Tuesday, December 25, 2012

merry christmas


may the spirit of christmas bring you peace
 the gladness of christmas give you hope
 the warmth of christmas grant you love
 unknown
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wishing everyone
a very merry christmas
and all the best for 2013
 nancy

Monday, December 17, 2012

encaustic class

i love creating texture
practicing techniques and learning new ones
sometimes by accident
sometimes i have an idea and other time it just happens
and it always makes me happy when someone loves what i do
this time i made something just for me

above, the start of my canvas and details of the sky and ground

this symbol is from a book that was given to me from a shaman in new orleans
i am beginning to understand and it has inspired me to create this painting
not sure where i will hang, somewhere special for sure

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

instant glam part 2

i just couldn't wait to get this all put together
(see previous posting)
yesterday  carmi posted some wonderful creations
it's amazing to see that everyone started with the same elements
and created such different and unique pieces
more will be posted today so go and check them out

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

instant glam challenge ........ you decide

my friend carmi mailed me this wonderful set of instant glam by fernando
with a challenge, what would you do with these?!
of course the wheels have been turning ever since and i could have come up
with at least 10 different ideas ( i could really go off the rails with this)
but since it is "glam" i thought i should keep to that theme
 i narrowed it down to 2
but before i get out my drill and start the assemblage process
i though i would see which one you liked

of course i got out the wire and started twisting
the first one is very symmetrical and looks like a lotus to me
it might even look good with a photo of a painting inside
and then layered with resin??

the second, i got a little carried away and then scaled it back a bit
there is something i like about an asymmetrical design
let me know what you think
i will finish it off later this week and post the finished design

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

free form crochet

since discovering free form crochet earlier this year
i've been on a roll
using up all of my leftover yarn and then looking for more interesting yarns
also learning new patterns
pinterest is a great resource for finding tons of information, websites
patterns and like minded people
i've joined an online yahoo group just for free form crochet

i love making these purses
i had a hard time finding handles and the ones i did
where the wrong color, too big or just plain ugly
so i figured a way to make my own
out of piping cord and yarn
problem solved!!
i also found these wonderful magnetic snaps

i usually start with a color palette 
then the fun begins
making tons of shapes until i have enough  to start sewing together 
some day i will make something bigger
perhaps a coat!!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

more tree pins

i couldn't resist
i had to try a few color variations

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

i said it
you heard me
(for some the dreaded "c" word)
only 34 days til christmas
what are you doing to get ready??
i designed this tree pin for a class i taught yesterday

i was like a kid in a candy store picking out all the elements
( oh, what i could do if i where locked up in this place........
like one of santa's elves, i would get so much work done)
a little wire, a mix of swarovoski and crystal beads,
and a pin to finish it off
the possibilities are endless
i think i will make one in every color

shape wire into a tree, add beads and pin
easy peasy

another alternative
since i had a few metal complex items on hand
and a wonderful letter set given to me from carmi

Thursday, November 15, 2012

sunset glory

just when you think it can't get any better!!!
stop and look again

it always amazes me just how quickly the sky can change in just a few minutes
i just wish it could last a little longer
it always makes my day


is it just me or does this look like a scene from "gone with the wind" ??

Monday, November 12, 2012

playing with fire

being  inspired by patricia baldwin seggebruch  new book 
and since i already have a blow torch
i decided to try her wood glue burn technique
who new glue could look so wonderful after a few minute
(above, wood board and painter tape covered with glue, remove tape then torch
until glue bubbles and wood burns- details of the experiment)
i love the texture it created!!
and once i ran out of glue i switched back to shellac
(below, top left-metal powders mixed with shellac over wax
top right-shellac over wax, wax rolled rose and paper
bottom left - metal inks on wood first , wax and then shellac burn
bottom right-metal power mixed with shellac on wax)

Monday, November 5, 2012

encaustic class


this weekend i had the change to wear my teachers hat
(above my class project)
it was a wonderful group of women
and  fun to see everyone get excited about working with this medium

everyone had they own take and did lovely work
i think i've created a few wax addicts!!
(above some of the students work)
a special thanks to barb for hosting this class

Thursday, November 1, 2012

candy coma



in the past , i've only had a few trick or treaters
but this years was sadies (my goddaughter) first real year
i wanted to do something special and saw these great grab bags using latex gloves
so a trip to the candy store later i was busy making and eating
and of course beanie was around to help
i only got 6 visitors and now i have to get rid of all this candy
(i really can't eat anymore ,the candy hangover is bad this morning)
photos taken i my iphone

Sunday, October 28, 2012

picture perfect

i can take photos all day long and find a few that i'm happy with
last sunday the conditions where wonderful
a stormy sky, fall colors. and soft lighting
as i drove back home along hwy 7 i came around a soft bend in the road
and there it was the "perfect setting|"
for a second i thought "damn i should stop......no time, i've been out all day
next time......no , when will there be a next time, and will it be this good??
i quickly did a U turn and got this shot
and glad i took the extra time to enjoy the scenery

Friday, October 26, 2012

liquid gold

in case you were wondering this is what 32 pounds of bees wax looks like
i'm teaching encaustic classes at busy b's this month
when i ran out i called my connection  only to find out that this hasn't been a
good year for bees and a small harvest
i drove to peterborough to get 10 pounds and ended up with a lot more!!
(because you will never know when you may run out!!)

photos from my demo and last class
everyone got their hands "wet"
and now they are ready to take it to the next level
i look forward to this sunday's class

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

scenes of fall









scenes from the farm in port perry
more on my flickr page here

Sunday, October 21, 2012

encaustic class

sometimes when you just don't know where to start
it is best to go back to the basics
today's class was an experiment in layering photos and multiple photo transfers

the simplicity of the black and white made it easy concentrate on the photos

which eventually lead me to creating some texture
and keeping with the b/w theme
i created some fun combinations

Saturday, October 13, 2012

creative festival

this years creative festival for me was all about fiber arts
last year as i wondered the show i discover gio gaudet
and his wonderful felted coats
so this year when he was offering a class
i was excited to sign up
his work is amazing and now i appreciate just
how much work goes into one piece
------
my second class was creating texture and dimension

this is something i can do while watching tv
hopefully i will finish my sample before christmas!!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

clearing my head

with a hundred things on my mind
classes to take (at the creative festival) and
teach  (encaustic at busy b's and christmas tree pin at john bead),
 which also includes lesson plans, kits and samples
crocheting, putting the garden to bed and
all my regular chores and work
i needed a little break
and nothing works better than a walk on the beach
the water always sooths my soul
above a photo taken on my iphone of the luety lifeguard station
using the "hefe" action in instagram

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

i really don't know clouds..................

when i first arrived in the parking lot for dinner
i thought cool clouds and took this picture
i stopped and wondered, how does this happen
they all seemed to be moving into  the setting sun
as i pondered i thought when i get home i will google and find out
by the time i got to the end of the parking lot i turned to look again
things had changed, dramatically
what a difference 4 minutes will make
-----
when i got home i googled and found out that
i really don't know clouds at all

Sunday, September 23, 2012

back to school-encaustic class

where did the summer go??
i can't believe it was time to get back in the groove
but at the same time it seems like a long time since i've done any painting
it was nice to get out the brushes and wax out again !!!

today's class was all about texture
 inspired by all the pottery i found while visiting antique/flea markets this summer

i was forced to work with color combinations that i would never consider

and some colors i never use

lots of layers , scrapping and the mini blow torch gave this piece an interesting effect

 
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