With apologies to the Beatles: "You say you want a resolution? Well, you know..."

Happy new year, everybody!!

So my first 2012 resolution was to be a better blogger - to post more often and to share lots and lots of helpful art and healing links.

So here are a few more for you:
http://creativeworkshops.ning.com/  "Creative Workshops" - What I love about this one is that there is such a great variety of workshops:  collage, calligraphy, watercolor, digital grounds, journaling and so much more - truly something for everybody.

http://dolldreams.ning.com/  "Doll Dreams" - If you've ever wished you could draw and paint those adorable doll-like girls with the huge eyes, this is the place for you.  Addy is a great teacher, too. 

http://handsandheart.ning.com/ - "Hands and Heart" - I did my first acrylic painting ever by following Monica's beautiful videos on this site.  She is a wonderful teacher.

"Fairy Claudia" from an online workshop at "Hands and Heart" (see link above)

 

 

Good intentions and all that :o)  REALLY want to keep up with this blog and am resolving to do just that in 2012.  The first 3 months of school knocked me for a loop (I have gone back to teaching middle school language arts after many years away from the classroom) as I also had to take a class at night and on Saturdays.  So this Christmas holiday has been the first chance I've had to catch my breath, and I've spent DAYS visiting art blogs and gathering links for you!  See the end of this post for links!  Also, Santa gave me some money and said, "That's so you can take some more online art workshops."  Do I have the best Santa or WHAT!!!

Here is my latest project, a collage I did for my younger son as a housewarming gift for him in his first home.  He visited Japan last year and was taken with the story of Sadako, the little girl who died of leukemia due to the fallout from the atom bomb.  When she was sick, she learned of a legend that said that if someone made a thousand paper cranes, their wish would come true.  She had made approximately 600 origami cranes before she died, and her classmates finished them for her.  In her memory, the children started an international peace initiative, and today there is a beautiful park in Japan with a statue of Sadako holding a paper crane.  Children come from all over Japan to visit the park and bring paper cranes to honor her and to show their desire for world peace.

SOOOO this collage contains a transferred image of Sadako on Japanese rice paper, a quotation from Sadako, a Japanese postage stamp and another stamp that says "Atoms for Peace" (I love irony), a piece from an antique Samurai sword (more irony), an origami paper crane and other Japanese, peace- and crane-related items and ephemera.  My goal in each of my collages is to tell a story that is important to the person for whom they are created.

 

SO here are links to some of my new favorite blogs and sites:
http://thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/   Just ordered her art journaling DVDs - the reviews of them are AWESOME and I can't wait 'til they arrive.

http://www.janedavenport.com/  Have signed up for her "I (HEART) Drawing" workshop.  Check it out to find out why it's important to say "heart" instead of "love" here - it's really cool!

http://www.meganscreativebliss.blogspot.com/   Love her style!

Resolving to be a better blogger in 2012, so I will be back soon!!!  Hope all of you had a WONDERFUL holiday and that your new year will be blessed with good health, joy and prosperity!

My Favorite Online Art Courses

Whoa! Can't believe it's been so long since I posted! I was so lucky to be asked to teach at our local Gifted Center for the last 6 weeks of school, filling in for a teacher who was having a baby.  WELL, as it turned out, a position came open at the Center, I applied, and I got the job! I am over the moon with excitement and joy.  I got busy right away studying curriculum, policies and so forth - you know, just REALLY wanting to do a good job.  I've worked really hard and think I'm ready now for the start of school in August, so I'm going to use these last few weeks of freedom to get caught up on the other important things in my life, like art and healing and living and blogging about all of it!

If you've never taken an online art course, you are in for such a treat.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them because you can progress at your own pace and according to your own schedule.  One of my favorite sites for online art courses is Willowing.  Tam is an AWESOME teacher, very cute and funny.  You will enjoy just watching her teaching videos, but once you start following along, you will be amazed at what you can create!  Right now I'm taking her "Magical Mythical Makings" workshop.  I'm painting fairies, mermaids, goddesses and more.  Right now is a great time to sign up for one of Tam's courses because she's celebrating reaching 5000 members on her site with some great give-aways!

Have fun!  And I'll keep you posted as I figure out how to blend my new teaching career with my art, my passion for peace and healing, and life in general.  Hugs to everybody!

I'm a CZT!

Back from Massachusetts and the Certified Zentagle Teacher training seminar hosted by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, the creators and founders of Zentangle, Inc.  They are the loveliest people and two of the most gifted artists it has ever been my privilege and honor to meet.  I am now a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) and am excited to already have a class scheduled through the Hampton Arts Commission in June.  You can learn more about Zentangle here and you can see and purchase Maria's incredible botanical prints and calligraphy here.  If you live in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and want to know more about Zentangle, shoot me an e-mail.  I'm a CZT!

I really didn't mean to look so goofy - I was just so excited!

Swaparoo!

Finally!  The "Made For You Swaparoo" swap ended last week, and just as I was getting ready to post pictures of the awesome goodies I received in the swap, Blogger went down!  Stayed up as late as I could waiting for it to come back up, but we had to leave at 3 am to go out of town for 4 days, so ANYWAY I'm finally getting around to posting about this amazing and totally fun swap!

Jessica Ocasio from New Jersey was my swap partner and she has the coolest site - www.cutyourheartout.com.  She sent me some really beautiful things and one kinda' creepy but very fun thing!

The necklace of sage green and rose cabochons on a silver chain looks like it was made to go with a new top I have - it's like she was watching me shop!  The black filagree earrings are my husband's favorite - he LOVES to see me in what he calls "dangly earrings" and these black ones go with everything from jeans and casual wear to my little black dress.

Jessica also made these gorgeous cards - wish the picture could show more details - they really are lovely.  Even the round blue box all these items were gift-wrapped in is handmade.  SO pretty - blue and silver.

Now the skull!  How cute is he?  I laughed out loud when I saw him.  I grew up in Texas and the whole "Day of the Dead" thing was part of our Tex-Mex culture, so he has a prominent place on a shelf in my studio as does the pretty blue box - perfect size for all those tiny things that tend to get away if they're not corralled.  Jessica, thank you SO much!  I love all my goodies!  And thank you so much to the Swaparoo hosts!  What a great online party!

I Went to a Garden Party!

The theme of Art & Soul this year was "In the Garden" and there was a hat contest.  Everyone was given the same plain straw gardening hat and told to alter it any way we wanted to.  Here's mine:

Another day at Art & Soul

Yes, I am running out of steam, but not enthusiasm.  This has been another great Art & Soul retreat.  Today I took a class from the amazing and gifted Pam Carriker.  The class was called "Arcimboldo Style Self Portrait" and that's exactly what we created - self portraits in the style of the 16th century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo.  His work was considered bizarre in his day - and many still think it's strange - but it's lots of fun.  He created portraits by painting fruits, vegetables, fish and other organic items to form the features of the model.  We were instructed to come prepared with images of things we like to eat, see, hear, listen to and think about as well as a black and white profile photo of ourselves. We went through several steps to transfer a line drawing of the photo onto watercolor paper, then began to fill in with the images we'd brought.  Then there was some painting, some glazing, some other steps and we were done!  Here's mine:

Kathy's "Arcimboldo Style" self-portrait

Here are a couple of other tags from Lesley Venable's classes that I forgot to include in yesterday's posting.  The one on the left is a transfer done with plastic wrap; the one on the right is a transfer done with Contact paper.  Remember, these were technique classes - we were learning techniques, so this is not supposed to be a finished art project.  Very cool techniques, very easy to do and tons of fun.

Saran Wrap transfer on the left; Contact paper transfer on the right