Everything's Coming Up ... MIXED MEDIA !!!

Most of you know that my mixed media journey began in 2007, when my dear friend Ann Deakers forwarded the blog address of artist KELLY RAE ROBERTS.

From there, I was off and running; albeit confused many times over by words and phrases like "gesso", "image transfer", and "polymer medium". 

The first mixed media book

I acquired was Kelly Rae's 

TAKING FLIGHT ...  

Shortly after, while visiting the then-brand-new PAPER SOURCE right here in the 'hood, I picked up VINTAGE COLLAGE WORKS by Maryjo and Sunny Koch ...  this was where I first came across the word "scumbling" .. oh my, so much to learn.  {Paper Source Carlsbad: http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/locations/ca_carlsbad.html }

I loved collage as a child.  But way back then, I used glue and water, and when I got really sophisticated, Mod Podge.  {funny, now I can't stand the smell of Mod Podge ...}

You probably already know that the first mixed media art class I took(a 6-week series, actually) was taught by local artist Jane LaFazio, and I was in love from the first minute with ... mixed media with paper and cloth, as Jane's series was called.   I loved it so much, in fact, that when that session ended .. I signed up for another 6-week session, right away.  What a great start to 2009 !! 

And then .. and then .. there was the 'introduction' to Chris Cozen, working artist for Golden (acrylic products extraordinaire) and her many techniqus for working with all the different acrylic products, gel mediums, tar gel, beaded glass gel, etc ... and most especially, her IMAGE TRANSFER techniques.   The fun had just begun !! Chris now teaches amazing on-line workshops with another California artist, Julie Prichard ... find out more right here:  http://www.julieprichard.com/mixed-media-workshops/ ! 

Throughout 2009, I took classes from Linda Blinn, Althea Brimm, Suzi Blu and Lisa Bebi, and more from Jane LaFazio and Chris Cozen.  Suzi Blu, by the way, teaches not only IN PERSON workshops, but incredible ONLINE workshops -- check her out here:  http://www.alovelydream.com/site/Welcome.html

Soon, I began to see Kelly Rae published all over the place ... the Stampington publications, in an article in The Ligourian Press (a Catholic publication), and in a local guide to some lovely city in - Kentucky, was it?  Kelly even began having her work turned into wall art, magnets, stationery, calendars, etc.

But it all came 'round full circle in February 2010, when Ann (the friend who first directed me to Kelly Rae's blog) and I attended AN ARTFUL JOURNEY (Feb 2010)- a three day retreat in Los Gatos, CA ... which I never did blog about here on "I Am Princess Magpie" ... oh my, so much to catch up on.  {FYI, An Artful Journey is happening again, February 17-21, 2011 - visit their website right here: http://www.anartfuljourney.com/ } and I cannot recommend it highly enough.  FABULOUS event.

We took a 3-day workshop with Kelly Rae Roberts (who was just barely pregnant at the time) and Mati Rose McDonough.  What a treat that was!

Shortly after the workshop this February, Kelly had some of her art turned into 3-D "dolls".  I now have one, and she resides in my kitchen, right at the sink - right near a rosary, a crucifix, and a beautiful Christmas card from the late, great Celeste Rast.   They all make me smile each time I'm at the sink, and they all keep me grounded.

But then - while on holiday this month in Montana, Mark and I walked into one of my favorite little shopping spots up there - The Barn, just outside Bigfork - and what should I see but a beautiful display of Kelly Rae items !!! 

They were all tucked into a vintage shabby cabinet, filled with old quilts, bits of lace, frames, old photographs, pressed glass, etc etc etc.   What a perfect setting for Kelly's "GIRLS" !!!

Upon my return home from AN ARTFUL JOURNEY, I opened up my Etsy shop {although it still has empty 'shelves', I have intentions to fill them}.  I also signed up for an on-line workshop with artist Jane Davila ... "Jump Start Your Art Career". 

{http://www.janedavila.com/workshops.htm }   

Then later this spring, I signed up for Kelly Rae's on-line workshop, "Flying Lessons: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Biz Soar" {which you can now order as an E-book course from Kelly here: http://kellyraeroberts.com/ecourses/ }

In late July (2010) it was a distinct pleasure and a real treat to spend a day in (Colorado artist) K.C. Willis' "Collage Bootcamp", a full day where we created a piece, start to finish.  I shared this special day with Ann, and with Sally, Diane, and Jen - amongst other lovely ladies - learning all kinds of new ways to put fabric and paper and a photograph ... together. Find otu more about KC right here:  http://www.lipstickranch.com/

{more on collage bootcamp with KC to come ... and a link to her upcoming workshops right back here in So Cal in early 2011!}

And while I have moved on to appreciating other artist's styles of mixed media art, and have taken mixed media workshops from some of the great contemporary mixed media artists ... I will always consider my mixed media "roots" to be those fostered by Kelly Rae Roberts.

