books, books & MORE books...

WOW...THANK YOU

to everyone who has ordered my new book #5!

it makes me happy to see the names of those who ordered/ liked the first 4 & are excited to get book #5...

Rick has made several trips to the PO & our PO workers are happy & thanked him for the envelopes...

there is talk of closing our little post office & the extra packages mean job security for them...

so...THANKS from the Oglesby, Illinois postal workers too!

on to book #2...

Mr. Fed-Ex delivered this beauty yesterday...

It's May Flaum's new book & I'm honored to be included, as a contributing artist...

I like this book, because it's a technique based book...

you know I LOVE techniques & new ways to use products...

and I like that May adds LOTS of tips to each technique...

my technique features tim's tissue tape and Ranger's inks...

to create a fun plaid...

it's fun because it works great on lots of surfaces...

like art parts, grungeboard or grungepaper...

Ranger's manila card stock & MORE...

and it can be done with tim's distress inks, Adirondack Color washes, Adirondack PIGMENT inks & now with the distress stains too...

and you can even add Perfect Pearls Mists to the combo...

here's the cover of the book...

I see it here @ Amazon...

CONGRATS May...it's TOTALLY awesome!

and the post title is books, books & books...

here's book #3 for today...

my studio was featured in Cloth Paper Scissors Studios a few years ago...

I was over the moon excited to see my studio on the cover...

you can see it on the right sidebar of my blog...

that's where I...MAKE ART...

now my friend Cate Prato has written this book...

and I'm included again...

YIPPEE!

when the photographer was here, he took lots of photos, but I haven't seen which ones were used for this book...

so I'm anxious & I guess I'll be surprised when it arrives...

Cate is a HUGE tease...

so I didn't even bother to ask her for a peek...

it's useless...

shhhh...

don't tell anyone...

(what happens on the blog, STAYS on the blog) BUT...

I see my friend in also in this book...

here's a HINT...

the involved party's initials are TH...

doesn't this cover shot make you want to grab it & devour every page?

we have a bit to wait...

but not too long...

it's due out THIS November...

here's the info @ Amazon...

CONGRATS to you CATE!

can't wait to see it...

that's it for me for today...

I'm up to my ear lobes in kits...

and packing supplies to ship to The Stamping Place in Columbia, SC for next weekends workshops...

I hope your weekend is great & that you can take some time for yourself to...

make art!

wendy

Two Cate questions...AND...THE winner!

And the winner is................

NOPE! Just teasing!

Sorry...you gotta read this great info from Cate before we get to that....

But first.........

THANK YOU from both Cate & I for the comments. We sincerely appreciate it.

THANKS from Rick & I too, for the sweet congrats posts, emails & we even got a CUSTOM SINGING video from Paper Patti. That was just toooooo cute! Rick thinks she should dump Ranger & take her act on the road!! THANKS PATTI!

Rick was happy that there were no comments about how DORKY we looked! Oh well...we sure thought we were pretty stylish 36 years ago... I thought the photo would be worth a laugh.

Now on to business... 2 questions from blog readers...

I thought these questions were very interesting & I enjoyed hearing Cate's insight.............

My question is what is your idea of a self portrait? What would be the first step to do a self portrait?

My idea of a self-portrait is a visual representation of who you are. There are many exercises in the book that help you get to know yourself. One involves looking around the room you spend the most time in, or even your whole house, as an objective observer or detective to see "who lives here." And then you put together a self-portrait based on that. For a more "realistic" self-portrait, you can start by tracing your image from the mirror onto a transparency and then "coloring it in." Or, you can take pictures of yourself in different situations, or take pictures of different body parts. I guess my idea of a self-portrait is something that has no rules because it doesn't have to be for anyone else, just you. Once you get started, though, it's hard to stop!

From another blog commenter...

Now, here is my question for Cate.

How does one go about doing a self-portrait and/or altered page about some very painful issues?? Are there any techniques you use to try and 'work through' the process so you know what kind of page you want to create?? When you've got so much to get out...how do you get it all out and onto paper???
Thanks for taking the time to answer. :-) >

Creating a self-portrait, or a series of self-portraits, is an excellent way to work through painful issues and experiences in your life. In fact, several of the artists in Mixed-Media Self-Portraits address this issues, and we even include some art therapy websites to use as resources.

Here are some ideas:

1. Take a picture of yourself from now or from the painful period of time and alter it (you may want to make a copy first) using digital or mixed-media techniques, to show how you feel about that time in your life. Color it red for rage or doodle on it with words that express your sadness or confusion. Alter it to show how you wish you might have been at that time.

2. Make a self-portrait in the style of a collaged journal page. If this is just for you, tear out images from magazines, or incorporate your own photos and drawings. Write out your feelings using markers in colors that represent your emotions. Don't think about making a masterpiece--it's the process that heals.

3. Paint, draw, color with crayons or use any other favorite medium to make a series of pictures of yourself, varying each one. This is an exercise--don't strive for perfection or visual accuracy. Just think about an incident or an emotion and draw yourself in that state. How do your eyes look? Your mouth? Your hair. Finish each one quickly (5-10 minutes) and then move on to the next one, using a different moment or feeling as the inspiration. Repeat until you feel you have put all of your feelings out on paper. You might want to come back in a day to see what you've done, or you might want to keep moving right then. Look at all of your quick portraits and take the parts of them that speak to your pain and put them together, either by copying aspects of what you've already done or tearing up the quick portraits and collaging the "best" pieces together into one portrait.

