Life on a Different Coast - Cinque Terre

courtesy fallonhome.net

Here's a lovely place to spend your weekend!

Cemetery Saturday

One of the beautiful things about cemeteries is the grounds -

the winding paths,

the big trees,

the play of sunlight on stone and grass through the leaves.
These shots from Forest Hills in Boston,
on a peaceful autumn morning.

From the Bookshelf

Peter Kuper took his family and spent 2 years living in Oaxaca, Mexico. During his time there he experienced political upheavals, strikes, massive amounts of insects, and moments of intense beauty and pleasure. And he captured it all in this diary. Alternating pages of text with sketches and photographs, Kuper uses his political cartoon style to great effect in this memoir of his time in Oaxaca. Not "pretty" sketches, but a valuable reading and visual experience.

Buried Treasure -My First Article!

Every year Seth at The Altered Page sponsors a "Buried Treasure" day when bloggers across the world re-post one of their favourite entries that may have been missed at the time. He lists everyone on his blog that day (today) and then we all have a chance to see the best of dozens and dozens of wonderful blog posts. Here's mine-

The May/June issue of Somerset Studio will be on the news stands this coming Saturday - and - I am proud, and faintly amazed, to say that I have an article therein.

The challenge was the Impressionists and I responded with Monet's Paint Box. Click on the title to read the blog post about how it was made.

After seeing the article, Lynne Perrella said "I love the paintbox. The close-up photography really makes me feel that I can smell the paints, like maybe the artist himself has just left the room." I was pleased that they did very little editing on my writing and that the pictures came out so well. Two things I enjoy immensely are my art and my writing, and it's a wonderful kick to see them both recognized in this way. Originally posted 4/26/10.

Cigar Box Wednesday

When is a cigar box not a cigar box? When it's a cool wooden box that held French note cards and is now home to my Portfolio water soluble oil pastels ( with a couple of Senneliers thrown in).


I first learned about these from Lynne Perrella and have loved using them ever since.

They have juicy colours, they work wet or dry,
they are ridiculously inexpensive. What's not to love?!

New Journal

I started with this 4x6" Birthday book, gessoed the pages, painted the cover,
added some embellishments and...

ended up with this! My new journal. The face was purchased years ago at an Art 'n' Soul vendor night, the "17" is from Tim Holtz's Idealogy line and the snippet of hand-made paper from our Port Townsend friend Dawn.

As usual, I've just finished a large journal and now I want to work small again. Here's a shot of the opening pages collaged with scraps off the art table.

The Pulse!

Seth Apter's on-going artist questionnaire The Pulse is back for its fourth round. I'm on yesterday's post talking about my artistic style. Over 150 artists talk about their art every Sunday night for the next several months. Check it out!!

Life on the Coast

Cypress and sea, a bench and a beach.
Enjoy your weekend!

Cemetery Saturday

The last shots from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

Destiny focused on architecture in this group of pictures.

Columns, cornices, and pediments - oh my!

Majestic settings of eternal rest.

From the Bookshelf

Just received this in the mail this week and have had trouble putting it down. Cathy Johnson has put together lots of delicious sketching eye candy, techniques, supply lists and peeks into dozens of wonderful artist journals. Also great "sound-bites" from different journalers about their art and their journals. The emphasis is more sketching/painting, with a little collage thrown-in, so if you're looking for strictly mixed media, maybe not the one for you. But you know me, one of my favourite pastimes is getting to see what others are doing in their journals and this book provides plenty of that.

927 Alternative Arts Show

facebook 1837 - 6.5x9.5 (closed)

Once again it's time for Cambria's annual 927 Alternative Arts Show sponsored by Allied Arts. It's not so much about technique and talent as it's about fun and pun!



This year my entry is facebook 1837 . I attached polymer clay faces (in a variety of colours and styles) to the cover of a vintage edition of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. Stickers of old fashioned type letters spell out "facebook" and "1937" on the cover's leather accents.



The book opens to one spread inside that features Oliver's facebook page - created from screen shots and imported images and then printed out on parchment. (Massive thanks to my Margot for this part of the project!)



The show, held at the Cambria Vets' Hall runs this Saturday (11:00 -9:00) and Sunday (10:00-3:00) July 23-24. Artist reception and awarding of prizes on Saturday from 7:00-9:00pm.

