Fall Fearless and Fly - Third Challenge

Fall Fearless and Fly with Jane Davies! 

playing with circles in black and white

Headline Prompt:  Triumphs and Defeats:  What do you see as your greatest triumphs or defeats?  What have they taught you?  Which have you learned more from?
Color Prompt:  Black and white
Quote Prompt: Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

Welcome  Jane Davies!  Thank you Jane for sharing your experiments with us! 
Jane: Color as been a central component of my work throughout my art career - from brightly painted pottery, to licensed designs to abstract collage paintings, it is part of the subject of my art.  Getting colors to work on each other, draw attention, resist attention, advance forward, sit back, express emotions and moods - this is a large measure of what drives me.  

paint, wash, collage

So what happens when I take color out of the mix and work in black and white and shades of gray?   Am I leaning on color like a crutch?  Am I ignoring, or failing to explore, the expressive potential of other elements?  

Playing with squares

It turns out that I LOVE working in black and white!  What a fun opportunity to focus on line, edge, texture, volume, solidity, pattern, atmosphere, and lots of other things.  I'm finding that working without color, or without strong color, has made me more sensitive to these other aspects of art, and has helped me use color more judiciously.  

oil pastel study

Jane Davies is a full time artist working in collage, painting, mixed media, and encaustics. She offers workshops at her studio in Vermont and nationwide, focusing on helping people to find a personal and playful approach to creating.

Author of Adventures in Mixed Media and Collage Journeys, Jane's new dvd - Scribble Collage with Handpainted Paper, can be ordered here.  Jane believes that making art is a journey with very few hand-holds and only a general road map. Each participant has to find his or her own way, while at the same time remain open to learning from others. While Jane may teach a multitude of techniques, her focus is on the back-and-forth play of spontaneity and intention that characterizes the creative process. She offers great tutorials and has beautiful galleries of her work, and has her extensive teaching schedule on her website and blog.

Thank you Jane, for your beautiful and insightful take on this challenge!  
Everyone who links up their take on challenge #3 by Sunday, November 11 will be entered to win 6 Dylusions spray inks.  Thank you Ranger!  

What will you do in response to the third challenge?  Here are the rules:

• You may participate in one or all of the challenges.
• Use one, two or all of the prompts.
• Use any media -- art journal, scrapbook, canvas, watercolor, quilting, you name it!  This is "Anything Goes" as far as your creativity is concerned.
• Link up by Sunday, November 11 to be eligible to win 6 Dylusions Spray Inks!
• You may link up to 2 times, but please only link up to work prepared for this challenge.  If not, we will remove your link. Please post the url of your blog post or flickr page that's specific to this challenge, rather than a general blog address.  And please tell us how your work relates to the challenge!
• Each time you participate, visit at least 3 other links and leave loving words!
• All challenge participants are welcome to join our private Facebook group as a place to talk about your journey and whatever is coming up for you as you work on the challenges.   As it is private, just request to join and we'll give you access. 

To recap, here is the 3rd challenge:

Headline Prompt:  Triumphs and Defeats:  What do you see as your greatest triumphs or defeats?  What have they taught you?  Which have you learned more from?
Color Prompt:  Black and white
Quote Prompt: Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Congratulations to  Susan Being Snippy- the lucky winner of our Fall Fearless & Fly challenge #2, chosen by the random generator at Random.org!   Please email your address to acolorfuljourney at gmail dot com for your prize!

And on Monday, November 12, check in for Challenge #4 and the winner of this challenge!

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful work!
Carolyn Dube and Jessica Sporn

Wow, 400 Followers and Happy Halloween!

Thank you to everyone who has participated in Artists in Blogland.  Thank you also to Jessica and Carolyn for putting together the wonderful Fall Fearless and Fly challenge!

Happy Halloween to all of our members.  I know lots of artsy bloggers have been posting fun art projects, costume and food ideas and decorations for Halloween.  I thought it would be fun to share our Halloween blog posts.  Add yours to the link below!

