Mixed Media Collage Journal

Friday was a day made in my dreams. A group of creative, lively women gathered to make art, set in the rolling hills west of Santa Rosa, surrounded by vineyards and oak trees.  
In the beautiful studio of Anna Corba we created journals out of mixed media images, ate a lunch fit for the gods and had a marvelous time. Anna has all the paper images, stamps, ribbons and anything else one could desire to put together collages. 

This is a fantasy day for a creative soul.  It fed the feminine side of me, plus, her studio is what I lust for, wished for; and now I am in serious studio envy.  There are high ceilings, views out the windows of scenery fit for paintings, lots of work space AND she is organized so well, she makes Martha Stewart look like an amateur.   
The day had a serious side.  The woman who organized this outing has just lost her brother, and so several of the others were her family: sister, niece and her niece's mother. It was also her birthday, so it was a bittersweet celebration.   

I have to say, the day couldn't have been more beautiful, and I am grateful to have been included in the event.  I will be filling the pages of this journal with things that I want to remember, and pieces of my own history.  

Red Gazing Ball is Finished

The red glass mosaic gazing ball is finished.  I promised I'd post it here when done, so  here it is.  What to do with your bowling balls?  Try this.  It's like doing a puzzle without a picture to see.  Very Zen. 

Meanwhile, I have a pot of chili cooking in the crock pot, there is a football game on the idiot box, and I have some fresh potatoes from the garden. Maybe bake the potatoes and pour chili over them?  

Plein Air at the Fair

This is a quick post, to share the results of my efforts at the California State Fair "Plein Air Paint-Out" .  It's a small (8x10) oil.  I found a good spot under a tree, and painted for a day. The next day was so hot, I decided to forgo the experience. It was, after all, July.  

A Hint in the Air

The newspaper claims that this week will still be hot: 92° all across the board. I think I can feel a change in the air. The early light that fills my bedroom window is softer, and the mornings have a welcome chill.

The Pine Nuts ladies gathered here to play with mosaic and gazing balls. Spent a day attaching glass tile and cut glass to the surface of bowling balls, with happy results. 

Here we have the close-up of one of the projects, using glass tiles instead of cut glass. When I finish mine, I will post the photo.  I found some sparkly red glass at a "estate sale" and fell in love with the color. 


The backyard garden continues to yield it's bounty, in spite of my neglect. The tiny pale eggplant are a variety called "Fairy Tales, and are a bite of yumm!  We have a fence full of Concord grapes, and unfortunately, they have lots of seeds. I have yet to find an easy way to crush them for juice, but the results of any efforts are a grape juice that has an aroma and taste that cannot be duplicated from a can or bottle. 

Classes have started for the fall, and I am involved in two: a metal fabrication (jewelry and small sculpture) class and Ceramic Tile/Murals.  I'm already having fun, and it should be a terrific semester, although it takes up the best part of 4 days a week.