Rubber Stamp Rack leaves the studio

June's came with her neighbour, John, and his trusty pick-up to load the stamp rack.  It has given me years of good service and is now going to a good home 'up the Coast'.  It was quite the chore but June and Owen did it, with a little help from John and I.  Word has it that the truck survived the trip.

UPCOMING STUDIO SALE, April 24, 2016

It's still a mess but it's getting there.  A mega sale on April 24th.  I'm 1/2 way there.

100's of rubber stamps, card stock, ephemera, pens, markers, crafting tools, fabrics, vintage jewelry, paper making kits, punches and so much more....

Zentangle on Ruxton

For Debbie

For Jennifer

Woodworkers Guild 2 X 4 Contest

Owen and I did a joint project for the Sunshine Coast Woodworkers Guild 2 X 4 contest this year (June 2014).  A book press and book.  The books covers are made from spalded yellow cedar, the signatures from Fabriano watercolour paper.  It was fun and the end projects came out beautifully.  The book press was already pre-sold and so far I haven't had a reason to part with the book. Wonder if I ever will. 

Random Acts of Art Submission

Owen and I submitted our Random Acts of Art to the Gibsons Landing Art Gallery to be shown in the 5th annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl.  The rules were to create a piece of art on a 8 X 10 inch straight board.  You were given a theme in the form of a saying and 24 hours to complete your project.  120 pieces were submitted and were for sale to the public during the Art Crawl.  Approximately 30% of the pieces were sold and Owen's was one of them.  Two followers have offered to purchase mine since the show and I am now mailing it away to Alaska to my sister Karen.  Thank you Dolores for your kind words about my piece and I will be painting something and sending it to you in Kazakhstan in the spring.  

What I had to say about High and Mighty:

Bio (one or two words only):  Aspiring

Experience with this project:  A reminder of art classes where you are given the subject matter and a blank canvas.  Always a challenge.  Fortunately the ideas ran rampant.  Politicians/world leaders, Victoria Falls, animals, sports, terrorists, self.... and the list went on.  I loved the process.

What Owen had to say about A Slice of Life:

Bio (one or two words only):  Retiree

Experience with this project:  No plans,  No measurements.  Just imagination and fun.  Art does set you free.

Presentation to the Sunshine Coast Surface Design Guild

Last month I was invited to introduce Book Arts to the Sunshine Coast Surface Design Guild.  They began their informal meeting with a 'show and tell'.  What an amazing group of artists.  We had a beautiful lunch and then it was my turn to share with them my books and journals, techniques and ideas.  It was great fun and inspiring to spend time with this lovely group of ladies.

ARTIST JOURNAL  8" W by 9" H
donation to the Ruby Slipper Fund event
Hand Painted Mono Print Covers
Coptic Bound Exposed Spine
Watercolour paper

Samples for Coptic Bound Journal Workshop

The Coptic Bound Journal Workshop

We had a fabulous group of ladies in the studio yesterday. Thanks for participating; Barb Crombie, Connie Chapman, Sherril McIlveen, Leslie Berends, Joanne Segate, Lil' Deb DeWolff, Jeni Stafford, Gail Johnston.  Big, big thank you to my co-instructor, Karen Dorcas (my sister who is here visiting from Kenai, Alaska).

The mother load

In my last e-blast to friends of AES, I asked if anyone had or had access to bits of lace, tapestry, vintage jewelry findings, or all other types of 'useful' things I could use in my lace vignettes and mixed media jewelry.  My good friend, Vonnie, works across the street from the Ladner Thrift Store, it's one of the best.  Here are photo's of what was in the package that arrived last week.  The 'mother load'.
 

 

Lace Vignettes

Lace Vignettes VS Build Zone.  I'm trying to find time for both.  It's a bit of a quandary in the morning as to what I'd like to be doing or what I should be doing, so I work on both.  A little lace, a little jewelry.  Oh but it is fun.