Creatively Featured: Michelle Mathey

For this edition of Creatively Featured, we welcome Michelle Mathey to tell us about her creative life. Her beautiful faces are the results of her experiments with painting and art journaling!

Michelle Mathey

www.msmathey.blogspot.com

1. Tell us about blogging and how it's worked for you.

I was an instructor for a rubber stamp company and started my blog 4 years ago to promote my cardmaking/papercrafting classes at a local store.  For a long time my blog was strictly stamping and I enjoyed playing in several of the challenges found in the “blog world”.  While I was comfortable with the “crafty” moniker, I never ever considered myself to be “artsy”.  In fact one of my mottoes was: Those who cannot draw – stamp!  

However, with time, I started discovering many amazing artists from all over the globe that generously share their art online AND their process as well.  My visits to Julie Fei-Fan Balzer’s blog introduced me to the concept of an art journal and the importance of nourishing your creative self every day!

 2. How did you discover your favorite art medium?

As of yet I don’t have a favorite art medium.  I am still in the learning phase and seem to be tickled with just about all mediums.  Simply using a graphite pencil with a stump for shading still gives me thrills - acrylic paint and Neocolor crayons cause me spasms of joy as well. . and markers, colored pencils – yup, I seem to love them all!

3. What inspires or influences you artistically?

Right now I spend a great deal of time being inspired by bloggers and Pinterest.  In fact, if I am not careful all my time is spent looking at “stuff” instead of creating “stuff”.  

  

4. Which aspect of your art do you enjoy most? 

Since I’ve started my artsy endeavors I have been attracted to faces.  Although most people seem to think that they are difficult I find that a face is one of the hardest things to “mess up”.  Even if it isn’t a good face it is still recognizable as such and that seems to give me the courage to keep at it.  Participating in the 29 Faces in September Challenge at Ayala Art cemented my love of portraits whether detailed or quite simple and in all styles and mediums.

5. How do you manage your time? Between my motherly/wifely/home duties and work I don’t have much time to devote to artistic endeavors so working in an art journal is ideal for me. I can finish a page or sketch at one sitting and it never fails to calm my busy mind when I am stressed. 

 6. Have you exhibited work or taught classes?

I was thrilled to have one of my first canvas pieces accepted this summer as part of an art exhibit at our Blick Art Supplies store.  Another highlight was getting an art journal spread published in Cloth Paper Scissors PAGES (Volume 2).

 7. Is/was there a significant turning point or defining moment in your style of work? 

My whole life I’ve mistakenly thought that a person either “had it” or didn’t artistically.  I was never a kid that sketched or drew or took art in school.  I now realize that art can be a learned skill and that with practice and experience comes better work.  The pages I create now are MUCH better than when I started less than two years ago and will continue to get better if I do the work and put in the time to improve.  There was only one Michelangelo but I’ve found that focusing on enjoying the process instead of critiquing the flaws helps tremendously!

 8. What artistic plans do you have for the coming year? 

My plans are to continue learning and experimenting!  I hope that with time my little creations will develop a “look” of their own that reflects my growth and that someday I can feel as artsy as I feel craftsy!

 

Thanks, Michelle for sharing your artwork with us!  If you would like to be a Creatively Featured member, email Marcia.

Fall Fearless and Fly - Second Challenge!

Fall Fearless and Fly with Ronda Palazzari!

Headline Prompt:  Taking a Chance:  When did you take a chance or a leap of faith?  How did it turn out?  What did you learn?
Color Prompt:  What color do you like least? Use it!
Quote Prompt:  "Don't refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase -- that's what wild geese are for." Anonymous

Welcome to Ronda Palazzari!  We sent her the prompts and she WOW'd us with what she created!
 
Ronda:  As I have gotten older, it seems to me that it seems less of taking a leap and more like not letting fear decide my fate.  There are many times when I worry or am fearful of the outcome, but if I let those emotions consume me I would never get anything done.  Instead I take the “no’s” and “mistakes” as opportunities to learn and grow.  To build my wings and fly.

