The Gypsy on Adventure

Artzy Gurls Retreat

I was lucky enough to attend the first Artzy Gurls Retreat in Idaho...what a great time! It took two days of driving where I saw the most beautiful sights of our vast country...and which made me wonder HOW some people eeek out a living on our land...some places were very remote.

It was a whirlwind retreat! If I had to say anything bad about the retreat, could you believe too much art! We started at 9 am and went to 9 pm...so that left no time for playing on the beautiful lake or venturing out to any boardering cities...I think we would have done better at 2 classes a day verses the 3, just for sanity.

BUT saying that I have to tell you I loved every minute of the art! AND trying new things as well, like working with Gourds! Gourds! Me! Can you believe I even tried using the wood burner for the first time and didn't hurt myself with it!? It was awesome with all the things we did.

I wasn't too thrilled with making art for some one else, although I totally understand why we had the exercise. My personality is such that I get high anxiety for making things for others....and when you don't know some one the pressure is on! I had a mini melt down and cried in my room for a bit and then got back to work. I enjoyed learning about my awesome person, but I didn't like the anxiety of the exercise!

I will upload photos to the photo album titled Artzy Gurls Retreat and you can see the photos there! 

It took us two days to drive home, but we went the quickest route through NV, which during the day is a rather boring trip, however, I enjoyed seeing all the colors come out at dusk, the purples and pinks, the blues of the dessert! It has its own beauty...that day was hard on the body we didn't stop much...so I was a bit dehydrated from not drinking anything for fear of NO BATHROOMS in NV! So by the time we got to Winnemucca at 830ish my body was swollen and I tired and hungry and THIRSTY! woooosh we made good time! From Worley Idaho at 8ish am  to Winnemucca at 830ish pm.

The next day was a mere 4 hrs to get to Chris's house! Then we mostly relaxed after splitting our new paints...and having a treat at the local yogert shop! YUMMO! Chris made an awesome dinner and I fell into bed early to get home by 11ish today! Whirl wind fun! 

I love spending that much time on art with like minded people, meeting new life long friends and sharing my life with Chris! I really do enjoy her!

On the way home my son texted me that my daughter has had a stroke or an aneurysm in Texas where she moved...that is not an easy thing to learn while on the road...especially when there is nothing you can do about it...

Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast!

Although I have not been very ehem, motivated with my art lately, I seem to be at a stand still. No fresh idea's happening which is However, I am sitting in the chair and doing the work! I think the issue really is that I get intimidated by the other artists I am doing the art for!

Lindsay for instance, is brilliant, and I love her art so much, I seem to put a lot of pressure on myself to actually finishing anything for her! I have THREE UGRA projects waiting in line and they are ALL for Lindsay! LOL

The good thing...I pushed through and made an amazing piece of art if I do say so myself! Its bright...its Lindsay! I think she will love it!  Off to the next person that is playing in it!

On to the next...I did the finishing touches on the Birdhouse for Lindsay and that is going in the mail...I actually like it!

I have been putting together the final touches on the last Lindsay project I have...and although its not finished I am starting to go with the flow and seeing that it will be passable! LOL

I started the process on the next UGRA project, The Kinship of Women! Fascinating little book to alter...however, my friend Loretta used the PHOTOS from MY birthday darn it! So I have to come up with some thing totally different! LOL Well she got the book before I did...  SIGH So I am still in the what the heck am I going to do on this page stage!

No photos because I am not sure who reads this so no spoilers!  Working on these projects really made my day go by way too fast! Where did my weekend go?

Note: UGRA is the Under Ground Rail Art group I belong to...all done by mail...so the projects are ALL collaborative!

Knitted Skelly!

I have never seen anything as unique and wonderful as this!
 
OMG this is fucking sweet!I cannot help but be in AWE!!! This is so AH-mazing! I can't imagine how long it took to create...but I LOVE it! I can see they used wire to hold it all togehter...woooooosh I am just stunned!

Want to read the article? You can here.

     
 

 

 

 

   
 

 

Getting back to sketching...

Getting into my weekly routine...

When you live for others' opinions, you are dead. I don't want to live thinking about how I'll be remembered.  -- Carlos Slim Helu

But I don't want to be remembered as a clutter-bug or a hoarder! So I am quiting that behavior right now...its a choice I am making...like always choosing to be happy! Its hard but the thing to do!

Confessions are good for the soul
I am sharing in order to say to you, if you have this issue, you are not alone!  Don't live in the shame...if you have to, hire some one! The gal I hired is 18 going off to collage this August and needed some jobs for the summer...she is doing me, and possibly a couple of other artists I know...

Mall horrors...lunch...and journaling in public

Ha I tell myself to go live life without make up and cringe when I meet up with people. I went to the mall today, and of course we ran into some one we knew! From work! Snort...and the irony was the fact that I was there buying my make up! LOL And damn I forget how expensive my make up is! But glad it lasts for a long time!  Plus the fact that people strut like peacocks in malls dressed like they were going to a fancy evening! I was under dressed! LOL

After that we went for lunch, where I remembered to sketch in public...yeah me!  And I finished another fantasy page...and I am loving the look of my pallets as I paint! I feel like an artist! Snort

Wings...crabbiness...and painting

Crackers went to the vet first thing this morning for toes and wings. After we left I realized that we didn't do her beak! Sigh
WGB was in a nasty mood all day, and doesn't see it. I did painting and then lazed around...Journaling - Catching up with the painting of the pages - Inspired by Violette's Book

GREAT mail day!

Oh sweetness of mail today! I received a RAOK from SoManyIdea's!!!! Squeel with delight! She made me a skull rock!  I am so excited I have one of her rocks!!!!  It came at a perfect time, since tomorrow is the ultrasound on my heart...it can bring me courage and good luck!

And I got a couple of great books, and I have started to do some sketching like violet.  And it is a lot of fun! And after work I even ran over to Target and got a new purse! Ah, life is good!

Extended play on Dreams

I got to the class a little early to go over to store and buy some supplies! WOWZER do I love the store! Lots of fun things for this journal progress including some of the items that Teesha recommends! SO MUCH FUN!  The only issue I had today was how long it took for lunch...I was dying by the time it got there and I still am a little sick.

But what a GREAT day!!!

I was so happy to get a photo with Teesha and Tracy, and Tracy said "You don't want ME in the photo!" I was like "Yes I do!!! This is a dream come true for me!" It was so much fun seeing all the art going on, it was like electric waves happening in the room! AH-MAZING! And I was delighted to get some photos with Sharen, Cindy and to just see every one playing!

I am going to have to save my pennies and get to their retreats soon!

A dream came true today!

One of my dreams has been to Meet and work with Teesha and Tracy Moore! I am so excited I can't stand it...I can barely think of sleeping tonight! All the images of journaling are snug in my head! Snort! In MY area the Masters of Illustrated Journaling are here! They are lovely people and so awesome in sharing their skills and talent and enouraging us to move through their process and come out the other end with our own journals!

The class was REALLY large! So many fantastic artists in the crowd!  AND some of my friends attended!!!! Yeah for friends and even a Flickr Meet up!!!! I got to play with Coffeelatte who sat across from me!!! Yippee! Fantastic time was had! DELIGHTFUL! Loretta and Sharen were in the class too! Traci Bautista came and sat at my table too! What a great class! The last photo is one of Teesha's pages! Some thing to raise the bar to! ART HEADACHE!!!!! So exciting!