Groove is in the Art

Upcoming Exhibition: UNSEEN

2014-10-29T13:47:00.001-04:00

Evan Hume's "The Sublime is This"

This exhibition features work by 19 members of the artwork subscription service, Project Dispatch. Participating artists will exhibit works dealing with seen and unseen elements, obfuscation, and mystery of the unknown to encourage interest in the format of purchasing unseen works of art.

November 17 - December 21, 2014
Opening - November 21, 2014
5:30 - 8 PM (sharp)

Participating artists include Frank Adams, Eleanor Barba, Amy Hughes Braden, Chris Chen, Sheena Custer, Rachel England, Duncan Ford, Jessica Ford, Elizabeth Graeber, Evan Hume, Becca Kallem, Chandi Kelley, Corwin Lamm, Allison Long Hardy, Dana Maier, Molly McAuley, Kendall Nordin, Jerome Skiscim, and Kristoffer Tripplaar.

www.projectdispatch.com

Project Dispatch featured Artist

2014-03-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

Ready for dreamland, 8x10", mixed media on paper

I'm honored to be the featured artist this month over at Project Dispatch. In celebration, they're offering a 10% discount on March subscriptions to yours truly. Head over today and subscribe here. Thanks all!

Sheena

Photos from Mint Condition

2013-07-31T18:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out and showed their support, Project Dispatch is now over 25% funded for our trading card campaign!

If you have not already donated, please check out our video on our donation page and consider a contribution. There are a lot of awesome perks, and tons of cool trading cards left for contributions of $100 or more. Check out the Project Dispatch blog for more pics of the opening courtesy of Paul Shortt.

thanks for the support!

sc

Artwork sneak peak

2013-07-11T12:54:00.003-04:00

1. November 2. .July 3. March 4. September 5. August by Sheena, 3.5"x2.5" watercolor on paper

To view these artworks and the work of other Project Dispatch artists, come to the exhibit "MINT CONDITION" at the Outer Space Gallery July 20th from 6-9pm! Hope to see you there,

Summer Art Show

2013-06-26T11:09:00.003-04:00

Yikes! It's been a while since my last post. School's out for summer so I feel like I actually have a hot second to sit down. Although I will say it's difficult to pry myself away from my cute baby.

July 20th marks my first Art show of the summer. It's with my fellow members of Project Dispatch and will be at the Outer Space Gallery. It's a special show featuring trading card size works of art. Like Project Dispatch on Facebook for more details!

Hope to see you there! Support original Art!

Dwight

2013-01-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

I painted this yellow lab for my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas this year. They have an adorable lab named Dwight and are expecting a baby this spring, so I kept the design simple and playful.

We heart dogs in my family.

Somewhere in Thailand

2013-01-11T12:27:00.001-05:00

My best friend Lauren lived in Singapore for three months last year and Kyle and I were fortunate enough to visit her. We explored Singapore for a few days and then the three of us country hopped to Vietnam and Thailand.

When in Thailand, we spent the day at an elephant sanctuary near the city of Chiang Mai and helped bathe and feed elephants. It was an amazing experience and I think the three of us will never, ever, forget it.

Because it was so memorable, I painted Lauren a picture that captures a piece of the day. You see, while bathing elephants, Lauren lost her favorite pair of sunglasses. Specifically, the sunglasses she bought in Bali. How many of us can say that? So while we were supposed to harmoniously bathe the elephants, poor Lauren stressed herself out searching for the darn shades.

I hope this illustration captures the memory..

Small frames

2012-12-13T11:17:00.001-05:00

We visited friends in Fredericksburg, VA back in September and I picked up these charming mini-art pieces for our nursery. Fredericksburg is full of antique stores - perfect if you're on the hunt for unique objects.

1. An antique needlework of "animal crackers?" Yes please. Once I got this home I painted the frame gray to blend better with our color scheme and to enhance the 'crackas.

2. This gem has a wizard! I spotted the wizard first, and THEN I read the poem. How perfect are these words for a little baby's room?

We like how these mini-art pieces add a special touch to Abel's room.

-sc

Baby Abel's mobile

2012-12-01T08:28:00.009-05:00

Sorry for the long absence but we've been pretty busy preparing for the arrival of our sweet baby boy, Abel Kye. He was born Friday, November 23rd weighing 7lbs 12 oz and stretching out to 21 3/4 inches. (So that's why his kicks were pretty brutal in my belly).

Prior to his birthday, I crafted up a storm in order to decorate his nursery. One thing I definitely wanted to make was his mobile. I researched a bunch of mobiles on etsy and blogs and came across one that I knew I could make myself. Unfortunately, I did not save the link and cannot find the shop anymore! Ugh- I'm sorry. I'll keep searching.

Here's how I made the mobile:

1. I drew woodland animals onto cotton muslin using black permanent pen. I decided on a bear, a squirrel, raccoon, fox, and wolf. Any animal would work but I liked choosing ones that lived in similar habitats.