I took on the color prompt as well as the headline prompt.  I love color but there are ones I always gravitate towards and ones I tend to use less.  Purple is my challenge this go around.  I have a hard time with purple.  Turns out I have a hard time with tints of purple!  I found that if I stick to more of the reddish hues of purple, then I can work well with it.  I also pair it with some of my favorite colors and give it that pop by complementing it with yellow.

On this page you will find layers of color as well as layers of gelatin prints.  I used a variety of stencils on the background along with some splatters & stamps.  I highlighted a few of the stenciled hearts by outlining them with a black pen.  The wings of my potty girl had to be bold.  Insert more purple since I had lots of yellow in the background.  

I love the staggered title, especially with the words “Fear” & “Fate” larger and in the grey color.  I borrowed the title from the song “Kill your heroes” by Awolnation since it resonated my exact sentiments.

Thank you Ronda, for your beautiful and heartfelt take on this challenge and a fabulous prize!   Everyone who links up their take on challenge #2 by October 28th will be entered to win Ronda's stunning book, Art of Layers.  If you haven't read it yet you are in for a real treat.  It is full of gorgeous photos showing you finished projects and techniques with clear step-by-step directions.

Ronda designs with Maya Road, Sizzix, Antiquated Collection, and Purple Onion Stamps.  She has published in Artful Blogging, Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, and Somerset Magazines, among others.  With Ronda, you never know if she will be sewing or getting messy with paints; her craft changes day-to-day.  She continues to teach worldwide as well as providing inspiration and telling her dorky stories on her blog HelpMeRonda.


What will you do in response to the second challenge?  Here are the rules:

• You may participate in one or all of the challenges.
• Use one, two or all of the prompts.
• Use any media -- art journal, scrapbook, canvas, watercolor, quilting, you name it!  This is "Anything Goes" as far as your creativity is concerned.
• Link up by October 28 to be eligible to win Ronda Palazzari's book: "Art of Layers."
• You may link up to 2 times, but please only link up to work prepared for this challenge.  Please post the url of your blog post or flickr page that's specific to this challenge, rather than a general blog address.  And please tell us how your work relates to the challenge!
• Each time you participate, visit at least 3 other links and leave loving words!
• All challenge participants are welcome to join our private Facebook group as a place to talk about your journey and whatever is coming up for you as you work on the challenges.   As it is private, just request to join and we'll give you access. 

To recap, here is the 2nd challenge:

Headline Prompt:  Taking a Chance:  When did you take a chance or a leap of faith?  How did it turn out?  What did you learn?
Color Prompt:  What color do you like least? Use it!
Quote Prompt:  "Don't refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase -- that's what wild geese are for." Anonymous

Congratulations to  Jenny Grant - the lucky winner of our first Fall Fearless & Fly challenge, chosen by the random generator at Random.org!   Please email your address to Jessica at corspokoli (at) gmail (dot) com and we will get your Crafters Workshop stencils, decorative flag and stickers by Jessica right out to you! 

Check out Carolyn's and Jessica's response pieces in the linky list below.  
And on Monday, October 29, check in for Challenge #3 and the winner of this challenge!

Looking forward to seeing your wonderful work!
Carolyn Dube and Jessica Sporn

First Fall Fearless and Fly Challenge Deadline

You have only a few more hours to enter the first challenge!  Wow, I am blown away at the participation.  Sixty artists entered the challenge.  If you missed entering this prompt, there are more to come.  Be sure to check out some of the awesome entries.

Show and Tell Saturday #27

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Show and Tell Saturday Rules

Add your link!
Please visit at least 3 other artists and put a link back to Artists in Blogland, so other people can find us. If you are reading from a blog reader, you will have to pop on over to the actual blog post to add your link.  


Thanks for participating! Are you doing anything exciting? Hosting a challenge? Conducting a workshop? Tell me about it and I will write a post to put on Artists in Blogland. Grab a button for your page:




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Creatively Featured: Nora MacPhail

For this edition of Creatively Featured, we welcome Nora MacPhail!  Nora's watercolors paintings are refreshing and beautiful!

