A few new cards

I'd taken a break from card making after the market in the park and focused on painting, but this weekend my stamping supplies were calling me. I made some simple cards, most of them variations on the themes below: 

The colors on this seem a bit off on my monitor. The reds should be rich, almost burgundy. 

I did a series of cards in burgundy and gray on white cardstock, but my scanner wasn't picking up the boundaries of the cards, only the colored images in the center. Very weird effect. I'll try to get them re-scanned and add them here.

Okay, here they are. The colors are charcoal gray, burgundy, and crisp white. I never work with white cardstock, so this a change for me. Once again, I liked how clean the designs are. Paper and stamps below are from Stampin' Up.

 

Art Journal: My Broken Heart

Because I took so many photos and visited so many studios on the White Rock Lake Artists tour, I'm not entirely sure where I saw this. I believe it was on the property of Rebecca and Ken Boatman. It was not a finished piece, but just an item in a random pile of "materials" next to a garage. I saw it and saw myself and my broken heart.)

The art I bought in Dallas

Wandering through the White Rock Lake artists' studios put me face to face with so many great artists and so much great art in a variety of style and media.

Richard Ray's enormous collection of paintings was a joy to view. He paints scenes familiar to Dallas residents and uses vivid colors and Impressionist-style brush work to bring them to life and give them new energy.

Elsewhere on the tour, a painting of a tree branch that was both earthy and mystical kept me coming back and wishing I had more in my wallet than I did. Other works moved me but didn't beg to come home with me, so I didn't have to wrestle with my budget or my conscience.

I enjoyed talking to Chris Lyons about an abstract stone sculpture he'd made, hearing how he was inspired by the stone, how he came up with the composition, and how he built the sculpture, which was a dynamic piece constructed from long oblong forms with unexpected angles. It appeared to defy gravity and I loved the tension and the lines of it.

We took a break mid afternoon for lunch and Granola Grrrl's friend H treated us to tacos at a Mexican Taqueria where we pretended we could read and understand Spanish. Luckily, it's not too hard to say, "Dos taco carnitas" and respond "Maize" when asked what kind of tortilla you want used on the shell. We said "No, gracias" when we thought the waitress was asking us if we wanted dessert, but the look of surprise on her face showed we'd guessed wrong about what she was saying. I hope we weren't rude. I'm haunted by the thought that she asked us whether we enjoyed our meal.

I studied Spanish for two years in high school and remember almost nothing. I then studied French for two years in college and so much of that remains imprinted in my memory. It always surprises me. The worst thing is that when I try to use a few Spanish phrases, I combine them with my latent French vocabulary and speak some ugly hybrid language called Spench (or is it Franish?). So embarrassing.

After lunch we returned to the studio tour and I made some purchases. This tile by Angela Gallis instantly won me over. It was just perfect. (Ignore the bright blue highlight at the top, which appears on the scan, not on the art itself.)

Likewise, when I saw this mixed media work by Andrea Davis, I knew it would be going home in my suitcase. The colored metal plate the work is mounted on is so vivid, and the piece itself layered with paint and images. When you turn it side to side, "hidden" stars appear.

I also immediately connected with the word "Open." It's a brave word. A daring word. It takes courage to be open to life, open to people, open to love, open to change. Doing so leaves us open to criticism, open to judgment, open to pain. However, I believe writers and artists have no choice but to embrace openness. It feeds our spirits and inspires our work and tutors us in the universal language of our shared humanity.

I also bought some ceramic chopstick holders made by Betsy Doan. They're an enticing mix of blues and green glaze over a leaf motif. What do I need chopstick holders for? Well I put them in my studio to rest my wet brushes on when I'm painting.

All in all, a lot of art for not a lot of money and great souvenirs of my visit to Dallas and my time with Granola Grrrl. 

White Rock Lake Artists' Studio Tour

I flew to Dallas on Friday to spend the weekend with Granola Grrrl in her charming bungalow full of kids and cats and chai. On Saturday, we went on a tour of artists' studios in a neighborhood not far from her home. Most of the studios were located in rustic sheds and outbuildings behind the artists' homes.

Not only did we get to see a lot of cool art and meet the artists, but we also enjoyed observing their environments which reflected their personalities, sources of inspiration, and creativity. Not all the art was inside the studio. It spilled out into the yards and gardens we walked through.

A few scenes from the tour:

 

 (more to come)

A guitar that chases away the blues

art by Rob Landeck 

During a recent trip to an art gallery, this print insisted we belonged together and wanted to come home with me. It started with a soft sell: "I'm a linocut," it said, knowing I love block printing and had recently purchased work from this artist's portfolio.

"I'm a mixed media original," it said flirtatiously, somehow sensing this is my favorite format to work with in my studio. My face softened a bit and it grabbed its opportunity to throw on the charm.

"C'mon. You know you want me. I'm bold, wonderfully colored and composed, quiet and yet audacious. I'm a symbol of all the acoustic music you have ever loved and the rockin grrrl you used to be (and still are, but maybe I'm the only one who can see that)."

What can I say? When art talks, I listen. Who can resist a pitch from such a smooth operator? I had to give in.

So now this guitar hangs over my desk and whispers to me all day, reminding me who I am and what I love.

You can see more work by the artist Rob Landeck here.

On my wish list? A piece Rob did of a harmonica player and this block print by Elizabeth Seaver.