Mille grazie, mia amica Lyn!

Lyn Bleiler, wonderful artist and workshop coordinator extraordinaire, recently completed a 6 week residency in Venice (I know!). While she was there I realized I was about to use my last marbled paper covered pencil (purchased in 2005 when we were in Venice). And I thought "Aha! I know someone in Venice right now."

Lyn very graciously agreed to help me out and brought home this round dozen of marbled beauties. They arrived in the post a few days ago from Lyn's home base in Taos. Not only are they lovely, but holding one is like a little bit of Venice in your palm. Brava, Lyn and mille grazie.

It's the Weekend!

My Commute photo courtesy of everytrail.com

This is my morning commute, leaving Morro Bay and heading up the coast on Hwy 1. The town in the distance is Cayucos, where every Saturday morning, on my way to the library in Cambria, I stop for a fresh baked scone and a cup of coffee from Kelley's. My little pre-weekend treat to get me through the last day of the work week. Now it's Sunday and my weekend has begun. Enjoy yours!

Bluer Than Blue

Bluer Than Blue

On the second day of the Lynne Perrella workshop at The Artists' Nook last weekend, we filled type trays with colour, embellishments, ephemera and everything you can imagine. Christine, the proprietor of The Artists' Nook, took her favourite "third" of a standard type drawer to a woodworking friend and asked "Can you make replicas of this, inexpensively?"

So he did! They are made out of pine, but once they're painted, distressed, and filled - they look like the real thing. They are available for $20.00 in The Artists' Nook on-line store and are a kick to work with.

We all picked a colour and brought a bag or small box of "stuff" with us to fill the openings. It was a bunch of fun going through my stash before leaving for the workshop, finding everything blue.

I used four different colours of acrylic craft paint and did paint about a fourth of the openings a light cream colour as a contrast. And of course, I had to splatter and drip! Then the joy of finding the perfect thing for each opening.

Some things were very personal, loaded with memories, others just the right colour or size. I really enjoyed working on this piece. So much so, that I'm off to The Artists' Nook store right now to order more drawers - I want to have some done for sale at Open Studios!

From the Bookshelf

This week's book is Blackstock's Collections by Gregory Blackstock. A fascinating little volume of drawings. Mr. Blackstock is an artistic savant who makes lists of types of things. But his lists are detailed, accurate drawings.

It is fascinating to browse through the book and see "Crows of the World", "Tools" "British Bombers of WWII" and dozens and dozens of others. I picked mine up at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder and perusing it made the plane trip home delightful. Mr. Blackstock's work is shown at the Garde Rail Gallery in Seattle.

The Healing Woman

The Healing Woman

Here's one of the pieces I did last weekend in Lynne Perrella's Color as Catalyst workshop at The Artists' Nook. Done on red rosin paper, gessoed and liberally textured with cheese cloth, string, fishnet,splatters and stamping.

I used a palette of greens and purples, with accents of gold, copper and burnt sienna. Multiple Xerox copies, in varying sizes, of a garden statuary face were coloured with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels. Gold foil circles, marbled tissue paper, dried leaves and flowers, rubber stamping and drips and splatters finished the piece.

The classic lines of this face were a perfect match for the juicy colours of the Portfolios.

I did the piece as a gift (a surprise) for my wife Margot and was very pleased with the way it turned out. She was too!

Lynne says she thinks it's the best work I've done, and I agree.

Cigar Box Wednesday

Another Wednesday, another cigar box. A small, old Tiparillo box. OK, I know this really dates me - remember Edie Adams on the Ernie Kovacs Show - "Cigars, cigarettes, Tiparillos?"
But I digress. This box is full of yarn scraps, all the little bits and ends left over from bigger projects.

Not enough to roll back into a ball or skein, just those tiny lengths that are so perfect in a journal or an altered book.

For Lisa

For Lisa

This is a piece I made for Lisa Hoffman, as a big thank you for having me stay these past several days and also for some very inspiring words she told a group of us at the True Colors Workshop at the ARTbar in Santa Ana, California back in June of 2005. Words that spoke of not comparing your art with everyone else, of not feeling less or inadequate, of being true to yourself, of going into every class and workshop eager and excited, not frightened or apprehensive.

I've carried these words with me over the last five years, in my heart and my head. I know I'm a better artist because of what Lisa said to us at that early morning journal gathering. I've learned so much and my art has grown and flowered in ways that would not have happened had I not heeded her wise words.

So this is a very small way to say "thank you Lisa" - an gift from the heart from an artist that your words helped to create.

Nostalgia in the Key of Rust

This time I used a vintage metal clarinet (lower half) that I found at the local swap meet a year or two ago. The background is marbled paper from Paper Mojo . The deliciously rusted door plate was picked up last February in a wonderful little antique shop near the San Francisco de Assis Church in Taos. An old key, broken pencil and small slab of rusted metal complete the piece.

I love the delicate elegance of the marbled paper in juxtaposition with the rough edges of the rusty bits and broken pencil.

Where I am Not This Weekend

photo courtesy of Morro Shores Inn & Suites

Didn't want to deprive you of a lovely shot of the sea, even though I'm halfway across the country with no ocean in sight! More workshop with Lynne Perrella today, a free day tomorrow and then back to Morro Bay Tuesday evening. Enjoy your weekend!

French Rondo

French Rondo

An assemblage box for the upcoming Open Studios in October. It is lots of fun using these wooden boxes from Bed, Bath & Beyond. They are in the kitchen section and are made to go in drawers and keep silverware and utensils organized.

In this one, I started with 7 Gypsies paper for the background, then added 2 pieces of rusty hardware, a vintage key, a tattered GAR ribbon from the 1920's and the top half of a derelict clarinet.
I enjoy the pairings in this piece; French paper with an American ribbon, hardware with a musical instrument. Unlikely yes, but somehow they achieve a quite satisfying whole.