ARTISTS IN BLOGLAND INTERVIEW
Nora MacPhail

Tell us about blogging and how it's worked for you.

I started my art blog over one year ago and it has really encouraged me and my dedication to my artwork. I made a commitment to paint regularly, to incorporate it into my daily life, and blogging is a wonderful tool that keeps me on track. It is also a great way to document my artwork and my weekly progress. Also, the support from my fellow blogging artists has been overwhelming and constant which has made the process even more enriching.

How did you discover your favorite art medium? 

 

I discovered my favourite art medium, watercolour, by fluke. A friend and I decided to take an art class together and although I thought acrylics would be fun, she insisted on watercolour. So we signed up. After one class she had to drop out due to her work schedule and I was there alone taking watercolour. However, I carried on and took to it immediately. I was quickly thrilled with the class and the medium.

Which aspect of your art do you enjoy most?

The aspect of my watercolour work that I enjoy the most is drawing. It is a wonderful and satisfying activity and as my skills develop, I find the activity is more and more satisfying. Watercolour demands an ability to draw and since I love the look of lines and making lines, I was quickly drawn to it (no pun intended!).

How do you see your future work and style developing?

My goal for my future work is to continue with a sense of playfulness combined with solid technique. It is important to me that the paintings are well crafted and skillfully painted but with a dash of playfulness. I plan to continue with an emphasis on contour line drawings with spots of bright watercolour.

Have you exhibited work or taught classes?

I have exhibited my art in juried watercolour shows and many group shows for the past 10 years. It's always wonderful, and eye opening, to see all of my work on display in a professional setting and to hear the public's response. Also, the support from fellow artists, as well as their constructive feedback, is very valuable and inspiring.


What have you done this past year?
For the past year I have been working with the theme of cityscapes. It is a complex subject and since I like working directly on location, it has been a difficult challenge. It is an ongoing search to find a way to present what I see in life onto paper with pen and watercolour but I am determined to see it through and discover what is next in store for me.

To see more of Nora's artwork visit her blog:  

Nora MacPhail

http://www.noramacphail.blogspot.com

Oops!

Oops!  With all the excitement of the Fall Fearless and Fly challenge, I forgot to post the Show and Tell Saturday this weekend.  You still have time to enter the first challenge and we will be back next Saturday with a Show and Tell link up!

Creatively Featured: Kristin McCulloch

I love Kristin McCulloch's whimsical girls and she is our creatively featured member!
Thank you Kristin, for taking the time to interview with us.

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1. Tell us about blogging and how it's worked for you.

Listening to the Squeak started in my head two years before I had the courage to sign up for a blogging account.

When I first started blogging I wasn’t sure who I was as an artist or a writer, but as I kept writing and sharing my life and art. I didn’t really care if any one read my blog, although it’s awesome that I have so many people sharing with me! I think it was more of way for me to found my ‘voice’ creatively.  I have received amazing support and feedback from other artists and bloggers, which has really inspired me and helped my self confidence.

And during the tough days, when my inner bitch has taken over, it is so nice to write about my insecurities and worries, and know I don’t sound crazy because there are others out there that have been through similar days.

2.   How did you discover your favorite art medium? 

After high school my confidence was at an all time low and I didn’t create anything for years. When I restarted, I used graphite pencils, but I always wanted to add some colour to the picture. I then I tried colour pencil, but my shading and consistency irritated me. I love promarkers, I think they are like painting but I felt I had more control and I loved the way they flowed. I had a brief fling with scrapbooking, but the one thing I never really tried was painting, because I didn’t think I was a painter. Paint was scary for me.

Some how I found Tam Laporte (willowing.org) and completed her free art, heart and healing course and slowly gained the confidence to use acrylic paint, (which wasn’t so scary!) and although I occasionally dig out my markers I now rarely do anything else but paint.

