The ART HOUSE Co-op is a wonderful venture. Steve and Shane are amazing - just the two of them running this whole shebang. There are projects all the time which are the subject of books, exhibits and library items. You must go there and look around, fellow artists. It is so much fun.

The piece I've currently entered is the "Mail Me Something" Project. Artwork is presented as a postcard (one of my favorites) and simply stamped and mailed to the Art House. All entries will be on display in the gallery.

See my postcard entry above, done with acrylic paint, Prismacolor pencils and pen and ink.

Nancy

Chagall-ish

Over at Artful Ideas we are having a challenge swap called "Artistic Style". AI is a Flickr group administered by myself and my dear bowling_belle. We have a lot of fun with a bi-weekly (or 'fortnightly' as the belle might say) challenge theme, ending in a random swap, strictly for ATC's.

Our members are all across the globe and we do have a great time.

For this one, we are choosing an artist or artistic style and using it to influence our submission for this time around. I chose Marc Chagall and my entry appears above.

We are a second generation group which spun off from the Mamma Swap when it had to be closed. You might just want to pop over to the AI pool to see some of the fantastic atc's being created by our members.

No IF's AND's or...................................................Elephant Butts?

Don't mind me. I fall in love with the strangest images sometimes. Our challenge on the Art 'n' Soul Flickr Group is to alter a jigsaw puzzle piece. Lots of people use the large, children's floor puzzle pieces, but I didn't have any so I made my own according to the template provided. It is roughly 3 1/2 inches square.

The alteration requirement was only that it be monochromatic. So I chose a dark, black-green color and used it in various densities and shades and a black silk cord for a hanger.

Having fallen in love with these elephants, I found a way to color and use them, along with some ornamental grass and a sprig of Eucalyptus, also colored to match.

To me, the mamma and baby elephant going off to see their world is a lovely metaphor for mammas and babies everywhere. And I love the shapes they make as they trudge off into the unknown in search of their destiny.

"Behold I and the children that the Lord hath given me, we are for signs and wonders."

Isaiah 8:18

Here is the back side, which shows

a fragment of the dense jungle ahead.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll be over to see you, too!

Nancy

Old Friends - Young Faces

I have recently reconnected with a girlhood friend who has always been precious to me. We were so close, as girls, that the time and distance never seem to matter at all 0 even when we lose touch for a long while. When she sent me the photo of herself as a child (left) I just had to combine it with the one of myself of the same vintage. So I did this little digital collage as a postcard and sent it to her. I guess it made her howl!

Looking forward to her visit next week where I'll take some photos to compare. These you may or may not see, depending on just how bad we look! Lots of water has gone under the bridge since we were so young and intent on "Going Places".

Back to Blogging...Again

I used to be such a faithful (read 'constant') blogger until my life took a new shape and I became very busy. I miss it. I miss hearing from my friends and sharing my thoughts and my projects. So here are a few things I've been doing since I was last here.

First -- I got a part time job and really threw myself into it. Thought it would be the dream job of all time for someone like me, a bibliophile. A book store job, no less. I joined with a crew to bring the store into existence, working my you-know-what off and doing things I didn't even know I could do. We put together the entire store - 6000 sq. ft. of shelves filled with books and opened in early December. I was ecstatic.

Imagine my disappointment when, working in close quarters with her, I found out that the manager was an awful bully who took personal delight in invalidating those around her. She took a particular dislike to 'moi', going quite out of her way to pick apart every thing I did.

I bit my tongue and hoped for the best for a very long 2 months until I finally had the bad manners to respond to one of her humiliating tirades with a very tiny one of my own. She fired me. And I am still really mad about it!

But I'm relieved that I don't have to come home each day upset and bummed out. What appeared to be my dream job was a nightmare in disguise. I really learned a lot about retail and book selling in particular, though, and made two very good friends who worked with me.

I guess it's a colorful addition to my CV. I was never fired before! Hey, people, it's never to late to experience something new!

So the Captain and I got busy right away on a cottage industry project. We are making these.

Disciple's Cross

We order our supplies from the company who holds the patent and make them according to their strict standards. They buy them from us, but we are free to find other markets and sell them ourselves. I have one local store carrying them and have a lot more inquiries to make. And we are definitely having fun. There's a little link at the top of this page where you can find out more about these.

Thanks for visiting me today.

Nancy