Princess Bubbles Creates

Art journaling for a week was great - so much art time and so few responsibilities. Diane Eastham is a very good teacher but I still struggled to create something 'good'. Unfortunately, I don't do very good work in a workshop. I create best when I am at home in my studio with all my stuff. It seems you pack everything you possibly can for a workshop but there is always something at home that you wish you had brought. We came together at the end of each day to share our journal pages. I'm not all that keen on sharing everything that I create in a class but there were a number of people who were in the class that were more than glad to share everything they made. I could have lived without that. My art time is precious and I have to guard it carefully so I am quite selfish about it when I do get it! There were definitely some good ideas shared though. It was great to spend time with my friends Mary Lynn and Nancy. They are two very creative ladies and they...

I started a week long workshop in Elora today. The workshop is run by the Wellington County Museum http://www.wcm.on.ca/event-details.php?eid=64&type=norm I have taken workshops there since 2004. By far the best workshop I have taken there is the workshop taught by Gunnel Hag. http://www.colourvie.com/ Gunnel is an excellent teacher and I highly recommend taking a class with her. I learned a great deal and this workshop took my art in a new direction. Gunnel really encourages exploration and that is one of my favorite things to do. I also made a divine connection the week I took Gunnel's class. I met my dear friend Carol Wiebe. http://silverspringstudio.wordpress.com/ Carol has a great sense of humour and I was drawn to her immediately. Carol and I have been friends for four years now and it feels like we've always known each other. I thank God for all my friends but especially my art friends. They get me! This picture is a nature print I did with the...

I am so excited to go shopping with my friends tomorrow! We are going to Toronto to shop for art supplies. Of course, none of us really need more art supplies but that's okay, we'll buy some anyway. We plan to hit a number of places on Queen St. I love Queen Street. I just have to pop into Mokuba Ribbon and some of the bead stores. We also want to go to Curry's Art , Above Ground Art Supplies, Gwartzmann's and the Art Gallery of Ontario gift shop. I'm hoping to find some Inktense watercolor pencils. I already have some but I want every color! I really like how well the pigment spreads when you add water. We'll probably stop for a bite to eat at some trendy pub on Queen St. Don't you want to join us? I hope the weather co-operates with us. I love having friends that are into art! They inspire me.

I love keeping a journal. I have quite a few journals that I've kept over the years. I was looking through my art journals today. There are very few pages that I want to publish on this blog. Most of my pages aren't really good enough to publish. That's okay, I still like them, they are for me and no one else. I was thinking that I have to do a lot of art before I get to the good stuff. Photographers know that they have to take hundreds of photographs to get one really good shot. As an artist I am learning to accept this fact. I think that keeping an art journal helps me get it all out of me - the good and the bad. Some pages are so bad I just cut them out of the journal. I won't torture you with the not so great pages, just the good ones!

I was fortunate to take a workshop with Paula Nadelstern a few years ago. She's the kaleidoscope quilter. I love kaleidoscopes, they're amazing. The workshop was very good but as per usual I never finished the project. I have found my own way to make kaleidoscope quilts. It's much easier. I always look for the easier way to do something. I use the computer program Kaleidoscope Kreator. It works great. I get terrific results quickly. I love quick! I have been printing my kaleidoscopes directly onto silk and cotton fabric with my Epson C88. The C88 uses Durabrite ink which is permanent on fabric. Actually, I've never tested that but I don't plan to use my fabric in anything that will be washed. The above photo is a close up of a kaleidoscope I printed on paper and applied to a painted canvas. Below is the whole piece.

Look at the pretty, shiny fibres! I had a lot of fun shopping yesterday. Bass Pro shop had a lot of pretty threads to look at. Decisions, decisions. I think I made good choices and will have some fun stitching with them. I also found a really cool art store in the Vaughn Mills mall. It's called DeSerres. I bought the metal tool set there. I've been looking for the metal tools for quite a while so that was a nice find

I love shopping! Art supplies are just about as much fun to shop for as they are to use! Tomorrow my husband is taking me to Toronto to shop. I married a good man. The mall we're going to is a mainstream sort of mall, the usual clothing stores and of course SHOE stores. The store I'm most excited to go to is - get this - Bass Pro Shop! Can you believe it? I checked out their on line store and found their fly tying section is pretty darn cool. They have some holographic thread and other sparkly things with which I can play! I'm happy just thinking about it. I'll post pictures of my pretty, shiny purchases when I get home. I love my life.