Yup. That’s me. Sigh…

These plates are very sturdy clear plastic, about 8 inches square. That notch in the corner is designed to hold a wine glass stem. You put your nibbles on the plate, your glass in the notch, and can walk around safely talking and tasting. Brilliant! And very handy.

Now, the artist in me saw the notch as just the right size for my thumb, and that flat surface as the right size for a paint palette. I like small palettes because they’re easier to handle. And, the plate is far sturdier than the lids from butter tubs that I normally use.  (See the last photo below for my typical paint palettes.)

So, I absconded with 5 – mine, 2 from my friends, and 2 more that I found abandoned on a table as we left. I would have taken more, but didn’t want to look like a looter.

Can’t wait to try them out!

Finding The Way, collage, 4x6 inches, 2012

This 4 x 6 inch collage is make from magazine images, part of a map, a painted background, and some machine stitching.

For some reason, I’ve struggled with the title to this piece. I’m sure I’ll change my mind a few more times before long.

I’ll stick with this title, at least long enough to pop it in the mail for the National Collage Society’s postcard exhibit.

The exhibit will be held April 20, 2012 to July 15, 2012 at the Bellevue Arts Museum in  Bellevue, WA.

For information about the postcard exhibit, visit the National Collage Society’s website: http://www.nationalcollage.com.

Summer Day, acrylic and ink, 12x12 in.

For those of you in the Hudson, Ohio area, you’ll have the chance to see more of my artwork at the Margaret Clark Morgan Building between April 3 and June 19, 2012.

The Morgan Building has a terrific gallery space, where 10 of us from Hudson Society of Artists will have original paintings on display. The exhibit will be open during normal business hours.

Join us for a reception on Tuesday, April 3, from 3:30 – 6:30.

10 W. Streetsboro St.
Hudson, OH 44236

Get directions.

Learn more about the Foundation and their mission.

The show is open during standard business hours. Here are a few photos from the opening reception.

Every Vote Counts, 14x18, collage, 2011

Peninsula Art Academy is hosting a show entitled “The Project and The Draft”. The show focuses on where artists get their inspiration and how the final artwork may (or may not) differ from the original idea.

I think it’s a great concept for a show. I got a sneak peek today at the entries, and they look fantastic. The drafts range from quick sketches on notebook paper to full blown preliminaries that could stand as finished art.

The show opens Saturday, March 24, at 5:00 and will be on display through May 5. Opening night is Blues Night, so plan to stay and have fun!

Peninsula Art Academy
1600 West Mill Street, Peninsula, OH 44264

Join the event on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/407880572561917/?__adt=12

My entry is a collage titled “Every Vote Counts”.  (The photo is lousy. Trust me, it looks great in person.) The story – my “draft” – is below:

I rarely comment on politics but couldn’t help myself this time.

This collage is made from campaign literature from the 2010 election. The stuff found its way unbidden into my mailbox, under my doormat, on my doorknob, and in my landscaping. I’ve used snippets from literature sent by people I voted for and against. Equal time for everyone, you know.

The literature – and campaigns too – have become nastier and less substantive. Almost none of the literature told me what the candidates stood for or their opinions on issues.

Almost without exception, the ads bashed the competition.

They said: my opponent is a liar! My opponent will cost our state jobs! My opponent is corrupt!

Almost nothing said: here’s what I stand for, what I believe in, and what I want to accomplish.

Oddly enough, very few of the flyers even used the word “Vote”. I had to scrounge – twice – through my mountain of literature to find enough instances of the word. Had I been looking for the words “liar” or “corrupt”, I would have had plenty.

A short story: two weeks before the election as I was cutting the lawn, a woman walked up and said:
“I’m Mrs. __________ . My husband Mr. __________ is running for office. Can I put a sign in your yard?”

Notice that she did not say what office he was running for. She did not ask if I’d heard of him or planned to vote for him or had any questions.

Yet she was surprised when I said “No“.

I believe it’s important – even critical – to vote but it’s been getting tougher to cut through the hype to make a rational decision about who and what to vote for. Even so, I did vote, and added my “I voted” sticker to the collage.

Colors and Lines, Yellow, 12x12 inches on paper

Hudson Society of Artists is having its annual March Members Show. As usual, it’s a terrific show. I’m always delighted to see the range and quality of artwork we have.

The show opens March 10 with a reception from 6:00-8:00 pm. The show is on display until March 31.

Laurel Lake Retirement Center
200 Laurel Lake Road
Hudson, OH

"Follow Your Heart", 4x6 inches, collage

David Sandum is organizing a Twitter Art Exhibit in Moss, Norway. He’s asked artists from around the world to send in original, postcard-sized artworks to be sold to raise money for a women’s crisis center. The exhibit opens on Friday, April 13, 2012.

Read about the exhibit here: http://davidsandumart.posterous.com/call-for-artists-2nd-twitter-art-exhibit-in-m

and on Twitter using the hashtag #twitterartexhibit .

My entry is a collage made from a bit of a map, origami paper, and machine stitching with red thread. It’s already in the mail on it’s way to Norway.

"Follow Your Heart", 4x6 inches, collage

Ok. I’ll bite…here you go.

I used to have nice hands: long thin fingers and long nails that rarely broke. Those days are long gone.

Now, my hands are wrinkly and old. (They’re attached to an old body, imagine that.)

But I like them.

I like working with my hands. I like – no, love – making things. Paintings, yes, but also cookies and afghans and soups. From planting seedlings to pulling weeds to pruning trees…love it.

I relate to the world first visually but also tactility. I have to see something then touch it to understand it. Talk all you want – it goes in one ear and out the next without leaving much trace behind. But let me see something and touch it, and I get it.

What do you think of your hands? Are you willing to post a photo for Jane?

She has a blog post about it: http://maidenjane.blogspot.com/2012/02/tuesday-inspiration-show-me-your-hands.html and a Facebook page: Hands Exposed.

Give it a try. I’m curious to see what your hands look like.

Snap. Click. Link. It’s that easy.

Allow me to offer an antidote:

Funky February Art Show at Hudson Fine Art & Framing

This show features artwork by Maria Zanetta, Charlotte Lees, and me.

We’ll have paintings, sculpture, and jewelry that are sure to brighten your spirits.

The show opens Friday, February 3, from 5:30-8:30, and runs the entire month.

Details are on Facebook and the gallery’s website:

http://www.facebook.com/events/356772391000002/

http://www.hudsonfineartandframing.com/pages/hudson-events.html

On the personal side, my family handled a big transition as we cleaned and renovated Mom and Dad’s old house so that it could be sold. We, they, had lived in it for 36 years. I was sad to see it go, but good heavens it actually sold!

Mid-year, I lost my little dog Maddie at the age of 16. Her last few months were tough as her health failed. We had so many good years and she was a wonderful little buddy. I treasure those memories.

Around the same time  little Miss Cass came to live with me. She’s a sweetheart of an 18-year-old cat. Having her here has been a joy. She’s helping me type this by sitting on my left arm, so pardon any typos.

Art-wise, I got back on track. My art was put on hold in 2010, so it needed a serious jump start this year.

I began painting larger, which I’ve greatly enjoyed. I’ve painted so small for so many years that even a modest 12×12 inch format is challenging. I experimented with some new materials and techniques, and have thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

At the beginning of the year, I set myself some goals:

Develop a consistent studio practice

My goal was to put in 10-15 hours each week in my studio. I didn’t get there, but developed a consistent habit anyway.

I’m big on tracking things, writing them down, which I didn’t do for the first few weeks of the year. Once I started writing down my hours daily, I realized how little time I was devoting to my art and began increasing it.

Since the beginning of September, I’ve averaged 8 hours per week. Darn good. I’m happy with that. I’ll take it.

Finish larger works

I like painting small. My small paintings are wonderful. So why paint larger?

I want to begin entering juried shows and hanging work in public venues, and the small stuff just won’t work. They won’t make it into shows, and it takes a ton of paintings to cover the walls of an exhibit space.

So larger we go. I finished 13 paintings in the Colors and Lines series, plus 2 others.

And, I began to work smaller in the form of hand-painted necklaces. They were a big hit at the shows this fall. Although my 2-dimensional art is my first love, the necklaces were an enjoyable diversion.

In addition to the larger work, I:

• took 3 workshops, mostly around art journaling and travel journaling. I want to begin taking my art with me.
• sent 200 tiny paintings to Artomat for their vending machines
• completed another sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project
• finished 3 smaller 8×8 inch paintings
• blogged 80 times, which is on par with previous years

Teach

I had wanted to develop a workshop and begin offering it to students, for many reasons. Teaching is a wonderful way to learn, too.

I haven’t put together a workshop yet, but have several ideas. I often get asked about my technique and am thinking about offering a class on that. We’ll see.

Get my art out “there”

Ah, yes. The eternal challenge for us introverts. My goal was to enter 6 shows this year, didn’t matter if I got in or not, just go through the exercise of applying.

I entered about a dozen shows, got in some and not others. And, I found 2 places who were willing to sell my art on consignment.

Several of the shows were arts and craft shows that turned out to be great, sales-wise. My sales have never been so good!

Plus, the exercise of getting ready for a show is really valuable. I’m getting skilled at the business of packing, lugging stuff, setting up a display, and talking to potential customers. Definitely worth doing.

All in all, I’m pleased with 2011 and will remember it fondly. Can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store.

October 30

Day 1

Day 2 – Battery Snafu

Day 3 – Tying up Lose Ends and Recharging Batteries

Day 5 – New Supplies and Lots of Painting

Day 6 – Paint ‘n Frame

Days 7 & 8 – Mark That Spot

Day 9 – And A Box To Keep It In

Days 10, 11, 12 – Mat, Frame, Setup, Show!

Colors and Lines, Fall

Colors and Lines, Pearl

Colors and Lines, Explosion

Colors and Lines, Candy

Day 20 – Scattered

Day 21 – The Value of Practice

Day 26 – Bit by Bit

Day 28 – Done or Not Done?

Day 30 – And, That’s a Wrap!