Art from the Heart

Australian Simply Cards Issue 44

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

When I was at CHA last winter my friend Martha introduced me to a couple of nice ladies from Practical Publishing, an Australian company that publishes a card making and a scrapbooking magazine. Several weeks after I got home I got an email asking me to write an article and makes some cards for them -- and I couldn't refuse!

I was so excited when the issue came in the mail the other day -- not only did I have a 6 page article and 2 cards with step-outs....

but I had the FRONT Cover as well! So excited and honored that they asked me to participate in their beautiful magazine -- a huge and heartfelt thank you to Tina Horton and Mandy Collins!

I have quite a few students from Australia that I'm excited to share this news with!

That's all for today -- lots to do and a short week to boot! Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have a wonderful day!

when magic happens...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I love it when something I see amazes and inspires me. Sometimes it makes me crazy because I want to drop EVERYTHING and make what I see in my head a reality on paper and when THAT happens there are usually days and days ahead of me before I can put the fire burning in my brain on paper. that CAN be a good thing.

I only say that because this week, that has definitely been the case. magic happened in my studio. from nature to journal and then from journal to canvas. I think having a few days to percolate and mull things over definitely contributed to a well designed journal page and canvas, and a bit of magic!

yes, something magical and I can't wait to share -- but first I have to share with my students this week!

I had about 2 or 3 days to work out the details of how I was going to tackle my mind's eye and put it on a piece of paper for you to see. It came out perfectly -- exactly as I saw it -- exactly the way I saw it when I first was inspired driving down the road. Exactly what I wanted to drop everything for but couldn't.

until the weekend came. This weekend has been magic turning that vision into a reality.

For me it's a weird thing, when I see something in nature -- flowers or whatever it is that inspires me -- I get a picture in my head of a painting, and then I snap a picture with my phone to make sure I don't forget the tiniest details. :-) and then I paint it.

For me Pinterest doesn't do it the way nature or life does. I really prefer to be inspired by something that no one else has done -- by something in my garden or from a photo I have taken. Don't get me wrong, I am inspired by the internet and occasionally from Pinterest (I use that pretty much for food, hair style and home decor ideas) but it feels so good to make something for myself from my own ideas and just from playing. it feels good to rely on my own ideas for my art.

Today I would love to know where you find inspiration -- nature, fabric, family or your own imagination? THANKS for stopping by, hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a busy but short week!

Farmer's Market Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:01:00 +0000

I've got a busy weekend but wanted to share some eye-candy I saw at the Farmer's Market on Friday. Aren't these beautiful?

Hope you are having a WONDERFUL Memorial Day Weekend, I know we are!

Inspired, again!

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Lately I've been inspired by a lot of old art, some I saw at the museum when we went a few weeks ago, others I've seen on the internet, and another piece that sticks in my mind most vividly is a piece I saw when I visited Brimflield.

While the tiny art piece I'm showing here (4" x 6") was definitely inspired by the pieces I'm referring to -- it by no means looks anything like them. It's the technique that I took the time to document in my head -- and the one that's been burning a fire in there -- reminding me how much I loved the art I've seen -- and also to change the designs -- to meet my style and colors.

I like the idea of starting a piece of art -- and adding or subtracting color to create something beautiful. In the class I am teaching at My Creative Classroom, Journal 2 Art -- I showed my students a technique I have happily dubbed "The Art of Subtraction", I've never heard anyone call this technique that -- so I'm claiming it as my own, :-) However I'm pretty sure other people are doing it -- they just don't have a cool name for it like me.

I searched and searched for what this is called, but came up empty. Anyhow, no matter. I love this look -- and how bright and vibrant my colors are when I paint on this crackly prepared surface.

Wowwee, it really does look fantastic -- even more so in person and as a whole piece not just little snippets snapped with my Hipstamatic for you to see.

Well, that's all for today -- it's ALMOST Friday and the beginning of a long weekend! Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

Go Big or GO Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000

My husband was away over the weekend giving me plenty of time to brainstorm a new piece of art I wanted to work on. You may remember my post from the other day for Nat and Julie's Second Floor Challenge about circles. Well, I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome it would look if I went BIG with it.

While rummaging around looking for something completely different I found this 20" x 20" Birch Panel and instantly knew that would be perfect for my weekend date.

Date with art that is!

