ArtFest lovely

I thought I better put in an appearance so the rumors don't get too out of hand about blogville these days. Actually, I've really enjoyed having Rob posting here. It's fun to read what he writes about our lives. We are both getting so jazzed about this trip to New Zealand (swine flu outbreaks excepted!). Take off is just over two weeks away! How did that happen? Time always flies when I'm busy.

Another example of flying time is how long it's been since ArtFest. I've been so busy planning for this trip and working extra hours so I have enough vacation time that I can hardly believe it's only been three weeks since I got home from that adventure.

I finally got a good picture of the present I bought myself at vendor night. Isn't it great? The swirlies at the top are what sold me though the bird drew me in to start.

I bought it from Melissa Manley who my group actually met the first year we went to ArtFest. She and her partner, Robert, stayed in the same house as us. I always make sure to check out her goodies at vendor night. (Last year I purchased some pretty earrings from her.) When I saw this birdy necklace, I knew I wanted it. The only issue I had was it seemed too long. Melissa graciously obliged my request to shorten it (and put on a slightly more hardy clasp since I am prone to break them). Unfortunately that meant I had to wait for her to make the changes and mail it to me afterwards. There was no instant gratification but it certainly brightened my day when the package arrived in the mail!

Ok, one more ArtFest photo because it brings back the memory of a lovely day spent with my art buddies, Joanne and Sue. Sue has also been my roomie the last two years and she took this "action" shot of me and Joanne.

I'm baaack!

I'm back from ArtFest and nearly caught up on life at home. Rob reminded me tonight that I should post something soon. (Guess who's caught the blogging bug?)

ArtFest at Port Townsend was another great experience. This was the third year for my group to attend. We added a couple of newbies to the crowd, a few of whom I knew and had a super time catching up with in the evenings over glasses of wine and whiskey. I also got to spend extra time in North Bend on either end of the trip which was an added bonus.

How about some pictures of the art I created? I'm only going to post a few of them, the ones I like best, of course!

This one was created in two phases, day 1 - environmentally friendly paint making with Karen Michel*, and day 2 - an encaustic class with Judy Wise **. My friend, Elisabeth, had taken a similar encaustic class on day 1 and when she saw this piece, she highly recommended that I take it with me on day 2 for the beeswax treatment. I think it really finishes the piece. Now, where to hang it...

* I bought a couple of prints from her, too, at the vendor night. Delicious.
** You can see more pictures from her classes on her blog that I've linked to.

This collage was created in the day 1 class. I loved the rich red background and the flower seemed like a good compliment to it. I had then glued down the squares along the edge. From there I knew I wanted to attach the charm in the middle and asked Karen for her advice. She made a suggestion and I went with it. Nice, eh?

This was the first piece I started in the day 2 class. I ended up working on 3-4 pieces simultaneously in this class. In part this happened to allow the wax to harden a bit. I was also facing a bit of a creative block and switching among various layouts helps me get past them. I ended up liking this one quite a bit.

And this lovely item is from my day 3 class. I was a bit stressed about this day. Thankfully, I had two art buddies, Joanne and Sue, by my side. Their support got me through and I had a better day than I thought I would.

You may not be able to tell but this is an altered cigar box. Not just any cigar box but one procured for me by my delightful Gretchen. =) Thank you dear, it was just perfect. Can't wait to show you in person.

And this is the inside of the above box. The guts aren't quite complete. Come to think of it, neither is the outside. There's my project to putter on during the summer. In spite of my fears of this class, I am pleased with the outcome.

I've posted some other photos I took during the weekend if you're interested in seeing them, click here.

That about wraps it up for ArtFest 2009. It was certainly an event to remember. Can't wait to see what unfolds for next year...

ArtFest and the Rites of Spring

While some rites of Spring are Universal, others are definitely personal. Last weekend we witnessed the spring migration of the snow geese and the trumpeter swans. As one of my favorite ecologists once observed,

"One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring."
Aldo Leopold
Definitely Universal!

