The Cat Show, Spring Break, and Art Methods Class

I have my first art exhibit of the year this weekend at the Idaho Cat Fancier's Show. This show is just down the street from where I live, at the Idaho Fairgrounds. I spent some of my time this weekend preparing for this show, gathering all my prints, note cards and displays.

I also managed to squeeze in some time to work on my black bear wildlife piece. It is 11 X 14 and is almost done. I have posted a photo of a portion of this piece (above). Not sure if I will have this piece completed in time for the cat show this weekend.

In my Art Methods class at BSU, we have been building an entire circus out of recycled material and wire. This project is based on the art creations of Alexander Calder and his wire art performing circus. I choose to do a circus elephant and a baby elephant, with a lady riding the elephant. I made it from materials like wire, plastic straws, soda pop can, plastic film canisters and brown grocery bags. It has really been a lot of fun. This doesn't seem like a college class, it seems more like "play" therapy!

I have all next week off because it is spring break, so no custodial job next week! Yay! I will be spending some of my time attending several children's art classes as an assistant and observer. This is part of my homework for my BSU Art Methods Class. By the end of the semester, we have to have a total of 30 hours of observing or assisting with a children's art class. By the end of March I should have about 22 hours.

Big Portrait Commission & Art Methods Class Projects

In the midst of having to "put out many fires" (my life is somewhat stressful right now), I got some very good news! A friend of mine has commissioned me to do a portrait of her children. She has five of them. I haven't had a portrait commission this big for a long time. Most of my portrait orders are for small portraits or rock animals and can be anywhere from $20.00 to $200.00. I actually haven't had a portrait commission to work on since December of last year.

I have been working on some fun art projects at my Art Methods class at BSU. We recently spent some of our class time creating art from recycled materials. I created a little notebook/journal (pictured in above photo) made from matt board, paper, fabric, ribbon and a recycled 7-UP aluminum can. This week we are going to creat some circus theme art based on wire sculpture. This class has been very good "therapy" for me and I need it right now.

A Short Update

The "We Art Women" art show at Esther Simplot Performing Arts Center came and went this week and I didn't sell anything. That is not surprising in light of the current economy.

This weekend I worked a bit on a new piece I am doing with a black bear and her cub. My life is a bit stressful right now and I was emotionally & physically exhausted this weekend. My part-time job can be physically demanding. I really want to get out of the custodian business entirely and go to a teacher's aide job, or something that is less physical. But right now, the job market is terrible and the timing doesn't seem right for this.

I didn't feel terribly motivated to do art work this weekend. I mostly just wanted to rest. Hopefully, inspiration will come later on. I am looking forward to spring break (the last week of this month) when I can really relax and plug into my art.

I have decided that this year I am not going to spend a lot of time promoting my art and spending money on art show fees. I am going to only exhibit my art in places that are either free with no fee or are $50.oo or less. In this economy everyone is cutting back and I am having to do this too.

I have a few weeks before my first art show of the year, which is the cat show on March 21-22. That is what I will be concentrating on & preparing for in the coming weeks. I don't have a lot of artwork preparation to do for this. I mostly have to organize what I want to take and plan how to display it.

Life Interferes With Art!

This has been a very stressful week. I had a crisis at work and that took all of my time and energy to work through but the crisis is over and I can get back to what I REALLY love--art! I really hate it when life interferes with art!

This past week my BSU Art Methods class helped to hang an elementary school art exhibition called Go Green. The artwork in this exhibit is made entirely of recyclable material. It was really interesting to see what the kids came up with. Some have pretty wild imaginations! It was good experience for me. I find that I am kind of slow in deciding where to hang things and we had to be done by a certain time. My past experience helping to hang exhibits at the Vine Art Gallery really came in handy.

Last Tuesday, my BSU class helped some kids with another mask making project. It was fun and I had a ball. The kids loved it too.

Another project that I have started myself on is another wildlife piece. I have been wanting to do a black bear piece and so far, it is turning out very nice.

We Art Women

"Still Waters"

"Sawtooth Silhouette"

My family and I have been sick with the flu this past week, so all blogging had to stop for awhile. In spite of the misery of being sick, some really cool things have been happening lately. I was accepted into the annual We Art Women Juried Art Show. I have posted above photos of the two pieces that made it into this show, which are "Still Waters" and "Sawtooth Silhouette". This art auction & exhibit is a one day affair that is a fundraiser for Women's & Children's Alliance of Boise, which is an organization that helps abused and battered women & children. The art show and auction will take place February 26 at the Esther Simplot Perfoming Arts Center in downtown Boise. This show also offers some cash awards. Could I be lucky enough to win one? We will have to see.

Passing Through The Waters

I just completed my other illustration for Isaiah 43:2 and I have posted it above. This illustration is for that part of the verse that says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."

I mentioned in a previous blog that I decided not to go with the original idea that I had for this part of the verse having to do with water. I had actually started on it, but I didn't like the composition or the way it was turning out. I think the idea of using the concept of surfing was much better and has far more impact. This was the first time that I have done any type of art having to do with surfing and giant waves and I think it turned out great.

I think that in light of the current tough economic times that we are all living in now, it is important to focus on anything that is encouraging and to not lose hope. This verse, Isaiah 43:2, I feel is God's promise to me that He will be with me during this time and that I will get through it all without drowning!

My Tiger Mask

Sometime within the next week or two our Art Methods class at BSU is going to a grade school in Garden City to help some kids make marti-gras masks. So last Tuesday during class we made masks. This is a new art form to me and I found it very interesting. We also saw a video presentation on masks and mask making. The teacher gave us some pre-cut heavy foam masks (not decorated) and we spent the next hour or so decorating then. I decided to create a tiger mask. (See photo above.)

The tiger is my favorite wild animal and since I am a huge cat-lover, that was the first thing I thought of. I really had a lot of fun creating this mask. Another reason I choose to do a tiger is because it is the mascot for the school that I work at, Hillcrest Elementary. I don't remember ever creating a mask before--not even in grade school.

I actually took my tiger mask home and did some embellishments to it by adding feathers and some glitter paint, which really made it pop.