Artfest 2010

I am particularly excited for Artfest now that I have finished my Artfest Journal. Today I wracked my brain about what to make for trades. I just don't feel like dragging out the wet media. So I decided to go the easy route and buy some buttons to trade.
Here are a couple of the ones I have chosen:
Well,it won't let me link the images so here is a link to a button I have chosen. They also have vintage buttons so I'll get some of those for the vintage crowd. I have received these cute little 1" buttons in the past and really liked them. I hope others do as well. I picked out ten designs and will order 60 total. She is giving me a deal!
I hope the time goes quickly between now and Artfest.

Remains of the day Shabby Chic journal

See previous post about the origins of the pages you are about to see. I made some videos - easier to deal with than a bunch of photos. You can see them in the next series of posts, or you can go directly to my vimeo page and as you watch them, more will be shown as links on the side.
The link above starts you out with a mini "tour" of my "studio." Ahem. Yes. A little messy. I hope you enjoy!

Mary Ann Moss

For those of you who don't know, Mary Ann Moss, in her quiet way, is shaking up the world of art journaling. I am taking her most recent online class, "Remains of the Day, Shabby Journal" and it is the best class, online or off, art-wise, that I have ever taken. I highly recommend any of her classes. She also teachers stencilry. Check her out. Over the next series of posts, I will showcase the pages I made in her class, and eventually, the cover of the finished journal, which is presently on hold whilst I wait for my darning plate/foot so that I can do free-motion sewing. I have the fabric- I think I am going to use a combination of purples and sagey greens. See the entire stash of fabrics I scored for this class (and for future use) here.
Please check out Mary Ann's blog. Her videos for the class are always entertaining and informative and her blog posts are visually stunning.

Face four

I need to get the form and shading down in graphite before I move on to the colored pencil layers. So here is face 3, with more shading. Unfortunately you can see some of the stuff I erased in the photo. Specifically the upper "ball" of the nose, and a little scribble under the left eye.

Suzi Blue Class - Making Progress.

Looks like that link in the last post didn't work.
Let's see if this one works:
First Try.

Now I have the rest of the photos uploaded to my webspace. I used to be able to link directly to photos from Flickr but I guess you can't do that anymore.

I worked on this drawing a really really long time, and I hated the way it turned out, except for the nose. So here is the nose:


Today, I started a new drawing- she recommends using a moleskine sketchbook (the one with the actual sketchbook paper) because it is a cream color and if you are drawing a caucasian face, you are starting out already with a creamy tone. This photo just shows the graphite layer. She really puts new meaning into the word "Layering." SO many layers. Graphite, color, clear gesso, graphite, color, paint, etc. It's crazy. And I am such an impatient artist- I am learning to be patient and really work it and know that in the end all the layers really do make it what it is: a complex and interesting drawing.

Here is the face so far today. The left eye is deliberately left lighter due as part of the project she is teaching. The nose still needs the ball softened and the lips are not done at all. In fact, I just moved them down a little bit on the actual drawing. OH, and it looks a little skewed because I took a picture of it with my phone.



I am going to keep posting progress shots here and on my Livejournal. Let me know what you think!

Suzi Blu Class

Ok, here is my first drawing, and the example drawing. There is also, on the right of the moleskine, the abandoned "golden ratio" drawing.
The eyes are off in the photo but not in the original, but the mouth is not exactly lined up under the nose in the original.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28231762@N00/4147900253/in/photostream/

Suzi Blu

I am taking an online class from Suzi Blu, on how to draw faces. I wanted to make modern day icons with drawn faces instead of altered magazine faces. I will have some progress shots to post this week. These faces take a LONG time to draw.... lots and lots and lots of shading. And erasing and reshading and blending. And that's just the pencil, b/w part. I am enjoying it though. I'll post pics soon.

Journalfest

I am busy making preparations for Journalfest. My trades are all made and most are bagged up and ready to go. I am enjoying connecting on the journal fest email list with new people to meet up with. I am coming to terms with my supply list. I'm not bringing everything and I am hoping people will be willing to share some things that I haven't been able to get around here.