 -- Davielle
aka, your PRINCESS MAGPIE

The Creative Color Challenge, with artist Louise Gale

my friend Ann and I met Louise Gale
at AN ARTFUL JOURNEY this February, where she participated in the same wonderful workshop that we were in ... taught by Kelly Rae Roberts and Mati Rose McDonough.  

Louise is putting together a CREATIVE COLOR CHALLENGE for August ... just the thing to keep your creative juices flowing in a colorful way.

Yes, I have too many things on my plate (heck, it's a full blown platter by now), but this sounds so fun and so pressure-less.   I mean, really - what could happen if I miss a week - will the Color Challenge militia come after me?  I doubt it.

So THANK YOU, Louise, for creating this fun experience.

You can join in, too -- here's a link to the details.
http://louisegale.blogspot.com/2010/07/join-me-in-creative-color-challenge.html 

-- Princess Magpie
(yours, as ever ... Davielle)

Creative Slump

so I've been in a creative slump lately.  if i were a writer, it'd be writer's block.  since i'm a "creative", i guess this is a creative's block.  hmmm.

but i have been diligent about going over the e-course FLYING LESSONS that Kelly Rae Roberts has going on. { http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/ }. yes, i have been making sure i have the info saved to a file (for my eyes only) ... and this way, in a binder, i can review it over and over again.  (yes, kelly rae gave us permission to do that, by the way - so long as we didn't share the info with others).

back to my creative's slump.   could be the weather - could be my migraines - could be plenty of things.  mostly, i think, it's GUILT over not being a good housekeeper, struggling to do more around the house, which then sets off all my joints -- bah humbug - this getting old(er) is for the birds.  (albeit NOT for the magpies - who never hurt!).

so i'm adding an "I Read Kelly Rae" button to my sidebar this morning.  it's about all i have, dear readers, to add to my blog today.

missing you - missing my creative spark - but hoping it will return soon.

xo
Davielle - your Princess Magpie


{at right, my 'beloved' mixed media art teacher, JANE LA FAZIO - I'm guessing she rarely, if ever, has a 'creative slump' ... i'm just saying ... i mean, JUST LOOK AT HER.  Such energy and such enthusiasm and such joy.  :-) !!}

up, up, and away ... FLYING LESSONS, here I come !!!

Yes, that's right.  I've signed up for Flying Lessons.  It's a way cool e-course.  You read that right. You can learn to FLY online now.

Okay, so the full title of the class is FLYING LESSONS: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Business Soar, and it's taught by the amazing KELLY RAE ROBERTS of mixed media fame.

Click on the FLYING LESSONS button on my sidebar to go to Kelly's site and find out more details.

I signed up a week late, so I have some catching up to do ... so I better sign off for now.

{that's me and Kelly Rae in Los Gatos, CA back in February 2010, at An Artful Journey}

I hope you'll join me on this adventure ...

-- Davielle
aka, your PRINCESS MAGPIE

UPCOMING CLASSES I'LL BE TAKING

"Josephine" ...
a mixed media piece done (by me!) in a Chris Cozen workshop earlier this year.

Dear Princess Magpie friends:

So as the year draws to it's close, I am gearing up and looking forward (SOOOO forward !!!) to a 4-day ART RETREAT with my friend, Ann Deakers. We'll be at AN ARTFUL JOURNEY { http://www.anartfuljourney.com/retreats/feb2010/index.html } in Los Gatos, California, where we are signed up to spend the entire Retreat getaway under the "tutelage" of artists KELLY RAE ROBERTS and MATI ROSE McDONOUGH. We're very excited - it will be the first mixed media Retreat for both of us, and the first "swap" experience for us each as well. So much newness, so much to learn, so much to do !!!

Kelly Rae Roberts & Mati Rose McDonough - above - photo by Denise Andrade

In the interest of feeling as prepared as I can {you know Princess Magpie: always 'reading, researching, learning all I can about a technique} for said Retreat in February 2010, I am focusing my art goals on learning what I can that will see me ready as I can be (for a new mixed media kinda girl such as myself) for the FUNKY CHUNKY COFFEE TABLE BOOK project we will undertake with Kelly and Mati. Ooooh, it sounds sooooooooo F.U.N. !!!!!

I have just signed up for "COLOR MIXING" with Chris Cozen, a fabulous mixed media artist who teaches for Golden (the product line of acrylics that I just love) ... and I'll also be taking her "FAUX ENCAUSTIC" (ie, faux beeswax effect) class. Both, at STAMPING DETAILS right across town in Poway. Check out their website at: http://www.stampingdetails.com/ for Class details.

here, Chris Cozen teaching a workshop thru San Diego Book Arts / 2009

and below, an assortment of finished / unfinished pieces that I created in

a Chris Cozen workshop / 2009

(that's all in one day, folks!)

