"A Secret Spot"

I had an opportunity, yesterday, to unload some creative energy. It's funny; if I don't create any art, for a few days, I can feel it building up; something has to come out :) Does this happen to you?

This is a 6 x 6 hard board piece that was one of the demos from my Odds and Ends workshop (as seen in previous post). I recently purchased a new collage sheet from Paper Whimsy and this background piece seemed to call out to her.

The quote I used is:

"Within your heart keep one, still, secret spot where dreams may go..." Lonise Driscoll

I always enjoy the peace and calm that comes over me, after Christmas. I loved the time with my family and Sophia certainly made it a very special Christmas for us all this year.

But; the quiet days that follow, my "secret spot", offer reflective time, for me, not only thinking about the year going by but also feeling hope for the coming new year. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions; too much pressure.

I do have some art goals, however, and a couple of them are offering an online class, or two, sometime in 2010. I have to perfect my time with my Flip video before I begin the process :) I'm getting there. The other goal is to journal more and my 2009 goal of journaling every day kind of went astray! Will I achieve these goals? Not sure but thinking on them "out loud" here on my Blog is a beginning.

I have many blessings, in my life; lots of positive things going on! One of the best things I've done, for myself, is Blog. I remember being so uncertain where it would lead. I'm so happy I took the leap!

I've connected, with all of you, and look forward to sharing more art and words, with you, in the coming New Year! Without your friendships, support and inspiration, I wouldn't have my wings!

I hope you all had a happy holiday and are enjoying these peaceful days that have followed to reflect on this year and the coming year - a new beginning.

What are some of your art goals? I'd like to read about them!

Have a great day, a safe and joyous week ahead.

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

Sophia's First Christmas 12 25 09

"JOY"

This is a picture of a 5 x 7 canvas board piece that I created over the weekend. The background was a result of my demo, for one of the projects, from the "Odds and Ends" workshop that Kerri Posson and I conducted on Saturday. We both felt the workshop was a huge success and we had wonderful and enthusiastic students. Kerri and I are already planning another workshop in the future. It will focus on art journaling; creating our own books, arting up the sewn-in signatures! Can't wait!

I wish I had some Flip videos to share with you, of parts of the workshop, but my Flip - flopped! Actually; it wasn't the Flip, it was me - the videographer! :) I am going to spend, some time, next week after the holiday stuff is over and take a whole day and practice taking some art videos. I don't think you'd appreciate watching an art technique with my finger in front of the lens :) Oh well; I'll get the hang of it. It's all a learning process.

I have titled this mixed-media piece "JOY" as that is what I wish for all of you for your upcoming holiday celebrations. May you find peace with the traditions that you follow and I so look forward to sharing more art and life with all of you in the coming new year!

Happy Holidays everyone! Stay well and safe! Love to all - Marilyn xxoo

"Odds and Ends" :)

I'm very excited about this coming Saturday. It's the date of the first collaborative workshop offering with my dear friend Kerri Posson.

The workshop is being held at Captured Moments.

Captured Moments is a local scrapbook store that we are very fortunate to have in our area. It's a family-run business that offers the most beautiful scrapbook papers, embellishments, scrapbooks, mixed-media products, and more.

The name of the workshop that Kerri and I are doing is called "Odds and Ends". The pictures, here, are samples of the background techniques that I will be teaching for a 5 x 7 canvas and two atc's. One of the atc's will be used to partner with a holiday card.

The backgrounds consist of a distressed/patchwork kind of technique, some foil treatments and mono-printing w/ acetate.

The workshop begins with these background techniques, and Kerri will then use her graphic design background to introduce collage design compositions to these backgrounds. We will be using odds and ends from salvage stores, flea markets and a lot of household materials to add to the collage pieces.

I hope to have a couple of Flip videos of the workshop to share with you in near future :)

Thank you all for your continued support with your friendships, words, and inspiration that you offer me on a daily basis.

Have a joyful day, a safe and happy upcoming weekend.

Happy Holidays! Love to all - Marilyn xxoo

Sophia - one week old

This video was taken on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. I had the opportunity to change her, hold her, and have some bonding time :)

She is such a joy to us all and has already enhanced our family beyond belief!

Love to all! Grandma Marilyn xxoo

Collaboration :)

A couple of months ago I had the privilege of spending some time with Laura Jones a very dear friend of mine.