Here is some of the art in my journal right now that I am interested in debuting to the journal fest people to see if there might be any interest in making a class out of it.
It's from my Modern Day Religious Icon series:


Here is the original icon that inspired the series. I made it one or two christmases ago:


Leave me some feedback about what you think!

Spray Inks

I have been experimenting with spray inks. This winter I won't be able to use spray paint, and Mary Ann suggested spray inks as an alternative. I had some from a few years ago and dug them out this weekend. So far I find them messy- they spit all over and don't spray evenly like spray paint. I do like the prints I am getting from them though. You spray the stencil, then turn it over onto a blank portion of the page and press down, making a reverse print. I'll probably cut these out and stitch them into my journal some how. Or stitch them and then glue them in.

Resurrection

I am resurrecting this blog. I am going to take down my old website and put this in its place. I have TONS of new art to share, I just need to upload all my images.
This summer I took two online classes - "Stencilry" and "Stitched and Stencilry" from Mary Ann Moss of Dispatch from LA. Loved the classes, and am having a blast stenciling and sewing my book and journal pages. I made a little book for my friend and once she receives it I'll post the images here.
I'm off to reset my website password so I can upload images again and I'll meet you back here to look at them when they're posted!

Other interests

Last night I saw an episode of Nature on PBS on the Andes Mountains. A couple of weeks ago I watched Planet Earth. If you haven't seen Planet Earth, you really need to. And what I have been doing is viewing satellite images of these places I am watching on the TV, on the computer. I use http://www.flashearth.com/. I get a level of excitement looking at these images that I haven't felt in years. I zoomed in on a view of Central Park that was so close I could almost tell the make and model of the cars. Give it a try. I think people spend a lot of time looking for their houses on sites like this, but try looking at remote places. I looked at an area of desert in Africa where you could see the dry salt lakes and I could see ripples in the sand! It's crazy!
When you watch Planet Earth, keep an eye out for this little guy above. He looks like an unassuming little black bird until it is time for his mating dance, seen above. There is a director's version of Planet Earth where they took the most popular scenes voted on by readers and put out another video showing how they got the footage for the scenes. Well worth watching. They waited DAYS to see this little guy. And there are incredibly scenes of sharks jumping feet out of the ocean to catch prey.
Someday, when I am independently wealthy (I figure I have to put it out there right?) I am going to travel around and see some of these places for myself.

Wow

It's been a year almost to the day since I last posted. SO much has happened. Where to begin?
I quit my full time IT job in December 2009 after a horrible year of just being totally disillusioned with the field and really hating what I was doing, and made the decision to change my career path entirely. I started school in January at the Fingerlakes School of Massage and am on my way to becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist.
It is an intensive program - NY state has some of the most stringent licensing requirements in the country - and it ends in June. On my birthday, in fact. I love massage and I definitely made the right choice.

I haven't made any art at all outside of a few pieces of jewelry for Christmas gifts. I don't really have time with school and clinics, but it is spring break right now and I am feeling inspired. So check back, if anyone even really reads this thing, because I hope to have something to post soon.

If you ARE reading this, drop me a line and let me know. And check out my new website - really just a new main page- all the links to the art are old, but I will be working on this as well. Http://www.tarafinlay.com.

Also, my old email address - tara@bytara.com - is going away, so please email me at tara finlay at gmail dot com.

Streetscapes 2008

I am poor blogger. I am just going to leave a link here to my group show, Streetscapes, curated by Jay Potter.

http://www.bytara.com/albums/streetscapes

Some people have been asking for a link to the website where my old art is contained:
http://www.bytara.com

My little cat

My little cat died of heart failure this morning. I am heartbroken.

Bernie Berlin's A Place To Bark and Meow Rescue

I made my $10 donation to Bernie's fund. She is number 2 in the standings and has a chance to win a matching donation from Six Degrees. Details can be found here.
Please help make her #1!

