Spices of Life

Today over on the Sketchbook Challenge Blog, it was my turn to pick the theme for the month.  I happily picked The Spice of Life!  I can't wait to see what everyone does with that challenge!

One of my motivating factors for this challenge is the time of year, obviously.  For some it may be wonderful, for some it may be more challenging.  Will their color schemes and images be darker?   It will be interesting to see what spices the other artists lives. Another thing behind this choice was how I spice up my art life, so it won't fall into a routine or rut.  In effort to continually keep learning, I self assign projects or studies.  For this particular sketchbook, I chose Georges Seurat, specifically his Pointillism. If you would like to know a bit more about him, check out the Web museum, Paris.  Finally, I love how spices are good for so many things!

For instance, did you know many people use Nutmeg as a natural sleeping aid?  I've had insomnia for years, and tried most of the prescription and over the counter stuff with little effect.  However, a glass of warm milk that has nutmeg in it really seems to relax me!

My mom makes these wonderful spice "Nerve" cookies.  They had tremendous buzz, as her doctor gave her the recipe originally. Supposedly, they had all the "happy" spices, the ones that release joy endorphins in the brain.  I don't know about the claims, but I DO know I was always happier with a cookie than without one! 

Mom's Nerve Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter

3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 tablespoon water, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 cups flour
1 pinch allspice
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Cream butter and sugar until creamed. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Sift remaining dry ingredients together. Add to the creamed mixture. Shape into rolls, wrap in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours. Slice thinly and bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Polyform Products Design Squad 2013

I'm so excited I'm ready to bust!  I just had to share the news- I was chosen to be a member of the Polyform Products Design Squad for 2013!  As you've seen here, I adore all things Sculpey, and love the availability and ease of use of the product line. 

They've been so kind, and sent me all sorts of goodies to experiment with- I can't wait to jump in!

If you can't wait either- I encourage you to check out their website and blog- GREAT information and tutorials there for you!

http://www.sculpey.com/

Starting in January, you'll be seeing regular creations and tutorials- so stay tuned:)  Same Bat channel, same Bat time for all you Halloweeners! 

Seth Apter

Hi gang!
Just popping in to let you know that Seth Apter's next blog post "Pulse Points" for Create Mixed Media is up!  This month he's talking about jealousy and finding your artistic niche.  I am honored to have been on the panel of artists he interviewed for this project.  His interesting take on the subject is here. 

You can find Seth's blog here: The Altered Page
You can find his facebook page here: The Altered Page

Joseph Cornell/Cabinet of Curiosities

 This month's theme on Sketchbook Challenge was Cabinet of Curiosities, and I was truly challenged as to what to do!  I could not overcome my old conceptions of what a CoC was- and it almost blocked me until I remembered a box I did when I was studying Joseph Cornell.

Every once in a while, I "self assign" myself an artist to explore.  I enjoy the research portion of the assignment, as much as the actual looking at the art.  I love reading everything I can get my hands on about that person, their life, their art.  I will sometimes even take it one step further, and research the person who influenced them!   Several years ago, I was researching Joseph Cornell.  He was a shy, odd little duck to say the least, but his assemblages or "portable shrines" always pull me in.  Something about their simplicity, yet deep meaning gets me every time.  His life was a difficult one, yet he could find beauty in the most basic thing.  I created a small series of wood boxes as I was studying him, and found a quiet peace about the process.  To see Cornells work, you can visit Paris's web museum here.  Why do I bring this up you ask?  It seemed perfect timing to bring these back out into the open for this month's Sketchbook Challenge. This month's topic is "Cabinet of Curiosities."  I'm not so big on skeletons and bugs, so my curiosities are ordinary things I am curious about, or want to look at in an explorative way.  Somehow, putting an egg in a box elevates it's importance, so we pay more attention to it's detail...

A couple years ago I went to a workshop with Lynn and John Whipple and had a great time whipping up this box of found objects!  Everything was found objects, including the box constructed of several old food crates!  I had made the doll from Sculpey and it was in my bag of old art pieces that had never found a home.  John and I covered it in carpenters glue, took it outside into the alley and set it on fire.  I really wanted that 'just un-earthed' look, and I am pretty happy with the results!

This month's challenge made me really think I wanted to make some more boxes this winter!

