Last nite while watching an art DVD i made these jaunty little Head homes. I began sketching a face on a piece of wood but there was far too much wood left and at midnight i wasn't about to get out my jigsaw to cut the thing down. So i asked it - i often have a dialogue with my art - "what do you want on top of your head?" It said "a house, thank you!". So i began to draw houses on their heads. I pulled out my trays of art supply goodies and began adding colour with a variety of mediums. i was having so much fun that i didn't get up to grab some water for the mediums - i used my finger after licking it. ewwwwwwww???? When the wood pieces were completed i made little papier mache roofs or hats which were painted this morning. I'm adding some glitter to the rooves. These little jaunty gems are 6"h x 1"w x 3/4" deep and 7"h x 2"d x 3/4" deep. Later this morning i'm putting them up for sale on my etsy site.

I call them head homes well....because there is a home ontop of a head - to me that represents getting back to your soul. Don't leave home without it. Silly eh? That's what the pieces told me it's about being in touch with your heart and soul. Both pieces sport a tiny heart.

Become inspired by looking at the art of others!
For me it's easy to get inspired by the art of others - well not all art appeals to me but sometimes i become jazzed by a texture or a colour or the subject matter such as painting homes or faces. That's pretty much what happened here. I was inspired by watching the artsy DVD Indie Arts and my hands were simply itching to get creating. My sofa opens up into a sofa bed so there is plenty of room to lay out art supplies. I know...i know...the Marthas out there will be horrified to hear this especially if their sofa was white or cream. Ha! Thankfully mine is dark blue so i don't much care. The act of creating is so much more important to me than a pristine couch.

The Artist Date
So get yourself out on an artist date - either stay in like i did and watch an inspiring DVD or tv show or go out to a museum or gallery or even check out some crafty shops. My Mom gets inspired by going to a large bookstore and reading the scrapbooking magazines. Do something just for your creative soul - like a child it needs constant feeding. The more you do just for you the more you're telling your art spirit that it matters. You'll notice your creativity blossoming exponentially. I guarantee it....or your money will be refunded!

The dragonfly with a motled paint job and glitterglue smeared over the eyes

extreme closeup

My supplies containters

Brilliante Award

The lovely and inspiring Anna has nominated me for this award! Thanks Anna!

Here are the rules of accepting the award (Please note: you can copy and paste these rules from my blog to yours). Also,if you don't want to accept the award (no time, no energy), just know that I thought of you and that you have a Brilliante Weblog!!

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Here are five blogs i'm nominating....now i don't really like choosing and i'm sure you are all very deserving of this award so please award yourselves okay? Here are the five i've chosen even though i'm supposed to choose seven :)

Flassie
ihanna
Vanessa
Lisa
Happytiler

Congratulations Ladies!

Handy containers
I'm continuing on my journey to clean my studio, sanctuary and office. In my quest for orderliness i bought these two supply containers from Ikea. They are pretty deep - 3 inches so they hold quite a few supplies. It's awesome to be able to find what i need at a quick glance. I have wasted an inordinate amount of time looking for certain supplies. The only things i don't have in there are my brushes and large acrylic tubes and containers. Can you see the fluid acrylic bottles and twinkling H2O's? These containers are about 3 dollars a piece and are well worth it.

Just mess with it
About 12 years ago i took a papier mache mask making workshop from an artist whose work i admired. I had already been creating papier mache people but wanted to learn more - especially painting techniques. This artist had a wonderful way of painting which gave great depth to her art pieces. I asked her how she achieved those results and she said "Just f**k with it until you get what you like". Now that was REALLY helpful advice.......so what i had to do was watch her and see how she in fact did it. With a sea sponge she sponged on several shades of paint to achieve a shimmering look. I didn't have a sea sponge but i used a sponge brush to achieve the look i was after. You'll see me painting the dragonfly on an upcoming youtube video. Unfortunately i don't have a start to finish step by step process since basically i'm just revamping the dragonfly. The chicken wire armature had already been done. You take a long rectangular piece of chicken wire and just "mess with it" until you get it looking the way you want it.........just kidding..........you shape it with your hands (hopefully you'll be wearing gloves) and squish the chickenwire into the general shape - use wire to help hold the shape, bend over the little wire ends of the chickenwire to attach it to the otherside. Make sure you fold over the pokey ends of wire so they don't cut you. While looking for a chicken wire tutorial for you i came across the charming video How to Make a Really Big Global Art Peace Project for 2008. It is all about promoting peace through art........how wonderful is that? It warmed my heart.