Laura and I first met approx. 13 years ago at a local rubber stamp store. We found ourselves drawn to each other's art and felt an instant connection.

We came up with an idea of working on a collaborative project where we each had our own 11 x 14 canvas. On one side, we each created our own artwork and then handed the canvas over to each other to create art on the other side so we'd both end up with a collaborate art piece. It was so much fun and this is a picture of the finished project.

I began my art, on this canvas, on the right side and Laura created her art on the left side. It's amazing how we ended up with a very cohesive piece! That's the cool thing about friendships ya know? You can have different styles but coming together, you can end up with a beautiful friendship! :)

I took some time, today, to finish the piece and added the large silk flower petals on the upper left side as I felt like this was a present of friendship.

My thoughts went to how much fun this would be for a holiday gift with a friend. Stuck on what to get a close art friend? Why not a collaborative art project together? You could make a date, even if it's after Christmas, and the time together and your canvas would be a beautiful gift! Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

I just might have to make some calls :)

Hoping you are all having a great weekend and the hustle and bustle of the holiday activities aren't stressing you too much. I have so much, left to do, and am trying to breathe. My plan is to make a huge dent on my shopping list this week. We shall see.

All be safe and know you are all in my thoughts................Love, Marilyn xxoo

Free Holiday Image to thank you!

I am overwhelmed emotionally with the outpouring of love and well-wishes that you all sent me with your sweet comments, here, and the emails, cards, and calls I've received after announcing the birth of my granddaughter Sophia.

Her parents brought her home, yesterday, they are doing fine and grandparents are pitching in, as we can, to help. It's been one of the most joyous times of my life watching my son and daughter-in-law with their new baby.

There are two pictures, here, one is of a journal cover, I did, celebrating women. As I watch my daughter-in-law, after her long and difficult labor, bouncing back, her strength coming from the love of her new baby girl, I felt this journal cover was appropriate as an art expression.

Women are strong, aren't we? YES!! I think we should celebrate us! Do something special for yourself, this weekend, to celebrate YOU! Take some art time, go to an art supply store and reward yourself with a new tool or paint color, begin reading the book you've always wanted to get to with a cup of tea - just some quiet time for just YOU!

The other photo, here, is one of my favorite holiday images that I've scanned from an old music sheet. I love it and want to share it with you. Please feel free to use it as you'd like. I'd LOVE to see what you create with it.

Thank you ALL for helping me celebrate the birth of my first grand child with all of your loving wishes! It means so much to me to share, not only art, but life with you!

I wish you, and yours, a healthy, happy and joyous holiday season!

Much love always - Marilyn xxoo

Welcome Sophia Elizabeth!

I am privileged to introduce you to Sophia Elizabeth! My first grand-child.

I am in love!

"Nobility"

5 x 7 mixed media
matboard

I found an old poetry book at a garage sale, not too long ago, and it's filled with some very touching poems but the poets names are not included with the poems which I thought was peculiar; intriguing to me.

I came across this poem in the book and this is just an excerpt as the poem is quite long:

"Nobility"
'True worth is in being, not seeming,-
In doing each day that goes by,
Some little good - not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by
For whatever men say in their blindness
And spite of the fancies of youth
There's nothing so kingly as kindness
And nothing so royal as truth.'

Wow! Right? This part of the poem just blew me away. I had to include it in a collage and I copied the part I really liked and aged it with some walnut ink.

This Paper Whimsy image just seemed so right for this piece.

We are on another weekend already. I hope you all have a safe and happy one! My thoughts are with you, your art and words.

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

Guest Artist; Kerri Posson

In a previous post, I announced I will be offering a Guest Artist spot on my Blog every month beginning with December. I am proud, to announce, that this is my first Guest Artist interview.

Kerri Posson is a very dear friend of mine and I first met Kerri approx. 13 years ago at a local rubber stamp store. Kerri was teaching, there, and I was one of her students. It was an instant connection, while her very chic appearance added to the wonderful atmosphere of the classroom, it was her sense of humor and total spontaneity with her techniques and artistic talent that called to me. I eventually started teaching at the stamp store, myself, and Kerri and I began our journey of sharing our passion for art with one another.