I made a quick trip to the art store for a few new brushes and some varnish, oh-- and Thai food with a sweet friend along the way before getting started!

I spent Saturday night and a lot of Sunday working on this baby -- on and off in between gardening, cleaning a little laundry and hanging with my boy -- mostly on though.

I really love the way it came out, though this picture doesn't really do it justice, all you can see is the comparison between the Challenge piece from the other day and the new piece from the weekend!

The results, before I sanded and varnished it above, and a close-up after sanding below.

You can see the bit of distressing I did to take the perfect solid paint away. I love it and can't wait to hang it in my friend's shop this weekend! Secretly I want to hang it in my bedroom, but we'll see how that works out.

That's it for today, hope you have a great day -- thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Just words...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:47:00 +0000

Yesterday I felt light and happy -- today not so much so I'll just share some pretty words to soothe my dusty soul. Soldiering on and ~~not taking~~ trying not to take it personally.

We all have those moments, today I'm having one.

Have a great day, I'm off to work now.

seven hundred and fifty

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:08:00 +0000

I almost can't believe that I have posted on this thing 750 times. It seems like such an unreal number to me - kinda like winning the megabucks would be. I'm not sure what I thought I was doing when I started writing this -- or whether I thought I would even get to seven-hundred-and-fifty. But I have. Sometimes I have a hard time sticking to things so I'm actually giving myself a pat on the back to know that I've gotten this far with it.

for me, seven-hundred-and-fifty is a pretty monumental number. As I look back, I can see times where I didn't blog much -- like last year. I can attest to the fact that -- sometimes -- life gets in the way and it's hard to share very much of yourself when everything feels pretty dark and pointless.

So, in celebration of SEVEN-hundred-and-FiFtY posts -- and having a little light in my life lately -- I thought I would have a little give-away.

I found these fun collages when I was looking for something the other day -- I think these were published in Sew Somerset or another Stampington magazine. They were still wrapped up in the packaging they used to send them back to me. I thought you all would appreciate ART more than SUPPLIES.

I will draw a winner winner chicken dinner -- on Tuesday May 29th -- well -- I will draw THREE chicken dinners -- and each winner will win ONE of these cute collages that you can frame or do whatever you want with.

With that, I've got to get to work -- thank you so MUCH for your support -- it's knowing that you all are reading that keeps me coming back to this thing anyway! Have a WONDERFUL day!

Really….

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

There are times when you do something, no matter what it is -- and the final result bugs you. Well, maybe this doesn't happen to you, but it happens to me all the time. When I cook, when I write, teach, but it happens the most in my art -- but also a lot in whatever I do.

I can't let it be.

I think this is because I know I can do it better.

it bothers me.

it walks around with me all day, nagging at me.

no matter what I'm doing, it is right there.

I am not sure if this is a fault, but I do know that is a part of who I am. I find myself analyzing and dissecting things, I like to think it comes from the part of me that wants to understand all things and do what I do -- and do it well. To always put my best foot forward. Analyzing things though, isn't always the healthiest and best way -- but it does help me make educated decisions -- and move forward to clean the debris, clutter and unhealthy ~~people~~ things from my life.

Keeping that in mind, remember where I was with the Second Floor Challenge yesterday. It bothered me. During an appointment, during work -- during video editing. To the point that it drove me CRAZY. And then it finally dawned on me -- and I couldn't do any other work until I got this done.

I spent about 9 minutes and 32 seconds fixing it.

Now it doesn't bother me anymore.

While I am still considering this a study for a larger piece of work -- I definitely will be giving this some space on my wall. Or maybe I will give it as a special birthday gift. Whatever I do with it, it will never bug me again.

What do you do when something nags you and you can't let it go? Do you resolve the issue, let it be and think you can't resolve it -- or do you fix it so you can put if away and move on to the next "it"? I would love to know!

I realized -- that this is POST NUMBER 749. That means that the next post is a pretty monumental one for me -- so I will be offering a little give-away. Not sure if I will post that tomorrow or Monday -- but stay tuned -- I found some sweet little collages I made a while back when cleaning out my studio today that I thought you might like!

Till next time, thanks for stopping by enjoy your beautiful day!

i took the CHALLENGE!

