Things that flutter forth

I have to tell you this.  It is another little story about inspiration.


She is from Thursday's Art-at-the-desk.  And I'm so proud that I pushed myself and  actually started on the first page in a new blank Strathmore Visual Journal (5.5' x 8in)
So proud because I have a hard time with white pages and especially the first one in a journal. 


But about the inspiration, I was all done except I hadn't actually finished the background.  Nothing was happening.  The flow was over. I had to pack up and head to my cozy art nest at home.  That's when a part of a butterfly wing fluttered forth from under stuff.  I heard that little voice that said, "just glue it down". So, I did. 


Friday morning while "walking in beauty", a place for exercise of the mind and body, I was on the sixth lap when I began thinking about the background again. I spotted a fence line bush with small leaves and I just snatched some as I went by.  The first thing I did was use them to stencil around and then I painted the little stalk of leaves with Italian sage green and stamped the leaf image around the background.   

That helped but the page still needed more. So I used the white gel pen.  About that time that little blue silk sari ribbon fluttered forth from under stuff.  Again, I immediately heard the voice that said, "attach it, don't think about it just attach it".  So, I did. 


Later, I realized the connection was more than color. It's about the delicacy of the silk and butterfly wing and they even share a tiny pattern.  The stitching is a connection to the cloth side of me.

When I returned to the office Friday morning, I found the other part of the wing on a different desk....fluttered forth....the voice.....and so, I did. 


When inspiration passes you or flutters forth....see it...hear it...use it.
♥ Sharon

Art at the desk

Yesterday, with my little art-to-go-bag and a little extra time at my desk in town, I enjoyed some fun techniques that Katie is presenting in her online class, Layered Impressions.   By the way, Katie has a book coming out by the same name,  Layered Impressions: A Mixed-Media Approach to Painting and Poetry.
I betcha, it will be just as good as her class.  
♥ Sharon

Art-to-go-bag

Look here.  My little art to go bag holds everything I needed today for some art-at-the-desk.  It has paint, collage papers, mediums, brushes, palette knife, palette, journal, rags, Stabilo pencil.....like I said. 


Everything.

ART at the SPEED of LIFE - Blog Tour Day 6

In this little town where I live, not many know about "the speed of life". You can go just about anywhere from anywhere in 5 minutes. I live in the country and it takes me 8 minutes to get to my desk downtown.

I know about ART at the SPEED of LIFE though.  That's Pam Carriker's book but what I mean is, I do know about art at-the-speed-of-life.  I manage to grab art-time early in the mornings before going to that other desk downtown.  But I'm also known to grab a little art-time there too.  That's why Pam invited me to share "From the Desk of..." in her book and now on her Book Blog Tour.  Thank you Pam.

The first thing I thought about when invited to participate in the blog tour was the Tour of Homes that this little town has at Christmas time.  I thought about how those homes are showcased with every thing looking perfect and festive and how much everyone enjoys seeing inside other's homes.  And then I thought what fun it is to see other bloggers art desk and studios.

Therefore, From the Desk of Sharon Tomlinson, here's mine.  It isn't looking perfect and festive but it is looking like I have been playing art-at-the-speed-of-life and I have.  This is the aftermath of my latest big project. I just finished preparation for a new online class and when I'm grabbing every moment I can, things get a little out of sorts.

I videoed from four different stations here in my art studio as well as three stations in my sewing studio.  As you can see, the mess followed me.

 

Pam's book will be a great addition to anyone's art library.  And I know you will enjoy the blog tour also.  The links are down below ready for you to click out the door.  But thanks for coming and do come back.

THE ART AT THE SPEED OF LIFE BLOG TOUR

1-MAR - Crescendoh - Jenny's Blog   http://jennydoh.typepad.com/http://jennydoh.typepad.com/

2-MAR - Suzi Blu   http://www.suziblu.typepad.com/

3-MAR - The Altered Page   http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/

4-MARCH - Suzan Buckner    http://www.thriftycollageartist.blogspot.com/

5-MARCH  - Sue Pelletier Laugh*Paint    http://www.suepelletierlaughpaint.com/

6-MARCH - All Norah's Art-Sharon Tomlinson    http://allnorahsart.blogspot.com/

7-MARCH - Faerie Enchantment    http://faerieenchantment.blogspot.com/

8-MARCH -  My Collage Art    http://nancylefko.blogspot.com/

9-MARCH -  Always Chrysti    http://alwayschrysti.com/always-chrysti

10-MARCH - Lisa Bebi's Art Blog    http://lisabebi.blogspot.com/

11-MARCH - Sweet Repeats   http://www.sweetrepeats.blogspot.com/

12-MARCH - Living Out Loud    http://loudlife-laurieblaumarshall.blogspot.com/

13-MARCH - The Feathered Nest    http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/

14-MARCH -  Paulette Insall   http://www.pauletteinsall.com/blog

15-MARCH - The Art of Julie Bergmann     http://juliebergmann.typepad.com/pinkparismatch

Enjoy the tour,
♥ Sharon

It's been a long time since I made ART-at-the-desk

What a fun mess.

