July 2009

Our Guest Artist this month is a woman I have had the privilege of knowing for several years. An artist who is a fabulously diversified artist that leans towards a nostalgic style when she creates her assemblages known as shadowboxes. These boxes are usually recycled cigar boxes or wine display boxes, but boxes of all sorts are used to display her wonderful assemblages of interesting collections. Her style is reminiscent of the Victorian era, with a soft, antiqued appearance. “Cecilia Swatton” seeks her treasures via flea markets and thrift stores, collecting objects that are three dimensional miniatures, as well as items that can be scanned, such as lace, buttons, photos, documents, old letters, etc. She considers herself to be a “Packrat” when it comes to collecting:

“I collect objects that speak to me, if I like what I see, I will make a purchase even if I don’t immediately know how I will use the item. I love to hunt for the unusual objects that I can incorporate into these showcase-shadowboxes to add more interest and to tie the other elements together to create a finished piece.” Here is one of her amazing creations, titled: “A Little Bird Told Me”

This piece is an altered cigar box that incorporated molded plastic packing materials, a molded plastic dress form that had been recycled from a package of doll clothes and various other flea market finds, including book pages, a lace doily and a woman’s glove.

Besides her creative use of recycled wooden boxes, frames & trays, Cecilia is fascinated with other styles of creative art, especially gallery wrapped canvas. Having studied many forms of print making, surface alteration and papermaking, she has continued her studies with a variety of different media as well: Oil pastels, acrylics, inks and a whole lot more.


This canvas titled: “Swirl” is a mixed media abstract created with modeling paste. Cecilia used acrylics as a base for adding additional color via watercolor pencils and oil pastels.


“Above the Storm” was created in the same way as the canvas pictured above, but she continued adding elements, such as glass beads. “Both of these paintings started their lives as earlier paintings that I recycled by covering them with gesso. Often the colors and shapes from the original painting will show through the gesso and can evoke a new starting point for a future painting.”

“I’ve been criticized for failing to “Focus on one thing, so as to get good at it” but that would bore me. I feel excited about exploring new techniques and new media and I believe art making should be exciting and fun. I think God planned it that way, because I believe He uses our interests as a way of gifting us as well as guiding us. I feel that everything I learn in each new exploration will end up making me a better artist overall; I also think that working in mixed media helps keep my mind “elastic and flexible” to be creative in general. My biggest challenge is finding time to do all that I want and my best advice to all artists; is to listen and follow your own heart. Listen to constructive feedback and decide for yourself what you need to take to heart and what you need to let go.”

Another area of interest for Cecilia is in her CD creations. She loves creating digital works via Photoshop and has assembled 2 CD collections of vintage images for other artists who are interested in vintage collage, altered arts, card-making, hands-on scrapbooking as well as digital collage artists.
Her first CD, “Oldendaze I” is available at: Altered Pages www.alteredpages.com
Her 2nd CD, “Oldendaze II and Beyond” is available on her blog: http://heartworkbycecilia.blogspot.com

Cecilia’s work has been published in many magazines such as: “Cloth, Paper, Scissors”, “Expression”, “Scrap ‘n Stamp”, “Altered Arts”, “Somerset Studio Gallery”, “Stamper’s Sampler”, “Impressions” and many more. Until its 2007 demise, Cecilia was one of the Contributing Designers for “The Rubber Stamper” magazine.

Did you notice that some of these publications are rubber stamping magazines? That’s because Cecilia is also an independent designer of rubber stamps, sold exclusively at: thirdcoastart.com , bontonstamps.com and anotherstampcompany.com

(I told you Cecilia is a diversified artist!)

You can also find several of her mixed media wall pieces hanging in “The Shoppes of Artella Land” http://tinyurl.com/6m6cdy .

She is also a new member of Sue Farace’s Design Team over at: Crafter’s Café where we can see some fabulous projects created by Sue as well.(Sue would like to add another artist to her Design Team. If you are interested, please contact her at: crafterscafe@gmail.com)

Several of Cecilia’s amazing artwork will be featured in an upcoming publication of:
“Exploring the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Art”-Vol. II
(Scheduled Early Fall of 2009.)

