Saturday, May 24, 2008

Celebration of Discovery





Power of the Purse is an annual fundraising event for a local women's philanthropic group. The monies collected throughout the year is endowed to different support groups dealing with women's issues - ranging from literacy to legal and medical aid. The grant process was very thorough & the presentations by the recipients showed that the money will be used for worthwhile causes.
I had the opportunity to participate this year by donating a piece of art (enclosed photos) for their silent auction. The theme is purses - functional or nonfunctional pieces - and the amount of creativity in the entries was inspiring! Recycled materials was a definite ingredient in many of the pieces. We were invited to an artist's reception prior to the auction and it was really wonderful to get to know some artists that I wouldn't normally meet.
I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to submitting a piece for next year!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Roses & Denim


Two weeks from today Margot & I will join other decorative painters in Tampa for the Society of Decorative Painters' annual conference. Margot is teaching a class and is part of DecoArt's big event. The Decorative Arts Collection is also displaying a new book on handpainted carved Santas and Margot has a wonderful Santa in this book!


I have been busy painting a floral master board for submission in the SDP certification process - which is the reason for no post for so long!!! These submissions pretty much dominate your life for a serious chunk of time and I always seem to wait until the last minute to finish - must allow more time for next year!


Being in such a creative atmosphere for nearly a week can be very heady stuff and we are both working hard on our preparations for departure. I finished my handpainted jeans to wear to show & tell for our chapter's May meeting and wanted to share with you as well. Here is a close-up of the leg. There are a number of techniques included: hand painted roses, stamping, pen & ink, and vintage lace, button & fiber embellishment.


I have a commissioned piece I am working on right now that I will share when it is completed next week- something a bit out of the ordinary.


Okay, I am off to finish some more deadlines before we leave!


Do you have an upcoming creative pursuit coming up in your life?