I also signed up for BEGINNER'S ALTERED BOOKS, with instructor Pat. Also at Stamping Details, this workshop is meant to introduce us beginners to techniques like cutting a niche, making windows, creating special cover effects, giving color to the pages in various ways, using glass and wire, making pop-ups (oh my!), adding embellishments, doing image transfers, and more! (more!? how could there be more than all that !!!). That class will be held 11 am - 4 pm on Sunday, November 29. { Yup; it's right after Thanksgiving, which I anticipate will be more joyful and filled with THANKS-givings than in years past.}

So ... I do hope you'll join me at one, two, or all three of these workshops.

a group of happy Chris Cozen students / 2009 / San Diego Book Arts weekend

and below, a whole bunch of fantastic Chris Cozen pieces ... ooh la la !!!

I'm a big fan of EVERYTHING at Stamping Details -- and you already know how I admire the work of CHRIS COZEN ... don't miss out! You'll be SOOOOOO glad you signed up. :-)

-- Princess Magpie

Calling All Hearts - by Kelly Rae Roberts

Please visit the blog of artist Kelly Rae Roberts, possibilitarian AND humanitarian. Today she shares the story of Megan -- a woman Kelly does not know directly, but whose plight has touched Kelly's heart. It touched mine, too. PLEASE VISIT and PLEASE READ and PLEASE KEEP MEGAN and all who are facing these kinds of (health / healthcare) challenges ... in your thoughts and prayers. AND IF YOU CAN ... PLEASE GIVE.

http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/2009/07/calling-all-hearts-we-need-you-again.html

Thank you, thank you.

MAS progress continues

Friday morning, June 5; 9 am:

Okay, so MAS now has several meanings:

Messy Art Space

Messy Art Studio
MY Art Space / Studio

I like 'em all. Yet, I am leaning now towards the last one. MY ART SPACE.

"Messy" sounds like it's going to look like, well, like my home office. Or my closet. Or the chest next to my side of the bed. {you think I'm kidding? then you don't know me!}

What 'MESSY' was meant to denote was that THIS is where the messy art would happen - the stuff with glues and paints and water and such. {although we have no sink in the garage ... yet ... I remain hopeful! I am pretty sure that the capped pipe that leads off the base of our water heater is ... the plumbing to BRING IN A SINK some day.}

But now, it's just going to be MAS: My Art Space.

The progress continues, slow but sure. Before he left town Friday morning, Mark helped hang a hook for aprons;

voila !!!

a re-used dog kennel-crate door (it's not only magnetic, but I can use clothespins to clip inspiration to it right where I work);

the dangling tag says "she's a good girl; crazy about Elvis. loves horses, and her boyfriend too" -- one of my favorite song lines, a la Tom Petty.

and a cookbook holder, mounted to the wall, so I can open up a book to the instructions and SEE IT, yet keep it clean while I work from it.

Lined up to use it first:

Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts {the artist and her book, who started me on this amazing artful journey over a year ago ... she SO insires me}

the books I have by Claudine Hellmuth ...

this is one of Claudine's books, in the rack !!

and of course, the two books by Golden artist CHRIS COZEN ...

those are Chris' books on display - the larger art piece just beneath is by CHRIS - I bought that from her during her recent 2-day workshop here in town, hosted by San Diego Book Arts. the two smaller pieces are ones I did in a Chris workshop back in March, at Stamping Details in Poway. Funny, when I bought her work, I didn't realize I was again drawn to those colors. I have a long way to go, but still, I think I'm on the right path, learning from the best artists I can take classes from.

and my book by friend LINDA BLINN ... about creating family memory books.

I'm just waiting now for a book on Mixed Media with Paper and Cloth - by -- drum roll - Jane LaFazio !!!

I can hardly wait to get creating in my space !!!

my drafting table, with an assortment of work I created during Chris Cozen workshops, 2009

-- Princess Magpie

Taking Flight, the Pendant

Jewelry artist STACY DE LA ROSA created a soulful piece just for Kelly Rae Roberts and a handful of her appreciative fans ... TAKING FLIGHT, the pendant ... Kelly Rae recently gave one of these beauties away, and Stacy then agreed to make a limited edition (really, just over a handful) more to sell on her Etsy shop ...

http://www.bellawish.etsy.com/

They are all sold out now, but I am so grateful that I was one of the fortunate individuals who placed an order pronto ... because I just heard from Stacy this morning, via e-mail, that my pendant has now TAKEN FLIGHT [pun intended] and is winging it's way to my mailbox as we sit here together, blogging.

I can hardly contain my excitement.

If I have not yet told my FULL CIRCLE story of how I came to be a blogger, and a budding artist (or should I say "fledgling" artist?! it seems appropriate) ... I will, and soon.

Kelly Rae and her TAKING FLIGHT, the book, play a huge role in my journey.