G takes the dragonfly down

dragonfly badly in need of repair

Scraping off the loose bits with my handy dandy 5 in 1!

covering the critter with plaster bandages

basecoating it with blue latex paint

Tinker and Lisa have awarded me the Arte y pico award. Thank you so much.....what an honour! Now i must pass this honour onto 5 other deserving bloggers whose creative efforts are truly appreciated. I really don’t like choosing at all.....its very difficult for me but here goes:

Crafty Chica
Margot Potter
Rice Freeman Zachary
DJ Pettit
Misty Mawn

If you have been selected for the award, please pay it forward, following the steps below:
1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the "Arte y pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules!

Dragonfly Revamp
I decided that my dragonfly that has been gracing the Magic Cottage for 5 years was in dire need of a makeover. It was peeling plus the glittery wings had disintegrated. I'm thinking perhaps i will wind sparkly pipecleaners around the wire wings instead of glittery woven fabric since the fabric had disintegrated within two years. The front of the house takes quite a beating from the sun. As you can see from the pictures it is quite a process. The loose paint bits had to be scraped off, then i had to add another layer of plaster dipped bandages and basecoat the flying insect. Later today i'll be sponging on a few different shades of blue and purple all over. I hope i have enough loose glitter to sprinkle over the varnished dragonfly. When that's all dry it will need to have a coat of resin to protect it from the elements. PHEW!!! The entire process is being video taped so stay tuned for a youtube video on the Dragonfly Revamp!

Walking down a pathway between the Giant Sequoias in California.

This photo simply does not capture the intense beauty of the moment when the setting sun was streaming between these magnificent trees. It was definitely a “gasp worthy” moment. Its times like these where I so wish I were an abstract artist and could convey my emotions onto a waiting canvas. The emotions would well up in my body and would exuberantly spill out onto the canvas in a rush of transcendent feelings. I would plaster the paint thickly onto the canvas without giving the composition a second thought. My only job would be to act as a conduit for my raw emotions. My hands would want to be a part of the experience as they would explore the canvas by manipulating the layers of paint and at the same time imbuing the painting with my energy. Paint would be all over my hands, arms and shirt. At the end of the session I would feel spent like a lover after a passionate tryst. If a person from another planet – a starperson asked me about earth I would have to say “well you will find many wonders on this blue planet, so many amazing sights that will make you gasp and at times cry from the wonder of it all. You will wander around in a daze from the incredible beauty which you will surely want to share with others.”

And now for something completely different
And now after bringing you that little transcendent moment back to reality…..ha! Vickie Howel has a book coming out called Craft Corps and she wants YOU!

Calling all crafters! I’m gearing up to write my next book, Craft Corps (pronounced Craft Core) which will focus on the community perpetuated by craft and the designers & hobbyists who feed it. As part of the content, I’m hoping to include 50-60 short profiles of crafters of all types. If you knit, crochet, embroider, decoupage, paint, sew, bead, tat, work with ceramics, collage, etc.---I want to hear from you! Whether you’ve found success selling your handmade sock monkeys on Etsy or you crochet chemo caps for charity, I want to know who you are, what you craft and why you do it. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE PROFESSIONAL CRAFTERS (in fact, it's preferable as the book's other content will focus on that)!

I know that many people who frequent my blog are super creative and would fit perfectly in Vickies book! Why not give it a whirl? Good Luck!