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:46:00 +0000

I've been wanting to take the Second Floor Challenge that my sweet friends Nat Kalbach and Julie Balzer started a few months ago. Work, family, travel -- well -- life just got in the way. Last night, I decided to just do it for two reasons. The first -- circles -- really? I love circles. And second -- Criminal Minds was freaking me out a little, ha ha. So, I gave myself an hour -- from 9 to 10 -- and then back to work on video editing -- to see if I could take it to the next level.

Right out of the gate I was scared. Like the first 2 minutes I was thinking what am I doing. ha ha. The answer - getting out of your comfort zone and taking it to the next lesson. I used $1.99 a bottle Martha Stewart craft paint -- they are beautiful colors and ones I love and an 8x10 board from Ampersand.

my goal was to start.
somewhere.
anywhere.

And start I did. I began with a brush and mixed colors on the canvas to get rid of the white base, the first layer of paint is a mix of pink, green and orange -- and it's a lovely, yummy green. I used an eraser to make circles in the wet paint to reveal the white Ampersand board. Fun. It looked cool and I almost stopped for the night there. After 10 minutes. Ha ha, I really was uncomfortable.

I quickly switched to painting the circles with my fingers, I used a color eraser to make marks in the paint -- oh and a pencil for skinnier marks.

Before I subtracted the background color with black gesso, this thing was a bit on the scary side. I was pretty anxious at 9:43 because I didn't think I could turn it around. I finished my glass of wine and soldiered on.

Don't get me wrong -- there are spots on this little painting that I love. Like these sweet pink dots on the blue background.

and the orange sand-dollar.

and the yellow upside down waves.

and the peach flower down there on the right.

that big maroon/red blob in the center. something about that thing isn't right. the design -- yes love that. I think it's the color. I will probably re-work that blob to see if I can turn it around and love it like I love the others. then again -- maybe I won't.

As a whole, this morning -- I like it. The first Lesson I learned -- this painting would have been so much easier on a big canvas. When I say big I mean 20 x 20 or 18 x 24 -- maybe even really out of my zone and bigger than that. This little 8x10 board was hard to do what I wanted. I'm going to consider this sweet thang an understudy for larger things to come.

The second Lesson -- get some heavier body acrylic paint and try this challenge again.

Now that I have tried the Second Floor Challenge -- I'm anxious for the next. THANKS ladies for getting me off the couch last night! Have you taken the challenge yet?

Switching it UP today

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:31:00 +0000

I have drifted away -- quite a bit away -- from making things that really make me happy. Don't get me wrong, art journaling makes me really happy -- extremely happy -- on the verge of being ecstatic -- ha ha -- but I also love playing with patterned papers, sewing on paper and everything to do with paper crafts. It's very tactile and satisfies a LOT of the crafty senses I have.

I love getting creative and adding an artistic touch to just about everything I do, even in the kitchen. I'm known for throwing a bunch of ingredients together for dinner that everyone loves. When my family wants me to make it again I can't because I didn't write the recipe down. I've started writing down my recipes. Or I change the ingredients to fit my needs -- for what I have in the pantry. Don't get me wrong -- there are a few disasters here and there -- but mostly my family is happy with my cooking experiments.

Mostly, I'm satisfied with my artsy and crafty experiments too.

I take that willingness to experiment to my studio as well. There is nothing off limits -- if I can think of it I will try it. Why not, what have I got to loose but a few dollars on paper? I'm going for it.

Speaking of that, this is a pretty card from my newest card class at My Creative Classroom -- ARtful Cards. This class had a lot of stamping, painting, spraying, collage, sewing, distressing experiments in it. You name it -- it's in this class -- and many of the processes came out of playing and experimenting with the way things work and pushing the limits. This was one of my top two favorites from that class -- you can see I carried my love for fortunes and used one as the sentiment on this card.

I am a firm believer that having a lot of skills - or knowing a little bit about a lot of things - is definitely in my favor. It makes me versatile -- and flexible -- and really able to craft and make art with anything.

So, what have you experimented with in the kitchen, studio or garden today? Push yourself to try new things -- get out of the box -- and try something new with something old. I think you will be pleased with the outcome. And if you aren't pleased, I bet you can say you learned something from your playtime.

Thanks for stopping by - have a GREAT Wednesday!

when the CAT's away...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:54:00 +0000

I've been away -- playing. No art journal, no video production, no assignments. Just lots of photos, the company of a great friend -- and lots and lots and lots of antiques and other junk.

