Moments of Indiana Bliss

Some eye candy today folks; thought something pleasant would be nice and would be a bit inspirational considering the time of year.

If you can't be out in it, if you're still in snowy weather, if your job or health keeps you inside, here is Spring, delivered via your computer!

Enjoy!!!

(photos copyright Anne Huskey-Lockard, 2009, all rights reserved)

Catching up

(Copyright Anne Huskey-Lockard, 2009, all rights reserved)

On just about everything today. The house, the laundry, the piles of *stuff* that have collected mysteriously everywhere. I'm sure there must be some evil Pixie that comes in every night and distributes these little non-treasures that I then have to contend with.

I have been quite lax on anything that has not been health related or art related and it has caught up. I'm at the "Oh cr*p" stage, wishing it would all go away, along with the rain and the gloom and the soreness and limping.

I want to run away and walk through the woods, take photos of flowers, mushroom hunt, breathe in the smell of the earth coming back awake from a too-long winter's sleep. I want to take my camera and wander through town, finding the remnants of old buildings that speak to me and need recording before time and age take them. I want to sit quietly at the Cafe and have a latte and just zone out.

Instead, I get to listen to the roar of the sweeper, smell floor cleaner and try and figure which pile of laundry requires attention first. These are not the priorities of life I excel at. I'd rather be trying out the new rubber stamps I bought, or mounting some u.m.s I've had FOR EVER, or looking though some books for some verbal inspiration for a piece taking shape in my minds eye. (in Latin, no less!)

Surprisingly, when I get out the John Deere and do the acre, that is good creative time. I just listen to the hum (or rattle, depending if I have had it tuned up) and soon I am off elsewhere in Artland, thinking or rehashing an idea. It's odd, but it works.

Alas, when you're pretty sure you could grow potatoes in the corners of your rooms due to build up of dust, art gets set on the back burner. You know, where things simmer. And maybe that's okay. Those five fresh canvasses in the wet studio need thought before diving in.

Simmering is good.

I need to remember that.........

Now go simmer your creative brew; let me know what you've come up with!

One of Art's Perks....

....is being able to make a piece and give it away. I had the most fun trying to keep yesterday's "Mr. Mel" piece a secret, both on the blog and through e-mails Jan and I exchange. Believe me, trying to keep track of what I have written where and when is a bit of a pull when I am functioning normally. (yes, normal is up for grabs for interpretation!) But I have to admit I am a bit proud of myself that I did not blow the surprise for Jan through my stream-of-unconsciousness writing!

Today is an exceptionally early PT. Ick.

I think I'll take a nap when I get home, of course, after the grocery and the other little run arounds that seem to keep me away from canvas and fiber and paint! That is the non-perk side of art; all the things you have to do other than IT!

I thought I would post these tin heart milagros; I used to buy these in New Orleans though they are made in Mexico. I know of no place around here to purchase them and I wish I could remember where I got this particular photo. "Milagro" means little miracle or little blessing.

That was why, when naming my studio, it seemed appropriate because it truly is a blessing for me and art has been a means of staying sane through some rough times. I try to keep the doors open to other artists as well, that they can feel at home here and make art and enjoy themselves within these walls. Solace from the tough times, or lonely times.

We all have those; seems of late I have heard more and more artists feeling the stress of being pulled in too many different directions and trying to keep it all together and do all they did before. The amount of on-line time has increased and for every minute of doing something else, no matter how organized you are, it is a minute away from creativity. We need body doubles; no joke.

So these hearts are for all who work in the arts, who bear the burden of too much with too little in too short a time, who fight with new technology so as not to become antiquated and out of touch----little miracles posted here, given to you.

There is always a blessing where you least expect it, if only you LOOK.

Small Accomplishments

(Copyright Anne Huskey-Lockard,2009, all rights reserved)

With each of my short little treks to the basement, this is slowly what I created. I started this on the Monday Art Day I had with one of my friends, then catching bits and pieces of time here and there, finished it up yesterday. The actual color is a bit richer blue but being the lazy soul I am (or read that, feeling as poorly as I have) I chose to leave the photos as is. It's pretty close and that, for once, is good enough for me.

Jan, I made this for you, but you're going to have to wait until after the next Co-Op meeting for it to be shipped. It's theme night and the theme chosen was "Peacock" and, well, who better to depict?

"Mr. Mel"

I made collage paper from some of the photos you had sent (especially the one of his tail) and then used all sorts of other items, including the metal leaf flakes that ended up pretty much everywhere! You can see them a bit in the photo--they show up more on the actual canvas. There are large puzzle pieces collaged and Paperclay bits---it was fun to try and figure out how to bring it all together and have that over the top look of a peacock without getting too busy. I'm on the edge of that.....

