The Graffiti Row Houses Workshop

So I was incredibly disappointed in my art for this workshop.   We worked on a HUGE canvas (12x24 I think).  I was really looking fwd to doing that .... but I cannot pick colors and draw simple houses to save my life.

Anyway here are some close ups of portions of the canvas ... the portions I thought looked pretty good.

Yes there are PARTS of it that look great, but the canvas as a WHOLE truly sucked ... from the colors, to the placement of the houses .... I plan on gesso'ing the whole damn thing and starting over.

Grunge Ink Workshop - Jodi Ohl

So this was the Friday workshop w/ Jodi Ohl.  We worked on yupo paper, which are basically a thin plastic paper.  We used Golden high flow acrylics and a soft brayer, along w/ babywipes and stencils.

I was able to get those white markings by putting down a stencil and rubbing the opening w/ a baby wipe.  It took the ink underneath away and made a cooool mark!  I also put rubbing alcohol on rubber stamps and stamped that image into the paint, which also removed the paint and revealed the stamp's markings.

We made 5 paintings w/ this project.  My girls each picked one for their homes and they promised to frame and show in a prominent place!! 

What a GREAT Weekend in Paducah!!

So this is the studio of Ephemera Paducah. I swear this woman has my life (at least the one I dream of)!


    


In the front 3rd of her bldg (I didn’t take a pic) is her store. FULLLLLLLL of wonderful delicious supplies for mixed media! (yeah I spent $70 in there!) The back 2/3rd is pictured above. Plenty of room for people to work ….. she has a bathroom and a sink/frig to the left of these pics.

Upstairs is a 2 bedroom apartment (she and her husband own the whole bldg.). There’s a big patio in the back where we had lunch each day.  

The neighborhood is full of delightful old homes that have been rehabbed into residences and art studios. She told us 10 years ago the city wanted to revitalize the area for artists and they offered like no taxes, 100% financing, etc. etc. and a lot of people came in and redid stuff. Her bldg is new construction (the former home had burned) but the people b/4 her built this bldg. during that time period. She’s had it about 3 years (it was her 50th b-day present to herself!) LOL

Thank you Kristin!!! I will be back!

Weekend Workshop

So tomorrow morning my g/friend and I are headed to Paducah KY for a 3 day work shop at  Ephemera Paducah.

Instructor will be Jodi Ohl, whose blog I have followed for about a year.  She has a funky grunge whimsy about her art and I'm sure this will be a fun series of workshops!

Friday is "Grunge Ink" and Sat/Sun is "Graffiti Row Houses".

It's only a 3hour drive from STL ... works out perfect!!!  Kizzy and I are way excited!!!

A New Store in My Area!

So last week my DIL told me about a cute new store in our area that I just HAD to see, and HAD to sell my stuff in!  She's one of my biggest fans, so she's always encouraging me.

I went to check the store out last week after a dr. appt.  It's call Elderberry Place in OFallon.  She was right -- it's adorable and right up my alley!

I talked to the owner briefly, showed her a few pics of what I make.  She's not into any bright colors or cutesy stuff ... some of my art has gone that direction, but my original LOVE is primitive and distressed.  She liked a couple of my houses, so I told her I'd bring some things by next week and she could decide if she thought they'd work in her store.  I told her she won't hurt my feelings if she says it's just not a good fit for her store, but secretly I think it would .... but I can't be like that in this world of "retail".  LOL

Green heart is one of the houses my dad cut out for me from 1x6 -- the other is a 2x4 I cut out myself (on a freakin' chopsaw - I am nuts).

Her consignment deal is 60/40 (I'm the 60).  Doesn't sound that great ... but I'm making 100% of nothing right now as it sits in my studio.   So I have to think ... what the heck!?!?  Just put it out there and see what happens.

So I'm working on a few more houses this week ... and over the weekend I went to a flea market at Lake Ozark and found a few little items that would work for embellishments.  I'll put my nose to the grindstone this week and hopefully have something to take to her by Thursday.  She's off on Fridays ...

I'm also going to get my stuff from my SIL that goes to the Nashville Fleamarket ... She's been  backing off going and hasn't been doing any other markets, so I just want to get my stuff back from her and freshen it up .... and see what I have that might work for this store.

Saturday my daughter and I are headed to a SHED in Salem MO.  It's literally a shed of CRAP ... rusty, dirty .... and so so so much fun!  I hope to find some reclaimed barn wood, some rusty old hardware, some rusty wire .... good times!