Washi-tape folly

Aren't they beautiful?  I had such fun making these.  They really are quite easy, although... we'll see if they are useable!  I love the real washi-tape invention from Japan.  I found little stickers many years back in a bookstore made from Japanese fabric and just loved them... journey to the future, the invention has become a fad.  I made this sampling of tapes for a swap with my artsy friends at 14secrets.  Can't wait to receive mine in the mail!

My little forest spirit doll...

Isn't she precious?  I just love her and how she magically came together. I pick up branches and pieces of wood on my walks and then get inspired to use them...  Sometimes they sit in my work space for a long while before they take on their personalities and draw just the right materials to them.  This one so synchronistically came together while I was teaching a little class on creative fun with the fairies.  I love her energy!

Art doll swap loot

This is a nifty art doll I received from my friend Jessie Koenigsberg in a 14secrets swap.  I just love her and the energy she brings to my office.  The doll is so full of bright, light, sparkle and energy.  There are so many winged wonders accompanying this angel and Jessie sagely added a bilingual quote from Jane Austen: Wisdom is better than wit.  Sagesse vaut mieux que vivacité d'esprit.  
I truly treasure this little wonder!  Thank you, Jessie! 

Tree Spirit Doll

This is a little tree spirit doll that I made for a friend.   I also found a nifty wooden box, that I got on vacation in Normandy this year. I love French boxes.  They are such works of art.  This one came with madeleines in it.  This little spirit doll is full of magic and symbols.  The back of her head is a pinecone, which represents the pineal gland.  She is standing on a star, because we are all made of stardust, has a feather on her head for lightness.  An owl stands above her, in the upper branches to wisely guide her.  Her dress is made of silk and on her belt she carries the symbols of the turtle, which stands for Mother Earth and her wisdom, a key, a feather, and a moon.  She is also standing on a piece of amber, which again, carries the wisdom of the years in it.  Her body is fashioned from a tree branch I found on one of my many walks at the Parc de Rentilly.  It screamed to me, pick me up.  And I did, and the rest is history!

... And yet a few more....



And here are a couple more multi-media paintings that I did in my 
Gut Art class. I must like the number 3 as the top one again has 3 goddesses in it.  Can you spy them?  

 The second one as well... maybe even a fourth and the last one... well I'll let you decide. I like the movement in all of these... flow!


What is so cool is that the images make themselves out of the back ground.  Mystèle, what an incredible class.  I am already game to start the next round ;)

... And a bit more...


This is another GUT ART production, perhaps my favorite.  This is the first time I used palette knifes for painting.  Very fun!  They add a whole other dimension, not to mention texture.  This one was inspired by the artwork of Michael Banks.  His paintings are so imaginative and original. They all have a story to tell, like this one. His art has a naive quality and is full of truth, innocence, but also depth and simplicity.

A little bit of gut art...




This is an acrylic painting I did while in the wonderful workshop by Mystele Kirkeeng called GUT ART!  I heartily reommend it!  We get inspiration from the various virtual field trips she takes us on and from her own enlightened and fun techniques.  It is also about fun and excavating your personal muse/artist ;)  So this picture is of me and my sissies dancing under the full moon ;)  It was inspired by the field trip of Pilar Rios' work, a beautiful Chilean artist who paints strong female figures, but without faces.  I love it!

Cover

This is the paperbag book I made for the TAG, which I fill with elements I find in my travels. I made it with favorite scraps and materials.

TAG map

This is the map I made for the TAG (Travelling Artists Guild).  Notice in the first one, the form of a tree and in the one immediately above, just crystals that show the way through the dark.  It is a map of the underground.

The month of September

calendar page

This is the month of September that I created for our artcalendar group.  I absolutely loved the feel.  I had prepared the backgrounds in May!  Good thing because I was behind... and then used acrylic paint on stamps, cut out some dahlias from some beautiful fabric I got from joggles then edged them with painsticks.  They turned out to be symphonies of color which made my heart sing :)