Nature Gathered

FOR SALE: Nature Gathered Artworks

2009-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Select Nature Gathered Artworks are for sale. Pieces are displayed by artist.

For details on how to purchase a particular work of art, please contact the artist by email.

Participating Artists:

Andrew Borloz

Bee Shay

Cynthia Mooney

Jan Harris

Judi Stack

Marylin Huskamp

Paula McNamee

Susie Wolfer

Tracie Huskamp

Z'Anne Bakke

Come Take A Nature Walk...

2009-08-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

The opening reception for the Nature Gathered exhibit was Friday night, August 7th.

It was a BIG SUCCESS! And, we wanted to share some pictures from this wonderful evening.

Several of our contributing artist were present at the reception.

The exhibit will be on display through Friday, August 28th at
6th Street Gallery
150 West 6th Street
Vancouver, Washington
(360) 693-7340

This is a wonderful opportunity to see, in person, all of the art created throughout this year-long challenge.

Pieces will be for sale during the show. If you are interested in purchasing a particular artwork, please contact the gallery for availability and pricing.

Starting in September 2009, any remaining works will be available for purchase on-line through the Nature Gathered blog site.

A NATURE GATHERED EXHIBIT

2009-07-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 7th - Friday, August 28th

6th Street Gallery
150 West 6th Street
Vancouver, Washington
(360) 693-7340

Opening Reception
Friday, August 7th
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see, in person, all of the art created throughout this year-long challenge.

Pieces will be for sale during the show. If you are interested in purchasing a particular artwork, please contact the gallery for availability and pricing.

Starting in September 2009, any remaining works will be available for purchase on-line through the Nature Gathered blog site.

Indra's Net

2009-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Indra's Net, inspired by the verse below from the Vedas in ancient India:

There is an endless net of threads throughout the universe.
The horizontal threads are in space.
The vertical threads in time.
At every crossing of threads there is an individual.
And every individual is a crystal bead.
The great light of absolute being illuminates and penetrates every crystal being.
And every crystal being reflects not only the light from every other crystal in the net,
But also every reflection of every reflection throughout the universe.

What better place to use those Swarovski crystals, golden thread,tiny watch parts, as well as texture stamped in heavy body gloss gel medium and colored with acrylics gold calligraphy ink. Loved doing this one! The visionary in me was delighted!

Art and images copyright 2009 Suzie Wolfer- all rights reserve

Best Laid Plans - Elements UPDATE

2009-07-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

FINISHED!

To say this theme, for me, was the most difficult, thought provoking, and time consuming is an understatement. I thrashed about struggling with how to best represent the concept of Elements for several months.

I considered a number of paths, all of which lead me to unsatisfactory conclusions. In the end, I decided to tackle the idea in an abstract manner, which also allowed me to incorporate my exploration of patterning. I am pleased with the final result and proud to have been a part of this challenge.

Art and images copyright 2009 Tracie Lyn Huskamp - all rights reserve

"When You WISH......."

2009-07-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

After pondering the theme "Heavens" I realized that I must include a star. As far back as I can remember I was always wishing on the first star of the evening.

Then, the phrase, "When you wish upon a star" kept playing in my head.

I had this beautiful star fabric so I embroidered the phrase and created a milky way using Angelina and crystal stars. The moon was created from another fabric and fused to the star fabric.

Completing the 12 themes has given me challenges and new experiences in mediums that I may not have otherwise attempted to use. Thanks to Jan and Tracie I have had the opportunity to participate in a project with a very talented group of artists.

I am excited about the show at the gallery and now must begin gathering my pieces to send to Jan.

Art and images copyright 2009 Marylin Huskamp - all rights reserve

Stairway to Heaven

2009-07-07T14:43:00.001-07:00

Here's another art quilt for my 'Stairway to Heaven'. I've enjoyed all of the twelve challenges during the year and seeing every one's interpretation of our themes. It's stretched me to try new techniques and mediums. I'm eager to see all of our artwork hung in the gallery. A whole year's work and it's hard to believe it's ending. Thanks to everyone and especially Tracie Lyn and Jan for keeping us on track.

Art and images copyright 2009 Paula McNamee - all rights reserved

The Last Two Pieces

2009-07-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to get these posted on the blog. Like Tracie Lyn, life has gotten in the way of my plans for the summer. But....I did remember and here are my "Elements" and "The Heavens".

The Elements is an interactive piece. In continuing my mountain theme, I used four pictures from Hokusai's 32 Visions of Mount Fuji to represent each element. The individual element cards can be flipped up to display the next. This was a challenging and fun piece.

The Heavens came together in about two days. I had been thinking of how to do this one for about a month, not really getting anywhere and being stumped about it. Last Friday I had a vision and in one day I had the fabric and half the work done. The fabric is creatively quilted, the nebula is printed on inkjet canvas and the mountain, continuing again with the mountain theme, is printed on cardstock and everything is glued to the fabric covered canvasboard.

This has been a wonderful and challenging journey. I've played with techniques that I've never done before and stepped further out of my box than I thought I'd ever get. Thank you to everyone for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Z'anne

Art and images copyright 2009 Z'anne Bakke - all rights reserved

Best Laid Plans - Elements

2009-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

This blank canvas represents the current condition of my final artwork due in this year long art challenge.

Since today is the deadline for posting any outstanding pieces to the blog, I thought I would share a glimpse of my... um... work-in-progress.

After revealing my Heavens artwork, I had a full week to complete my interpretation of Elements, and fully intended to have the painting ready by today, however, life quickly stepped-in with other ideas.

I still plan to finish the work, and hope I can update this post with happy news, very soon.

Elements

2009-07-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

This was quite the challenge! Having a picture in my mind and transforming it onto a canvas presented quite a puzzle for me.

I am always pulled toward fibers so I knew I needed to use fibers for the medium and present the elements of earth, wind, fire and water in a way that the observer knew what the work represented.

I feel I accomplished that with color and the flow of the fibers. Earth was the most difficult but after pondering over it for a while I decided to use real pressed botanicals.

Now I have one more challenge left....Heavens.....Again pictures floating in my head but "Oh my, how to transform those images onto a canvas?" I am somewhat perplexed!!

Since I tend to work best under pressure and I only have a few days left to complete the final monthly challenge I am sure the way to do the transformation will reveal itself to me.

