spring on her way!

btw: You can see my new Canon Rebel XSI camera and macro lens in sidebar

What's in a Name?

My necklace called itself complete the other day. This is the one that lay unfinished on my desk for over a year. And just in time - I received my manuscript from the publisher and am steeped in writing for the next 4 weeks.

The only problem is... I don't know what it's name is.


This isn't usually a problem - the name usually evolves with the piece. But I have been so immersed in teaching and writing about color and color relationships that I have color vocabulary in my head... saturation, complementary, color flow, transitions... these terms and definitions oozing from my left brain. And of course, names and words are the left brain's forte. But I need to convey the emotion of this piece - it's name is important.

Where is my right brain when I need it?

Perhaps I will draw inspiration from Smadar and her visions of Latin dancers...
Flamenco
Tango

I'm also struggling to get a really good picture of the whole piece where the brown doesn't look black and the orange glows... not there yet, but getting close.

15 Minutes of Fame...

... in USA Today! Actually, it's more like 15 seconds! A photo of one of my classes at the Bead & Button Show and it doesn't mention my name or class. But, hey - I'll take it!

Do any of you see your famous-for-the-day faces?!

And - Happy, Happy Spring to you!