i just can’t believe it’s almost mid-august! where has the time gone?!?

ah yes, it went to health issues and surgeries this year. THAT is where it’s gone lol! thank goodness i’m almost through that stuff. one more minor surgery on my pesky right eyelid to remove the cyst that is causing all my eye infections, and i should be all good!

anyways. i’m up to my armpits in boxes for the ‘crazy’ studio/warehouse sale this weekend and will probably be a little MIA from bloggin’ until after the crazy is over. so, i thought i’d leave you with this tasty treat eye candy early this week until i can get back in the regular swing of things…

this set of scrappy pages are from a mini-acrylic, ’see-through’ book i did late last year of my favorite girls at the waterpark. so summery and fun, i had to share it… again. enjoy!

to see the rest of the album, visit my flickr site. supplies for the mini-album include the following:

See-Throughs 4×6 mini-album, paperWERX Organic and Cellular paper lines, Lazar StudioWERX Concentric and Painty Splats unmounted rubberstamps, Staz On ink in Jet Black [used on transparent pages], Hambly Journalling rub-ons, Jenni Bowlin Studio Classic Labels.

here is another snapshot of a project that is near and dear to my heart… a tiny [and i mean TINY] altered book.

the book is a diminutive 2×3″ and was created in a miniature ‘joy of cooking’ book found at my local chapters bookstore. it was part of a round robin altered book exchange. the theme of the exchange was ’small altered books’ and i took the theme to heart, much to the dismay of some of the participants. LOL! initially the group grumbled about how small it was and how hard it would be to work in. carmi, you remember that don’t you? <big grin> but in the end, each of the artists loved the tiny book, holding onto it as long as possible. each person reveling in its petite-ness.

due to the tiny size of my book, i encouraged the artists/participants to create faux postage and mail art and to tip them into the tiny book. the mail art created inside the small pages is wonderful! it’s really a treasure to hold and see. the book is pretty much bursting at the seams, so photographing it is difficult. but… i thought i would include a little tease about how amazing this little altered book is. the edges of the pages are painted, beaded [carmi is famous for her beaded altered books!], inked and foil wrapped. each tiny submission unique and thoughful. i look at the pages often with admiration at the work inside and fondness for the women who participated in this project.

enjoy this tiny glimpse into perhaps the smallest altered book you’ve ever seen. i will treasure it always.

sorry gang… no posts for a few days. i’m dealing with yet another bout of my lovely, chronic eye problem blepharitis and this is a bad one. nasty nasty. won’t go into the gory details, but suffice it to say… i’m looking a little scary!

be back to regular posting in a few days… in the meantime, enjoy this!

maya road accordion chipboard mini-album. sprayed with glimmer mist oriental poppy. layered with jenni bowlin tiny papers, vintage ephemera, stamped image from lazar studiowerx design sheet on bazzill white cardstock and finished with american crafts thickers.

finally got my long awaited button magnet making supplies on monday and tonight i started playing. carmi, now i understand the obsession!

i pulled out my button maker. ripped open the bags of magnet supplies and started tearing out vintage magazine images to create teeny, tiny 1.25″ collages. i was soooooo happy with these diminutive art works that tonight i listed 2 new items on etsy. two sets of 3 - 1.25″ button magnets featuring original, mini-collages on each magent. so cool!

i love that they are originals and will not be reproduced. so… if you’re interested in art for your kitchen, desk or bathroom vanity - check these babies out =)

yeah yeah… i’ve been all doom and gloom lately. health issues [effing stones!] and main street store closing. sometimes life just gets you a little down. well today, a little drop of sunshine landed on my doorstep!

i receive a monthly e-newletter from a great photo website called photojojo. a while back they had featured ttv photography
[ttv = through the viewfinder] and using a vintage 1950s duaflex camera [as seen on the right] as the viewfinder. i was hooked. i HAD to have one.

check out this link to a flickr group focussed on ttv and you’ll understand why i had to get a duaflex… the images are so cool and arty!!

so after weeks of trying to purchase one of these elusive cameras, and being outbid on ebay by $0.23 on more than one occasion, i finally snagged one and my little drop of sunshine arrived today!

here is my first effort… my magic 8 ball and monster finger puppet. yeah… i’m physically 38, but my spirit acts more like a 16 year old. alot. LOL!

fun huh? there are a few more versions i tweaked in photoshop in my flickr sets.

i love the gritty, nasty and grimy texture in the digital photo that happens when shooting through the duaflex iv viewfinder. it is really quite cool, ’cause let’s face it… this thing is 50 years old! and it’s never been properly cleaned. it comes by its grimy demeanor quite naturally.

it’s so funny how as photographers and designers we often work really, really hard to ‘grimy up’ our perfect digital pics. with this vintage $10 camera, it’s naturally occuring. kinda like a mushroom… its a fungus and grows in manure, but add it to a plain pizza and something magic happens.

so. my favorite new photo recipe. add a ttv camera to your shot, point and shoot with your digital camera, and something truly magical will happen. i don’t think you’ll ever be able to predict the final image 100% of the time, but you KNOW it’s going to be tasty.

hey all…

getting ready this week for my next portobello west show.

i’ve got a bunch of new pieces in the works and will be showing/selling 3 LARGE pieces plus a couple of my abstract acrylic paintings in addition to my mixed media collage portraits. the 1st big one is done and i’ve just about finished the 2nd one. i love it! no. 2 is very girly with butterflies and pink, silver, cream and dark green colour palette. it’s a great 18×36″ size and looks pretty darn nice if i say so myself =) i have it hanging in my studio downstairs and will miss it dreadfully if it sells this weekend. oh well… that IS the point isn’t it?