Artwork and Images copyright 2009 Marylin Huskamp All rights reserved

Every Matter Under Heaven

2009-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

"For everything there is a season...
And a time for every matter under heaven.
He hath made everything beautiful in his time,
from the beginning to end."

This posting is a bit out of order as I still need to complete my artwork for the Elements theme. But since this is something I am still struggling to find inspiration for, I decided to turn my attention to the final theme in our year long challenge.

This final theme, the Heavens, mean so many things to me... but the idea that kept reoccurring in my mind was the concept of time, and how there is never enough when you seem to need it and yet in some instances the hours, minutes, seconds drag by. However, among the Heavens does time exist? Is there really a beginning and an end?

My family owned a grandfather clock when I was growing up. Although our clock never had the elaborate details like some I have seen, I was always fascinated by it's rhythmic tick-tock, the deep chimes ringing every hour. This precise measure of "forever" somehow made me feel safe and comforted with it's sounds. Most of the grandfather clocks that have captured my attention over the years have been equipped with a rotating scene that was shown through a small odd shaped window usually located above the clock face. Various pictures of a moon and stars, a sun, and ships sailing the ocean blue were enchanting to watch pass, just like a fairy tale.

So June's artwork is a combination of many thoughts, and ideas. The sun, moon, and stars represent the sky, and there are no hands on this particular clock face I have created to symbolize no beginnings, or endings, no hours, minutes, or seconds.... there is just life and the living of it.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

2009-06-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

SEASONS

This is my interpretation of "Seasons". It is constructed of 4x4 quilt squares then embellished with a silk flower (spring),Queen Anne's lace from my pasture (summer), oak leaf from Fort Warden (autumn) and a sheer fabric with glitter and small plastic snowflakes (winter).

Art and image copyright 2009 by Marylin Huskamp- all rights reserved.

A Quilt of Seasons

2009-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

These last three Nature Gathered themes have really had me on the ropes.... pondering and pondering, with more pondering on how to best represent my artistic message.

Looking for a unique view on the Seasons concept, and searching for a way to incorporate patterning brought about thoughts of my favorite time of the year, Fall. Snuggling under a well loved, well worn quilt to keep the chill in the air from enveloping me was the inspiration for this background. Initially, I had planned to incorporate a nature element into all twelve quilt blocks, but quickly abandon this thought, deciding to go with two larger, distinct, nature elements that would hint at contrasting differences in flora and fauna within the year.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

Fifth Element

2009-06-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Most people don't beleive that this "tapestry" came into being with nothing more than some organza and a low wattage soldering iron. It's true.

Using 4 - 9 layers of multicolored translucent organza, I use a metal guide (in this case a dough slicer) with a fine tipped soldering iron to make the patterns. The soldering iron both textuizes and fuses at the same time. No sewing. No glue. No mess. But I do use a respirator. The symbols for the 4 directions were made with very thick embellishment glue on a non stick surface. Then I used either metal foil or 23k gold.

You can't see it, but the sides are bound and held in place with thick copper wire embelished with fine brass wire.

Inspiration: the Movie of the same title by Luc Besson.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer- all rights reserved.

Heavens

2009-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone should play with molding paste and acrylics-what fun!

Art and image copyright 2009 by Traci Donahue- all rights reserved.

Mandala Elements

2009-06-09T08:53:00.001-07:00

A mandala represented a creative process for me to use for the elements challenge. I posted to my blog the techniques used to make this piece.

Four Seasons

2009-06-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

What fun again! The features a 23K gold ring and colors for the seasons and the cycles of nature . . . abstract interpretation. I laid down textured gel medium and used layers of acrylic to color. Finally used water soluble oil pastels around the ring to give it a little more depth. Most of this is lost in the digital version. I played with the idea of cycles repeating in a never ending unfolding of change.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer- all rights reserved.

Landscape View from My Window

2009-06-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the view from my kitchen where I can see the wooded area behind our home I decided to create this quilted fabric piece.

Art and Image copyright 2009 by Marylin Huskamp-all rights reserved

Heavens

2009-05-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

I have hundreds of photos of clouds from over the years, but I never tire of looking at them, especially at sunset after a storm. This is a composite of several photos in watercolor on Arches 140 pound hot press paper.

Elements

2009-05-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

I mulled over how to represent the four elements and finally decided to approach from an illustrative angle. Watercolor on Arches 140 pound hot press paper.

Earth, Water, Wind, & Fire

2009-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I struggled with this concept/design for a while until I pulled the triangles into the water and then inspiration from my favorite painter, Gustav Klimt, took over.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Traci Donahue - all rights reserved.

This Moon is Shining Bright!

2009-05-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

One early evening, as I was standing on the driveway, I was looking up and noticed the full moon shining brightly. I immediately went inside of a house and grabbed a camera. I then took a shot of the moon with the tall spruce tree on the left, and I thought it was perfect for this month's theme. I made it black and white in the photo editing software, and painted with purple and black acrylics mixed with glaze medium. When I was a kid, I remembered daydreaming about traveling to the moon in the future.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz - all rights reserved.

Orion Nebula

2009-05-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

This painting draws its inspiration from a Hubble telescope picture of the Orion Nebula. While I was painting it I was listening to some tapes of essays and speeches by Steven Hawking. I added word and phrases from the tapes with gold ink. Although I don't understand a lot of physics and mathematics, I am so thankful for the people who do. They have made it possible for me to see farther into the universe as I search for that place where science, religion and art all come together.

Seasons

2009-05-27T20:49:00.001-07:00

Seasons of Life is the idea behind this picture. The acrylic backrounds symbolize the seasons. Pink for the Spring of babyhood. Green for the Summer of teenage. Orange stands for the Autumn of middle age and gray for the coming Winter of old age. The name of the person is being withheld to prevent the guilty from stealing her identity.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Judi Stack - all rights reserved.

Seasons

2009-05-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

This was a hard assignment for me to come up with - how to come up with a composition that represents all four seasons and I finally settled for my favorite subject, birds. This is watercolor on Arches hot press paper. I have finally caught up for the moment.