Links anyone?

Does anyone have any good links to fiber art christmas projects?

Workspace Photos

I have been inspired by the recent round of workspace photos to take some of my limited and very cluttered area. I have about 1 square foot to work in at any one given time. I used to have more but I gave the other half of the desk to my husband.


This is my half of the desk. As you can see, the computer takes up most of it.

Old chains waiting to be made into new jewelry.
I like to collect dollar bills with creative sayings or drawings on them so that is why the dollar is hanging there.


"The storage corner." Sigh.


The art corner.

Comments

Well. Apparently my comments have not been sending to me. Suffice to say I have asked a bunch of you if you are going to Artfest about a million times huh ;) ? Oh well. I have to investigate and see what is up with the comment emailing but thanks to all of you for your kind words and your responses.
Mary, it was great to hear from you again! Judy! Rhonda! Lelainia! Dawn! Everyone! I will have to go back and respond to people individually.

Our New Dog

We rescued a black lab/border collie mix and named him Finnegan. Finn for short.
http://www.bytara.com/albums/DogCat10-07/

Belle Armoire Jewelry III

Hi folks,
Belle Armoire Jewelry III will be released on September 1, 2007 and is available at Barnes and Noble and Borders, as well as online at http://www.stampington.com. I am lucky enough to have some pieces and an article in this edition. This is the first time my jewelry has been published. I am looking forward to the release date!

Artfest 2008

Ok, who's going?
I know exactly what Artfest Classes I am taking. If I don't get them, I am not going. I think I might be lucky though. I hope so. Then there is all the stuff I said about last year. How I think i want to stay off campus. Or how maybe I need to stay in a house with other like minded individuals. But what it comes down to is this time, I really need classes that resonate with me, and it needs to be about relaxing and having fun, not running to every single event. I am skipping vendor night for sure this year. Maybe I can find some people who feel the same way and want to go into Port Townsend and paint the town red. Or purple. Or Quin Gold. Whatever. Anyway. What is really important to me is that I get to spend some time with the people I enjoy online and those I only get to see at Artfest because they don't have blogs, etc. I am very isolated artistically here. And not being terribly outgoing, I might very well stay that way if I don't get off of my butt!

West Coast

I haven't made any art as of late. I was finishing up some jewelry projects for a book that is coming out. I hope I get one in!
Tonight, the husband and I were looking online at land in Northern CA, Oregon and Washington. Oh, to be within driving distance of you lovelies! It will take a while though. We aren't going anywhere until my Stepdaughter graduates and my father no longer needs care. But the thought of being able to drive to Missoula to see a Michael DeMeng show, to Medford to see Corrinne or to San Fran or Seattle. Gah. Gah! I want to go now!

Back from Artfest...a late post

Well, it certainly has taken me a long time to post since I returned from Artfest. Work and life have got in the way of posting, but not in the way of Art Journaling. I have been creating in my journal like mad, inspired so much by Teesha and Tracy's journals. This year I finally gave myself permission to pick them up and go through them. And the 1000 Journals Project books and...book...were there. That was pretty darned exciting. Seeing the real journals and then in the book published about the project, seeing some familiar art from friendly faces.
I will post the work at some time in the future. There is a call for art and I am going to submit. We shall see what happens. In the meantime, I need to get my studio back in order and see about making some jewelry.
My window overlooks the bird feeders. I have a house finch and his mate (they look like a purple finch but not as much purple), a red winged blackbird, two snowy woodpeckers, numerous sparrows and chickadees, and a bird I have yet to identify. I keep my guide book by the window. And GRACKLES. Damn those Grackles. I beat on the window to keep them away. They terrorize my other birds. The other birds don't shy from the noise, but the grackles do. I find such joy in watching these birds.

8x8 Artfest Gallery Pieces

Here they are- my 3 8"x8" pieces for the Artfest gallery wall: