Friday, June 10, 2022

Travel Dream Vessels

My new Installations at Fallbrook Center for the Arts opens tonight 4:30 to 6:30pm for the annual Guild Exhibition. All sales will go through the center. Please contact them for interest in a work...or two! On the home page you will also see my Totem which took a year to create.

June 11 to July 10

This fleet of 8 vessels was created during the time of Covid. These characters have waiting years to travel which is their passion. They are finally off to a new adventure, traveling together, to points of interest and following their dreams.

2. Captain Elizabeth Jordan. Her crew of wanderers, star gazers, and farmers, are hoping to find love, abundant good food, and honest to goodness storytelling. This is the largest ship in the fleet, holding a multitude of travelers.

$600.00 SOLD

3. Amelia, protector of the port flank. Amelia not only holds this important job, but she yearns to travel to distant shores and obtain treasures for her collections. Her trusty horse, Rusty, leads the ship through unknown waters.

$400.00.

Scout Navigator John Edward. He leads the Fleet towards magnificent adventures to faraway lands. In the 1980’s, he scouted and settled in faraway Aotearoa for a long period of time. This new adventure will surely bring him to points of land unseen for years. This calls for travel of an exploratory nature.

$250.00.

4. Consuela, Maria, and Edith are free spirit sisters who consulted their elders, seeking their visions and advice on the most exotic destination they could imagine. Their ship pulls up the starboard side. The three sisters have concluded that this journey will be a discovery of wondrous things and places, with extraordinary finds.

$400.00

6. Lady Nancy Laurel carries her brood in a warm, soft blanket of her design. Her youngsters are very excited to travel and have been heard to say throughout the journey, “ Oh, the air!”, chirping with glee. The youngsters are very content to travel with their Mummy.

$275.00

5. Brothers Henry and Godwin are serious minded engineers. They will use their creative thinking skills for innovative designs when they land at their new settlement. Godwin is unsure of Henry’s ability to navigate. They have not decided the length of their stay. $250.00. SOLD

7. Master James speeds along on his “Blue Fish Special” and herds the back of the fleet, by scouting and looking out for unexpected encounters. His exceptional skills in communicating in different languages is a much needed asset for traveling.

$375

8. Sir Robert also herds and rounds up the smaller boats in the fleet with an exuberant flair. He rides along with his fish companions, and often contemplates the parts of the world yet to be explored.

SOLD

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

New classes and workshops

Hi creative peeps!

I just returned from teaching at ShakeRag Alley Center for the Arts in Wisconsin. It's truly a delight to teach there and I'm looking forward to returning next year.

I have updated upcoming workshops and classes for you to ponder.

Kat Kirby has an amazing studio in Prescott, Arizona. I'll be teaching there in October!

The Ancient Ones

My annual Book Arts class is coming up in June at Fallbrook School of the Arts in Fallbrook, CA.

Learn construction and techniques on a Raised Heart Book with open spine Coptic stitch binding, an accordion book, and a French Link stitch linen book. We’ll work on 3 projects during this 6-week class, concentrating on concept and technique.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Spring Happenings

Spring

Time to create!

I just returned from an Epic trip to Amsterdam, Venice, Florence, and Milan. And a wonderful week teaching in Santa Fe, New Mexico for Madeline Island School of the Arts. I will return to teach next year!

I'll be showing my works in the upcoming Exhibit at Fallbrook Center for the Arts. Our Natural World

Here's a sneak peek

and.....I'll be teaching some great workshops for you to explore coming up in May in Wisconsin.

ShakeRag Alley Mineral Point, Wisconsin

May 12- 15 2022

One of my fav places to teach!

Painted Paper Quilts

Altered Grid Journaling

Poured Painted Surfaces Sold out

Transparent Stitched Color Pencil Book

Friday, February 4, 2022

New Adventure in Baja!

Baja California Painting and Photo Expedition

The Cataviña Ecosystem, Cave Paintings, and the Gulf of California

This adventure will be a once in a lifetime exploration. I'm very excited to offer this trip along with Photographer Eileen Mandell, Ellen Parry, Director of Baja Rancho Art, and Raul and Caroline Aguilar, owners of Rancho Bellota.

We will spend time exploring and painting on location, hiking, and winding down at our hotel for merry drinks, great food, and excellent conversations. You will be picked up at the Tecate border for ease of travel. No worries about driving. Raul will guide us thoughtfully through the wondrous terrain.

The botanically rich Cataviña ecosystem includes incredible boulder fields and indigenous flora – gigantic Cardon Cactus (Pachycereus pringlei), Boojum (Cirios), Mexican Blue Palms (Blue Hesper Palms), and Elephant trees (Bursera microphylla) – are just a few of the species we’ll capture in photos and artwork. We will spend 1½ days hiking and exploring the creative possibilities of this area before traveling further south to the magnificent Cave Paintings in San Francisco de la Sierra and the Mission town of San Ignacio.

The mission has been in continual use since it was founded in 1728 and sits on a charming plaza in the center of this small town. We’ll have time to stroll the town and capture its spirit in our art. Then we’ll head north to the breathtaking Gulf of California, spending a night at Gonzaga Bay before heading to San Felipe and Ojos Negros for artisanal cheese tasting. We will spend our final night relaxing at Rancho La Bellota, then cross north at the Tecate border, avoiding the crowds and traffic of Tijuana.

This adventure will be geared to artists and photographers who want to explore unique sites. While in Cataviña we will drive out to different locations to paint, draw, take photos, hike and relax. Raul, our trip guide and Rancho La Bellota host, will ensure we see and taste the true flavors of this visually rich and culturally diverse region

Monday, January 10, 2022

Nourishment

I needed to nourish my soul with this creative out taking. A few weeks ago, my hubby was working in Georgia as a contractor when he collapsed twice due to Pulmonary Embolisms that developed in both lungs. I was in CA at our home with my son. We called the paramedics. They arrived and transported him to the hospital where he spent 5 days in Critical Care. I flew out the next day. After given the ok with the Cardiologist, my son flew out and drove my hubby home through snow, winds, tornado warnings, a stolen catalytic converter, and rain. I had flown home. We are now all happy to be home together doing a bunch of nothing…just enjoying life.

While visiting him in CC I walked by a door with the word “Nourishment”. Its not a word you see much these days and I found it that it covered all of the feelings I had been going through. We all need "nourishment" when times are difficult. It could be a helping hand, a hug, a prayer, or a creative output, these are the things that get us through difficulty. I felt this was the best action although I made a huge mess in my hubby's rented cabin!

The first part of this journey is on Stencil Girl Talk starting on Jan. 10th. I designed 3 stencils based on my love of all things succulents! Tune in for that tutorial first. At the end of this blog post is my short video showing the completed book...scroll down....

I started out gluing Tyvek strips to the folds of each page to strengthen them. The old papers from the Westinghouse manual were a bit fragile.

I made a jig to punch holes at the fold of each page using an awl that my

friend Al Rodriguez made.

The linen cover called out for color. Using water soluble pencils, I added bold colors to the stencil images.

With all of the signatures lined up, I started the stitching. This is a French Link stitch method best described by Kristi here and on her blog You can even buy her a coffee while supporting her feed!