A Washington Landscape

2009-05-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the lateness in posting my landscape assignment, but have had no time to sit down and make art despite the fact that I have had this image in my mind since March. I glimpsed this pond as the sunset somewhere in the vicinity of Chehalis, Washington. This is the first time I have tried watercolor on the water media clayboard. I like the way I can pull the color off the board if I make a mistake, but it was difficult to blend the color on the board. I think fluid acrylics might have worked better and I will try that next time.

Four Seasons

2009-05-09T17:29:00.001-07:00

Earth, Air, Water, Fire

2009-05-08T19:20:00.001-07:00

One warm Spring day I saw vapor trails that appeared to be sewing fluffy clouds to the sky. This fabric collage is my attempt to represent that moment in time. The Earth, Air, Water (vapor) are apparent, but the
Fire of the jet engines is only a line of memory drawn on the sky.

A Classical View...

2009-05-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I went through my library of photographs taken in many different places, and I have selected the ones that best represent the Greek classical views of the realms of the cosmos. Each one is printed separately, trimmed, and adhered to the pre-gessoed board. The Greek symbols, words, and statement were also cut and glued on top of the pictures. They were also highlighted with acrylic glaze, and the overall surface is coated with polymer medium.

The pictures above were taken at these following locations (going clockwise, starting with upper left corner): Lake Winnepsaukee, NH; Holderness, NH; near Yarnell, AZ; and Bellevue, WA.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz - all rights reserved.

Euphorbia Seasons

2009-05-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed our "seasons" challenge. The seasons remind me of life cycles. Mine represents a variety of seasonal euphorbia. I discovered this plant last year and began taking photos. I didn't realize that poinsettia also belong in the euphorbia family. The outer edges are stenciled- an inspiration from Mary Ann's online class. I used Photo Shop to arrange and alter my photos.

Landscape

2009-04-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

Torn paper, in various shades of greys and greens, was glued to watercolor paper
and then attached to the canvas. Acrylic paint was used to adjust some of
the shades and brass foil flakes were added in the forground. The crease
and torn edge add texture and remind us that this is a collage and
not a painting.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Judi Stack

Listening to Vivaldi's...

2009-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

I sometimes listened to Julie Fischer's violin rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons on DVD, and it was the inspiration for this piece. I selected the winter photo of a running brook as the background to show that the images of any other season can be invoked by listening one or more of Vivaldi's concertos. I often find that I enjoyed them the most during wintertime. All of the four color photos (individually cut and adhered) were taken right near my residence in New Jersey: fall - front lawn; winter - pond in the woods; spring - backyard; summer - down in the woods.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz - all rights reserved.

On This Field...

2009-04-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

I was in Castle Rock, Wisconsin during the fall of 2007 when I was on my way to a workshop studio out in the country. Ears of corn were already harvested, and the cornstalks were ready to be cut down. At the same time, another green crop was being grown but I could not figure out what it was. It was quite a constrast of rich deep green crop and decaying cornstalks.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz

This Tide is Always...

2009-04-16T17:40:00.001-07:00

I was standing on the beach at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA when I saw this constant movement of the water. I thought it was perfect for this work, so I took a shot of this location. I then digitally made it black and white with grey shades. Because the digital process removed most of the details from the water, I had to hand-paint and highlight the rocks and foam/bubbles with acrylic paints.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz

Mt Hood

2009-04-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

Though you can't see it in the picture, this entire image is underlaid with gold leaf. The image is a gel medium transfer of a picture I took from Powell Butte. Then I used layers of water soluble oil pastels and gel medium to lay on colors. In the light the gold flashes through the foreground. It doesn't feel quite done yet, but my muses aren't coming through so far. I may add more to it later.

I sure love working with gold leaf . . . probably more to come!

Suzie

Art and images copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer

Ocean

2009-04-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

This "Ocean" picure was painted with acrilic paint on plywood. The sand was
added with gritty medium. Some of the shells were glued on with medium.
Several of the shells, however, were drilled, wired and attached to a chain bracelet which
is hung on tiny hooks. The bracelet can be removed and worn as desired.
How's that for a gift from the sea?

Art and images copyright 2009 by Judi Stack

Mountain Landscape and Seasons

2009-04-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

I've had both of these done for some weeks, but completely forgot to get them posted. I'm just coming out of hibernation and not quite up to speed yet.
I had a hard time trying to come up with an idea for this theme. Four corners? Four sides? Four ? Until I thought about where I live and the seasons on the mountain. I found a picture I took last year when I was coming back from Hood River on the back side of Mt. Hood. Perfect! Then I took a maple leaf-shaped paper punch and punched out a whole lot of leaves from my collection of tea bag envelopes. I had enough colors to surround the mountain with the colors of the seasons. I suppose you could call them my "Tea Leaves of the Seasons". Don't groan too loudly, you might scare the cat.
This theme was a fun challenge for me. I'm not much of a sculptor and wanted to just try my hand at playing with paperclay. There are no correct proportions for this piece, but it was fun to play with the clay. I used a rubber blending tool to get the textures for the trees and background. After letting it dry, I painted it with gesso 3 times, then added different colored PearlEx to the various areas. After each area was colored, I sprayed hairspray on it to fix the mica powders. That is why it is so shiny. At first I didn't want the shine, but it has grown on me and I like it that way. Only two more to go!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Z'anne Bakke

Landscape by Palette Knife

2009-03-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a lot of small, detailed work lately and my husband has been working on a huge 4'x6' abstract piece. So, I figured, why should he have all of the fun? I only allowed myself to use a palette knife, no brushes or sketching, and it was just plain fun!

Posted for Traci Donahue by Purplebirdart

Mt Hood Landscape

2009-03-20T15:46:00.001-07:00

I used Alma Cox's telamadera fusion technique to make this piece. She was a featured artist on Oregon Art Beat in February. Her work inspired me to do a piece on wood with burnt-in lines of my sketch, acyclic paint and fused fabric. In Spanish, tela is fabric and madera is wood. She also wrote an article about her process in CPS March/April 2008. I see she is teaching at Art & Soul in Portland this year. I left the mountain and sky painted without fabric and burnt into the wood the fir trees. It's a fun process.

A Landscape: Beyond the Confines of Yesterday

2009-03-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

Influenced by landscape artists, like Wolf Kahn and Lilias Trotter, this month's theme forced me to move beyond the confines of comfort and familiarity.

By letting go, I relied on my inner artist, trusting that voice deep inside to help me find the landscape I have dreamt of painting... I have dreamt of sharing... the beautiful Plains of my life.

Patterning holds a subtle place in this work with many rough textures incorporated throughout, representing the feel of the land.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Gilded Starfish

2009-03-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Gosh I had fun with this!!! I used Arches water color as a base with acrylic wash, an image of a star fish made 3-D with paper clay. Then I gilded over everything with copper colored leaf. Once dry I used pumice powder to remove much of the gilding. I love this look. The top image is a close up of the gilding. In the sunlight it has more of a glow than you can see in the photo.

Fun!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Susie Wolfer

Listening to the Sea on a Distant Shore

2009-03-02T08:21:00.001-08:00

For some reason my scanner causes the girl's height to be compressed, so I will post a photo to replace the scan when I have more time. Collage on gessoed board with fluid acrylic, graphite, pen and water soluble crayon. I drew the girl on sketch paper and transferred her to the painting, then painted over the pencil with fluid acrylic.

Sea of Zippers

2009-02-28T01:18:00.001-08:00

Posted for Traci Donahue

This File Cabinet...

2009-02-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

Of all themes, this is most challenging one. From seeing them in medieval and modern illustrations as well as in museums and nature centers, I knew what a typical naturalist's cabinet looked like. But I did not have anything that would closely resemble one, and I was trying to figure out what to do. I did have a bunch of specimens that I collected from nature walks - but they're in many boxes and different places.

One day, a thought came to my mind: I could use my file cabinet as a "cabinet of curiosities"! After all, it did have a lot of folders containing images from nature. So, I gathered together various natural forms, microscope, large pine cone, and specimens, and placed them near the file drawer to create this unusual composition.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz

An Asian Cabinet of Curiosity

2009-02-26T08:42:00.001-08:00

BEAUTY on the REEF

2009-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

I call this "Beauty on the Reef".

It is a multi-layered mixed media creation using fabric, yarns, feathers, paper and seashells. I love working with fibers and creating "paintings" by fusing them together in unusual ways.

Art and images copyright 2009 Marylin Huskamp

Lost Coral Reef

2009-02-22T16:41:00.001-08:00

Ever since I saw The Institute for Figuring hyperbolic crocheted coral reefs, I've wanted to create one. Here is my mini-8x8 inch recreation of a bleached reef for our sea theme. When a coral reef dies it loses all of its color. This project started to make others aware of the danger of losing coral reefs around the globe. Women from all over the world have crocheted coral reefs and exhibited their creations at major art museums in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Australia and other countries. Here's a close up fo the reef from a side view.

Art and images copyright 2009 Paula McNamee

Gifts of the Sea

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed the act of reading...
curling up in a cozy chair or on the bed,
snuggling beneath a blanket with a good
book in hand, finding myself lost among
the pages, transported to another time or
place through the carefully woven words
of a story.

So you can see how easy it might be,
that a familiar manuscript began as the
foundation for my February Nature
Gathered artwork. A classic piece of
literature filled with wisdom that is still
as meaningful, maybe even more so today,
as it was the very first time I opened the cover.

Gifts from the Sea was merely a passing fancy
or impulse purchase, something that I
had bought off of the discount shelves
of a local bookstore over ten years ago.
I don't know what I really expected from
Mrs. Lindbergh's prose, but I definitely
got more than I bargained for. What the
thin paperback was lacking in girth, it
made up for in content.

I have never been much of one to read and
re-read the same tale twice. And honestly,
I had absolutely no intentions of re-reading
this book when I decided to pull it down from
the shelf, at the end of January. I was just
hoping to maybe, find a passage or two that
might spark in me, a starting point from which
to base this latest piece of art.

But it only took a few sentences to find myself
mesmerized once again by the thoughtful
observations emanating from its pages.

All of a sudden, I had not only re-read the entire
book but I had actually read it twice. It was
inspiration magnified.

Carefully I stitched quotes from the book onto the
canvas, to represent the ocean waves washing
their wisdom upon the sandy shores of my being.

Art and images copyright 2009 Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Cabinet of Curiosities

2009-02-13T22:04:00.001-08:00

This project got a little out of control. I started the "cabinet" in foam core, but didn't like how it looked. So I went to Michaels to get some ideas and decided to make my own cabinet out of wood. Of course, I don't have a clue about cabinet making, but I figured, how hard could it be? Hard.....very hard. There must be a trick to measuring and cutting out wood that I am unaware of because several parts had to be cut out more than once after I found that they were too short. And then there is the concept of mitering....I definitely need some practice at that.

After the cabinet was done, I needed a backing (an 8 X 8 canvas covered with an old map)......and doors....and hinges....and a latch.... The screening on the doors is nature printed with flowers per the technique in LK Ludwig's Mixed Media Nature Journal book.

And as long as I was at it, why not some dummied up microscope slides....using real bits of bugs and plants and a little Diamond Glaze. The cabinet is finished with two coats of orange shellac. And, even though it's substantially late, I did finish what I started. What's life without a few good adventures in art?

A little bit of sea in the mountains

2009-02-09T01:45:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law left the family a whole lot of STUFF to clean up, trash or give away. I got the shells, so this month's theme was a breeze to create. Sort of...I don't know how may designs I set out on the canvas board before I was satisfied. However, I was missing one thing and it just didn't look right with it. Sand.

I was not going to go buy any or run off to the beach for a handful of it. I did the next best thing. I walked into Harlan's shop and commandeered a sheet of sandpaper. I glued it down, after fabricating a hanging "system", and then hot glued all the shells. This final design was NOT the one I was happy with. Oh no, I had to change it all as I was gluing. My Muse is being fickle this month.