2. Then I cut around the drawing and sewed them to assorted cotton fabrics.

3. Next I attached white string to the tops and tied the strings onto a white clothes hanger. Sorry for the lack of pictures for this step, but you get the idea. Just bend the hanger into a circle and tie the animals.

You can see the mobile hangs in front of a vintage painting. The artist of this painting is actually my Mom as a high school art student. She painted her boyfriend's football picture. Her boyfriend? - my Dad.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend,

Bear Scout

2012-10-30T20:47:00.003-04:00

Finished up a painting in the wake of hurricane Sandy. Meet "Bear Scout." He' a 12x9" original watercolor.

Mug, cup, mug

2012-10-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

16x12" acrylic painting on pastel board

New painting in the shop!

Pine cone mobile

2012-10-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, while bracing for Hurricane Sandy, I decided to make a quick centerpiece for our Thanksgiving table. We're hosting Thanksgiving this year and I thought we needed a little color to our decor. I collected four pine cones from our backyard (actually - I collected the four pine cones like a month ago and they've just been sitting on our dining room table annoying Kyle -sap and all).

I chose three colors of acrylic craft paint: Coral, Turquoise, and Cream (I didn't want the stereotypical autumn palette). I painted the pine cones halfway - leaving a bit of their natural color on the top. I wanted that effect but you could easily paint the whole cone. Then I shellac'd the cones to seal and cover up a bit of the sap.

Next, I hung the cones from our chandelier. Super simple, quick, and fun.

Have a great day, and stay safe if you're in the path of the storm!

sc

Weekend DIY

2012-10-21T20:25:00.001-04:00

We went to our local ReStore this weekend. Do you have one near you? They're an awesome resource if you need scrap wood, tools, hardware, random pieces of furniture, etc. Everything in the store is low cost and sometimes you'll find pieces that become a weekend project- which leads me to this post. While walking around the store, I came across a junky white board with a $10 price tag. Something in me said, "I need this." So fifteen minutes later this huge white board was shoved into the backseat of my teeny car.

We swung by Lowes and picked up Rustoleum's magnetic paint and Valspar's chalkboard paint. Have you guessed the project yet? Chalkboard! Believe it or not, I wanted a school-like chalkboard in our kitchen for sometime. I'd use it for lists, messages, recipes, whatevs. Plus, who doesn't like writing on a chalkboard? Since I was going to all this trouble I figured I'd make it magnetic too. Let the painting begin!

The magnetic paint was a MESS. Holy moly. What a pain to mix and clean. The directions say your surface needs three coats. I applied four and the board is magnetic - but not as strong as I'd like it to be. It holds weak magnets and is strong enough for coupons and thin paper. I'm happy with it but wish it was a bit stronger.

The chalkboard paint is lovely. It washes with soap and water and goes on smooth. I applied two coats and sanded in between. love, love, love chalkboard paint.

Kyle found egg-shaped chalk at our local thrift store the next day. I think this project was meant to be. Here's how much it cost:

Whiteboard: $10

Magnetic paint: $21....kind of steep for all the work

Chalkboard paint: I had some already, but it runs around $12

Egg chalk: $1.00

=$44. I'd say that's a pretty good price for awesomeness.

hope you had a great weekend,
sc

Outdoor rug

2012-10-05T17:40:00.001-04:00

Yay for thrift store finds! Not sure where I'll put our chairs yet, but getting a rug is my first step in the deck re-decoration. Enjoy the weather!

Sc

over the river, and through the woods

2012-10-03T18:56:00.000-04:00

Chester, WV on the left, East Liverpool, OH on the right

We traveled to my hometown of Chester, WV over the weekend for much needed family time. Although sad reasons brought us together, it was nice to see siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

While in town, Kyle and I stopped at our favorite antique store in East Liverpool, Ohio called "Pottery City Antique Mall." The place is huuuuge. Incredibly filled to the max on each of its 3 floors (plus a basement we didn't even see) with trinkets, art, furniture, and you name it. The best part about this antique store are the prices. Everything is reasonably priced - or borderline cheap. Here are a few of our finds:

Metal horses, set of 3 for $5.00

old school desk, $15.00, !!!

Viewmaster with slides, $15....the same amount as the desk...but worth every penny

vintage flash cards, $2, memories of third grade anyone?

set of fisher price wooden blocks, $8

Didn't we find amazing things? The sad part is that we didn't get to see the whole store - our eyes were buggin out after two hours of browsing. Maybe next time.

Anyone out there been to Pottery City Antiques?

sc

Oscar pillows!

2012-09-30T14:16:00.000-04:00

I wanted to make a doggy pillow ever since I saw this pin on pinterest. When my fall allergies kicked in I took advantage of my resting time on the couch, stayed inside, drank tea, and tackled this project head-on. I have so many pictures of Oscar, selecting two was quite difficult. I knew I wanted a simple square pillow, and a small round pillow - so I tried choosing pictures that would fit those dimensions.

