crazy things artists do

The day before yesterday, I was in a car accident. We won’t talk about that in detail. But here’s where we make lemonade: My automobile is being totaled. Yesterday Tim and I went over to the mechanic’s and got out all of our personal items. I also found some bulbs and pieces of metal and grabbed the CD magazine out of the smashed CD changer in the back. I’m taking a class tomorrow with Leighanna Light at The Artists’ Nook and it’s entitled “Reliquary of Inspiration”. I was originally going to do a shrine for my former dog, Zuni, but decided it would be more timely to do one for my beloved 1992 Ford Explorer, which is about to be laid to rest.

So today, I called my mechanic and asked him to pull off the rear view mirror and save it for me because I’m going to make art with it. He was amused, but I’m sure he thinks I’m a wacko.

And I’m ok with that!

traci bautista classes this past weekend

This past weekend, I took two Traci Bautista classes at The Artists’ Nook. Christine put some photos of the weekend on her blog, so go take a look!

I’m very glad I took the classes. Traci has always struck me as a sweet and funky artist and I’ve been enjoying her book, Collage Unleashed, so I was looking forward to the weekend. I wasn’t disappointed. I spent my time playing, thinking about my collage in a different way and generally having a silly time with all of the great artists who were also taking the classes.

On Saturday, I took The Graffiti Bouquet and learned about different ways to layer, dye, stain, stamp, collage, write and draw. I worked on three collages, but none are completed yet. Here’s what I have so far:

On Sunday, I took the Wanderlust Book class, which totally saved me from hating bookbinding. See, ever since I was young, I’ve always been folding pages and making little books, but somewhere along the way, I learned I wasn’t doing it “the right way.” I learned to bind small books a couple of times in the past year, and it was cool and I liked it, but It wasn’t something I wanted to keep doing because it involved measuring. I hate measuring. I also couldn’t remember the pattern of the stitches, even though it was super easy.

wanderlust bookTraci’s book was stitched with a running stitch, which I can totally do, and we TORE the pages instead of measuring them. I love the worn look of the book and how it’s all over the place and you never know what you’re going to see next on the pages inside. The pages are some of my painted pages from Saturday and Sunday, old ledger pages, plain paper, old book pages, etc. Totally cool, dude! So, thank you, Traci! You saved bookmaking for me!

I’m looking forward to decorating the pages and adding more fibers and doodads to the binding. This could be a very cool project for some birthday gifts in the coming year.

You can click the images to see larger versions.

Websites 101 for Artists class to be offered at Art Unraveled

I’m excited to announce I’ll be teaching a workshop at Art Unraveled this summer: Websites 101 for Artists. Here’s the description for the class:

Student Level: Artists with all levels of computer/Internet skills, but geared toward beginner/intermediate

You’ve thought about creating an outpost for your art on the Internet. Perhaps you’ve even cruised the websites of other artists and imagined how you’d like yours to look. But there was always something holding you back: Maybe you’re a beginner when it comes to computers and the Internet and you don’t understand the technology. Perhaps you’d rather spend your time making art or running your business than monkeying with a website. Or maybe you’re just plain confused about where to start and how much the website of your dreams would cost.

Tracey Kazimir-Cree has you covered. In this three-hour lecture-style workshop, you’ll learn:

Basics of how the web works and your place in it;

  • Ways to market your website both on and offline;
  • Options for building a website, either by yourself or with the help of a professional;
  • How to land coveted top ranking on your favorite search engines;
  • And much more!

Included in the cost of registration is a Web 101 for Artists booklet. Come equipped with a pen or pencil for taking notes and your questions. You’ll be able to submit questions before class and have them covered during the session. And you’ll get a bonus: Every student will get a 25% discount on a special artist website package from eeep! productions, and one blog-style website will be raffled off during class.

Questions? Email Tracey at websmith@eeep.com

Web site: for web portfolio: www.eeep.com for her artwork www.sunshinefactory.net