Upcoming Art Classes in the Northern Illinois Area

Don't you think it's about time for an art class? Of course it is, and if you are in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area I have just the class (or classes) for you.

The Antioch Fine Arts Organization has announced its Fall Class Schedule, with a variety of classes sure to interest just about evryone. Classes include fused glass workshops, airbrushing, various drawing and painting classes, calligraphy, stained glass, as well as an animal art class for children.

I will also be offering my "Totally Green" paper making workshop on Saturday October 3rd, at the AFAF Gallery. We'll spend an entire morning making a number of different types of beautiful handmade papers by recycling unwanted paper. Going Green Paper Making Kits will be available to purchase for those who are interested, but are by no means required.

Here is a complete listing of the art classes available from The Antioch Fine Arts Foundation.

Growing micro greens with style

I've mentioned before that my Mom has Alzheimer's, as did her mother before her. Things being as they are, my sister and I are doing what we can to avoid going down the same path. We eat our blueberries just about everyday, my sister exercises vigorously, and tries really hard to talk me into doing it too.

RealAge has a lot of good information about keeping your mind healthy as you age, and awhile back I read about how eating micro greens may be very beneficial. Micro greens are "filament-thin, delicate plants, the smallest possible incarnation of salad greens, herbs, edible flowers, and leafy vegetables". Apparently they have been found to contain higher levels of concentrated active compounds than found in mature plants or seeds.

I bought some micro green seeds to grow on my sunny kitchen window sill. The directions recommend growing them in shallow plastic trays, and taking cuttings after the second or third sets of leaves.

I wasn't too excited about having to look at plastic trays day after day, so I asked Maureen and George from AFAF to make me two small ceramic planters that would fit right on my window sill. Above are the before and after pictures of one of the two beautiful trays they've made. George designed a template from my specifications, and Maureen ended up glazing the trays in an earthy brown with a loose abstract design, sort of organic in nature.

I haven't actually received them yet, but now that the outdoor gardening season is coming to an end, I can't wait to get them and try my new trays out.

Art on the Lawn - my "set-up"

I thought you might like to see how I typically set up my booth. It's a little on the "cheap and simple" side, I know, but my theory is that the focus stays on the flowers.

I always get a lot of positive comments on my ladder displays. The price was right (I found them on the side of the road one day) and I spray painted them an antique white. I added hooks to the back of the rungs, and use strong rubber bands (attached to the back) to keep the pictures from flying off in a gust of wind.

Our Art on the Lawn art show went well. We always hope for more people than we get, but my fellow AFAF artists and I enjoyed a pleasant day together, chatting, enjoying the sunshine, and even making a few sales. One of the highlights of my afternoon was a visit from a Eileen, a pressed flower artist I've corresponded with via email. It was a treat to meet her in person. She has been successfully selling her beautiful pressed flower art on her Etsy shop called Petal Annie.

One more thing. It's tacky to set up one's tent with the "EZ-Up" label at the front of one's display. Please feel free to learn from my mistake.

Art on the Lawn this weekend!

It's been a whirl wind of activity around here, and in turn the blog has been quiet lately. I've been busy doing the usual summertime activities with my kids, as well as pressing every beautiful flower I can get my hands on.

I've also been framing a number of my new pressed flower art creations which I'll have on display at the 4th Annual AFAF Art on the Lawn art show this weekend. Fifteen of my fellow artists and I will be displaying our work this Sunday, and there will be a wide variety of tempting art available. Join us if you can!

Getting ready

Here I am doing a little last minute rearranging just before my gallery opening last Sunday. Despite the threat of stormy weather, artist Lisa Clark and I actually had visitors. Later that evening after our gallery festivities were over, we had yet another tornado warning back in Twin Lakes. I believe it was the second or third one during the last 3 days.

Did you know that Wisconsin lost one of its most popular lakes on Monday? Due to excessive rain and flooding, the shore of Lake Delton gave way and the huge, very popular lake drained away in less than two hours. Unbelievable.

Things like that remind me of how little power we humans actually have in the grand scheme of things. I'm so thankful I'm on His side...not that I, and my family are immune to sudden disasters, we aren't. But, God promises that "all things work together for good" for all of us who love and follow Him. He has a purpose for everything that happens, for our good - that is awesome.

Gazania - Pressed Flower Art Collage

Here's the completed picture I started Tuesday. This is the first time I have ever grown and pressed gazania flowers, and what a joy they are. I love how the center of each flower is surrounded by bold black dots.

This picture, along with 10 or so others, will be featured at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery, in Antioch, Illinois, during the month of June. Fellow artist Lisa Clark and I will be having our opening reception from 2:00 - 4:00 this Sunday afternoon, so please feel free to stop by if your in the area!

Gazania - pressed flower collage under construction

I've been getting a few grumblings about my lack of blogging, and yes, I apologize that things have been a bit sparse lately.

I've been feverishly expanding my main garden this year, and have planted many more vegetables, hoping that they will help make a dent in our grocery bills. Also, I'm determined to make my garden more attractive this year - in the past I've made my main garden utilitarian, separating the flowers from the vegetables, and this year I've chosen mainly "ornamental" and colorful vegetable plants, and have attempted to sprinkle them "artistically" among my flowers. We'll see...

However, today is stormy, so I am in the middle of putting together the above pressed flower collage, and hope to finish/frame it by my gallery opening at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery this Sunday. I'll write more about that soon.

