Kid Project: Magnetic Fridge Sticks

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I sat down to do a project that turned out to be a lot of fun: Magnetic Fridge Sticks.

It's a very simple project, but with a good payoff. We colored on craft sticks with Sharpies, hot-glued small magnets to the back of the sticks, and voila! We were ready to create on the fridge.

I modified the project a bit from the original instructions. We colored with Sharpies because I wasn't in the mood to get out the painting things, but had we painted, the project would have easily taken the whole afternoon, if not longer. Also, I could get regular (popsicle-sized) craft sticks at the grocery store, so we stuck with the small size rather than making a special trip to get large craft sticks (tongue depressor-sized). It looks like the original project used more expensive magnets than I was willing to purchase, so we used a roll of magnetic tape that I got at the hardware store for about $3.99, and it was enough to all the sticks we colored. The adhesive wasn't strong enough to stick without hot glue, though. 

I got this project from The Artful Parent, which if you haven't encountered it yet, is definitely worth the look. She has also written an excellent book, which has given us many ideas for at-home projects, as well as providing great projects for some of the art classes I teach for kids. Her original post about this project is here.

Have a great Saturday!

By Imagination We Live

By logic and reason we die hourly;

by imagination we live.

                                    --William Butler Yeats

Although the Signed, Sealed and Delivered show is over at Fuller Lodge Art Center, I want to share another of my pieces that was in the show. The other two were altered postcards, and are talked about here and here. I turned in this piece a bit late (the day before they hung the show, in fact) and in my hurry forgot to scan it. It's a two-sided piece of 4 postcards grouped together. 

On the front side, the four hang together as a whole while also being distinctly unique artworks:

By Imagination We Live, Front, mixed media, 8"x12", 2014

While the back is more individualistic in nature and features 4 different artworks:

By Imagination We Live, Back, mixed media, 8"x12", 2014

All in all, I ended up creating 8 pieces of art for this one work, and it really helped me push myself. I was under a time constraint to get it all done in time, but with the separate postcards I also got to jump in and explore some different techniques. Combining painting and drawing is definitely the path I'm currently traveling and this piece (particularly the back) let me break in some new ideas. 

By Imagination We Live, Detail

I'm finally admitting that I love the idea of illustrating fantastical landscapes and people, er, fairies. In the above detail, I had so much fun imagining and painting a tiny floating island and towers with a bridge resting on the leaf. I'm also taking a short workshop on cartooning right now, and it's broadened my scope significantly. I can't wait to try out more ideas!

By Imagination We Live, Detail

Adding the little details throughout the 4 front pieces was something that made me grin as I inked them in. The little tiny ladder going up the middle of the leaf takes time to spot, and adds dimension to the leaf itself.

By Imagination We Live, Detail

This is the start of something quite important for me at the moment: handwritten text partially obscured by acrylic, with drawings and doodles over (and under) it all. Heartwood Dream, currently in the Fuller show is done in a similar manner.

By Imagination We Live, Detail

This postcard was my wildcard. I really didn't know where I was going to go with it, and ended up obscuring the little bit of text that was on it under several layers of paint. I almost randomly placed the map (blue) collage pieces, and was finally inspired by their shape and size, and the yellowy white glow in the center, to create the final image. I usually go into a piece having a pretty clear idea of what I want to have happen, at least in the overall final image, but this one proved to be confidence building because I really like how it turned out despite not having any clue about what to do when I started.

Thanks for letting me prattle on about my art!

Little Miss Sunshine... and Really?!

 

I love Little Miss Sunshine. I actually don't remember if I encountered her as a child, although she is an original Little Miss character and was published when I was young. I remember we had Mr. Bump and Mr. Happy, and I remember reading them over and over. Recently, I bought Little Miss Sunshine for my own  Little Miss (Mostly) Sunshine and was surprised to find it was more sophisticated than I had remembered.

Little Miss Sunshine encounters Miseryland, a place where SMILING, LAUGHING, GIGGLING, and CHUCKLING are forbidden by the king. After some lengthy walking into and out of the large castle of the king, Little Miss Sunshine, smiling the whole time, helps him change Miseryland so that SMILING, LAUGHING, GIGGLING, and CHUCKLING are permitted, and she even helps him get started with some practice smiling and laughing. Thus is Miseryland transformed into Laughterland.

