Making time count...

Happy day after stuffing your face day!! Happy Black Friday!!!

2011-11-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

Lovely dinner, wonderful family time with John and Erin!! Danny and family went to Katy to spend the weekend with Jaclynn's family-love to all the Smiths and Guerras too!!!
Did you hear about the lady who pepper sprayed people who got in her way at Walmart? Wow, makes me even gladder that we NEVER go anywhere on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm going to work on my studio tomorrow, need to put up the last pieces of siding, and get the paint and sealer for the outside. I need to take a picture, but the backyard is a mess from not putting things away all summer...gotta be honest, no one came and wrecked my backyard, no alien ship landed, or band of traveling yard wreckers. nope, just us, not putting things up...tomorrow!!
It sprinkled this morning, cloudy sll day, actually seemed more like early spring than late autumn. Pics tomorrow, Dan put trim around the windows of my studio, and we moved it so we could reside the back - it looks awesome! I need my space so I can go out there whenever I want to, and don't have to put things away each time - can't wait!!

TAEA Conference was awesome!!!

2011-11-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

So many great workshops and speakers!! I always wish I could go to all of them, it's sooo hard to chose! The highlight was getting to attend Patricia Baldwin Seggebrusch's encaustic workshop!! I am such a fan, and she is such a cool lady! This workshop was worth the whole trip!! We got in at 6am this morning and didn't get up until 1pm! another pj day!! Galveston was gorgeous, but as always, glad to be home...

Progress!!

2011-07-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

House has a new roof!!! A few places to tweak - don't like the shiney metal showing, but it's a pretty brown instead of orange, so I love it! My studio has been moved - now the roof, walls, floor and rest of the siding needs to be done. The top half of the artroom has been painted, thanks to John and Max!!!!! Still have to paint bulletin boards and a fews places need to be painted black on the bottom half. I have pictures, but I have 'misplaced' my pink camera - maybe it's with my car keys!!! Still have LOTS of putting away to do in the house, and I have someone who is going to repair the ceiling in the new guest room, sooooo it's getting there slowly. I am WAY behind on the photoshop class, so I HAVE to catch up!. Still uploading pictures and making envelopes for everyone to send the actual pictures to each one. Just found out yesterday that we actually have to be at school all day Aug 9,10,and 11.....that just chopped my last week in half - still have lesson plans, bulletin boards, and major CLEAN UP in the artroom. So there it is! Major progress this summer! And I have 3 more weeks to finish everything else! Yippee!!!

Summer Time!!!

2011-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

As usual, my summer TO DO list is 3' long, and VERY tiny print...but I don't start worrying until after the 4th of July!
So far, I'm working in the garage, my bedroom, my 'office' in the laundry room, and putting the stuff from my Dad's house away, and working in the yard, and working in my studio(ready to fix the roof, then watch out!! Some art will begin to happen!) aaaannnnddd, then in my spare time, cleaning house and putting things away(hoping not to be turned in to 'The Hoarders' tv show), cleaning the art room, making new lesson plans, going to some awesome jewelry making classes at Beads and More in Odessa, doing a Photoshop bootcamp online, scanning pictures, reading 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Gallows', one conference in Austin last week, and another one in mid July, and hopefully several trips to Barnes and Noble with my best buddy Laree!!
I am a 'grazer' - I can NOT just work in one area until I'm done - I suffer from BSS - Bright and Shiney Syndrome - I can not stay in one place very long, so I work here and there, and get off track frequently...
Of course, the best art of summer is visiting grandbabies!!!! Drew will be 2 in 2 weeks!! Kyndel just turned 7, how is that possible and Jilly will be 4 in October - wow - got a lot of huggin' to do!!

Another BIG Gap!!! BWO or G(guilt)!!!

2011-05-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Graduation is Friday May 27, school is almost out - this year has gone by so fast!!! I still want to add lots of pictures of this year and really try to keep up with this online journal of mine. It's my answer to letter writing I guess.
Trying to get organized, trying not to forget things, trying to keep in touch with my family somehow, trying to 'make time count'.
I've nearly given up my stickie notes since I got an IPAD from Dan for Christmas, that's a big change for me. I make all my lists on it, and I don't forget things as easily - there are even stickies and yellow legal pads in it, the only thing that could make it better would be if the scratch paper looked like the back of an envelope - truly my very favorite list making paper!! Random...
As always I have a HUGE to do list for the summer, so we'll see how well I do. I am VERY excited - just like the kids!!

WOW, 8 months have gone by!!

2010-10-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

I started using Facebook, and almost decided to stop using the blog -
Working with my high school kids' photo blog has made me rethink getting rid of mine.
So little by little I will get my online journal up to date...

Check out my high school photo kids' blog!
http://ahs-photography.blogspot.com/

My show is OVER!!

2010-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

The show went well, I was a little disappointed that so few of the college students came, but I guess that's how it works when you are a 'long distance' student. It was very pretty - it's amazing what a difference a mat and frame make - add a little spot lighting and it is truly magic!! The lovely flowers were sent by my brother Marc and his wife Carolyn. Unfortunately, my photos don't show the magic very well - we didn't bring the big cameras, and my little camera's settings were all messed up, so the pics are not very good.

This show only had 20 pieces - my senior show in 1985 had 42 pieces! Piece of cake!! I have this picture of me and Dad putting the frames together over that Thanksgiving weekend 24 years ago!! Where does the time go?

This time it was Dan and me - my hero!!! And I only procrastinated a little bit, and of course, everything that could go wrong, did...but it looked lovely, and I'm glad it's over!!

Art Show countdown!!!

2010-01-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

I am ALMOST DONE with my MASTERS!!!! I graduate in May!!!

