The Lisa Quilt

I finished the quilt and had fun sewing it. I even figured out how to wind the bobbin so Bernie was behaving just fine! the quilt is 20 x 28. I am not sure what I will do with it--maybe hand it on a wall somewhere and remember the wonderful weekend I had with Lisa the Birmingham Guild gals. My theme was taking the journey into my artistic soul(and the journey to Birmingham). Lisa talked with us about letting go of our fear and just create for the joy of it. After all, it's just fabric and there is also gesso or more collaged fabric. SO JUST GO FOR IT! I will put up some photos of my other canvas pieces tomorrow in a vlog.

Birmingham Journal Page

I had about a 31/2 hour wait at the Birmingham airport coming back to Jacksonville. I could have slept longer and waited and lingered longer at the hotel but I was anxious to check in and get all the hard tasks behind me---like picking up my 75lb suitcase. It was all those supplies that I didn't need! Lisa brought everything we would need. So I started this page at the airport and finished it at home. I also really had an enjoyable time waiting at the airport. When you have MI-FI---time flies!!!

Somthin' fun...alcohol flowers!

I love to go surfing in blogland for new things. I do believe also that some of the most talented and undiscovered artists are out there! It just blows my mind the creativity of these artists and the willingness to share their talents. I discovered this technique that was really fun. And because I have some of these Adirondack Alcohol inks and I am ashamed to say I have never used them because I ---just didn't. I made several sheets of these because you kinda have to play around with it because the blender does some funky things with the ink. So if you have some alcohol inks that you didn't use, or even if you did---try this!

Red Flowers--Redone 16 x 20

I found this painting that I did about a year ago and I never liked it. I really couldn't tell why I didn't like it and I almost tossed it. I brought it out of the dark crevices of the morgue where the other failed paintings reside and I thought that maybe I could raise this one from the dead. So with a few shadows, values and color I think he relives now! I dirtied up the edges a bit and I never would have thought to do that a year ago. It's funny how we learn new things and ---so--I kinda wish I had all the tossed ones and maybe I could raise them up. Some were deader than dead as I recall so ---they are resting in painting heaven where they are very beautiful now.

I will post some canvas paintings from Lisa class soon. I need to decompress a bit and get it all out and take a look and see what I have.

Oh, and check out my very talented Italic Calligraphy student, Sue K, and see her fabulous practice sheets. GOOD work, Sue!! I am so proud of you!!! Thanks!!!

And also, here is a sweet link from a wonderful artist, Shirley, from Shirley's Illustrations! You will absolute love her illustrations. They are precious. Thanks, Shirley!!!

Lisa workshop Day 2

The lighting is really bad here at the Embassy suites but I wanted to show you the almost finished piece. I plan to sew with various threads and some metallic thread and finish it up then I will take a good picture of it. I really have had a wonderful time and Lisa gave us "permission" to do all sorts of things that were really ok when assembling a collage or writing on fabric. I am so glad I came to the workshop. I only got lost a few times so thank goodness for the Hertz Neverlost. SO ... actually I was never lost!!! The Birmingham guild gals are exceptionally precious people and it was fun to see how talented and creative they are were. We have actually all had most of same teachers along the way and it gave us an instant bond. Oh, how I wish Jacksonville still had a Calligraphers Guild. That makes me very sad that we don't. Anyway....I think I am tired now and I think I will watch a movie. I watched "Julie and Julia" last night and thoroughly enjoyed it! Flying home tomorrow---I'll be glad to get home.

Lisa Engelbrecht Workshop in Birmingham

Well, I made it here! What an adventure but I am so proud of myself for doing this all by myself. And so far it has been so worth it. I am having such fun! Lisa is fabulous and her letterforms are to die for and it's all just so exciting and wonderful. The Birmingham guild people are very nice and there are even two girls from the Memphis guild. I am sitting next to the cutest gal from Auburn, AL, who knows some of my family members and friends in West Point where I grew up! It's is small small world. I have so enjoyed sitting next to her. You can see just a bit of her with her gorgeous blond hair in the video painting away. Tomorrow we will make" the bigger piece" will all our little pieces that we have lettered on (eeeek!) and I guess we will just see what comes forth!!

I would have shown you some of my pictures but I brought the wrong camera cord so here is just a little snippet of today.

Off to Lisa Engelbrecht Workshop!

Oh my goodness, it's finally here! I am flying to Birmingham today for Lisa's workshop with the Birmingham Calligrapher's Guild. I am extremely excited (and a bit nervous). I don't know a soul but I am steppin' out and going it alone. I do know that calligraphers are the nicest and most generest ( is that a word?) of people so I am sure I will make new and wonderful friends and be so inspired!! Lisa is one of my favorite artists. I love her free and beautiful letterforms and ---well, I just love everything she does. I understand that this will be her last workshop so I am so glad I could go. I am taking my computer so I might be able to blog some pictures along the way. Be back Monday!

I made a fabric journal

I had not sewn anything in too long and when Bernie gets put aside she gets pesky. I am sure it was just me. I need to sew more often because I couldn't even figure out how to wind the bobbin---good grief. How quickly we forget. And I will do anything to avoid instructional manuals. It's true, if you don't use it- you will lose it---at least for me anyway. I didn't get the bobbin figured out so I just had to use the one that was in there. I used Fabriano note cards that come already folded. It has 4 signatures of 4 pages each. So that give me---hummmm...oops-- math involved!...lots of front and back pages...!

This is Miranda

Why Miranda? I don't know, she just looked like a Miranda to me. What is Miranda doing? I think she is listening to someone very intently and politely but does not agree with what she is hearing. But Miranda is very savvy and smart and she will give her opinion in the most eloquent and inoffensive way and she herself will not be offended by the other's viewpoint.

Maybe I can have a little story about my girls. There always seems to always be something in their eyes that tells a story. I just need to bring it forth.

I woke up yesterday morning thinking about coloring a face with colored pencils so that is the first thing I did. I had some face tone colors so here she is...Miranda in the morning! I like her hair and wish mine looked like this. I think the fun of drawing faces is that each one is different although slightly the same. They could all be cousins or something. Have a blessed day y'all.

Loving Monica's class.

Journal pages that were very fun!

Well, I finally did it...I cut stuff out of a magazine and pasted it in and boy was it fun. I put down some paint first and kinda followed the Teesha Moore's model of putting a border first then just add words and things. I tried not to over think---that is always my goal to not over think creative journal pages. I think that is why I have such a hard time journaling---I have to think! I don't mind thinking but when I start getting that cramp in my brain I know I'm thainking about it too much. You know that cramp don't you?