After I selected the pics, I printed them on HP fabric transfer paper. I ironed the designs onto creme colored linen, making sure the entire image transfered using a normal, hot iron. Once transferred, you trim to your liking and sew the edges.

I used a sewing machine for the square pillow, and hand stitched the round pillow. You can't tell from the pictures, but I chose a beige, polka-dot fabric for the pillow backs. It's a subtle pattern and matches Oscar's brown color scheme. I stuffed the pillow with poly-fill, but another option would be to turn these into pillow cases. You'd just have to plan the size accordingly.

Keep in mind: The HP fabric transfer paper was 8.5x11. I enlarged both pictures, but you can see that the pillows- especially the sleeping Oscar one- are fairly small. Since I'm using them more for decoration, the size doesn't bother me.

Overall, it was a super easy, and inexpensive project. All I needed to buy was color printer ink and poly-fill- I had everything else around the house. I'm happy with the results and I think they add an element of fun to the room.

Oscar pillows make me happy,

September subscription

2012-09-17T19:11:00.003-04:00

Icosahedron (water)
oil pastel + pencil

Icosahedron on society6, iphone case

My latest artwork for Project Dispatch. Can you say triangle obsession? You can snag this iphone case and prints of "Icosahedron" at my society6 shop by clicking here. If you like the original, consider subscribing to me via Project Dispatch. Thanks everyone,

Such a beautiful book

2012-09-12T08:22:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the best books are on the "free to a good home" teacher's lounge table. I scored this gem yesterday while microwaving my pasta. It made my day. It's called "The Animal Fair" by Alice and Marten Provensen and a new copy on Amazon starts at $50. Why would anyone give this away??!! Well I'm glad they did because the illustrations are uhmazing. The book is a collection of stories, poems, and pictures all focused on animal characters. Perfect to read to my younger students and a great resource for my older students.

I also snatched this book at the same time (UFO Encounters). Now this one retails for .01 on Amazon. Not as valuable as The Animal Fair, but still equally cool in how vintage it looks. It's filled with 'true' experiences of...ufo's. Did I need this book? no. Did I want it? yes.

sc

First days

2012-09-04T07:02:00.002-04:00

Today is the first day of school in northern Virginia! I'm ready to meet my new crop of students and begin an eventful and creative year.

I hung this chalkboard sign inside my classroom. Students see it as they leave the art room because it's right by the exit door. Hopefully it makes them pause and consider how to tackle the day.

Have a great week,

Target tape

2012-08-23T18:25:00.003-04:00

August is the month of birthdays around here and with so many birthdays to keep straight, I need a simple way to wrap gifts. Target to the rescue. They now offer several Kid Made Modern products and my favorite are the packages of printed tape for $6.99. You get 9 rolls for this price, which I think is a deal. The tape tears easily and adds a colorful punch to the wrapping paper.

yay August birthdays!

sc

New painting

2012-08-16T10:43:00.001-04:00

Kyle on a couch. 3'x4' oil on canvas, puff paint, fabric

Detail shots:

What I'm reading

2012-08-13T11:06:00.001-04:00

Source: bookchowdown.blogspot.com via Sheena on Pinterest

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It's been a while since I laughed out loud during a read. You'll find yourself laughing and crying several times throughout- but I promise you, it's not depressing. Such a great book; please read it.

sc

Wood pallet table #2

2012-08-08T13:11:00.001-04:00

I finished our second wood pallet coffee table! I used the same process as our first - if you click the link you'll see my step-by-step images.

Not sure if this is its final resting place, but it works for now. Pics from my phone:

My parents visit tomorrow !! so they'll be the first to rest their coffees.

Paint day

2012-08-07T10:16:00.001-04:00

Wood Pallet update

2012-08-06T10:07:00.001-04:00

On Friday I posted my wood pallet diy goals and today I have an update! I worked all weekend and finished one coffee table. Kyle contributed his drill skills and motivational one-liners saying at one point this was a "disaster it yourself" project instead of "do it yourself". We persevered and I'm happy with the result. Here's our process.

The before:

Notice there are two pallets. I worked with the darker - and flatter - pallet first. I sanded all day but still wasn't able to get it perfectly smooth. A sand machine would have been nice, but oh well. I then applied a couple coats of watered-down white paint (I didn't want it completely white).

Once the paint dried, I added several coats of polyurethane. Then we attached a little height with more scrap wood. We used liquid nails and screws for this step.

Next we put on the wheels. Wheels were optional but we thought completely necessary because the weight of the table is quite heavy. We purchased 4" wheels (with brakes).

The wheels were the last to go on. Here is the end result:

It's definitely not perfect - it could use more sanding as there are some rough parts - but we are happy with it :).

sc