My Masters of Art in Art Exhibit is Feb 1-12 in Alpine Texas at SulRoss State University!!! The invitations and posters are ordered, the frames and mats are done, and the glass should be ready next week - it's almost ready - yeah, right!

We set the artwork out last month to see how it would fit in the gallery - mine is on the floor, Ben Sum's (I think) is on the wall, there is another artists work on the wall in another pic - can't remember his name.

Here's a new piece, I had the drawing done 2 years ago, but I did this today! Not finished, but it's looking pretty good - I love oil pastels and oil paint sticks!!! My daughter Erin has red hair and blue eyes, so this is based on her.

Thanksgiving Day 2009

2009-11-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Wonderful dinner cooked by my dh Dan - he's a much better cook than I am! I used to do most of the cooking, then we bought a movie theater here in town in the early 90's and I worked at night 7 days a week for 6 years, we ate out ALOT! Our kids grew up at the movie theater, making popcorn, cleaning, and running the cash register while standing on a stool! It was a family place, and we nearly lived there until I got hired at our high school full time in 1998. Seems like another life ago...

Erin and Aaron ate dinner with us, John and Lisa spent the day with her wonderful BIG family. Danny and Jaclynn and the babies spent the day with her family in Katie! We are spread out all over Texas!

Dan and I will be going to see my Dad next week for a few days, and several of my brothers, Ted, Marc, and Matt for sure, and hopefully Pete too) and their families will be there. My sister Laura and our sister in law Deb and our nephews, David and Matt will also be there, so the whole bunch may make it to visit with Dad and Barbara. It will be great to see everyone for a happy occassion. Can't wait!!!

I'm working on my Curriculum class this weekend, I will have it done in 2 weeks, and then I have to get started measuring, matting, and framing everything for my show in Feb. '10. I already have 7 framed, and 5 ready to be framed. The rest need touching up or something - I tend to abandon things at the end of a semester, so I even have pieces from the fall of 2004 that need a little bit of work!! It will be great to get them off the wall(with push pins) and into frames.
Hope everyone has a peaceful, family-full, yummy holiday. Enjoy your crazy relatives, you IS one to them too!!

Long, long, long, long time!!!

2009-09-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hi! Hello!! Como esta!!
It's been a while!
School started 2 weeks ago, it is already going FAST!! My kids are great, maybe the best I've ever had! So polite and agreeable, I am so lucky!

It's Labor Day weekend and we're going to see GRANDBABIES!!!! I am so needing little girl hugs! Can't wait! We have little Drew too, 2 months old and 13lbs already! Can't wait to see him, he was only 2 weeks old when I saw him last.

Next weekend is class in Alpine - Sat and Sun, then the rest is online - Adv.Ed.Psych. I took Adv Human Dev. this summer and Art History for Art Educators, seems like the summer went by very fast. This semester I am also doing my curriculum observation at Odessa College - Beckwith Thompson's Digital Photography! Tues and Thurs in Odessa, very interesting, and she teaches Photoshop basics too, so this is perfect for me. MY show will be in March 2010, and graduation in May!! Wow, how did this happen??

Busy busy, maybe I can keep up with things better now that I'm sorta settled in!

Oh Yeah!! My 'Eye to Eye' Went to the Midland Art Association's Spring Show!!!

2009-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Another first for me, acceptance into an international show(or at least a show with international entries!!) And what a gorgeous place to have a show - in the lovely Museum of the Southwest in Midland, TX. A gorgeous old restored home in downtown Midland, and there is a planetarium, a children's museum and plans for other things too. I feel honored to have hung a piece on these walls. It looks at home among the other entries.

This piece has gotten plenty of exposure this year and last - I have unfinished work, lots of unfinished work!!! And for most shows, they want work that's completed - start to finish - in 2 years!! Hmmmmm, so there is a shelf life for a work!! Anyone else have this problem???

Speaking of unfinished work...I may have my graduate exhibit in October '09 or May of '10, so I need to get VERY busy! I'm hoping to graduate in May '10, but if they move me this summer, to the 'out building', then I won't take summer school, so that puts me graduating from SulRoss State University with my Masters in Art and Art Education, in Dec. '10, which is fine, but it would be nice to finish in May...

State Visual Art Scholastic Event

2009-04-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

We leave for Houston at 6:30AM on Friday April 17th. Which means we leave Andrews at 4:30AM!!! I hate this part!! We'll be staying at Clear LAke, instead of our beloved Galveston this year. Our very favorite hotel, with the most amazing view(and reasonable prices!!) wasn't opened back up yet. We will be spending all day Sunday at the beach, but our hotel choices were limited since the hurricane. Can't wait to see the place for myself, to see how it is faring 8 months later. There will be 4 students going this year, and one for her THIRD time!!

This event is state wide and approx. 2000 artworks from high schools all over the state will be there. What an opportunity for our students to travel to the event, to have their art exhibited and to see the exceptional art of their peers. Every year my students get back to Andrews excited, inspired and ready to get to work for next year.

My Son John's Wedding

2009-04-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

John married Lisa on the 17th of January!! Lovely ceremony, they are going to live in Andrews, and we are so happy to have them close by!!

Prom 2009

2009-04-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

Prom 2009 - Twilight in Paris
A turquoise-y blue, black, white and silver. Very pretty!! Happened on April 4th, and went beautifully, no glitches!! Yeah!! Only 358 days until the next one!!

Michael David Bohne

2009-04-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

My little brother Mike died on Friday March 27. He was 47 years old. A sweet very funny man who'd do anything for anyone. You could never find a kinder, gentler, but crazy, man. We was a GREAT Dad, and a wonderful husband - he adored his family and his church. A photographer, computer geek - teacher and repairman, and he will be missed by everyone. As his minister said, he was the man behind the scenes, the guy who got things done, and went on to the next thing. I always felt so welcome and comfortable in his and Debbie's home, always filled with laughter,good conversation,and lots of love. A gentle giant, my brother, my friend, I miss you Mike.