You frame it Friday

Today's "you frame it" pressed flower art selection is a collage of two petite brilliant purple tulips. Purple tulips are some what rare, and these two are from the back yard of the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery.

I love that these tulips are a bit smaller than the typical tulip, but my favorite thing about them is their beautifully graceful stems.

These tulips have been mounted on my 5 x 7" handmade paper, which in turn is mounted on a standard sized sheet (81/2 x 11') of Gilbert Oxford card stock. The pressed flowers and foliage have been sealed with a UV resistant and moisture proof polymer, so they're well protected. This collage would work in a standard 5 x 7", 8 x 12", or an 11 x 14" frame. I think I'd go with the 11 x 14" frame with this one.

A new blog and a bargain

My fellow art friend Bonnielyn recently started a new blog, called Oceancolors. She's an avid diver, and translates the wonders of what she sees during her dives into brilliant watercolor and oil paintings.

I think you'll like her blog - it captures her passion for both the beauty of the ocean and her love of expressing that beauty. And, if you're in the Chicago area you can check her out at booth # 1011 at the Rosemont during the "Our World Underwater" scuba diving trade show this weekend.

And, speaking of people of passion, Elisabeth Sheldon wrote a book called "Time and the Gardener" that I have had my eye on for quite some time. She wrote it at the age of 85, and basically it's a collection of 14 years worth of essays that gracefully reveal her vast knowledge and deep passion for plants of all kinds. The list price of this book is $25.00 (276 pages) but get this - it's on sale at PineTree Garden Seeds for only $5.98!!! Better get there fast.

Ocean Art

Today's post has nothing to do with plants, for once!
My friend Bonnie from the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation
(the gallery I belong to) has been accepted into the prestigious Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 Holiday Art Show to be held this coming weekend.

Bonnie loves diving (even with sharks, which concerns me) and her passion for the hidden beauty under the surface of the sea really shines through in her ocean art.

Bonnie and I are both trying to find our way in the world of marketing our art, and we enjoy bouncing our ideas off of each other. Lately we've been discussing a very interesting CD called "Dynamic Sales and Customer Service Techniques - for Artists" by Bruce Baker. Some of his ideas are very basic, but as an artist who has sold his work for many years, he shares some very valuable and even surprising insights. I'm looking forward to hearing how Bonnie puts some of these techniques into practice at her show this weekend. Good luck Bonnie!

Art Classes!

The Antioch Fine Arts foundation has just released its Fall and Winter Class schedule for students of all ages. If you live in the Antioch, Illinois area, you will want to check these classes out. I will be teaching my Basics in Paper Making workshop at the Gallery once again.
If you don't live in northern IL or southern WI, I have some great art classes for you as well - and they're free!
http://www.artyfactory.com/index.html
http://www.artpromote.com/onlineclass.shtml
As soon as my flower pressing chores slow down after the first hard freeze, I intend to take a good color theory class or two.

Remember, you can register for the seed drawing giveaway until Sunday. Have a good weekend!

Gallery Reception Part 2

The reception at the gallery last week went great!

Although the majority of the people stopping by were friends, family, and fellow gallery members (as opposed to throngs of art dealers clamoring for my art) both Lisa and I made a number of sales. Of course, we especially enjoyed spending the afternoon mingling and snacking. Here are a few more pictures, if you're interested.

Next Saturday at the gallery is my “Adventures in Handmade Papermaking for Beginners” class. I’ll be teaching my students how to make various types of handmade paper primarily from recycled paper. Some of the different types of paper we’ll be making include: flower petal paper, confetti paper, flax paper, and green tea paper (my favorite at the moment). Specific techniques will include coloration, and incorporating wire embossing and string lamination, among other things. The last segment of the workshop will be a “free for all” where the students will be able to combine all the techniques they’ve learned and come up with their own unique papers.

I’m looking forward to it! I always seem to learn something each time I teach a class – either about the techniques themselves, or from the contagious enthusiasm and fresh ideas my students come up with.

Gallery Reception Part 1

I've been busy finishing up a few last minute details as I get ready for my Artist Reception this Sunday. Lisa Clark and I are the featured artists in the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation's White Room during the month of February,and we are planning quite a (kid friendly) party. A number of my new botanical art pieces will be on display, and well as my pressed flower cards, botanical journals, and samples of my handmade paper. Lisa's offerings include oils, photography, altered art, jewelry, purses and hurricane candles.

Our reception will take place from 2:00 - 4:00 at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery, 983 Main Street, in Antioch, Il. Please join us if you're in the area!

sLowlife

One of the artists I know from the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation recently found out that one of her photographs had been accepted into the sLowlife exhibition.

Currently on display in Washington D.C., sLowlife is an exhibit offering “a journey into altered perceptions—a window into the world of plants.” Using state of the art time-lapse photography, we are given a glimpse into the secret, very active life of plants. The frantic, “busyness” of the plants reminds me of our own fast paced lifestyles.

You can check out the companion website for sLowlife here. Who knew that sunflower seedlings dance a happy dance in response the light from above? Pause a moment and watch as a vase of tulips, seemingly frozen in place and time, reveal just how “unstill” they really are…like my squirming kids at church. Or, take a few moments to watch thick white roots doing their own busy dance…under the very ground we walk on. Amazing!

“For now we see in a mirror dimly…” 1 Corinthians 13:12