I couldn't help myself, you know how I love hands.

Just another mail art piece that I need to send on its way.

It is a mini journal made with a folder cut in half.

Good to go when I stitch the signature in it.

♥ Sharon

Hello

Just sharing a doodle.

Not much to say today.

Had to tear her out of the paper she found herself on. Important numbers and such.

I'm blank.

Hoping you are all well and warm.

Kiss Kiss

Good Morning,

Sometimes it starts like this. A desk doodle, also known as art-at-the-desk.

I wondered if I could paint "kissing".

So I gave it a try. Then I chickened out on painting the second person.

Anyway, it is another page in my Sketchbook project and it is good enough.

How about you give k.i.s.s.i.n.g. at try.

Expect kissing,

Sharon

New Journal

This is what ART-at-the-desk looks like.

I spent ten minutes this morning at home looking for a piece of cardboard. I gave up and packed an ART-to-go bag and when I got here at the desk, found what I needed.

I am participating in two on-line classes. This is my first time to do that and I must say, I realized that part my my discombobulation of late had to do with these two classes. I was puzzled with myself to say the least. Well anyway, a new journal book is necessary to record my Gut findings and reactions and trials and tribulations. And that is why she calls it a Gut Art Book.


I love making books and journals. But wasn't in the mood for it for some reason. My problem is that I never fill them up. It seems that the process of making or at the least having a book is very necessary to the success of the class. As I was following a class assignment yesterday, I was having these Gut reactions and thinking, "oh I need to remember that, oh I like that, oh oh oh". Ah Ha........I'm suppose to have this dang book to write all this down in.

I had just the perfect book already made. Earlier this year I gathered up a stack of wallpaper border that had been within eyesight for a long long time and I bound it into a book. Never mind what the size of each piece was, I just folded it in half and in it went. And that is about as far as I got with the exception of the one page where I applied a bird napkin. As I said, I never fill them up.


You can see the cover is half of an old file folder and it is made like my junk paper journal. I am going to add the cardboard on top of the file folder for the cover. But first I'm going to paint it.

Expect it,
Sharon

PS.....I'm not for sure, but you might still be able to get in the class. Check it out with Mystele

Survival

I think I am going to make it. I had no idea how this stupid accident/surgery would effect me in more ways than you want to know.

I so appreciate all of your well wishes, concerns and the warmth conveyed to me. I simply have not had energy to respond but ask your forgiveness for that.

I refrained from boring you with the gory details of my dilemma. Though I was tempted.

And now, I'm ready to move forward but I'm still not bouncing.

A good sign is my art-at-the-desk today. I just spent a little time looking through an old Victoria magazine for collage scraps so I can maybe try to apply what I learned at Katie's workshop at the art retreat in early July.

And by the way, what happened to July?

I fully expect this weekend to be ART full. Again, thank you so much for being out there.

xoxoxoxo to all

Home Love Look See Door

Journal Page

started at the desk

finished on the couch

Don't you love short weeks?

I do.

I popped out of bed early this morning knowing it was Friday and all that.

I just Love being at Home.

So, today I will be thinking about what I shall enjoy this weekend.

I will finish my painting from last week.

I will clean the studio a little.

I will show you what I'm doing.

And

I will Dare to take a nap or two.

Expect it,

Sharon

Be Inspired

Yes indeed, last weekend I saw my art spirit begin to return. Mostly, I think, because I was enjoying the flow of letting go and just "doing it". And while just doing it, I knew "it" was a bit different and fun and raw and me.

And then, your reactions and words and comments meant so much to me. And I thank you each for that connection. I continue to be amazed with this connection. I know it is about inspiration and sharing and kindred spirits, even if I don't know the color of your eyes, or how tall or short you might be or if you have fifteen children or none or if you like the smell of roses or lavender or patchouli. Even if I don't know any of that, I feel the connection and thank you for that.

