Last Collage Class of the Year today

Feeling a bit melancholy about today, you see it's the last class of the year that I'll be teaching.. Though everyone needs a break from me I still feel a bit of a loss.... All through the year I've been teaching on Friday Mornings at LaGrange Art League and we have a great group of budding collage artists forming from this class... But today we will be presenting our work that we've done in class and that will be in any stage of completion... beginning, middle or end... The critique always turns out to be a great show/exhibit of the students work.... They get to see all their work up on the display board and they get to talk about it and share with their peers... Then their peers share with them... All works out well. I will be bring my camera to snap some pictures which I'll post tomorrow or later this evening.

I had a great day in the kitchen... I ended up making banana bread about 7 loafs...had lots of bananas going fast in the house so need to not waste them. And then the hubby came home early from work as the weather wasn't good or something and walked by me in the kitchen and asked what I was making? I said banana bread, he comment that he never gets cookie dough any more... Well it's really about the things you do for love and I whipped up a batch of Choc. Chip cookie dough and called him in from the garage... Never seen him move so fast... Still a boy at heart. The kido's in the homestead were also very pleased when the came home from school and work to see cookies where made.. hard to do lately because of my work schedule but yesterday was a day to be creative in the kitchen.

Well off to get things set up for the class today.

Demo last night

Well... made it out to Aurora area in enough time, traffic was moving, always like that... not one for the bumper to bumper stuff. I'm glad I left early because the GPS and google directions didn't give the exact location so I did my circle thing a couple of time and then decided to head in the other directions and there it was. Large crowd of Aurora Art league members showed up, which is always very welcoming to the demonstrator... and a good variety of ages too. The comments I had were I have a new respect for Collage now... and it was a wonderful demonstration... and I can see you as a good teacher.... which I'm glad to hear but the most important one to hear was the one about a new respect for collage. That was medicine to my ears... there are so many different way to execute a collage... I figure as many ways as there are artist... We each pick different papers and color which leads to that personal voice we strive for in our art.

Now the day ahead of me is set to being the big food shopping for the Thanksgiving dinner.. Which is a week away but this is a good day to purchase that turkey so it's not frozen still when I put it in the oven...

All is good and hoping to coat a few more paper in between the shopping trips and putting away my demo stuff from last night.

Aurora Art League Collage Demo-Laura Lein-Svencner Nov 18th 2009

Been doing a lot of journal writing and what seems to be speaking from the pages these days are easy does it and just do it lady... I've been thinking about all the time one self-employed creative being has with themselves and I've come to accept that there is much time with oneself. So instead of feeling a bit low about that I've decided to go with it. I've pulled from a higher resource and asked for some guidance and I'm getting just do it lady! and Be, that what you want to be.. With much gratitude I'm looking at the studio and all the papers that I have had some crazy fun making. I'm not sure of the how the Strawberry Moon piece #6 will come forth but I'm really having some fun making the papers for it... I've even played around with some quick little drawings of the little people that watch over the plants in this story that goes along with the piece. I've also been thinking of new goals and what I would like to direct my creative passion to this coming year and I keep hearing the passion is in the papers allow them to lead you. I so want to complete my art journals and continue that directions but the balance is the name of the game.. so since the Artistic Conversations class I've only focused on the traveling journal I need to finish and making of the papers for the next piece in the series but I do want to continue in art journaling.

Now today I have a Demonstration to present in Aurora Ill at the Aurora Art League, 7:00 pm tonight. This is always a great time to share what I so love doing. There is also a few other things needing to be tended to but I should be ready... I had hope that my Son would make the display board for me that would sit on the table but something I said made him mad and now I'm being punished by him and he's not going to make it... funny teens how they get but the hubby was going to make it and then got called out on a water main break last night in Burr Ridge, which it right under a big pine tree and some gas lines.... but scary but they've called the right guys to do the job. So needless to say I've don't have a display board to bring but that's OK it will be ready for the next class or demo come Jan. Off to do the homestead chores and pack for tonight.

Art Calendar-Laura Lein-Svencner

I question and then I say oh heck just post the article and let all to see. I figure it's only for a moment will I have to feel good and honored that they picked me for this spot in the Magazine... and then like the winds it will pass and another will be in my spot. So no apologies for the self publicity on the blog just honest happiness... The Assoc. Editor Louise Buyo did a great job don't you think?

Old Programs and Daughter is home

I'm really happy the hubby is how he is and can't stand not to have thing not working right... though he crabs about the whole way he's a good guy about that... I was very upset with the program I was using and then with the window 7 added on I lost it... so now it's back and makes life easier now...

