Kathy Thaden - Mosaic Artist

I'm off to the Lakewood Arts Council's Community Art Center and Gallery this afternoon to help host a dessert/demo for artist Kathy Thaden

LIKE A DOVE

Mexican Smalti, Italian Millefiori 8.75" x 10.75"

Grandma, Vintage Jewelry and Fiber Art ACEO's

One of my grandmothers, Gladys, worked at the Goodwill when she was older. She was the one that was the beauty operator who could think of nothing better in life than giving a good perm, a flapper, and a wild woman. See May 13th post.

Forgive me Grandma, but she was also a "pack rat", a trait that I have inherited. She used to save her tin foil and a whole cupboard was dedicated to used tin foil. (The dishwasher was not for washing dishes but used as a safe for her bills.) In my case, I save every bit and bob of something that could be used for artwork (so does my Mother.) My sons and grandchildren will be overwhelmed with what to do with my "stashes" when I am gone.

Anyway, while Grandma worked at the Goodwill, she would go through the incoming items and bring home anything that appeared to be of value. This little vintage jewelry piece on "Royally Gold" was one of her finds and has been in my jewelry box for years and years. It's missing a few stones but is really a lovely vintage item. It was the clasp on a bracelet.

I repurpose vintage items for my still life paintings, and when I find a suitable piece of vintage jewelry I repurpose it for my fiber art.

If you feel royal or queenly, this piece might be for you, and Grandma Gladys' find will finally be "home". Littleton Studio on 1000Markets

"Royally Gold" Fiber Art ACEO 2.5 x 3.5" with vintage bracelet clasp

Close up of "Royally Gold"

Where My Love of Vintage and Fine Art Collides

I have a love of vintage items, but no room for them in my home. I have enough of my great-grandmother's, grandmothers', mother-in-law's and mother's treasures to fill up my
cupboards already.

But I do love hunting for them and giving them a renewed "purpose" in life. It is my take on recycling.

Some of my favorites are put into my fine artwork. The little cobalt blue perfume bottle/decanter became the focal point of the pastel painting below. The vintage Gibson teapot is the focal point in a colored pencil piece I am working on.

This little treasure is available on my Corn Street Vintage shop on Etsy.

"Cobalt Blue Bottle" 12 x 17" Pastel

My lovely Gibson's vintage teapot with a cottage style quilt made by me. Both are available on my Etsy shop, Corn Street Vintage.

"Vintage Teapot" 9 x 12" colored pencil (dry and watersoluble) on sanded board. A work in progress...

Hippie Dippie? or another?

A few of my new ACEO's from this week. I think my favorite it "Hippie Dippie" or "Mountain Meadow"....just can't decide. Your thoughts?

"Mountain Meadow" Fiber Art ACEO

"Hippie Dippie" Fiber Art ACEO

"Copper and Jade" Fiber Art ACEO

"Fields of Gold" Fiber Art ACEO

"Sunshine" and "Tidepool" Fiber Art ACEO's

These fiber art ACEO's and more can be found on my Littleton Studio shop. They are sized at 3.5" x 2.5" (Art Card Editions and Originals standard size.) Backed with foam core they can be displayed on a miniature easel, or are suitable for framing, with a shadow box mat or frame.

"Cobalt Blue Bottle" Finally Finished...next?

Great learning experience. Deb and I decided that I should do another similar piece to make sure all that I learned is solidified in my head and hand. Now I have to think about objects that I want to incorporate to explore the light.

I also need to start a piece at home to put into practice the things I have learned about light revealing form. Out of this practice comes the best questions when I do get to class.

I thought I would include this link to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro
This is the concept of light and shadow that I have been studying with Deb, and this explains it much better than I ever could.

Thanks for following along!


"Cobalt Blue Bottle" 12 x 17" Pastel on Wallis sanded paper


Close up of "Cobalt Blue Bottle"

New Fiber Art ACEO's, Art Updates and Moms

Not much time this last week for dedicated stretches of time to any one project. So you don't think I'm a complete slackard, I'll share some updates to projects I have been working on and some new ACEO's that I finished yesterday.

Before I do that I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Andrea, the editor, at ArtsyBeat. The focus of the interview is on my fiber art which is inspired by the "mothers" in my family....my Mom (Phyllis), my Grandmas Gladys and Blanche, and my Great-Grandmother Ida.

My Mom is just such a joyful spirit, has a wicked sense of humor, and always sees the glass half full. My grandmothers were so different, one a beauty operator and thought there was nothing better in life than giving a good perm or as she called it a finger wave. She was a flapper and led quite an independent and wild life for those times. My other grandmother was a homemaker with eight kids and a slew of grandkids...independent in a different way. My favorite memory of her was the sugar cookies she ALWAYS kept in a jar in this weird-shaped cabinet by the stairs. I have one of her mixing bowls that was ALWAYS on the counter with her Mix-Master. It's one of my most treasured possessions.

I never met my great-grandmother but I have quite a few pics of her and she is quite vividly planted in my brain from the stories my Mother has lovingly told me over the years. She lived half the year in town (if you can call about 15 people a town), and the other half on the farm. She died in 1939 but left among her possessions a few quilts. I have one of her quilts and a small snippet of another that was made into a pillow by my Mom. Two more of my treasured possessions.

I could go on about the pioneering spirit and independence of the women in my family back to Scotland and Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries....but maybe another time.

Here are two fiber art ACEO's I finished yesterday:

"Sunshine" and "Tidepool" are available in my Littleton Studio shop at Etsy and 1000Markets.

Finally, updates to my colored pencil painting "Vintage Teapot" and my pastel class project "Cobalt Blue Bottle":

Have worked on the handle of the teapot and now working on adding the roses on the front of the teapot. Also working on adding some "atmosphere" to the background, because there is a ton of light bouncing around in this set-up.

Have just about finished the vase learning how to make the vase look "splashed" in light. I now will move on to the cobalt perfume bottle and the foreground, including the skin of the onion. I need to make it smaller so it doesn't cause problems on the left side when framing.

Cheers everyone!

Woohoo! Accepted into the 17th Annual CPSA

The list of accepted artists for the Colored Pencil Society of America's 17th Annual International Exhibit in Atlanta, GA this summer has been posted. Much to my delight, my piece "String Theory" has been accepted.

I will be going to Atlanta for the Executive Board meeting, convention, reception and members' meeting the end of July.

Working towards my CPSA Signature Status, this is my second acceptance. I have until 2016 to make my third acceptance to earn that elusive goal.

For now I'm doing a big fat happy dance!!