We went to the Brimfield Antique Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts for two days last week and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G to see all the sites we saw. To be inspired by the colors, shapes, textures, images - everything was a delight to the senses -- if you like junk that is. And the people watching was a fun opportunity too.

We were having so much fun we opted to have donuts for lunch on Friday so we wouldn't have to stand in line and wait -- that would take time out of our precious few hours left there. That being said -- they WERE the BEST donuts I have had in my entire life. Notice I didn't say donut -- I said donuts.

We met this cute Gladiator along the way, he didn't talk much and didn't have much of a personality either.

Lots of patterns, color and beautiful design elements that I fell in love with!

I also fell in love with this HUGE S that I plan on putting on the side of my garden shed. It was also fun taking a picture holding it up in front of that huge mirror -- it must have been 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide. It was gorgeous!

We made many trips back to the car to unload our goodies -- we even found one of these sweet carts abandoned in a field.

I think I take a picture of these fun waving hands every year -- they crack me up. I haven't bought one yet -- maybe next time. Speaking of time, this clock was amazing!

I also loved these pretty flowers, not sure what they are -- but love them and will be SKETCHING them soon enough!

I also saw these beautiful fox gloves on Mother's Day -- one of my many favorite flowers ;-)

As you can see, I've gotten a lot of inspiration from my few days away of renewing and recharging my creative engine -- now I just need to find the time to make some pretty art from all that!

Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have a WONDERFUL week and are inspired by something out of the ordinary you see this week!

One of those days

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days where everything falls on your toe, hits you on the head and all you want to do is cry but instead you get frustrated and want to hit something???

Today has been one of those days for me! So I thought I would just share my World within A World Within A World.....

I'll be taking a few days off -- see you next week -- or maybe over the weekend! Hope you enjoy the rest of your week! Thanks for stopping by!

Portland Museum of Art

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:15:00 +0000

As a full-time artist it's important to renew and refresh -- things I don't do very often. I tend to work all day -- stop when the kidlet gets home from school -- then work in the evening after he goes to bed. There are plenty of breaks in there mixed with cooking, cleaning. laundry and errands -- but for the most part I work a lot. How can I not when I love it so much.

I told the kidlet yesterday that I discovered I was born to make art when I was in high school. That's all I wanted to do. then....and now. I skipped classes to go to the art department. I immersed myself in art. When I was REALLY little I remember telling my Mother that my dream was to grow up and be an artist, I think I was 4 maybe 5 at the time.

Fast forward over 25 years and yes -- I am still making art. Friday night we went to see the movie The Raven -- about Edgar Allen Poe -- which reminded me of my first etching I did -- yup -- way back in high school. It was inspired by that poem. I need to see if my Mother still has the plate at her house.

Anyway, one of my favorite artists is Edgar Degas. I love his style, use of color and design -- so when my husband wanted to go see the exhibit at the PMA I was definitely not going to say no.

The Degas exhibit was less about the work that I am inspired by and more about his sketches, friends and etchings. Definitely interesting and I did take the time to read all the little pieces of information the museum shared. He was a very talented artist that knew from a very early age that he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. hey, kinda like me, but i'm no degas -- yet ;-)

It was the rest of the museum that I was inspired by. I forgot to document who the artist are for all of these paintings, but I do love them.

Like this painting.

the color and shapes really makes me happy and I see something different every time I look at it.

and this one -- it's very satisfying to me.

And the flowers on this painting -- love the contrast of the lady holding the daisy against the dark background and the beautiful lazy-daisy look on the bottom of this painting.

and this guy, whom I nick named Mr. Crabby Pants. Everything about this one makes me smile, it's fun and playful.

I left the museum with a refreshed sense of creativity, determination and purpose -- add to that delicious Thai food for lunch, a visit to a new art store with very pleasant help, a cupcake -- and a wonderful date afternoon with my hubby -- and I am really re-charged and ready to take on the world.

Just not the kitchen ;-)

Hope you have a wonderful day -- thanks for stopping by!

there is COMFORT in art...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:40:00 +0000

I have had a lot of things on my plate for a while now, juggling this that and the other thing. Add to that feeling like I am living on a roller coaster of my emotions and internal struggles, self-doubt -- lack of this and that -- and I have felt a little on the crummy side lately -- like a little hermit. and a lot on the crabby side.

There is something to be said for making art in the mayhem of life. It soothes me, comforts me, gets me through it all.

