Finding Some Balance

Life is very full right now! I am ever so grateful!
I am wearing a lot of hats and am trying to remember to breathe and enjoy all that I am doing!
Teaching, making art, working, preparing for a 50th anniversary party (my parents), watching my beautiful daughter leave middle school behind and move on to high school and finding time to spend with family and friends, all good things! I am feeling very lucky and trying to remember to be in the moment and not think too much about the future or the past.
I am finding time to make art (see A Piece of Art a Day Challenge, June 1, 2009), not everyday but most days. Here is one example!
Hope you are enjoying your summer and remember to breathe and enjoy!

Summertime is Calling!

Summertime means summer camps - a rite of passage for so many kids and families! So my focus for the last few days has been planning and preparing for summer camp...well camps!

This summer, I am expanding my teaching horizons with two new opportunities and I am very excited! I get to play and teach and watch great kids come up with some really cool creations! Does it get better than that?

July is camp month for me. First, I will be at Summer Stage in South Portland. Next, I will travel to South Burlington Vermont for a week.as a teaching artist at the School House Summer Camp. Then, at the end of the month I will be teaching and hopefully inspiring another group of summer campers at the Fiddlehead Center for the Arts in Scarborough! The last two camps feature the fiber arts so we will be batiking, marbling, painting, embellishing, playing, making masks! For more information check out their websites!

Are you a grown-up looking for some summer fun? Check out the classes at Artascope Studios! I will be teaching classes there in June, July and August and they offer many more classes with many talented artist / teachers. Check them out on the web!

A Piece of Art A Day Challenge

Creating a new piece of art everyday, I know that this sounds like a simple thing to do especially for someone who make their living as an artist! I have felt like lately creating new work is getting a bit lost! Between what I need to do to promote my business, teaching, taking care of my family and working a part time job I have not been working on the new as much I would like! What to do?
I am going to challenge to myself to create a piece of art a day. Draw, paint, batik, big, small, does not matter, just that I create something new! My hope is to change my focus and develop a new habit. I will plan to post some of my favorites in the future. Want to join me? Let me know!!
Interestingly enough I just found this great source of inspiration for my challenge while reading the Design Sponge! The Museum of Pocket Art which features business card size art promoting the idea that everyone should be able to carry great art with them to inspire and share! Check out both sites! Stay tuned and get creating!

Dance Design

It is that time of year when the slower pace of winter melts away and life becomes very busy! End of school year events like concerts, dances, art shows, recitals, drama performances and parades absorb my attention and time. As busy as it gets I do love this time of year!
Recently, I have been working on a new design that I will use to make pins and necklace charms. I will be selling the pins and necklaces to raise some money to go towards recital costs for my daughter's dance school. It is one of the favorite things I do during the year.
Here is hoping you also get to enjoy a performance or art show of your favorite dancer, musician or young artist!

Dreaming Of My New Garden

Every year in the spring I start to spend a lot of time outside in the garden. First I clean it up, pull off the leaves and then discover what of my perennials are going to make it back for another season. Next I plant the seeds, taking a casual approach with a loose plan. This year I am hoping to find the time to expand my garden and create a back yard full of lilies, sunflowers, morning glories, marigolds, columbine, nastrium and maybe even some veggies!

I took these photos at the recent Portland Flower Show, it was a beautiful show. Hopefully these photos will inspire my imagination so I can create a new and colorful oasis for me, my family and friends! I also think in these photos and later the growing garden there will be inspiration for a painting or two! Happy Spring!

Next Steps for Design 2

I am starting to work on the fabric with design number two. I have painted the stars with a yellow dye. The next step will be to paint the stars with wax to protect the yellow. Then dye the fabric in a blue dye bath later this week.

Painting with Dye

Back to work now that spring vacation is done! Spring has arrived so I can work outside!
Here are the photos of the next steps of the batik process. I am painting on the dye today. Here is the waxed fabric before I start to paint.





I have started to paint with yellow paint that I will mix with some blue to create green.







Adding some green paint now to fill in the leaves.









Now I am painting the back ground with the bright blue paint.









Here is a close up of the finished piece of fabric. After drying for 24 hours I will rinse it out with hot water to remove the soy wax and excess dye.










The finished fabric. More steps to come soon!