(He didn't like pictures...he's on the far left, and with that wonderful smile, I should have taken more pictures, he would have let ME, I'm the big sister. This picture was taken 2 years ago, after my Mom's funeral. Don't funerals end up as family reunions? We haven't all been together in 30 years, but we managed for the her funeral - she would have loved it when she was living. why do we wait?)

Elizabeth Gilbert on Creativity!

2009-03-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Watch this, especially the last half. It is an amazing talk from a wonderful contemporary writer. You will love it!!

Still Working on Prom, Visual Art Scholastic Event, and artwork for my college class...

2009-02-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

No wonder I am tired. Three nights a week we stay until 7 or 8 pm working on the Prom. This week the students with projects for VASE stayed too, and last night I think I saw what it would be like to have an AP class - 7 students, all working or helping each other. Art was spoken there, and we 'danced' - it was pure joy to work with these kids who care so much and worked so hard. This was teaching and learning at it's very best!

What a beginning!!

2009-02-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

First boo boo of the New Year!!

2009-01-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about Charleen, and had gone back through her blog, and WISHED for a doll, and that I hadn't let this or that get away from me, and how long it had been since I heard from her and I had also been looking through Leslie's things and wondering how she's doing and why I hadn't bought one of those cute pillows for my daughter - and well these two lovely people sorta melded together and when I wrote my post, I said Charleen's lovely blog had the blog follower gadget, when in fact it was Leslie FunkyArtQueen (I just relearned how to put the name not the URL!!!) who had it on her blog! So thanks Leslie!! Happy New Year!!!!

New Year's Resolutions!!

2009-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

2009!!! Where does the time go???
I'm making a resolution to be more 'art-full' and keep up with my blog journaling. Sadly, it may be the only record of ever having lived, since I can't seem to get into the handwritten journaling or even letter writing!
But another 2009 resolution is to be GUILT-FREE!! Be HAPPY!!
Do the best I can, be honest about the time I DO have, and quit WHINING about what I don't have time for!!!
And of course....loose 30 lbs, exercise, and stop procrastinating....same as the last 20 years!! I am at least consistent!!

I saw this cool little 'followers' gadget on dear Charleen's blog http://atime4art.blogspot.com and I've seen this several times since. What a neat little gadget! So I'm adding it to mine! Here's the link with instructions!!
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104225

Best wishes to all, have a glorious New Year, love and health to you and your families, and keep in touch!! Deb

A Newer Piece - from the summer!!

2008-12-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it's been 4 months since I worked on this one!! It is so hard to find time(whine, whine!) This one is part of a series called 'Burials'. I used the modeling paste and salt on gessoed watercolor paper and wrote(RANTED) and drew in the mix. The colors just don't show up in the pictures, I need to try Dan's camera before I blame the camera, but this is a huge room and it has old style fluorescent lighting. Anyway, this is so pretty up close. I drew some shapes, and then just wrote and wrote and wrote over the writing, then drew more over the writing, I had 3 pieces of w/c paper tacked down and drew around those too. That's the flat areas with the copper and wire with the key (notice I've only finished one!) I have the others, just haven't finished. I have the paper ready for several more, but the writing/drawing is a one time process, it dries fast, and there are no 'do-overs'. The painting part is more relaxed and it's a nice change from the frantic 'vomit' of the first part. I've done this sereral times now, and there is much serendipity with the process.

Updates on artwork!!!

2008-12-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on this piece. Should have been done a long time ago - isn't that a line in a song?? Color is a little off in both of these. Closer to the bright one, but it's washed out. Tags are nearly done, still haven't decided how to attach them...
I really love this piece, it is the most personal one I've done. Once school starts I can hardly find my butt with both hands, much less find time to work on my own art. AHHHHH.....retirement!!!! In 8 years, or TEN if I wait until I'm 65....hmmmmm....that's such a long way off....I need to make time to do what I love, and I LOVE working on my own artwork!!!
Anyway, this is a special piece, I'll get it done this month probably over the Christmas holidays.

2008-11-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

'from52to48withlove'

http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/index.html

This is the sweetest, most idealistic thing I have ever seen...(and these days I am so in love with idealistic- and I cry alot, but it's okay, I am growing and becoming - 'born in the summer of his 27th year' how about 'born in the autumn of her 55th year'???)

Check out this site - photos of love and healing for the '48' from the '52'. Add your picture and love. An art teacher put the site in her posting to the Getty Teacher Art Exchange Discussion Group Digest - I want to do this too - a shout out to all the '48' -

The 'blues' love you!!!

We know you are hurting, and we are sad for you, for our country - but we are joyous too, for the possibilities, for how far our country came in one day - let's do this together, I'll reach toward you, as you reach toward me, and we'll help lift each other up!

Yes We Did!!! A New Day for America!!!

2008-11-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

What an amazing speech! I am SO proud to be an American!!!!

Here is an AWESOME excerpt from President Elect Obama's speech last night. I think it won't be long before kids are memorizing his speeches for speech tournaments and assemblies!!

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America"

Barack Obama

I cried. I am so proud of my country!!

Here is the "Yes We Can" video - it is also so wonderful. I love this site because it also has OLD campaign commercials from as early as 1952!!!

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/2008/yes-we-can-web

Ribbon at the Odessa Art Association Show!!

2008-09-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

I put the 'Eye to Eye' piece in the Odessa Art Association show in March and I WON first in mixed media!!! Wow! I was so excited! It turned out so well, and the frame made a huge difference in how it looked - I'm glad they didn't have a gold frame that size, because the black is perfect. Only 60 pieces get into the show out of 200+ entries and I had TWO pieces accepted. I was SHOCKED when I walked in, it was right at the entry, what a wonderful surprise!