This week, Jenn joined her friends to participate in ArtFest . Definitely personal, but no less important. It is talked about, called about, emailed and prepared for as soon as the packets arrive for next year's festival. She left Tuesday and will return Monday night.

Tiika and I do our own spring ritual. Her idea of spring is to run through the woods and discover all the wonderful goodies that the melting snow reveals. I follow along and try to keep her from rolling in the worst of it. If not, there's a stop at the river on the way home and she swims with the ice floes. However, this is Springtime in the Rockies, which brings up another quote:

"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month."
- Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman's Luck, 1899

One day we went out and the weather looked like this . It was nice hiking in shorts and a t-shirt.


Tiika always likes to stay in front, but I'm not sure if she ever notices the sky.




I do and thought we might have a different hike today. Sure enough,
this is what it looked like when we opened the door this morning.













I hiked in fleece pants and a pair of gaiters. It will be like this through April and I've been snowed on in July, which brings up the last quote:


"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."
- Robert Frost

This is why you'll find both fleece pants and a pair of shorts in my pack. Oh, to be Tiika, who seems to be perfectly dressed all year long and can swim any time she likes! This is fun, but we both really miss Jenn. The last picture is of, in my humble opinion, the two best hiking partners on the planet!

spiral floor cloth

This is the picture I've been promising of the floorcloth I made at ArtFest this year. Cool, huh? I really like it and can't wait to have a space to put it where I can admire it on a regular basis.

In case you can't read the quote, it says: "Moment to moment, surrender is the choice to open up to what is actually going on inside us and around us. It is the most profound form of alignment with reality -- and it opens us to love."

I got a chance to do some art this afternoon. It is to be a gift for one of my AOE teammates. I'm 90% done with it. I think she's going to like it. I'm liking it at this point. I wanted to get started on it right away so that I could put it in the mail to my team coach before next Saturday's meeting. I'll try to remember to scan it before I mail it off.

Rob's making a quick chili for dinner tonight. It smells divine. I think I'll go offer him a beer for his troubles and keep him company in the kitchen.

monthly report

Um, yeah, I can't even honestly say I am posting monthly right now. I think about it often and then just don't put the energy into do it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I'm thinking about it.

In the meantime, I want to share a couple of pictures from ArtFest. I am still so completely happy with the pieces I created this year. In many ways, it was an even better experience than last year. I had an art buddy/friend in each of my classes which definitely enhanced my experience. I also had way less angst about our upcoming move so my mood in general was more upbeat. What a difference a year makes.

The first class I took was from Anahata Katkin called Mixed Media Mandalas. We worked on 24" x 24" canvases. This is the largest I have ever worked and was nervous about it. I didn't need to be. Anahata is a great teacher and the class was fast paced with no time to worry about how to fill the space. (She is also behind the fabulous company, Papaya! that she runs with her mom from Ashland, OR. You've probably seen her work at your favorite independent card store.)

What do you think of my finished piece? We are still trying to decide where to hang it. I'm still lovin' it.

My second class was with Lynne Perrella, a perennial favorite at ArtFest. She offers the same class all three days and they are always full. My first book purchase when I began doing collage art was Alphabetica so I was thrilled to get into her class this year.

This was another large canvas day, more along the lines of 40" x 30". Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that piece. It is kind of dark and chaotic but colorful with lots of movement and texture. It it's easier to show in person and travels fairly easily so I can bring it on our next road trip.

My third and final class was a floor covering class with Judy Wise, an artist out of Canby, OR. Honestly, that was part of my draw when I started reading her blog, the fact that she lives in Oregon. I continue reading because I enjoy her art, her art journaling and her story telling.

And again, I found myself working large in this class. The canvases she prepared for us were, I believe, 28" x 34". I amazed myself with how I filled the space without too much worrying. The hardest part for me was the placement of the words. I wish I had done it slightly different than the final result but I love it anyway. It all worked out just fine. (That was my mantra, btw, for the whole time I was at ArtFest. You can ask Joanne and Elisabeth, I muttered it quite a bit.)