3.   What inspires or influences you artistically?

There are so many artists that are currently producing amazing art, who are inspiring to me but the long term influences would include Roy Lichtenstein’s and the whole pop art genre, the romance of the impressionist painters and I have always loved - Loved -  Japanese Manga/ anime + graphic novels. I have been totally inspired by Natalia Pierandrei’s self taught gothic/ comic style.

I am inspired by things in every day life, something my kids have said, a half heard conversation, the patterns on a wall, a magazine advert, song lyrics, books I read, other artists techniques and their art. Everything is fair game - I think it just depends on my state of mind at the time.

    4.   Which aspect of your art do you enjoy most? 

I love the feeling of switching off - it is meditative for me. I love seeing paint on my hands and under my finger nails, I love seeing an idea take shape on the page, I love seeing something in front of me and knowing that I made that. I love when Bean comes into my studio and tells me my paintings are wonderful and that she wants to put them in her room to decorate them.

   5.   How do you see your future work and style developing?

I have no idea, I didn’t expect it to evolve the way it has. It’s an process I guess and I am sure that in some ways it will keep developing and evolving.

  

6.   How do you manage your time?

By nature I am not an very organised person, and I can be a huge procrastinator, but the only I survived school was to learn to be organised and write lists (oh god the lists! thanks mum - I am now a compulsive list writer!)

I usually spend an hour Sunday organising my week. I am up at six most days and spend half hour organising myself and mainlining caffeine before the kids get up. Most days the kids sleep/ rest for two hours over lunch so I grab some time in my studio then, (that is if I don’t get caught up in a book or pinterest. I can get lost in both!) and then because they are early to bed kids, I can also manage to spend a couple of hours in my studio at night once they’ve gone to bed.

7.   Do you work to a design or theme or just go with the flow…or something else entirely?

Its a mixture. Sometimes I can see the whole painting before I have even started, but other times I slap some back ground paint down and go from there. Sometimes it works, other times it goes in a box to be dealt with later!

8.   Is/was there a significant turning point or defining moment in your style of work? 

It took a long time of copying other peoples styles before finding my own. But as I gained more confidence, my style developed. I do remember being in McDonalds one rainy day with my feral children, and pulling out a sketchbook and drawing. That was the start of the style I that I paint today and was totally significant for me because I was drawing from my head (and heart) rather than what was in front of me.

 9.   What have you done this past year?  I have gone from doubting my abilities to knowing I am on the right track. I am owning the label ‘Artist’. I have become more goal focused, I have started selling my art on etsy, I have started helping a friend find her own creative feet, which is hugely rewarding so far. And I am doing the year long Life Book 2012 course (but have fallen a bit behind at the moment!)

10.   What artistic plans do you have for the coming year? 

I have so many plans and ideas for next year! We are expecting our third child New Years Eve (Oh the timing!) so I would love to take some time off and refocus. But I want to paint more, (and sell more!), explore larger canvases, and inspirational mini canvases. I would like to start producing some cards and calendars - some of my friends are wanting custom made phone covers so I am looking into that as well.  I want to join life book 2013 (but should probably finish 2012 Lifebook!) I would like to help others who are struggling to find their creative feet. And of course I want to keep strengthening the friendships that I have developed online, and in the artistic community.

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Listening to the Squeak blog: http://kirstinmcculloch.blogspot.com/

LilliBean Designs Shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/LillibeanDesigns

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LilliBeanDesigns

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lillibeandesigns/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kirstmcculloch/

Fall Fearless and Fly

We are so thrilled to be kicking off Fall Fearless and Fly today!  Our first challenge is below, after a brief description and some housekeeping...

Description of the Challenge:  The autumn equinox marks the arrival of fall, traditionally seen as a season of changes leading to the dark of winter.    Let's use the time between today and January 2013 to reflect on shedding and releasing aspects of our lives that don't serve us, and embracing positive and uplifting perspectives as we end one year and begin the next.

