Day 344 - 365/2014

Day Three Hundred Forty-Four

Wednesday Morning for coffee at Tuscan Cafe with Joan and Leann...Jan wasn't available today.  Lately I have just been showing up and socializing because I am not ready to work on something that early in the day...plus, my stuff is usually not very portable.  Today I wanted to do something so I brought my floss box and started sorting it out.  Towards the end of our time together Leann packed up her project and joined me in the mindless untangling and rolling up.  Very pleasant morning.

I had my physical late this afternoon and tonight I am back to sorting.

Not terribly exciting, but it feels good to do this.

Day 127 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Twenty-Seven

Friends and errands and getting stuff done today!

First I met up with Leann and Joan for our Wednesday Morning...I have been absent at the last minute for the last couple of weeks...it was really, really great to see Leann and Joan today!  We met at Tuscan Cafe in Northville.  Joan brought some delicate sewing to work on and Leann forgot to bring a project so she sketched in her sketchbook.  I brought some blank blocks to make the Penciled In transfers...I did twenty-five this morning...more than I was expecting to.

Leann and Joan at Tuscan Cafe.

The first transfer onto MDF block for this series of Penciled In.

After our meet up I stopped by my house to pick up Art-o-mat art to put into my machine at LIFT Desginer Toys and Gallery in Royal Oak.  On the way I stopped and picked up Juana (who usually accompanies me for this task).  We had lunch at O'Mara's and then went to LIFT.  Kent and Ben were there today -- I haven't seen either one of them in a while.  

Ben and Kent at LIFT.

I loaded up the machine with a bunch of really great art...some by local artists (whose columns always sell out very quickly), a few new-to-this-machine artists, and a few re-stocks of artists.  I think there is a good variety of art to choose from and ALL of it would make great Mother's Day gifts!  Click on the link above to see what/who is in the machine.

Then I ran a couple of errands back in my neighborhood and settled in for the evening with a good dose of Benadryl and took a break.  Tonight I did twenty-five more Penciled In transfers and I am making myself stop so that I don't cramp up my hands.

Ready to make some more transfers to MDF blocks -- Bootsy apparently thinks he is going to help me.

The top line of blocks were done this morning, the bottom line was done tonight.

It is a good start on getting the transfers done.  I want to talk with Terri (my next collaborator) tomorrow night to see if she wants to do five each of twenty designs or ten each of ten designs.  Then I will do the last fifty transfers. 

Day 29 - 365/2014

Day Twenty-Nine

Joan and Leann came over this morning for another delightful Wednesday Morning meet up.  Joan worked on some knitting, Leann worked on some carved stamping, and I worked on the collage blocks.  I front-wrapped 12 more...just 8 to go!  After that I worked on painting the possible prototypes I started a day or so ago.

The stuff I worked on.

Joan and Leann!

I was fairly happy with the way this guy was going.

And yeah...I think I like the creature in this form...for now.

This is the butcher paper wrapped block -- I don't think I will do more of these. 

The black creature got a blue with red dots border all the way around the block.  The white creature only has two long sides of dots because of the paper on the short ends.

This is the other wrapped block that I saw creatures emerging on...I considered doing a series of "find the picture" sort of thing but it is way beyond my capacity.  I was stressing waaaaay too much over this.

So I made one more black creature and two white ones on the plain MDF block with a dark blue background.

Later in the afternoon I had an unexpected surprise visit from another friend -- very enjoyable!  Then I went back to painting a bit more on the blocks...as of right now, I am not sure I care too much for the white creatures but I like the black ones.  I am not sure if I like any of them enough to try to paint fifty of them for a series...I am still thinking about it...we'll see how these end up.  I will poke at them a little more in the morning and blog them tomorrow.

Day 15 - 365/2014

Day Fifteen

Finally!

Joan and Leann and I go together for a mobile version of Wednesday Morning...we have missed several Wednesdays in a row for various reasons and it was SO good to get together today.  We met at the Plymouth Coffee Bean because we all wanted to see the art exhibit there.

The show is called "Bunny Trails & Rabbit Holes".  It is a rabbit inspired art show to benefit the Midwest Rabbit Rescue and Rehome.  The show runs through January 30.

 

Being in a coffeehouse setting it can sometimes be a little challenging not to seem intrusive when you are just looking at the art, but you need to get in close and invade peoples' personal space a little...or make a point of telling them you aren't looking at them.  It is a sweet show.  Here are a bunch of pictures, but certainly not all...go and see the show for yourself!  Get some coffee and something to eat...linger and look at the art...have a conversation.  Buy some art -- help the Rabbit Rescue.

