I'm DONE!! I finally completed my 2012 Sketchbook project and managed to complete it 2 two days before the deadline. (GO ME!)
I made a Flip video of so I could share it with you before I send it off. Please excuse how unfocused I seem-I was very under the weather when I filmed this yesterday with a pounding migraine and it's hard to think when that's happening.
In the video, I mentioned that I have postcards in my Etsy shop. If you're wondering where to find them, just click my etsy link on the side bar, et voila!
I've created a Flickr set for my Sketchbook Project if you want to see the pages up close. You can find ithere. It was fun working on this. I did it very loosey goosey-I sewed some pages together ROD style and then just started laying stuff down and adding to it as I went along, with no real plan in mind. It was a good exercise in just going with the flow.
For those of you who are local, The Sketchbook Project is coming to Vancouver in May on the 15th & 16th. You will be able to see it for yourself at W2 Media Cafe, 111 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC. May is
shaping up to be a very busy month!
So I've been running my own little postcard factory the last couple of days. I've printed some of my most favourite images I created in Wading In, Light Hunters, Swan Dive and Getting Through the Grey and made them (by hand!) into postcards.
My friend Deb and I were chatting yesterday and she told me that she's got a bunch of them tacked to her inspiration board in her studio. She said that she contemplated sending them as postcards, but then decided that she couldn't bear to part with them. *grins* That made me hugely happy!
The good news is that I've packaged them into sets of four and have them available for purchase in my Etsy, so if you love them just as much, you can always order a set to keep and one to send. Just convo me if you want two identical sets and I'll hook you up! (I'm making them as fast as my hands will let me.)
It's been dark and rainy here the last while and I've been busy with the 2012 Olympic Women's Soccer Qualifying Tournament, (GO CANADA GO!!) so I haven't had the time or energy to shoot photos. Hopefully I'll be back on track by the weekend. There are only 5 more weeks of Getting Through the Grey left!
So for awhile now, I've been making handmade postcards from images I've created in the photography classes I've been taking. I've always thought I would love working with a card company, but since that hasn't happened (yet) I've been content to start making them on my own. I love postcards and I've made a few sets to exchange with a few of my classmates in Getting Through the Grey.
My friend Pip got the packet I sent her in the mail this week and encouraged me to put some of my postcards for sale in my Etsy shop. I hemmed and hawed about it and then she emailed me again yesterday, giving me another gentle nudge. This morning, I took a leap of faith and went ahead and did it. Sometimes it's hard to put yourself out there, but honestly, what do I have to lose? No risk, no reward! (Thanks Pip for your vote of confidence! xo)
I have three different sets available, with plans to offer more, once I get prints made, which hopefully will happen later today. Until then, you can find my first three sets here,here and here. You can send them to a friend or to keep for yourself. They'd also look cool sewn into your journal, or you could always frame them-it's up to you! Pip said she plans to frame hers.
**Mary Ellen & Sherry, please email me your snail mail addys so I can send you your winnings! Thanks!**
If I've been on the quiet side this week, it's because I've been busy with the Women's Soccer 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament. I've been downtown in a swanky hotel my husband helped build, dispatching a fleet of cars for VIPs again. It's been fun, but long days knock the stuffing out of me.
So far we've attended Canada's first game, against Haiti and our ladies are looking really good. They played with integrity and their cohesiveness was really something to watch. If you're in town, you should get tickets-they're very inexpensive-$10-$25, no bad seats and all in the lower bowl.
I haven't had time to shoot anything new this week, aside from this photo of Indy, which I love. Speaking of photography, my beloved Picnik is closing mid-April. I am utterly bereft.{insert very sad face} I am very unhappy about it and have no idea what I am going to do once it's gone-it's my go-to editing program.
Mary Ellen, Sherry, Dave & Lisa, thank you for your feedback on Tapping In. It was really interesting hearing your interpretations. I wanted to let you know that you are all winners! Please email me with your snail mail addresses and as soon as I get prints made, I will send each of you postcards. (My email addy is on the sidebar.)
