I ♥ the art of Lindy Longhurst

I happened upon Lindy Longhurst when I went searching Etsy for mermaids. She is an artist from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia.

I kept coming back to her work and I ended up buying this, this and this. The colors, the designs - there's just so much to look at within her work. I keep finding something new in every piece, even though I've looked at it a dozen times. Bear with the links, they take a bit to load up...or maybe it's just my internet is slow today.

Check her out! Here is her website, here is her blog and here is her etsy shop.

I'm off like a dirty shirt for the next few days. My office is having a staff retreat at Marcia's camp. We're heading way the heck up to Millinocket (about 2 1/2 hours from where we work) to Ambajejus (pronounced am-bah-gee-jus) Lake. I've never been, but this is what it looks like. I'll take lots of picts. It's just 2 days, then it's off to the Lake (to my folks) to pick up dear Sadie, who has been hanging out with them all week. On one hand, it's been nice not having to get up at 5:00 every morning to take her for a walk, but on the other...I miss her. I keep thinking I hear her collar jingle *sigh*.

Have a fabulous rest of the week and weekend. I'll catch up with you all on Monday!

What I Learned Wednesday

"still life - bottles on cloth" - india ink and china brushes

Yippee! It's back!

I missed two drawing classes in a row due to family gatherings on Halloween and then the David Bowie Disease, but I went last night. We started playing with India Ink and seeing how China brushes worked and the variations in the lines that it makes. I have to say that I didn't like the ink and brush at first. I felt that it wasn't a controllable medium and I was suddenly back to drawing like a little kid...but then, I let go. I stopped trying so hard make what I was drawing look so exact. I gave in to the flow of the brush and I really enjoyed the freedom of it, the shape of the lines and the texture.

My teacher then went on to discuss perspective (which we will be delving more into next week) and geometric shapes, letting us play with them by drawing stacked books. I wasn't exactly impressed by how my pictures turned out. I just wasn't getting the hang of it! I was having issues with the angles and trying to get them the way I was seeing them; they looked so skewed, but that was toward the end of class when I was feeling a bit dizzy. It was all that focusing, it made my head spin.

I really enjoy this class but...I'm a little disappinted. You see this was the first class of the second half of the course, so our numbers changed and a handful of the fun people from the first part of the course didn't come back. The change in numbers doesn't bother me, it's just...well, some of the people, 3 in particular, do. I like to call them the Sunshine Sisters ~ like rays of FREAKIN' sunshine, these women are. And if you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic!

To start with, they're all deaf, so you have to speak loudly and repeat yourself continously. And. They. Are. Sooooo. Negative! Everything they create is horrible and every other sentence out of their mouth starts with "I can't". I want to ask them, "Well if you can't, why the hell did you pay to take this course!?!", but I hold my tongue and try to ignore them. I'm in this class for me, to learn and hone a craft that I enjoy!

But last night was almost a "straw that broke the camel's back" moment. My teacher kept asking them to show her their work so she could make suggestions and help, to make them see what she wanted us to learn. They would hide their work and say they didn't need help, or complain that they just didn't understand what she wanted or just bitch saying, "Well I can't do that". We had the radio on just because it gets so quiet in the room and some christmas song started playing. It was random and kinda nice - a bit of a holiday jolt to get you in the mood for the coming season. These women were so vehement in their hatred of hearing Christmas music and kept repeating, "I just hate it - it's horrible. Nothing Christmas should be put out or played until a week before!" Being a lover of all things Christmas, it made me want to slap them! I am not a violent woman, I'm pretty easy going and laid back, but these women just get on my nerves!

I'm trying to see from their point of view that maybe something traumatic happened to make them hate the holiday season, or maybe they just don't like it on principle, but why spread your hate and discontent to others - does it make you feel better making others as miserable as you? And here I am blogging about it, spreading it even more by relating it to others around the world - okay, I'm stopping. They're hate and discontent is rolling off my back like water off a duck.