We eventually evolved, not only with our art, but our lives, and still kept in touch through it all and over the past year have really started working together with ideas that we've had bottled up inside us for so long. We are going to offer local workshops, in our area, and have our first kick-off on Saturday, December 19th. There is info. on this workshop on my side bar. Kerri and I were overwhelmed with the responses and our very first class is full! :) We are both very excited about this and have already begun planning what our next workshop will be :)

Anyway; I'd like to get to my interview with Kerri. The photos, here, are of two of Kerri's works and, as you can see from these samples, her approach to art is very textural and meaningful. The top photo is of Kerri with her niece, Avery, sharing quality time together. For those of you not aware, Avery is home, now, after being in Childrens' Hospital awaiting a heart transplant. We've all been praying and keeping positive thoughts, and not too long ago, Avery received a very special gift of a new heart and is now home with her loved ones. You can read more about Avery's journey on Kerri's blog which I have linked above. I have asked Kerri 6 art-related questions and I think you will enjoy her responses:

M: When did your artistic journey begin Kerri:

K: My mom has an ultrasound of me doodling the inside of her uterus :) I have a memory of seeing an artist on television at a very young age, who created an entire scene that began with just a circle and I thought I was witnessing magic. My favorite "toys" were art supplies; paper, paints, brushes, crayons - anythingthat I could use to draw and paint. And, they are still among my favorites. My paternal grandmother enjoyed oil painting, and she encouraged me tin all ways artistic. With her help, I painted my first oil when I was five, and when I would visit, she would always be ready with easel, paints, pastels and plenty of encouragement.

M: Please select 3 words to describe your artistic style:

K: I think my style is constantly evolving but, right now, I would choose: color, texture, dimension.

M: What do you like best about teaching?

K: I love having the opportunity to encourage others to express themselves through art, and I love the chemistry that takes place in a workshop between me and my students, as we exchange ideas and enthusiasm. I always feel that I get back so much more than I give.

M: When, and if, you hit a creative slump, what are some of the "tools" or exercises you use to get your art "mojo" back?

K: The first thing I do is give myself permission for that down time. During this time, I enjoy other creative outlets: taking pictures, particularly observing nature, reading, or gardening, cooking; often just taking a break is enough to make me want to return again. I also enjoy art journaling. Unlike other art forms, my art journals are more personal. They're a place for messing up and experimenting and while they might not end up looking great, that is not the goal and, therefore, it's more freeing.

M: You have a lovely Blog. Do you enjoy Blogging? If so, what are some of the benefits you've found from the activity?

K: Thank you! When I began blogging, I felt a pressure to post something every day but that quickly made an enjoyable activity into a chore. Once I gave myself permission to relax, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Blogging has introduced me to creative people around the world that I would probably never have had the opportunity to know otherwise. It is a very encouraging and supportive community. My blog also serves as a chronicle of my artistic journey, which is incredibly helpful when I am faced with decisions about what direction I want to pursue next.

M: I see you've just begun to exhibit your art. Was it difficult, for you, to take the leap?

K: The most difficult thing about exhibiting my art was that I felt a bit more exposed. Overall, it was not that difficult for me. I tend to wear not just my heart, but my entire life on my sleeve so I don't mind sharing my artistic point of view. For me, the most difficult part is not over-committing myself. I get excited about every new invitation to exhibit so I have to step back and take a realistic look at how much I can accomplish while working full time and teaching workshops.

This concludes my interview with Kerri and I hope you've all enjoyed the questions and her responses.

Please check out Kerri's Blog, when you can, and you will get an even broader picture of her art and words. Her keen sense of humor comes out in her words.

It is such a privilege, for me, to have Kerri as a friend and I am so looking forward to our "team teaching" journey!

Thank you all for your visits, lovely comments and continued support. I wish you a safe and joyful day and week ahead.

Much love always - Marilyn xxoo

Student works............................:)

I recently completed a 6-week collage workshop series at the Albany Art Room.

I wanted to share some of my student works with you as I felt they really took off with the techniques I offered. For the larger pieces, we began with the blank canvas and I shared how to prep the canvas, add their collage images first and then build up with textural layers with paint, tissue papers, household items, stencils, molding paste, etc.

The smaller pieces, shown here, were done on 6 x 6 hard board and the focus of the lesson was paint overs. Take a gray-scaled print out of an image and then giving it a more "painterly" look with acrylics, pastels, etc.

I am so proud of the students and their enthusiasm showed in their pieces. Each piece was individualized that reflected personal meaning for them. I love sharing art with others and the joy of teaching comes in the eyes of the students that I have.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday celebration with family and friends. I wish you a safe, joyful and artful weekend!

Coming Tuesday, Dec. 1st; my first Guest Artist spot on my Blog. Each month I will be featuring a guest artist here. There will be questions and answers and photos of the artists' works. :)

Thinking of all of you! Love, Marilyn xxoo

More journaling time :)

I had some creative energy to spend today and this is what I love about art journaling. I know it's something I can always turn to.

This is a picture of a page I did, in my journal. It started out with a mask of a "glam" as I call it. I love choosing images from a glamour magazine as they offer great poses. The mask got a bit out of control, so I ended up "dressing" her up with some toile tissue paper and some really beautiful crepe paper that I ordered from Paper Whimsy.

This page's background began with Aqua Color crayons and gesso. I added some stamping, foils, text paper inclusions and more. The sides were distressed with graphite and Nevr Dull.

I'm happy I took some art time, today, as starting tomorrow will be some of the food prep work for Thanksgiving and other errands in preparation for the holiday.

Have a healthy and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Coming soon..............more student works.

Much love always - Marilyn xxoo

Little things :)

I do enjoy creating little things; as I've realized that so much can be jam-packed on tiny surfaces. Fun!

These are pictures of a couple of little projects I worked on for exchanges. One picture is of 3 house-themed ATC's. If you click on the picture, it will give you a larger view and see those tiny flowers in two of the ATC's? Those are dimensional and a product called Flower Soft. A friend, of mine, steered me to these and they're amazing. They come in different colors. This particular line is called Heather. I use an acrylic medium to adhere them. They are kind of spongy and really add a realistic touch. The second picture is holiday ornaments I created using optical lenses.

I hope you've all had a nice weekend; it is the beginning of a holiday week and I want to take the time, here, to extend my wishes, to all of you, that you find peace, comfort, and joy from the traditions of your holidays!!

Personally, I have lots of things to be thankful for, in my life, and one of them is the connections I have made with all of you! Thank you for your visits, lovely comments and your friendships! You are all treasures!

Love and peace to all! Marilyn xxoo

Silhouettes.................:)

I am finally getting to my art journal. In a previous post I shared the cover of it and accompanied the photo with a resolution, of sorts, that I would work on a page every day! Well; that has gone by the wayside-lol! Maybe this is why I don't make New Year's resolutions; too much pressure and I don't really stick to any of them - I just can't as life happens right? :)

What inspired me to get to working on a page, in the journal, is I happened to pick up an issue of a Somerset Studio publication called Art Journaling. It is the Autumn 2009 edition. I think it's a pretty cool publication.

In this issue, I was inspired by an article written by Dina Wakley.

Dina's article addressed her use of silhouettes as an inclusion in her art journaling. I fell in love with this! Pretty much what it is, is finding interesting images in magazines, from ephemera, personal photos,rubber stamps, etc. The key is finding an image that offers an interesting pose for a silhouette. Cut out the figure and use it as a mask in your art! Brilliant! You can spray over with acrylics or inks - anything goes and when you lift the figure up, you have created a wonderful silhouette from which to work with. I love writing messages within the figure with Pitt pens, adding some color and pencil marks with graphite - kind of take this technique and make it your own. I think what I need to get is a repositional adhesive spray or get a respositional Xyron cartridge for use with this technique - hmmmmmmmmmmm. Another art supply! Oh well - what's one more :)

The picture, here, is of my first attempt at a silhouette inclusion in my page. It is from an old sheet music piece I had and I printed the page and then cut out this figure. I loved how she appears to be opening up the umbrella.

I also added some stenciling with this page, stamping with household textural pieces, adding stamped quotes, etc. What a fun exercise.

This may call for a future art exchange idea with ATC's! What do you think????

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead; be safe and happy!

Love to all - Marilyn xxoo

The gifts of friendship and choosing :)

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life. I never had a lot of friends, growing up; reasons for that I guess but looking back, I don't think it was meant to be at that time.

When I really think about this; friends are really gifts because we choose them and they choose us! That is the beauty of it!

Don't get me wrong, I have a wonderful immediate family. My husband is a marvelous man, my son and daughter-in-law; well they are just amazing! But; I am venturing, to say, that we all might have one, or even two, family members that we wouldn't have chosen. I will leave it at that :)

So; the act of meeting someone who is not related, choosing to spend time with to share feelings, our lives, our interests and then realizing it's blossomed into a wonderful relationship! How special is that?

The picture, here, is of a very special gift I received from a remarkable woman who I have chosen to be my friend and she has chosen me to be hers! Her name is Peggy Beck and we arranged to have breakfast, together, this week and she presented me with this beautifully hand-knitted sweater for Sophia, who if you haven't heard or read, is my very first grand child who is due to greet this world on Dec. 12th! We are all very excited to meet her. My son and daughter-in-law are anxiously awaiting her birth.

I was so overwhelmed with Peggy's gift as I knew it was created with love and appreciation of our friendship. When I stopped to really reflect, on this, I know that knitting is not an easy art and I have tried it and I just couldn't do it. It takes time, patience, and talent. All of these words describe Peggy!

Thank you, Peggy, for this special gesture of friendship and I cannot wait to see the expression on my daughter-in-law's face when she sees this sweater in person!

When you all have time, please check out Peggy's Blog

Peggy created her Blog, not too long ago, and I think you'll find her art and words mesh beautifully together.

Thank you all, who support and follow my Blog, as I know you choose to do that and that's what makes it so meaningful to me. When I sit down, each morning, with my cup of joe and laptop, I choose to visit your Blogs and websites as I want to spend this time viewing your beautiful art, reading your words and thoughts that inspire me on a daily basis.

I wish you all a safe and happy day!

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

Paperbag Studios December challenge.......

Paperbag Studios' December challenge has been posted to their Blog

When you have some time, check it out (linked above). It's fun and easy to play. The deadline for submitting is December 31st.

These are pictures of three holiday-card samples I did using some of the fabulous rubber-stamped images from Paperbag Studios. I love being part of their Design Team as it allows me to get out my favorite stamps and use them in my own way. When creating holiday cards, I usually don't stick to the traditional. I think that's part of the "collage spirit" that talks to me :) and I just think it's fun to keep somewhat within the holiday colors but use the stamps in meaningful ways.

Thank you all for visiting; your comments always leave me with such warm feelings as your words and your art are my inspiration!

I wish you all a safe and joyous week ahead. Love - Marilyn xxoo

Handmade Journal.....................

This is a different style, for me, but I found I really enjoyed working on this.

The picture, here, is a cover of a handmade journal I made. I've been working on it, as I can, and I finally finished it.

The covers are made of hard boards. The signatures are hot press 140 lb. watercolor paper.

This is the picture of the front cover and most of the papers you see, here, I made myself with acrylic mediums, paints and tissue paper. I created them with a nature theme in mind.

You will notice some stamping on some of the papers using Fred Mullett stamps. I love his stamps and haven't used them enough. I felt they were perfect for this project.

One of my favorite quotes is "gotta love the EVERYDAY". This is a Tim Holtz stamp and I used it on this cover to remind me of my goal with this journal :)

My goal is to create something, in this journal, every day. We'll see how far I get with that goal - lol! I'll keep you posted :)

Hope you are all well and enjoying your week. We are approaching another weekend and wishing you all a safe and joyous one!

Love to all - Marilyn xxoo

"Day is Done"

6 x 6
Mixed Media

This piece was part of my collage workshop at the Albany Art Room last Wednesday evening. I shared a background technique using text paper, acrylics, texture stamping, foils, etc. then collage.

But; the main thrust of the technique was using an image that has been printed out in gray scale, and then painting over to give the image a more "painterly" appearance.

I fell in love with this image of this boy and girl; I interpret their body language as they are at the end of their day of play and mischief. :) That little boy looks sassy, doesn't he?

At the very top of this piece is an old hinge that I picked up at a salvage warehouse, here in my area, during a "scavenger" trip with some friends.

I want to thank all who participated in my Blog giveaway and there surely will be more offerings in future.

Hope you are all having a good start to the week; I'm thinking of you and all be safe and stay well................Much love, Marilyn xxoo

And.....the winner is! :)

My highly technical random selector (my husband) has chosen Jacky Williams as the winner of my Blog giveaway! (previous post).

Congratulations Jacky! Please email me with your mailing info and I will get your winnings out to you this week!

Woohoo!

Love to all; hope you had a joyful weekend!