There is a great photo of my floorcovering on Judy's blog (ArtFest 4, I think) but it seems to have gotten corrupted or something and I can't get it right now. If I can get it, I'll come back and post it later, like, probably next week. To build the suspense, enjoy the shot of Elisabeth (sitting, in pink) and I working away, side by side.

So there, now you know something about ArtFest this year. You feel all caught up, don't you? Ok, I don't either but I'm done being in front of the computer for now.

ttfn

busy but not much to report

Things are pretty busy here right not but there isn't much real movement yet to report.

I leave for ArtFest in just a smidge over two weeks. It's one of those things that takes forever to get here and then all of a sudden I have a lot to do to get ready. Kind of like Christmas.

This year is different from last year in that I am flying one-way to Seattle, attending the festivities and then driving back with Rob since he'll be in Seattle for a different event. I'm glad the dates worked out that way even though it's a bit of a pain for me in the prepping stages. I don't want to chance anything getting pulled from my luggage supply-wise so am shipping most of them in advance to a friend's house (thanks Elisabeth!).

Also, I don't have the "first time, what's it going to be like?" jitters. I can see two big differences from last year: a new roomie and where Rob and I are in our move process.

First, I am going to miss Robyn terribly. She's one of my favorite people to spend time with and was a great person to share space with. On the other hand, I'm really looking forward to meeting Sue. I'm glad to extend my circle. From the pictures I've seen, she's an amazing artist and from our emails, she's a kind person.

And second, since we are in a much better place in regards to our move, I feel a bit lighter in general. We have plans and are about to jump into one of the best support mechanisms I know. Things are looking and feeling brighter.

In addition to all this ArtFest activity, things at work have been thrown into flux. Our new GIS person starts on the 24th. This is exciting but will also be a demand on the whole department's time over the next several months as he gets settled and begins planning our transition. I took an intro to GIS course last week so hopefully I can be helpful to him and my boss in translating things. (Also, it left me feeling pretty good about future possibilities in the work realm.)

The other bit of news is that my co-worker has decided to leave the organization and pursue his dreams. I am excited and happy for him. At least I am now that I got over being mad at him for leaving. He is so easy to work with, I just don't know how anyone else will measure up. My boss and I are in the process of figuring out how to accomplish this and we know it is going to be an even bigger disruption to our timeline of tasks. Big picture, it's going to be a crazy busy time for us over the next several months.

As usual, I had more to write than I thought when I first sat down...

Have a lovely Sunday.

ArtFest trades

These are the inchies I've made to trade* at ArtFest this year. As the name implies, each of them measure 1" square. They have been fun to make though more time consuming than I originally thought they would be. I have 19 of them finished, and another 64 in process. Of those in process, 20ish are half done and the rest a third done.

Last year I made way too many charms (or perhaps I didn't trade enough!). I still have a bunch of them left. I just don't know what to do with them. If I have these inchies left over I feel much more confident that I will use them after ArtFest in my journals or something.

* So what is this "trade" thing? It's an informal activity at ArtFest as a way to share our art, communicate our loves and meet people. At least that's the way I interpret it. There seems to be a vast movement among this type of artist to make things and share/exchange/swap them with each other. I was nervous about it last year and I probably will be again at first this year. However, after approaching a few people and being warmly greeted, I started to get the buzz and enjoyed myself quite a bit.

we're tired

As you can see, we are kind of tuckered out here. Tiika is tired from playing with her Valentine's Day toy from Grandma. She always sends the best ones. Thanks!

Rob is still dealing with being sick. He went to the doctor on Friday though and got some super cough medicine that is making it easier for him to get some rest.

I am going to spend the day doing housekeeping chores. Tomorrow is all about playing. I have a gift certificate I need to spend and I intend to bring out the inchies I am making for ArtFest trades. If I have enough finished, I'll scan them in and share here.

This morning I finished reading a really good book, Free Food for Millionaires. It is about a Korean family in New York. At times I didn't want to put it down, I was pulled along wanting to know more. My favorite kind of read.

The weather here has been warmer. It is actually more of a problem when taking hikes. You never know when you step if it is going to be slippery or if your foot is going to fall through a drift disguised as the path. It is almost more tiring to go out now.

Not much else to report for now. It's been slow and quiet here. Spring is just around the corner and with it, a flurry of activity: a trip to Portland and the coast, a class for work and ArtFest just to name the biggies.

Hope all is well with you. Off to get something done today...

mish mash, catch up

I've been meaning to post this link for over a week now and keep running out of time. I am putting it first so no more excuses! It's a short piece on a place of great interest to us these days. Safety counts, ya know. Thanks, Cassie! (The only thing I can't figure is why it's under weird news...)

Yesterday I took my first run with another person (other than the two "races" I've entered and one training run with Rob when I was in better shape than I am today). It was interesting and hard. She seemed challenged to go at my slow pace. Regardless, I had a hard time conversing with her and kept shooting questions her way so she had to talk and not me. The frustrating part was that she would toss questions my way that I really wanted to answer so I had to wheeze out my words.

I mentioned my slow pace, right? I don't think I could go any slower without walking. As long as I'm not talking, which I'm usually not since I go alone or with Tiika who doesn't converse with me that way, I feel fine about my pace. I think it's simply a matter of getting in better shape. I'm planning to ask my friend if she'd be willing to run with me every couple of weeks or so because I think this might be a good way for me to measure my fitness progress.

Last weekend I got a good start on my ArtFest trades, both the ones I'm doing only for my housemates and also the inchies I'm doing for general trading. I'd like to spend some time this weekend puttering on them. When I have some inchies finished, I intend to post pictures. The other ones are going to be a surprise so no pictures. I like doing things for people that will be even slightly unexpected.

I'd say that wrap things up for now. Have a great weekend!

bonus

For as grumpy as I've been about work lately, I have to admit I had a nice time at the celebration dinner on Monday night. Especially the next morning when I opened the envelope I was given that evening. It was a bonus, something I had a hunch (and a hope!) was coming. The delightful surprise was the amount. After taxes, it is just short of what I owe for ArtFest (before taxes it was more than enough, dang taxes!).

As soon as I deposit my bonus, I will be sending off a check for the final payment so I won't even have to think about it anymore. I can then focus more on putting together my supplies. This year ought not be quite so daunting since I have most of the basics and my classes mostly require basics with a few frills throw in for spice. Honestly, I still have a few things I bought last year that haven't even been touched!

one concert or two?

I've had a minor dilemma to mull over this weekend. I am currently holding a ticket to two major concerts coming here: Elton John and James Taylor. When it was just Elton John, I could sort of justify the cost. It was just one ticket (it happens this Friday while Rob is still in Canada). It would be a lot of fun, great social event, yada yada. And it's only once in a while these opportunities work out.

And then I discovered James Taylor was also coming to town. I have been wanting to see him in concert for over 10 years. It just hasn't ever worked out for one reason or another. This time isn't quite perfect either. As luck would have it, Rob is out of town again* when JT is here. And yet, I still really wanted to go so I made arrangements to go with some friends of ours and picked up tickets last week.

Now my dilemma. It simply seems too extravagant to go to both concerts. Especially since I just got signed up for ArtFest. I could probably buy most, if not all, of my ArtFest supplies for the cost of the EJ ticket.

I bought an EJ cd on Saturday that came with a dvd of some concert footage to help me decide if it was worth it. I found that while the concert looked good, I wasn't all that drawn in. On the other hand, when I put in my JT concert dvd, I am moved as much as the first time I watched it five years ago.

I'm bummed at the idea of missing a great friend event on Friday night but I think my decision has been made.

*Yes, unbelievable as it sounds, Rob will be out of town that weekend, too. He *never* goes on solo trips and leaves me at home. Amazing coincidence these two events should occur while he's gone. I did get to talk to him about the JT concert. He was disappointed he would miss it but encouraged me to go anyway.

got some sleep

We got mostly unpacked last night and hit the hay early. Not early enough to completely offset the deficit but enough to function somewhere near normal today. Tonight is laundry and another goal of getting to bed early. I also intend to work on the photos from the week so I can post a few of them and tell a story or two. =)

I am very close to having my ArtFest classes chosen, too. Yipee!! I'm starting to feel anxious about getting back to creating and am looking forward to the cool hours of Saturday morning to play in my art space.

super smoky

Dang, it's super smoky out there this morning. I can almost taste it. Yuck! Here's a recent article from the Missoulian newspaper: Mile Marker 124 Fire.