THANKS CATE!!! This is wonderful info.

AND.....................

DRUMROLL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The lucky winner of Cate's **signed ** book is.........................

...chosen by the Random generator...#2

Congrats to ANNETTE!!

Here's her post...

Annette said...
OK, I'm not kidding, I want this book really bad! I have been really intrigued by self-portraits this past year. Perhaps it would be the ideal project to follow up my "All About Me" scrapbook I completed and taught last year. It was such a great journey. I should do a self-portrait to bring it all together! I will be pondering this all day....hmmm....

Annette...please send me your address & I'll get it sent to Cate!

THANKS to ALL who took the time to read & comment.

Congrats again to CATE and thanks so much for the giveaway!

CHEERS! Here's to continued SUCCESSS!

wendy

A blast from the past & meet NATALIE!!

Here's what Rick & I were doing 36 years ago today...


I can hear those calculators going...I'll save you the time...I was only 10 when we wed! ha! Believe it?

So...to my sweet hubby...
THANKS for a GREAT 36. Let's keep going for another 36!
You're THE BEST!

More photos..............

When I was in Texas, I had THE CUTEST gal in my class. I talked about her before, but I thought you'd like to meet Natalie.



Natalie look my Ranger technique class & let me tell you...
She's a pro! Here's one of her stamped tags...



She sent me these photos yesterday, so I thought I'd share them here. Not only is she A REAL cute arty gal, but she's got GREAT taste too. She chose a Stampers Anonymous stamp.
THANKS for sending the photos Natalie!
I hope you're doing well!


And a reminder...leave a comment on yesterday's post & be entered to win a *signed* copy of Mixed Media self portraits, by Cate Prato.
Got a question for Cate?? Enter it in the comment section & I'll have her answer...
I'll be posting the winner tomorrow.

That's it until tomorrow.
Make ART!
wendy

A *signed* book giveaway!

I met Cate Prato when we worked on the current issue of "studios". She's an editor for Cloth Paper Scissors.

She teases me endlessly...but hey...what are friends for?? At least that's her thought........Someday...I'll get even..............

Anyway...Cate has published her first book & I got us a free copy. Pretty cool!!

All you need to do is leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. I'll be back on Wednesday morning to announce the winner. Enter your own comment & pass the word to your friends too.

This is fun!

I LOVE free stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And...sharing is good!

This book is loaded with great photos and a ton of helpful tips & hints to get you going. I've not done the "self portrait" thing yet...but like Cate says...you don't have to show anyone...make it just for you! I like that!

I asked Cate some questions...here's what she had to say...

1. Why the emphasis on self portraits?

Artists have made self-portraits since the beginning of time, but recently two events prompted us to do this book. First, in 2005 Quilting Arts Magazine, for which I’m the features editor, hosted a reader challenge based on an article on creative self-portraits by Yvonne Porcella. It was phenomenally successful. We got hundreds of wonderful art quilts—funny, poignant, thought-provoking. More recently, the rise in blogging in the art community gave birth to the Self-Portrait Challenge (SPC) online, with artists around the world making photographic self-portraits based on a different theme every week. Also phenomenally successful. So, at Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts’ sister publication, we decided to put our own mixed-media spin on it in a book.

2. What's your favorite exercise to get the creative juices flowing?

Well, probably because I’m a writer, I like the exercise in the book where you take just a few minutes to jot down your life story, then highlight the most important moments and themes and base a self-portrait on that. Conceptually, I like it first because it takes you out of the idea of a "physical" self-portrait and focuses on some of the events that made you who you are. Second, I think when you do an exercise like this where you are forced to think quickly, things pop up that might surprise you. For example, Elin Waterston, who did this exercise for the book, made fabric postcards based on the numbers from her previous addresses and the patterns of her father’s shirts.

3. I know you frequent flea markets. Tell us what you look for.

The triumvirate is buttons, china/glassware, and linens. I love anything with that cornflower/periwinkle blue color and faded cherry red. And Nile green. When I’m at a flea market or yard sale, my eyes just scan for those colors and textures, like a reconnaissance robot on a seek-and-acquire mission.

4. What's your very favorite flea market FIND? Will you actually USE it or hoard it?

Oh, my favorite find is usually the most recent one—or the next one! I have to say one of my favorites is the typewriter I used for my self-portrait in the book. It’s a turquoise Smith-Corona portable I picked up for $5 about a year ago. I had one just like it as a teenager. The flea market where I got it was in a parking lot and we had actually gotten into the car, the kids were strapped in, and that’s when I spied it. I said, I have to look at that; the kids just shook their heads and rolled their eyes. I hopped out and when they said it was five bucks I did a little happy dance inside. When it came time to do my own self-portrait for the book, I said, "I’m going to alter that typewriter."

I like to use things, especially my linens. I get great buys because I buy the imperfect ones with a couple of stains or a small hole, and then I don’t fret about using them and enjoying them. In fact, the only ones I regret are the perfect ones, because I’m afraid to use and "ruin" them.

5. What advice would you give to anyone who feels self-conscious about making a self-portrait?

Buy the book! Seriously, we address that issue in the book from many angles—essays, exercises, tips for getting started. As I said before, nearly all artists do self-portraits of one kind or another. Self-portraits can help your art and your life; they can be just for fun or as part of a healing and growing process. You don’t have to show anyone. It can be just for you.

Thanks for donating the book CATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure some lucky blog friend will be happy to give it a good home!

Congrats to you and.........

CHEERS!! Here's to continued SUCCESS!

wendy