The Studio and New Hope Village

I have been asked to help New Hope Village - a wonderful facility where people with disabilities can live with dignity and support- create some sensory panels for their campus.

What is a sensory panel? Glad you asked-Our senses give us the information we need to function in this world- taste, smell, touch, sound,sight. People with disabilities often have one or more of their senses impaired thus keeping them from fully experiencing the world. Remember when you were a kid and you played with play dough or made mud pies or played in the sprinkler as if it were a rain shower? All of these are sensory experiences. For this project we will be creating panels with different textures, colors, and shapes for people to explore with their hands and eyes. Some panels will be able to create sounds and others smells...all in a non threatening way. (Sensory Fence)

Why did I volunteer my time and talent for such a project?

 AUTISM

It runs in my family. My oldest brother was not only autistic but severely mentally disabled. When he was alive places like New Hope Village did not exist. I wish they did.

My daughter has a form of autism as does my nephew. I am pretty passionate about working for people who just don't fit in. Autism is like that- you can't SEE anything but it's there. There were many tears watching Kelsey grow up. She had to work twice as hard to fit in, to make friends, to be 'normal'. ( Even though Kelsey and I both know that normal is just a cycle on the dishwasher!)

I have created a board on Pinterest filled with ideas for this project. I am planning on getting my art students involved in the project too!

You can help with this project. Vote for Artworks Studio HERE- your vote can help me win a grant to help renovate my studio to make more room for bigger projects like this one so I can give back to my community. Thank you!

DREAM BIG!

Why not? I mean what do you have to lose beside a little bit of time.

So that's what I did. I am competing with small businesses across America for a $50,000 grant from Intuit. You can help me win by voting for me. That red heart on my blog will help you do that.

What would I do with $50,000? oh my......

I would give my art room a total makeover. Currently I am teaching 90 private students in the studio. I love my art room but it could use some professional organizing instead of the hand-me-down make it work storage system I have now.

The drop ceiling would disappear and it would be painted white with a loft and a skylight that would OPEN for fresh air.



And then there would be organized storage all on one wall in one place! Everything would be labeled so each one of my students could find what they need!






I would have this professionally designed and done by my very dear NEW architect friend Kristen Greteman .

Dreams can come true can't they? If you vote for me you can help it happen.

Thank you!

Spread the word.

Is it over? Really?

I just realized school starts in a little over a week and I haven't DONE anything this summer.

Where does the time go?

375 kids participated in art and craft classes this summer. Some days were pretty wild and crazy but we had a lot of fun. And it doesn't seem like it but this is my last week of summer classes.

 
One of my new classes this summer was Altered Doll Houses. We used cigar boxes to create miniature doll houses. There were two haunted houses, one mermaid house and a couple of wodland fairy houses. Who says kids today don't have an imagination?

Some of the details they put into their houses was amazing. Somer's haunted house has fourtune telling room with a crystal ball and a glow in the dark lantern. Her rocking chair wasade out of balsa wood.


Katie's mermaid house has a bed a mermaid would be proud of. made from two scallop shells and a shiney blue and silver blanket. She also made a sea shell framed mirror with a drift wood shelf and an armoire for all those mermaid accessories. The other room in her house is where her mermaid keeps all her treasures. This one is a work in progress because we keep finding things that would be perfect in the treasure room and keep adding to it.

I like the use of wood slices for tables and chairs in Melissa's woodland fairy house. The window with the half circle at the top in the blue room has a magazine picture behind it of an outdoor woods scene. 

This summer we built sand castles out of sand clay, tree houses out of branches and wove rugs using old t-shirts. We created pictures from broken bits of glass and picture frames from sea shells. We painted t-shirts and decorated canvas tennis shoes and made headbands that anyone would love to wear. We altered books and records and made lanterns from cupcake liners.....

Ahhhh...summertime.....

AND just where have YOU been?

Iif you have stopped by the studio and have not found me here you are not stopping at the right time. It feels like I live here at times. Pulled a couple of late nights last week and went in over the weekend to get the place cleaned up. It was looking a bit rough around the edges out in the front room. In the meantime I have been working on some projects. I finally took the time to go out with my camera and play with it. Get to know it better.

I bought a new camera in December because my old one- which served me well- refused to work anymore. I didn't have the time to figure out all the new bells and whistles then so I was able to go out and do so today. I came across this in the lot behind the Mexican restaurant down the street. While messing around in photo shop I created this composition. My homage to Georgia O'Keefe. Her work is fascinating. She was an amazing woman who broke many biases and barriers in a male driven art world.



I also got a commission to create the cover for a children's musical CD called "Dogs, Frogs and Nature Songs" so I HAD to work on that piece because I had a deadline.

My inspiration for this piece was from one of my favorite artists/authors Eric Carle.  His work is so colorful and fresh and vibrant and ALIVE! Creating this piece made me appreciate his process even more. Most every line in the picture was made by cutting papers. Except the details around the dog face. I just couldn't cut the lines fine enough to make it look good.  And now they want me to create another piece for the CD itself- deadline Tuesday. I will get it done.

I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head it's good to finally get some of them out and onto paper.

where's the beach?

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--

Of cabbages--and kings--

And why the sea is boiling hot--

And whether pigs have wings......."

It's been a cold, wet rainy June-except when it's been over 90 with 98% humidity. Makes it hard to get outside and enjoy summer. So what do you do when you can't get to the beach?

You bring the beach to you! That's what we did today- we made sandcastle sculptures in the studio. The recipe is easy and prep time is simple. If you want to recipe leave a message and how to contact you.