THE WORK OF ART...

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.

-John Ruskin-

When people bandy about the term "artist" it sounds like such a creative and glamorous occupation and sometimes it is. But, behind each finished piece is a process which is often several steps of hard work to make a vision come to life. Each work of art starts with the inception of an idea. Each idea must be worked out step by step. Often the first steps of starting a new piece are very exciting and equally tedious because usually you are waiting on something to dry before you can move on to the next step. Yesterday was a day of beginnings, of budding ideas, and a lot of waiting on something to dry, a most unglamorous part of the project(s).

I bought this old unframed oil painting a while back for $1.00. This is painted on a quality Grumbacher canvas and I bought it to alter. Since the painting was really textured I stuck with that look while applying a new base. While that was drying I started a journal cover...

And while that was drying I did a few quick sketches on muslin and painted the outlines of them as a first step in their preparation. And while those were drying I sketched a leaf on a piece of scrap paper and played with paints and soft pastels...And while the stinky fixative was drying I took photos of my purchase from Cottage by the Pond Etsy shop...Co-owners and mother daughter team, Diane and Holly, have the most wonderful handmade items and I just loved these ribbons...Now, this truly was a self indulgent purchase. Usually I like to make all the elements I use in my art myself but every now and again it is soooo nice to have someone else do it and Diane did an exquisite job on these. I can't wait to use these on something just for me.

Since those were already dry I thought it might be time to dye so brewing, dunking, dripping, and drying ensued and I ended up with stacks of these...And while those were drying, I sealed these bees wax collage pieces...Which I showed you a while back, the backgrounds are almost finished so I needed to get them ready to mount.

There was nothing glamorous about this day. No true work of art was accomplished but the work of art was applied. A work of art is a creation process whether it is an art object, a design, an architectural piece, a musical work, a literary composition, a performance, or a film. Behind each creation process is an artist who has had to pay their dues in the production process. Any accolades they receive on the finishing end are just icing on the cake to that creative process and the application of the work of art.

Is it glamorous? Not always, but sometimes. Is it work? Not always, sometimes it feels more like play. Is it worth it? Always, the payment is the vision birthed into reality through the hard work of art.

This may not be how other artists work, with so many projects in progress, I usually have anywhere from half dozen to a dozen things in progress at different stages of assembly at the same time. I think I have about ten pieces in the works currently. This works well for me to transition between pieces as I work out construction and detail issues or in case I am waiting on something to dry! I also like to do as much prep work on as many things as I can in as many mediums as I can in one day so that when I am ready to work on something I have what I need on hand.

I hope that you enjoyed a little glimpse into the process behind the finished product and I also hope that each of you have a truly wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

GARDEN PARTY IN FULL SWING...

"Take thy plastic spade,

It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours."

-William Mason, The English Garden, 1782-

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend. Ours pretty much looked like this...It was overcast with a light hazy drizzle almost all day but still a quite pleasant day to reflect on the significance of the celebration. This was our first ever holiday without being surrounded by any family and that gave me a whole new perspective on how those who do not have anyone to celebrate with must feel. I think that was my Easter gift this year, compassion, a new understanding and compassion, a lovely gift to receive.

I think it is always sad to see a celebration come to an end, but, with springs arrival, Garden Parties can begin! If you are looking for the artsy crafty type of party then check out Artist Class, which begins today and it is not too late to sign up. Be sure and use the discount code of: quillcottage to receive $10.00 off the class price.I played around with my Butterfly Garden Fairy Cupcake Pick, which is my tutorial for the class, last evening and came up with a paper cupcake to poke it in for my own pleasure, although a real cupcake would be much more yummy...I was a little bummed this morning when I went to take a photo of the cupcake, evidently the craft glue I used reacted with the Styrofoam ball and the cupcake part sunk a little. The pearl part was more rounded out than it is now but I guess it still looks OK. Styrofoam is so tricky to work with when gluing, oh well.

If you are looking for a few fun and fanciful ideas for entertaining at your next garden party then may I refer you to an older post HERE where I share some ideas for decorating your next party, like these...Oh, and don't forget that I am celebrating spring with a Give Away, you can SIGN UP AT THIS LINK. Here are the three prizes I am giving away...I started a new art piece this last week and thought I might give you a sneak peek of its beginnings...I also have my hands full of sweet little flowers to use in my next tutorial to share with you here...Today promises to be a very busy one both in and out of the studio, no parties for me! I hope you all have wonderful plans in store for your day and that you day is filled with joy!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

IF I, IF YOU, OH SO MANY PROJECTS TO DO...

"On Monday, when the sun is hot,
I wonder to myself a lot:
'Now is it true, or is it not,
That what is which and which is what?'"

-A. A. Hodge-

Have mercy, I can tell it is Monday! I wanted to put up a super quick simple post but in my absence Blogger got greedy and ate way to many cookies and so over stuffed itself that I could not log in to my blog. Getting a computer to give up it cash of cookies is not always easy for us less tech savvy folks. Its kind of like burping a baby. You have to position and pat just right for the desired result and burp this baby I did. Now, I am putting my computer on a cookieless crash diet!

If you are expecting eggs from me, I am packaging them up, see...If you visited my last post and fell in love with Little Betty Blue...Well, be patient, she is hopping her way to you... Don't worry, she is detachable, and you can still place her in a little dish...If I am in your tag swap, the Alice making is about to stop...

The tags are dyed, the doors are painted, and all the little paper doll Alice's are made, today they will be assembled and tomorrow they will tumble down the post portal to your door step.If you sent me an unfinished project to finish...

Well, it is still unfinished but only half way unfinished and it too will be making its way to you in the very near future.

If I discussed with you at length via email about a certain project, I have not forgotten about it. I have a few more details to work out and then I will do a demo for you.

If you gently prodded me about a Somerset submission, you will be happy to note that with one final touch it is ready to go! I am very nervous about sending my art baby out into the world. This is almost as nerve wracking as sending my word babies out into the world. I guess no matter if it is art or writing the feel is the same - scary.That about wraps up my IOU list for the day. I am studio bound today to wrap up a tutorial for my next post as well as finalize the above mentioned projects. I hope your Monday is a sweet one but if I were you I would stay away from those computer cookies!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy