This is where I took a walk this week — the Denver Botanic Gardens.  My first in-person "visit" with my friend Karen in 3 months. 
I can see the gardens from my apartment balcony and very few people are walking around.  That made me feel better about going there and seeing they required everyone wear a mask made me feel even safer. Staying 6 feet away from other people was easy and just seeing all the beautiful flowers in full bloom raised my spirits.
I took lots of photos in preparation for an online nature journaling class I am taking from my friend Judith Cassel-Mamet in July. The class is full but she will launch this class on Teachable soon.  Check out her schedule at https://www.jcmamet.net  
I'm not into drawing/painting from nature but I know I will learn something I can apply to my artistic expression.  And, I'm interested to see what it's like learning on a platform like Zoom instead of in person.  So many changes in our lives, so quickly!

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When I decided to end my "mask factory" I had a list of things I wanted to do when I returned to making art.

The funny thing is, I wanted to make masks!  I didn't connect the two ideas until today.

So, in mixed media art, there are "stencils" and "masks".  If you have a stencil, the areas that will print are cut out.  With masks, the area you print will be the outline of the image.  I had this photo of my nephew who was wearing a cowboy hat and  his shadow was projected on the ground.  I loved the image.  So I printed out the photo and traced it on a sheet of overhead transparency plastic I had in my stash.  (you could use anything -- mylar, etc).  I cut it out and painted the edges with acrylic black paint.

The image on the left is the mask, on the right is what it looked like on a journal page.

Simple, easy to do and fun.  So look through your photos and make some original masks for your self.  A fun day of art-making.

My new friend, Annemarie from the Netherlands, sent me some elastic she gathered from her friends and her own stash so I could continue to make masks for my friends, family and charities that I support.   My supply had run out and there was no elastic to be had in the US.
Then, she sent me this photo of her own mask that used my Stupendous Stitching techniques!
I just had to share since I was so impressed with her artistic expression (not to mention her generosity).
She also customized her masks to reflect the interests of her friends and family by making masks from soccer images for her husband and son-in-law and "Americana" images for her friends planning a trip to the USA this summer.  
Love this idea and now, am searching for some Yankee fabric from my husband who is missing baseball a LOT!

My weekly blogs are going to be boring now.  I am on a mission to make beautiful masks for people who need them. And give them away for free.

Besides making masks for my family and friends and all the people who live in our apartment building (and their friends and families!) I am also adopting some personal causes like a senior center in NJ that a sister of one of my best friends works in, a local cafe that serves the homeless that a friend of mine serves on the board of directors, and a local a food store where we shop several times a week. 

But almost everyone who receives one of my masks, is offering me financial support, which I decline with thanks, since I'm just using my (extensive!) fabric stash and my friends are sending me elastic, which is in short supply!  We are all sharing fabric, thread, needles, wire, whatever we need.  

My hope is that even though I can only affect a tiny portion of my community, it will be enough to help stop the spread of this deadly virus.  This is what makes me happy to go to my studio every day.

Keep safe!

Since most of us are house bound and wanting to do something positive for preventing the spread of the Coronavirus, I thought I'd spend my day making face masks.  So here is the pattern I came up with.  I'm now trying to find places who need these so I can donate my time and materials to make them.  I need to do my part!  Stay safe everyone!

UPDATE:  I will be donating some masks to a senior center in New Jersey.  Seems these centers have NO protective equipment so are happy to receive anything.  My friend also found a connection to a local hospital so I will be giving her masks to take there.  There is also a website here in Colorado that has established connections to local hospitals (they use a different pattern) but I will also be making masks for them. 
https://operationwecansewit.com/
​Also, I made one for my husband to wear to the grocery store and today, he did and got lots of compliments and questions like "Where did you buy that!"  Now I'm thinking that supermarket checkers and stockers would also appreciate some masks.  

Free Face Mask Pattern
 
IMPORTANT NOTE:  Face masks made at home are not made of medical fabric. Home-made masks are made from tightly woven polyester fabrics and cannot protect the wearer from being infected from the COVID 19 virus.  But these masks are better than no masks in a pandemic.  Perhaps these home-made masks can be utilized by hospitals and senior care facilities as ways to prevent healthy people from spreading colds and flu while medical masks can be used by nurses and doctors.  Before making these masks, find a place to donate them.  That will save you time and materials if they are not needed.
 
Directions
Cut 2 pieces of cotton fabric to 9” x 7”
Cut 1 piece of 22 Gauge wire to 11” (pipe cleaner will also work)
Cut 2 pieces of 2mm round elastic cord (6.5" long for women, 7.5" long for men)

• Mark a ¾” line along the top of the 9” side
• Place the wire along the line and zig-zag stitch to attach the wire to the fabric.  Trim the wire to the size of the fabric.
• Place the front fabric on top of the first fabric (right sides together) and sew the top together
• Place the elastic cord ¼” under the top with the wire so that the end is even with outside of the seam.
• Sew this side of the mask making sure to back stitch over the cord.
• When you get to 1” from the bottom, sew the other end of the cord (backstitch) before sewing to the end.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Sew the bottom of the mask leaving 3 inches open in the middle to turn inside out.
• Trim corners of the mask to reduce bulk.
• Cut wire along edge and fold 1/4" into the mask
• Turn the mask inside out and poke out all the corners. 
• Iron
• Topstitch the bottom of the mask closed.  Topstitch top of mask.
• Pleat the front of the mask with 3 – half inch pleats and sew the pleats down.
• You're done!

It's not often I get a gift that has meant so much to me as this one I received from my brother Greg.
I know that all my markers need to be stored horizontally but nothing I saw in the stores would hold as many markers/pens/pencils as I had.  I was lamenting this to my sister-in-law who suggested I email my brother (who is a wonderful wood-worker) to see if he could make me something that would not only be practical, but become a work of art on my studio wall.
Greg said "of course!" and sent me this fabulous wooden display unit that I now have on my wall.  Easy access to everything I need and also a work of art.  I smile every day as I see this above my desk.
Getting a gift, made by hand, is something so special.  In these uncertain times, perhaps this is something we can all do as we self-quarantine.  

When I checked in for the Rauschenberg exhibit at the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Englewood, CO, the woman, looked at my outfit and said "You will be right at home!"  I had no idea what she met until I came across these two large prints.  And I thought I was the only artist that would pair these two colors!  Wrong!

This exhibit shows 50 years of art from this influential artist and is fascinating.  If you have a chance, go visit!  you won't be disappointed.