I also experimented with different finishes of varnish on this; matte, satin and gloss and there is some distinct advantages to being careful in applying them so that they all show. It helps to provide a bit more visual depth in some of the areas.

So that is what I have been up to---hopefully it looks as good here as it did during the making.

Have a good week everyone---make something, enjoy this blooming Spring, make the most of your day!

Sunday

(Copyright Anne M Huskey-Lockard, 2009 All rights reserved)

Another day off, more or less.

I did get a piece completely finished in the studio yesterday and it was very satisfying to see something down there come to completion. Plus I like it---that's always good! Got a few photos shot outside, though that one was tricky due to a lot of wind---very strong wind that seemed to calm while I focused and then picked up when I went to shoot! (that's Anne-Luck!!!)

I might add this was all early in the day---by afternoon the knee had begun to seriously hurt again due to the fact I can't get my medicine thanks to prior auths and the dear insurance company, so the afternoon was spent laying in bed reading. Had bought a biography about Albert Einstein, and thought I would begin that. Slept a while. Did nothing.

Today will be again pretty much the same, though I might try and find a chair to drag out on the porch and read in the sunlight. Can't make it to church because I am unsure to drive. That is exceptionally frustrating due to the fact that we found out Friday our minister has been reposted elsewhere and June 30th is his last day. I had wanted to be there for every service and missing due to THIS is infuriating.

So maybe I will stagger back to the basement and start a new piece, or gesso the bejeebers out of a pile of canvas I've had pushed to the side. At any rate, there will be no real work, just something to soothe my soul, which has had enough of the medical merry-go-round, enough struggling with inept insurance companies, enough of everything for the moment.

I think I just need the art.

And I am sure you do too---go grab it. Use your time, and appreciate your friends. You never know when they might be sent elsewhere..........

P.S. For an in-your-face sense of Spring, click the photo! Makes you feel a bit like a bee....... ;)

Saturday........thank heavens

This week has been such a busy blur that I am delighted it is Saturday.
There is no photo today, little content and not much enthusiasm. I am exhausted and have decided today is a day OFF. (from here too!)
When I get filled with java and am mobile enough, I am heading to the studio and will paint. And that is IT.
I need a "me day" and am pretty sure that when I looked at the calender this morning, today had my name on it.
So go out and have yourself some weekend fun; shop, dream, rest, waste time---recharge and then head for your creative work. That is my gift to me today!
I wish the same for you too!

It's Friday....RIGHT???

Because that means the only thing I have to do today is go to the Honeywell Center to meet the gallery director for lunch, and to pick up some work from a show that ended a while back. The picture above is part of the gallery, which circles a theater. It is large--very large--as I found when our three person fiber exhibit hung. That was a beautiful show, even if I do say so myself. It was an interesting blend of fiber work; three distinct styles and we mixed them all together through the gallery which at first I had great hesitation about. But it was beautiful and kept the eye from stopping at the end of one persons work. There was flow.

Last evening I went to the Maconaquah Elementary School Art Night, with some of the Co-Op people. I held a chair down---simply could not lug art. Next year, I shall lug again!!! It is a fun thing to go to; there are 700 pieces of art made by every school attendee hung all through the halls, then the professional artists are set up in the gym, where the kids and parents can walk through, ask questions or just look.

And yes, I should have stayed home because I was tired and sore but oh well. I was bad. (sorry Tristan......I really tried to listen to you!)

I did manage some time in the studio before I took off. Was all gussied up to go, and working with metal leaf. It ended up everywhere! On the work table, on ME, and some on the piece of art where it was intended. That probably was NOT the time to be doing that. This afternoon I am heading back down, and hopefully can grab an HOUR to really do a bit of work. I tend to grab minutes, and am learning to be content with those.

So enjoy your Friday; last I heard it is finally supposed to be good weather here and maybe I can open the sunroof on my car! And not freeze......

Thank God it's Friday!!! Go have fun!!!

Yesterday........

.....yep.....that pretty well describes it! You can consider that a big yawn or a scream or just hysterics because any one will fit.
I started the day out with, basically, three things to do. And then enough time to come home and rest and then maybe head for the cellar and a little art. Somewhere along the way, I got way off that track. I had four stops in Peru, the first time (note that--first), five in Logansport, then realized I had forgotten COFFEE, so back to Peru and home. Still okay---throw the groceries in the fridge and pantry, then rest.
Nope.
Forgot I had a pile of paperwork to start on, then e-mails to answer, then business e-mails, then escaped to the tub but took the phone, so was taking calls while soaking, then back to the computer and somewhere along the line I thought--gee, I have a headache. Had forgotten to EAT.
Yes. I forgot to eat. That's something for the Guinness Book of World Records because Anne and food have a very loving relationship.
Was so tired I actually had to work on some simple art related items to keep myself awake before heading back to town for the circus banner priming and then came home and crashed.
And today is PT, early. And while it makes me feel better it usually leaves me exhausted. So once again, I'm going to try and come home and rest and then make some art. (because I have things in my head that need to get out onto canvas!!!!)
Any bets on this??? ;)
Aw shoot.....I have to cook tonight too. I sooooo would like a maid for a week........
No art content--I hope everyone else is having good productive days and that today is one of them!
I'm pretty sure that's a scream pictured above........
P.S. Save the photo to frighten varmints off from your attic or basement.......

