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Hi there!
Honor, Michigan and the surrounding areas are seeing signs of warm weather life... the wimpy residents who travel to warmer climates are back. There's a bit more traffic and activity...we are all waking up after our winter sleep. :)
Synchronicity Gallery in Glen Arbor will be opening on May 7th... just in time for all us mothers who love all things arty. (hint hint) I'm happy to be one of their new artists. I took in 15 paintings, so there's lots to choose from. :)
I've also begun yet another new series and I could use your help! (see hot off the easel)
As always... thanks for checking up on what I've been doing... I truly appreciate each and every one of you!
Lauren
PS...Happy Birthday, Andy!
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Hot Off the Easel!
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New Series... "Well Loved"
Many of us have kept our childhood "lovey"...that thing that gave us comfort when we were small. I have my "Brown Teddy" (who is next in line for his portrait) My sister has "Whitey" her floppy stuffed dog. (for two rather creative people...I laugh at the un-original names for our best stuffed friends)
I want to pay tribute to these important parts of our lives. The worn and tattered friends that received our hugs and secrets and tears and joys...the much loved friends that helped us endure those scary nights, and protected us from what was under the bed...and in the closet.
Do you have a stuffed friend that supported you through your childhood? I'd love you to send me a photo of him or her. They could be immortalized as part of this new series.
The more raggedy the better...
 | "Well Loved"
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So...Where did the idea for this series come about? Well, I have a couple of ladies that come to the studio for classes, and I was helping one of them with a "rabbit" painting, using photos from a magazine as inspiration.
A couple of days after class, I have a 1/2 finished bunny, staring at me, begging to be completed...and I do...and I really like what was happening in the painting.
Then, I see my "Brown Teddy" staring at me from my closet (with his eyeless eyes...seriously, he has no eyes)... willing me to paint him... b-o-i-n-g-g-g! "Hmmmmmm" me thinks... "I wonder how many other well loved toys would like to be immortalized?"
And in hindsight... I must also give a nod to Kim Santini... who painted her much loved doll. I'm sure that must have influenced me. Thanks for your inspiration, Kim!
As artists... we are influenced by everything around us... ideas are floating around, bouncing off one another. Then, occasionally the ideas stick together into a series idea.
But this one depends on YOU ... after all, I only have Brown Teddy and my sister's Whitey, if she can find where he's packed away. I'm hoping you'll help me out, by sharing your stuffed friends...Either yours or maybe your children's.
Email me if you can help! Thank you!
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| Idea Spark-lers... | | |
Inspiration to use in your own creative work....
The Sketchbook Project
Have you heard of this???
I signed up, and I think you should too!
I picked "travel with me" as my theme... but there are a ton of themes to choose from.
The little handy guide book that came with the journal says "the theme is just a guide- it's not meant to feel like a burden! Use it as a jumping-off point and feel free to follow your book wherever it takes you."
So that I wouldn't freeze up...as soon as I received mine, I jumped in and wrote the following:
"Hello and welcome to my world....I'm not sure what I'm going to include here...or what direction my "travels" will take me...and you. But if I follow my normal process I just begin...and trust myself and the art gods to steer me in the right direction. I leap then look......and away we goooooooooooooooooo(off the page)"
 | | You'd think I'd clean off my desk before I snapped the photo, but that's not how I roll. |
I wanted to show the above photo so you can see how un-artistically I've begun. Remember...it's a sketchbook!
Come on... sign up... it'll be fun!
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| 2011...What I'm Celebrating... | | Early in January, I chose a word to use as my theme for the year... It's "Celebrate"... Here's a link to the explanation, in case you missed it.
This week, I'm Celebrating: - refrigerator art from our 1 1/2 year old nephew
- our sons...love them to bits
- coffee while watching "the wedding"
- daffodils are blooming!
- hope
- portabello mushrooms
- my odd sense of humor
- friends with the same odd sense of humor
- hansa yellow opaque
- cobalt teal
- eagles fishing the lake
- goals
- re-visiting older watercolors
- prompted to hunt out the old watercolors by a very talented watermedia artist
- a new series (well loved...childhood stuffed animals)
- another new series (trees)
- fine art america who make things so very easy!
- the ginormous clump of violets on our street
- books
- my inner Gladys Kravitz, who's enjoying the building process going on next door.
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| Classes... | | |
I'll be teaching "Acrylics 101" at the Crystal Lake Art Center on June 14th, 2011. We'll be elbow deep in paint and techniques...then we'll pull it all together with a painting. Supplies are included... so just come and enjoy a creative play day!
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If you think any of your friends might be interested, please feel free to forward this email.
Have a Great Week! |
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