Confessions of a Stress Junkie

I have this crazy idea that I can do it all, all the time. So I have a history of over committing myself. But then I ended up with stress related health issues. So I am working on changing a few things. And it's not easy because now I feel guilty for relaxing.

Everyday Saint Series: " Our Lady of the Overcommitted"

Guardino Gallery Show

Spring Cleaning
Here are some of the images from my last show at Guardino Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Most of these are done with Creative Paperclay® and mixed media.
Bless the Heart and Soul of Phoebe Snow


Anticipation


These are a pair called "The Wedding" painted on pressed board panels

Green Architecture

If She Could Only Fly Away

A Bird in Hand
My Fettered Friend: Chickadee

My Fettered Friend: Meadowlark

My Fettered Friend: Robin

My Fettered Friend: Varied Thrush

Upcoming Art Show and Workshop on Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon

Just Imagine

Sometimes Things Need to Grow on You

This Too Shall Pass


 































































In the next 2 weeks, I am going to be in a show at Guardino Gallery in Portland...and right down the street, at Collage (the coolest art/craft supply shop EVER) I am teaching a 2 day workshop on Paper Clay and Mixed Media.

Check it out!
 http://collageonalberta.typepad.com/
 http://guardinogallery.com/

Bird is the Word

I made these birds for Valentine's Day with tissue paper maché and paint.
You are my hero      Mixed Media
You are a rare bird     Mixed Media

You are the life of my party      Mixed Media


Signs of the Times

Ok...so I worked on these for 2 years and finally finished them. It's not that they took that long...but I kept changing them and redoing them. I used  the images to design bookmarks for my dearest friend Johanna Mitchell who is an amazing astrologer in Eugene...with clients all over the world. And now these finished pieces hang in her office because they wanted to be there.

They are mixed media using matte board, paper and paint. Hard to tell but they have dimension.
Happy Birthday to all of us.












The Releasing

Sometimes you have to let go of something in order to allow something new to come in.  Old habits, old patterns, old ideas of who you are.  It is not always comfortable. Sometimes it is like releasing a favorite pet into the wild. Just go for it.

Releasing Self Doubt

Everyday Saints

These are some of my Everyday Saints. 
Those who watch over us when we need them.
All were inspired by my daughter and the phases of her life so far.

Our Lady of Biological Clocks      Paper Collage/Mixed Media

Our Lady of Decisions of the Heart    Paper Collage/Mixed Media

Our Lady of Sleeping Through The Night     Paper Collage/Mixed Media

Our Lady of Things I Wish I Hadn't Said         Paper Collage/Mixed Media

Friends of a Feather

Spring is everywhere. And I am celebrating it with my friends that hang out just outside my studio window. What a blessing they are.





Art & Soul Retreat in Portland this Fall!


I will be teaching at this wonderful week-long retreat in Portland this fall! 
Classes begin Sept. 26 -- I am teaching Oct. 1&2, Sat & Sun 

Link to Portland Art & Soul Retreat

Hundreds of art makers gather to take workshops from dozens of teachers that come from all over the country. It is a Mixed Media Mecca! You can learn so many techniques from such masters that it will leave you creatively stimulated for months! Below are listed JUST A FEW of the many awesome artists teaching there with links to their creative BLOGS!

--Jane LaFazio (click here for Jane's blog)
Colorful and charismatic work...be excited at the opportunity to take one of her classes.

--Jenni Horne (click here for Jenni's blog)
Inventively whimsical art. She'll be teaching about how to paint a story.

--Peggy Krzyzewski (click here for Peggy's blog)
Fusing glass in new creative ways. Clearly this comes from her heart.

--Doreen Kassel  (click here for Doreen's blog)
Papier mache clay folk art. I love it! Doreen's pieces look like vintage storybooks.

--Sharyn Sowell (Click here for Sharon's blog)
This artist is a letterpress wonder. Making art the old fashioned way, one letter at a time. So imPRESSive.

--Corey Celaya (click here for Corey's blog)
Collaged jewelry? Not sure how she does it, but she does it beautifully.

