Join me for Earth and Sky!

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EARTH AND SKY: FROM SKETCH TO STITCH A MINI MASTER CLASS  


LIFETIME ACCESS TO THE CLASS

NOTE: Because of the intensity of this class I am limiting the number of spaces available to 30 students!!!

NOTE Prerequisite for this class is: Experience painting fabric with earth pigments, ochres, clay, and charcoal OR my online classes Colors of the Earth and/or Pretty Pigments.

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.

During this course students will learn how to create a series of work(s) using your own voice using earth pigments, clays, ochres, charcoal, etc., to create a new body of work.

From Sketch to Stitch! Students will take their original concept from their original sketches based upon landscapes, create the art cloth, and then stitching them to create this new body of work.

On average students will create 8-10 pieces for a new series of work.

Module 1: Sketch, Draw, Paint, Surface Design

Break Week

Module 2: Sketch, Surface Design, Stitch, Embellish

Surface Design Techniques:

  • Earth Pigments
  • Mixed Media Techniques using charcoal, conte, pastels, etc. on top of the earth pigment layer.
  • Free hand machine stitching/embroidery
  • Hand Stitching
  • Embellishment Techniques

Subjects Covered:

  • Working in a series
  • Composition
  • Creating and planning your series
  • Color and texture especially with stitch, when and how to use.
  • Surface Design
  • Embellishment and Displaying your final pieces.

Lifetime Access to the Class

Too Cheerful

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Well I've been working on my series At the Marsh and somehow this bright and cheerful piece came out of the end of my brush. 

It's too cheerful for my current series, which is more somber in tone, so I'm setting it aside to be stitched later. In the meantime I have gobs of stitching to do in anticipation of two solo shows I'm hanging the first week of January. 

Cleaned My Stencil

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It took over an hour, but I finally got the dried spackling (Sp?) removed from my Black Birds in Tree Stencil! 

I cleaned it by gently brushing it with a medium and soft stencil brush, and then use a needle awl to clean the tiny crevices. One of the things I love about StencilGirl Stencils is their durability. I have been happily using, and abusing, this stencil for over four years now!!! 

{Save 40%} Store Wide Sale!!!

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Black Friday thru Cyber Monday Sale!!!

It's that time of year, and I'm passing the blessings along to you! As a special bonus I'm running this sale through November 30th! Like many of you I get paid twice per month, so I'm running this sale through the 30th so that you don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity!

This sale includes ALL available online classes, ebooks, DVD's, artwork, art cloth, and more!

Cockle Burr Season is Here!

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Oliver was supposed to get a bath last night, that didn't happen.

What was supposed to be bath time ended up an hours long panicked filled session of removing cockle burrs from Oliver's left eye, ears, nose, mouth, etc.  The one on his eye was the worst as tit was matted into his eyebrow hair and onto his face beneath the eye.

Notice the hack job on his left eyebrow. The right one will get trimmed when John gets home from work this evening, and the left one neatened up.

Oliver was in full panic mode trying to dig the burr out with his foot. I finally got him into a bear hug position so John could work on removing the burr.

John finally removed enough of the burr that I could use my Tim Holts craft scissors (Oliver won't let me near him with standard scissors) to cut the fur away, rather than try to fish out the tiny bits of burr. Our efforts to remove the burr bits was only upsetting him even more, to the point that he was growling at me.

Burrs are all gone now, I'll be going out to remove the cockle burr plant and dispose of it someplace where he cannot get into it again, and Ollie will get his bath tonight.

Been a Little Busy

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And just a little bit more than distracted. Had a health scare, not going to go into details, which pretty much shut me down emotionally and mentally.  First rounds of tests yesterday came up with everything being just fine.

So I did what I do best when these sorts of things creep up, I started this botanical piece. Second round of tests are on Monday, I should have final results next week on said health issue, praying that the whole event was a one time thing only. 

Breathing isn't Always Easy!

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So sometimes we need a little help to do so, unfortunately my health insurance company, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, doesn't think that I need my medication, so I'm screwed!

If you have asthma, or know someone who has asthma then you can see I have two days left.

My pharmacy Hyvee Drugtown wants $299 for one months supply of Arnuity Ellipta asthma inhaler. At the encouragement of my Facebook friends I called around to see if I could get a better price. Yes I have the coupon but the pharmacies are telling me that they cannot accept it if my insurance company won't pay for the inhaler, although the wording on the coupon says otherwise. 

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So here's the break down in pricing:

  • $437.99 CVS
  • $299.00 Hyvee Drugtown Pharmacy 
  • $195.96 Medicap Pharmacy
  • $193.00 Walgreens
  • $184.23 Walmart Pharmacy
  • $168.96 NuCara Pharmacy

Now I wait for my doctor to once again send in prior authorization paperwork to the insurance company in hopes they will approve my prescription.  So much for cadillac health insurance.

UPDATE:

PRAISE GOD!!! Sam's Club wins the day!!! $83.50 AND they WILL honor the $100 coupon, per month, for twelve months! Gotta drive 28 miles to get it but what the heck!

Life is Good Again

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Today was the third day in a row that I actually left the house, I mean left and went and had an hour long lunch with my best friend Brenda! And then we went for a ride afterwards too look at all of the beautiful red and golden leaves.

And then it occurred to me that the reason I hadn't been leaving the house, or working in my wet studio that's in the basement was because of Pepper. The constant worry of will he fall down the stairs (seventeen steps), or fall off of the bed, the table, a chair, so on and so forth. 

The worry and the stress was real. Taking care of a geriatric pet who cannot tell you what's going on health wise is, well, stressful.

I even spent time in my garden, for the first time in two months, this afternoon. 

I'm sad that he's passed, but the stress of knowing I can go on a day trip now, without something horrible happening to him while I'm gone, has been relieved.

Btw the fact that I was house bound was driving my husband John nuts! I couldn't explain to him why I didn't want to leave. And there were times when I questioned his desire to not be home, to spend hours mindlessly shopping. Subconsciously it was because I didn't want to leave Pepper alone, in case he got hurt while I was away.