I checked out the ArtFest listings yesterday. Hoo boy, some days are going to be really hard to choose. I've printed out the descriptions for the classes that jumped out at me first so I can read them on the drive over to Seattle tomorrow. Yipes, we leave tomorrow! Guess I should get around to packing now then, eh?

I wanted to post a new favorite picture of Will but realized I don't have one here at home. They are on my computer at work. Time to get them home!

.ttfn.

cooler

I woke up this morning at 2 to the smell of smoke and feeling chilled. The first was a drag but the second was very welcome indeed. Apparently the winds have shifted overnight and the smoke from the Mile Marker 124 fire was coming in through the blower/fan we had running. The good news is that when I took Tiika out this morning it was a chilly 63 degrees F rather than the balmy 76 degrees F we've been having. Yippee!

Today is August 1st, the day the ArtFest 2008 class list is revealed. Oooo, I can't wait to check it out. I've already got a couple of teachers in mind that I'd like to take a class from and a new (better, I hope) strategy for getting the classes I want.

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the artiste at work

I was very fortunate that a woman (thanks, Kim!!) in my second day class took my picture as I was working on my favorite project of the weekend - my diva fairy. Do I look like I'm having fun or do I look a little buzzed? I know I fairly wolfed down my lunch to get back to her.

Rob likes this picture in particular because it shows my wedding ring. =)

And then there is the close up.

(I'm not sure how this multiple picture posting is going...I can't see very much of my post at a time and it's rather frustrating because the pictures keep moving. I hope it looks ok your screens.)

That's it for now. Happy Easter to all.

back from ArtFest

Woohoo! What a great time. ArtFest was fantastic. As a group, even before we took our first day of classes we were already talking about what we would do when we came back next year. This is a good sign. We had great weather, only got sprinkled on Friday evening. All the other days were lovely.

This is the view we had from the porch of our house. The only other pictures I took were of one of my pieces in progress for future projects and a few pieces from the Saturday Show and Tell. I wish I had gotten a picture of all the art our house produced. Next year!!

My first class, Mixed Media Naturalist, was pretty low key and I was almost disappointed. We used a fair amount of chemicals, at least in my view, and I can't imagine setting that up for myself. The intense ink would be fun to do with some other people on a summer afternoon. I do like the journal cover I started though. I also liked the teacher and would consider taking another one of her classes.

The second class, Diva Fairies, was my favorite. Lots more movement, colors everywhere and a nearly finished Diva Fairy. I have some more details I want to add to her and then she's ready to hang in a window. I'm even thinking about making another one or two. I need to order some of the great liquid watercolor paint we used.

I knew my third class, Watercolor Self Portraits, was going to be a challenge for me skillwise since I have never used watercolors in any formal way. I have a pan set I've played with a little but that was it. My final project turned out ok. The more I look at it, the more I can appreciate it and consider trying again. When I walked away from the class I was trying to figure out how I was going to unload the paints I've already bought. We'll see.

All in all, I am so glad I went. I would be one bumming chick if I'd missed it. It is definitely on my radar as an annual event. In addition to the classes being what they were, I am so grateful to have gone with such a loving group of friends. It was wonderful to spend so much time with each of them. I look forward to the day when this is something that can happen more easily for me on a more regular basis. As fabulous as annual events are, I want more of these experiences with these people on a more frequent basis.

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thinking about

I'm thinking about using this image for the back of my contact cards. I have to decide very soon. Comments?

edit: I've been working on the type for the back of these cards, using the official ArtFest logo as well. I didn't realize until I had them side by side how similar my girl figure is to the logo. Especially odd since I didn't even see the girl in my piece until I had scanned it. It scanned lighter than it is in real life. In its beginnings, this was a totally random piece.