Two awards were bestowed upon me which I will post on Monday! Thanks to Tinker and Anna!

Well I’m off to greet the day (after losing my original blogpost……ack!) We’ll be taking the dragonfly down off of the front of my house. It needs major papier mache and paint surgery before it’s put back on the Magic Cottage!

Wishing you a blissful Saturday!

Love, Violette xoxo

You've seen this bliss image before as a magnet and a print adhered to a wood substrate - now it's a greeting card. I have a laminating machine which i used to laminate the image - the image was then adhered to the card with foam dots for added dimension. I hot glued a funky bow below the bliss image. If you create an image that you like such as this one you can leverage your art by using it in a variety of ways. I've only shown you a few. You can also use this image in scrapbooking pages, to make gift tags, print onto t-shirts, men's ties, tote bags etc. Imagine the delight of your friends to receive one of your pieces of art! One of the most wonderful things about being an artist is to share my work with my friends and family.

Organization
A friend who is a professional organizer came over to help me bring some order to chaos in my home. Unlike the fellow on Oprah (the organizing guy) who makes some of the clients cry my friend was very encouraging and helpful. We spent 4 hours in my backyard studio cleaning up....we probably still have another 4 there. Then it will be onto the office which is the most challenging room. In order to feng shui the room i need to have some place to store the stuff which is lying everywhere. The studio is my "secret weapon" according to my organization guru! So i was given instructions to buy banker boxes which i can label and stack with assorted supplies as well as clear plastic divided trays from Ikea to store pens, pencils, twinkling H2O's etc. It's interesting but even though i still have a ways to go to achieve organizational nirvana i feel lighter simply knowing that things are all going to have a place. I'll be donating art supplies that i will never use, throwing away numerous geegaws which i was looking at and thought "what was i thinking when i decided to keep this?". Every time i would pick up something i turned to my guru and would say..."oh...this one has an interesting story!"....she would smile and return to work not encouraging me to tell her the story. Different emotions welled within me when i came upon certain items. For example she picked up a burnt man's watch and said "what about this?". I was almost in tears when i said "That's the watch my Dad was wearing when he died in the fire". My friend said "okay, let's put it in the altar box so you can do something with it later". I plan on creating a shrine of sorts in my sanctuary (formerly a diningroom) when everything is cleaned out.

This is just the beginning but i feel like i'm turning a corner. The more organized i become the more work i can get done easily and effortlessly. I plan on facilitating workshops in my studio this fall and this is a great start to achieving that goal!

Is there something you can do today to cleanse your space by donating unused items or buying storage containers to contain your artful goodies? You'll most likely breathe a sigh of relief when you take some small step to freeing up your space.

Last nite Mr. G and i went kayaking. It was a beautiful nite for it. Before going out paddling we ate sandwiches on a bench while overlooking the water. These two black crows were watching us eat, waiting for handouts. It gave me such joy to watch and observe them. When the wind picked up it ruffled the feathers of one of the crows. The feathers were so soft and downy looking and absolutely darling (is it just me that sees beauty and cuteness in little things?) that i thought my heart would burst with joy. After eating we kayaked and enjoyed the paddle under the setting sun. It couldn't have been a more beautiful evening. Now i'm not sure if i was still basking under the positive influence of watching Louise Hay's You can Heal your Life or what. I know that the message by many of the presenters in the movie was about gratitude - the more you are grateful for in your life the more you will recieve. It truly is as simple as that. What we are grateful for does not have to be a huge thing at all. Who knew that the feathers of a bird ruffling in the wind and a gentle evening paddle could elicit so much joy? These two joys were free!

We have a choice
In the movie Wayne Dyer talks about how he lived in an orphange with his brother for several years. Wayne did not see this as a hardship. He was able to see the good in it by turning the negative into a positive. He was the "go to" boy when someone new would come into the home. He would tell the sad child not to be upset that they were going to have fun there - hey....there were no parents there and you could do pretty much what you wanted. Wayne found ways to make money while at the orphange by shovelling snow and picking up pop bottles and returning them to the stores for money. He was able to see opportunity all around him. Wayne Dyer's story is a compelling one - our attitude is very important.