When recently asked to host a workshop on our Yahoo group (link in sidebar), Cecilia did not hesitate. She taught the members of the group a fun, easy printing technique using foam meat trays as printing plates. Here is a photo of Cecilia’s finished piece.


I want to “Thank” Cecilia for allowing me this interview, as well as, for her time to teach the workshop. It was fun and inspirational!
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Challenge Results:
Last month we offered you, our readers a challenge. Sherre donated 3 of her cabinet cards for you to alter in a Patriotic theme and here are the fabulous cards that were created!



The one of the left was created by: Carolyn S and the one on the right by: Pat S.



These two were created by: Sherre H.



Pam C. created these three amazing altered cabinet cards. I love them all!


This last one is my contribution. Most of these were created using basic steps in the digital software programs and if you would like to learn some fundaments of Photoshop Elements, join our yahoo group. Link is in the sidebar.
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(Have you been making plans to attend an artist retreat but have questions about what to expect? Sherre attended her first retreat recently and in this article, she shares with us, her experiences.)

“ASILOMAR’S ART & SOUL”
THROUGH THE EYES OF A FIRST-TIME ART RETREAT ATTENDEE
By: Sherre Hulbert
I recently was able to attend my very first art retreat this past May; Art & Soul at Asilomar, CA. I was really looking forward to the concentrated time spent creating and also catching up with a good friend whom I hadn’t seen in three years. Asilomar is located in Pacific Grove, CA. right on the Pacific Ocean. Near Pebble Beach, it is a lovely area to go for an art retreat. Even daily fog couldn’t hamper the excitement of the attendees at this Art & Soul event. Everyone was friendly & welcoming. I also got to meet with some online art friends as well as make a few, new friends. I liked being able to sit with a variety of people at each meal. My roommate’s and my accommodations were rustic, but clean. The staff at Asilomar goes out of their way to respond to not only special dietary concerns, but even come to the aid of those needing a fire laid in their room’s fireplace.
This was a small venue for Art & Soul, around 132 attendees. I had made 50 items to trade, which was too much! I think 50 would work well for one of the larger venues that have closer to 600 attendees. It seemed as if most attendees did not make trade items for this particular retreat.
Maria of Collage, in Portland, brought a lot of fun goodies to purchase in the on-site store. She also had a half-off sale on a lot of items the last day. This was great because my local stores don’t have the same items and I was able to pick up quite a few wanted supplies.
Now, for the workshops themselves! I took Misty Mawn’s “32 Flavors” 2-day class and Stephanie Lee’s “Crack it” class.
Misty’s class had about 20 students. It was held in a large room were we could cluster around her large work table for the demos and all were able to see. Misty did a lot of demonstrations for the class. I believe the aim was to show us 32 different journal ideas. We concentrated a lot on faces, which disturbed a few attendees who had also signed up for her faces class. Misty was a patient and personable teacher, gently encouraging the students to relax, play and not get overly stressed over “mistakes.” I enjoyed playing with paint and drawing, but didn’t really have time to actually finish any one project.
The biggest critique I have of the class was for me a major one. On the class supply list we had been asked to bring our “favorite markers.” What the list failed to specify, was that the majority of what we would be working on REQUIRED water-soluble markers only. Guess who had permanent markers as her favorite?? The on-site store also didn’t have any water-soluble markers; though it did have water-soluble crayons that I bought (had to leave class to do so). This was stressful for me because I had brought some really nice markers in a lovely range of colors and couldn’t even use them.
Stephanie’s class was in a cozy room with a fire going in the fireplace. This was needed for the plaster technique we were doing. The fog made for humid conditions, so the fire helped to dry the plaster and keep the air warm and dry also. Stephanie was enthusiastic and fun. She was able to give a lot of one-on-one attention and her demonstrations were easily seen. There were 13 of us in this class. I loved this technique. I could have kept glazing and glazing on my pieces without ever “finishing” any of them. I didn’t get any of the three canvases totally finished, but did come away with a good grasp of the technique so that I can make more of these at home. Stephanie also had each person show their pieces at the end of class and commented on their work. She also asked each student if anything was confusing or hard in the process and what they enjoyed. It was nice to get to see the projects and hear from each student.
So, although, for me the classes didn’t have me leaving with a finished project, I feel I learned a lot and was inspired to keep on using Misty’s journal ideas and also have plans to enter a canvas in our local Harvest fair this fall using Stephanie’s "Crack it" technique.
I would attend an art retreat again, but perhaps double-check with the instructors regarding the supply lists, so as to avoid having the wrong materials in the future. I also noticed that both teachers did not have detailed instructions to pass out to their students. If you didn’t take notes (I did), I don’t know how you would remember the different techniques demonstrated.
I also found it interesting that Art & Soul did not ask the attendees for any kind of feedback. Having a form to fill out would be beneficial for the organizers and for the instructors.
Wanting to end on a positive note, I would highly recommend an art retreat for anyone wanting to escape the daily grind and getting to play with art supplies all day! I shared my critiques because I feel they are important issues, but, overall I had an extremely enjoyable time and would attend another retreat. Art & Soul was a great opportunity to immerse into “art for art’s sake.” It was refreshing to have time to have fun with my art supplies; there was no need to produce a finished product, no demands or expectations to meet. I loved the retreat for that!
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What will we be doing for the month of July? Carolyn is hosting the Monthly Designer Paper technique which will feature the use of colored tissue paper. A unique, fun technique with unpredictable results!
The July workshop and swap will be hosted by Cindy (me) and will be featuring clay pendant jewelry! Here is a sample:
I call this "Grunge". I used a metallic alcohol ink for the faux metal finish on this piece.
Over at: Sherre's Arttechniques Yahoo Sherre will be hosting an Artist Pin Swap and since I was already working with clay, I decided to make my pin by combining techniques from the new book "Ancient-Modern" by: Ronna Sarvas Weltman and an article in the June issue of Polymer Cafe' magazine. Here are a few samples:




