Time to bring out the travel art kit

I've been on a creative desert these past few months, so it's time to pack the bags...
 for a road trip with the T@B! 

Always an important part of my packing is bringing along an art kit. The large one I use for going to Studio Night (which has happened in a while, maybe that's what's wrong)  and I've brought it on a couple road trips when space isn't at a premium. My small kit pictured below is my usual travel kit. In just a small space I can fit miniature versions of everything I need.



This trip I wanted something between the two sizes.

 First I started with my current art journal which will not fit in the tiny case. Here I am "prepping" a few pages to finish while on the trip. I also want to take the set of brush pens which do not fit in the mini kit.

 Pictured here are my reused plastic lid for a paint palette and a plastic jar with lid for my paint water.

Here is the finished result- leave the mini kit as is, add the extra's and then fit them all into this midsize zip tote that I got as gift with purchase years ago at Chico's. This should do me just fine and hope that the must needed inspiration will come to me while on the road.

Starving Artists in San Antonio

While visiting family in San Antonio my sister suggested we go to the Starving Artist Show at La Villita on the Riverwalk.  I was surprised that that term was still being used. I assumed it was politically incorrect, and not used anymore-that artists would not like to be thought of as "starving."  After looking for any discussion online about the use of the term. I really didn't find anything. 

Wikipedia states:  "A starving artist is an artist who sacrifices material well-being in order to focus on their artwork. They typically live on minimum expenses, either for a lack of business or because all their disposable income goes toward art projects."

(I know a lot of artists who fit that last part)

My only conclusion was the term was still being used as this was the 51st annual Starving Artist Show and they wanted people to know it's still the same show. This moniker also gives you a feeling that you might get a bargain even though the work may not be up to professional standards. This feeling was partially confirmed as we approached the show and saw a man leaving with a painting that was duct taped to the frame.  

I do enjoy going to artshows, particularly in a different part of the country to see what is being done regionally. I really enjoy the Mexican/Spanish influence on much of the art. All in all we had a very enjoyable afternoon and did see some good art. One sister bought a drawing of a white tiger and enjoyed meeting the artist and talking about the piece with her.  Here are a few shots from the show: 

Crafting for Inspiration

While perusing Pinterest for ideas and generally procrastinating from things I need to do in general I found this website that posted a really pretty wreath. 

Now I don't make wreaths but I do like them for my door. I have one wreath I got at a garage sale that I use year round but it is really more for the fall with pears and berries and such on it. This one I saw was very springy. I love the colors, and since it doesn't require silk flowers or wire or such and I can just re use things I already have and since I am still procrastinating from other more important things...heck I might as well try my hand at it. There were no instructions- which was even better. In fact I couldn't even tell what it was made of. But I had just put out the recycling and I knew there was an empty egg carton sitting out there and I hadn't heard the truck yet...so I ran out to the curb and dug through the big blue recycling bin and voila!

One carton wasn't enough, so I went into the fridge and took all the eggs out of another carton and  put them in a bowl. I cut the flowers and the petals from the cardboard and found some scrap of cardboard to cut into a circle.

 The fun part was painting all the pretty colors. My hands were as colorful as these. I glued the whole thing together with Elmers since I was going to sleep and knew I wouldn't be touching it until morning.

This morning I got out the glue gun cause I was too impatient to let any other type of glue dry. I used some buttons, beads, dried flowers,  and scrapbook embellishments to finish off the center of each flower and voila! I like my wreath.

Even though it's below freezing here this morning at least my door looks ready for spring!

Making Art from Discarded Items

Glass Journey 5" x 7" $75

I love it when I can use stuff up and turn it into something I really like. I have had the frame for a few years, I took it out of the trash when a friend of mine threw it away and I said, "can have that?" She looked at me quizzically but said, "sure, I don't want it." And so it sat. Same thing with the rectangular piece of glass in the background with the red, blue, green glass pieces. I think it was once a sample piece for a fused glass class. Well this piece came together after my previous post about glass beach and my finds there. I bought some Glass and Bead Adhesive and glued the fused glass piece first. Then put a thin ribbon of adhesive around the edges of the frame and sprinkled some of the smallest pieces of glass around like glitter. Each corner got a piece of coral. Around the fused glass piece are larger pebbles of sea glass that I also found. The top of the bottle  is all smooth from the sea and holds some "glass flowers". Surrounding the bottle top are some of the blue and green sea glass glued in a swirling pattern to mimic leaves and/or water.

Even though the first day of spring took a turn for winter (snow this morning) all I have to do is look at this in my bathroom window and feel a little lighter and (warmer).

Working with Encaustic Wax

Yesterday I got to play with one of my favorite mediums. This is actually my third workshop in Encaustic Painting. I have taken each class from a different artist. My first workshop was with Eve Marie. This sparked my interest in working with the medium and I really enjoyed it. Then at Art Fest I signed up for Stephanie Rubiano's class for a completely different encaustic experience. Yesterday's was at the studio of Karen Bubb who also took a class from Eve Marie and has put her own special twist on it.

First we started with a Native American Sage Cleansing.
This way we could all start fresh and get rid of any negativity holding us back. 