'Enchanted Evening' Prom 2008

2008-04-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Prom was last night, I've slept 12 hours, and I am still exhausted. Here's a few pictures of all the great kids and faculty who work on it, then put it up. 800' of 11' paper walls!!!
It was so beautiful - very classy and elegant.
Now I have to shovel out the art room, although I must say, it's been MUCH worse in previous years when we kept most of the decorations for some other group to use. I looked in the dome this afternoon - GONE- no evidence of the prom, like it never happened!!

Unnerving, dream or nightmare, but OVER for another year.

Wow, just looking at the pictures makes me tired!!!
Good thing it's only once a year!!!

This coming weekend, My DH and I, are traveling to Houston with 3 art kids to the State Visual Art Scholastic Event in Houston. We get to stay 3 days!! Our hotel is in Galveston - the Ramada on Seawall Blvd. right on the beach, and the kids are THRILLED!!! Me too! I'll have more pictures to add later to this blog and my school art blog.

Updates on 2 pieces 2/10/08

2008-02-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

Finally getting the pictures uploaded on these pieces. The big blank white area is going to be about the same color as the top right, and have a collaged piece down the front of it with my 'patterns' stamp on it like buttons. The tags that will go on the flap will have all seven of her kids in their catholic school uniforms on them. Collaged and embellished and hanging on handmade buttons of some sort that I haven't figured out yet. The heart is metal tape(and it's browns and yellows like the edge around the big part, but looks pinkish in the photo) That's my mom holding me in the center, it's a transparency glued in between the 2 layers of foam core.

Progress??

2007-11-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Got the background 'painted' - chalk and oil pastels, paint sticks, and a bunch of turpentine. My artist daughter Erin came over and helped me through my BLOCK with this piece. She threw lots of great ideas out and one was about a map! I have an old world map from a 1963 Readers Digest atlas, so we cut it to fit in the hole, the colors are PERFECT. Not sure yet what else I'm going to put do in the 'hole' , but it is starting to work. The block is gone, at least for now! Thanks Erin!!! Lifesaver! I was ready to chunk the whole thing and my art 'career' too.

Alot of it isn't glued down yet. The bright silver metal piece is actually the same as the others, the flash got it.
I 'wrote' in the wet paint with several colors of oil paint stick, then used the other end of a paint brush to write into the wet stuff - more to my Mom. I use rubber gloves and turp to mix and smudge the colors, it leaves a cool texture.

The 'metal edge says:
'Mom, I've been missing you - are you out there somewhere listening, watching me? I'm trying to do right by you, trying to get the kids not to fight and be mean to each other. I'm trying Mom, won't you come to me in a dream Mom? Help me know what to do - I feel pretty useless right now, everyone needs something and I am only one person...just like you did all your life, try to fix things and make them better 'frosting the cow patty' I guess! But your dreams, your words, your hopes for all of us, are mine.'
'Mom this is for you- I should have loved you better when you were alive - I hope you can hear me now.'
' I miss you Mom, how many times have I almost called you before I remember - My mother is dead. These words are still impossible to comprehend. I haven't cried yet, I am afraid to...'

I'm still working through my relationship with my Mom and her death in my art, and this is part of it - says the very objective unemotional part of me -
the other part can barely breathe...

One hour later...

2007-11-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Got the edges done, I'll collage it when the stuff is dry tomorrow. I used oil pastel, chalk pastel and oil paint sticks on the colored areas. They'll need to be trimmed down and then glued. So far, I am pleased. I could work for HOURS listening to the live Coldplay CD - art making music. I have a project playlist that I'll put on later with some of my favorite tunes - some I've heard on other blogs and fell in love with.

I love our little cyber-community, we are so lucky. Thanks out there!!!

Here's where I work at school - 4X8 table, COVERED with 'stuff' - my home away from home. Which is where I'm heading in about 15 min. as soon as I clean up a bit. See ya!!!

Maybe I'm getting somewhere...

2007-11-15T14:09:00.001-08:00

More on the mixed media piece. Played with silver metal duct tape and Adirondack alcohol inks. I wrote a letter to my mom on the metal over foam core, then applied the inks. Got a great metallic brass color, more like it had been polished and the left out to tarnish.

I have since gessoed the BLUE board - it was driving me crazy, way too blue! I have to work on the gessoed papers I'm adding, probably off whites, cremes, browns, etc, my colors with a hint of blue and fushia. I need to make some new stamps, but the designs escape me. Also the edges of the foamcore need modeling paste and color or collage...
I have about an hour today after school, so I'll get a bunch done.

New Grandbaby Pictures!!!

2007-11-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here's little miss Jillian Grace!!

Here she is with her Mommy, Jaclynn.

Here she is with my son Danny - now a father of TWO girls!!

Three months in a nutshell!!!

2007-11-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

Long time, here I am again!!
My 79 year old Dad had surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm on September 17, and Dan and I went to Seattle for that - very bad, he was in ICU for nearly 3 weeks and on a ventilator for much of it. He had renal failure, lost part of his colon and ended up with a colostomy and for a while we weren't sure he would come back at all. I went back for 8 days the middle of October and he was starting to come around. He was in a regular room, but unable to sit up or feed himself. After a week of my nonstop chatter and sneaking him 'medicinal' McD's sausage,egg, and cheese biscuits and coffee, he perked up enough to start feeding himself and get off the feeding tube. His one good kidney has come back to life, but he is now being treated for insulin dependent diabetes... My brothers Marc and Pete, my sister in law Lisa, Dad's friend Claudine, and I have tag teamed him so he'd have constant company, and it has helped tremendously.
Marc, who lives there in Seattle (he's the artist who's link is the first on my list) is the primary care person, since the rest of us are so far away, so much of this has fallen on him. Dad's in rehab there at UWMC and progressing ever so slowly back, we all hope, to his pre-surgery self.