 

 

 

Build Zone On-Line

Here is a sample of some of what I have been doing in Deryn Mentock's online mixed media jewelry workshop called Build Zone.  I have been playing 'catch up' in the studio since we returned home from CA the first week of April.  It's a good thing I've done wire work and jewelry making before because there is a lot of material that is familiar to me but Deryn has great design concepts and I like the mixed media element of her jewelry.  AND I'm using a blow torch.  There is no doubt, I'm learning lots.

 

 

 

 

 Laurie Mika was at the LaQuinta Art Festival where I volunteer this weekend.  It was great to see her, meet her husband and reminice the days of Artfest.  Beautiful, creative lady.

Earlier in the year I spent the day with Judi Delgado at the Pasadena Flea Market, Dick Blick, and then lunch at her house.  Another beautiful, talented soul.

It has been a long time since I've posted on my studio blog. And then it has only been sporadic. I post more regularly on livealifewell.blogspot.com and even then not at regularly as I'd like to. So please visit me there for more recent updates in my life and maybe a few artistic endeavors too.

Steps to the Coptic Bound Book

One of my favorite book bindings is the coptic stitch. 

In order to show Ken how to stitch his book, I made 2 prototypes.

1) Book Boards

2) Book Covers 'paste paper & decorative papers'

3) Signatures 'tear down parent sheets to selected size and fold'

4) End sheets

A closer look with the covers adhered to the book boards and

the end sheets adhered to the covers.  The signatures are

ready for the stitching holes to be punched  The covers are

ready for the holes to be drilled with my dremel. 

Not shown:  the template used to mark where the holes go.

Signatures have been sitting in the book press and

the wax linen thread has been selected.

 Stitching has begun.  I am using a round needle.

Done!

And now to begin book 2.

Coptic Bound Book with Spalded Wood Covers

Approximately 9" X 12"
I haven't had a lot of time in the studio in the last while.  Certainly not to teach any classes but recently a friend, Ken, who had crafted these gorgeous spalded wood book covers and I made a coptic bound book using the covers.  It sure came out nice, didn't it?

Black and White Collaborative

We have had a busy summer. Spending time on Keats Island and Ruxton Island. Lots of work, sunshine, socializing and fun. Great combination. It's good to be home for a couple of months. While away, I was able to participate in a 'Black and White Collaborative' that was due at the end of August. I struggled with the fact that I didn't have my studio to work in and just a small kit of pens and markers with me so I chose to do personal journal pages and I had so much fun. I'd rise early - maybe 6:30'ish a.m. and spend a couple of hours each day by the light of the morning sun - doodling and drawing. The serenity and beauty around me gave me more than enough inspiration. The pages were in the mail before the deadline. A first. I'm attaching scans of the outcome.

Mary's birthday card to me.

Work in progress - art journaling page

I started creating this page after being inspired by a youtube video.

My birthday

Birthday Cards from: Nina (left) and Elspeth (right)

Birthday Cards from Donna (left) and Debbie (right)

My birthday afternoon (art day) project. A friendship card - easel card technique, created by Nadine.

Needlework with Beads

I had the opporunity to take a workshop with Eileen Neill from Qualicum Beach, BC at Corolla's Quilt Shop last Thursday. What a talented fibre, mixed media and embellishment aratist. Eileen generously allowed us to take photo's of her work and I am posting them here for you to enjoy. They will be here for a couple of weeks and then I will remove them. Eileen is a fabulous instructor and throughout the day, she was able to show us (with time to practice on our own) all of the stitiches you see in her small sampler hangings. These are 4" X 4" in size and include the seed stitich, lazy stitich, back stitch, couching stitch, picot edging, doubt picot edging and lace stitch. We also learned how to do a spider web in order to attach objects that do not have holes. We did a stop stitich, branch stitch, fringe and branched fringe as well as a zigzag fringe and spriral fringe. And we did the netting that you see at the bottom of her samplers. Now to be able to go back and do them again, which hopefully won't be difficult because Eileen supplied us with great instructions. Eileen can be contacted at 250.752.8684 or by email at eileenneill@shaw.ca