And on that note, I'd like to say...I love Christmas! I love the whole rosy feel of the season! And so long as I'm not battling traffic or shopping on a crazy busy day, I have a permanent smile on my face. I know better than to work in retail during the holiday season, or shop during peak hours during holiday. Some people thrive on that. I avoid it. I go out in the woods and collect pine & spruce boughs and twigs of red berries to decorate the outside of my house with. I cook, so the house smells delicious and christmasy. I watch old movies like Holiday Inn, the Bishop's Wife and White Christmas (they are my personal holiday mood booster movies).

So be prepared, I will be posting much about Christmas!

Have a wonderful day all! I have to go down the House of Reps and see if my friend's husband still has a job...oh the stress of working in an ever changing political environment!

Artistic Inspiration

Must share this link to a You Tube video that is totally amazing. It's so artistically inspiring and the details, the designs...wow! It's long, but seriously worth the watch!

Cheers!

What I Learned Wednesday, 100, 16 & 30

What have all of these to do with each other?

What I learned...

was that almost my whole class was off celebrating Halloween and that we would be having a catch up session next class, so off I went back home to the scents of chicken pot pie and magic bars, but my mother adjusted the recipe and instead of a graham cracker bottom, she crunched up pretzels! YUM!!!

My family stayed for a few hours and chatted while the dogs ran rampant through the living room, wearing little doggie witch costumes, stealing toys from each other. (Yeah, we're that sad family that dresses our dogs. Sadie has a santa hat and my friend, Juli, got Molly an elf costume - Christmas is going to be great).

100....this is post number 100!!Who knew that 100 posts ago, I'd still be blogging; I'd still have thoughts and ideas and pictures and recipes and craftiness to share; that I'd virtually meet so many interesting and like-minded individuals. I'm really happy to have found my way into this little Blogiverse!

16 & 30...in 16 days, I turn 30. The big 3-0! I haven't really stopped to think what turning 30 means. I still feel 25. Things haven't really changed...well, no that's not true. 5 years ago, I was going through a rough patch with the man I was going to marry (it ended with us splitting). I was working in a retail job that I hated, passionately (I'll give you a hint - it starts with old and rhymes with slavey). I was living with my parents. I had no social life (due to the job) and really wasn't the happiest, most fun person to be aroun. So yeah, things have changed quite a bit. But I don't feel *different*, I don't feel like I've hit a turning point or anything. It doesn't feel major yet.

But I am curious. What will the year of turning 30 bring?

Alas, it is time to pack up and head home for an evening of creating! I hope your Wednesday brings wonder and joy!

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury

original artwork for his story of the same title

"Twas the night of All Hallow's and all through the room

Not a creature was stirring not even a broom"

~ 'Twas All Hallows Eve by Thomas James Martin

I love Halloween (almost as much as Christmas)! I love everything about it - the tricks, the treats, the decorations, carving pumpkins, scaring yourself silly (despite not being a big horror fan). It's a moment in time when you can walk into public wearing the most outlandish things and it's completely normal! Watching Hocus Pocus, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and reading Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree.

Every Halloween, my mother makes a big beef stew with chunks of potatoes and carrots, homemade bread and apple pie. The house just overflows with the scents of comfort food! My family comes over, neighbors and friends stop in to visit for a while - their halloween bedecked kids in tow. And where my house is so centrally located, we easily get over 100 kids every year!

But this year, I've felt very un-Halloweenie. My parents weren't going to come up because it's a Tuesday and Dad has to work tomorrow. I have drawing class tonight, so I wasn't going to be home. My niece was going to a friend's house, while my nephew was heading out to make mischief with his friends, so my sister decided to stay home this year. So I didn't buy candy, I didn't carve pumpkins...I didn't even decorate!

Now...well, Mum and Dad are up, Mum's baking as you read this. Both my sister and my brother (who's birthday was yesterday - happy 36th, Derek!) are coming over...and I still have a class...and there's still no candy...or jack-o-lanterns...and the house is still undecorated. And I'm sad, because I wish I had known - I wish I had decorated and bought candy and got into the Halloweenie groove!

Okay, I'm done whining; I'm over it...well not really, but I will get over it.

And by Lord and Lady, my house is going to be so decked out for Christmas, it'll look like the spirit of Christmas *heaved* her Christmas cheer up on it!

bat confetti that I found on my desk this morning - a present from my co-worker Deb!