{here is a link to Taking Flight - the book - at Amazon}

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Flight-Inspiration-Techniques-Creative/dp/160061082X

And here is a link to Kelly Rae's blogspot ... http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com

Smiling, blissfully, your ...

-- Princess Magpie, aka Davielle

My Artistic Journey, in a Nutshell

Long overdue, this posting is ...

On Saturday March 7 and Sunday March 8, I attended two full days of workshops with Golden working artist CHRIS COZEN ... and all I can say is ... who knew?!

I used to have one of those {because I didn't know any better, OBVIOUSLY} attitudes about ACRYLIC paints ... like, 'that's for children', OR 'that's cheesy', or, well, you get the idea.

I have many people to thank for my awakening:

FIRST, my friend ANN DEAKERS, who first (re) turned me to local artist JANE LA FAZIO. I say "re-turned", because I first met Jane some years ago at a Pampered Chef party ... and then she invited me to her home to do another one! I then ran into Jane at an event at Quail Botanical Gardens, where I bought some of her lovely painted cards.

SO when Ann told me about Jane's WATERCOLOR JOURNALING workshop, I signed up with friend Cynthia (Fall 2007) and away we went. It was challenging, it was eye-opening, it was incredible. But that was only the beginning!

NEXT, friend Ann forwarded me a link to the blog of artist KELLY RAE ROBERTS. Wow, what a find. I ordered a few of KRR's art prints {which are still waiting for frames - one's a gift for my daughter Kristina, although she doesn't know it ... yet!} and over the months, I became so enamored of KRR's work and her blog-style, I couldn't resist ordering her first book: Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings {which you can purchase thru Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or directly from Kelly Rae, which will include her autograph}. When her book arrived, WOW. I was so enchanted. But what were all these materials and mediums she was talking about? Her supply list was all-encompassing, and I didn't know what 75% of those things were / were for ... Talk about intimidating !!!

SO then, as my Scrapbooking and Stamping / CardMaking SUPPLIES began to expand to include materials for COLLAGE WORK, I began my quest. The quest to discover "life beyond ModPodge" {as a young girl, Mom would plop me down at a TV tray, with a box of paper and ribbon scraps, and some glitter, and a bottle of glue - or Mod Podge - and I'd create collages to my little heart's content}. And by the way, ModPodge is alive & well, folks, and easily adapted to your art projects.

OKAY, so then PAPER SOURCE opened up right here at The Forum, in Carlsbad, a mere 6 minutes door to door {dangerous stuff, that} ... and it was there that I picked up a beautiful book by mother-daughter duo Sunny and MaryJo KOCH.

Vintage Collage-Works: Artful Ideas with Antique Ephemera is the title, and I was again ENCHANTED by the possibilities lying within those pages. Wow, wow, wow. But again - an extensive list of supplies & materials, and me, ignorant about what most of them are, or how they're used, or what they're used for.

And thus began my journey. I googled "mixed media art class san diego" and I came up with - get this - the name Jane LaFazio. At the top of the list! So I sent Jane a quick e-mail, asking her what this MIXED MEDIA term really meant, and she said I should sign up for her upcoming 6-week class through the La Jolla Athanaeum.

I jumped in, feet first, and the rest is blogging history! {if you haven't seen my blog before, the entire six weeks was 'journaled' herein, complete with photographs}

I learned so much, but mostly what I learned was that there is SO MUCH MORE to be learned!

But instead of being intimidated, now I am INSPIRED and INTRIGUED and EXCITED.

Thanks to Yvonne, who was in my first 6-week MIXED MEDIA with Jane LaFazio, I sought out workshops with Golden working-artist CHRIS COZEN ... because the idea of learning how to do IMAGE TRANSFERs was so exciting to me.

a smattering of the work I did in the Chris Cozen {Golden product} workshops, March 2009

Thanks to STAMPING DETAILS in Poway, California, for hosting 5 workshops with Chris earlier this month {of which I attended four}. More eye-opening, more stretching, more possibilities opening up. You might say that I'm no longer "on the fence" about art and it's place in my life :-) ...

"On The Fence" {a tribute to my mother, Edith} - this piece was made, start to finish, during the Chris Cozen weekend at Stamping Details in Poway, March '09

Big sigh. Contented sigh.

-- Princess Magpie

Kelly Rae Roberts - Inspires Again !!!

Okay, so I've fallen in love with this new mixed media piece - it's little bitty, at just 5" x 5" - by one of my fave artists, Kelly Rae Roberts.

This little lovely is available as a fine art print on Kelly Rae's ETSY shop ... visit her at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=46872

Be prepared to spend some time there, though. Her work is enchanting!

And if you, like me, are into BLOGS, hers is so dang inspiring ... visit her blog at:

http://kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com/

Happy Monday, my creative friends ...

-- Princess Magpie