Just a quick PEEP!

Wasn't yesterday fun? I love having the chance to post someones work and then see the feedback, especially when I have an idea that it will be GOOD feedback!

Today is really a quick peep; I am behind from Physical Therapy, have a lot to do and if I don't start winging it first thing this morning I won't get things done.

The group is to meet this evening to get the second coat of priming on the circus banners and so I need to run all my errands, come home and take a nap and then try and head back in. Therapy again tomorrow and at this point I feel like I am getting pulled in a few too many directions! (when they came to the house it was a lot quicker, but then, I don't have a pool and the nice water jets for sore muscles......)

So Anne's flying out of here early today and hope that maybe tomorrow I will have some real art-related material to post on.......or at least something silly and humorous.......

I did not realize till I brought the blog up today I had not loaded photos last night.. I am sure my gentle readers will forgive their dear authoress this one time!

So get out there and make some magic with your creativity---it's always a good day for that!

Every day is a potential creative day!

The Art of DECAY: or Why Co-Op Theme Night Is Fun and Introducing Kathy Lauman's Work!

(Image copyright Kathy Lauman, 2009, all rights reserved)

I wish I could take credit for this piece. It is from our art group that meets monthly, and we pull a one word theme as subject matter for every alternating month. As luck (or lack there of) would have it, the month *my* word---DECAY---was to be shown, I was here at home, newly released from the Horse-Pistol and really pouting.

This was done by a very talented lady, Kathy Lauman, who has a way with both words and collage. She is a natural for altered art and has a tremendous sense of humor with her work. You must click on the photo to read the text---you MUST!

I remember the first meeting Kathy came to, quiet, reserved, shy. I think we asked if she would return and she said yes. One of the first pieces we saw was of the building the Cafe is housed in, and it was hinged to stand, with tiny details in the windows and Kathy talked about what inspired her, and about why she had people, etc. in the work.....should have had an inkling at that time that there was more to come! Then we had Bernadette's mixed media class, Kathy signed up and suddenly we were absolutely blown away at this treasure of art hidden inside her! It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had; watching her make an absolutely incredible piece and being able to have a storyline to go with it! I mean, it flows. It doesn't seem like work--she takes diverse bits and supplies and there is always something going on with the characters and when it's done, you're whisked right along with the whole drama happening in the work! It's like being Alice and you've fallen down the rabbit hole and emerged in a different world--FUN!

So, since I felt there was probably a little bit of *Anne* in one of those characters depicted---probably Dee, just probably---I had to buy this and bring it home to hang in my studio, right above my worktable.

Now every time I am at a standstill, not able to decide what to do next or just burned out on decisions, I have something wonderful and light hearted to take me away for a short while and make me laugh.

And try and figure out if I am Dee or if I am Kay.......

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one, and those of you who know me well do too! ;)

Please leave comments for Kathy here; I know she will be checking the blog and will be anxious to see what everyone has to say!!!

And I demand that you do that! NOW!!!! (whip cracking) LOL!!!!

Morning Coffee

(Copyright Anne M. Huskey-Lockard, 2008)

For those of us totally caffeine addicted, there is nothing like that first cup of the day. The aroma of the coffee brewing, the dark rich liquor being poured into the cup, and then the first taste!

AH! Life is GOOD!!! (and the internal organs begin their daily functioning; heart, lungs, liver, etc....)

This is a painting I did for Cafe Du Cirque owner Chris Arrick after the move into their present location. It is a combination of paint and collage, bright, cheerful---actually, under the right light it positively glows due to the color choices and the minor addition of some super fine glitter. The cup is a fair approximation of the cups used at the cafe. Nothing can approximate the taste of the coffee served there.....wonderful.

I live for the Lattes; delicious, heady-rich, smooth on the tongue and sinful.

So how do you capture these feelings and smells in a painting?

It took some thought; I'm not sure I did. But I must admit that it was hard to part with-----I would love it in my kitchen, which is mostly red. It looks great, though, on the cafe walls which are a soft sunshine yellow.

And is it an accident that the steam from the cup comes up, almost creating the flame of a Sacred Heart???? ;)

Hey, coffee is serious business for some of us. It's our communion.

Now go get yourself javaed up and make something creative today---I am!