I really like the combination of the textures, the color of the metallic clay and the shine from the metal wire.
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We hope you have enjoyed this month's Zine and we would like to invite you to join our ever growing, on-line family of friends, at our Yahoo groups. Sherre & Cindy

June Zine 2009

"Guest Artist": I would like to introduce to you a wonderful artist that does some amazing 3-D art assemblages. Living in middle rural America, Mary Schweitzer has a treasure trove of found objects that she incorporates into her art. "I use a lot of natural elements in my art because I have the blessings of having lots of feathers and fungus, etc. in my backyard. A simple hike through the surrounding 40 acres of woods allows me to collect a wide variety of wonderful gifts from Mother Nature. I have always been a collector of discarded stuff: broken, rusty, faded, funky, it doesn't matter, I will tote it home and add it to the growing collection to be used in a future project."


Occasionally Mary spots animal skulls in her forages through the woods and it is through this amazing piece that I had the privilege of being acquainted with her. "This was the first skull I ever painted. It was a long and tedious, often smelly task, to prepare it for use in my art, but when I paint my found skulls, I feel like I am honoring the animals these skulls come from. It is the most peaceful, meditative art that I do. This particular piece was inspired by the Aboriginal paintings of Australia and I use dots in a lot of my work. I have never taken any art classes or attended any retreats. The nearest craft store is quite a long drive, so out of necessity I use the materials that are around me."


Mary is fortunate that she also has a small but functional upper loft and bedroom that she can call her studio. Being the oldest child of 7, all talented in one genre or another, Mary learned early on that she couldn't draw a lick. "Not even stick people. Altered Art Assemblages are the perfect art style for me because I can look at a pile of stuff and can picture what it could be made into."

"My first assemblage was created from an old manual court recording machine that someone had given me. I call her Miss Noteworthy. She is my first assemblage and my favorite, so far." Pictured above, Miss Noteworthy's fashion, sports the original steno paper that was still in the machine when Mary received it. The little bottle on the bottom of this assemblage (kind of hard to see-but it's there!) is full of microscopic alphabet letters. Don't you just love how Mary uses this assemblage! The pencils look like unruly hair and what about the next photo, talk about unruly! Gotta love it!