Patterns part deux

By the time this posts, I should be high in the sky, winging my way to beautiful Portland for a glorious week of art and friends at Art & Soul!  It did make me think however of a question I get frequently from my students about how I feel about them 'copying' my style.  Thought it would be a good time to address this.

Over at the Sketchbook Challenge Blog, I put up a little bit about how I go about making things my own style, even when in another's workshop or class.  When I teach a workshop, I never get upset if someone makes a piece of art that looks like mine.  It's only natural that when learning a new technique it will resemble the piece that inspired it.  BUT you don't want to get stuck there, making derivative work.  The goal is to move forward!  Jump in and make it your own.  I fully expect my students to do this once they are comfortable with the techniques.  It's my DESIRE that you master the technique I teach, and take it further!  I want you to be successful and move beyond where you started when you were in my workshop!  It's not acceptable to make 50 that look just like mine, and sell them, or teach the class I worked so hard to create (Even if you change the name).  PLEASE!~  Change it up, adapt it to the way you work, and add your own special ZING to the mix.  My zing is layers and pattern overload.  I will somehow find a way to add texture and pattern and layers, no matter what medium I am enjoying.  In fact, my favorite PART of a new technique is always getting it back to the studio and playing around with it, and discovering what works with it, and what doesn't! 

A simple way to make something your own in a fast workshop situation is with pattern!  I was so fortunate to take my friend Pam Carriker's class out in CA this spring.  I so adore her style!  She is the master of her style for it is authentic Pam.  No matter how I could try to copy the style, I know it would fall short, because it would just be Kari copying Pam- not true Kari.  I have to let my freak flag fly and be authentic me.  So even though I was using an image / Thermofax she created, I could still put my own personal touch on it with my own hand.  A happy meeting of her technique, with my style and embellishment.

Jump in to the unknown, learn, enjoy and own your art!

Seth Apter

Hello my pumpkins!  The cool weather this morning brought me my first non-caloric, gluten free, organically grown cup of hot chocolate...AND Seth Apters 1st installment of his new series called Pulse Points for Create Mixed Media.  It's a very well written discussion of what's percieved to be happening in the mixed media art world right now.  Several working artists contribute their insight into each post, while Seth masterfully guides the topic into an elegant and well spoken piece.  Very articulate and well though out, I find it closely mirrors what I'm feeling deep inside as an artist. (It's nice to know I'm not alone.) Sometimes it actually gives words to what is only a mish mash of a gut feeling for me.  It's there, somewhere, but I can't express it in such coherent words.  I invite you to pop over an see if you find it as delightfully inspiring as I did.  Besides the main post at CMM, Seth has a follow up on his blog The Altered Page as well.

Patterns for Sketchbook Challenge

Wow!  Are you all enjoying Sketchbook Challenge?  I know I sure am!  I REALLY loved this months challenge, which was all about patterns!  I did a quick journal recently specifically to practice drawing faces.  Faces are a challenge for me, so I try to practice them.  However being a true ADHD mixed media artist, I get bored JUST sketching.  So enter my patterns!  I created the journal using patterns, and then sketched over the patterns because more is better in my book! 

Step 1  Text as pattern  using Pam Carrriker's Mixed Media Adhesive, I randomly glued down old text.

Step 2  1st layer of patterned printed paper.  I used my line of large 8.5 x 11 stamps and Gelli Arts Geli Printing plate and printed on deli paper with acrylic paint in various colors.

Step 3  2nd layer of patterned printed paper, using a different color and building layer interest.  The deli papers are translucent when created with Fluid Acrylics.  To carry that translucency forward I used pan pastels.  Notice the top picture's arm and face, you can see the text underneath her.

Step 4  Begin drawing.  1st with pencil, then pan pastels and colored pencils.  Outline with Sharpie Twin Tip Marker or Pitt Artist Pens.

Step 5  Lettering begins at this phase.  Heavy on the pattern!  This is just a work in progress.  When finished, probably the majority of the images will only show in glimpses.

Step 6.  Beginning to pattern and decorate the drawings.  Anything can be decorated with pattern.  And patterns can be made by repeating anything over and over.  This girls sweater cabling is made up from the word 'repetition' being written over and over and on top and over again.

Finally after working in this color story for this small sketchbook, I decided I liked it enough to begin working on a canvas.  Here is the beginning, as you can see, I work on canvas the same as I do in my sketchbooks, building layers of patterend color!