Will you be inspired? This sketch is my art-at-the-desk for yesterday and today. And I'm sure will inspire my next painting. So, I thought maybe....with our connection and all....you might be inspired to paint and or collage something similar too. Go ahead and be inspired.

If this does inspire you and you do make art, please link to me but also let me know in comments so we can all come see. Fun? Yes.

Expect it,
Sharon

Weekend inspiration

One thing I do know is that the only way I can hold myself accountable is to show and tell a little bit about what I might do this weekend.

So, while my minds eye was still looking, I quickly tried to pencil what it was seeing.

I look forward to the weekend. And while I have been consumed by other things at my house that seems to have stripped me of a little art spirit, I will start a canvas with this bit of inspiration. No promises of the outcome.

Why don't you make a quick little sketch of what your minds eye is seeing?

Let's expect it,

Sharon

Bird Box Watching

I just wanted to say have a nice weekend and share the Birdbox Show.

But you know I just can't stick that up without showing and telling something else. This is a desk-doodle. You might remember this convo we had about first draft doodles. That is what this is.

But I was trying to sketch her with her looking down...her head looking down. But I don't why I cropped off the top of her head and you can't see that more of her head would show and you would not be able to see nostril holes and maybe even her bottom lip would be barely showing. Oh well anyway, that is what I was trying to do. I didn't quiet accomplish it though.

Now do this. Hold your two thumbs up to the monitor and cover the little dark dots on each side of her lips. Happy. Sad. Happy. Sad. Did you do it?

Get the popcorn and enjoy my baby bird show. They might be gone this weekend. Not sure.

Expect a great weekend, (that means be prepared for it)

Sharon

I am

I am who I am. I am just no good at this exercise. It was the journal prompt that Misty Mawn suggested. Of course I want to play but ...but...I find it very hard to say who I am. A quick pencil sketch-at-the-desk is who I am. And so I glued it down to a page that I had already prepped a bit in my Junk Paper Journal. Then I glued the blue stuff down. Love that stuff. It's a secret ingredient that was in my art-at-the-desk sack.

I expect I better get back to work.
Sharon

Confusion

I am in a tizzy. I am discombobulated. I am confused. I am on a path that is splitting. One path has squares and one path has flowers. And I am trying to run down one while being drawn to the other.

If only the days were warmer and longer and lighter. I need more hours of light. I need light.

Orange in my Garden

January 13

Orange in my Garden

Here you go, ART-at-the-desk. You know you love it. This is my extra (art) desk here at the office. I can't sit down because I'm wearing the nicest thing in my closet today. However, I frequently find myself with paint brush in hand while wearing my newest shirt.

I will quickly share my process for this page. Yesterday, I took a profile of myself, cropped, printed, and cut out the image. I used spray adhesive to hold the picture down so I could paint around it. In other words, I made a mask.
In the above picture a mask in in place to the right of the profile while I painted the yellow over the previously masked area. This step could have been skipped, but I didn't know that at the time.
In the above, I have started painting my profile. I used paynes gray to show the features. Then mixed a flesh with the yellow that I used, the orange that I used and titanium white (Golden). Eventually, I go over all of it with Zinc White and that is what you see above. Do you also see that I chased the Zinc white out of the lines.


Here is a tip for mixing flesh. Any red and any yellow mixed with white will make flesh. So, the red and yellow I am going to use in a painting is the one that I use to make the flesh. In this case the red (orange) and light yellow are both Folk Art. Below you can see that I also used Folk Art terra cotta in the darker areas on the profile.

My orange poppy napkin is what came to mind for the "Orange" day. Notice the poppies in the top left corner. The stems stop because that is the edge of the napkin. And below you can see that I have painted the stems down.

I will probably do some journaling on this at a later time. With any luck (energy) I will paint a green page next.

Let's all expect it,

Sharon

I dare you

Here is my second effort. I didn't finish the other side.

I have a huge two volume dictionary; The New Century Dictionary, copyright 1944. It is just full of illustrations. Nearly every page has not one but three or more beautiful little pictures. It has many many birds and winged insects and lots of fish among other things. And millions of words to play with.

I think I will go down this path for a while. This path where I play with words and illustrations and collage them into another little book about words and illustrations.

I dare you.
To do it too.
Sharon

Desk work

Here is my art-at-the-desk from yesterday as promised. I have to tell you, I'm not crazy about the turn out. It is the colors that I don't like. But I brought limited stuff in my art-to-go bag and so that was the challenge. It is the grungy that I'm not liking.

I think I will try it again. Friday afternoon art-at-the-desk. A good thing if you can get by with it.

See ya tomorrow,

Sharon