Is there a so-called negative thing happening in your life right now that you can turn around by looking at it differently? Can you see the gifts in it?

P.S.
I created the above illustration because of my wonderful connection to the crows last nite.

I made this image for my friend Susan. I've been noticing many stationary companies offer personalized stationary so i thought i would give it a go for my friend. Notice i sort of used the 20 dollar dress Susan and i were wearing? I changed it slightly for the illustration. Fine glitter was added to the hair. Hopefully Susan will like it and be able to use it in her correspondance at work.

The Gift of Rejection
Yesterday i quickly had the thought that i would pop my newly varnished woodies with prints of my work on them and take them around to some stores in my area. It was a very hot day and the wood blocks were sticking to each other....not a good idea. I popped into one store where the store owner was a woman i used to go to High School with. She was in a hurry so couldn't meet with me but she briefly took a look at my prints and said they were nice but they already carried another artist's work on tiles (radically different art than mine - lovely but different). I asked about pricing but she didn't really know but referred me to an artist whose work she carries. Really though my work i believe was a bit too bright for that store. I went into another store and the owner liked the prints and sentiments quite a bit but didn't feel the wood blocks would sell there. When i casually mentioned that some had been made into soldered pendants she was interested to see those (you never know). We had a nice chat about gift shows, which ones were worthwhile attending and which ones were not. I went to another store which was definitely too shabby chic for my art. The clerk there however did give me a number of stores (some of which i had tried already) i might try. I asked her to recommend some (i learned this from my friend Ellen Edith - if my art isn't right for you can you recommend someone or a store that it might be a better fit for?)

I went into another store - an upscale, very funky kitchen store - i happen to know the owner. We used to meditate in a group together many years ago. I asked this very meticulous man his opinion. He said he liked the images but that the sides looked like i "had slapped some paint on them". Of course i replied "yes.....i did slap paint on them!" He offered a few recommendations such as mounting the prints on acrylic - it might be a costly venture. Then i went into another home decor store and pretty much walked out after a minute......everything in there was beige, taupe, black and brown. Either i change my colour palette or find another store. Maybe i was being to narrow? Maybe i could create some textured paintings with the messages and colours which would appeal to these kinds of stores without compromising my art?

So i came home from my little impromptu outing and decided that i need to ask myself do i want to mass produce items and sell them myself or do i want to go for licensing? Do i need to add a more subdued colour palette to my repertoire? The gift part of the rejection is that i need to evaluate what is truly important and to fine tune the direction i'm headed artistically.

I popped in Louise Hay's DVD You can Heal Your Life (which a wonderful reader of my blog recommended!) into my DVD player and watched the movie. I didn't want to fall into a funk so needed some positive reminders to keep on track and to continue attracting that which i do want in my life! I recommend this movie. It has inspired me.

Woodie family

Sideview

These adorable 4"x4" woodies have a print of one of my collages mounted on the front. Yesterday i had fun painting the backs and edges while enjoying the backyard. In one of the pictures you can see the garden in the background! Later today i'll be selling these tiny morsels of art on my etsy site! Right now i'm experimenting - trying to attach the prints a variety of ways. Naturally i have had a few interesting disasters! I call it Research and Development. I'm very blessed to have Mr. G helping me along the way. Since he enjoys woodworking he has been cutting the pieces of board for me. We both enjoying going to the local hardware/lumber store to search for appropriate wood substrates. I think this is the way most artists work - they experiment with different mediums and surfaces until they find something that works for them or that speaks to their heart. My intent is to make affordable pieces of art that most people can acquire. There is no point in making a painting that the folks i would like to inspire cannot afford to buy. That's the cool thing about prints, cards and magnets - most people can afford 20 dollars or less (my happy number).