And of course, I also started back to school in August. I have 165 Art 1-4 high school students, absolutely the most wonderful bunch I have ever had!!! This school year has been so nice!!

I am also a Nana again!!! Jillian Grace was born October 17th!! My pictures won't work on blogger, so I'll get the other disk from school.

My cup runneth over...

I'm back in college this semester, behind as usual...I don't know why I ever think it's going to be any different, it's always going to be something that makes working on my masters nearly impossible. But I will keep going, no matter what, as long as my dear instructor Carol doesn't throw me out!

These are 2 technique photos, this is modeling paste over salt and lace - fun stuff!! Click on this one, it looks cool!

This one is modeling paste over crumpled pattern tissue that has had photos and letters xeroxed onto it - it didn't smear, I was shocked!!!

This is my journal -
Like I say, it's a lifesaver for me - I did the design on the way to see my Dad. Five hours of flying gives you lots of time to think and plan.

This photo is the center piece from the journal before it's glued onto the foam core, it ends up 2 thicknesses of foamcore for this part, 1 for the piece below it and matboard for the base. It'll be about 22"X28" unmatted.

I finished up the spring semester with 7 finished pieces, and I'm trying to find the pictures to upload for that.
I'm grabbing 15 min. here and there, whenever I can. Again my journal has been a lifesaver!!

Trip to Washington DC

2007-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

In April, my art student Joey won the 11th US Congressional District Art Competition. He entered a photograph he took at our cemetery after an ice storm in Jan.2007. Part of the prize was airfare for 3 to DC and 2 nights in a hotel there. My fantastic principal paid for an extra night for Joey and his mom, and 3 nights for me and Dan, and our rental car, and part of our meals. It was the trip of a life time!

We left from Midland EARLY Wed. AM Jun. 27 and flew to Austin then to Baltimore. LONG trip, we got in about 2:30PM and drove around awhile, then got settled in our hotel - Capitol Hill Suites - and then went driving around to look at the lights. WOW, DC is gorgeous at night.
I lived in Alexandria, VA and in Upper Marboro, MD in the mid seventies. It has changed alot since then. The most noticeable is the accessibility of monuments and the government offices. Thank you 9/11...

Anyway, we visited with Congressman Mike Conaway Thursday morning in the Cannon building(wow, what a beautiful building!) and then went to the Capitol through the underground walkways - saw Joey's picture hanging in the passageway - we have awesome high school artists in this country! The temperature was 94 and VERY humid. I think we walked 10 miles that day. That night we went to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - again, awesome places.
Friday it was cooler and cloudy, we went on the White House tour, and then did MORE walking, went to the Air and Space Museum, and the Hirshorn and went to the pavillions on the Mall - they had Irish musicians there and Vietnamese dancers - very interesting. I ended up with shin splints...OOS(out of shape!) But I'm a trouper, so we went driving around all over, up Embassy Row and Georgetown, it was so pretty. On Saturday, we left at 3 for the airport, and got home at 11PM - VERY long day. As always, so glad to be home.

Next time I will do my homework for the trip. I should have looked up what art I wanted to see and had the addresses (we have a Garmin - absolutely indispensible in a strange city!) and the address of my old job on M St. NW - Aetna still has offices there, but I didn't remember the address...it was a great trip for me, down memory lane...

BWO!!

2007-06-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Thanks to Connie(Altered Route) and her May 17th post with the link to BWO - I'd been wanting to put it on my site, and her link to Tiffini (Tartx) who has an awesome blog and webpage, finally gave me the push to do it! Thanks!!!

Progress on artwork

2007-06-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for Washington DC on Wed. at 7AM -
I am trying to finish up these two pieces tonight. Listening to Coldplay... kids made me listen and now I really like them! I have so many details to finish up but nothing is dry!!

Carol, I'm sending these to you too so you know I'm working!!

This is almost finished. I have copper pieces to go underneath the eyes. I have to glue the heads down and the gears, but I'm not quite done with the gears. The 'stitching' is posterboard strips, but I'm not sure if I'll use them or something else...I am very happy with the border, it is IKEA paper yardsticks colored with oil paint sticks and 'distressed' and they look cool. Outside those is more collage on a medium tan mat board. I needed more room for the heads. I still have to trim it on 2 sides, but it is just about done!!

The next piece is about 1/2 done.

Needs all the collage, and transparencies, but it is
going very well. All the dark colored squares are 100 grit sandpaper, in case you're wondering. It's perfect with the copper paint I'm using. None of it is glued down, just wanted to see what it was going to look like!

The color is off - yellowed- it's the lighting and the camera, and I didn't have time to put the picture into Photoshop, sorry! I'll upload it to Arttechniques when we get back to Texas. Click on the pictures and they blow up huge so you can see the texture in the pattern pieces - they'll get the 'stitching later, and all the backgrounds and the squares will be FUN - I'm going to play around with my flower stamp and embossing powders - when I get back!

New Work in Progress

2007-06-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the original sketch -

After several long days, I worked out the background, and some of the foreground - I had a drawing as you can see, but the difference between a sketch and making it happen on canvas or whatever - wow - a million miles sometimes. I can see it, almost touch it, but when I reach for it in my mind it dissolves like a mist - and when I back away from it, it materializes again...dang...so I'm hanging in a limbo but, little by little, it is becoming a reality.

This piece is a representation of the 'meeting of minds' and the way that people come to a discussion or participate in a relationship bringing all their baggage with them - 'patterns' of behavior, 'scripts', maps for mapping out our reactions...

