Let's make more art!

I plan on making 2015 a super creative year! It's off to a great start and we aren't even quite through January :)

I taught a Creating Layers and Altered Book workshop to art groups in Ottawa and Brockville. On Friday I drop off a large painting, 'Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other', to be hung at a new OMMA Gallery in Ottawa.

I became the Communications minion for OMMA (Ottawa Mixed Media Artists) and met with John and Molly Sorensen of 'Before the Rush' art show to discuss my creating short video interviews and photos of the artists for promotion.

I joined the WCAS (West Carleton Arts Society) and attended one of their wonderful 'Articulate' fireside talks. Larry and I will be going to their Spring Into Art conference in April and I have signed up for a 5 day workshop in June with Lila Irving.

Monthly coffee meet-ups are planned with fellow entrepreneurs Lianne and Roger Sands to toss around ideas and inspire each other. Bi-weekly get-togethers are planned with Laura Starkey and Jamie Carter to have fun while taking time off. I look forward to going on a long dog-walk with the wonderful Karen Mackay soon...  we have lots to catch up on!

Larry and I went to the Ottawa Press Gang wayzbrunch to see what fellow printers and book artists have been up to. On Sunday we are being treated to lunch by the lovely Hugh Barclay, letterpress printer and artist.

Currently being worked on in the studio are 2 commissioned Faerie Rounds, a stack of Muse Journals, a CBBAG-OV (Canadian Book Artists & Book Binders - Ottawa Valley) 'swap' book arts project and paintings in various stages. I have some intriguing ideas for a new painting series.

I have many workshops planned for my studio this year and some studio playtimes too. Three more out of studio workshops are already in the works, including a two-part Extreme Texture workshop for the ACE students at Queen's University in Kingston.

I am always curious to know what you are looking for in the way of creative opportunities, so I created a 'Let's Make More Art!' survey. I want your input on art offerings that will fill your creative wants and needs - online and off. Thank you to all who have given their wonderful feedback. I look forward to many more responses... keep them coming! They will help me plan the rest of this creative year!

Take the survey by clicking on the picture below :)

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Three more studio workshops. Prepare for a creative fall!

Summer is waning and I look forward to the lovely autumn days and nights ahead. And the creativity in the air keeps intensifying!

This fall brings TWO MORE STUDIO WORKSHOPS.

A TWO DAY WORKSHOP IN HOLLY'S MERRICKVILLE STUDIO

SEPTEMBER 14 & 15, 2013

$287 CAD

Creating Mixed Media Muse Journals is back by popular demand. These beautiful journals are the perfect combination of Art + Book, with their small mixed media painting covers and beautifully decorated exposed spines. They are the perfect journal to inspire your creative spirit.

Bring a friend and spend a wonderful weekend making a real, hardcover book! Paint lovely covers and learn the Coptic bookbinding method. There are only 8 spots available and five of them are taken, so act quickly by registering below.

Not sure if this workshop is for you? Click "Register Now" to read all the details on the registration page. You are also welcome to send me an email if you have any questions.

A TWO DAY WORKSHOP IN HOLLY'S MERRICKVILLE STUDIO

NOVEMBER 23 & 24, 2013

$287 CAD

Creating Stamps, Stencils & Collage Papers is back by popular demand. On August 3 & 4 a small group of creative spirits filled the studio with AHA! moments, beautiful papers and laughter. They described the experience as "relaxing and fun". Sound appealing?

Bring a friend and spend a creative weekend playing and making beautiful (and useful!) things. There are only 8 spots available, so act quickly by registering below.

Not sure if this workshop is for you? Click "Register Now" to read all the details on the registration page. You are also welcome to send me an email if you have any questions.

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Beautiful Books and Art Go So Well Together!

Summer begins tomorrow - it's a great time to get out and about and take in some fabulous art, including Book Art!

The Contemporary Book Arts in Eastern Ontario show runs June 21 to July 20. It would be lovely to see you at the Opening Reception, June 21 from 5 to 7 pm.

I am so thrilled to be a part of this gorgeous book arts show of more than 13 Eastern Ontario artists, including my talented partner, Larry Thompson of Greyweathers Press!

The show is at the Marianne van Silfhout Gallery,
located at St. Lawrence College, Brockville Campus
2288 Parkedale Ave, Brockville, ON
Gallery hours: Tue - Fri, 10 am to 8 pm | Mon & Sat, 10 am to 4 pm
For information: Gallery@sl.on.ca | 613-345-0660 ext. 3636

The From Here to Infinity Gallery is now open. Larry and I are honoured to be part of a select group of artists to launch this wonderful "gallery plus rare-and-used book store"! Books and art together... does it get any better? Larry's lino prints, wood engravings and hand-made letterpress books are on display and for sale, as are my Altered Images.

Altered Images are mysterious and evocative. They “float” inside their deep frames, catching the eye and inviting closer inspection. I create this intriguing digital art by layering photographs, captured with my iPhone, with images of my original mixed media paintings. I work with Photoshop and iPhone apps, losing myself in the process of discovery as I build layer upon layer. Take a closer look at my Altered Images over at my website.

From Here to Infinity Gallery
is located at 213 King St.W., Brockville, ON

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This is a good place to remind you that I am teaching Mixed Media Art & Book Workshops in and out of my Studio this Summer. Take a look here and if you find one (or more!) that appeals to you, sign up quickly to make sure you get a spot... there are 8 spots in each of my Studio Workshops. The upcoming out-of-my-studio Wintergreen Muse Journal Workshop is especially wonderful - a retreat weekend in the country while you make your very own book!

