Release your creative spirit

(A picture of my father from back in the day)

Why is it that some trips never seem to move in a forward straight line? Argh! We left the house this morning, heading to Pennsylvania for my dad's memorial luncheon tomorrow. No sooner did I get off the phone learning the hotel didn't have our room reservation then we got a flat tire. Yep. Right there in the middle of Nowhere, South Carolina and Anywhere, Else.

Stranded. 

Lug wrench didn't fit the bolts on the tire. I watched from outside of my body as I proceeded to have a melt down right there on the side of the highway. My poor husband. He handled me and the situation like a champ and found a local tire guy to drive out there to help us. Typing this from my phone as we drive thru Fancy Gap, VA, dad's ashes in the middle front seat as co-co-pilot. He always had to rescue me from the highway as a kid whenever my car would break down and so it seems only fitting we would have trouble on the way to his funeral. And I'm sure Dad is testing Tim's metal just a little. 

Here are a few pix from the release your creative spirit class taught out in Irvine, CA a few weeks ago. Still my favorite class I teach! My gosh-the talent in this group!! See for yourself!  

That's all for now. We had about 15+ students that day and I enjoyed helping each and every one of them. I may even miss a few of them. 

And my dad. 

Color me sentimental. 

Staci 

Folk Art Houses

It's muggy as hell out here on the porch where I'm typing to escape the smell of the primer the painter is using inside the house. yes. I've done the unthinkable. I've hired someone else to finish painting the last 2 bedrooms and bathrooms because I've run out of steam.

Meanwhile, I've long been a HUGE fan of Beverly Buchanan. I like her use of "scrap" wood, foam core, and sticks to create her shacks and her crazy use of color on the newer pieces.

from beverlybuchanan.com

For the past several weeks I'm toying with the idea of interpreting my house and barn paintings into 3d structures, but I'm resisting because I don't want to look like I've copied her ideas. I'm thinking of taking the wooden "fabrics" I've created and cutting those up to reassemble into small sculptures. 

dunno

color me befuddled

staci

Fantasy House Portraits, Irvine edition

Seriously, I need to get a grip on my distractions! I'm like some 15 year old trying to do homework with the television on and the remote on the coffee table...And a stack of unread magazines...And a cup of Yerba tea...And the painting commission someone still hasn't completed that keeps whispering in the middle of the night...And the pretty birds that just flew across the lake...

Oh wait. That really is me, give or take a couple of 30+ years. 

Needless to say, moving and unpacking and renovating, and an 80# lab puppy, all are conspiring against me to keep me from writing! Lawd, now I'm distracted again. What was I writing about? I do this a lot. 

Must   

Focus

one of my original samples. 

Houses. Fantasy House Portraits class. On Thursday in Irvine, a couple of weeks ago now, I taught the house portrait painting class. This was the first time I taught this class to this many people all at the same time. I think it went well, although, to be honest, some people could have used more time and I think moving forward I am going to provide smaller boards for people to use.  I've been using 16x20 and 14x18 but I'm dropping that down to 12x16 for the future. And next year I'm tweaking the class a bit further by making it all about cottages and using 12x12 boards. I think that by narrowing the scope a bit it will help people focus beforehand and will allow everyone to finish up in plenty of time. 



Here are a couple of student pieces. I think you'll agree that they did a bang up job. Several people emailed me after class to tell me how much their husbands enjoyed the finished paintings but weren't looking forward to the new "honey do" lists inspired by the artwork.

such a cute piece that really deserves a much better photo than the one I took!

one of my favorites from the class. She combined a stone cottage with her own ranch house.

cute beach house

I really need to take better photos of the student work!

That's all for now. Back to unpacking boxes and fixing up this lake house for real instead of on canvas.

