Here we are, playing in the studio...

..banging on the pots and pans!

No really- today I decided it was time to do some playing or as my daughter Kelsey would say-

"Mom, I think we need to experiment"

(of course she pronounced it esperiment and was only 5 and it was super cute)

And this is what I did. I have been going through my Pinterest pins and reorganizing some of them because I have so many I can't FIND anything! (I really thought this was just a filing cabinet issue turns out I am chaotically organized-or filing challenged - whatever)

So one of the pins I tried today was making my own alcohol ink. I ADORE Tim Holtz and all of his wonderful products - but I can't justify spending close to $10 on a three pack of his alcohol inks - each bottle is .5 fl oz.  I want to use them for a project I have my students doing and .5fl oz won't go very far when you have 16+ students using it. Plus I only have three colors because I bought the ink on clearance and got a really good price for it. But I digress- I wanted more ink and more colors. So I used this recipe I found on Brigit's Daily Bytes . I bought 10 bottles of liquid Rit Dye, 91% Isopropyl alcohol and some spill proof plastic containers with snap on lids.  Then I carefully measured the dye and the alcohol into the container, labeled the lid and put it on and shook it.

OK I lied- I only carefully measured the first two. After that I eyeballed dye to alcohol and called it good. But I DID label the lid and put it on and shook it.

Now I have 10 colors of alcohol ink. TEN! And I paid less than buying three packs of Tim's inks plus I can make TONS more ink. I can't wait for my students to get here so we can play with them.

I was on a roll today so I went back to my Pinterest board and  looked for something else to make- and I found this pin for making my own shimmer mist. I LOVE this stuff too but it's very pricey - it's $4.00 for a .5fl oz spritzer. And the spritzer nozzle clogs halfway through use. very annoying- but I got the upper hand and poured the remaining shimmer mist into an empty spritz bottle I had so no more problem - anyway- I again followed Brigit's recipe and made my own mist. I used Petal Pink Rit Dye and Flamingo Pink Pearl-Ex Powders.  I am very pleased with the results. Brigit suggested putting a small glass bead in the bottom of the bottle so you get better mixing- so I did- and that makes so much sense because the stuff wants to settle on the bottom of the expensive stuff all the time. I am now looking for other recipes for making my own art supplies to use in the studio- especially the stuff we use a lot of- like gel medium and Mod Podge.  

Blessings banner

What can you do with some leftover scrapbook papers, stickers and some beeswax?

This fall banner-

How did I do that?

I traced a Gothic arch onto my scrapbook papers

Cut them out

cut out two sets of letters- the black letters slightly larger than the yellow ones

rubbed brown colored pencil on the edges of the yellow letters

glued the layers down

added some fall leaf stickers and some orange and yellow glitter flower stickers

dipped into melted beeswax to give it all a softer old look

punched small holes into each corner and threaded it with hemp

lastly I used a lark's head knot to put some fall colored raffia between each letter

I have been experimenting with paints and papers-the yellow letters is a pieces of paper that I hand painted before I cut the letters out because I wanted paper with some texture and color variations.



I am an artist

Over the years I have had many high school students spend their day shadowing me. Part of the experience is the interview. The student has to ask me questions so they can write a paper about what I do.

"What made you want to be an artist?"





And I answer the question: All my life I have always been different and I can't imagine my life as anything but an artist. I am not in it for the money- although it is nice to sell some work to pay some bills. I am an artist because there is this deep need in me to make things- to create. It's a 24/7 thing too. Artists look at things and life differently. You see a piece of paper blowing down the street and think of it as garbage. I stop and watch it move along the sidewalk and wonder what its story is. Like the day I was cutting across this abandoned parking lot behind a warehouse and saw this skull sitting on a trailer hitch. I took a photo of it because it reminded me of Georgia O'Keefe . When I got back into the studio I played in Photoshop with it .... one of these days I am going to print the photo and go in an alter it with my acrylic paints and create something but for now it's just a photo on my computer. 


Suffer for My Art

 

 






I hear music and I see colors in my mind's eye and fleeting images. Sometimes I drop everything I am doing just to create a piece based on that music because it moves me so strongly. 

 When I worked on this cello Bach's Cello Suite played in my mind over and over. And then it played on my iTunes over and over until I finished the piece. 

Everywhere I go and see and do is a source of inspiration to me. I see colors, textures, lines and shapes. I want to capture the feeling of walking through fallen leaves on a crisp afternoon or the mellow mournful sound of a cello. I want to celebrate the fact that we are living breathing beings and we are surrounded by a universal energy. I want the viewer to be amused, surprised maybe even taken aback by the images I create. I want to make them stop and think for a few minutes. My name is not Picasso or Rembrandt or Van Gogh. My name does not matter. What matters is that I am an artist. And when someone walks into my studio and stares at something I have created and they say it speaks to them then I know I have done it right because we are speaking the same language.

today we shall dance

I didn't feel like repairing jewelry or cleaning the studio or taking pictures for Artsonia or filing or trying to uncover the top of my desk. Today I needed to paint. So I did. And this is what happened.

I danced.

Adult Workshops and Classes!

You asked for it and I have a schedule ready for my scrapbook friends and mixed media artists!

Artworks Studio/Scrapper’s Nook

Fall Workshops and Crop Nights

Scrap* Paper* Scissors* CROP!

Take advantage of the creative atmosphere at Artworks Studio and Laura’s artistic expertise as well as sharing ideas among fellow croppers. Paper friendly snacks will be served and you are more than welcome to bring in the beverage of your choice.



Crop Nights!



The studio has the following equipment available for your use during the evening: large format printer, punches, stamps, Crop-a-dile II Big Bite and Cricut Expressions. You are welcome to bring in your own Cricut cartridges to use too. The studio owns the following cartridges: Jasmine, Plantin School Book, Graphically Speaking, Ultimate Creative Series Sampler, A Frightful Affair, Team Spirit and Sports Mania.

Scrapper’s Nook materials purchased during the crop will be 10% off!

Space is limited to 6 people
TIME: 7:00 – 10:30 PM

Fee: $10

Dates: Thursdays

October 11

October 18

November 1

November 15

December 13

Use up your PAPERS!

Offered every other month this afternoon workshop will take you through fun and easy projects that make you use up those scraps of paper you’ve been hoarding! You bring your scrap stash and I will provide the rest.

Halloween/Fall

Saturday October 13th 1:00-4:00PM

Fee: $18



Halloween/Fall Banner

 




Holiday/Winter Banner

Saturday December 8th 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Fee: $18



Holiday/Winter Banner



 

Pinned it! Now I’m going to MAKE it!

How many DIY crafty pins on Pinterest have you tried to actually do? Each workshop features a project that I have pinned to my Pinterest boards. So let’s do it! All materials will be provided.



Altered cigar box for the holidays



Altered Box: Transform an ordinary cigar box into work of art keep sake box. How about in a holiday theme to keep those cherished Christmas cards in?

Saturday November 3rd 1:00 – 5:00PM

Fee: $35

The Fine Print: Class & crop reservations are on a first come, first served basis. If necessary a waiting list can be made for each class, and any cancellations will need to be made with a minimum of 48 hours notice before the class session meets. Refunds will be in the form of store credit if cancellation is made prior to the 48-hour period. If the cancellation is made less than 48 hours before the class is to be held, class materials will be distributed to you after the session ends. Crop night fees have a 24-hour cancellation notice and are non-refundable after the 24-hour notice window.