Powerful.......Without Words

(All photos copyright Anne Huskey-Lockard, 2009)

SURPRISE!!! An Award!!!

I was trying to go around to the blogs I keep up with daily and found, as I traveled to "Enchanted Revelry" that my dear friend Tristan had bestowed an award upon me! (kneeling properly in front of computer, even with the bum leg!) Let me tell you a bit about it:

All awards are special and great fun to give. The Renee Award is relatively new and was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee, an incredible lady who in the face of a frightening life battle is tackling each new day with great spirit and courage. Please check out the blogs of these three creative women.

Here is what Bella says of the award:"This is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds its way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns..."

Wow. This is a tough act to follow and I encourage you to read Tristans post. Now my job is to pass this on to eight fellow bloggers that make a difference in my life daily. There is no particualr order in how I post these----everyone is on the same level for me. Friends, people who inspire me, reading I enjoy, folks who are working hard to make creativity a living, folks who just are working hard with life. I salute you ALL!!!

Vicki Miles at My 2009 Project 365

Sara Hopp at Manto Fev

Marion Barnett at artmixter

Gayle Pritchard at Uncommon Threads

Leslie at Leslie's New Works and Thoughts

Julie Z at High Fiber Content

Elizabeth Golden at The Last Door Down The Hall

Mary Kirwin at Queen Magnolia Blossom

For those of you who visit here on a regular basis, I encourage you to check these other blogs and enjoy their content. They give back in all different types of ways, and pass on joy to those who read. For those who have businesses too, I have found they pass on that bit extra to their customers.

Now bestowed bloggers, please pass this on to eight other bloggers who have brightened your days, encouraged you, been creative, been supportive, or planted that seed of hope in you when you were in fallow ground!

Please take the button and add it to your blog and proudly display the fact that your blog, your words, your work makes a difference even on days when you might not feel that it does. :)

Circus Art

Today I will be heading in to Peru to the Circus Center to work on the banner project that has sort of been on hiatus due to someone feeling the need for a medical vacation..... (ahem!) Really, it has NOT been on vacation; we had the banner fabrics hemmed and then there was the work of trying to get proper images, etc. to paint. It is not, by any means a small job. And the real work is just beginning.
However, the artwork posted today is a piece I had donated a couple of years ago to the International Circus Hall of Fame fund raising gala.
In some odd, infinitesimal way, I have a connection to them. In the art above (which is another beeswax collage) you will see elephants and horses, and there is the image of a house in the background. That was the home of my great, great grandparents or great, great, great aunt, and when the Wallace Circus (later Hagenbeck-Wallace) would be in town for a show, or home to their winterquarters, they often would graze the animals or set up on my ancestors property. The postcards are the scanned backs of the images--this is a part of my lineage, at a very great distance.
I had a wonderful time putting the work together; the leaf skeletons refer to the Fall of the year, the last shows, discarded ticket stubs, the bright wrapping papers from prizes won upon a midway or some sugary sweet purchased at the performance.......
It is interesting seeing the faces of the men in their suits with the pachyderms---appropriately dressed while walking and tending the animals! I have no dates for the cards; I just know the writing is my grandmother's much later in her life.
In the signature line of e-mails, I sign off with "Life creates Art. Art creates Life."TM
Indeed, it is true. My distant family's life was the inspiration for this art.
The funds from the art helped a bit to keep the ICHOF alive.
It is a sweet synergy, even after all these long and distant years.
And now to work. Gessoing huge pieces of canvas.
Maybe, considering yesterday's post and accompanying photo I do have a little circus in my blood......you think? ;)

P.S. Please click the photo for a close up of the work, to enjoy the old photos. And the heading from todays post is clickable, going to the ICHOF website which is well worth a look-around for circus fans!

Today Anne Starts.......

....no, not life in the circus silly! Her Physical Therapy! I am excited. I may not be able to walk, sit or move later in the day, but I am soooooo ready to get on the move and feel like a semi-normal human being again. (notice the *semi-normal*......uh huh....) I don't think any amount of therapy would make me be able to do this, nor do I want to, but getting my shoes and socks on without sounding like a grunting hog would be really nice. ;) I do appreciate the small things.....
So if I am unable to post, you'll know I am sort of *tied up* at the moment, trying to get a *leg up* on my current situation, and *gazing off* into the great beyond contemplating life!!!! Or how to get my leg back into a natural position......HA!
Good gosh. Tristan (Enchanted Revelry) has rubbed off on me. I'm still not nearly as funny as he is, nor can I figure where he finds those fab vintage, sassy pics, but I'm TRYING.
HARD.
Now go get all worked up about your own creative day and do something marvelous and mind bending!!!!
P.S. I did actually get a canvas out, some pieces printed from the computer and other items ready to go for a collage yesterday, so there was a small amout of art-related activity here. DH took half a day off and we walked around the yard, had ice cream---a nice kick back type day. We both needed it and have had so little time to spend together. For him, I will let the Art wait.
Occasionally. :)

Cigar box shrine: Or while others smoke, you create!

