ArtWalk 2011

This weekend was the 2011 ArtWalk! What a great bunch of visitors and new friends!  This year was a THREE day extravaganza of beautiful mixed media assemblages and encaustic compositions on my front porch by the always lovely Tami Clark.  In addition, I transformed entire inside of my house into a gallery for my art and silly concoctions.  The weather was PERfect!  We had the doors open all day and visitors enjoyed good company, homemade bread and cookies and yummy hot beverages.  Thanks to all who participated in the ArtWalk!

Last week at Tending to the Pilot Light, we made these tiny shrines to lost loved ones or to honor the dead in general....

Here are some pictures of the incredibly creative structures that my incredibly talented students came up with!

Here is the little shrine I made to my much missed Bonnie Liberte...

Here is what the living room looked like on Thursday night, prior to class....

and here is what it looked like transformed into a gallery for this weekend!

Cool, eh?! The amazing transformer living room...

Anyway, as soon as there are more pictures available from the weekend, I'll post them here.  In the meantime, have a great week!
Cheers,
Liza

Dress Up November: Here is your Challenge!

Hello to all the creative fashionistas that have been following the 2011 Dress-Up Challenge!

For November, let's go CLASSICAL

That means Greco-Roman, in any style ...or... Neo Classical (think empire waist)

There are many sources of inspiration on the web, from Mosaics:

To line drawings and illustrations:

To statues...

For the Neo-classical period, we have portraits,

Illustrations,

and Extant Costume

I can't wait to see what you choose to make!

I'm only one dress behind now (finally finished my pointillism submission) and hope to catch up to you all this month!

Have fun with this and have a great November.

~Liza

Dias de los Muertos Sugar Skulls

Tending to the Pilot Light students served up some colorful Dias de los Muertos Sugar Skulls this week! 

I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to new students and a big thank-you to my super special regulars!

Participants had three different methods of creating sugar skulls -

1. completely from scratch, based on examples and images from anatomy books
2. create unique designs within the boundaries of pre-drawn skull templates
3. color in pre-designed skull templates


Here are some of the truly wonderful creations from Tuesday and Thursday evenings!

And here is one from Little Bostons at MacKomics Studio

Here is one I completed during the classes - thanks to Ruby for the great eye socket deco idea!



If you like the templates, check out this site where I purchased the digital download.

Next week, October 25th and 27th, we will be making Day of the Dead Shrines.... Stay tuned for more pictures!

Cheers,

Liza

August (at last) Dress Up 2011 Submission: Pointillism!

Always running a bit behind... here is my August Dress-Up 2011 Submission on the topic of Pointillism.

Thanks to the ever useful book, John Peacock's "Costume 1066-1990's", I found a cute little Victorian dress with stripes that was perfect for transforming into a Pointillist Piece...

See the lovely lady in the lower right corner.

Here is my rough sketch and a few ruffles at the beginning...

Here is the finished piece:

Next is a copy printed out and colored with marker and colored pencil....

Please be sure to check out all the lovely August 2011 submissions over at Sew Loquacious!

My goal is to finish all the 2011 dresses up to October by this weekend so I can display them all together during the 2011 Lawrence Art Walk!

Have a great day,

Liza



TTTPL Halloween Cards!

Here are some fabulous creations from my lovely students at Tending to the Pilot Light art and creativity sessions from the last two weeks!

Look closely and see all the great medium combinations people utilized.... from Citrasolv image transfers (Thank you Graphics Fairy for all the Halloween themed imagery) to colored pencils, colored plastic overlays, tulle netting, feathers, glitter and paint, pearlX powder paints, distressed papers and transparency overlays (attached with grommets from Jim!).  During these creativity sessions, there's usually an animated conversation going about some topic or another, but this week... the tables were silent... except for the busy workings of scissors, tape, glue, and a lot of "please pass the Citrasolv".... It was exciting to be a witness to the volume of creativity!

  

In between demonstrations and assistance with adhesion and composition, I was able to create a few pieces myself...

Check out the extra spooky text above I found in an old hymnal I picked up a garage sale last weekend! "Oh Tarry, Gentle Traveler and guide me through the shade"

Speaking of acquisitions, check out this stack of bound collections of 1950's Life Magazines from the Lawrence Public Library.... quite impressive eh?

I'm in my second month of working at the Library and I LOVE it! my job title is "Page" and I spend my time either straightening the stacks or reshelving books from burgeoning carts.  It is a perfect job for me - I love order, efficiency, and organization, have a tetch of OCD and enjoy all the great and friendly people working there as well as the glimpses at all the resources... It's like surfing the web, only better!  I've probably checked out more books since I started working there than the whole time I've been in Lawrence!

Back to the Life Magazines... I'm coordinating their distribution so they don't all go to the recycle bin.  They are back issues of Life, National Geographic, Newsweek and a few others.  If anyone is interested, the distribution will occur AFTER the 24th of this month and I can send you the details of what magazines and what years are available if you contact me at liza@mackomics.com.

The Library job has also created an opportunity for me to teach this fall and I've been busy transforming skeins into small yarn balls for a Yarn Wrapped Wreath Workshop as part of the Library's Thrifty Gifter series... check back later for more info on this fantastic and free-to-the-public series coming in November!

Here's a picture of these yarn balls taking over my desk!

Clearly, my efforts at teaching, doing shows, making art, gratitude, working hard at INTEGRATION, (my word for 2011), bringing myself into the present and all 'round perseverance are starting to pay off.  In addition to my good fortune to be chosen for the Library job, in the last month, I've (finally) built up the courage to propose classes to the Lawrence Arts Center and was accepted for a class in both the Winter and Spring Sessions, titled: "Fascinating Fascinators!" and "Adventures in Image Transfers".  And... independently, I was asked to speak at the Lawrence Art Guild and was invited to participate (for the first time) in the Lawrence Art Center's Art Auction.

So... my latest motto has become, do I listen to the naysayers and critics in my head or do I listen to the Universe? Because I'd have to say, the message booming loud and clear from the Universe is that I'm doing something right.  And... having spent a lifetime feeling out of sorts, dissatisfied, waiting for something.... I actually can say that I'm happy... plain and simple... it's been creeping up for a while now and although there are still challenges and things I would change, I'm really happy and that's really nice.

Thanks to all my students, friends and family for support and love!  I am grateful to you all.

Upcoming shows:

October 28-20 Lawrence Art Walk here at MacKomic Studio -2211 Tennessee Street (with featured artist Tami Clark)

November 1-30 Group show: Monotypes from the spring Ron Prokrasso workshop hosted by the Lawrence Arts Center (at the Lawrence Public Library)

November 25th and 26th Bizarre Bazarre (at the Lawrence Arts Center)

December 3rd Holiday Art Fair (at the Lawrence Arts Center)

December 10th and 11th LOLA Giant (at Van Go Mobile Arts Center) (first year for me to be a member!)

Last Note:

Be sure to check out the submissions for the October Dress Up Challenge (there are three already!)