4x4 Friday "Da Vinci's Ladies"

The challenge was to use a Da Vinci Lady image in a 4x4 format, we couldn't use dear smiling Mona, so I flew through cyberspace and found a bare breasted, Columbine. I added a Palm Tree, shades, hat and a doolie bob stamp. Fun... Fun... Fun!

Celtic Arch

"Celtic" was the challenge for this weeks challenge. The image is a dover print, and I found the Celtic knots at about.com then made a packing tape transfer.

4x4 Friday "Fairies"

Another fun 4x4 Friday. These two gems are mother/daughter fairies as they leave their little fairy house bringing a dose of fairy dust to all.

Crazy Amigos "I'm Crazy About..Spring"

This is my first "Crazy Amigo Challenge"... what fun. This weeks theme is "I'm Crazy About...". We winter in Arizona, so this time of year is Spring flowers and fantastic temperatures. This little piece says it all with a skirt that reads " Fall in love with spring again" and a hubby with a head cold.

Arch Challenge " Transition"

My goodness what a stretch, Transition was our theme this week over at the Gothic Arch Challenge. I just couldn't get a handle on it. Finally, I just let my scissors and paper stash talk to me. The figures were originally a vintage photo of two older gals standing on the ocean front. They desperately needed a make over, so ... Ta Da... Transition!! New hair, designer clothes and accessories. Funny how art just happens when you "get out of the way".

Gothic Arch "Trash"

This week's challenge was to use Trash in our gothic arch project. I have plenty of trash, so this was great fun. The arch shape is made from a Cheerio box. The background is a wine label and tea bags, dresses made of map pages and green stamps.

School Days Gothic Arch

"Mary is a poor speller". This is this weeks Gothic Arch Challenge, the theme is school days. I was not only a poor speller, but an even poorer math student. When I saw that puzzled look on this young ladies face, it brought back those speeling bee gidders. Had I had known there would be Microsoft Word in my future, I would have jumped for joy.

Say A Little Prayer

My sweet friend, Kathy will undergo serious surgery on Friday morning at the Mayo Clinic. I would appreciate you including her in your thoughts and prayers. She's the sweet redhead on the left, I'm the wildhaird thing on the right. God Bless.

Monday Challenge

One Plus ONe equals Two, doesn't it? This is my entry for our Monday Image Challenge. Each week the monitor at Alteredesigns at Yahoo gives us an image, we in turn create something with it. This was a lovely black and white, I altered and came up with this.

4x4 fRiDaY

Since I was raised in the wild wild west, this was an easy challenge for me. Love those "Eagles".. I've got an Easy, peaceful feelin... So this is my take on the west.

Gothic Arch "Purple"

"A hat for me, and a hat for my Cat" and in purple poka dots as well. My Jazemine Cat would love a pok a dot hat and so would I. On my next trip to "The Hat in the Cat Store", I'll be sure to pick up one for the both of us.

4x4 Friday "House"

My house is a very,very,very PINK house,two cats in the yard. For a few days I was stumped with the house challenge concept. Then... I went crazy with the theme. This is what I discovered. Great concept with room to develope.

Hugs,

Maryanne

Monday Image Challenge

This is my entry for the Monday Theme Challenge. I duplicated the original image of the girl and one child, dressed them and gave them new hair-dos too. Great fun.

Gothic Arch Challenge "Dogs"

What a challenge for me. I love cats, not dogs! My inspiration was the "Lucky Dogs" bone that I found in a magazine, then I discovered a dog face in another magazine, and then it just started clicking along. I don't gamble, but I think four seven's is lucky when you're playing the slot machines, so... ta da... four - sevens.

I'm also working on the TGIF mingle ATC's "heart theme", 4x4 Friday "open theme" and Monday Challenge. Great fun, as well as pushing the creative envelope. Most of today was spent re-organizing my studio. New white plastic to cover my sewing cutting mats, re-organized my paints (tossing the old dried out tubes.. lots of 'em) and getting all my "cool stuff" in one box as well as putting other found objects in clear glass canning jars. I hope since they will be on display and easy to see, I will be inspired by them and not have to search for that neat STUFF. Food for thought. I enjoy the small art venue ( it's simple), but I long to return to larger pieces of work, more like 24x30 or bigger. I need to meditate on that.

