Keys4Art 2014....two more sleeps!

I haven't been doing much, except for things like this:

Getting ready to see some of my BFFs in the Florida Keys at the week-long art fest known as:

The very talented Teri came up with a brand new logo.

And no, none of us actually have such waists. LOL! But we do plan to have paint brushes, palettes, and cocktails in hand very soon.

Once again we have pooled resources and rented a house. And what a house it is! Last year's was pretty fabulous, but this one.....I've been told the photos don't do it justice. Can't wait!

I don't know if I'll have time to keep in touch while I'm away, but I promise many photos when I return. And as if all this isn't enough, we have the one and only, the fabulous DJ Pettitt coming down to hold a private two day workshop for us. Right now I'm thinking life couldn't be any better.

A Documented Life -- Separated At Birth

I've often said that I generally begin a project with a rough plan, but how it ends up is a whole other story. This week's prompt in The Documented Life Project is to include a bird image on a page. All I knew at this point is that I wanted a metal bird and I also wanted one made of fabric.

I looked at these two guys and the phrase "fraternal twins" came to mind. And the piece wound up being light hearted.

The background is a collage of strips of three different gelli plate prints. Metal bird was cut from a piece of aluminum which I stained with brown ink and stamped with black (both permanent - I used Ranger's archivals). Holes were punched with an awl and the wing attached to the body with needle and thread. His eye is a metal brad with the look of a screw.

Fabric bird was machine stitched on muslin, following a very lightly drawn outline, then colored with highly diluted water colors. When dry, I cut it out close to the stitching, and adhered it to the page with Ailene's tacky glue.

The moral of the story: a chance encounter can be life changing, even for a bird.

A Documented Life - Who Am I?

The week 10 prompt in The Documented Life Project: What makes you, "you?" Or, if I'm talking to myself, which has been known to happen, what makes me, "me?" Apparently lots of things, and so many contradictions. That became the focus of my piece. And don't think for a moment I believe that makes me unique. I'm sure we all have many sides, which is why a usually kind person can also do something incredibly mean. Not talking about myself, of course. 

This is more journal than art, and that's OK with me. I find with these prompts, the page is just going to be what it wants to be. 

The building is something from a printmaking class I took a year or so ago. I adhered it to cardstock and then cut doors and windows with my craft knife. You'll see that in a moment. I started by simply writing whatever words I felt described or defined me, and started noticing that quite often I had what I thought of as a positive attribute, as well as it's exact opposite. I threw it all into the mix. When I got to some things that I wasn't sure I wanted to go public with, I decided to create some hidden spots for writing, hence the doors and windows.

I love this project!