Anyway, here are some of the parts - who knows how they will turn out in the end. I do have some cool stuff to add to it when I'm farther along, and I have this GREAT piece(the one with the single gear)that I intended to cut up, but I like it too much, so now it's got to be something on its own. It has such pretty color and texture in it, and the gear is cloudy, almost under a layer of gauze, but it's just turp-y paper towel and rubber gloves over very wet oil paint stick and oil pastel - the gear was drawn with dark colors that stained the paper, so it still shows up - almost like encaustics or glazes...cool...

I don't know exactly what I'm going to do now, the head with collage around it is me - the other one will be my mom. I've copied several old letters to her from my Dad when they were first married, pictures of her parents, her journals, etc. for her collage.

I love the heads, but the faces are still blank, I'll see what the 'muse' says tomorrow, I was listening to Coldplay today, maybe I'll listen to Leigh Nash tomorrow- hmmm, my gear there looks a little flat on the bottom...

Any ideas?????

Think I'm Finished??

2007-06-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

Classwork status-
I worked more on this yesterday - changed the colors in the 'balls' by rubbing gray and/or coral soft pastel over them and rubbed it with my fingers - there's so much texture in those areas(used the end of a paint brush to scratch back into the still soft oil pastel/paint sticks) so the under colors still show, and the color is dulled by the pastel. I added the stitching on the pattern pieces and across the kimono - it's oil pastel also, scratched back out nearly with an xacto knife. Added a little more collage on several flower petals, and just over all cleaned it up. I didn't want to loose some of the original color or the multicolor edges of some areas, I personally like some of the unfinished look, but I do fuss over things too. But I THINK I'm done. My friend Laree and I are going to Alpine on Monday to let our instructor(talented watercolor artist college instructor Carol Fairlie) see what we've been doing for our class. Have to be finished in 2 weeks!!! YIKES!!!

Collage ramblings-
I also took pictures of some old work - 2 oil pastels on roofing paper and a c. pastel on newsprint. I'm going to use these in the newbie ATC's as background papers - I'll probably make them b/w and hand color them, or turn them into 'colorbook' drawings and handcolor them....or something. Old sketchbooks make awesome 'stuff' for backgounds, xeroxed on cool papers. I have an hp 1210xi all in one, and I have yet to find any paper or cardstock thickness paper I couldn't run through it - I have run painted papers and watercolor paper and of course my pattern tissue. Forgive me if everyone already knows all this!! I feel I have 'discovered' all this on my own - but of course - great minds think alike, so many of you may be doing the same thing!
I am trying to only use only my own images and family photos, I LOVE collage, I like to xerox until the detail is nearly gone, then xerox onto weird papers, old stuff, maps, etc. Also, I do like to make my own stamps. If you haven't tried the blue stuff - made by Penscore - you need to - you can make and remake your own stamps, using old medals, jewelry, words written with hotglue, cardboard letters, etc. the stuff is only 3X5ish, but you can overlap and connect in 100 ways!
Misc. stuff-
Thanks to whoever recommended Blogarithm.com - it is awesome!!! Several of you posted to your blogs yesterday and I got this handy little email with a direct link to your new entry! Fantastic!!!
Have a great weekend!!! Deb

Almost done with this one - only have 4 to go...

2007-06-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

I'm almost finished with the mixed media piece I started( there's a picture of it with just the kimono done yesterday) It just needs some cleaning up now - it's oil pastels, oil paint sticks, chalk pastels and collage. I'll clean up the edges of every shape with a tiny brush and turpentine tomorrow, and then use matt medium on the collage, and I'm done.

That was yesterday, now I am almost done - I think...

When you look at things small, like on this page, you can see where something is catching your eye, and that's maybe not your intention. Good way to self critique! The reddish outline that's on the right is demanding WAY too much attention, so I'll soften it... the two 'balls' in the upper left are bugging me too, they need some work. I may mat it to the right and leave most of the far left one out, or lighten the color of one or both, I'll color a few pieces to put over the shapes and see what I like best - the 'creative' part is over, now it's the 'analytical' part - does this work, is this color it too close to the same color as that one, where's the center of interest, is it still where I wanted it, etc.... now I'm in my teacher mode(or self critic) or whatever you want to call it - This is where I feel like I have the most control over what happens in my head - I step back and become very objective - it's all about the elements and principles of design now - the creative me isn't hurt by this, she is shutting up now - she's in the corner, hair all askew, margarita in one hand....yeah!!

There's some cool textures in the pinkish areas and on the greenish greyish band on the kimono. If you click on it, you can look at the collage, I tried to crop it , but they came out blurry for some reason. I LOVE the collage, there is a picture of me in there, part of a letter from my mom that says 'with all my heart, Mom', and the word 'daughter' and other parts of the letter... it's been weird looking at her handwriting and knowing that that's it - no more, so familiar I could pick it out in 1000 handwritings, but what I have is all I have...

I used the new camera to take pictures and they are turned out better. I'm going to upload these to arttechniques also. It'll be the first time I've uploaded anything. I've uploaded my journal cover too - it's a pretty good picture of it. I like yellow ochres and browns and those colors tend to look all the same in a photo( the table is the same color too, I just realized that, next time I'll put white paper under things!

See you later, I have really enjoyed all your comments folks! THANK YOU!!!! Deb

Working in my artroom at school today -

2007-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

I am working on my classwork (for SulRoss) today- collaging bits and pieces of xeroxed pictures, Japanese newspapers and maps, crossword puzzles, a kimono linoleum I copied onto old pattern tissue, and the definitions of daughter, journal and journey(Bought a very old dictionary at the library, but only ended up with A-K half of it, so no 'traveler, seeker, pattern, etc!!)...and xeroxed all of it on old pattern tissue - I like the transparency of it. I've tried elmers, matt medium, and now glue sticks - any other suggestions for working with flimsy paper - it is layered on my finger tips, I had to quit, because it was a loosing battle between me and the paper - more on me than on my 'flowers'.

