Change.

Well it isn't the new year but one can not always wait for January to make a resolution for change. November seems to be just as good a time for new beginnings. Maybe its the change of the season from a busy summer of activity to a slower pace in which there is room for reflection on the last years changes. As for myself there were many.

Last year on November 1st I set out to lose 35 pounds. I succeeded by February and have successfully maintained that weight loss for a year now. In February I met someone new who would by June become an important relationship in my life. My youngest son moved out on his own and my oldest got engaged. And at the end of this year my parents and I will be closing the larger studio know as Swift Weavers in Benson.

Change is inevitable and sometimes bittersweet. When I opened Swift Weavers in 2008 it seemed to be a blessed endeavor, I called it a "God thing." All the pieces fell into place effortlessly. When my Mom and Dad moved to Benson I taught  my father to weave and he began to assist me at the shop. We managed to stay afloat but some circumstances in my life demanded that I return to work full time to support my family. My Dad continued to maintain the shop, handling a large  part of the weaving and the day to day operation. As a person who needs something to do I believe it gave him purpose. I look back now and see that Swift Weavers was not in God's plan for me but for my father. Who knew?

I'd like to thank my Dad and Mom for faithfully keeping the doors of Swift Weavers open for the last 3 years. And while we will be closing the main studio this January we will be retaining a small yarn section in Bugs and Flowers and continue meeting on Tuesday afternoon with the knitters. As for the future I would like to return to blogging on a regular basis, continuing to weave at home this winter and establishing more of an online presence for Swift Weavers.

Thanks to everyone for all their patronage and support for the last six years. It has been a privilege to have met and served you all!

Visual Journal Class Week 3

Looking back I see it has been almost a month since I worked on my visual journaling page. In week three we were to add additional elements into the collage by stamping with paint using found objects, sponges, paint daubers, stamps. Then some additional shading and color. You can see if you look back to the first week that the collage has changed significantly. There is a lot more depth and layering. I think it has gotten a little dark but it is starting to be cohesive. Onward to week four.  I'll finish up this work in the next couple of days and upload the final result.

A new class is starting this month on strathmoreartist.com. It is entitled "Start Where You Are" and might be a great class for beginners in collage art. I'll keep you posted.

Visual Journal Class Week 2

Last week I published a post on a free Visual Journaling class I am participating in through strathmoreartists.com. One nice feature of these classes is that I can work at my own pace. Even though we are already on week 4 of the classes, and I am only on week 2 of the work it's OK. No deadlines, no pressure, no stress. That's the kind of project with which I can live!
On the second week we were to add shading, color and paint to our projects. Using a charcoal pencil we added shading beneath elements in which we wanted to enhance the shadows. Then using 3 or 4 shades of oil pastel we were to color and blend in areas of our collage. Finally, we used a gesso white wash to overpaint the entire piece. Then back again with more shading and color.

Free Classes in Visual Journaling

Last year one of my goals as an artist was to try to advance my own creativity in the areas of drawing, collage, and mixed media. I  joined swap groups and created collaged ATC's, Chunky Book Pages, and Tip-In pages. Still trying to find my own voice I am venturing into the area of visual journaling. I think keeping an visual journal can make your art more personal, helping you to develop your own style. It can document your life, your travels, your artistic growth. As with any journal or diary it can be a daunting process as well.  Somehow staring down a white page has never been a very comfortable experience for me. Many artist begin with "toning" or adding a wash of color onto the page before beginning, or choosing paper which already has a tone of color on it. It can still be a very large, blank page and while I have found working on a very small scale can be less intimidating it is also somewhat confining. So when I saw that Strathmore was offering free classes online in Visual Journaling I was excited! I signed up and began a type of "pages in stages" workshop using copies of my own previous artwork and a few other simple techniques. At any rate it is all about having fun and being free. So jump in at http://www.strathmoreartist.com/. Here is my page after Week 1: