Gift Exchange with the Gals? Play the Note Card!

Do you exchange gifts with a group of friends? Or need to have a collection of hostess gifts or something nice for the kids' teachers? Here's an idea for a gift that supports artists and provides you with a perfect all-ages, all-occasion gift. 

There are many, many choices of lovely notecards with blank insides on etsy.com. Buy a handful of different sets and then mix them up into sets of 5 or 6. Make as many sets as you need for all your gift-giving occasions. Put each set into a small printed paper bag or colorful envelope with a bow and you're ready to go.

I made a Pinterest page of a zillion choices. Each one links to the page where you can buy.

Don't forget to keep one set for yourself... they are perfect for thank you, congratulations, or sympathy notes.

Art Deco Decor

I now know, I am an art deco fan. I stayed for several nights at the Four Seasons Orlando, part of the Walt Disney World resort for the luxury traveler. (Before you think I’ve won the lottery, please know I was only there as a hired hand for a work event.)

Talk about beautiful! I have a phone full of photos for future inspiration, some of which are below. It's not so much that I love each individual piece but I really like the look of it all combined.

Read through this list of hallmarks of art deco design and then mentally check them off as you peruse my photos below.

Characteristics of Art Deco Interior Design: geometric and angular forms, exotic materials, linear decoration, bold
Materials: stainless steel, mirrors, chrome, glass, lacquer, inlaid wood, ebony, marble, rare woods

Design Themes: leaves, branches, feathers, nudes, stylized animals, trapezoids, chevrons, zigzags, sunbursts

Colors: striking, bold, contrast; silver and black, neutral creams and beiges
Furniture: streamlined shapes, no frills, large in scale, chrome, mirrored
Floors: abstract designs, black and white tile, lacquered, polished parquet, large geometric pattern rugs
Lighting: glass (etched, enameled, white or colored), chrome

I condensed the information above from: http://interiordec.about.com/od/decorateforbegin/a/StylesofDecoratingArtDeco.htm

Nature and geometric pattern

Opalescent tile mosaic

Hallway geometric print carpet and wallpaper

Reflective print wallpaper

Reflective print fabric wallpaper

Geometric tile mosaic

Decorative grate on the outdoor path lighting

Geometric wallpaper, stylized animal metallic print picture, silver lights, streamlined shiny table, square pattern tile

Metallic translucent hardware on lighting

Geometric ceiling moulding, wall panels, glass bubble chandeliere

Curved couch and metallic table

Geometric wood chairs, geometric wood table, bold print fabric and rug, stylized animal (peacock) art

Linear, spiky floor lamps, curved art on bold square base

Geometric black iron railings, glass sunburst chandelier, square wall paneling

the dramatic chandelier at night

the top piece of the sink "bowl" slants downward and the bottom piece slants under that to the unseen drain below

My Trip to Italy

You can't see the faces of the two gentlemen below but I am sure you recognize both. I knew I would see the first one, but the second was a pleasant surprise!

The huge archway below is between the Vatican museum and the entry to St. Peter’s.

St. Peter’s Basilica is enormous and beautiful!  St. Peter's is especially huge but all of the churches were very grand with soaring ceilings and huge open areas. They all looked gigantic to me and I've seen skyscrapers -- what did these buildings look like to the "Average Joe" of the the day?

If it looks like gold, it’s gold! All the decoration, pattern, and sculpture could be overwhelming but when the place is so big, somehow it all fits.

We didn't get to spend enough time in the Vatican Museum. So many things to see there. One looooong hallway is painted in trompe l’oeil fashion to appear that sculptures and moldings cover the entire ceiling. The whole thing looks like the picture below but is completely flat.

Anywhere else these floors would be the showpiece... here they're barely noticed!

Traffic in Rome appears to be ruled by suggestion rather than laws. If you ever go there, don’t even think about trying to drive. You will die. Parking is done wherever you can find a spot. But at least they're respecting the crosswalk!

Scooters are everywhere, especially in the one-foot-wide space between your tour bus and the smart car next to you.

A man driving to work with his toddler in the back seat in what is officially the smallest car I have ever seen. But with gas at the equivalent of 8+ bucks a gallon, you do what you gotta do!