Artwork by Krysti Spence

Artwork by Gwen Joy

Artwork by Shanta Ambady

Artwork by Lindsey Harnish

Artwork by Nicole Burroughs

Artwork by Marianne Audrey Burrows

Artwork by Mike Ross

Artwork by Lindsey Harnish

Artwork by Ghosty

Artwork by Marie Kidd

Artwork by Alana Carlson

Bunny Trails & Rabbit Holes: A Rabbit Inspired Art Show to Benefit The Midwest Rabbit Rescue and Rehome

runs through Thursday, January 30

Plymouth Coffee Bean

884 Penniman Avenue

Plymouth,  MI  48170

(734) 454-0178

365/2013 - Day 344

Wednesday Morning

Joan and Leann came over here again for Wednesday Morning because I was still waiting for part two of the furnace guy's guy coming back to finish up.  I worked on cutting human bodies for Animal People, Joan worked on sewing/finishing off family Christmas stockings and Leann worked on something that I won't reveal in case it is a surprise.  We had another lovely morning talking and working. 

Later on, I was still working on cutting images.

Even still later on...and by now absolutely seething that the furnace guy's guy didn't show or even call.  I sorted animal images from people images and the people images were ready for working on from my chair in front of television on into the night and up until blog posting time.  

I am just speechless that this furnace thing has gone on as long as it has.  I am very thankful to have heat, but my basement now has a lake in front of the furnace, as well as the stream behind it.  The lake is new as of yesterday.  My patience is so thin right now...man.

365/2013 - Day 337

I'm not so sure about this new guy

It was another super Wednesday Morning but Joan and Leann met up with me at my house (instead of us going to Joan's) because I had to wait to hear from my furnace guy.  It has been a few weeks since we last got together for a Wednesday Morning and it was really really good to see them!

I worked on the new guy (I'm trying to make a second doll for PCCA's Holly Dolly Fundraiser) but I am not so sure I like him as-is yet.

I attached his fingers (that I made last night while watching television) and I tacked his body fabric on and then tacked on his arms and legs.  I really love his arms/fingers and I like his legs (so far) very much.  I can't quite put my finger on what it is I am not happy with. 

I like the checkered material.  I love his eyes.  Maybe it is the shape of his body.  Maybe it is his face overall.  Maybe it is that I (for me) need to have a distinctly separate (or more defined) head/body.  I love dolls by other artists who have a one-piece head/body but maybe it is not my style.  Maybe this guy needs a head.  Maybe his body is too solid (for me) vs my usually more squishy guys.  I am feeling a little bit that he looks (right now) like a checkered potato with arms and legs.

I will figure it out...but here are the photos from this morning and this afternoon.

365/2013 - Day 239

another lovely Wednesday Morning

It was another lovely session of Wednesday Morning with Joan and Leann...this time back at my house. 

Joan and Leann came over this morning with projects to work on while we talked and talked and then talked some more.

I worked on the little spikey guy -- I focused on his head.  I got a basic shape and added to it. 

This is his body.

I decided to go with this fabric on either side of a green triangle on the top/sides of his head...I tacked the fabric in place.  I am making this up as I go along (no pattern) so I cut the fabric fairly large.

Two pieces are added...but the fabric on the left needed to be unstitched and moved closer to the horn.

That's better.  Then I folded the fabric down and made another stitch...I will add another color to be his chine and lower jaw...but this was all the time I had this morning.

Time went by SO fast while Joan and Leann were here -- suddenly it was time to pack up.  Then I met up with Joan at the Art House and filled in for Patti in the Art House Store.  Today I added address labels and stamps to the postcards for the upcoming exhibition that opens on Friday, September 6.

365/2013 - Day 170

Wednesday Morning with Joan and Leann

It seems like it has been a very long time since the three of us met for a Wednesday Morning.   It was so good to be with my friends again!

Joan (left) and Leann (right)

I started work on the next batch of ten Tookies finger puppets -- I didn't get very far.

I wanted to show Joan and Leann the felted flower I made in our Second Thursday group -- both Joan and Leann had other things going on and couldn't join us that evening.  Look -- my flower is holding its shape enough to stand on its edge.

This evening I attended a rousing meeting of the Northville Art House's Exhibit Committee.  We talked about a lot of things, focusing on the remainder of this year's upcoming events and talking more about next year's calendar.  It was a very lively meeting and I am so looking forward to working on several really swell shows!  

I also took one more step towards the semi-secret thing I am really excited about but that I am not going to talk about until it comes true...but the final step will happen on July 1st at 6:30 p.m.  It's only a semi-secret because I don't want to jinx it by telling any details before it happens...but I am really thrilled about it!

And now I am pretty well done for the evening...I am going to sleep soundly tonight! 

365/2013 - Day 156

time for a new batch of Tookies

This morning was another Wednesday Morning with Joan and Leann, except we were minus Joan because she had a work-related meeting to attend.  We missed Joan but hopefully we can all meet up next week.

Today I finally settled down and got back into the groove of making Tookies finger puppets for Art-o-mat.  I am changing the look of them this time around.  For this batch they have pointy horns or ears something...however you want to see them.  I like them a lot!

yep -- time to make some Tookies

just Leann and me today -- we missed Joan

the first new guy!

I only managed to finish three tonight

I hope people like them as much as Leann and I do!