All Things End, Eventually!



Field Notes #'s 1-36 ready for their edges to be bound and then mounted to their stretched canvas frames.  Each piece is 6x6 inches.

So why am I having such a hard time getting there? Excellent question. And I finally decided it's because I don't want this particular project to end.

Which is odd because the whole time I've been working on this project I've been chomping at the bit to start the next state of my Fields Series!

Anyway, I'm off to stitch their tiny edges, and get started on attaching the hanging hardware to the frames.

Registration NOW OPEN for Earth and Sky From Sketch to Stitch

Earth and Sky: From Sketch to Stitch

A Mini Master Class click here to learn more!

Earth and Sky is an Eight Week Mini Master Class divided into 2 Four Week modules with a One Week break in between the two modules.

Module 1: Sketch, Draw, Paint, Surface Design

Break Week

Module 2: Sketch, Surface Design, Stitch, Embellish

Class begins April 15th! 

Lifetime Access to the Clas

s

NOTE: Because of the intensity of this class I am limiting the number of spaces available to 20!!!

From Sketch to Stitch



My Aurifil thread color palette for my latest series "Field Notes"


Field Notes was born out of several loves, passions of mine:

The love of the prairie.
The love of crops as they rise out of the ground each year.
The love of the symmetry and simplicity of how the fields themselves are arranged in the countryside.


Field Notes in progress on my table.


Some color studies.



Watercolor crayons, water soluble oil pastels, and water soluble graphite on sketchbook paper.

Field Series Update


My thread order came today. If you've been following me on Facebook then you know there's been a lot of drama lately with my trying to obtain a rather allusive Aurifil Thread color #2612 aka arctic ice.
Well that was through Amazon.

Three spools of the wrong color later I put out a plea on Facebook begging to know everyone's favorite place to buy Aurifil Thread.  Follow That Thread came up, repeatedly.  So late Sunday night I put together my order, which included the much desired #2612, and it arrived today.

And the much desired color is quite desirable!!! It IS the perfect sky color!


#2612 is second from the left and it matches my earth pigment painted fabrics and perfectly!


Six pieces almost stitched, thirty left to go.


My color palette for the Fields Series sans one spool that should be here hopefully this weekend, because I of course ordered it from Amazon.  Odd that it'll be the correct color?

It's Been Awhile


So begins a new series I've titled "Fields". So far the goal is 18 large pieces and 12 small pieces. I'm using earth pigments, charcoal, conte, and mixed media pm cotton and silk fabrics this time around with machine stitching as the finishing touch.

I've been dragging my feet to start on this series, as it is the first series where I won't be using natural dyes. Fabric painting begins tonight. Photos coming soon.

Autumn is Finally Here!


I love Autumn, I truly do. The lack of humidity, the cool crisp air, fresh apples, and pumpkins everywhere, and most importantly my allergies are starting to calm down.

The part I love the most,  however, is the colors of the leaves. Reds, golds, oranges, and brilliant yellows, and everywhere!

So it's no surprise that I created art cloth show casing these colors in my Colors of the Earth and Pretty Pigments online classes.

If you'd like to capture the beauty of nature's natural palette using natural earth pigments then join me in my newest class Colors of the Earth.  Class starts on October 17th!


Registration Ends Tomorrow!!!


Registration Ends Tomorrow!

Pretty Pigments Online Class Begins 
Tomorrow
September 6th at 6pm CST!!!

Click here to learn more!
This session includes a special Bonus Session called Getting Started. Once this session of Pretty Pigments has finished I will not be offering this special bonus offering again.

The Bonus Session will become it's OWN class starting in October. 

Register for Pretty Pigments TODAY, you will be getting TWO of my classes for the price of ONE!!!

When you Register TODAY for this Session of Pretty Pigments you will have lifetime access to TWO of my classes!

Getting Started Bonus Starts August 15th!!!

I'm so excited! Pretty Pigments Classroom Officially Opens on August 15th!!!


To Celebrate I'm offering a 15% Discount for Pretty Pigments through August 15th!

Discount Code: PRETTYPIGMENTS15

Starting August 15th Students will have access to the Getting Started withPretty Pigments Bonus Content. 

Learn how to make soy milk and pigment emulsions
Learn how to make the wax and pigment emulsions
Learn the basics of fabric prep for painting and paper with pigments
Learn the basics of painting fabric and paper with pigments
Learn how to properly cure, wash, and care for your fabrics and papers that have been painted with pigments.
How to source clays, ochers, and pigments from your local environment. 

And this is just a few of the things you will learn BEFORE the Pretty Pigments Class Starts on September 6th!!!

NOTE: This will be the ONLY time I offer this bonus content for the Pretty Pigments Class!


Progress and Fear


Fleur de Lis constructed book 2005-ish

2016 is a little more than just half over, and looking back my decision to work on self improvement this year, instead of obsessing about my artwork, has paid off and in strides.

By self improvement I mean investing not only in my health, but also my art business. I've been busy taking business, art, and other types of classes.  I also spent a good chunk of coin on books (all bought used thanks to Amazon) and art supplies.

I've also have been upgrading my studio equipment I'm now an iPhone/Mac user, and had equipment serviced: my Janome 6500 no longer clunks when using the zig zag stitch, and my studio lamp now turns on every time, and actually stays on.

To be honest June into July has felt a whole lot like christmas!  But I won't lie, while I made this decision back in December of 2015, it was hard at first, I felt guilty. I justified taking classes that meant growth. I had to overcome fear.

The fear of "what if"?

It's doesn't happen all of the time.  But it does happen.  It happened today, about an hour ago actually.

What if the sewing machine doesn't work when I plug it in, and turn it on.  My 60 day service warranty expired yesterday and I hadn't started up the machine since I picked it up from servicing.

Yup, you're not the only one, there's a huge tribe of us out here in the land of the internet that all suffer from fear induced procrastination.

I'm finishing up some handmade book signatures this afternoon, I will film the process, for my Pretty Pigments class that starts September 6th.  I'll be posting about the upcoming class and soon, yes I have tons of fear, and procrastination, about teaching online again.  And I have every intentions of putting that fear to rest.