A guy was singing opera for tips in the square out front of the Pantheon. He had the whole crowd’s attention. I was slightly distracted by a big cone of dark chocolate gelato at the time but I tossed a Euro in his hat.

Some of the cathedrals had simple striped exteriors of two colors of stone block with a highly ornamented façade (the two photos below are of the side and the front of the same cathedral in Orvieto).

The stripes were inside churches too. Below is the cathedral in Pisa. It is beautiful but all anyone ever talks about is the leaning tower! If you go to Pisa, definitely go in the church!

Busts of the greatest artists of the day sit in alcoves above the top rose window at the Florence Duomo. Artists above all else…as it should be!!

Burano is a charming little island near Venice with colorful houses, a single canal, and lots of artists.

Leaving Venice at sunrise.

Positano has a single one-way road and buildings stacked one on top of another, with a bunch of big rocks above and a beach of gray pebbles below.

The landscape is so dramatic!

This picture of the Spanish Steps is one of my favorites from the whole trip. I like the foreground to far distance contrast and the strong shadows.  

There were people from all over the world everywhere we went. I'm so glad I was one of them! I toured with Uniglobe (Wheeling, WV). Our Uniglobe tour leader was
Georgette Stock and in Italy our Globus tour leader was Allessandro.  

A tour is the way to go when you're in a place that has many sights you want to see.
While regular travelers waited in long lines, we tour people breezed right in. I went "alone" but not really because there were 38 other nice people on the trip. 

We stayed in very nice hotels and everything was done for us...
it would be very difficult to plan on your own all that we did in 10 days.
The tour was called The Best of Italy. I highly recommend, especially if it might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you.

 And, just to prove I was actually there, here is the only picture of me:

Art is a many splendored thing

It is my opinion, based on personal experience, that an artist is never bored. Rather, there are so many different things to try that there are not enough hours to fit all the interests.

I often ask an artist "what other art do you do?" in addition to their work I am viewing at the moment. They usually have a list of many.

What do you do frequently (now or in the past), what have you flirted with occasionally (or even just once), and what is in your future on your art bucket list?

Here is mine:

FREQUENTLY: polymer clay, sewing, drawing (pencil, colored pencil, markers, and ink), painting (pastel, acrylic on paper and things), jewelry making, photography, graphic design

FLIRTED: mosaic, glass (flameworking, fused, stained, paperweights), enamel, batik, marbleizing, paint (watercolor, oil, spray, faux finishes, airbrush) knit, crochet, cross stitch, PMC, papier mache, printmaking, wool rug hooking, ceramics, and murals, decoupage, handmade books, quilting, macrame, rolled paper beads

FUTURE: woodturning, weaving, sculpting, collage, ribbon flower embroidery, felting

...and I'm sure I'll think of more! Maybe you'll give me some ideas!

In other news, I finally created an Artybecca "business" page on Facebook. If you want to follow my polymer there instead of (or in addition to) the blog, go on over and Like me!

Prepare to be amazed!

I wish I could say that I was going to show you some amazing beads of mine, but insted I'm sharing a link to the Pinterest pages of Sherman Tung. I don't know who Sherman is, but he has an eye for exquisite drawings by artists from the middle ages to the modern age.

I am not even sure exquisite is a superlative enough word for the art he has repinned on his pages. I am in awe of the talent. Even with 1,000 years of practice, I would never be half this good. I have two hands and eyes also, but somehow, these people employ theirs in a much more skillful manner!

Be sure to check out his painting pages also. Get a coffee...you'll be there half the morning.

It reminds me of when I showed a beautiful pastel portrait by JF LeSaint to my brother. Joe said, "What did he do that with?" I said, "Pastels. Just like the ones I use." And Joe replied, "Oh no. Clearly, yours and his are not the same." Ha ha, thanks bro.

Wacom Tablet fun!

I treated myself to a Wacom Bamboo Create tablet. I'm getting the hang of using the pen and drawing on a surface where there is no image -- it takes some getting used to.  