First off I am putting this together before I have had enough coffee to really be responsible for the words that are typed. In fact, the backspace key has been put to liberal use already, and I am, what, two sentences into the post? :)
I definitely am NOT like those people in the Grape Nuts commercials; sometimes morning is NOT my time of day!
Moving on, this is a piece I love, made from a cigar box. Cigar boxes are amazing items to work with, either as they come or, like in this piece, with a little alteration.
I took the lid off, split it down the middle, then shifted the pieces 90 degrees. That left a little space at the top where I was able to insert a piece of decorative metal I had painted and aged. Gesso, and lots of it, was the secret to covering the paper and wood on the box and then applying liberal coats of color to build up depth. The pieces of the top were hinged back on with paper and medium, then all the collaging and painting was done. Tiny bottle caps with images in them, an alter at the bottom similar to Day of the Dead, the ferns that grow everywhere in New Orleans.
I am hoping the photos are able to enlarge; been having *issues * with getting them where they are supposed to be so I would guess that they will not! (just checked. I am wrong...)
I did this after the gallery I used to have work in down in NOLA closed, one year before Katrina. The photo inside is of myself---looking horrible---I believe I was

ill that year, and my friend, Taina Mechling, who ran the

shop.

I wanted a small memento to have of the lovely times spent in the warm, balmy, carefree days of the beautiful city, and a reminder of the most unique gallery that she ran. Since their move back to California, Taina opened another gallery, but I am not sure with the economic climate if she chose to keep it open or to close it and make her own lovely and unique art. (I hope she is making art so she has some time to enjoy herself!)

The cigar box shrine seemed for me a fitting and appropriate way to remember a very dear friend and times spent together on wonderful vacations.

Usually store that sell cigars will part with the boxes for a small fee, and there are an amazing variety of styles to choose from. They make perfect shrines or with the addition of a piece of glass or plexiglass across the front, a safely enclosed shadow box for all sorts of quirky items.

It is well worth your time to search some of these out and see what you can create with them.

Plus, they are just plain FUN!!!!!

So give it a try; you might be surprised at how much you can put into a small area!

And Taina, I hope you or your friends find this, and know you and Kelly are in my heart still, every day.

Quick updates.....PLEASE READ

Hi Valued Readers,

This morning is non-art related, but I'd like you to stick with me for a bit anyway. It seems of late I have been getting a few comments that are kind, BUT are adding a website that has nothing to do with what I feel *we* are about, and I have had to make the choice to permanently delete them, as there is a website link attached in the comment.
If you just like the blog and want to comment, please do! I love comments! And please introduce yourself so I and the readers know a bit about you. I just am suspicious of comments followed by web links that aren't art related....so if you have a link built into whatever you post and sign, please delete it here. Most appreciated.
But---if you are an artist, quilter, anything related to making any form of art, anything photographic and of content that is not adult in nature, or you are in music for that matter, or you are with an organization that supports the arts, feel free to leave a link in the comment field.
HOWEVER!
Anything else, such as links for plastic business cards, windshield repair, etc. will GO. FOR EVER. Won't have it; don't want to have to go to moderating comments but I will delete the comment, end of story. Sorry, but this is a networking tool for all art-type folks and we work very hard to have nice places to visit and I want to promote others in the field (as well as myself a bit too...!). This is a blog of friendship and laughing and learning and helping to get artsy type people together. This is not a place to promote a business if you are someone I've not a clue about. So like I said-----the comment with hotlink attached will GO to the cyberspace dumping grounds. I DON'T DO SPAM! My followers---you know you're welcome to promote your art or Etsy shops or whatever. No questions.
Nuff of the *legal stuff*. ;)
Yesterday I had a follow up with my doc on the leg and I am awaiting the scheduling of a CT from knee to groin and then PT in Kokomo, which---where I will be going---is about 30-45 minutes drive from here. I do not, at this time , know how I am going to make art, blog, work with our local art group (see pic at bottom of page) and manage everything else until the leg issue is taken care of. It breaks my heart to be posting this as opposed to art, a friends art and blog, or some funny picture and a completely off the wall funny story. But sometimes life gets in the way, and you do what you have to do to get better.
On the upside, DH took me shoe shopping yesterday, and I found 5---count 'em FIVE pair of acceptable flats until I am back in heels. I figure it was "Husband Hell", having to wander around the shoe store, carrying boxes while I tried on shoes! Like I have said before, he must have the patience of Job...... (that's why I love him and have been married to him for 24 years!)
So thanks for hanging in here with me. As I progress, the content of the blog will too. If you are a faithful follower and I have not done a little post on you, and you would like that, please contact me off-blog and we can work on setting that up. I have time to sit here and type---I'm still able to do that!
I wish you all the day I so want to be having; creative, inventive, filled with those moments that you are artistically lost in the zone for hours----pure bliss.
May you have an abundance of these!!!!