Each pencil line, brush stroke, inked leaf is like a light that lifts me. Lifts me and lightens my heart.

the bright colors and pretty flowers that come from inside my head satisfy and heal me, making me feel 100% confident that everything will be ok. in the end.

confirming to me that there is definitely a LOT of comfort in making art.

Certain areas of each painting and piece of art I create are little spots of happiness. I don't know about you, but little spots here and there really please me.

Yesterday we went to the Portland Museum of Art. I saw a lot of the same feelings and different things in art that other people create, there in the museum. Art that must have pleased them, lifted their hearts and souls -- and made the mayhem of their lives a little bit easier to weed through.

Today I am quiet and comfortable in my heart - as I feel my path is becoming clearer and clearer. The voices that tell me no, no, no -- are slowly becoming yes yes yes. Do it. Enrolling in classes at Portland School of Art this summer will help me define my path and help turn those dreams into realities.

What I do know, today....

I want to:

make art.

play with art.

share my art.

teach art.

I hope you find comfort in art today -- have a wonderful Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

oh my Bleeding Heart, Part Trois

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:58:00 +0000

I have a few favorite perennials in my garden -- ones that I lovingly tend to each year. The Bleeding Heart, while it's not the MOST favorite -- it is in the top 5. This year, my Bleeding Heart has bloomed REALLY early, which doesn't surprise me due to the warm weather we have had, but I did cover it over the weekend as the temps dipped down below freezing. As I was taking the blanket off, one of the delicate flowers fell off.

It reminds me of a funky hair-do.

I couldn't just throw it away without photographing it -- the colors are so lovely. I also wanted to use it for inspiration in my journal. I love the way it came out -- and if you knew how I did this I think you might be surprised ;-)

The other plants in this photo were inspired by a Hosta leaf and a Valerian leaf. Today I encourage you to get close to things in your world -- and photograph them to sketch or use in your art when you have a few minutes.
In case you are wondering, my number one absolute no doubt about it favorite plants in my garden are the peonies that were in my grandmother's garden. When her house was torn down the roots of the white and maroon plants were dug up and my Mother gave them to ME. She is pretty sure they are the same roots that were in her Grandmother's Garden. They are very vintage plants and I'm pretty possessive and WAY in love with them.

THANK you so much for stopping by -- have a great weekend!

PS. Out of the Journal and onto the Art STARTS today over at My Creative Classroom -- hope to see you there!

Funky Tags Stencil Blog Hop with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer Stencils

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:16:00 +0000

I was really excited when my friend Julie Fei-Fan Balzer asked me to play in her Funky Tags Blog Hop -- I love her and her style -- and I love stencils -- so it was a match made in heaven! I wanted to do something really cool -- so my plan was to see how many times I could use the stencil (and maybe another one or two) to create a unique tag. I think I was successful!

This is what my experimenting brought -- a fun, embossed and brightly colored image. So, watch my quick fast forward to see how I made this! Can you tell me how many different times I used a stencil?

When the tags were done I embellished them with stitching, some crocheted flowers a friend gave me EONS ago, ribbons and some hand written tags. I really love the way they turned out! PS. IF you want to get curly twine like I did on the tag above, spritz your twine with Niagara Heavy Spray Starch and then wind the long ends around a pencil and let the twine dry. When you remove the pencil you will have lovely curly ends just like this.

If you've got the time, check out what everyone else did for the hop! Thanks for playing along with me today, I hope you have a great Thursday. Mine is already getting off to a frenzied start -- I wrote this blog post yesterday and scheduled it to post this morning -- and when I got up to check to make sure it was live -- there was NOTHING in my post. So, I think I will drink my coffee and then lay down on the couch so I can have a restart ;-)

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Catherine Matthews-Scanlon <---- hey, that's me !

Lisa Truesdell

Dina Wakley

spinning....

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:08:00 +0000

that's all for today. have a great day!

PSA #7: From the Journal to the Art

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Just a little Public Service Announcement to remind you -- if you haven't signed up for "From the Journal to the Art (Journal 2 Art)" it's starting in a few days. I have spent the last month making samples to share and talk about the process with my students, and I'm really excited to get started with this new class, I think you'll definitely want to come along and share the journey with me!