The next piece, below, is an assemblage sculpted from window screening material and is embellished with beads and tattered chiffon. Mary was inspired to create this piece by the constant winds blowing through the pine trees outside of her studio as well as the song: "They call the winds Mariah."


One of my favorite pieces that Mary has assembled is this one of Einstein which has a background constructed from old barn wood slats and used dryer sheets, dyed for texture. Embellishments include rusty wire and nails that Mary has found. The quote she used for this piece reads: "Reality is merely an illusion" and when you do assemblage art, I would have to agree. Being able to create a work of art from a mis-matched, jumble of cast-offs is a wonderful way to create purposeful, meaningful art.


I have to share one more piece with you and a little story: When I saw this piece, posted below, I told Mary: "I can't use this photo in my interview, because I'm afraid that people will misunderstand the materials you used to make this. I also don't know whether or not the wing is from an endangered bird and I don't want to get either of us in trouble with the animal activists." The joke was on me! This piece was constructed from molding paste! There are no bird feathers or wings involved! Sure had me fooled! What about you?


Pretty amazing huh? To view more of Mary's altered art assemblages, visit her at her blog. There is a lot more to see! I want to "Thank Mary" for sharing her many talents with us and for allowing me to interview her.
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Wax Resist Technique:
While I was revisiting my library of art books for last month's zine, I re-discovered the book: Creative Embroidery by: Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn. In this book I found a quick technique to use wax to help you create patterns from painted backgrounds. We all have background papers that we have created and accumulated. Mine have been piling up for quite some time and I decided to give this wax resist a try. You don't need many supplies: painted background papers * melting pot *wax *sponge *scissors *water based black ink (I used Sumi Ink) *brush. (Make sure your ink is water-based or you will have a terrible mess!)


Simply cut your sponge into a variety of shapes, melt your wax, dip the sponge into the wax and stamp your painted background papers with it. You can get quite a few stampings done, as the sponge really holds the melted wax and it takes a little while for it to cool on the sponge.


Just continue dipping the sponge into the hot wax and stamp until you have your paper covered in a random fashion. You don't want to completely cover the paper with the wax or you won't get the fabulous results this technique provides. Once the wax has cooled, mix ink with a little water. (The book recommends 3 parts water to 1 part ink, but I found this to be too thin and didn't like the final result. I used a ration of about 1:1). Coat the entire paper with the ink and let it dry. You can wipe the ink off of the waxed areas with a wet paper towel, but I liked the veiny look the ink on top of the wax provided. Interesting textures! Did you notice that the metallic paint also acted as a resist? What a neat surprise! Have fun experimenting with this fun technique!
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Vintage Images:
We have a fun challenge for our readers this month, courtesy of Sherre. She has provided us with a set of 3 cabinet cards. The challenge for you is to create an altered cabinet card, using one or all three of the images provided. You can send me your creation(s) and we will publish them in our July Zine! I would like to further challenge you all, by suggesting you use a "Patriotic" theme. I love the
4th of July and it will also allow us to honor our servicemen and women who are fighting today and tomorrow for the freedoms we are enjoying today. You can use whatever software you have access to, you can use whatever materials or supplies you have on hand and you may use whatever media you are comfortable with, i.e. fabric, collage, paper, paint, digital, etc. The only thing I ask is that you do not use nudity. (I'm not a prude, but we have a wide audience and we do not want to offend anyone.) You can send me your creations, along with your name and blog address, which will also be published in our next zine. To send me your creations, click the contact us button in the sidebar. Please send me your artwork as an e-mail attachment. Deadline for me to receive your artwork is June 15th. Thanks and have fun!
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March Zine 2009

Daylight Savings Time is coming! Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour on March 8th!

Our featured project this month is courtesy of Lesley Venable: "Fabric Gift Bag". A quick and easy project with very few supplies other than a sewing machine, you would need: 2 fabric scraps *thin decorative yarn * sewing thread * a needle with a large eye * scissors. Pretty basic supplies!


