There I was up to my elbows in raspberry jam, my all-time favorite, even better than chokecherry! I am fortunate to have a friend with raspberry bushes that are producing a bounty of berries this year, and she invited me to come pick them. The kitchen was overflowing with the sweet smell of raspberries and […]
THE ANNUAL AUTUMN FLURRY HAS BEGUN
At the first hint of cool mornings and turning leaves, I turn into the Energizer Bunny. I’ve never figured out why that is, but some of my best work has been done in the fall. I started this fall by rearranging my studio so that I will now be able to accommodate small classes of […]
ANIMALS WITH ATTITUDE 2015
You’ve seen the art in progress in the Up-Close and Personal post. Now see them all together. This 8″ x 8″ calendar will keep you entertained throughout the year with 13 colorful creatures. Liz graces the cover and is followed by 12 more up-close and personal portraits of her friends. Invite them into your home […]
ICE DYE ON A HOT DAY
I approached the BLT dye day with a plan, something I have not done before. On my list was to try ice dye, a shibori wrap I watched Ruth do at the SDA weekend, and to overdye some of the monoprinted fabric from the SDA weekend. This was a more productive way to approach the […]
IT WAS A GOOD DAY TO DYE
If you’ve been reading my blog for long, you know I love play dates with my artist friends. You have also seen the clothesline full of dyed fabrics. No clothesline this time, just stacks and stacks of awesome dyed, stamped, screen-printed, and painted fabrics. I kept the idea of “cultivate” foremost in my mind going […]
FEEDING THE SOUL
I have a confession. Tonight I was headed to a meeting of one of the alphabet soup groups of which I am a member. It doesn’t matter which. Halfway there I made a detour to get coffee. For most of the day, I had been answering email, making calls, juggling schedules for a number of […]
CULTIVATE UPDATE
Time to check in on that plan to cultivate. The third book on my reading list, The Practice and Science of Drawing, has been collecting dust. It keeps putting me to sleep. I should just skip to the next book on the list, Oil Painting Techniques and Materials, and come back to Drawing at another […]
MUSCLE MEMORY
I was reminded the other day that muscle memory is used in many areas of our lives. I read more books on my iPhone now than I do “real” books. When I picked up a book recently, I found myself tapping the page expecting it to turn. Then I had a rental car for a […]
BINDING MATTERS
While manning the SAQA table at the Denver National Quilt show, I was asked by a former student my opinion on the finishing of her quilt. We talked about doing a simple “Artist’s” binding or facing. To illustrate what I was talking about, I walked over to a quilt in the show by my friend […]
UNDER WRAPS
I’ve been working furiously in the studio. Too bad you can’t see what I’ve been doing. I have completed the first, and now I’m working on the second quilt, to submit to Raining Cats and Dogs in Houston. This is the same show that Drew was in last year with Best Friend. Since the show […]
BOUNCING AROUND IN MY BRAIN
Tonight as I was returning home from a seminar on mason bees and xeriscaping, my mind started bouncing around. This is not a good thing when you are driving the narrow, winding, and windy Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder. What got it going tonight was the happy convergence of a wonderful speaker painting pictures […]
WALKING IN THE JURORS’ SHOES
I had the privilege to be part of a panel of jurors for a local venue. The panel of seven jurors was tasked with picking 12 artists who will show in the gallery during the next year. I have to say that my first reaction upon being asked to do this was fear. Fear […]
LETTING THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG
One of the many hats I’ve been wearing for the last few years is that of exhibit assistant for three organizations. I donned this hat because I wanted to learn more about how an exhibit comes together and gets hung. I would like to share a little about what I’ve learned so far. Let’s […]
LIONS, LEOPARDS, AND BEARS! OH MY!
My Denver Zoo safari began with a chilly but very pleasant dark Sunday morning. Our class from Mike’s Camera gathered at the front gate to get our last instructions about types of lighting and shooting issues we might face and then off to the Tropical Discovery building. We were the first people in the building […]
FOR THE SHEER FUN OF IT
One of the perks of being a member of Front Range Contemporary Quilters (FRCQ) is access to the inexpensive workshops with an amazing array of FRCQ member teachers. So on a recent cold, snowy, windy morning I carefully made my way to Golden and the Mountaineering Center for a class taught my Melody Randol. I […]
WITH WHOM DO YOU SHARE A SANDBOX?
For a dedicated lone wolf, I’ve become quite good at sharing the sandbox. There is value in having a community of like-minded peeps. My sandbox is filled to the brim with critique groups, guilds, and artists of all kinds. But it is the critique groups—Boundless, BLT, SDA and the as-yet unnamed group—that keep me grounded […]
THE EXCITEMENT BUILDS
When there is only one three-day workshop you want at an “Urban Art Retreat,” you double-check everything to ensure that all the “i’s are dotted and the “t”s crossed. You also get up early the day early-bird registration opens so you can get it done and in the mail with the earliest postmark possible. So, […]
Up Close and Personal
Over time I have accumulated many photos that lend themselves to more intimate portraits. It is my intention to complete at least 12 of these up-close headshots in time for a 2015 calendar. Right now, I’m finishing up the fifth one of the series, and Sharif the Camel. So far I have Arturo the […]
Prepping the Soil
The end of January is creeping up, and it’s time to check in on my first month being guided by my word of the year, Cultivate. I’ve been tilling the soil and getting it prepped to receive some exciting seeds during the coming year. So far I have finished the first two books on my […]
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR
Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Do you choose a guiding word? Do you set goals? Or like me are you more concerned about where that bag of black-eyed peas is hiding? A typical New Year’s Day at my house is spent cooking the very important black-eyed peas and ham hocks, a tradition […]
THE 500 HATS OF BARBARA YATES BEASLEY
Are you familiar with the Dr. Seuss book The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins? It was a childhood favorite of mine. Every time Bartholomew took off his hat another would pop up larger and more extravagant than the one before. Until the 500th hat that so impressed King Derwin that he buys it for 500 […]