Popped in for a visit

I told Mike I didn't know where this little girl came from, she just sort of popped out of my pencil and onto the wood, and stayed for a visit. She's so unlike me- I like sugar and spice and everything nice, and pink and sparkly! I definitely don't care for spiders! I don't know what came over me, but I am just letting go and having a ball seeing who shows up! Maybe it's the cool, crisp autumn air, or maybe it's the nature shows Mike is always watching!

First Wood Burning Efforts

This is my first wood burning effort since I was in shop class in 7th grade! I sort of liked the darker look and went around the burns with a PITT pen to make them even darker. This piece is still in progress and now I'm ready for layers and collage! More to come!

If you are interested in the online class that inspired this piece, It's the mixed media class with Suzi Blu.

Updated sketches

Wow! Super busy until the company's big fall seminar. Magazine articles, class proposals and a huge fatbook swap all fall in the next two weeks! Don't even know how I managed to squeak it in, but here is the next phase I added to my recent sketches.

Didn't realize I'd been away for so long!

Wow- with the traveling and other jobs I've been doing, I didn't realize it had been so long since I put up any new art. Well, I don't have anything completed yet, but I have been working on some sketching lately. All day Monday and Tuesday of this week I stayed in my pj's and doodled and sketched and goofed around. It was heavenly! It was my first real day off in over 9 weeks! Ahhhh! I needed that. I've started 2 new sketches, and been working on the shading and underlayers, so these are rough, but I thought it might be fun to show you as it progresses.

Faith Journal

Wow- this faith journal project is really moving along for me. If I had more time free to work on it, it would be done already, as the ideas are flowing faster than I can get time to produce them! (That's ALWAYS a welcome problem to any artist, as opposed to the other way around!) I've found I am enjoying each page more and more. I've noticed too, that it seems to be helping me look at some internal questions I have bouncing around. I was certain that by the time I got to the letter "Q" that I would have a tough time finding a word to use... It seems clear sailing until I get to the letters X and Z. Any suggestions?

Ties that Bind

I've been invited to participate in the wonderful project called "Ties that Bind" Artists united to benefit ovarian cancer research. Artists Jan Brown, Aileen Roberts, and Kris Henderson are organizing, so it is SURE to be a fabulous finished project! I will be needing to make a charm for the project, and here is a sneak peek of the digital art I created as the base for my charm.

I'm planning a teal encasement with teal embellishments to complete this charm. Teal is the color ribbon for the ovarian cancer research movement.

If you would like to see more really awesome charms by some of the most amazing artists working today, pop over to http://projecttiesthatbind.blogspot.com/

Faith Journal on the road

I have, with many good wishes, sent my art journals off to Stampington and Company in hopes they will be well received there. I almost felt a little nervous letting my "babies" off into the world like that, out to stand on their own. But I am having faith that they will speak to others too, I sent my Hope journal, and my Gratitude journal, as well as an electronic version of my ABC Faith journal.

The next two pages for my Faith Journal. Some of you will recognize the archway on top from the rubber stamp I carved in order to make the Artiscape 08 Fatbook covers. For some reason I just love this image. It was a photo originally, and I've altered it so many ways from Sunday, and in each version I find something appealing about it. Don't know what it is exactly. Just like it.