I think far and away, this is one of my most favourite images. I took a photograph of a section one of my mixed media pieces and then layered it with a self portrait of my hand. It took some fiddling to blend it to my satisfaction, but essentially, that's what I did.
I was going to write about what this image represents to me but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe it's more interesting to hear what YOU think it's about, if you'd like to share. I'm curious how other people filter my work. If you are going to comment on this image, I'd like to challenge you to post your own thoughts and observations before reading anyone else's. (But feel free to read the other comments when you're done!)
And as an added bonus, if you take the time to comment, I'll enter your name in a draw to receive this image as a handmade postcard from me when I do my next round of photo prints. I'll take comments till 8 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, January 19th and I'll post the winner's name here on Friday morning, so be sure and check back!
I've been playing around with macro for this week's Getting Through the Grey class. On a whim, I decided to shoot some macros of pieces of my mixed media artwork I have sitting around in the studio. These were large painted and/or collaged pieces so I shot small isolated ares of them. I layered them with other photographs I've taken and voila!
I think the most powerful tool we have as artists is our ability to ask ourselves "What if....?" It's that question which led me to experimenting in this way. I created She Dreams of Everest just to see what would happen and I'm pleased with the results. It's like a whole new style I've created for myself-2nd generation art. I like reinventing things.
experimenting=learning
Portal
This one is a section of a painting combined with an image of a window with a hall and doorway behind it I took at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens. I love how it looks like old, chippy paint. It's kind of magical.
The Picture Makes A Promise
This one was a combination of a still like I took of an old Brownie camera I have in my studio and a section of my artwork.
Sneaux Dog
Late Friday night, we got sneaux*, which is unusual for this elevation. Up until now, I've been running around town with just a hoodie on-it's been an extremely mild winter. Then this cold front moved in overnight and down came the white stuff. By 10 a.m. yesterday though, we were ankle deep in slush-the sun came out and the sky was clear blue. Indy, who loves the sneaux went out and had a couple good romps. His paw prints were so adorable all over the back yard I couldn't resist capturing them.
Before I sign off for now, I also wanted to say THANK YOU for all the kind words you've posted here, on Facebook and in emails about my selection as a Difference Maker for the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay. You sure know how to make a girl feel loved!
*I'm not allowed to say the "S" word in this house, so I always write it this way.
So I have some very exciting news to share! I'm quoting directly from the Rick Hansen Foundation website, because they've explained things better than I could.
"Twenty-five years ago Rick Hansen had a dream - to make the world more accessible and inclusive and to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Inspired by a deep-seated belief that anything is possible, Rick's dream took shape in the form of the Man In Motion World Tour. For 26 months he and his team wheeled over 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries, raising awareness of the potential of people with disabilities. The completion of this epic Tour was a testament to willpower, physical prowess and the ability to lead a seemingly impossible campaign. It was the beginning of a lifelong and selfless journey to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Through the Foundation that bears his name, more than $250 million has been raised to accelerate progress towards a cure for spinal cord injury and a more accessible and inclusive world.
To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Man In Motion World Tour, international and national events and activities are taking place.
The 25th Anniversary Relay will retrace the Canadian segment of the original Tour, but this time one man in motion will be represented and celebrated by many in motion; engaging participants from across Canada who have made their own difference in the lives of others.
The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay will travel through more than 600 communities as it makes its nine-month, 12,000-kilometre journey across Canada before concluding in Vancouver on May 22, 2012.
In every province, Relay Medal-Bearers will pass along the singular Rick Hansen Medal- produced by the Royal Canadian Mint - as the Relay makes its way across the country. Those that have the honour of carrying the Rick Hansen Medal will have demonstrated Rick's values of courage, determination and teamwork. All of our Medal-Bearers will be Difference Makers.
The opportunity to carry the Rick Hansen Medal is a special honour that is made even more memorable by the unique limited edition items that each Medal-Bearer will receive.
Prior to their 250 metre segment each Medal-Bearer will receive an official Rick Hansen Relay uniform created by Nike. This uniform is only available for Medal-Bearers and will be an iconic piece of this nationwide journey.