Gothic Challenge " Lyrics"

This weeks "Gothic Arch Challenge" is Music Lyrics. Since I don't follow directions very well, my first arch was a sweet girl playing the drums, no lyrics. Cute, but no words. So here I set in our RV in the wide open desert in Quartzsite (ever heard of it?), with a minimal amount of "art stuff" trying to complete the challenge. My first music choice was, I am I said by Neil Diamond, but I couldn't find the letters, so... I kept searching and since I refused to cut up my Somerset Studio or ClothPaperStudio, I resorted to cutting up quilting magazines. Look what I found; " Makes it Easy".. modified to read... "Take It Easy", by the Eagles. Runnin' down the road tryin' to loosen' my load, such a fine sight to see, Oh my Lord, it's a flat bed ford slowin' down to take a look at me... Take it easy.....

Please take a creative ride with me.

Maryanne

4x4 Friday " People With Wings"

This was just entirely too much fun. Techniques: Packing tape transfer, vintage photo, watch face from a magazine, wings from a gardening magazine, lots of gloss medium. Jan. 18th

Gothic Arches Gypsy

This is my first arch challenge, what a nice shape to work with! The theme is Gypsies. When I think Gypsy, I think crystal balls, story telling, singing, dancing and tarot reading. This is my queen of Swords from a tarot deck. The back ground is made of napkins. Next time I'll use a stronger backer board so I can douse it in acrylic medium or wax. You can link to the Gothic Arch Blog via my challenge section or go to http://gothicarches.wordpress.com/

4 X 4 Friday Janurary 11

This is my first 4x4 Friday. This weeks challenge was Music. This little piece is entitled, "I don't wanna go." There are so many times in my life when.. I didn't wanna go either. In fact leaving Indiana this fall, was an "I don't wanna go". But life takes it turns and sometimes takes us to a one way street, or a dead end, and then of coarse there's the yellow brick road. Odd how we just exist and allow others to take us hither and yon.

The background is made of altered magazine papers, photo-copied sheet music, negative magazine punch-outs and a photo-copied clown. I also touched up with pink prisma pencils.

Day 6 and 7

Well, I made it to day 7 and still lots of cool stuff left in my magazine. This was great fun, but now, to clean the studio. Or maybe just leave it a mess and get on with something else new and fun.

dAy 4 of 7Day/OnE MaGaZIne

I love this one... It was an absolute blast to put together. Ya know how sometimes ART just happens? Well, this is it! Though I didn't see the movie, it feels like "The 3:10 to Yuma". I've been to Yuma a trillion times, but never on the 3:10! I have a dear sweet friend that loves Western movies, I'm thinking it would love this piece. I folded, punched, sewed and glued this little puppy together. Ah... life is good!!

DaY 3 of the 7 DaY oNe MaG ChAlLeNGe

I love how this one went together. Using the sewing machine on paper can be quite an addition to a collage. I'm glad I used it in the challenge, it will give me more confidence in future pieces.

Day Three Studio Condition

Day three in the studio. As you can see, my studio is neat and tidy and I am able to locate things in an instant. Typically I clean up every day or so, but with this 7 day challenge, decided against it. The travel guide I chose leaves must to be desired, next time I'll be more particular in my selection.

Day 1 of the 7 day/One Magazine Challenge

I'm doing a challenge; One magazine, 7 days, one medium. This is day one. My magazine is an Arizona Tour Guide and thread is my medium. Things start out pretty simple, but by the end of the week, things get a bit more complicated.

Day 2 of 7 dAys One MaGaZine

Here's day two. It's already getting difficult to find background material. I think I'll start on Thursday's collage now. See ya!!

Thoughts from " The Artist's Way".

I love reading about art and the creative process that we go though. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is filled with pathways to discovering the artist inside us all. This particular piece developed after reading about the Crazymakers in our lives. I quote from the book: Crazymakers are those personalities that create storm centers. They are often charismatic, frequently charming, highly inventive and powerfully persuasive. And, for the creative person in their vicinity, they are enormously destructive. You know the type; charismatic but out of control, long on problems and short on solutions.
Crazymakers expect special treatment.

Crazymakers spend your time and money

Crazymakers triangulate those they deal with.

Crazymakers create drama.

Crazymakers are expert blamers.

If you are involved in a tortured tango with a crazymaker, stop dancing to his/her tune.