Marilyn xxoo

"Dreamer"

This is a photo of a small mixed-media piece I worked on this week. It's approx. 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 and I call it Dreamer.

I hope you are all having a good week and also want to remind you that this Sunday, Nov. 8th is the deadline for participating in my Blog giveaway (previous post).

I'll be announcing the winner Monday morning :)

Love to all and have a safe and happy weekend ahead.

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

Blog Giveaway! Nature Inspired :)

As promised, I am offering a Blog Giveaway that is nature inspired :)

This is a photo of "some" of what I am offering as a giveaway. The book is entitled "Nature Inspired" and the author is Tracie Lyn Huskamp. It's a wonderful book filled with beautiful photos of her art, tips and techniques; all, of which, are nature inspired. The techniques include painting on muslin. Due to circumstances, here, I found myself with two of these books and decided one would make a great giveaway! :)

Accompanying this book are some handmade and decorative papers (some of which were made by me) all nature inspired. (this photo doesn't include all the papers that I'll be sending)

I also will be including two surprise nature-inspired rubber stamps (unmounted).

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment, here, that you are interested in the giveaway pack or email me privately.

The deadline for submitting your comment with interest is: Sunday, November 8, 2009. I will announce the winner on Monday, November 9.

I hope you are all having a good weekend and had a safe and happy Halloween.

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

A Halloween Treat :)

I won this beautiful Halloween ATC from a fun giveaway on Terri Kahrs' Blog Pringle Hill Studio.

I received Terri's ATC, yesterday, and even her card that held the ATC is awesome so I placed her precious ATC against the card for this picture. Isn't this just wonderful? I love the image with the bat wings and how she's sitting atop the pumpkin! Terri's touches and background - just perfect with it!

Please check out Terri's Blog (linked above), when you get a chance; she's an amazing artist and she's so generous with image offerings!

Thank you SO much Terri; I am thrilled I won your creative ATC! It's a wonderful Halloween treat for me :)

COMING SUNDAY! I will be posting a Blog giveaway celebrating nature :)


I'm wishing you all a safe, joyful and artful upcoming weekend!


Love to all - Marilyn xxoo

"Celebrate the Seasons"......................

These are pictures of small canvases (approx. 4 x 4) that represent my interpretation of the seasons. I am going to mount these on an architectural piece that I picked up, recently, at a salvage warehouse and will share, in future, once I figure out how to mount them :)

I really enjoy the change of seasons; perhaps it has something to do with my being a "shaker and a mover" :) One seasons passes, and I look forward to a new change - a new start in a way. I have my favorite season which is Autumn with it's crisp, cool feel, brilliant colors and wonderful smells. My least favorite season is Summer which some may find odd but I don't like thunder storms and I don't like heat. I feel more alive and energetic in the cold and this includes Winter, too. I don't mind winter, really; except January/February gets a little wearing and it's probably because winter is so long.

Spring offers hope; a renewal and I love seeing things come back to life after a long hibernation.

What is your favorite season? I'd love to read with your comments you leave here.

Thanks SO much for visiting and your support, friendship, and inspiration are food for my soul!

Hope you are all well and having a good week. Coming soon................a blog giveaway!!!!!!! I'll probably post over the upcoming weekend or early part of next week.

Love to you all - Marilyn xxoo

It's a small world........................

I've been working on some small projects lately and having fun with them. These are pictures of the projects. The grouped twelve are Twinchies I did for a holiday project and the grouped six are Inchies that I did for a local exchange.

This is the first time I've worked on such small substrates but found you can really jam-pack them with art! The Inchies are 1 x 1 and the Twinchies are 2 x 2's. Cool, huh?

The third picture is of a 4 x 6 collaged postcard I did for an online project. The theme is Christmas and I started this piece with alcohol inks and went on from there.

I haven't been doing much painting really. I don't have any shows coming up until 2010 so I have a little time. I will be continuing, this week, with my Collage Workshop at the Albany Art Room and then planning some local workshops. More to come on that very soon!

In meantime; hope you are all well and having a good weekend. I wish you a safe, healthy and happy upcoming week.

Much love - Marilyn xxoo

"Life is Fragile"........................

