Las Vegas Art and Soul Retreat

This first photo was taken as is, on my first morning in Las Vegas, while walking to the Bally's resort from my hotel. It really sums up Vegas for me.

The departure from Vancouver Island was utterly gorgeous.

Then I had a wonderful sunset from my accommodation:

The first class I took was with Robert Dancik, working with faux bone, making a little book. It is an amazing material, very adaptable and flexible. The skills required are more in line with jewelry, not my line at all, but it was a fun class, and Robert is a great instructor. And the gorgeous book below is NOT mine, it's a sample Robert brought to show us the possibilities of the material.

    I don't need to recap my Thomas Ashman class, see below.
Many of the trips to the classes were interrupted by French pastry stops at the Paris casino, which connects with the Bally's....Oooooh ;-((( How could I resist?

The weather in Vegas was heavenly, balmy almost. 

Carla Sonheim taught how to make this amazing little journal out of junk mail. Her mind works in a different way than most of ours, I suspect. Her little animals flow from one page to the next, but on the following page, becoming something else. It blows my mind. She taught us her method, but it would take me years of practice to think that way. Still, it was amazing to watch the process.


Finally, on my last night, I went to the Wynn casino to see the show, Le Reve. The window shopping was out of this world. I spent some fun time in the Hermes shop, scarves and leather handbags. One of the store windows boasted this gorgeous platter, which is very reminiscent of the swap going on my Yahoo group, the sketchbook project Yahoo group, where we are swapping zentangle mandalas. My lady friends, you can see I was thinking of you...

Carla Sonheim class

At the Art and Soul Retreat, I took a class with Carla Sonheim on the last day. She taught some really great techniques, some that I have yet to develop, but I particularly loved the result of her background techniques. 

All you do is cover the background with gesso, then apply a wash of watercolor. The colors come out really subtle and I love them. 

Now what to do with those marvelous colors. So I got the idea to  make a whole series of panels with hearts, based on the sewing techniques I was picking up from the Ruth Rae book: Layered, tattered and stitched. 

Huh, it is rather addictive, and I made a dozen.... All these are small panels, 4 x 6.

This last one is a larger panel, 8.5 x 7.5. I love the catching of a little heart or a rose behind the gauze. It's a bit hard to render on the screen, you'll just have to take my word for it. All in all, immense fun. I look forward to your feedback. It's obviously not my usual style, and I wonder if they're just too sweet.

The whole Vegas retreat was a bit of overwhelm for me, some of it having to do with the town itself. There was also so  much sensory overload, walking through casinos with lights, fake sounds of fake winnings of fake money. The stores were full of amazing products, colors. I got home and fears I'd never produce a piece of art again.

Art and Soul Retreat

I have also finished my 2 mini copper and glass books from the Art Retreat in Las Vegas last week, the Thomas Ashman class.

Inland Border Security (US) saw fit to riffle through my luggage, which is only fair considering the quantity of paint, gesso, Golden gel medium I was bringing back. And my little books must have looked ominous on their scans. I just wish they had bothered to repack the books as carefully as I had put them, wrapped in bubble pack and paper towels. But I guess it's not their job, so the glass was broken, and a mess it made.

It was my opportunity to try a different method, since I'd had such an awful time (close to undoing me...) fitting the glass inside the copper tape. On one book, I used a transparency with a back, on another I used just a plain photo. That will work for me.

I'm really pleased with them. Now, I want to experiment with a solid sheet of copper, and add the photo on top. I'll certainly be making more, as I just love those little books.

Tunnel books

I've been fascinated with tunnel books, particularly of the style taught by Ingrid Dijkers. Since it doesn't seem possible that I'll take a class from here, I just had to figure out how to make one.

Here is the image I started with. The idea I think is to start with an image that has some depth and some details.


Then, it's cutting time with the Exacto knife. Oh, and a bit of Photoshop to create the front page.

I left just the cat and the table. 

then I went looking for images that might be in the right proportions and size to match my scene. Luckily, I have this great little book that advertises fireplaces and there were a few suitable images. 

Here it is with the whole family:

I used the accordeon style, which makes it 3D. 

But this is not what I was after. What I really wanted to  make was a BOOK, with real pages that you turn, and each page reveals a different part of the scene. I don't think I've quite succeeded yet, but I'm on my way. 

Each page is cut out with a circle that gets smaller, and you can see through to the back. the trick of course was to have the images on both side to make the page looks right.

Now to keep decorating and journaling on it. I'll bind it with rings or some string.

Art and Soul retreat

Las Vegas might seem like an unlikely location for an art retreat, but no matter, on my second day of the retreat, I have to say it's a complete success. 

Yesterday, I learned to work with faux bone, use a bench saw and all sorts of techniques that I'm sure will come in handy. Rober Dancik was a fine instructor, and his own work is simply amazing. I now know several ways to make a hinge, you never know when you need a hinge. 

And just in case I need a hinge, I learned another way to make one today in a fantastic class with Thomas Ashman. We made tiny glass and copper journals. I totally adored it. 

I must admit there was a time towards the end when the glass had to be fitted between fiddly bits of tin and held by a zillion rivets and bolts when 4-letter words might have been heard from my direction, and I really thought that tin was going to win.

But... patience, success, advice, a few tricks, and voila....

Front and back of  my own. 