Upon completing their 250 metre segment each Medal-Bearer will also receive a commemorative medal produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. This medal is symbol of appreciation and recognition for our Difference Makers and encourages them to continue their journey of positive change."
Wednesday night I got an email informing me that I'd been selected as a Difference Maker. I will be carrying the Rick Hansen Medal in my community in May! I am extremely honoured and excited. I have always wanted to meet Rick Hansen-he's a true Canadian hero and someone I
admire a great deal.
Local Peeps, if you'd like to attend, (which I'd love-the more, the merrier!)shoot me an email and I'll make a point of letting you know when and where, once I have more information!
Living on the wet west coast of Canada, we get a fair bit of rain. I spend alot of time in the woods or at the dog park and the one thing that's guaranteed to make me ill-humoured is having wet feet. I wanted wellies, but not just any wellies. I was not about to buy a pair of UGLY gumboots just for the sake of dry feet. No how, no way! I decided long ago that the utilitarian things in my life need to not only be useful, but aesthetically pleasing as well. I am absolutely firm on this.
About a year or so ago, I was wandering Granville Island and in the window of this fancy-schmancy rain gear store, I saw this fabulous pair of boots. I went in to look. I nearly had a heart attack when I flipped them over to see how much they were. $90! Unbelievable! There was no way I was going to spend $90 on a pair of rain boots, even if they were pretty fabulous. I walked away, but have secretly been longing for these boots ever since.
Today, I decided to print some photos to make postcards to exchange with some of my Getting Through the Grey classmates. I submitted my print order online and then headed over to the mall to pick them up. On my way into the mall, I passed a shoe store and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boots. I bolted into the store and grabbed them off the rack, turning them over to see how big of a sticker shock I was going to get. $39.99! I gave it about 2 seconds of thought before kicking my hiking boots off to try them on. They fit!
I marched up to the counter to pay for them and got real surprise when the clerk rang them up: all in, taxes and everything, they were $26!! WOOHOO!! Apparently they're having an "end of season sale" (which is hilarious, since winter only began a couple weeks ago) and boots are 40% off. I told the girl that these exact same boots were $90 when I saw them a year ago. When I got home, I looked them up on the company's website and there they are $70 US. I really got a deal!
Needless to say, I am THRILLED to have these beauties for my very own. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, so I'll get a chance to break them in. I can't wait! It just goes to show that if you are patient, the universe will drop exactly what you want in your lap. (Or at least that's how my life works. I seem to be exceptionally good at conjuring things.)
If you need me, I'll be outside, stomping in all the puddles.
This is how we spent the last day of 2011-hiking in the woods, on a lake, in the mountains. I revelled in the silence. Indy had a blast swimming. It was incredibly warm-at least 10C and blue skies. We live in paradise.
I am so pleased with this shot. I love how the light caught the drops of water hanging in the air as Indy plunges at top speed into the lake. The splash in front of him is his water Kong, which we throw and he lives to retrieve. When it comes to photographing my dog, I always use the "sports" setting on my camera, which snaps really quickly and allows me to capture great shots like this. Indy's very athletic, so he'd be nothing more than a blur if I used anything else.
All week long I worked on a year-end photo project and had planned to post it yesterday morning. I spent HOURS trying to upload it, but there have been some technical difficulties and right now I don't have the patience to re-do the entire project. I'm going to leave it for a bit and at some point when I am not so annoyed, I will revisit it. Sometimes, you just have to have the wisdom to know when to walk away.
I am working diligently on finishing my Sketchbook, which is due before the end of the month. I've been working on it in fits and starts. I am about 1/3 of the way there. It's the only project I have left from 2011 and I'll be tying up that loose end in the next week or so. After that, we'll see what comes next.
Some time ago, Seth asked "If you could take a class from one artist from anytime in history, including the present, who would it be and why?" Who did I choose and why? Pop on over to the Altered Page and see!
In other news, I spent hours last night trying to upload the year-end photo project but the file is pretty huge, so I'm having trouble. *sigh* I'll keep at it and hopefully have it up soon. It's certainly not for lack of trying!