I thought I would share this, with you, as it's a sample of a teaching project that I have going on, now, at the Albany Art Room. I'm running a 6-week collage workshop session on Wednesday evenings. I'm having the students work on an 11 x 12 canvas and we started out with adhering chosen collage elements onto the blank canvas and then building upward. It's been quite a process and we still have 3 sessions to go.

Students are usually used to doing backgrounds, first, then adding the collage elements. The challenge is to build up from the elements, meshing the images with painting, texturizing, line work - truly a mixed-media workshop.

The little nest and bird, there, in this piece is actually where I showed students how to cut a niche into the canvas and I really enjoyed the expressions on their faces seeing me cut a hole in the canvas! I have very enthusiastic students, their pieces are really coming together and I will share the students' works upon completion of the series.

Thank you all for your visits, here; you give me wings to reach higher and higher with my art! You, your art and words are my inspiration.

Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and joyful weekend ahead!

Love to all........................Marilyn xxoo

"Ye Are My Friend "

These are pictures of a 5 x 5 mixed-media piece. I made it into a hanging piece and it's on heavy mat board. One picture is a little clearer than the other I think. I've combined fabric, lace,stamping, beads, and some fun things from nature; small branch and dried hydrangea flowers - you name it, it's in there :). That's what's so much fun about mixed media!

Hope you are all well and having a good start to your week!

Love and hugs to all of you! Marilyn xxoo

"A Place of Wonder".........................

This is a postcard I did, today, with the theme of our interpretation of Halloween.

The background is on glossy cardstock and I played around with my alcohol inks; they've been a little neglected lately :)

Thank you for all your well-wishes; I think your thoughts and words are healing factors as I'm starting to feel better with a bit more energy! See? You all have healing powers!

Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Love to all of you and stay well - Marilyn xxoo

"True Pleasures"

I've been nursing a cold,this week, that has developed into an upper respiratory infection, of sorts, and I had to visit the doctor yesterday. So; I've been confined, to home, and I find I really don't make a very good patient and I think it's because I'm not "patient" :) Bed rest has been recommended along with some meds. and well; I'm just not very good at bed rest.

I've been missing creating art and have had to cancel some things, this week, which I always feel badly about. But; I also do not want to infect others as that is an important part of being a good patient. With all that is going around, now, it is highly recommended to stay home, rest and try not to be around a lot of other people so that is what I am doing.

Having said all this, I just had to get to some art work, today, and often when I'm experimenting with something new, that I have here, I always start small. This is a photo of a tag I did today using an overlay of organza. I have a photo, in my files, of a section of one of my mixed-media paintings so I printed it out - full page- on a sheet of organza. I love it!!!!! I cut out a section of the organza that I saw fitting for this tag, sewed it - yes sewed (I know much to the surprise of people who know me-lol!) onto the tag. I added some sequins, fringe, fibers, and paper flowers as embellishments. I now am going to think about how to add this organza to larger pieces. The effect is just wonderful and I love the frayed edges that occur after cutting the organza, too. I will use the rest of my organza print-out in another piece.

If you click on the picture, here, you'll get a closer look of the organiza piece.

By the way; the organza comes in a packet by Jacquard that I picked up at JoAnn's with a coupon. You only get 5 sheets in pack.

I'm wishing you all a great weekend ahead; hope you get lots of art time in and please stay well! I never stop appreciating your visits and lovely comments; that's the BEST medicine :)

Much love to you all..................Marilyn xxoo

"Little Goblins"

5 x 7 Collage/Mixed Media
Canvas Board


This is a little piece I did in the spirit of Autumn's colors and Halloween. :)

Hope you all are having a good week!

Love to all.........................Marilyn xxoo

Part III - Beeswax workshop; students' works

These are the last (but certainly not the least) of students' works from my beeswax workshop last weekend.

It's been such a pleasure to share these with all of you. It was surely a privilege, for me, to share my techniques with such wonderfully warm and creative women!

Thank you all for your lovely and supportive comments here.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend; have a safe and peaceful week ahead.

Love to all! Marilyn xxoo

Part II; Beeswax Workshop - students' works

As promised, here are some more students' works from my beeswax workshop last weekend at Lori's. I am so proud and thrilled to share these with you! Each piece was given lots of thought and care to express themselves with what was offered.

Enjoy!

Hoping you are all having a good week! Thanks for visiting and leaving your supportive and lovely comments! I so appreciate them. They are my "food for motivation".

Love to all of you - Marilyn xxoo