One More Day 'til October!

This painting is putting me in the fall mood. It started as a collage in orange tones, but I've been adding layers. The brown circles are the latest layer, but I am not sure they are the last. Right now it makes me think of coffee stains.

I am super excited for my favorite month, October. Why is it my favorite? The weather is finally cooling off and I love orange and black. Halloween is such a silly holiday, but so much fun to decorate for if you like black like I do. This year I am going to amp up the Halloween decor in my den, starting with pillows made from black denim. This project is going to start this weekend. I will post pics as I go, so stay tuned.

Collage-O-Rama Wrap Up

After a few days of battling a nasty cold, I am back to wrap up Collage-O-Rama.

Here are Day 6 and Day 7.

Now I have a pile of eye candy I can play with when I need a diversion.

 What a fun distraction.

Now... what's next? 

 

Collage-O-Rama Day 5

This one brings out my inner Donnie and Marie. 

Pink and Purple. (One of my secret favorite color combos.)

The red foil part is a cut and sewn Lindt Chocolates bag.

The fabric pieces are leftover from another collage.

The stamp is cut from an old eraser.

This one might be my favorite so far.

Collage-O-Rama Day 4

This yellow makes me think of funky shapes.

These doodles are cut from a page of doodles I had on hand.

The textile is one square from a big piece I made last year.

I like the feathers. Maybe I'll make a whole page of them the next time I am bored.

Collage-O-Rama Day 3

Today, I'm in a neutral state of mind.

Cool phrases and words from an old algebra text book. 

Copper thread. 

Black Glitter. 

A metallic scrap from another collage.

Collage-O-Rama Day 2

Despite the fall weather, the turquoise color made me think of the sea. 

Even though I don't eat eggs, I love the cheerful graphic image of a fried one!

Collage-O-Rama Day 1

With no big projects on my horizon and a gorgeous fall afternoon, I decided to take my supplies outside and get my hands moving. This week I will attempt to find a few minutes each day to make a small collage. Yes folks, Collage-o-Rama has begun. I cut illustration board into 3 inch squares, then grabbed my favorite paints and a box of scrappy trash.

Since it was Sunday, I went ahead and painted each collage background, choosing a different color for each day. 

It is nice to create for fun and not worry about trying to sell, get published, or expand my skill level. Just little kid, get your hands dirty art fun.

Here is Sunday's collage. I'm not really a "bling" kinda girl, but I think the word is funny. I found this piece of text in a children's book from the 1940's. I think it was used to describe the sound of the bells on a fire truck. Quite a different meaning today.

No great work of art, but a small work of fun instead.

The First Day of Fall At My House

I know that Autumn does not officially start until September 23rd. But there is a chill in the air this afternoon and I am going to start my celebration now. Maybe later this weekend we will light a fire in the fire pit and tell ghost stories. My husband likes to tell corny stories about growing up in Pennsylvania where he and his brothers supposedly experienced Sasquatch and other mystery beast sightings on a frequent basis. My son has started to lovingly call these "The Pennsylvania Tales." My specialty is a series of "Swim Team Zombie" stories. I am proud to say that my son usually goes indoors to retrieve his winter coat so that he can zip up the snug hood before I start my storytelling.

Fall crafting is on my mind. Fall and winter make me think of the juiciest fabrics. Felt, denim, and wool make fantastic decorations, accessories, and pillows and all embroider beautifully. I have white slipcovers on my couch right now and I am leaving them on until October, when I hope to have some fabulous spooky pillows made with black denim. I planned to do it last year and still have the black denim folded in a crate, but this could be the year it happens.

Vintage buttons and buckles put me in the mood to embellish a fall pillow or make a collage using the aged papers. These buttons and belt buckles belonged to my grandmother. She is 91 and no longer sews, but has kept every sewing notion all these years.

The belt buckles were treasures I found in her sewing notion drawer. I am sure she cut them from dresses she no longer wore. The glass one is my favorite.

So I have the entire delicious weekend in front of me. I have that magical Friday feeling and all the optimistic plans involving projects, relaxation, family time, cleaning, cooking. A real Martha Stewart weekend is brewing in my mind. Before I know it, Sunday night will be here and I will be disappointed with my lazy self. But for now I can dream.

Summer is Fading Out

We slept with the windows open last night. I had to get up early and dig in the guest room for the fluffy down comforter. Fall is trying to arrive. I know the air conditioner is not done for the season. We probably can't say good-bye to that until October, but today has been a reminder of what is to come.
We went for a long hike this morning. Peanut was in rare form, sniffing and running so hard she created saliva foam that hung from her muzzle in glue-like strings. The leaves are still deep green and thick on the trees overhead, but the air feels different. The light falls and casts a richer glow on everything. Summer is fading out.

 

 

Enjoy the Silence

A day of squirrel brain left me discouraged and thinking. I felt like I had lost all focus. I had run out of things to say. I realized the problem was just too much noise. I've always got background noise, whether I want it or not. Usually the noise is actual noise like people talking, phones ringing, music playing, or a video game blazing in the other room. But sometimes the most disturbing noise is the noise of checking Facebook, or texting, or reading a magazine that only gives me anxiety about the world around me and my shortcomings in it.
Today I decided to just be quiet. I am here writing, but that is the only interface with technology I am allowing myself today. This afternoon, my husband and son were gone for almost three hours. My daughter and I sat at the kitchen table and doodled with our art supplies. It was so quiet I could hear the ice trays being refilled in the refrigerator. The glorious silence was short-lived, as the boys returned clomping in cleats, crunching chips with their mouths open, and in all ways making the kitchen theirs.
But the quiet time helped. I remembered where I was going and got back on my path.
I started no big projects today, but concentrated on the act of making and getting my hands moving. It felt good.
I made a sheet of eyes to use in future projects.

After painting them with watercolor paint, I cut them out and put them in a box. So now I have a box of eyeballs whenever I need them.
I found it appropriate to spend a day making eyes. No ears, no mouth. Just what is needed for looking, watching, and seeing what I needed to see.

Squirrel Brain Day

Maybe it's too much coffee, but I am having trouble focusing today. 

I've got a bad case of squirrel brain.

I've been working on a collage for a friend of mine and I am almost done. 

Perhaps my brain is already searching for the next nut, I mean project.
I am completely distracted by everything in my studio.

Ooooh shiny paint!

Old lace. I want to touch it!

Hmmm....What could I do with these?

Ok, so back to the collage... it has been fun. I made it for my friend's son,
a young, jazz-loving musician. 

I tried to summon Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis as I put the pieces together.
Hopefully I have not also conjured up Jim Neighbors and Zamfir, King of the Pan Flute.

I get a little rattled making art for someone else, but I know it is good for me. 

It is challenging to stay true to your own style 

while trying to make something that you think someone else will like.
Since I am new at this, I wonder... does that feeling of "gee, I hope they like it" ever go away?

 

Now that this project is almost complete, I need something new to tackle.

I can't decide where to start.

I think I will have to ride out the rodent state of mind until something sticks. 

This part of the creative process is annoying, 

but it will pass. 

In the meantime, I have holes to dig out in the backyard.