I forgot to bring Dan's camera over here today - I want to see if I can get truer color - the pictures I took the other day were awful...incorrect color and too light or too dark. This room has tons of fluourescent lighting, but not right for photos.

I also printed on an 8X10 transparency, an old picture of my parents and me - I don't know what to do with it yet, but it's cool. I also have a small picture of me at about 1 1/2 yrs. and I want to make a pin with it, but it needs light colors behind it because the face except for the features, is blank - no shading at all...just found a card my mom sent me that has the word daughter written in it and it fits on my shirt...hmmm...
I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a japanese-english dictionary, I made a stamp that says 'pattern' like sewing or design for something. I made 2 more stamps too, two designs in the kimono linoleum blown up to about 3X4 each. Yesterday,I sat around and designed a dozen more, I'll take the stuff home to cut them out tonite. I don't know what I want to do with them yet, but it was fun!

I need to go home, but I can't work there yet, studio isn't done. It's a true dilemma - my classroom which I have 24/7 access to 365 days a year, is 30'X60' with 16' ceilings and I can spread out everywhere all summer...and I love the openness and size, but I need to move my self to a much smaller place-10X20, my studio that's in my backyard so I don't have to put everything away every day when school starts - I'll need to get the absolute most efficient storage for all my stuff - and room for a computer and copier/printer. A TV set to watch all the how to videos I've purchased...but first I need a new floor!
I need help - wonder what my art kids are doing this week??? ^_^

Corpus Christi, TX 2007

2007-06-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful place - HOT and muggy during the middle of the day, but in the morning, and in the evening, wow - gorgeous. We stayed at the Best Western Grand Marina, room 912 - great room, $89.00 +ttl per night, on Shoreline Blvd., fabulous ocean view, deck pool, laundry(!!), 11th floor continental brkfst in huge room with walls of windows on 3 sides, unbelievable. Great place to stay! We took a sunset triple decker boat trip in the CC bay for $12.00 pp for 1 1/2 hours, had sodas and snacks(beer,wine and mixed drinks too) very nice. I LOVE Galveston, but Corpus is quieter, the water is calmer, the beaches cleaner, and it's more of a real town, than just a tourist trap. We want to fly into Houston and drive down the coast and check out all the other little beach towns along the Texas coast, I think it's still very posible to get a little piece of heaven for a reasonable price! I have pictures!! You can rent a skidoo or paddle boat or a little sail boat 30 feet from where you park your car. I'm sure on holidays it's crazy busy, but we were there Sat - Wed. and it was active and there were people, but there weren't lines, the freeways were SO calm, even at 4:30 during the week. Lots of shopping, cute restaurants, things to see and do, kid friendly, artsy, just fun. Good place for a vacation. This page has a virtual tour, but we got a rate $20.00 a night less than what they quote on this page(Dan gets on line and hunts for rooms, he is great at finding the very best rate!)

http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do;jsessionid=C9DB9453AFAD27C4CC493E4871F8F0E0?propertyCode=44500

Joe's Crab Shack(love that coconut shrimp!), sunset over the Corpus skyline - taken from the Flagship, and the Flagship - wouldn't it be a great house???

New Art Room Blog!!

2007-06-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it!! I made a blog for my artroom - I'd like a different profile and picture for it, does anyone know how I can do that? Do I need a different email address?

http://ahs-artroom.blogspot.com/

Anyway, I'll email it to my upper level art kids so they can check it out! I got email addresses and cellphone numbers before school was out - it'll be fun. I'm happy, thanks again to everyone who has given me suggestions, pointed me in the right direction, and most of all for the encouraging comments and emails. You are the BEST!! Art Techniques folks, do you mind me linking your blogs and/or webpages to my blog??? Let me know! PATA (posted on Art Tecniques Also) Gotta pack and do more laundry for the trip! I'll ahve to check at least one suitcase so I can bring ocean water back from CC - Have a great weekend!!
I love the new save feature, I thought I'd lost this!!!!

Blogger Help Group

2007-06-01T14:07:00.001-07:00

Went there to get all my posts to show on the page, so for at least a while all my carefully chosen words will show! I'm so proud of myself!!
I also found several art teachers who use the blog as a class webpage...what a cool idea for those of us with no knowledge of these things! And those I've seen have LOTS of pictures and info - eventually, I want an interactive webpage, with printable assignments and rubrics, syllabus(syllabii?) for every level, etc...but I don't know how to do it myself, and don't really want to learn either, I just want to know what I need to know to change or update it, FOR FREE of course! Art $$$ don't stretch far enough, I am always using my own money for things. Tech people say 'someday', and computer/multimedia teachers don't have time for it either. This is the most fun I have had in a long time - thanks for all the help out there!

Still having some problems

2007-06-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

I lowered the cookie thing for blogger.com, so it would allow me to have add ons, like links - but it still takes FOREVER, to look at comments on my blog. It usually doesn't load the page at all. We have Norton Antivirus, and I can hear the popup blocker thing, very faintly, but it's catching some kind of 'poo' - we put it up higher since my little girl(19) has MySpace, and all that stuff, so we have had to do the hp recovery thing several times in the last 6 months - lost LOTS of stuff last time, but the computer was completely down, and that's all we could do...my little girl is also an artist, and taking classes at our local community college - her skills are so much better than mine were at her age, I can only imagine where she'll be when she graduates. I'm so proud of her. She is amazing.
We are leaving at 6AM tomorrow for Corpus, I can't wait! Have a great weekend out there folks!

Is it still Thursday??