the monthly portobello west date is this coming sunday and will be running from 11am-6pm at the rocky mountain train station in vancouver [just off terminal blvd, between main street and clark drive - behind the home depot].

so, if you live in the vancouver area, please take a trip to portobello west on sunday may 25 for a shot of inspiration and an infusion of art and fashion. you won’t be disappointed. the merchandise for sale at this monthly event is outstanding quality and showcases vancouver’s up and coming fashion designers and emerging artists.

i just had to scrap some of my 300+ red carpet massacre photos.

i decided to do a mini-book using cosmo cricket’s new blackboard black-core chipboard mini-book as the base [we have these available at our vancouver store studioWERX on Main]. i also used hambly screenprints transparencies, basic grey rubs and scarlett paper, paperWERX red earth paper, american craft alpha stickers and 7 gypsies labels. i love the look! so in keeping with the whole ‘red carpet massacre’ theme.

you can view the large, full-size images in my flickr account. enjoy…

ok. i’m a little late for friday artistic inspiration, but better late than never right?

so. who inspires me? one of my greatest artistic inspirations is a local, internationally reknown artist named sid dickens.

i have loved and collected sid’s artwork for years. most famously known for his collectible, hand crafted memory blocks, sid is often imitated by other artists/manufacturers. try as they may, other mfgs never get it quite right… and that is a testament to the beauty, style and craftsmanship of sid dickens’ work.

his design aesthetic comes from years of art history, theory and fine art training at the prestigous emily carr art institute in vancouver bc and a pivotal, inspirational trip to europe. after this significant european trip, he relocated his studio from vancouver to the queen charlotte islands where he experimented with non-traditional materials such as metal, mud, sticks and leaves. his techniques and artistic vision continued to evolve and expand under the influence of journeys to mexico, peru, egypt and other exotic locales.

an exerpt from his website:

During his travels, Dickens spends considerable time conducting
research. It
is through this distillation process that Dickens has honed his ability
to interpret
ancient art for modern day sensibilities. Finding artistic beauty in
the relics
and cast-offs of our historical past is just one of his trademarks.
"The images of time are virtually endless," says Dickens, "It’s
just a matter of reinterpretation, a slight adjustment, a modern
perspective,
if you will."

in 1991 he returned to vancouver and established his new studio in the heart of historic vancouver, the place his ‘memory blocks‘ were born. today, his memory blocks are collected internationally and have
attracted the attention of both celebrities and media alike. celebrities such
as jann arden, sarah mcLachlan, allyssa milano, cher, vanessa williams,
and hilary duff are avid tile collectors. as am i…

here is a sampling of the 15 tiles i am so happy and pleased to own. many of them are retired and very collectible now. i’ve seen them for at least double if not three times the original price on ebay. one is a prototype signed and gifted to me by sid himself on my birthday [we have family in common].

enjoy the artwork of mr dickens. it’s collectible, infinitely beautiful and actually, quite affordable. after visiting his website again, i’ve been inspired to add to my collection again. and probably very soon =)

hmmm… our anniversary is in april… maybe a little, heavy rectangular prezzie will be in my future? <hint hint terry>

sunshine on cold, cloudless winter days.

there are times in vancouver where the sun does not come out for days, and days, and days <sigh>… it can be a real drag. BUT… when you have a day like today in the middle of winter, it makes the crappy greys not so bad.

a walk along the dyke in richmond, near my home, inspires me to create fresh, brightly colored artwork saturated with deep cerulean blues, sharp whites and the winter-deadened, deep, chocolate bark of a gnarled old tree. pure eye-candy in an otherwise grey winter existence.

it’s why i will never live anywhere else.
it’s why, even though my barometrically/storm triggered migraines are a constant threat, living with the changeling nature of Vancouver’s weather, makes the west coast Canada is so verdant and lush.
it’s why i love my city, and all the colour combinations, textures and creativity it inspires.
it is the best place to live.
it’s my home and my inspiration for living my best life.

my dear friend carmi. she’s a woman after my own heart and a little piece of me envies her everyday.

why? not because she has a lovely home, wonderful husband, adoring four-legged children [i’ve already got those minus some square footage - LOL!]. i envy her because she is a full-day, everyday, dedicated-to-her-craft, working-in-her-studio kind of artist. and man… that is certainly an inspiration to me!

carmi was fortunate enough to retire early in life [waaaaaaaaaaaaay before 99% of the population does]. however, this is not a woman who sits idly by, watching the world, mounds of toronto snow and days pass her by. nope. not my carmi. she is in her huge lower-floor studio virtually everyday doing what she loves best… creating art! specifically art cards, altered books, ‘poufs’ and the most incredible resin baubles you ever seen! her love of her craft has even spawned a new ‘job’. she now shows twice annually at one of the largest and most prestigious handmade art/craft events in canada - the one of a kind show.

one day… perhaps in the not ‘too’ distant future, i too will be able to take the plunge, quit my ‘regular’ and stay home to work in my studio everyday. doing what i love doing… getting painty, gluey, sticky hands for hours and hours on end. <sigh>

so miss carmi [i know you read this…] keep inspiring me to get there. keep pushing me to try. and keep egging me on, you never know… maybe one day, i could be you, minus the square footage!