A charming story, yes? But it struck a more complicated chord with me, especially the further I thought about it. The giant sign posted at the border of Miseryland that stated YOU ARE NOW ENTERING MISERYLAND in loud capital letters seems just what some people (and at times, myself, too) do: declare unhappiness, an act that by it's very nature gives it power. The Miseryland sign also stated the behaviors that were not allowed, which if you believe the words on a sign (or in a book, or stated by others, on on tv), define the way one should behave. While talking to the king, Little Miss Sunshine asks, "But wouldn't you like to be happy?" and the king replies, "Of course I would! But how can I be? This is MISERYLAND!" as if he had no control over his own choices because of the sign at the border of the land. The king later says he doesn't know how to be happy because he's never tried, clearly because he was locked into the idea that he was in Miseryland and there was no other way to think or behave. At the end, with a few strokes of Little Miss Sunshine's black marker, Miseryland is eradicated. It no longer exists! The king and his subjects are no longer under the self-imposed culture of Misery, all because a new perspective re-framed the old paradigm.

Finding and being friends with the Little Miss (or Mr.) Sunshines of the world and working to re-frame assumed behaviors can be life changing!

------

When I started this post, I looked at the Mr. Men site to see what I could learn about the characters, and if there was anything interesting about Little Miss Sunshine I could include in my (over)analysis of her book. I was extremely disappointed. Apparently, merchandising is most important for the Mr. Men company, and sexist drivel with no substance is promoted. According to the site, Little Miss Sunshine amounts to nothing more than a "girly girl" who "loves giving her friends makeovers!" Really? She single-handedly changed the world, and that's all they say about her?

I'm currently visiting Righteous Feminist Angry Land... a place I sometimes find myself. Unfortunately, ranting about it tends to keep me here, which isn't really enjoyable for the long term (though I admit, a short visit can be very cathartic), so I'll be leaving it now for Family Fun Land, a much better place to be.

Happy weekend!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Heartwood Dream. Pen and Ink, acrylic. 12' x 12". 2104

This Friday is the opening reception for the upcoming show at Fuller Lodge Art Center, entitled "It's Not Easy Being Green." Above is my entry, which came out of a painting I did a few weeks ago and blogged about here. I'm pleased with the way it came out– so much so that I have a companion drawing started that isn't quite as dark green, and will feature a juniper tree with interesting set of trunks. Here's a detail of Heartwood Dream:

 The reception should be fun, too. Come out and support local artists! The show's webpage with images of all the artists' work can be found here: Fuller Lodge Art Center.

Unplugged Sunday

A couple of years ago, I came across an idea that we've put into place, and hold as one of our most special activities: Unplugged Sunday. It's a state of mind, one in which we don't even consider plugging in (although music is fine, and we often listen to public radio in the background). We don't turn on the computers or iPads, and we don't turn on the t.v. (we don't actually subscribe to any t.v. services, and no longer stream movies through Netflix, so our only option is to watch a DVD we either own– not many!– or borrow from the library or occasionally from RedBox). As a family, we focus on all the other things that make up our weekend day, but that don't include high-tech entertainment. Some Sundays we go for a long family hike or other outing, with the point of spending time together. Some Sundays we go for a shorter hike and spend the rest of the day around the house, playing games and doing puzzles, cooking, cleaning, and generally relaxing. For Aaron and me, it's become a treasured day. The kids will still ask if they can play a game on the iPad or watch a movie, but are fine with being told, "No, it's Unplugged Sunday," and they rarely ask again that day. I think part of their query comes from not always being sure what day of the week it is (particularly the 4 year-old). Frankly, there are some Sundays in which we all are tired and recovering from a hectic week, so a movie and popcorn in the afternoon can really hit the spot. But generally, we try to stay away from the screen.

I have learned just how dependent I can be on those quick Facebook check-ins and email updates when I try to be unplugged and am not really committed to it. I have also learned just how valuable these days are when I let it go. And discover the next day I didn't miss anything anyway.

I recently had a conversation with another mom at dance practice about not having t.v., and limiting our viewing by not subscribing to any streaming service. She seemed interested and asked questions about how to handle kids who want to watch (I said it just takes time to train them). It was rewarding the next week to hear that she had proposed to her husband that they stop watching t.v. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and that he had welcomed the idea. She also thought that they would likely start implementing Unplugged Sundays, except during football season. I say anyway it works for your family, it works for everyone!