Art and images copyright 2009 Z'anne Bakke

Extinction Cabinet of Curiosities

2009-02-07T13:33:00.001-08:00

I enjoyed seeing Andrew at Teesha's PLAY retreat in Port Townsend last weekend. He made some incredible journals. I finally finished by Cabinet of Curiosities. I don't really know why I thought of extinction as a theme for this. It makes me think of life cycles and what survives or not. I drew and water colored the images and used a shadow box that Z'anne gave to me for the cabinet structure.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Paula McNamee

Inside my Cabinet of Curiosity

2009-02-05T17:10:00.001-08:00

Most of he items in my Cabinet of Curiosity came from my stash of junk acquired
from the Goodwill "bins." Oops, I seem to have cut off the top part in my photo.
If I had thought things out a bit better I would have loaded this picture onto
the blog after I loaded the picture of the front of the cigar box. It might make
more sense to the viewers.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Judi Stack

Keys to Cabinet of Curiosity

2009-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

My cabinet of curiosity is a cigar box in which I drilled small holes and wired on old keys. Two

of the keys function as a door latch. I added a painted board behind the box to extend the dimensions to 8"X8" and to attach a hanging device.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Judi Stack

Life and Death, A Cabinet of Curiosity

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Instead of translating January's theme in a literal way, I decided to tackle the matter metaphorically. I thought it might be interesting to choose a concept that we, as human beings, find very curious. A topic containing a well spring of unanswered questions.

As I sifted and sorted through different possibilities, the idea of life and death was something that kept presenting itself, over and over again. And although there is plenty of medical information regarding both of these occurrences, they are still, in many ways, quite a mystery.

The idea of pattern or patterning is very subtle in this piece. Life and death is actually repeated several times throughout the art in both images and words.

This particular work even inspired a bit of poetic prose which I used for a separate collaborative or challenge, a Winter Poetry Postcard Exchange, that I am participating in.

"How do we bridge the gap,
these minutes between life and death,
beginning and ending.

The expanse of our days carefully ordered,
writhing in the beautiful ecstasy of fate and indecision
for tis not the start and stop of it that truly matters,
but each occurring middle moment to become
the absolute curiosity of all things belonging
to heaven and earth"

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Curious Kitty's Cabinet

2009-02-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

Here is my interpretation of the Cabinet of Curiosity. This curious little calico is causing havoc. The treasured canary is missing. Wonder what happened to it.

This is painted on canvas board with a fiberfused kitty and a small ball of thread.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Marylin Huskamp

Cabinet of Curiosities

2009-01-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Traci Donahue

January Cabinet

2009-01-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

This was a fun theme. I had this shadowbox decoupaged in old Sear's catalog pages in the back of my workshop and only found it when I was looking for something else. Don't ya love it when that happens? I threw a light coat of gesso on it and than proceeded to search for stuff to fill it. I take a walk with the dog and cat every day and find some really cool stuff along the way. Most of these things have come to the house from different directions. The snails, wasp nest, moss and twig are directly from here. The Paulownia pods came from my MIL's tree. I found the agates in the gravel pile we had. The other rock I found, but I can't remember where. The little skulls were found in various places on the road and in the trees. The antler was part of a stash from Harlan's ex-FIL and was shot in 1947. And the dried paperwhite flower is from an arrangement by Cynthia.

Now I get to go looking for more stuff to collect!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Z'anne Bakke

Cabinet of Curiosities - Walks in the Watershed

2009-01-18T15:46:00.001-08:00

Every day, Mari, my canine companion and I, take a walk. Though it's just minutes from downtown, Johnson Creek floods and leaves in its wake a lot of open space in my neighborhood. Just last week I found the 2 point deer antlers under a tree. And then I found a complete cat skeleton, also under a tree. Only my friend Tory B really understands my collection habit. These curiosities came from our daily wanderings, as well as a few second hand store forays. Though the detail is minimized, if you visited my front entry way you'd find birds nests, fresh water clam shells, feathers, seeds, odd things with no names. Perhaps I'm part crow. This one deserves a bigger canvas . . . perhaps some day.

Guess I'm a rule breaker . . . probably a reason I got kicked out of Girl Scouts. So here's a second Cabinet of Curiosities. This one's my husbands collection. Couldn't resist. I used the photoshop "Cutout" option to give this the texture that may be visible on your monitor. I'll let the images speak for themselves. If they could talk, we might be in trouble however!

Suzie

Art and images copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer

Amphibians

2009-01-15T20:25:00.001-08:00

A quilt square pieced on a muslin foundation was mounted on a stretched canvas with matte
medium. A transparency printed from my sketch of frogs was attached using my old Camp Fire Girls honor beads. I nailed through the beads and into the stretcher frame. The beads do not appear in this picture because the computer scan was done before this last step so that the picture would lie flat on the scanner. The final product looks just a bit different.

She Who Carries the World on Her Back

2009-01-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

I loved working with the turtle and felt inspired with this challenge.

To start I found an image of a wise looking turtle, mounted it on very thin paper clay and embossed the shape into it. Then I painted a piece of bristol paper with watered down acrylic. Wish I had used hot press water color paper but live and learn. When that dried, I glued down the embossed turtle image then gilded over the top of everything. Once that dried I used pumice powder to remove much of the gilding then glazed with stamp pad ink and a little more acrylic wash. Then I scratched and sanded to give more texture. Last step was to lay down an image transfer of her head and touch up with very fine point black pen. The light catches her in many differnt moods that don't show up on a scan.

I like her!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer

Hidden

2009-01-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

I call this creation, "Hidden". It is a chameleon hiding among the grasses and leaves. After pondering several other ideas to create for the December Reptile and Amphibians Challenge I decided to create a chameleon. The ability for a chameleon to change colors was my inspiration.

Since I love creating works using snippets and bits of items rescued from the trash can in my art room that became the medium of choice. The background consists of snippets fused on an 8"x8" paper, then the chameleon was created separately on a fabric scrap. Once I had the chameleon completed I pinned it to the background, stuffed a small amount of polyfill for dimension, stitched the chameleon to the background and finished the detail by trimming it with multi yarn on the top of the head. Grass and follage was created using feathers and a two-toned scrap of ribbon. Once all was complete the eye was added.

As you can see the chameleon's main color is a combo of blue and green but it is beginning to take on the colors - pink,orange,yellow,lavender,etc. - found in the background.