I will share the process I use to make art in my journal -- how to get started. How you can use your journal NOT only as a creative place to pour your heart out -- but as a place to try a new style -- new technique -- new supply -- and then turn it into art. I will help you transform those little tiny gems you create on scrap paper -- into larger sketches and bases for art. I'll also share other techniques -- how to transform a photo you've taken -- into a piece of art to paint and then hang. You will be amazed at the journey your art will take!

We will also explore many of the cool and fun supplies on the market today. In each of the 5 Weeks of Journal 2 Art you will find custom video's, tool hand-outs, a Flickr Gallery to share your art, and something new -- something that I'm test driving JUST for this course -- to see how it works out. To see how you like it!

Each week there will be an exercise that will help you grow as an artist, and the something new: one-on-one guidance to answer any questions you may have. This can be done via Skype, Face-Time or a chat in the chat room -- 20 to 30 minutes of one-on-one time -- where you can show me your art and ask questions about how to get from HERE to THERE, how to use a particular supply or whatever you many want to chat about! I think you're gonna love that part!

The best thing though, I will show you how to turn your art in your journal into art on a canvas.

So, I hope to see you in this new, and fun class that starts this FRIDAY! Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have a wonderful day!

Welcome Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:19:00 +0000

Last Friday I went as a chaperone on a field trip with my son -- District Three Honors Band practice. The band director didn't really need me -- just just needed to have an extra person in case an emergency or whatever came up and she had to leave. This basically gave me permission to work in my Art Journal ALL dang day. ;-)

I was afraid I would get bored with reading and not sure my iPad would have wireless available, so I brought portable art journaling stuff with me.

I threw my watercolor crayons, a few brushes and pens, my journal and a few quotes I had scratched on a scrap piece of paper in my bag and I was ready to go. The lighting in the auditorium was pretty bad, and I didn't have all the colors I wanted. So I had to make due. I used the cap from my water bottle, which must have looked pretty comical, but hey -- I had water.

I'm pretty happy though, with making due. The brightness of the colors really makes these trillium's jump off the page, and you would never know -- but the green really was a metallic crayon that when I added water too became the perfect yellow-green to accent my purple.

What I wanted to point out to you today is the shadows that I added. Normally you think of shadows as being dark -- grey or even a light black.

For this I used a really watered down purple -- Purple Palette acrylic paint from Claudine Hellmuth Studios paints to be exact. The same color as the purple circles on the border.

With the yellow in the leaves and green -- the purple really looks lovely and the shadows enhance the cohesion of the color and design. Since, yellow is the compliment of purple -- and my green is more of a yellow-green they look great together. When I painted the red trillium's the page ended up with a nice color scheme.

As you work on your art and journals -- keep in mind how the colors you use work together -- dig out your color wheel -- or make your own with samples of paint you use everyday (follow this link for a video to make a color wheel) Learn about color and you will master any piece of art you create.

Hope you have a GREAT day, thanks for stopping by!

Ins and Outs of Artist Trading Cards -- Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:38:00 +0000

I recently hosted an Artist Trading Card Swap with a few students from my Ins and Outs of Artist Trading Cards class at My Creative Classroom. It was a small group this time -- so I thought I would share the cards that came in the mail. I love them all!

Chris Vicente -- Trust the Journey. You can't see, but the background behind the lady is all glittery -- it looks amazing and the little photo is hand colored, beautiful details!

This is my card! Obsessed with Numbers.

Ellen Rohmiller -- Follow Your Star. The stitching on the star and all the little details she added are amazing. Sweet -- and beautiful. Her fussy cutting came out fantastic -- and the wings of the angel are a little dimensional. Super sweet.

Carol Grant -- Some Like it Hot. oh my this one is super cool. She made the waves of the ocean by building up layers and layers of thick glue -- a beautiful card with lots of cool things -- Marilyn is holding the crown. LOVE IT.

Pat Lawson -- Fairy Wishes. This one is very colorful with bits of glitter on the fairy -- which really make her pop from the background. Little details here and there that accent the entire ATC perfectly -- love all the detail!

Martha Richardson -- A Dream. Martha is on the Tattered Angels and Helmar Design Teams --so she brought her expertise with Glimmer Mist and Adhesives to her ATC. The colors of the green are so beautiful in person -- and really make the brass bug jump out. Lots of little details here and there that make this a BEAUTIFUL card.