Cigar Box Wednesday

It's taken me a year and 2 months to make a new chart and master list of how the cigar boxes are organized - but I finally did it! When I totally reorganized (and moved) my studio last May I came up with a much better way of storing the 100+ cigar boxes that hold my stash, but of course, then I didn't automatically know where the one I was looking for was. So instead of immediately making a chart and a list, every time I needed one I found myself looking up and down the rows trying to find it!


No excuse for procrastinating - but it has been a rawther (as Eloise would say) busy year. Anyway, I spent an hour with pen and clipboard moving from shelf to shelf and mapping the location of each labeled box. So now when I don't remember just where "Bones" or "Rusted Bottle Caps" are, I can look at the list and chart - and voila!

Bird Trio

Egg - 8x10"

I don't remember where I first came across the idea of using thick sided canvases as shadow boxes, but I have wanted to try it for awhile now. I've had these and most of their attendant parts sitting on the art table for a couple of months - letting them stew, marinate and get acquainted. And this weekend it all came together and here are the results.

Nest 8x10"

I papered the back of the canvas with a vintage chart showing egg sizes, then painted the sizes of the canvases in beige, and the wooden backs in red iron oxide. Strips of Tim Holtz'z Distress Crackle paint in vintage linen were added, and urged along with a heat gun for a great crackling effect.

Wing 12x12"

The nests, birds and eggs were affixed with wire and/or E-6000. Chipboard letters and birds and vintage cigarette cards were attached with heavy gel medium. Rustic metal letters were put on with upholstery tacks which were also used to hold swags of tea-dyed ribbon and cheese cloth and small bunches of feathers. Tumbled pieces of tile anchor a corner or two on each piece.



I stenciled the front (now the back) of the canvases with black, red and beige. These will be available at this year's Open Studios Tour coming up in mid October.

Easy Being Green

Easy Being Green 11x16

Somerset Studio's latest challenge is Chartreuse and my entry is this "all things green" type drawer. From Italian lire to tiny leprechaun shoes, from jumping jacks to jumping frogs -it's "easy being green.

This challenge is for the January/February 2012 issue -

if it's accepted you'll be the first to know!

Life On the Coast

Nothing like an early morning stroll on the boardwalk
at Moonstone Beach in Cambria.

Cemetery Saturday

More shots from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago,
taken by Destiny on her recent trip

There are abundant myths of hauntings and ghosts here.

The glass case around this statue is (purportedly) to keep it contained. There have been several reports over the years of the sculpture walking through the graveyard at midnight.

And I wouldn't want to meet this one after dark!

From the Bookshelf

The long anticipated Steampunk Bible is here! The go-to manual for all things steampunk; from jewelry to music to literature to goggles to iron clad polar bears. Amazing just to read through, but also a fount of information and inspirational ideas, and of course, eye candy to the max. Something so fascinating about the combination of the Victorian look with modern technology.

About Face

Spent an afternoon last weekend making faces with polymer clay. It had been awhile since I'd done much with clay, so was re-learning as I went along.



They're for an upcoming project that I will unveil when it's all done. Soon, because it needs to be completed by the 22nd.

Cigar Box Wednesday

Steampunk Lamp from Michael Pusateri on Vimeo

When is a cigar box not a cigar box? When it's a way cool steampunk lamp! Visit the link to see how Michael made this wonderful creation. Who knew you could use a cigar box for something other than holding your stash of art stuff?!

Vampire Killing Kit

If you've ever been afraid to take a midnight carriage ride through the wilds of Bohemia, then this is just what you need. Your very own, personal sized Vampire Killing Kit.



During the 19th century these actually existed and were carried when traveling in the event of a vampire attack. There are still a few of the original kits out there and-of course - now many, many replicas.



Contents include a flintlock pistol complete with silver bullets, a stake, bulbs of garlic, a Czechoslovakian prayer book, a rosary, candles, a dagger, a crucifix, little bottles of holy water, holy dirt, and other vampire remedies, and an aged scroll of parchment detailing methods of extinction.



It was so much fun putting this all together, creating the scroll, making the bullets out of air-dry clay, filling and labeling the bottles and decorating the lid of the box(which I found at a thrift store-it's an old silverware box).

I'm all set for a late night adventure across Eastern Europe!

Art Girlz do it Again

Hard to believe, but a whole month has whizzed by and it's time for the Art Girlz - me, Margot, Destiny and Debra - to meet for our marketing meeting. Debra and I will be doing Open Studios
together this fall and will start planning our publicity. Margot and Destiny have several Sassy Feet shows upcoming. It is great bouncing ideas off each other and always a lot of fun!