2007-05-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

I HAVE to take some pictures of my artwork to post - I may try the Art Techniques (Yahoo group) newbie ATC challenge. Question - how do you get such clear closeups? Just cropping? I wish my studio was finished, I either work at school or on the kitchen table and both of these are temporary solutions... I have a 10X20 building that needs to be resided and redone inside(I'll take before pictures - it is a mess right now!!) I've sanded most of the floor, and I have some cool ideas for the walls - I want to collage over the old icky paneling, not too fussy, but maybe old sketchbook drawings, xeroxed family photos, pattern pieces, maps, etc. and some old picture frames painted bright colors with cork inside, so I can pin up everything nearly, because I really do suffer from BSS (Bright and Shiney Syndrome) I am so easily distracted by ANYTHING!!! It's a joke, but then again...and then there's a terminal case of OSOM(Out of Sight, Out of Mind) - if I don't see it, it doesn't exist(guess my mental developement stopped at Peek-A-Boo when I was a baby!)
Well, time to spend an hour in the garage - have to make a stickie note(I LOVE STICKIE NOTES!!!) or I'll forget to go get tortillas for fajitas and my medicinal chocolate(Russel Stovers mint patties - awesome)

More Thursday ramblings...

2007-05-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

It finally worked!! I'll be adding pictures of my art work, classroom, studio, travels, etc. I really think it would be imposssible to keep up with this during the school year, but I will try...it's fun, that's for sure! It will be a good way to keep up with family things, once I get it going. And I hope to have a real webpage for my art department this year too. Most folks out there don't care what I'm doing here in West Texas, but maybe a few fellow teachers and artists will be inspired by the links I'll have eventually, and the art tips and workshops. That's my hope anyway. Is anyone out there??? ^_^

My picture

2007-05-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of me for my profile, eventually it'll be old news and hidden deep in the archives, but for now, I need it to have a URL and this is supposed to work...

Adding pictures.....

2007-05-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am SO slow to figure this stuff out. My students all have MySpaces and my daughter too, but this seems more 'mature'. no? Anyway, I think I finally understand how to do this - we'll see! I have to put my picture in the blog, then it'll have a URL so I can put it into my profile - I think! Here goes!!!
Hmmm...it's not working again....keeps saying 'error on page' when I press the picture icon...it did this before, then it worked and I added the pictures..I wrote down what it said to do, but now it's not doing it! Is it me??

Prom 2007

2007-05-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Prom is part of my job, I design it and build it with LOTS of kid help. This year's theme was Hollywood Lights. One picture is the entrance to the cafeteria, the others are in the dome(80' across) We work on this all year. Last year we made over 700' of 12' tall 'walls'. It covers the entry hall to the school, the entire dome and half of the cafeteria.

Me and my husband Dan

2007-05-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

First day all alone!!!

2007-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Every one in the family is back at work BUT ME!!! My first real day of summer. I cleaned and washed clothes and looked up realestate in Galveston, TX, Cloudcroft, NM and Texas City, TX…just for fun…we’ll be looking this summer.The first week off, I clean house. Clean out the house actually, having done a superficial job of it at Christmas, this is really a once a year thing - who has time the rest of the year?My Mother died May 6th…we’ve been going through her papers, trying to find personal and financial things she ’squirreled’ away. She kept a planner nearly every year since 1963 - couldn’t find any earlier than that - that was the year my dad went to Germeny for 2 years, and she stayed home with 6 kids. Guess I’d write alot too, especially since there were no relatives in El paso, Tx -so anyway, I got all my school papers and cards and letters I’d given her - my Dad wanted to burn it all - all of us(there are 7 ) got all our things she’d kept. It is still the most surreal feeling that creeps up now and then - my mother is dead - I don’t cry, and I don’t really know why, I just can’t, not yet.But the reason I want to clean now, the reason it’s so important, is that I don’t want my kids to get their papers when they’re 53, and I don’t want my life reduced to paper sacks, of ‘keep’ and ‘burn’. So I will get rid of 1/2 of everything I own this summer. And make scrapbooks, and give things away, because, it’s better to do it now while I’m alive, than to wait until I die.I don’t know much about how this blog stuff works - I’ve checked it 20 times since I wrote the first time…guess I thought the community would be instant…

Summer is here!!

2007-05-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

As with every summer for the past 10 years, I HAVE A LIST!!! Not just any list, but the list from 2004, with the years crossed off, so I can reuse it AGAIN…now this might seem depressing, but it gives some comfort - no new giant projects have appeared and I have made some progress on the old projects. Maybe I should start fresh with a new list, but then I’d find the old list 5 years from now and think ‘Oh my GOD!!! I am still working on the same old things, I just THOUGHT I’d accomplished things each summer!!’ This way, I know what’s coming, and am not afraid -mildly amused, a little sad, but mostly, fired up!Every summer is like every new school year - bright and shiney and NEW, filled with potential and so very long - this year especially, because Texas has school starting a week later, so we get an extra week of summer! Kids don’t come back until Aug 27 - woo hoo!!!So I’m pinning hopes on this summer to be the best ever, and not sit on my behind playing on the computer or watching TV(except the 200+ hours on Crafters across America, scrapbooking and B’original I’ve Tivo’d since January..)I’ll meet with my incoming Art 2-4 kids and get some individualized plans for each of them, have a swimming party for my art club kids(I don’t get wet - the ‘poof’ doesn’t ‘do’ wet!), clean out the garage, remodel my studio, clean the artroom at school, clean out Prom storage, take on the dandelions(again), and do some fun trips to Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas Metroplex(visit grandaughter), Cloudcroft, NM, and Half Moon Bay, CA - can I do it all??? no way!! But with such big plans, and a bright shiney NEW summer, the possibilities are endless! I’ll keep you out there in blogland posted - maybe some art teachers, procrastinators or packrats who want to brag, challenge and/or commisserate will write to me.