Oh, and since I didn't post my "What I learned Wednesday" last week, I never told you that we learned about Negative Space and framing:

This is the negative space between chair legs that I did in class. And here is my homework for tonight - the negative space around my sewing machine (and of course, I couldn't get the digital the same as how I viewed it while I drew, but you get the idea):

and I caught myself putting in too much detail - I'll probably hear about it tonight! I'm not sure that I like negative space, but I understand how important it is.

Anyhoo, Happy Tricks & Treats, everyone!

week 3 homework

"wine by candlelight"

soft charcoal, vine charcoal and china marker

I really don't feel that I took my time with this. Funny how you can tell just by the finished product. I know I didn't focus as much as I should have and the depth is all off! At least I can recognize this and work on it for next time.

what i learned wednesday

"bottles" using vine charcoal and black china marker.

ah...another week of drawing class!

last night we were introduced to the wonderful world of blind contour. we were not allowed to look at our paper while we drew (using china markers for this segment), only to stare at our subject; to really focus and concentrate on the shape, the edge - how it looked, how it felt. it was very much a "be the ball" moment (for those who don't know: "be the ball" - a classic chevy chase line from the movie caddyshack).

i chose a beer bottle, a wine bottle and a tea cup. to put it simply, i've seen 3 year olds draw better! but then we combined mass gesture, guiding lines and contour lines together (and were allowed to look at our paper while we drew, thankfully) and this picture of the two bottles is my result.

i really enjoyed doing this. what i was drawing actually began to look like something, rather than a roughly bottle-shaped blob o' circles! i really need to play more; to take time out, to sit down and just draw. you know the old saying about practice...so i won't repeat it!

i can't believe that the course is half over! well, this first course and then i go straight into the next 6 week course. i have only one issue - the class is only an hour and a half. i feel like i'm really just getting into the groove of it and then my teacher announces that it's time to clean up! ah, such is life.

another cool thing that came out of class last night was the announcement of an artwalk this friday night in gardiner! there will be 15 artists participating and various businesses have a map of who will be opening their studio for all to come and visit! a few businesses will be open late and will host some works by local artists who don't have a studio downtown. it's crazy how artsy gardiner is getting...i love it! it became such a diminished mill town and now there are so many little places springing up. it's really coming together as a community...and i really need to get more involved. hmmm, maybe i'll talk to the manager of the downtown revitalization program and see what ways i can get involved!

i hope you enjoyed another look inside my drawing class. if anyone has recommendations for art books for beginners, i would love to hear about them! that will be one of the things we do next week, checking out some books that my teacher recommends.

*homework for this week is to practice mass gesture, guiding lines and contour.

have a lovely lovely evening!

week 2 homework

i call this "flower pot and saki cups on a stool" - catchy title huh?

week 2's homework was to use mass guesture again.

i used soft, square charcoal, which i'm really starting to like. i never did before. i was very fond of the precision that pencils give, but i'm starting to change my mind!

and even though you really can't see it, this is set up on an old, metal easel that my dad found for me. where he found it? i don't know. and when it comes to my dad, it's best not to ask...believe me!

what i learned wednesday (the thursday edition)

Drawing Class - Week 2 (Mass Gesture), originally uploaded by faerytreecreations.

yesterday was just a loooooooooong day, but the conference was very interesting! it consisted of several workshops on the revitalization of maine's downtowns and the creative economy. i'm thankful that the conference wasn't happening today - we've had nonstop gale winds and downpours all day (and the conference was being held in several different locations from one end of waterville to the other - all of which you had to walk to). and today i'm having blogger issues...first the homepage wouldn't load, then when i finally got it to load, i couldn't upload pictures! so i'm doing this through flickr and hopefully it won't give me any trouble when i try to post it, then go back and fix it in blogger.

anyway...enough about that and on to the good stuff!

tuesday night's class was ah-mazing and the hour and a half FLEW by! we started the evening off with experimentation - using all of our tools, getting the feel for them, not drawing anything concrete, just making loose lines and seeing what the different charcoals and conte crayons and china markers would do. this was fun...and very messy! i loved it! there are 3 older women in my class who can't bear the mess that we make. they said that they are bringing gloves to the next class...i wanted to say get over it, but...to each their own! the teacher, helene, told us during the first class, "expect to get messy and don't wear good clothes". they obviously weren't listening.