This was my first attempt to create a fused piece since my surgery. Thanks to my husband's assist with cutting large fabric pieces for me I was able to use my left hand to complete the chameleon. Boy, it feels good to be able to create again!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Marylin Huskamp

Amphibians and Reptiles

2009-01-11T02:30:00.001-08:00

I could not decide which reptile or amphibian I wanted to use, so I used them all - snake, gecko, turtle and frog. Freehand sketch with watercolor on hot press D'Arches paper. Enjoy!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Jan Harris

Amphibian

2009-01-09T09:37:00.001-08:00

I have to admit, that December's challenge was just that... A CHALLENGE. I struggled quite a bit with the subject matter, and how to best represent either amphibian or reptile.

I am pleased with the results of my labor, as this piece took me much longer to complete. I also wanted to continue with the exploration of pattern, which is represented in this piece by the marsh foliage, shown in the upper portion of the work, trailing off into what is the watery depths surrounding the lily pad.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Zentangle Ssssssnakes

2009-01-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

I had fun with this project. I started it before all the snowfall and then got a nasty abscessed tooth. That put me about two weeks behind, but I was able to think about how I wanted to display my snakes. If you don't know about Zentangle check out their site and see what cool things you can do with a pen and piece of paper.

I Zentangled my snakes, used color pencils to color the background, glued it down to the painted canvasboard, cut up duct tape to use as a frame for the snakes, added a glow in the dark plastic snake and the sssss and called it done. It's a funky piece and different than what I probably would have done it I wasn't on drugs. For my tooth, drugs for my tooth. ;)

Art and images copyright 2009 by Z'anne Bakke

Reptiles and Amphibians

2009-01-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Fauna - Ferret

2009-01-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Field Notes

2009-01-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

3-D Fabric Mixed Media Snake

2009-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I've been working on this piece for a couple of weeks on and off. I took the quilted pet portrait idea and made the image 3-D. The head is polymer clay with wire fangs and a sequin eye- very mixed media. For the next challenge, I'll be creating with a different medium- not sure what yet. I have enjoyed working with fabric. Hope you are warm and cozy.

Art and images copyright by Paula McNamee 2009

A Litte Bird from Traci

2009-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

This photo doesn't quite capture the presence and spirit of this little bird! As you can see, she's an active creature, looking for nesting materials already. And how amazing to realize your husband was our postman! Is his name Ken?

I'd love to know how you made this! It doesn't feel like fimo, clay or plaster of paris! And it's very strong. Your painting is amazing. Thanks Traci! I love it. She decorated our table for our New Years Day gathering.

Suzie

PS I had to go back and check the instructions to see if we were supposed to make birds. There are so many cute ones!

This Lizard Was Placed...

2009-01-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

As I was walking through a farmer's market in Seattle last April, the bright green lizard caught my attention. At first, I thought it was alive, but a few minutes later, I discovered that it was not. But I found it to be a neat gimmick for grabbing most visitor's attention because of the color contrast between dark green and bright orange colors.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz

Ornament from Bee

2008-12-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

This sweet little character arrived at my doorstep on Christmas Eve day. He made the perfect addition to the tree. Many thanks to Bee for such a whimsical ornament.

Happy Holidays to all!

Ornament from Jan

2008-12-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

Isn't this darling? This is the ornament I received from Jan. Once the holidays are over it's permanent home will be in my art studio.

Ornaments from &drew

2008-12-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

I received two beautiful stars from Andrew that have added a touch of nature to my small Christmas tree. The first is made from grapevine and painted metallic gold. The second is an origami star made of birch bark. I love that they are simple forms made of natural materials that bring back happy memories of my garden in Boise, Idaho - the grape-laden arbor that led to my studio that was shaded by a white birch tree. Thank you!!!

Ornament from Glenny

2008-12-26T11:57:00.001-08:00

I got this ornament today in the mail from Glenny, and I like it a lot because of its simplicity. Right after I took it out of the package, I hung it on the tree which was already decorated with other birds of different colors. Thanks so much, Glenny!

Reptile

2008-12-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Fauna?

2008-12-22T15:33:00.001-08:00

This dragon is one type of fauna on Og. Og is the mythical planet which exists
only in my mind but shows up frequently in my artwork. When my Red Hat
group chose fanciful names, I ended up as Empress of Og and have enjoyed
"picturing" Og ever since.

Art and images copyright by Judi Stack 2008

Ashka, Ghost Wolf

2008-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ashka, Ghost Wolf
Another wolf to add to our blog. I had the hardest time figuring out what animal to use for my piece for November. I have so many to choose from that live up here. I started with a squirrel and decided that she needed to be used for my Cabinet of Curiosities. Then the elk. Wapiti was not cooperative and will be done in a larger format for another time. Rabbits, chipmunks, deer, coyote...none were speaking to me. But then Ashka stepped forward and I knew my wolf was the one.

Ashka is one of my Spirit Animals. He brings new ideas and creative ways when I need to express my soul. He is my Teacher and even though I don't always listen, he is very patient with me.

This is another transparency that is attached to a painted 8 x 8 canvas. I added dried ferns, from one of my leaf gathering walks, to "hide" Ashka in the brush. Letters were colored with StazOn and glued to the canvas. Be careful, Ghost Wolf is watching you!

Art and images copyright by Z'anne Bakke 2008

Winter

2008-12-15T22:38:00.000-08:00

Must be the snow outside, the wind chill of 9 degrees above zero and more snow to come that inspired this piece and it's black and white theme.

These wolves know how to survive this climate, even thrive. Maybe that's what the key means. . . The birch is as good survivor as well, so beautiful and so strong.

Most of the elements in this piece were collected on my daily walks in the Johnson Creek water shed.

Must confess though, the wolf image was collected from a chocolate bar at Good Seasons! But eating chocolate is part of surviving well too!

I nearly called this piece "Ode to a chocolate bar." But I like winter better.

Suzie
www.suziewolfer.com

Art and images copyright 2008 by Suzie Wolfer

Another Squirrel

2008-12-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

With snow on the ground, ice, wind and 25°F, I'm keeping warm and getting caught up on lots of projects. Usually, the squirrels chase one another along the fence or up and down the fir trees. They must be trying to stay warm in their little burrows today. I enjoy working with fabric, needle and thread when it is cold outside. It makes me feel cozy and warm. The inspiration for this piece came from Karin Winter's article about quilted pet portraits in Aug/Sept 2008 Quilting Arts. I have not commented recently on all of your posts. I'm really impressed with what everyone is creating. Now what was December's theme?