So there you have it -- a small group for the swap -- but one filled with some very talented ladies! A heartfelt THANKS to everyone for letting me blog about your beauties, you should be receiving them any day now!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my student work with you, enjoy your weekend!

A Little ADD today

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:37:00 +0000

I've been working on lots of things this week -- mostly Tuesday and yesterday -- and haven't had much journaling or art time, insert heavy sigh here. I have, though, spent a LOT of time organizing my new stamp storage shelve that my father made for me.

This is what my storage wall looked like before the stamp shelf -- yes -- the bookshelf is just a little bit bowed from all the books and stamps being stored on it. All he had to buy was a $12.00 piece of plywood to make the stamp wall. I painted it the same color as my walls and he made the little shelves for the stamps -- and yesterday he brought it down, ready to install. It is so awesome -- I just keep going in my studio and looking at all those stamps, happy I can finally see them all.

He also made the smaller wooden stamp "hutch" that's on top of the bookshelf a LONG time ago. While, it was perfect at one time -- I've since gotten a LOT more stamps and they don't all fit. I've been storing them in a plastic bin underneath my counter! I love this little hutch, and didn't want to find a new place in the house for it.

This little hutch is perfect on my punch wall of shame filled with little jars full of chotchky's, Golden Products, and other things. I love having it right behind my work table - all I have to do is turn around to get what I want. THANKS Dad, you're awesome!

I found myself spending a bit of time working on a little secret project that will be revealed next week, May 3rd. Here are a few of my samples and experiments, watch for a cool video that I had a ton of fun making next Thursday.

I also watched a cool video by Alisa Burke Monday night before I went to bed and couldn't stop thinking about it Tuesday when I got up -- so while I was drinking my coffee and waking up -- I decided I just had to try. Now that I've tried it -- I'll do my own thing and make it something more my style. This little sample was enough to know that I really enjoy finger painting. It's very relaxing, offers quick results and -- the best part -- you feel like a kid again getting your fingers all painty and messy.

Inspired by Alisa Burke


Inspired by Alisa Burke

THANKS Alisa for the inspiration! Click on the picture to go to Alisa's blog and see the video yourself. I'm sure you will want to get started finger painting RIGHT AWAY! Next time I will use my own photos for inspiration and do my own thing, with my own spin and my own images -- it will definitely be a thing to love.

It HAS been a crazy week filled with lots of fun things, I'm not complaining -- but so over-joyed to have fun things to keep me busy! Have a WONDERFUL day, thank you got stopping by!

Variety is the Spice of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:07:00 +0000

As I was looking for a photo for a project this morning -- I was struck with the variety of art in the folder where I keep all my art journal pages. Remember yesterday when I talked about finishing those projects that don't feel right some how and then put them away to look at on another day?? Even though I like many of these pages -- it was nice to look back on them and see my progression as a journal-er, artist and woman.

I created the above page almost 2 years ago. I love it as much today as I did that day. This one felt right then -- and it feels right today. So, sometimes they continue to feel right. I think this was the REAL beginning of my art journaling escapades. Not sure what took me so dang long, but so happy I got there.

This tiny little page I did right after I took a course from Donna Downey last summer. I didn't like it -- I think I was just starting to find my art journaling style. That style made a little blip on my radar last June -- then disappeared again. Almost fleeting -- I don't think I was ready to cultivate it last summer, my heart was too heavy and my brain too cluttered.

I'm so happy my heart was ready for it this time.

This is another page -- that started out wrong -- way way wrong -- that I managed to turn around to something that I love. Still. Colorful and bright -- happy colors.

I think I made a choice to work hard at being happy -- and to try new things. Things that I have always struggled with and abandoned because they were hard. It's really so much easier to quit or run than to stick with it and figure out what works. in art. and life. It's hard to look deep down inside and pull out the good. the bad. the ugly. the things that hurt. maybe that's why my art is changing -- cause I'm getting rid of the garbage. the baggage that has weighed me down for so long.

I also think it's important to see things you like -- and try them out, like test driving a new car -- and then infuse your own twist -- your own style into it. Make it authentically yours -- even though you were inspired by something else -- not a knock off. Make it spicy -- make it hot -- make it happy. Make it yours. Copy it first to try the technique -- and then go crazy making it yours.

Another hot mess -- that I loved the day I completed it -- but now I look at it and think -- what was i thinking. ha ha. This is one of those pages I can see I was definitely in a dark place when I created it.