(did i happen to mention that my teacher is of the "go hardcore or go home" school of thought? she wants no little drawings in her class - no small sketch pads. all work is to be done on the 18 x 24 sketch pad and should take up as much of the page as possible! needless to say, scanning these is next to impossible - so i'm taking pictures of them)

after "experimentation", helene set up a still life in the middle of the room with wine bottles, beer bottles, a tea cup, a vase, a light bulb and a jar of glue. as she did this, she talked about "mass-gesture" - about how it depicts volume and a sense of movement. she told us to move our hand as if we were touching the objects in the still life, to move our hands in a round/oval direction and to use a soft tipped charcoal.

she wanted us to really look at the still life as we drew and barely glance at what we were drawing, as "what" we were drawing wasn't as important as "how" we were drawing. she stressed paying attention to our subject, noticing the relationship between each object. we were to loosen up, draw life size or larger and relax.

she wanted a loose circular motion to be revealed in what we drew and no lines...we could blend with a fingers and give the object a little shape, but absolutely no lines - it all had to be circular motion!

i still need to learn to relax and pay more attention to the subject, but i really had fun with this!

next week's homework: to practice this technique by drawing 5 items of any shape on a table.

so much fun!! i love it!

i hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far! the weekend is almost here and i've got projects galore on the go - a ton of fairies, a fairy house, 2 bonnets and some lap quilts, plus my drawing class homework and not to mention building a doll house (but the dollhouse story will be for another post - maybe when i actually get it started). i swear every weekend from now till christmas will be packed with things to do - but that will be good, because these are fun things!

Drawing Class - Week 2 (Mass Gesture 3), originally uploaded by faerytreecreations.

wednesday

so i forgot that i'll be away all day tomorrow at a conference on revitalizing Maine downtowns and how we can reinforce our creative economy - so if i'm not too tired from it tomorrow night, i'll post my "what i learned wednesday". if i am too tired, it'll be a thursday "what i learned wednesday if we pretend thursday is wednesday".

anyhoo, i thought i would share this lovely picture taken through the tree in my backyard.

i love the color of these leaves - i think i'd like a sweater or a shirt this color.

have a wonderful wednesday!

week 1 homework

"mini heirloom pumpkins"

vine charcoal

last week, our instruction was to take 3 round objects, put them on a table and draw them. they didn't have to be perfect - this was just to gauge how well, or not so well, we draw. this is our jumping off point, what we compare our work to at the end of this 6 week class.

so here it is...my drawing - without any instruction. this is how i draw now...and in 6 weeks, my hope is that my drawings will pop off the page, will have depth and a realistic feel.

i can't wait for tonight! yippee!

i hope everyone had a good weekend (long weekend in the US and canada). i must go catch up on my blog reading and comments - i'm a little lapse in doing so!

have a great tuesday everyone and i'll see you again tomorrow for a new installment of "what i learned wednesday."

what i learned wednesday

yay! the first installment of what i learned wednesday is here!

today's topic: me gushing over how cool this class is going to be...

my very first class was, of course, the introduction to what this class will be all about. my teacher, helene (pronounced HAH-lane) is amazing! she not only has a studio not far from where i live, but she is also an art teacher at the local community college. she's so energetic and really got us fired up! just listening to her last night and seeing some of her student's work made me believe that i can really do this. that by the end of these two courses, i will be able to make my drawings pop right off the page!

helene showed us what tools we would be using (here are the goodies that you asked about, louise) :

vine and willow charcoals
standard charcoals
conte crayons
india ink w/ chinese brushes
china markers
sharpie pens
tortillions

then of course we have to get gum and kneadable erasers, an exacto knife, masking tape, pushpins, a sketchbook, a toolbox and a portfolio - i've never had a portfolio before. i know that i can make a really inexpensive one out of cardboard...but i kinda wanted something "official", not extravagent...but something with pockets and zippers and...well...i splurged and ordered this in the larger size. it's not expensive and i know there are much better ones out there, but this will be just right for me!