2008-12-14T02:48:00.000-08:00

Cat Television

For weeks I have watched this squirrel through my patio window. He watches my cat watch him, fully knowing that he is protected by the window. And every now and then, he runs up and slaps at the cat's face through the window and then runs away. The cat, not nearly as bright as the squirrel, immediately leaps for the squirrel, slams into the window and then looks very puzzled as to why he can't get that squirrel. I tried several times to photograph them, but my digital camera does not shoot fast enough to catch the moment. So I decided to bring them together in Photoshop. Composite of two photos, blended with the watercolor brush and color adjusted. Have a wonderful holiday season!

The Chipmunk Was Peeking At Me...

2008-12-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

This year, there were a lot of chipmunks running around the yard, and I was taking pictures of the daylily garden. One chipmunk happened to come out of a drainpipe on the concrete wall, and I immediately took a picture of it peeking out to find out what was going on. I am surprised to see that I was able to take several pictures of chipmunks as they were usually hyperactive and do not always sit still. Most times, as soon as they saw me or heard me, they would usually run away.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Andrew Borloz.

Fauna:Fawn

2008-12-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

By definition Fauna means : animal life ; especially : the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment.

Although, I had the choice of incorporating any sort of animal into this piece, I could not stop thinking about how closely the word Fauna sounded to the word Fawn.

After pondering this thought for well over a week, I decided to yield to my whim and select a Fawn as the main subject.

In keeping with my continued exploration of pattern and patterning, the contours of the grass are loosely repeated in the sky, creating a very starry night.

Update 12/11: After posting the completed work, I continued to feel as if it was missing something. Since Tuesday, I have been on the hunt for just the right finishing touch. I discovered that perfect piece today while rummaging through a jar of various buckles.

At the bottom of the jar, there was a mother-of-pearl buckle simply begging to be used. Although oversized for the artwork, it makes the perfect half-moon and a nice balance to the fawn.

So, here is the completed work with a slight revision.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Lost Kitty

2008-12-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here is my finished November challenge. I call it "Lost Kitty" as it shows a kitty lost in a field of lavender. Perhaps it was chasing a butterfly or lady bug and then lost its way........

The kitty is painted with acrylics on fabric then the grass and lavender are attached by felting. The lavender is from Katherine Dunn's lavender farm that Tracie Lyn, Jan and I visited when we attended Art & Soul.

I wanted to do something different but since we seem to keep attracting stray kitties to our house it just seemed appropriate to do a cat.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Marylin Huskamp

Mexican Field Notes

2008-11-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

We returned from a wonderful trip to Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. We visited weavers and a candle maker in Teotitlán del Valle. The artisans used natural dyes to color their yarns and wax. This process fascinated me. Using different lengths of time in a dye bat varied the color concentration. The color green differed depending if the moss came from the bark of a tree or a rock. For many years, cochineal insects provided the color red. I loved the use of natural resources to make the colors they needed.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Paula McNamee

Fauna - Happy Giraffe

2008-11-25T06:16:00.001-08:00

Field Notes - A Kansas Autumn

2008-11-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Don't let the date inscribed at the top of the artwork deceive you. This piece was indeed created to meet the Field Notes challenge. Last month was very busy for me, with a 13 day trip away from home tucked into the last two weeks of October.

I had actually started on this challenge back in September, but abandoned my first attempt after I became quite dissatisfied with the direction the art was going. Now midway through October, I was faced with beginning again, which made me both disheartened and anxious.

However, my absence from home gave me time to let ideas simmer on the back burner of my thoughts. So when I returned, I had a clear vision for my second try and was eager to start again.

Inspiration for this artwork comes from a 1967 Reader's Digest Illustrations that was reminiscent of a Kansas Fall... I truly longed to capture the essence of my favorite season of the year.

Art and images copyright 2008 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Field Notes

2008-11-17T22:49:00.000-08:00

"Strange Sighting"

Sketched from memory of a fleeting glance.

When I approached, the object proved to be

only a fallen pod.

I must have imagined the movement of a tiny

leg and wing.

--At Menucha, Oct. 25, 2008

--J.C.S.

Field Notes

2008-11-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

After much ado (about nothing it seems) I have finally been able to finish and post the piece for October!! Field notes was a very enjoyable piece for me. It's a combination of several of my favorite techniques and I really enjoyed making this one come to life. I started with dying a piece of hotpress watercolor paper with some walnut ink with just a touch of Ranger's Denim ink. This was then adhereed to the surface of my canvas. Then, working with some printmaking sessions I came up with a fern print that made me happy and applied this on the right hand side. Using a bird mask I based in my bird and then added some detail by hand with charcoal, china marker and inks. Finally, using a white pastel pencil I wrote about the "mysteries of vegatable life". All in all I really enjoyed this one very much. It was light hearted and flowed well....until I got to the posting part. A nonworking scanner in PA and a camera in Nantucket were my first obstacles to overcome...once I was able to get back to Nantucket today, it became a breeze!! So much for modern technology!!

Hope you enjoy!!

bee

Field Notes, My Version

2008-11-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

My primary working media is/are beads so this theme was quite a challenge for me. I don't sketch or draw, but when I take my walks I do carry my camera. I have a goodly collection of photos of all things nature and use both my camera and computer as my "sketchbook". Here is my interpretation of Field Notes.

Since we don't have the horses anymore, the flowers and grasses have taken over the pastures. At the peak of flowering in late spring or early summer, the colors are so beautiful. Daisies are my favorite flower and they have spread throughout, changing the pasture into a meadow. The fungus was a great find, it lasted for over a year and now is on the way to the great fungi heaven.

Sorry for the fuzziness, I scanned this piece and the small bits are somwehat 3D. As all things, this looks better in real life.

Z'anne

Art and images copyright 2008 by Z'anne Bakke

Field Notes: Common Merganser

2008-10-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this project and may take off on a tangent of my own using this idea!

Very hard to narrow it down to one creature. We have 2 large beaver dams near here on Johnson Creek and I've been beaver spotting a lot lately. So I thought about featuring them, then there's the wonderful Great Blue Heron I see regularly. The more rare Belted Kingfisher and Little Green Heron, Lesser Scaup with the lavender blue beak and the funny Hooded Merganser couple flating the Brookside Pond.