Anne

P.S. Have changed how the comments are left. If you cannot leave a comment, please e-mail me and let me know. Thanks!

Blogs I read, and you should too!

I have to be up front that this is not an original idea.....listing blogs I read on a regular basis. Lots of bloggers do it; I suppose the reasoning is different for each person. I just like to share some of the places that make me happy, or I find good info, or are fun to buy from--good people to deal with, good people to read. And I have a lot of spots listed in my "Places To Visit......" so maybe I should mention some that I do check daily, or have just found and think that they are worthy of some extra words out here in the Blogosphere.

First is "Artifacts" where my friend Bernadette makes the most amazing things out of anything and everything. She is quite the artist and if you are looking for some beautiful and unusual work, just click and go!

Second is "Enchanted Revelry" where Tristan posts the most unbelievable vintage photos, artwork and genuinely hilarious stuff!!! Everyone on the blogging planet seems to know Tristan (whom I met through the Fiber Pirates Group) so if you are one of the few left out there who has not visited his site, it needs to be placed high on your priority list!

Third is my friend Vicki and her photo blog; "My 2009 Project 365 " which I love to check to see if her grandson is the subject du jour! He is quite the little man, and has a bit of model in him, or maybe Vicki just coaxes that out! Definitely worth a look! Plus she doesn't photoshop her images; it's just pure talent.

Fourth---and I need to state now, these are not RANKED, this is just my poor brain trying to remember who I read!---is "Leslie's New Works and Thoughts " where I occasionally get my yarn fix and get to be sure that I am NOT alone in the world of socks that take forever to knit. Leslie does other cool things too......check it out.

Fifth is my friend Marion across the pond at "artmixter " where you will find all sorts of fiber related posts, and things artistically that provoke thought. Which is a whole lot more than I do here.....I probably make it as far as provoke. :)

Lately, I was lucky enough to reconnect with two people who I had contact with on occasion and discovered they both have blogs! YAY! That means I can put them here for you to enjoy too!

"Marbled Musings " will have some of the finest marbled fabric you could hope to see, and I asked Linda Moran if I could snag one of her images to post here to show. She does wonderful things from a centuries old technique, but in different ways and using more modern methods. I have tried marbling and found that in the list of talents I was given----IT AIN'T THERE!!!! This is an art. It looks deceptively simple but it is not. So pop by and see what she does and be impressed! Plus she has a website too, in case some of the fabric needs to go home with you..........

The other lady I came back into contact with is Gayle Pritchard, who blogs at "Uncommon Threads ". Her current post is most poignant; it really hit home for me since it is about loss and creativity. I cannot recommend it highly enough-READ. PLEASE. Gayle also has a website where you can find lovely things and an Etsy store where I made the first purchase! Yay! (Tristan would approve...)
So while this post has rambled everywhere, please keep these blogs in mind for good reading or good looking.
Yes, I know I probably am in trouble for not listing more, but my brain is getting numb and I'm doing good to get this many without a major Anne-or-Blogger meltdown! (usually the first)

See if something these good folks have to share doesn't stoke your creativity today! And make sure to leave a nice comment, as we all like to know we're read....really....we do! :)

A few quick Monday words....(and my FAVE fiber piece...well, ONE of them...)

Okay, normally I wouldn't post my very favorite piece of fiber art without a whole lot of fan fare, but dang it, I am in PAIN, and when I pulled this "Cut From The Crypt" it just seemed to fit my mood, emotionally and physically!
This whole week is one thing after another and if I am able to keep up with a blog post each day I will be doing good. Frankly, if I am able to physically keep up with what I have to do, it will be a miracle.....
So when all else fails, dig the skeletons out of the closet! And yes, this is one HECK of a skeleton!

I admit it. Even at my age, I'm still an old school Punk at heart, and having met Jerry Only of the Misfits (plus he's a bass player, so that bumps him up in MY book!) I did this very small quilt--14"x15". It has some of my old used bass strings on it, real leather jacket, studs, spikes, synthetic hair, drawn on tattoo and portrait....it was hard to figure out and definitely hard to photograph but dang! It was fun to make! It was a pull-out-all-the-stops, reinvent everything, disregard rules and make it rock!

My only regret was that due to the amount of black in the piece, I could not get a decent photograph and had to go in and play with bringing up color. Which is okay, but getting ONE color right meant others went berserk, so I finally said enough, here it is, and left it alone.