The first step is to determine what size you would like your gift bag to be. Cut your fabric 1" larger than your finished size to allow for the seams. Place your fabric scraps together, with right sides facing each other and using either a needle & thread, or a sewing machine, stitch 3 sides of the bag together, leaving the top open. Turn right side out and using the eraser side of a pencil or your scissors, gently push the corners out. Thread the large eyed needle with your decorative yarn and with a basic blanket stitch, sew around the top edge of the gift bag, leaving enough yarn to create a handle. You can further embellish your gift bag in several different ways, add decorative beading, rosettes, ribbon embroidery, chenile yarns, etc. Have fun!
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Book Reviews:

Sherre chose to write her review on this wonderful book, published by Watson-Guptill Publications/New York 2008.


Collage Journeys explores collage in many forms, from ATC's and journals to large-scale pieces. This book is a good primer for collage with chapters titled: "Gathering Materials", "The Collage Artist's Tool Box", "Painting With Paper", "Working in Layers", "Using Text in Collage", "Meanings and Personal Expression" and "Journals & Journeys". There are lots of project samples and some clear step by step tutorials on the basics. This book is good for all levels of collage artists. The projects are interesting for the more advanced artist and the step by step projects give clear directions for those just starting their own art journey. It is a good book for inspiration and to learn techniques that you may not have tried before. The samples express the spontaneity and joy found in collage-making. The author shows that collage can be soul-searching, make a statement, or just be pure joy in creation. Ms. Davies shares her knowledge freely throughout the pages. "Collage Journeys" delivers exactly what it's sub title says: "A Practical Guide to Creating Personal Artwork". This book makes you want to go to your art room and make a collage!
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Book Review:

Elizabeth beat me to the punch when she selected this book for her review this month. It is a fabulous, well written book by: Sharilyn Miller and published by: North Light Books.


This book features full color pictures and is 128 pages full of information and inspiration. Sharilyn combines the two worlds of wirework and beaded jewelry to make 25 projects and variations. The book begins with an introduction and what you will need in your jewelry tool kit to follow along with the techniques and projects featured. She walks the reader through basic wirework techniques, from working with pliers, to preparing the wire for use and then onto making several basic components that will later be combined to make jewelry in the project section of the book. Even though I have some prior jewelry making experience, I found this section extremely helpful as a refresher and also to learn a few new components that I hadn't made before. The instructions are step by step and the close up pictures make it easy to follow along and make the same components as those shown. In the second half of the book, Sharilyn illustrates how to make 25 different bead and wire jewelry projects, beginning with basic earring hoops and ending with a very intricate twin-spiral bracelet. One of the things I like best aboout this book is that the projects graduate from easy to more difficult as you acquire more experience and skill by working your way through the book. Each project is outlined with the basic skills that you learned in the first half of the book. I would recommend beginning with the skill building section before proceeding with the projects. The projects are specific enough to teach a particular technique, but also allows you to put your own personal spin on them to create jewelry to fit your own style. Overall, this is an excellent book and I would recommend it to beginners who are just starting out, as well as intermediate jewelery makers, who are looking to acquire new skills and stretch their creativity with some of the more advanced projects.
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Book Review by: Cynthia (Cindy) Powell


I chose this new release, written by: Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, published by North Light Books, 2009

If you enjoy working with wax in your art projects, this is a great book to help you explore the many possibilities for incorporating various other elements to create textures, use images, tools for carving, adding color, charcoal and the list goes on. The book is divided up into mini-workshops for each of these techniques and more. There are lots of wonderful examples for each lesson and a gallery of finished works in the back. Easy to follow, step by step instructions with plenty of room for you to experiment with your own combinations of various materials. This book is a must have for the wax artist's personal library. A terrific reference book that you will visit often.

I will be using this book as a reference in an upcoming wax workshop on the Latest Trends in Mixed Media Yahoo group (link is in the sidebar). I hope you will join us for some fun experimenting with various tools, paints and of course, wax!
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What else are we up to over on the Yahoo group? We have several things going on each month, beginning with our Monthly Designer Paper techniques. This month I will be sharing with you a technique using cheesecloth for texture. Come join the fun! Meet some new art friends!
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