Art Studio Vlog for Sept 13, 2022

 

Good morning, friends!  Happy Hump Day!  I'm a day late in posting this......but there's a new studio vlog over on the YouTube channel.  I'll catch you up on what's happening here in the studio (it's a hot mess), some new figurative work I'm excited about, and then I'll answer one of your questions about how to best make your acrylic paints more transparent, with a demo in my sketchboook!

I'm becoming better friends with all of my new camera equipment.  It's slow but steady progress.  This week, I even tried a little "intro" and "exit" set to piano music.  Bwahahaha! 

I hope you enjoy!  Click on video below for a peek.  Have a great day!

-Dori

"Never be afraid to try something new, because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know."

Three More Art Shows Around the Corner!

A few more art shows will round out 2022.  It's so much to meet you all in person!  I hope to see your smiling faces at one of these upcoming events.....

Octagon Art Festival

Main Street    Ames, Iowa

Sunday, September 25th

Red Wing Arts Fall Festival

Red Wing, Minnesota

Saturday October 8th and Sunday October 9th

Prairiewoods Holiday Bazaar

Prairiewoods Spirituality Center   Hiawatha, IA

Saturday, November 19th

 

My Show "All My Love Unto You"

 

Good morning friends!  It's been a while since I've done a blog post.  I truly don't know where the time goes.  Honestly!  We're in April!  What?  All is well here.  Ramping up the art making activity in the studio again, since I reorganized.  I just did a little studio tour video if you'd like to take a peek.  You can find it over on my YouTube channel.  

My show, titled "All My Love Unto You" is now over and came down on the 1st of April.  If everything goes as planned, I'll be traveling to Storm Lake this weekend to pick everything up and bring it back home.  THANK YOU to everyone who made a purchase!  We'll be getting those to you soon.  Also, THANK YOU to everyone who came out to my meet and greet a few weeks ago!  What a fun day!  

Here are a few pics of that day....so many bright, happy faces!  So nice to meet all of you!  

Had Fun Teaching Colorful Heart Grids!

 

Hey pals!  Here we are in mid February already!  How are you?  I just looked outside and there's another light dusting of snow out there.  It makes everything look lovely again, but that stuff is dangerous too....it hides the ice that keeps melting and re-freezing.  I took Butterbean for a walk yesterday and was toodling along, ever so confidently, and BOOM.  Went right down on my butt.  Surprised by this big sheet of ice that I somehow completely missed.  SIGH.  Fortunately, no injuries, and thank goodness for giant padded coats, right?  I won't be so cocky when we go out today.  (and by the way, as I type this, she is giving me the stink eye to get moving....so I'll keep this entry short.....ha!)

  Last week I got home from a fabulous New Orleans trip with my cousins!  We spent a long weekend together, right down in the French Quarter.  So much inspiration, good food (oh yes, the foooooood!), and fun times.  The air travel left something to desire....delays and cancellations.....but all in all, a great time was had by everyone, and we are vowing to get together every year! 

Thursday evening I had a great time leading some fun ladies in a workshop....we created the colorful heart grid canvases over at Threads in Cedar Rapids.  Just in time for hearts day. So much fun! 

Big thanks to all of the sweet gals who joined me for that workshop.  It was a hoot!

Crowning Glory Exhibit with Gae and Yellow Lab Snuggles

 

You guys.  How can time both drag and fly by at the same time?  (I think I say that a lot, so my apologies if you are paging through the blog....ha!) I think that's the nature of January.  And winter.  At least there's a glimmer of sunlight at 5pm nowadays.  That helps!  But these frigid temps.....BRRRR.  It was 30 degrees on Saturday, and we all but ran in the yard in our knickers!  (not really...we aren't that crazy) Winter does give one some perspective, I reckon.  

Well, in case you were wondering, and I know you are....we are all still ticking along.  We are adjusting to the new normal of being without our chocolate boy, Bosco.  We picked up his ashes on Saturday and brought them home, along with a paw print, eternally pressed into clay for us to keep.  I held it together until breakfast, then cried into my coffee.  SIGH.  Callie Mae (our young yellow lab) is a balm for my broken heart, though.  She seems to know exactly when I need a snuggle or a kiss.  She's a little angel in fur, that one.  We're gonna make it.  

I did get out on the town last week, and BOY was it what I needed!  A little burst of inspiration with my pal, Gae.  We visited the Crowning Glory exhibit at the National Czech and Slovak Museum.  HOLY MOLY!!!!  Eye candy.  Just stunning.  The intricacy of each headdress was just jaw dropping.  So much detail, texture and color!!!  Some of the headpieces dated back to nearly the turn of the last century, and to still be in such beautiful condition was amazing.  I'm definitely inspired to incorporate more sparkle, beads and stitching in my upcoming work.  Here are just a few of the pics I snapped....enjoy!  If you're a local, do try to stop by and see this exhibit.  It's so worth it...and you'll have to avoid the temptation to put one on and try it on.  HA!  We were seriously TWITCHING to keep from touching everything.

I mean, really.....can you even?  I would love to go back and review the security tape just to see all of the gasping and ooooohing and aaaahhhing we were doing.  Ha!  Absolutely tons of fun, and it just got our creative juices flowing.  I'm ready to stitch and bead!  Aren't you?  Which one is your fave?  

Happy Monday, friends.  Wishing you a cozy day.  -Dori