There was stenciling and tulle overlays, all sorts of stitching with specialty threads, computer printed fabric, beads, everything to give it that creepy, Halloween night kind of chill up your spine glow---my kind of work!

So that's Monday.

You might be afraid to check here come Tuesday.....MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Come on.....walk among us! ;)

---ahem---

(the grown up Anne will now take over, thankfully)

There's an online quilt festival, and it is HERE (click me!) at Park City Girl's blog. So I had to link this.....had to....just HAD to.

The point of this---and there is a point!---have fun with your work.

Look everywhere for inspiration. Take it, use it, bend the rules. Make your own work and don't worry when it doesn't fit into the marketing-world , precut, little square. Don't bother copying something that's been done, don't do other people's work, do your OWN---go do something edgy.

Life's a whole lot more fun here anyway.

Gosh, I wish I had a good skull and crossbones JPEG to insert here....sigh.....

P.S. This is now in Jerry's collection, I am most proud to say! Yeah! Life rocks!

To All My Followers......

( Photo by Anne Huskey Lockard, Copyright 2009, all rights reserved)

Peace.

Joy.

Blessings to you and yours.

I wish for all of you a day of peace and introspection, a day for sharing with family and friends. I wish, no matter your beliefs, that you have a day of light and warmth within your hearts.

May your creativity blossom; may you share this with others.

May you always have enough to give a small amount and know that what we put out into the world comes back to us in unexpected and surprising ways.

Be generous and kind---and may I be able to do the same here for whomever reads this blog.

May we all be a conduit to a better world.

The Value of Friends

I had a hard time when thinking about what to post today. Due to yesterday being Good Friday and DH home all day, going to church service mid day and then coming home to a late lunch, I never made it to the studio. I have to keep reminding myself that a day off is OKAY. While I spent a good portion of the afternoon fatigued (okay, we have an elevator at church to get to the chapel, but I chose the stairs, and it's an old church so, maybe in reality, two and a half flights to walk up....?) I was also hurting pretty bad from cold wet weather.

And I was thinking of Spring. And that made me think of my friends. Spring is that breath of freshness after a long cold Winter of dark days and bone chilling nights. All around me, I have cards and goodies my friends (both here and afar thanks to the internet, groups, and this blog!) have sent wishing me a speedy recovery. They check in on me via e-mail. I have to account for my time due to the fact they KNOW ME and KNOW that I might be doing something I shouldn't...... :) That might annoy some, but for me it is a sign of concern and love.

And they need me around a while yet either for entertainment purposes or other nefarious deeds! ;)

So I, right now, feel like the plants that fill my yard, trying hard to burst into bloom again and my friends are the elements that bring Spring.

The sunny days to lift you up, the warm rains to make you bloom, the longer days to strengthen you.

I feel like all those little green buds I see on the trees and the shrubs, just waiting to pop out and be fresh and whole. Flower blossoms almost ready to bloom........that waiting game. And all the time, my dear friends tend me---they leave comments here, we chat on facebook, I correspond through my Pirate-group and e-mail. There is a lot of love.

I encourage you to let your friends and loved ones know what they mean to you. Be it a casual acquaintance on a blog you like, comment and tell them they make your day. A coffee shop you go to where you feel at home--tell them. Someone closer, let them know that they mean much to you.

Say the things that this current world would like to harden and chill out of us; that we care for each other, that we are thankful for friends far and near, that we appreciate a service rendered, that we are indeed still feeling human beings and that LOVE above all else is our priority.

Let that little hope of Spring fill your heart and let all of us as friends support each other into full bloom.

Creatively.

Emotionally.

Every day.

Stepping into new artistic territory or exploring the old.

Each creation we undertake as artists, as friends.

My friends are the Spring in my world after this long dark Winter. My friends give life.

And I thank you all for that.

Nothing more........XXXOOO!!!!

Art Brings Joy!---Or filling in the back in a most timely manner

(All photos copyright Anne M Huskey-Lockard, 2009, All rights reserved.)

Everything in it's place.......! :)

As I was bemoaning yesterday, I thought filling the niche on the back of the canvas was going to be quick and easy and found myself completely frustrated when it did not just happen. Every one of you who is a creative knows the feeling; the idea is firmly in your minds eye but it is NOT leaving, no matter how much you pull or pry or beg. I would like to think it was because I had been out of the studio for a while, but I truly believe I had extra presure due to the fact that this was one of the three blog giveaways, and of course, they go to friends. So each will have to fit the person, so they will be happy with the work, and thus, the brain said, "I really have had ENOUGH of YOU for a while." And luckily it was a short while.

So I walked away and let it sit. And I found that after a nap, dinner and some real sleep, I went to the studio very very early and found the precise pieces and places for them. Which worked out wonderful as the recipient of the work, Val, was coming over yesterday. She was a little stunned and pleasantly surprised, thinking it was only going to be the front of the work that she would see.

