Author. Artist.
To continue my blog series on women in the arts, I would like to introduce you to Fidelia Bridges (1834-1923) who, after experiencing profound sadness and loneliness in her own young life, brought joy to others with her delicately painted watercolors of nature. In post […]
In honor of Women’s History Month, each of my blogs this month will introduce an artist or writer, mostly from the nineteenth century, all with fascinating stories. I first encountered Hannah Ropes story in researching my book about Kansas Territory. Her story fascinated me and […]
Taupe-colored trees stand in a snow globe landscape of falling snow. Even as I enjoy this view from Treetop Studio this morning, my mind wanders into spring and that time of awakening and newness and possibilities.
I am a “possibilities person”, trying not to rule anything out. My creative journey bears this out, as do the drawers and shelves in my studio – filled with “I could make something out of that” spools, fabric remnants, and miscellaneous papers. Once in a while, I take inventory and new projects begin.
Just think about the possibilities in a single sheet of paper. It could become the first page of a novel or the closing act of a play. It might hold an inventor’s sketch or a composer’s scribbled measures. Spontaneous lines of poetry may spill across the space. The folded page may take flight as an airplane or an Origami crane. The possibilities are endless!
Next time you need a gift for a friend, take a look around your kitchen or closet. You might find an everyday item waiting to take on a new personality. Colorful paper (leftover scrapbook paper, envelopes, holiday paper napkins), oatmeal cartons, matchboxes can become artful objects with a bit of thought and some creativity. Here is one idea. Now you’ll have a use for those two or three flowered paper napkins you had left from your last game night. Decoupage those onto a box and use this to hold a gift instead of gift wrap or apply the napkins to a composition book front to create an inexpensive, but lovely journal. Watch this space for more ideas.
Be open to possibilities!
My journal entry today, inspired by the word of the day.
P – Plant kindness
O – Observe
S – Seek knowledge
S – Speak softly
I – Illustrate
B – Be inspired
I – Illuminate
L – Live the adventure
I – Initiate
T – Trust myself
Y – Years go quickly, keep creating
ART PROJECT FOR THIS POST:
For this project, I just opened one of my “possibility” drawers and chose a small pink box, about the size of a deck of cards. I opened it up to find a bit of shredded pink tissue paper. I don’t remember anything about when, where, or why I acquired it, but it had “Future Craft Project” written all over it. And on this cold, February day, this little pink treasure is about to become a spring nest.
In my paper stash, I found a vintage bird illustration and adhered that to the box top with glue. Next I brushed on white gesso, wiping a bit off here and there to help create a vintage look. I added a bit of music and some glass beads. Inside the lid I used a bit of pink paper and a quote from a Red Lead Paperworks collage sheet. And finally, I placed the tiny eggs in the nest.
February 2, 2019 “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein “Look deep into nature, Last week I had the opportunity to meet with education students from George Mason University and introduce them to nature journaling. Their class, Natural […]
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”– William Wordsworth These words from the poet William Wordsworth, inspired this paper quilt project that represents parts of the natural world that I am especially fond of. I have been fortunate to visit […]
So many ways to create! This photo represents many of the tools and supplies I use in – and out – of my studio. I included the British Union Jack to represent my birthplace and favorite place to hike.
cre-ate: verb. 1: bring something new into existence; 2: to produce (something new such as a work of art) by using your imagination
I love being creative and seeing the potential in things – an old book becomes an art journal or a stamped fabric quote winds around an old wooden spool. The possibilities are endless! These are the kinds of projects that I want to highlight and write about here on my new website. With each of my blog posts, I will have a themed project. This is a way to share my love of writing AND art, and a good way to keep the creative energy going.
Keep checking in for ideas and interesting ways to tell stories. I am just getting familiar with Instagram and will be posting there as well.
This illustration is from the book Quinn and her River, written for my granddaughter. In the book, Quinn reads about the river until she is old enough to go exploring. She learns about the other birds, including ospreys, eagles, American bitterns, that live near the river. […]
Civil War archives weave together thousands of stories, many military in nature, but before, during, and after the battles at Manassas, farmers and tradespeople made the Bull Run community their home. Stories, like that of the Van Pelt family, remain important threads in this historic […]
For this fun valentine, I applied Tim Holtz idea-ology collage paper to a 6″ x 8″ piece of 140lb watercolor paper, using gel medium. Next, gesso was applied and wiped off here and there. To get the colors, I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide stamp pads. I also used rubber stamps to add wording and images. I finished with a vintage postage stamp, layered map hearts, and white gel pen accents.
Thursday, May 11, 2017 Today I am working on a journal that will be a record of my time here at the battlefield. For this project, I started with an old book I found in an antique store. It was falling apart, but had good […]