Encaustics...painting, layering, encasing creations in wax. She makes it look so easy.

--Jen Crossley (click here for Jen's blog)
She creates amazing jewelry out of odds and ends...bits and pieces. The most charming of charms.

--Barbara Lewis (click here for Barbara's blog)
Enchanted enamels, beautiful beads...fresh approaches...she is inspiring.

Sign up as soon as you can because these workshops fill up FAST.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love that LOVE gets honored once a year.
For our special show at Passionflower Design in Eugene -- Objects of Desire --I made a series of Valentine Hearts using paper maché clay.
Hopelessly devoted to you.

Every rose has its thorn
For Frida
I will always love you.

Really Cool Art Show!!!

 
This is my favorite show of the year...Really fun stuff...and lots of it. Come by and join the fun Friday the 4th!

Link to Story About Me

More than a year ago, I was interviewed for Oregon Art Beat, a show on OPB showcasing artist in Oregon. The producer had seen my show in a gallery in Portland and asked me to do an interview. I have to say, because of her masterful skills and some great camera work, they made a pretty good story out of a half a day of filming. Go figure.

http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/segments/view/890

Inside We Are All the Same   16x20  Acrylic on Canvas

Teaching Another Workshop in February!

Varied Thrush     8" x 8"   Paper Maché Clay on Canvas

Learn my paper mache clay technique by taking take my workshop at Clay Space in February. This 2-day workshop (Feb. 12-13) is 4 hours each day and you will leave with a finished piece. This is a really fun process that is good for all skill levels. Go to clayspaceonline.com for more information. Let's make art together!

Getting Ready for Another Show!

Hoarders    10" x 10"    Mixed Media on Canvas
It's the Second Annual Objects of Desire Show! Opening February 4, 2011, at Passionflower Design at 128 East Broadway in Eugene. The show runs from Feb. 4-28 and will include works by me and two of my favorite artists,  Beverly Soasey and Betsy Wolfston. We will be showing everything and anything we can cook up in an eclectic mix of our three styles.  This is a really fun and interesting show...so come and check it out!

Oregon Art Beat Segment



Lucky me...I was interviewed for a segment on Oregon Art Beat in fall of 2009...and it is now going to finally air on January 13! If you are not in Oregon, you will be able to see it online after it airs.

I am so grateful to KC Cowan for coming to my Portland show and she even bought one of my pieces! That's where she saw my work and asked me to be on the show. Had it not been for Onda Gallery, which has since gone out of business, I would have never made this connection. Thanks to Alan Oliver for giving me a chance.

Thanks to all of you who support local artists!

Friends of a Feather

Hi and thanks for checking out my blog. I have a show currently hanging at the Jacobs Gallery. It's called Small Pleasures. I have posted several images from that show on earlier posts. I am putting up the rest so my pals from out of town can see all of them. All ihe pieces in this show are birds made from paper clay with mixed media backgrounds.


Timid Towhee 6x6
Chilled Chickadee   6x6
Flicker of Hope   8x10

It's In Our Hands

This piece is part of my upcoming show at Jacob's Gallery opening December 10. As usual, I am calling attention to the plight of birds who struggle to live in our environment as we continue to destroy their habitat. Do them a favor...plant a crab apple tree.

Wise Guy

Owls are one of the oldest species of vertebrate animal in existence. Fossils have been found dating back 60 million years, showing the bird to have changed very little in that time.

Throughout the history of mankind, the owl has featured significantly in mythology and folklore. Owls are one of the few birds that have been found in prehistoric cave paintings.

I just hear on NPR that owls are now endangered in India because of Harry Potter! People are catching them and selling them as pets. Tragic!

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say.
A fool because he has to say something."      Plato

Seems relevant to facebook.

Something to Crow About

 Check out this AMAZING video about crows.  http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/

I am so inspired by the crow family that hangs around my house. They stick together and come to each other's aid when needed. Too bad for such a beautiful bird they don't have a prettier song.

Stay at Home Dad          Paper Clay/Mixed Media