Val and her new prize!

But the back met with her approval to, and when she got to take it home yesterday too, well, that reminds me of why I keep plugging along with this work I do! (although I do question my sanity occasionally....okay, more like frequently!)

Val and the back of the box canvas, filled with pieces I hoped she would find important and meaningful.

There is a particular joy in producing art specifically for someone. You have no hesitation about putting things into it that might be part of a collection you normally would save. You know the very right item must be used (in this case, it was the broken shell, which took a lot of internal coaxing to part with). It had to be there; Wabi-Sabi. Long slender seeds from a Tulip Poplar, coated with iridescent paint. A two-tone, perfectly polished and not perfectly shaped stone. Two sterling silver leaf charms I have hoarded for a long time.
When art goes to a stranger, it should be the best work you can possibly do.
When art goes to a friend, it must be imbued with something even more.
That's one down on my obligation list from the blog give away. Hopefully the two other recipients-to-be will be patient with me and know that I really want whatever I make to be their art when it is complete.
I don't do generics.
These are parts of my soul.
Go let your soul fly free and create today!

P.S. Smile with that art work! This canvas, just for the record, was 4" x 4". Big art! Small package!

What goes into the back of a piece......

......is not always an easy decision. I got my order from Manto Fev and there was this cool piece of yellow with red print joss paper, so that was a given. And for the sake of Wabi-Sabi, a small shell that has one side broken away so that the interior is perfectly seen. Those were easy. And the paint was fairly easy. It usually is simply because of the multitudes of layers. If I'm not happy with the original color, I start rubbing in others, and then a nice patina comes up and it's a go.
BUT.
I suddenly had this complete mind-block as far as the rest of the contents.
Yes, it will have the little string atop that looks like a string of prayer flags but what then? Is it just that I have been out of the studio a while and mind is not on auto-pilot? Is it that I have found myself exceptionally physically and emotionally tired for two days and that is showing up in my work? (hmmmm......listen to that one Anne.....) Or is it just a minor case of Artists Block.
Someone needs to invent an Artists Laxative. You know, it blows the blocks out. Then you're fine and you start doing wonderful, fresh work again! I honestly, truly, with my whole heart believed as I slowly descended those stairs that this piece would be finished today.
But it's not, and I have worked in the medium long enough to know there is a reason, and to sit back and let it stew. Work on something non-art-related, take a nap, do some computer work, look at the tiny green things bravely forcing their way into the still-cold air. But leave IT alone.
At least for now.
Or the next ten minutes.
Or after more coffee.
Dang.
Well, that doesn't mean you can't be having a deliciously, deliriously, creative day, now, does it???
Can you do enough for both of us? ;) I would really appreciate it!
***And by the way, this is what the worktable looks like when things are *in progress*. Actually, this is a pretty clean example. Sometimes I can't find the plastic cover, there is so much spread about. I need all the possibilities (in other words, JUNK) right where I can see them, even if there is only the slightest chance they will be included. Then I can't stand the mess and I clean everything up. I think I know how a Yo-Yo feels..........but it works!

I MADE ART!!!!!

This should be declared nothing short of a National Holiday. Yesterday, and the day before, I slowly and carefully made my way to the wet studio in the basement and I MADE ART!!!!

This is one of the pieces that I owe to one of three individuals from the blog post, oh, I cannot remember how long ago. In the time it has taken me to get THIS FAR, I normally would have had all three of the canvasses set with washes of color and ideas for each.

Well, I am delighted that this much is done! And sorry about the pic against the candle on the table but the photos I shot last night were unusable and I did not feeling like waddling out to the studio quite yet for the nice black background. Plus, for whatever reason, the color came up perfect in these.......so go figure. It really represents the piece!

I love the top and sides, using the multitudes of colors (fluid acrylics) laid on and wiped off for that old and weathered look. The dragon was stamped on first with fluid acrylic, then when that was dry, was restamped with a similar ink, clear embossing powder went on and I hit it with the heat gun. More texture, more age. Some things that are so simple look so incredible when added to other treatments.

The back is not finished; I laid in the colors I wanted last evening and will probably work on that some today, and then decide what to put in the niche. I have a few choices that I have sorted out but remain undecided.

Remember, for the three of you I owe art to----the art is made just for YOU and is created with the same amount of time and quality involved as the pieces I do for a collection to shop to galleries or shows. So if one of you thinks this looks like YOU, leave a comment and I will yea or nay it! And everyone, please be patient because I want you to love what you receive!!!

Now get out there and experience what I did yesterday--the complete and utter bliss of making art!!!

P.S. The chinese symbol on the front means "destiny" and after all I have been through, I think it appropriate!