So many candidates up for this local art election . . .

And the winner is . . . The Mergus Merganser

So I finally settled on this wonderful creature who I've never glimpsed in real life, but hope to one day. . . . and so many more to study and drawn.

Technique: Traced the different images onto tissue paper, glued to canvas board with gel medium, over painted with acrylic paint, gesso, pen and ink, water soluble oil pastels.

What Fun!

Suzie
www.suziewolfer.com

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Suzie Wolfer

I Was Observing and Taking Notes on the Natural Wonders of the Desert...

2008-10-31T05:56:00.001-07:00

When I saw that the theme for the month of October is 'Field Notes', I immediately thought about the small notebook that I used to sketch the incredible forms and textures of the cactuses and succulents at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
The sketches were done on October 6, 2006 at the same time I was attending the weekend visual journaling workshop in Tempe, AZ. Each time when I went to Phoenix, I made a point of visiting that botanical garden. I had to content with taking pictures early in the morning, as it can get very hot later during the summer days. But because I was there during the cooler month of October, I was able to stay there longer and do the sketches right on the spot.
The photographs of the cactus were taken last summer of 2008, and I converted them into black and white. I later colored them with a mixture of acrylics and glaze medium. The "trees" at the top of the board are duplicated three times from one sketch that I did on the other page in the small book. These trees are not palm trees but I believe they're Joshua trees.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by &rew Borloz

Northern Flicker

2008-10-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

This months theme was definitely a challenge for me. I researched the theme with the information Tracie sent out and knew I would be going completely out of my comfort zone. I draw with my students all of the time, but to do a complete piece without all of my funky colors and design? The thought caused heart palpitations! But I dove in yesterday and here is my study of a little Northern Flicker using acrylics, pen & ink and colored pencil. I hope it fulfills the requirements of the theme. I was already so far out of my box, I couldn't travel any further.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Traci Donahue

Field Notes from the Columbia River Gorge

2008-10-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at Menucha, a beautiful retreat in the Columbia River Gorge. The weather was perfect - Indian Summer in all its glory. The deciduous trees were aflame with yellows and reds and the grounds covered with chestnuts, pine cones and leaves. I saw squirrels, deer and rambunctious Steller's Jays. Many flocks of geese flew their "v"s overhead, migrating to warmer climes before the first hard freeze. As I wandered the grounds, I sketched what I found and determined the species and name. The view of Crown Point is looking east down the river. This is a pen and ink sketch highlighted with watercolor. Enjoy!

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Jan Harris

Notes of the Empty Nest

2008-10-27T19:55:00.001-07:00

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Marylin Huskamp

The birds of the forest are calling for thee,
And the shades and the glades are lonely;
Summer is there with her blossoms fair,
And you are absent only,
No bird that nests in the green-wood tree,
But sighs to greet you and kiss you,
all the violets yearn for your safe return,
But most of all I miss you.
Harry B. Smith

This piece helped me realize that when the young ones leave the nest it is NOT an ending but a beginning. There is evidence left as their tiny feathers stay safely in the nest but they have flown to new heights and experiences.

The tiny creatures begin an new adventure filled with excitement and exploration.

Perhaps they will someday return.

This is constructed of fiber fusion and paint.

Copyright: Marylin Huskamp 2008

Lilies in the Pond

2008-10-18T02:03:00.001-07:00

I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to post September's challenge - I overbooked myself these last two months and have struggled to meet my deadlines, this one included. I took a photo of this lily at my friend's home in her pond. I added a fish, for effect. I covered the canvas with absorbant medium after trying this technique in Lisa Kaus' class at Art and Soul. I then drew the design with pencil and colored the painting with Golden Acrylics. After the painting dried, I went back in and used Titanium White and water soluble crayons to heighten the color. I then waxed the surface and polished it. The wax does not photograph well, so the color is more muted in the photograph than on the canvas.

It was great meeting those of you I had not met in person before and wonderful to catch up with old friends at our Nature Gathered meeting at Starbucks. I look forward to our future challenges together, even more enjoyable now that I can put a face and a name together. Enjoy!

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Jan Harris

The Hiding Place

2008-10-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.....sorry...I've had the artwork done since BEFORE Art&Soul and just plain forgot to post. I tried to stick to just flowers....then just leaves but it just didn't feel right for me. Trees and tree tops have always been a safe haven for me so I guess this piece just comes naturally if you'll pardon the pun. The quote written in the background is as follows....

To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never, in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing

Hope you've enjoyed this entry.....Bee.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Bee Shay

Columbine

2008-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Art and Soul, I tried a different approach using Marshall's Photo Oils and water soluble oil pastels to hand color a photo. I used a high end 100% cotton rag paper for inkjet and sealed it with Hahnemule photo preserver. I used the diffused glow setting and sepia toning on the photo then colored it. What fun!

And thanks again Traci for a great class at Art & Soul!

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Suzie Wolfer

Under the Canopy of Leaves

2008-10-11T13:26:00.001-07:00

I like to take a daily stroll through a small park at the end of the street where I live. Sometimes I would stop in the middle of a group of trees and look up. This piece below shows what it is like to walk through the woods and enjoy the intricate patterns formed by the trees' leaves and branches.
Every time when I walked through this suburban park, I often felt like I was deep in the mountains or large forest. While many people would find it to be intimidating or too isolated, I enjoy going through the larger forests as I often find them to be peaceful or uplifting.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by &rew Borloz

Flowers From My Garden

2008-10-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Background is fiber fused bits of fabric and yarns. The botanicals are from my garden. The tall light green/grey leaves are "dusty miller" and the flowers are petunias. I had pressed them so decided to use the real thing in my creation.

I used a purple fine point permanent marker to outline the flower petals and to make distinquishing markings where the petals had pressed over one another. Although the glitter looks silver it is really a very light pink glitter.

The tiny birds are punched from cardstock and glittered with the same pink glitter as the centers of the flowers.

I am at a loss for the name.

Art copyrighted by Marylin Huskamp 2008

Flower Power

2008-10-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

For our flora challenge, I layered decorative paper, acylic paint, one of my line drawings and a collaged tissue paper flower. The flower is much brighter and a deeper rose color in person. I like the combination of line drawings and collage. I enjoyed getting to know many of you at Art and Soul.