we went over the outline for the class and...did i tell you that i'm doing the happy happy dance of joy? :^)

week 2 (next week) will be all about experimenting with our drawing materials and getting the feel for them. we will also be learning about volumetric drawing through mass gesture, blind contour and we'll have an intro to contour.
week 3 will be a continuation.
week 4 will be about negative shape and "viewfinder usage to locate composition".
week 5 will see us creating a value scale, laying tone and "drawing with the eraser".
week 6 is all about beginning a portrait with ink studies and we'll get to use our china markers with turps (helene said that turps really draw out the lines that china markers make, giving the image a wispy feel). the next 6 weeks will be a whole new course with emphasis on landscape and portraits - we don't have the outline for that yet.

during the last 15 minutes of class, helen did a powerpoint presentation showing us various works by different artist (some of whom are her college students) and WOW - they were so incredible and inspiring! i wish i took notes on who the artists were but i was too busy ogling the pictures. there were only three that i recognized, frida kahlo (who's work is so unusual, but it sucks you in because there is so much within each work); gustav klimt (i've always found his work very sensual and his use of color and shape has always intrigued me); andrew wyeth (whom the great state of maine claims as our own because he had a summer house here...he's really from pennsylvania - but many of his works depict maine, some bleak - some striking but all beautiful in their own right).

okay, i think i've blabbered on enough! friday night, i will be heading to artist & craftsman supply in portland for my supplies and to just hang out in the old port for a bit (something i rarely get to do since it's about an hour drive from my house).

so here's to inspiration! i know we've all been contemplating it, thanks to shari. to reviving that much needed inspiration in our creative lives, so that it may seep into our daily lives!

oh btw, we even have homework this week - we are to place 3 objects on a table and draw what we see as best we can, spending no more than 90 minutes on this! i can't wait to get my stuff so i can start playing!!!

another WIP done!

meet hilda. she's a winsome witch, but a bit flighty!

i finished her the other day and i'm totally in love with her! but despite that love, i've put her on etsy.

she just rocks with her black and purple striped leggings (which i painted), her sparkly star dress and that funky hat! she even has sparkly eye shadow and lips (which you can't see in the pictures). even her broom is homemade (it's a tree branch and hay gathered from the field next to my parents house).

she was so much fun to make, that i've started on another one, only she has black and orange striped leggings. since this sunday is supposed to be rainy, i may take the day to work on her (make her dress and her hat, do her hair, find some broom material...)

anyhoo, had to share!

dyeing w/ tissue paper how to

Dyeing w/ Tissue Paper, originally uploaded by faerytreecreations.

i've wanted to do a tutorial for a while and this was a fun and simple project that i attempted over the weekend. it is definitely an outdoor project (which i learned the hard way...and so did my mother's living room carpet).

it's very simple, all you need are 5 things:

1) light colored cloth

2) plastic covered table (i used a garbage bag cut open. don't use newspaper as the print ink will get on the fabric)

3) spray bottle full of water

4) scissors

5) bleeding tissue paper (found it at a local craft supply shop. 20 sheets of 20 colors for $4.99)

simple instruction: set your fabric out flat on your plastic covered table. cut your tissue paper into whatever shapes you wish. spray your fabric with water so it is wet (not damp, wet) and now place your tissue paper. i tried two different sized pieces of fabric: a small and a large. with the large, i did single layers of just strips and squares and layered pieces over in places to see what colors i would get. on the small, i used the left over strips and folded them over twice to see if i would get deeper colors. then lay flat outside. once the tissue paper becomes very dull and mostly dry, peel it off and hang your fabric on the line to fully dry. there, very simple!

this was all experimental and now that i've played, i think i'll try making shapes with the tissue paper. the only bad thing about this project is that i can't wash the fabric. it would strickly have to be for wall hangings that wouldn't be washed. i tried to heat set the fabric, but excess color still ran from it, fading the colors more. i've also seen that you can fabric paint your fabric, put the tissue on it and drying it in the sun for more unique color arrangements (this also makes the colors more bold).