On Sunday we had some friends over (we had two gatherings)for a barbecue. We were blessed with another sunny day. As you can see i'm getting as much mileage as possible from my 20 dollar dress! I tend to do that.....i wear the thing constantly for a week or two and then temporarily lose it. When it's found again i'm so excited - just like opening a present at Christmas!

Where ideas come from....oh so Transcendental
Check out these interesting videos with David Lynch and Donvan. They discuss where ideas come from. As you may recall Donovan was a famous folk singer popular in the 60's and 70's. Both Donovan and David Lynch credit TM Transcendental Meditation for helping them to be more creative. When i was 14 i took up TM and yoga and i can say that my 14th year was my happiest teenage year of my life. There must be something to what David and Donovan are advocating.

Glitter dots grace this sign called "Grace"

My dumpster dive table is forever being embellished - this time with checks and dots!

The heart table wanted dots too!

My swing was begging for dots!

Even my ladder could not escape my dot rampage!

Am i obsessive compulsive or what? There i was yesterday deciding to add checks to my dumpster dive table when the turquoise dots on top wanted white dots (i like to call them orbs). With paintbrush in hand i gleefully surveyed my yard and thought "What else can i dot?" Well as you can see i dotted several other garden furniture pieces! A sign i had made the night before to remind myself to embrace the qualities of grace wanted glitter dots. Now the yard looks pretty magical resplendent in dots! Mr. G laughed as he was talking to his daughter on the phone. He said "Violette's in the yard with a paintbrush looking to see what else she can paint with dots!"

Imperfect dots
As i was happily painting away my "inner Martha" intruded and said "Hey......those dots aren't perfect, in fact some of them look positively square!" I replied "i don't care, they are supposed to be folkart dots and don't have to be perfect!" Martha was silent after that and i joyfully finished the dotting rampage!

It really doesn't cost that much to beautify (i know i know....beauty is totally subjective) your home - a bit of paint, creativity and fearlessness is all you need really. After i had embellished the yard i sat back with a glass of wine - surveyed the yard and smiled. Finding joy in the simple things is what i'm after and this weekend "dots" brought me so much JOY!

The Pursuit of Joy
Find out what brings you joy and add a bit of that to your day....it could be dots, or glittery nailpolish, or sitting reading in a hammock sipping some iced tea, writing a story or making art with discards! The pursuit of joy is an admirable pursuit - joy will find you when you open up to seeing the beauty and wonder in simple things.

Yesterday i had company over for drinks and appys. My friend Susan was one of the guests. She had mentioned to me the night before that she had bought a wonderful long dress for only 20 dollars on sale. You can get some pretty awesome bargains during the Summer sales - it always strikes me as funny that right in the middle of summer the stores are anxiously trying to get rid of their summer stock to make way for Fall clothing.

My Happy Number 20
So anyways, you might recall that my happy number is 20 dollars - my eyes lit up when i heard "only 20 dollars". So i went out and bought a long dress for 20 dollars not knowing that it was the exact same one that Susan had bought. I had a sneaky suspicion that she would wear the dress last nite and of course i wanted to wear mine too! I thought about how most women are horrified if they walked into a party and another woman had the exact same dress as she did. Oh the horror.....the horror! What's up with that anyways? Who cares? Does it really matter? When Susan was a young Dress Design student many moons ago she and her roommate would sew funky outfits and go out clubbing together. Sometimes they would go to the washroom together and emerge wearing each others clothing. They had a blast! They would also go out together wearing the same outfits they had just sewn.

If your sense of self is intact it doesn't really matter what you or the other person is wearing. We are all unique and bring a certain style or feel to a garment based on our presence, the way we carry ourselves and what we exude. Next time you wear a certain outfit and feel good about yourself have a friend take a picture of you. Then pull out other photos of yourself where the same garment is worn. Notice if you look different in the photos based on how you felt that day.

What you notice if you look closely will most likely amaze you.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Love, Violette xoxo