Daughter is home from New Jersey and is safe and all is well with her.. Though her bird Madison was very upset with all of us because she wasn't around but He's happy now. She really did it traveled on the train, took the whatever line to OHare then to New York then the subway and her friend picked her up... Wow it's amazing what the young ones do, facing fears and adding in some adventure along the way... I'm so grateful that I'm not the mom that holds them back... though I have to admit I was a bit scared about the whole thing but tried not to show it..

I ended up in the studio yesterday afternoon making some stained tissue paper and playing around with magazines and Kraft papers.... I need to create some new colors for the next piece in the series... and I need to make some other stained tissues for the abstract landscapes. I set the date to exhibit at Bountiful Cafe in Jan/Feb 2010 so I've got to get my butt moving on this all... and then the holidays... I'm so geared to be creating new things that I have to admit the holidays feel like they get in the way... they don't really but in my head I fight with it. After doing the shows all summer the down time is calling me to create so I've got to realizes it's just a few days of cooking then I'm back to normal...Oh I do have to do some Christmas shopping in there too... darn got to go shopping not one of my favorite things to do, I know not you typical woman am I?

Monday Morning~

2" high Clayboard, 10 x 10, exploratory project in a new technique.

I have my list and trying to tackle it nicely this morning, I've not gone and done the thanksgiving food shopping yet I figure I'll not procrastinate but move into it nice and easy and not fret so much and jump on the band wagon like most out there... As I'm realizing, I'm not a big shopper and never did like it even when I was a teenager... So with that I'm letting it go and will look at the list I save from year to year on Wednesday it will be a better day for that.

I headed up to the studio to put something away and then go side tracked and started to apply some paint to the clay board I'm experiment on... I learned this technique from Cherly Holz I just couldn't get the way she was applying and taking the acrylic paints off. Then it dawned on me I have to change my approach to the process, I've been so use to using the baby wipe so apply and take off the wanted amount of acrylics that I'm not use to using the amount of water she does. So I got my buckets of water ready with my sponges and rags and off I went and hair dryer in hand so I could keep the moment moving. I glue of piece of my artist stained tissue down first and then let it dry. Second I applied pre mixed joint compound and spread it around and then stamped in it with a kitchen tool for making cookies with... I had to let it completely dry over night. The joint compound is very exsorbent. I applied a dark layer of blue and then yellow and brown, came back in with the blue again... I've coated inbetween each layer with a mat medium to seal in the color then at the end I've coated with polymer medium... I'm not quite sure yet where it's headed...seeking some guidance on that one, I'm thinking about the image transfers I want to try and apply in some areas and to reintroduce the stained tissue paper again to the surface in a way to unity it. So off in many directions but happy to face a bit if fear about doing this technique on my own after taking the class so long ago... I was pulling from my memory really hard, you see I lost the paperwork in the mounds of other art books I've got up stairs in the studio... Well off to tend to the day at hand.

a few images of work

small collage done on the Collage Retreat with the Midwest Collage Society over Halloween

All the animals awake, 24 x 24, collage on canvas

Budding Moon, time when the small white wild flower begin to show and the chance of another winter storm isn't over yet.. the white owl represent Winter fight still to hang on to the season but Spring has her roots strongly planted and "All the Animals Awake"

Abstract Landscape, untitled as of yet...

Abstract Landscape untitled

Abstract Landscape untitled as of yet

So when you get something new then the old is pushed aside...I'm not to happy with that cause it keeps making this gal have to learn the photo shop system.. I was using Microsoft photo editing which I can still use but because of the new Windows 7 operation system it seems that it decided which program is newer and that keep popping up.... try to change it but it won't let us... darn it anyways... Means I've got to take a hike on the computer or the long way around things to still get the effect I can understand and work with at this point... Sound like a crabby old lady... but you know how that is when you find something that works you like to keep it that way.

Well cold had me for a day or so and now feeling much better and needing to get out and do some food shopping and head to dick blick's... I need so more varnish for my piece to finish them off. Ran out two days ago.. only gloss left and I like to mix the satin and gloss together for the one series I'm working on.

Body drained down

It seems that I've gotten a bit of a cold bug and it's draining the energy right out of me... but class went well as can be everyone was happy to see each other and we will be having our final class next week... everyone is bring a little something and we are going to have a little bit of a mid day party.

I've still not received my Art Calendar magazine but have heard some great things from the article. So waiting still for it to come.

The plan is to keep it really simple today, I've been loading up on my sleep and warm liquids to help push the cold bug through and just keep things manageable today will be a task.

I will be looking into the papers for the next piece #6 in the series of 13 soon and may end up on the studio this day and just playing around.