Today I encourage you to look back on your journey as an artist -- from the last year -- or the last decade -- and see where you were -- and see just how far you've come! I think you will amaze yourself! Remember this though, make no plans for where you are going -- except to soar!

Thanks for stopping by -- have a wonderful Wednesday!

I am the Flower...

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:11:00 +0000

This page looked better done in pencil.

The colors of the outside border just didn't work with the ferns. I changed the color 5 times until I ended up with this.

I tried a new product on this page. and I didn't like it at all. back to the drawing board, next time -- NO gesso. No acrylic ground. Just a bare page and paint.

The sealant didn't like the acrylic paint. The watercolor paint didn't like the acrylic paint or the sealant. the only thing that appeared to be truly happy was the india ink -- and me when I set it aside to dry, complete in color. In my heart, I am truly happy to be moving on from this page.

I am happy with myself -- because - well -- I finished it. it was hard -- not excruciating -- because I kept trying to see the potential. Kept feeling a little hope, a little confidence that it would become something, that I could bring it around the corner to a...well -- I can't exactly put my finger on the word -- but something. It is SOMETHING, but not what I had hoped it would be. It's not a failure -- because I learned quite a few things -- and I'm still going to do something cool with it -- but I had bigger plans for it. It looks pretty -- in person -- but I was looking for something different. I wanted a different kind of pretty.

It's a success in that I finished it.

I have -- in the past -- started and NOT finished so many things because I didn't like them. They didn't work. the colors. the design. the product. they didn't work together - or individually for that matter, I got frustrated and abandoned it. I didn't even try to see the potential on those other projects and just left them. alone. unfinished. they never got the chance to be a failure -- because they aren't anything. they are probably in a land fill somewhere. I must not have been practicing hope at that time.

Remember, the flower had hope. I am the flower. :-)

Have a lovely day -- thanks for stopping by.

Seen with the Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:51:00 +0000

I'm spending a lot of time in my journal lately. Another one of those habits that I'm working hard to make a part of my life. The drawing and painting really make me happy -- and the color too. The photo below shows what this page looked like before I added any color to it. Now if I could just make the treadmill part of my life again, my fat pants might not be so tight ;-)

And now, the big reveal -- a sweet mix of watercolor and acrylic paint.

As I work in my journal each day, I try to be mindful of keeping my pages fresh -- through color and design. Fresh for me, too! The last thing I want is to start having everything I do look the same! I want to look back at my art journals and smile when I think about the different things I was brave enough to start, fail -- and complete even though I thought they were failures. There's nothing like a little time and distance to change your perspective -- what is a failure to me today might turn into a thing of beauty in the future.

The last few days I've been thinking it's time to do something a little different -- while I'm not bored with this style AT ALL -- I see a lot of artists do the same pages week after week after month -- you can only make a circle and paint drip look unique so many times before they start to get boring -- I don't want to look back and think gosh is that ALL I could do? really? Where's that creative spirit?

oooops on the big black blob of india ink.

I REALLY don't want to get bored, nor do I want to get in a rut. Ruts are really hard to break out of. I'm thinking of adding some collage bits to these little gems -- some vintage papers -- maybe an image transfer here and there in the background -- to keep my heart singing and my experimentation process going in new tracks. The fact that my instinct is telling me to move on to try new things means it really is time. remember, I need to listen to that ;-)

Are you in a artistic rut? What do you do to get out of it? Are you listening to your intuition? What's it telling you today?

Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Acadia National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:36:00 +0000

Northwest Harbor

Our favorite beach combing spot -- on Northwest Harbor

Tom Kha at our favorite restaurant on the Island -- Siam Orchid

Collection of Heart Rocks

Favorite Tree in the Harbor

Big Rock near the Bar Harbor Inn

The air was warm and the water was frigid!

Cool texture and pattern, love the seaweed hanging on the rock!

My cute boy at our favorite spot that has so many tempting rocks but it is illegal to take any.

A little balancing act on our favorite pebble beach!

I stuffed all those rocks inside the hole in the tree trunk -- it looked kinda cool.

We hiked up to see the Glacial Deposit on the top of Bubble Rock -- WAY cool!

And played around with shadow dancing photos.

If you have never been to Acadia National Park -- I highly recommend booking a visit at the Bar Harbor Grand -- wow we had a great time!

Have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!