I am thrilled to have had one of my fabric collages selected for this show. I am among artists that I have admired from beginning my journey in art! If you are in or near Columbus, Ohio, please drop by Studios on High to celebrate art, share some camaraderie and to enjoy some color during this bleak month!
Watercolor Wednesday...
With the current weather and temperatures closer to zero than I can tolerate, I have been hunkered down with Winston, stealing some reading time when I can! One book that I have picked up recently and really enjoyed, is Felix Scheinberger's Urban Watercolor Sketching.
Felix is a German illustrator, artist and designer, who has lent his talent to many magazines and to over 50 children's books. This book, his third, invites you into his travel /daily journal, where you get a great peek at his sketching and painting style in all of its quirky glory! I always love to see what people record in their sketchbooks, and here he shares hand-sketched and watercolor imagery of places he has traveled around the world, like the congested markets in Istanbul, ornate temples in Korea, waterfronts in France, etc., and all of the various characters he encountered along the way! HIs style is very reminiscent of Ralph Steadman's!
If you are new to painting with watercolor, this book can serve as the perfect guide, or art lesson, for he covers everything from the basics of color theory, to the tools and tricks to mastering watercolor, to wisdom on developing your own style within the medium.
His fun doodles and renderings are a great visual and personally preferred over photographs that could have easily been incorporated. He is a great storyteller and imparts artistic wisdom while sharing the history behind the art form, watercolor pigments, their origins and their evolution.
With the endless backdrop of bleak, gray skies, I encourage you to check out this book, even if you never intend to pick up a paintbrush or attempt painting in watercolor! It will at at least brighten you with some funny sketches and doodles and some much-needed color!
Happy Valentine's Day
Sending out some needlepoint love! Hope you had a "love"ly Valentine's Day! Keep celebrating and make every day Valentine's Day!
A Side of Fries and...a Cattle Prod!
I recently did something I rarely do...feed my kids fast food. My teenage son had a doctor's appointment and we were racing to get him back to school on time, so I opted for the drive-thru meal! I pulled up to the window after ordering, and was greeted by a young man smiling ear-to-ear. As I paid and took my bag of greasy guilt, the giddy young man exclaimed, "Hey my book came out on Amazon today!!!"
Confused, I stammered, "Wow! That's great!" while wondering what that had to do with my order.
"Yeah I self-published it- you should check it out- its on customer service! I'm the youngest person to write about that topic!"
I was impressed by his smooth elevator pitch, and as he handed me my drink, I woke up to what he was really saying...
He was not your typical fast food employee, that he had taken things into his own hands, got his message on customer service out, and that he had been successful. He chose that particular path and found gratification at a young age. No sending manuscripts, no sitting in "slush piles", and no painful rejection letters! He was now self-published and his message will be heard!
I wished him luck and pulled away.
I drove home thinking about his young entrepreneurial spirit, his infectious enthusiasm, and his guts. I was impressed that In less than five minutes, that young man had served a nutritionally deficient meal with friendly customer service and had empowered the writer in me! And to think if I had taken my son somewhere else for lunch, I wouldn't have received such encouragement about a matter near to my own heart! Perhaps he was sent as a sign, a smiling cattle prod, to get my messages out, self publish my manuscripts and... to eat more salads!
Hit the Hop...
My fabric collage has been accepted into the March Gallery Hop show at Studios on High! Hope you can hit the hop!
Something to Crow About...
A friend recently invited me to join her after church, in trying out a new dining spot in the Short North of Columbus. We went to a small spot called Double Comfort. It is a cozy, cool joint with a serious mission: Great Food, Happy Customers, Happy Employees, Helping Others!
Double Comfort is a social enterprise with a focus on southern comfort foods and amazing fried chicken. More importantly, Double Comfort gives proceeds to designated local food pantries, so when you enjoy a plate, so does another!
It is simple and smart in its down-to-earth decor, with touches of reclaimed wood and creatively up cycled galvanized steel and light fixtures. A bar is wedged perfectly into the space and the friendly bartender welcomes you warmly from the door.
While I am gluten free, I had an amazing salad with roasted butternut squash, while my friend enjoyed fried chicken and waffles. Yum!
It reminded me of my Great Grandmother from the UK, who had a wickedly wry sense of humor and apparently used to say, "Ahh hunger and thirst after righteousness" (when it should of course be hunger and thirst for righteousness)... I can tell you, we walked out stuffed, happy and perhaps a little righteous!
Check it out, they have very accommodating hours to meet everyone's needs from the late diner wanting drinks to the post church crowds, and when you enjoy, so does another! Something to seriously crow about!
Designing new wings...
I'm currently working on a large custom order of recycled sweater birds and returning to embroidery in designing their wings has been relaxing and fun! If you are interested in learning needle arts there are many great resources online, but I also like to go "old school" and check out books to see what other stitchers are creating!
Published in 2013, The Needlecraft Style Directory by Sarah Whittle, is a fabulous overview of everything involving a needle: embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitch, crewelwork, beading, punch needle, needle felting and more! I love this book because it is full of eye candy ( very cute stitched projects of all types) and is truly a well-done visual guide through the various types of needlework, and the stitch guides in the back are really well illustrated, therefore easy to follow!
What are you waiting for...Get Stitching!
We all need wings!
Currently in my studio, thirty recycled sweater birds are getting their wings...soon to be embroidered, stuffed and sent on their way! Speaking of getting one's wings...yesterday I drove through the German Village Meeting Haus, where the organization Dress For Success was accepting donations of professional attire, to further their mission of promoting economic independence for women in need by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and life. They are collecting today as well (despite our frigid temperatures) and offering drive through, drop off service, so I ask...how can you ignore this opportunity!
Please donate today or contact the organization directly to learn of additional donation opportunities! www.dressforsuccess.org/columbus
Watercolor Wednesday...
Happy New Year! May it be filled with blessings of good health, personal and business success and may you find joy in a new hobby! Strike out of your comfort zone this year and see where it takes you!
Watercolor Wednesday...
Watercolor Wednesday is meant to be a lil' offering of sorts...a little hand painted eye candy or "happy" as my mother would say! Wednesdays always seem to be the breaking point of the week, either going well or not so well, then life seems to coast down hill into the beloved and much-needed weekend!
We all have the same stresses on our shoulders this Wednesday I'm sure! Yes, I'm speaking of the rapidly approaching, stress-inducing holidays! So to keep my calm, I'm visualizing this scene...
What will you visualize to get through the insanity?!
Focused for a Change...
December 1st I will be moving my studio out of our home and into a new space, with great amenities, which is within walking distance and boasts plenty of quiet for creating! I've enjoyed working from my home studio all these years, especially when my kids were younger, but with two nutty rescue dogs that bark at every sound...well...its time! Be sure to check back to see what creations come out of my new studio!