So I Gathered...

And We Have a Winner...Ummm...Winners!

So I plugged the 48 entries into my trusty drawing machine once she got home from school...

and here is her output:

Kari was the first name she drew, then drunk on her own power over other people's destinies and the sheer excitement of it all, she asked to pick another name.  Since I had two pieces I decided that she could choose a second name, which was Beth Bricker!  So Kari, since you were selected first, you have first pick.  The piece that was not chosen will go to Beth, should she choose to accept it.  If, for any reason, Beth does not want the second piece, I will draw another name.  Thanks to all of you who participated!  

 

Portland Art & Soul Blog Hop!

So I will be teaching in Portland at the end of September/beginning of October at Art & Soul!  If you haven't attended this event before, you need to!  Lots of amazing instructors and enthusiastic students make for a heady mix of creative energy that lasts for a week!  To introduce you to some of these fabulous instructors, we are having a blog hop...so read on and start making a list of the workshops you want to take as you visit their blogs!  And I apologize to the artists for not putting photos with their links...I am not tech-savvy enough for that!

Jane Robberstad does amazing things with fabric...I would love to take her fabric birds class!  

Elizabeth Kettle wants to teach you how to create unique and beautiful decorated fabrics to use in your work!

I have been a long time fan of Ingrid Dijkers...check out the amazing art journals she is famous for!

Create larger than life flowers and birds with Marcia Schultz and learn some nifty resin techniques!

Kari McKnight-Holbrook will brighten your world with her eclectic art journals!

Karen O'Brien is another favorite artist of mine...you will love making artist blocks like the ones you see in the Art-O-Mat vending machines!

Jane Davies will teach you how to make your own scrumptious collage materials with various techniques!

Aaaand, last but not least, our intrepid Art & Soul producer, Glenny Moir, works her tail off to bring you all of these opportunities to meet and work with all of these artists!

There you have it!  A list of must-see blogs to give you a feel of what you are in for if you attend Art & Soul this year!  As for me, I will be teaching classes such as House of Cards where we alter cabinet cards and build a house with them!  The following are pictures from the workshop I held here at my house this past weekend!  We had a blast, so you should seriously think about joining me this fall!

Laying out the materials and collaging away!

This looked like a baby Elton John to me!

And I loved her overall house of oddities!

A rather Poe-esque mansion...

Starting to stitch the house together...

Love the black gesso used on these walls!

And here is a finished house!

I will also be teaching Bedazzling Butterfly Boxes, Over the Edge collages and Marvelous Mica ATC's!  So check the Art & Soul website out and plan a trip to fuel your creativity!

Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post for your chance to win an encaustic house collage!  The deadline for entry is midnight PST, February 22!

 

Blog-iversary Give Away!!!

So I have been attempting to blog for almost two years now!  And "blog-iversary" is in the dictionary...look it up!  ;  )  I know I am not the most consistent one out there, but I do try.  I can't wait any more!  I am ready to give a little wood and encaustic house away!  However, I had a hard time deciding which one to give away, so I settled on two and the winner gets to pick which one they want!

And here it is from the side...I did paint the sides with black acrylic paint to finish it off as you can see...

And the other contender...

And from the side...

So here is the fine print:  Please leave a comment on this post by midnight PST, February 22 (I like the number 22) and your name will be entered in the drawing. But wait, there's more...post this give-away on your blog and I will enter your name yet again.  And for $19.95 plus S&H (kidding!)...become a follower or let me know that you already follow my blog and I will enter your name yet again.  Do you see the winning potential here?  Also, since I haven't posted much in a while, I don't have a lot of readers so you could have a REALLY good chance of winning!  Good luck!!

Cold Day...Hot Wax!!!

So we had a snow day here in Austin, TX this past Friday.  

I know the few inches of accumulation we had were nothing compared to other parts of the country, but it was a big deal here!  Schools were shut down, as well as some businesses.  Lots of wrecks as things came to a screeching halt...or at least tried to but the snow and ice played their part.  Fiona was beside herself and spent several hours outside...

The "snowball as big as my head!"

Harley had never been in the snow before so I set her down to see her reaction...

Here are the paw prints she literally leaped out of to get back onto the porch...

And the indignant look I received.  I believe the thought bubble over her head would have read "We are not amused."

I (smart person that I am!) stayed inside and played around with some more encaustic wax collages. Remember those little wooden houses?  Well here they are in their new finery...fabric, gem tintypes, antique papers...

This one is for a friend who recently had some surgery...

This one had a lovely base of opaque blue wax...it reminded me of a fondant covered petis-four...

Then I started thinking about the extra butterfly wings I had from my Butterfly Boxes...voila!

"Monarch"

This one I tinted with some of the blue wax so it was translucent over the antique paper...

All in a row...

And a few close-ups so you can see the texture of the wings and such...

So I am thinking that one of these little gems should be my February give-away!  What do you think?

 

 

 

Waxing Eloquent

So I have been EXTREMELY remiss in posting I know. December was just crazy busy and I finally had some time in January to play with some of the ideas in my head.  One of said ideas came into creation as I tried to figure out a project to submit for a book I was invited to be in.  Nothing like a deadline looming to kick those creative juices into motion...hmmm, I don't think that metaphor works, but you know what I mean!

I figured out a way to make these fabric panels and of course had to go out and purchase a sewing machine to make my creative dreams a reality!  I had been holding back on getting involved with textiles again, but the pull was too strong and I finally cratered.

I started out making my own printed fabric and constructing these little houses...

 Here is an inside shot (which I really like the look of) ...

Next, I thought that since I have been playing with encaustic wax recently, how cool would these houses look covered in wax?  I also wondered if the tintype would stand up to the heat or would the emulsion be destroyed?

Then, inspired by my friend Beth Billups amazing encaustic work, I wondered how these houses would look as heads on women in antique photos...

I love the dimensionality of these pieces!

A few more houses...I like them plain AND covered in wax!

And a few more ladies...

I really liked the idea of this girl having two girls in her house...uh, head...

I recently joined the Austin Chapter of Texas Wax (which will become part of the IEA, International Encaustic Artists, this month!) and these three pieces were included in the group hanging at the beautiful Georgetown public library.  

And a few close-ups...pretty nifty to see them hanging with these lovely pieces...

So much fun!  Lots of ideas buzzing around in my head just waiting to get out!  And while I was going through a bag of wood pieces, I found some that I had my husband cut down for me...

Stay tuned to see what these turn into and watch for a February give-away!