Color me focused

Staci

Carved Birches

Wednesday evening I taught a 3 hour workshop titled "Carved Birches. No knives required." This was a short simple workshop that turned out to be quite a bit of fun.

this gal's husband bought her this set of Sennelier pastels. I actually drooled on the box!

a work in progress

We started with 12x12 canvases for this class. It was a nice manageable size and easily packed to return home at the end of the conference. Here are a few pix of the finished pieces. I love how the trees turned out so colorful!

check out how 3d that heart looks! awesomeness

great texture on this tree

what's not to love here?

a softer pastel tree here. sweet

Time for me to paint my piece for the Dead Musician's Project.

color me happy!

staci

Floral Teacup Bouquets

The first workshop I taught at Create Irvine was a new offering, floral teacup bouquets." This project was one I'd designed a few years ago for a tiny little show at a local Augusta hangout. The pieces are made on 9x9 museum wrapped canvases from Blick. Originally I used old wall paper in the backgrounds of my pieces and then collaged fabric and papers to create the bouquets.

here's the piece I used for an example during class.

For this class I made an 11th hour change to the process and gave everyone a half sheet of Arches 140# cold press rag paper and let them create their own wall paper to collage onto the backgrounds. I really liked the results everyone achieved thru stamping and painting and I think it was a good exercise to loosen everybody up so early in the conference.

a student laying down the background

A big Thank You to the folks who donated the cool stamps as part of our gift bags. (Once I find mine iI'l post the manufacturer:-) 

Once everyone created their papers I had them donate half to the class kitty and several people took advantage of combining different designs.

another student work in progress. she later added mica chips to the silver basket!

My only regret is that the Pens I ordered for the class were garbage. Half of them simply wouldn't write and the ones that did wouldn't work on damp surfaces. Back to find that pentel oh so fabulous writer I used ages ago. If you've got suggestions, Please!! Let me know. A white pen would be great also. 

some of the gals from class. Job well done, Ladies!!

Color me floral
Staci

Great Week!

Now that the dust has settled and I'm unpacked...(Ok. Maybe 1/2 unpacked:~)...

I had such a great time in Irvine. I don't even know where to begin. I guess today I'll just start with an overview of the Create Retreat. This was my second time as an instructor and I'm looking forward to Create Somerset in July and Create Chicago in August. The hotel was very nice and I had the most comfy bed. Which was a good thing because I was so off due to jet lag I went to bed at 5 on friday evening and slept until 5 the next morning!

The folks at Interweave have been doing these retreats for a few years now and if you ever have the chance to attend, please treat yourself and DO! I met so many wonderfully creative women. I had everyone from gals who are instructors in their own right to women enjoying empty nesting and looking for a new creative hobby as well as every level of expertise in between. 

I took far too many pictures to put up in just one post so I think what I will do is write a separate post for each workshop I taught. There were 5 in all and I came away with something new from each group. 

I promised my students I'd get better about posting regularly so I promise I'll be back tomorrow with the first of the class reviews. Meanwhile, this is where you can find me, relaxing by the lake. It's glorious outside today.

Create Orange County

Day 1

The adventure began today. After getting up at the crack of dawn, 3:15!, I made it to the airport on time and even managed to park in a decent area close to the terminal. But when you're hauling a mother load of art supplies in your back like some colorful Atlas, even a short walk feels like a mile. Insert stylishly sensible shoes ad for www.Anthropologie.com here! 

I had a quiet flight to Dallas and with narry a minute to spare then hopped my flight to Irvine. Oh my goodness! The weather! 

Fabulous!!

Enough, Staci. No one wants to hear how you've landed in paradise and are staying at a lovely Hyatt and are currently sitting in a nice bar lounge enjoying an overpriced glass of Sauvignon blanc and grilled shrimp so succulent it would make you weep ;-)

Where was I. Oh yeah. Rock star moment. So I get into the shuttle at the airport to head to my hotel and it happened..."who was it?!!" You ask. "Who did you see? Brad and Anjie? Lyle Lovett? Who!!"

Get this. It was me. A lady on the shuttle recognized me from online and said she is taking all of my classes. I was speechless. I know, right? When am I ever at a loss for words? I was so flattered. It always amazes me when people will spend their hard earned pennies to hear something I have to say or teach. Or to purchase a piece of my soul to hang in their home. I'm just the girl who walks around in pajamas until noon or talks with spinach in her teeth. 

So the trip's off to a good start. Stay tuned. 

The universe is kind. 

Smile at your neighbor. 

Color me Humbled. 

<3 staci