to see the individual pictures, go here.

and i'm having issues with blogger, so the finished projects are in the post below!

i hope you enjoyed and will maybe try this. my next attempt with this will be to try it on card stock, but i'll save that for another weekend!

have a fun filled day, all!

finished product

Dyeing w/ Tissue Paper - finished product, originally uploaded by faerytreecreations.

the bonnet

this is the "test" bonnet. the inside is a super soft, funky patterned flannel that i absolutely loved!









the outside is a heavy duty twill (that i got for 99 cents a yard! killer bargain) . i didn't add any ribbon since it would be a waste to put it on the test bonnet.






doesn't this seem really small on my head? do i just have a freakishly big head, or is the pattern a touch too small? (lets got with the pattern being small, so i don't get self-conscious).

it just seems really short, but that's how the picture looks. i want it to be almost shoulder length, so i can wear it in the winter. i guess i will be adjusting the pattern for it and trying again, but i think this time i'll try to dye the twill first to see how that works. i do have to say that this was by far and away the easiest pattern i've ever used! i whipped this puppy up in an hour!

(oh, and shari, i didn't forget that i promised to make one for you...i just want to make sure i've perfected the pattern to my liking before i make yours).

anyhoo, happy friday to all. have a fun-filled weekend - my will be spent attacking the kitchen cabinets with paint!

WIP to done

from this:

to this:

to this:

and "grazing" is done!

i'm feelin' a sense of accomplishment right now.

have a wicked evening, folks!

maine quilts 2006

("shadows in the garden of mauve" quilted wallhanging by roxanne wells of south thomaston, maine)

friday was the 29th annual maine quilts show.

at 9 am, mum and i took off to the augusta civic center (a scant 10 minute drive from my house) and already there were at least a hundred cars in the lot.

the place was hopping with vendors selling their wares, many many women and a handful of men. we hit the vendors first; some booths consisted of just buffet tables covered in fat quarters, embellishements and bolts of fabric, while others were set up to look like mini versions of their shops. all had quilts, quilted wall hangings and quilted clothing in all the colors of the rainbow (and every color in between) displayed around them, on walls, hanging from the railings of the civic center's balcony seating. this was the set up, here.

not 5 minutes inside, and we run into marge, the wonderful proprietess of maine-ly sewing on route 1 in nobleboro (where my parents live). and of course we have to stop and talk for a few (10) minutes! then it was time to move on, until we got to the sanford sewing machines booth, where they had a representative from the baby lock company there showing you how to use the different machines. i was so psyched, i got to try a newjoy personal long arm quilter and a serger (thoughts of what next years tax return will be invested in came to mind several times at this booth!) if i purchase a new machine of any sort, i believe that i will go to sanford sewing, as they fix machines right there at the store and never send your machine out of state! how very handy!

i was very proud of myself. i could have gone hog wild buying fabric, but i showed restraint. i only bought 5 fat quarters for the pink and green quilt that i will be making for myself soon (hopefully this winter). you can see them here, here (this may not go into the quilt - it may become something else), here (reminded me of pajamas!), here (loved this hummingbird fabric from australia) and all together here. i'm on a mission to collect pink and green fabric between now and...november (just giving myself a deadline) and i'm trying to come up with a block design for it. i've already gone through my stash to pull out pinks and greens i want to use in it; i need to go through my scraps bucket, then it will be off to find new fabric wherever it presents itself.

after finally completing the vendor circuit, it was on to the quilts. i took pictures of all the ones that i really thought were incredible and felt inspired by. you absolutely have to check them out, here. really, all i can say is wow! as you can see, trying to describe them would be difficult; descriptions truly pale, even the pictures pale as compared to experiencing them up close. there are some truly amazingly talented quilters and quilt artists out there! it was so inspiring! i was so excited, all i wanted to do was go home and create. so i did! i started creating "grazing" and will continue to work on it when i can. i'm so happy that i got to go to the quilt show this year.

anyhoo, must go enjoy the rest of this day off! have an inspiring day all!