Love Gorey?

He was deliciously wicked.
When I was growing up, we had a book of Chas. Addams cartoons. I think they were from the New Yorker and I thought they were sooooo fabulous.
Gorey falls (hehe) under the same category for me. When Sylvia Luna invited me to participate in this "a la" project, I was psyched:

The Gorey DeTales Exhibit

An Amusing Collection of Macabre Art

This twisted yet humorous collage exhibit
inspired by Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies
features the clever, wicked rhymes and artworks of 26 artists
from the United States, Canada, France, and Germany.

The acclaimed artists include:
Ramona and Thomas Ashman
Bernie Berlin
Katherine Brown
David Caspar
Tiffini Elektra X
Sarah Fishburn
Lisa Hoffman
Marylinn Kelly
LK Ludwig
Sylvia Luna/Silver Moon
Deryn Mentock
Karen Michel
Nancy Donaldson
Céline Navarro
Jen Osborn
Marie Otero
Lynne Perella
Angela Petsis
Pilar Pollock
Jane Salley
Richard Salley
Kelly Snelling
Lynn Whipple
Jen Worden
Thomas Wynn

The Paper Studio
Tempe, Arizona
August 4th to September 15th, 2007

The Artists' Nook
Fort Collins, Colorado
October 2nd to November 17th, 2007

Speaking of stencils, and the future of Things to Make and Do

Most of you know, inspired by a world of clever graffiti artists and my son Silver, I have included stencils and spray paint in my personal artist's toolbox since 2002.
At first, I only used alphabet templates (intended for scrapbookers, and based on the old school supply templates for teaching kindergartners their letters) to create backgrounds (used frontwards, reversed and upside-down), then branched out, using almost anything I could find ready-made with cut-out areas as stencils. Of course spray paint can be used on its own, too, but it's kinda like the pepper to a stencils salt! I have demonstrated stencil techniques and negative masking in my classes, private instructionals and demos throughout the past 5 years. Quite a few of you who saw my pages in many of the Alphabetica journals, in Karen Michel's Complete Guide to Altered Imagery, in The Altered Book Scrapbook and in Bernie Berlin's swell Artist Trading Cards have written me asking for more info.
Later next week I will have the Stenciling, Revisited article finished for the Tricks of the Trade section of my website. That's where I'll be writing about some of the things I "make and do". When I was a kid, we had a lovely children's encyclopaedia - the RED ones, published from 1948-1955 - and one of my fave volumes, #5 - though I thought they all rocked - was called Things to Make and Do. I no longer have a copy of #5, which included everything from Making Hand Shadows to Soap Carving to Make Your Own Paper Doll, though you will still find Vols. 4 (Pictures, Stories, and Music), 7 (Nature, Recreation, and Physical Development), and 8 (Stories from Every Land) on my bookshelf. I really hope you'll love my Tricks of the Trade, and be inspired by them, whether old or new! And whether you have tried incorporating stencil techniques in your own art already, are wanting to, or simply appreciate this remarkable urban art form and phenomena, you will want to check out Stenciling, Revisited.
Until then here's my book recommendation of the week, if stenciling and graffiti pique your interest, whether to add to your own box of tricks or simply for expanding your art history boundaries:

Live, and In Color and You're All Invited

With the clever and gracious help of my friend and frequent art partner Angela, my redecorated, remodeled, renovated and really pretty website is eager for visitors. Please stop by; consider yourself a treasured guest at my Open House. There will be additions and further decorations in the days to come.
I hope you'll feel free to drop by anytime, and often, no invitation necessary!
BTW, all the thumbnails on the site are linked to larger images, and the quoted inspirations are linked as well.

violet red

Extra, extra - Spring fever

Spring fever broke out earlier today around the corner at September's house.

There'll be a change in the weather

Spring is just around the corner. In fact, it's only a week away. We are so happy to see it beckoning, from the snow crocuses peeking up through frozen ground, to the green aura of the aspen buds. And for most of the week we have had windows open to the sky, and gone coat free. However, there has been a rumor circulating for several days that we haven't seen the last of THIS (above). Those pictures were taken in my yard after a good deal of melting had occurred. Fort Collins had 70 days in a row with snow on the ground this winter! Dante was inspired to make the sign by Denver Post photo archives Corina sent us. They're from the Blizzard of 1913. Brrrrr!

This one looks kinda familiar --- vintage deja vu!

Norway bound

Erika, I got your DELICIOUS package. Including swell pink earrings! Thank you, luvie, for everything.
The canvas you see here is on its way to you, among a few other surprises.

Pink rocks

Here, I am referring to neither Rose Quartz, which rocks the rock world, nor that glam rocker of the rock world, Pink.
Nor even Pink Rock Candy, (Chelsea Rae) who rocks the blog world.

I simply wish to point out that WHENEVER you see one of my blog entry TITLES colored PINK, you will find something enlightening or entertaining when you click on it!

(And by the way, after a recent trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a new fave gem of mine is the lusciously pink OR red, but not pictured here, Rhodochrosite.)



Pink rocker or pink rock? You decide!

Art (and art "etceteras") for the people

In a continuing spirit of Revolution - that is, always giving some art away, I want to remind you that everyone who leaves comments in March has multiple chances to become the lucky recipient of artful surprises, particularly if you leave more than one comment! So let me know what you're thinking, or up to, or wondering about.
In the meantime, this is a sample piece I made for 7gypsies to show off some of their cool crossover products for art journalers and scrapbookers alike. Hope you like it. (That's my daughter Corina with the long blonde hair, in her drawing class when she was living in Paris.)
I always have any new 7gypsies products on my artistic etceteras wishlist! If anyone can point me in the direction to grab some of their new "Gem Brads in a Tin Can", I will be actively grateful!