If you have any questions about a Workshop, please do send me an email and I will get right back to you. :)

Check out this link for my Studio Workshops too!

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The Fabulous Workshops are back!

June, July and August's Fabulous Workshops are back at my Merrickville Studio.

Registration for all workshops is now through Eventbrite.

7 spots are available for each workshop on a first come - first served basis.

Click here for workshop details and registration.

Cick on the Eventbrite links in the sidebar to go to a specific workshop :)

Register now to reserve your spot. They are already filling up fast!

More Fabulous Workshops start Labour Day Weekend...

stay tuned for more information.

Better yet, sign up for my Mixed Media Musings

art newsletter and get notified!

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Dreams into action.

Happy Easter everyone!

I am spending the day reading and writing. Art, book art, photography, calligraphy, video, studio & online workshops, mentoring - all are in the mix.

My new creative offerings will appear soon.

And in the spirit of adventure, I will be painting a BMW race car this Friday with Rena Upitis! Calligraphic racing quotes are floating through my mind. This event will be documented in photos and video, so I will be able to share the experience with you.

A new chapter indeed.

What adventure will you invite into your life?

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Creating Text In Your Art.

 How I am enjoying teaching these Five Fabulous Workshops! On Saturday, November 10, six eager participants gathered here at the Studio to learn many different ways to get Text into their art. 16 x 20 canvas panels were used to try out the techniques. The idea was not to compose a finished piece, but the results were wonderfully playful!

Next up is CREATING TEXTURE & AGE on Saturday, November 17th. I can hardly wait!

There is still one spot left for CREATING LAYERS on Sunday, November 25th. Sign up here :)

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Art Gallery Tour.

Every Friday in November you can go on The Land of Lost Luggage Art Gallery Tour. This virtual tour will introduce you to artists' work from online classes run by Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen.

Seth Apter has done a fabulous blog post about it here. While you are there, check out his work as part of this Friday's tour :)

You can see a couple of my pieces on November 16th and 30th. Be sure to check out today's post and check back each Friday. I hope you can find the time to leave a comment as you check out each artist's work through the links. It helps to build a wonderful creative community!

 

ART GALLERY TOUR

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Texting - the Artist's way

"Creating Text in Your Art" workshop happens here in the studio tomorrow!

We are going to have SO much fun! Oh, yeah.

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Five Fabulous Workshops Trailer

There has been a great response to my Five Fabulous Workshops. People are signing up quickly! I am posting the available spots left for each workshop daily... you can check it out here.

Watch the Five Fabulous Workshops Trailer!

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Five Fabulous Workshops!

I'm thrilled with the wonderful input I received through my blog, Facebook, Twitter and email regarding workshop ideas. Thanks, everyone!!!

I have chosen five workshops from the list. They are shown below. Click here to go to the "Workshops" page on my website. After each workshop description there is a "Sign Up" button. At the bottom of the page is a link to general workshop info. All workshops are held at my studio in Merrickville, Ontario.

I have sent out an email about these workshops to my subscribers. If you would like to subscribe to my email list, you can sign up here or send me an email asking me to add your name. Without further ado, I give you the chosen five...

Workshop dates, cost, descriptions and supply lists can be found here. Scroll down the page to see all five workshops.

If you sign up for three workshops there is a 10% discount. This applies if all three of the chosen workshops go ahead with the required participation - a minimum of 4. There is room for 6 participants only, so sign up quickly :) Hope to see you at one or more of these Five Fabulous Workshops!

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Workshopping Ideas

I've been scribbling down ideas for art & artist-related workshops to teach at my studio in Merrickville. So far I have nearly covered my large work table with sheets of possible topics - Composition & Design, Writing (bios, statements), Tools & Techniques, Collage, Getting Text Into Your Art, Breaking Through Artists' Block, Creative Process, Book Boxes, Calligraphy, Creative Play, Layers, Altered Books, Oil Pastel & Acrylic, Using One Palette, Texture and Aging...

I suddenly thought, "Who better to get input from than the people who want to take art workshops from me?" I already have requests for Muse Journals, Mixed Media Painting and A Storybook in Mixed Media. And a suggestion for a "How do I fix this/troubleshooting with paint" workshop.

How about you? What workshops would you like to see me offer at my Merrickville studio? Tell me by leaving a comment on this blog post :)

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What? When? Where? Workshops.

I hoped to hold at least one workshop in November here in Merrickville at the Studio. Many of you expressed an interest in signing up for a Mixed Media Painting, Muse Journal or Mixed Media Storybook class.

As of last week, we received confirmation of a huge order for Costume Balls from Cirque du Soleil. YAY! and YIKES! This means that, unfortunately, the workshops will have to wait.

Over the next weeks I will be planning workshops for 2012. Once the dates are firmed up, I will create a sign-up page on my website and let you know all the details.

In the meantime, here are a few "Sneak" peeks of what to expect...

MUSE JOURNAL WORKSHOP

Create mixed media covers, then hand-bind these small pieces of art to beautiful paper-wrapped signatures using a Coptic stitch. Take a look at a variety of Muse Journals here

each Muse Journal is work of art

these journals are useful and beautiful... and addictive!

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A STORYBOOK IN MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOP

Paint, images and text all come together to create a personal Storybook. Check out my 2010 storybook blog post - remember, the link is for last year :)

our "Sneak's" story

Sneak provided the torn collage bits!

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MIXED MEDIA PAINTING WORKSHOP

Create a mixed media painting with acrylics, collage, text & image transfers. Check out my 2010 mixed media workshop blog post :)

moody layers of mixed media

room for four to play in the Studio

I do look forward to teaching these workshops. They are so much fun and the creative energy in the Studio is awesome!

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