The highlight of my day was to attend the opening of Judith's solo exhibition at Tansey Contemporary Gallery in Denver.  I've known Judith ever since she was President of the Board of Directors of SAQA, and I was a Rep for the organization.  Her work has always inspired me because of her unique voice and presentation of her Shibori dyed silks.

But what also impresses me are her leadership skills, sense of humor and modesty about her many accomplishments as a fiber artist.  All those traits were on display as she did an artist talk and demo at the gallery for the opening of her exhibition.

I think this photo shows her exuberance and love of dying silk but her artistic expression is unique in the world of fiber and galleries snd museums have taken note!  The exhibition t Tansey Gallery traveled from the exhibition Judith had t the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles.  But Im happy to say, if it continues to travel to other venues, it will be missing a piece in her Wagashi Series 1 because it will be hanging in my home.  

I also want to give a shout out to Tansey Contemporary Gallery.  I first visited their gallery in Santa Fe, NM.  I had a nice conversation with Jennifer and Michael Tansey and thanked them for having the courage to exhibit fiber because none of the other Denver galleries are supporting artists like Judith.  Jen seemed to think that this might be changing with the younger population who are less likely to care about medium and more interested in acquiring interesting and unusual art.  I hope this doesn't mean we will all have to start working in black, white and grays!  (Just kidding!)

So, if you live near Denver, I highly encourage you to visit the Tansey Gallery and see Judith's art up close.  It is stunning.  The exhibition is up through August 24th, 2019.

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I'm experimenting with making books from watercolor paper and using a neutral palette.  I wanted to use old photos from my family and this is one of my mother.  I have found this personalized this book for me and I get more joy out of working on it and turning the pages when it's done.

Now, I have to find more old photos and print them out.  It will give me an inspiring stash of images to work with in the future!

I found this image of my Mother as I was packing up to move and it reminded me of how old photographs are perfect for including in journals or artwork.  This photo was my mother's graduation photo from Cornell University.  Not hard to see why my Dad fell in love with her. 

I have lots of B&W photos of relatives I never even known or met as I am the family historian. I will scan them and start using them in my book-making.  I'll share the results with you next week.

Meanwhile, for all your mother's out there, Happy Mother's Day! 

I'm totally in love with this process.  I've never worked in browns and blacks before since I love color, but Karen Stamper has shown me the way!  

I viewed her class on Sketchbook Revival and now, I can't stop thinking about all the possibilities ahead of me as I try variations on her techniques.

Here is the first piece I finished after watching her video and seeing it on my computer screen, I now see all kinds of buildings, gardens, and other urban landscapes.  All made without a plan.

This is my kind of art-making!

​I'm going to do an entire sketchbook using this technique and I know I will be having a fun week.

I recently enrolled in a free 2 week class called Sketchbook Revival.
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Here's a piece I made from taking a class from Tamara LaPort.  I loved her watercolor layering ideas and permission to be free and not worry about perspective!  It was a fun class and I had a great time making my own buildings and working with watercolor and pen to just have fun!
Not sure how long these videos will be available but if you want some fun ideas to jumpstart your journal, this would be a good place to start.

Art exists in many forms.  And the principles are all the same.
Today, I took a class in flower arranging!  Here's what I learned.

• Diversity make it interesting.  (Small amounts of the same flower, color or greens).
• Change the hight of each stem.
• Let some air show between each stem. (don't bunch too many flowers together!)
• Try not to be symmetrical.
• Professionals don't use glass vases (pottery is better).
• Use scotch tape to add a grid to the container mouth.  That makes everything stand tall.

It was a fun couple of hours and I look forward to experimenting more with this type of art!

I guess I'm still fixated on text and story telling. I bought several books and videos on calligraphy but quickly realized this art form was not going to work for me.  I had hand surgery years ago so don't have the necessary control that this art form requires.  Besides, it was too perfect for me.

I came across this video recently and it gave me permission not be perfect in my lettering and writing — start at 4 minutes) . (thanks Joggles!) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Un4YSgTi0&t=237s

I also liked the idea of working on black paper and so I bought a ooly black paper sketchbook and some Milky Pop gelli pens.  Like them both for their vibrant colors and no bleed through properties.

My idea is to synthesize the news of the day, every day for the rest of my life.  We'll see how long this passion lasts.

Here's my first entry!

OK, this is a photo I took today.  Spring is really here in Denver!

I can't wait to see the trees blossoming and the grasses turning from brown to green.  This is a great time to start new projects, get rid of old "stuff" and to clear the decks.

In light of that, I just cancelled all my "social media" accounts.  Yes, in 30 days (that's how long it takes!) you won't see me on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.

I will still maintain my website and I hope that's how people will connect with me in the future.  

I feel a new sense of peace and lack of anxiousness.  Just perfect for a Spring renewal of my daily life!

OK.  I confess.  This is a photo from last year but this is what I'm anticipating soon!

Nature is an amazing tutor for showing us what colors provide us the most satisfying experience.  Purple and green are not exactly complimentary (purple and yellow) or analogous (purple and blue) but obviously, these colors are beautiful when placed next to each other.

I can't wait for Spring to show me other colors that work together that are NOT on the color wheel!

Lately, I'm finding folding paper a very calming and creative way to spend aa couple of hours in my studio.

I've been making books this way for several months and now, I'm exploring the Japanese art of origami.

I love the 3D result as well as the process of folding, unfolding, and being surprised at the end result.  I am finding most "instructions" very mysterious so have been looking at You Tube videos so I can actually SEE what they are doing.  

Everything related to this art form is precise — something I have always had a hard time with since I like to just wing things.  It's teaching me patience.  Is that a good thing?