Here's a more comprehensive fleshing-out of the why and the how (and where I first discovered the idea). Beauty That Moves...Unplugged Sunday

Morning Drawing

Last night, I came to the sad realization that I didn't have any art to share for this morning's post. I have many excuses as to why I didn't make any art on paper last week; some were reasonable excuses, some were absolutely pathetic ones... but still no art. As I was deciding what to do– should I share someone else's inspiring art? Inspiring words? Put my excuses into words so that I didn't have to have art?– it became clear how important it is to me to keep drawing. Perhaps if I had actually pushed and done some last week, I wouldn't have had the week I had. I procrastinated about blogging by catching up on my Feedly blogs (hoping that by reading other people's blogs I would become inspired about my own– a tactic that often works really well for me) when I read Zen Habits recent post about writing. The author shared what he's learned, which applies equally well to art, music, exercise and good living, and one thing in particular stuck with me: Doing Every Day. Whether writing or drawing, playing music or practicing martial arts, you should do it every day. I think it's fair to say that some days you might not produce much on paper or work out on the mat, but to spend time seeing other artists and their art, or reading about musicians, or practicing meditation, you become a better person. Seriously. (As my 7-year-old is fond of saying at the end of every sentence to emphasize his point).

Chrysalis. Pen and Ink, Graphite on Paper.  3.5" x 3.5" 2014

My daily practice has fumbled over the last 6 weeks, but I got up this morning and did a small Morning Drawing, because I needed to. I was thinking of spring time, sunlight, and transformation. I am posting in the middle of the day, because that's how it worked out, but already my day has been better for having put my efforts into creative works first thing in the morning.

Seriously.

Finger Knitting (Yes, Really!)

No one is as surprised as I am to say this: I love finger knitting! I remember as a kid that I picked it up somewhere, and would sit at recess with my friends finger knitting yards and yards of the cords. I don't remember ever doing anything with those miles of yarn, and eventually grew out spending spare time making the stuff (that may have been when we became stationers, creating our own hand decorated note paper- for passing notes in class, of course...). I've recently rediscovered it, and have been so pleased to have relearned how to finger knit!

One of the many activities I'm involved in is teaching kids classes at our local yarn and boutique store, Warm Hearts Yarn. Last fall I taught finger knitting, and the class was popular enough I taught it again in January. Then, my 1st grade son's teacher asked me to teach it to the class– her own kids had been in the class in the fall, and her daughter apparently outfitted their extended family with finger knitted scarves for Christmas! After teaching one class of 1st graders, they partnered with the other class of 1st graders to teach them... and now there's a regular finger knitting revolution going on at the local elementary school.

The thing is, I work twice a month at the yarn store, so I have easy access to fantastic yarns. I can no longer crochet or knit because the tendonitis in my wrists flares up so easily, and have taken up loom-knitting, with mixed results. But being surrounded by beautiful yarns of all textures and colors and weights has encouraged me to try elevating finger knitting from a simple kids' craft to a more sophisticated, um, art. I've been honestly surprised at how great a finger knit scarf can look!

I'd like to add a crocheted flower (I think I can managed just that much without bothering my wrists) to the grey scarf necklace I made this afternoon. After a length of about 20 to 25 feet is finger knit, I daisy-chain it together to give it a little more bulk and texture.

This colorful scarf necklace is my absolute favorite right now! It was finger knit with a yarn that blends beautifully from color to color, and then daisy-chained so that the colors stay together. I got no less than 3 complements on this very scarf today, and a remark that "for some reason, finger knitting is very popular right now" at the elementary school, which was pretty cool to hear. It's so nice to have a way to continue to work with gorgeous yarns, too.

Now my only problem is that over the years everyone I know (who doesn't knit or crochet and therefore make their own) has already gotten a handmade scarf from me. And my mom and mother-in-law have gotten more than one. I can certainly wear quite a number of these with my wardrobe, but what do I do with the yards and yards of finger knitting I might keep making?

When looking for a tutorial to post here, I discovered there are actually many ways to finger knit. The link below shows how to finger knit with 2, 3, and 4 fingers, and out of jersey, no less. The only thing I'd do differently is recycle t-shirts, instead of buying new fabric. BTW, I have knit all of my scarf necklaces using 4 fingers, with the method shown below.



As a note, I found this image in many places (first on pinterest), but in the interest of attributing good work to the originator, please follow the link below to what I'm pretty sure is the original post.
http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2011/03/v-and-co-how-to-jersey-knit-bracelet.html

Happy finger knitting!