Yup! It's lil' ol' me in Cloth Paper Scissors!

So I've been hit by some challenges already this year- like finding out the CREATE retreats where I teach were going away- ( a significant chunk of my income, ) some health issues, my maternal grandmother breaking her hip and femur and the long recovery involved, and the worst was the loss of my paternal Grandmother.  I would have a pretty dim view of what 2015 was going to hold for me, if I hadn't had some wonderful balancing FABULOUS things happening!

First, I've been able to see friends and family that I haven't seen for a long long time due to my schedule.  It's been lovely catching up.  Next, I've been able to just create and play.  For myself, with no end result demanded.  I can't tell you how important that time is to refresh my skills, my artistic soul.  I have been creating for so long for workshops, for articles, for commissions.  That's all lovely, but at times you feel as if it boxes you in rather than makes you feel creative.  What I'm doing now is making me so happy and refilling my well of creativity.  It is spawning new ideas faster than I can write them down in my journals.  And oh yes I am filling journals for the inevitable dry spell that will come. 


And some SUPER fantastic happiness coming to me from the good folks at F&W!  Way back in September last year I worked on an article for Cloth Paper Scissors, and woot woot! It's in the January February issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine!  If you've never picked up a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine- you are really missing out!  It never fails to inspire me, and the only disappointment is that it's bi-monthly, and I would LOVE it if it was monthly!  Can't get too much of this goodness!  Here is the CPS link if you would like to grab your own copy- you can even digitally download if you like!  A super shout out of thanks to my beautiful niece Morgan for being my model!  A quick snappy on the cell phone became a beautiful painterly mixed media portrait!

Next, the Craft Daily Shows I filmed out in Ft. Collins last November have hit the airwaves!  And I am so pleased to say they are being given very kind and favorable reviews!  The first one out the gate coincides with the Cloth Paper Scissors article!  So if you liked the article, you can watch the workshop, digitally download it, or if you are like me and like to have a hard copy, you can purchase it here! Here's what F&W has to say- 

Mixed-Media Faces Made Easy

By Kari McKnight-Holbrook

Become a master in portraits with these simple and easy techniques to incorporate faces in your art journaling and collage art. Artist Kari McKnight Holbrook will show you how to turn black-and white photocopies into masterful portraits. You'll learn how to layer various mediums to create shadows, highlights, and depth on faces, and ways to incorporate soft, natural colors. Add your portrait to a painted canvas, add embellishments, and your artful faces will come alive.

So as you can see, 2015 is getting pretty exciting!