For inspiration, Karen had four big bins of papers we could go through, as well as many books, and the offer of reading our Tarot. I picked the "World Card" Here is the Wikipedia interpretation.

"The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool. The figure is at once male and female, above and below, suspended between the heavens and the earth. It is completeness. It is also said to represent cosmic consciousness; the potential of perfect union with the One Power of the universe. It tells us full happiness is also to give back to the world, sharing what we have learned or gained."

I am in a new beginning in a way, re-evaluating everything I have been doing for the past 5 years, seeing what works and doesn't as related to my art career and getting started teaching adults what I do. 

The following are the pieces I made. All are encaustic using a variety of techniques, most are on wood. 

A few shots of the work space and class. 

A display of Karen's new work inspired by her recent trip to Cuba.

 Great day, a lot to think about, especially with my Tarot reading! Thanks Karen!

March Roars in Like a Lion...

..wonderful evening at the opening of Boise Open Studios Collective show
at the Boise  State  SUB.
I have a piece in the show. It will be up until March 25th if you haven't seen it yet. 

Then it was time for the Quartlery Gypsy Gallery Show.
This time it was held in the Historic Hoff Building in the Crystal Ballroom.
A beautiful location with live music all evening. 

9" x 12" Adventure Mixed Media on hardboard $50
Of course I had to leave some time for art making.
Had some nice studio time with my daughter before she  moves back to Texas.

Then it was off to Green Chutes Gallery for the opening of  Art By The Square Foot, of which I have a piece in that show.  I also updated my display taking out Valentines Day items and replacing with more spring themes. This was a tradition I learned about in the Japanese culture. That you would never hang a painting out of season, like a snow picture should not be hanging in the summer time.  

from left to right....Happy St. Patricks Day, And They All Came Out To Celebrate, F is for Frogs

I also applied to be chosen to participate in a Public Art  Project for the City of Ketchum.
My proposal was for a similar work of art as this one featuring one of their most popular mountain biking areas in the painting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Then it was time to put everything away and clean up for my assemblage workshop last Sunday.
In the foreground is the work table.
The black desk held all the paints, glues, scissors etc.
and the table behind that had all kinds of buttons, wood pieces, papers etc. 

I had three ladies join me for my class. We had a great time but no one finished.
I will have an "open studio" the next two sundays from 2-4 for people to work on their projects.   If you are interested it is $50 if it is your first time and I supply everything. If you are just coming to finish a project it is $25 for my glues and paints and my assistance. 

Gypsy Gallery Pop Up

Gypsy Gallery returns First Thursday, March 7 from 5-10 pm! Our location this time is the beautiful Crystal Ballroom on the second floor of the Hoff Building, corner of 8th and Bannock.
 
Join us for fine art from local artists Jenifer Gilliland, Marianne Konvalinka, Kevin Flynn, Amber Day, Pam McKnight (me), Kelly Beach, Laura Stewart, David Day, Cindy Wolff, Kelly McKinley Stribbling, Kearney Thompson, Emmy Lou Rogers (the Surly Mermaid), Kay Coughran, Barbara Harrison, David Scott, Bonnie Peacher, Nancy Panganiban, Vickie Stevenson, Susanne Lomatch, Debbie Weisel and Lauren Kistner. Media represented ranges from pottery to jewelry to photography, watercolor, oils, quilling, assemblage, mixed media collage..... something for everyone!
 
Music for the evening will be provided by Ryan Wissinger ( 6pm), Blaze N Kelly (7:15 pm) and Gayle Chapman (8:30 pm). There will also be a no host bar.
 
All of this fun is free!
 
Gypsy Gallery is a group of local artists who put on pop up art shows in various venues throughout Boise about 4 times per year. 
 

Glass Beach

This looks like sand on a beach but this is actually trash as art. Glass "pebbles" along with abandoned metals (some with newfound patina) have washed up from an old dumpsite nearby, showing that decades of weather, too, can make art. This is Glass Beach in Port Allen, Kauai.

A close up of  my beach combing treasures. 

Foothills Ride

 This story starts with my husband sending out an email to all of his friends telling them they should bid on my bike piece that went to the World Bicycle Relief Auction. After I got home from the auction one of his friends called me and asked if the piece sold and I said yes. Next question was could I recreate that piece but with a different color scheme and larger. I said yes and we decided on 3 x 4 feet.

I went up into the foothills on my bike and took this picture of the hills but the sky was grey and our friend wanted a sunset, so I tried to paint one from memory and hated it. 

I went to visit my daughter in Denver and as we were leaving the shopping mall , I saw one of the prettiest sunsets I had ever seen and snapped a photo with my phone and then painted from that layered over the original sky.

The next step was to design the bike. These tubes that I had were too big in relationship to the  "wheels" 

 Oxide Cycles in Boise is a new start up making their own steel bikes. I went to Alan at the shop and asked him what his thoughts were.  

Wow, was I ever lucky. He had some tubing the correct size and said he could weld me a mini bike frame.

I had another friend Innes, build me a custom hand rubbed oiled red oak frame that is a work of art in and of itself. He put it into the frame for me and even made a wood backing to make it more secure.

Here is the finished piece. After screwing the wheels into the masonite backing I poured 2 part resin all over the whole piece and held my breath and it came out great! And now it is off to it's new home tonight.