Ladies at the cafe was going to be my St. Petersburg "Virtual Paintout" picture but I forgot
that he doesn't accept digital art. Oh well, it was good practice (this was the second picture using my new
Wacom tablet) and I always love drawing a Google Streetview scene.
These ladies were at the Caffe Centrale, according to the words on the awning, but I accidentally lost
the streetview link so I can't send you there to see it "in person." I haven't abandoned my
physical pens and pencils, so next month my VP will be with the rest of the gang!

What I like about the tablet is that I'm not a filthy mess by the time my faux pastel picture is finished. Also, if I'm trying to draw a portrait (which I am only so-so good at), it's nice to be able to erase and try again if an eye or whatever isn't quite right. Nothing is worse than spending hours on a drawing when the end result doesn't look like the person I was trying to draw. One wrong angle, and you've haven't drawn Sue -- it's now Sue's imaginary sister!

I know digital illustration may not be considered "real", and I can see the point somewhat. I'm not regarding it as a replacement for real pencils and brushes, it's simply a different tool in the box. And in that one tool is a universe of tools -- it's like a Kindle for artists.

Using the tablet is drawing...there's a tool in my hand that I use to apply marks to a blank surface. I'm not simply applying effects to an image. However, even if I later decide to take it one step further and use the filters or color correction features on my completed drawing, my choices are unique to me (out of literally thousands of options). If someone else used the same image as reference, their strokes and color choices wouldn't end up at the same final point as mine -- just like with real pastels, pencils, brushes, or whatever.

What do you think?

The tablet offers useful capabilities over physical utensils that I appreciate. Photoshop's layers allow me to test out if I want to add line work on top of a pastel-style image without messing up the work done so far. The various wet brush tools will allow me to create a watercolor-look without requiring me to invest in another expensive hobby (different paints, brushes, and paper than I already own.) And I don't have to frame the completed pieces so they don't get ruined (as with a pastel painting)!

Now look at this or this or this...it's the talent, not the utensil, that makes the art. Whatever the tool, I still need more talent!

Art: BeeBoo Beads

I loved these little pink, periwinkle, and misty gold beads when I saw them on flickr so I hopped right over to Beth Mellor's etsy shop , BeeBoo, to buy them. (She has more like them if you want your own set.)  And it was fate that I find them because my childhood nickame was BeeBoo!
I stayed up way too late last night to finish my new necklace because I wanted to wear it today with my new shirt. And it just so happens they look perfect together! I tried to channel a bit of Lorelei's asymmetrical genius to make my necklace interesting.

Fabi: Beautiful Mosaic Mirror

Fabi of Madrid, Spain, made a lively and colorful polymer mosaic mirror. I love it! Now I have to think of some way I can use a similar technique. While I'm thinking of what that could be, look at the pretty mirror close up!

 She is multi-talented too. Take a look at her drawings, decoupage on interesting boxes , crazy coils that look like some sort of fat insect(!), fabric arts and more!

JaneJoss: Plants for the Green Thumb Challenged

JaneJoss on etsy makes the prettiest fabric plants and flowers. They'd be a great gift for someone who isn't great with real plants, or who has pets that like to chew on indoor greenery (like my two good boys!)

Sweet Leaves - Spring Romance Fabric Branches (set of 6)

 

Sweet Potted Fabric Plant - Pink Roses Aloe

 

Margaret Dyer: Pastels

Margaret Dyer's pastels are great! Look at the hair here -- seven colors at least -- and yet it looks like hair. If I tried such a thing viewers would think the model was in the tub to wash off the paint that had been dumped on her! Click here to see this GORGEOUS painting in full.
Margaret's in France now teaching a workshop. Read her story about this session.

Artist:: JenJuddRocks!

One of my lions found a home two weeks ago with Jen of JenJuddRocks! and is now part of a necklace with a special meaning.

Jen's husband is serving in Afghanistan. He's in the Panjshir Valley which translates as "Five Lions" so she's collecting lions and creating Afghan inspired pieces.
Go check out Jen's blog and see my lion hanging around with Afghan lapis and smoky quartz!

Here are two of my favorites from Jen's etsy shop:

Ciao Bella

Klee Organic Bangle