Here we are at the Bally's casino, with torches, volatile chemicals, and it was just a blast. Well, it wasn't, we dind't blow ourselves up, but you know what I mean.

Below are Thomas the Black Sheep's own work:

 

Just gorgeous, aged, funky looking books. I still have to add the charms to mine, I'll be doing that tonight. 
 

Completely satisfied with this workshop.

Tomorrow, I'll be more in my comfort zone, back to painting in various forms.

Funky journals

Here are some recent funky journals I just made.

I made the first one for Valentine's day, to receive pictures of all the amazing expressions of love for my birthday. It's a funny day to be born, Valentine's Day. It's given me lots of opportunity to reflect on romantic love, as opposed to spiritual or unconditional love. I thought this year would be a good year to record those thoughts and put them down on paper.
This is the front cover: 

I have been studying various books on paper fabric. Here's a close up of the back cover with a multi-layer heart.

Here are two of the pages inside:

Yes, it's me on the left page, displaying the gorgeous scarf pin my sister sent and which I wore at the lunch my good meditation friend treated me to.

The second book I made is in prevision of a week long retreat I'm doing in June with Carrie Burns Brown. She teaches abstract acrylic painting, and the retreat will be about color. So I made a black and white book, thinking I would fill it with samples of the work we make during the retreat, and that they would be colorful.

This was my first time using metallic thread and thanks to my Yahoo group at Sketchbook project, I got a lot of help and advice, and managed it. I also covered my crazy quilting with a piece of organza scarf I had found at the thrift store, and it looks really neat. 

These are terribly fun to make. I have not even painted this week, having too much fun.

I even made a funky bracelet to go with my funky journal for the Art and Soul retreat this coming week. I leave Saturday!!!! yeah~~

This one I just made with yarns that  Lisa sent over via the Birthday faery.

And the one on the left got made with a scarf I had. It will be a full shitzu doggy when it grows up.

A new beginning

'tis the season of new beginning. Even far North in Canada (OK, on the West coast) little daring green things are starting to poke their head towards the sky.

Lent started today, for those of us who were brought up Catholics. And for all others, it's a time of reflection before the onslaught of growth, greenery, new life: SPRING!!!!!!

It is the time when I think of the year ahead, what it will be made up, what do I want it to be made of?

What new creations are burgeoning, what new directions need to be followed? Pre-spring is a time to go within, to listen to the new growth that wants to be heard.

It's also time for new beginnings. Or New Beginnings. Here's a beautiful video to reflect on new beginnings, the ones that are in our power.



A season to open our heart to the call. Whatever form that will take for you.

Sharing the love

Blessings are many in my life. I wake up every day and express my gratitude for the amazing life that I live.

No other time more than today and these past few days, leading up to my birthday on Sunday. Online and offline friends have been showering me with their love. Let me share with you.

My step-sister sent me a huge parcel from France. It was filled with tons of goodies for me and for Mr Paul, my puppy. There was a box of origami paper and i've been making terriers in paper!!! She'd enclosed a new trend in France, a little clip to hang your purse off the cafe or restaurant table.



She's also included some very old menu proofs that belonged to the famous uncle's stash. We don't know if they are his illustrations, although it's unlikely. But those menus will look awesome in one of my paintings or in a journal.

There was a beautiful white blank box that looks like a book and that I can decorate as I please.

Next, wonderful Toni in the States sent me tons of ephemera for my collages, a beautiful hand-made card and a stunning old Whittier birthday book. Some of the labels and old letters are already in my shabby chunky journal.

Out of the blue, Duane (Phredike) from my Yahoo group, sent me 4 of the glass beads magnets that he makes. They are totally gorgeous and I love the top one, with the Da Vinci face in it.

Yesterday, the mail delivered a parcel from my wonderful Janet, in which she had wrapped some handsome handmade papers, an awesome hand made pin that I will wear in Las Vegas next week at the Art Retreat, and a little bag with stunning buttons, and a tiny, tiny buddha. One of the buttons is the hand of Fatima, and my uncle had given me one years ago, and I've recently lost it. Synchronicity.

Then Monday when I went to my RMT appointment (massage), wonderful Dale treated me for free!!!

I feel so well loved and cared about.
Saturday, a wonderful friend in town has invited me to go to lunch to this lovely place by the water where I know they have gorgeous food, and for Sunday, I've planned a long and luxurious spa session for myself!!!!!

See, I am blessed indeed.

Acrylics of the day

This first one is quite large, my largest so far. It's 24x30. Then what do you do with a large painting like that when it's finished? It gave me no end of trouble, and I had to leave it for a while to become objective about it.

This next one is smaller, 16x28, and I used stencils again extensively. Stencils are great fun, but they take to be so meticulous. It's so easy to go outside the stencil borders and have spray paint all over. Also, at this time of year in Western Canada, it's only around 8 to 10C outside, so I try to limit the time I stay out there. I suspect I'll be exploring sprayed stencils extensively when the summer comes.

It's funny how a painting never turns out the way you intended. On this one, on the top left, there is a collage of this amazing old iron and wood door. So I thought, I'm going to do an aged, wabi sabi come grunge painting.

Haha, nothing like it at all. But I've learned not to fight it. I just go where it goes and let myself be surprised.

I wonder how that works when someone gets a commission for a particular painting. It seems to me the painting that comes out is whatever the muse has in mind for that day!!! Lesson: take commissions that are open ended I guess.