Our Fabulous Guest Artists:  To inspire us, we have a tremendous group of artists participating for the next sets of prompts:

October 15: Ronda Palazzari
October 29: Jane Davies 
November 12: Maria McGuire
November 26: Marcia Beckett
December 10: Dina Wakley
December 31: Joanne Sharpe
January 15: Nathalie Kalbach

Prizes:  Not only do we have prompts and inspiration but we have prizes too! All the people linked up by Sunday, October 14, at 3pm Eastern time will be eligible.  We will randomly pick winners for the fabulous prizes that have been generously provided by wonderful companies and individual artists! 

The Rules:  We'd love for you to join and Fall Fearless and Fly!  Everyone is welcome!  The rules are simple --

• Grab the button above and put it on your blog with a link to this page to let people know you're participating.
• You may participate in one or all of the challenges.
• Use one, two or all of the prompts.
• Use any media -- art journal, scrapbook, canvas, watercolor, quilting, you name it!  This is "Anything Goes" as far as your creativity is concerned.
• You may link up to 2 times, but please only link up to work prepared for this challenge.  Please post the url of your blog post or flickr page that's specific to this challenge, rather than a general blog address.  And please tell us how your work relates to the challenge!
• Each time you participate, visit at least 3 other links and leave loving words!
• All challenge participants are welcome to join our private Facebook group as a place to talk about your journey and whatever is coming up for you as you work on the challenges.   As it is private, just request to join and we'll give you access.

The First Set of Prompts:  And now, here is the first challenge!

Headline Prompt:  Inventing the Future:  Where do you want to be 5, 10, 15 years from now.  What's holding you back?  What's propelling you forward?  What do you need to do or stop doing to create your future?
Color Prompt:  Warm colors (reds, oranges, pinks, yellows)
Quote Prompt:  "The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."  Abraham Lincoln

Carolyn: What fun to be sharing these prompts with other artists!  What makes challenges like this so magical for me are all the wonderful ways people interpret the same challenge. Have you looked at Jessica's?  Isn't that fabulous! The same prompt but seen through different eyes and supplies.   I am looking forward to seeing what everyone creates!  Don't be shy- everyone is welcome to join this challenge.   If you have never linked up to one before - take the leap and share your art!  Fall Fearless and Fly.

While making this so many thoughts went through my mind as I was painting, inking, spraying, cutting, gluing, and stamping.  Each and every thought about my journey and where it is leading me on the path that I travel is captured in the art.  One of things I find so special about art is how a picture is worth a thousand words.

My art today had started as more of an art journal page, but as it went along I decided I wanted to frame it so I could be reminded about this part of my journey every time I walked by it in the hallway.  You can see how this evolved in the video.

Jessica:  I am so excited to be co-hosting this challenge with Carolyn!   We have put so much thought into each of the challenges and look forward to taking this journey with you.  The headline "Inventing the Future," and the questions after it made me think deeply about where I see myself in the future.  Many things came to mind, such as my art, my family, and my commitment to the volunteer work we do in Guatemala.  But honestly, I don't have a clear vision or set of goals for my future.  Whether I'm making art or building houses in Guatemala, I want to be at peace with myself and my life, and be happy.  I know that if I act today with a loving and open heart, my future can only be bright, and I will look back on my past and be content.  Trusting my intuition, and being more loving and patient with those around me, are my goals right now.  So that's what I decided would be the theme of my work.  My piece for this challenge is a 12 x 12 canvas as, like Carolyn, I wanted to be reminded of this journey.  I started with layers of cool blues, and then added warm colors in the flowers and with The Crafter's Workshop mini rain stencil. 

The Prizes: Here are the prizes for this challenge!  A winner will be drawn randomly for stickers and a decorative flag designed by Jessica, and 6 wonderful stencils from The Crafter's Workshop designed by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer!  Check out all this loot!   PLUS... Jessica has decided to give an original watercolor away to one random commenter on her Fall Fearless blogpost for each challenge. 

Upload your submission to Mr. Linky by 3PM on Sunday, October 14.   On Monday, October 15, check in for the next challenge and the winners of this challenge.

We look forward to seeing your work!  And remember to join our private Facebook group!