REMEMBERING WATERCOLOR

Well......this was fun! I saw a video where this artist was doing some amazing writing with a fountain pen and ink and it took me back to my watercolor days. I did nothing but watercolor for 8 years before getting into mixed media. So it "inspired" me to have some fun with inks and watercolor. These are just some little experiments I did and I loved the spontaneity of the color reacting to the water....I will probably do a Monday in the Studio Video on this after the first of the year. If you are interested in my Videos check them out at Suzimade on You Tube

BOOK MARKER ART DOLLS

In this Economy, fine art is just not doing well. I do continue to sell my bigger pieces of framed art, but not like in the good old days. I don't take it personal because I know it's not that people don't like my art, it's the Economy. SO....as a result....I have had to stop producing framed art because I need to sell what I have. Well...that was a dilemma because here I have all of these painted papers and what to do with them! These wonderful little "Art Doll" book markers are a result of that dilemma and I am having a ball making them!! I started out making "gal" ones and now have added "guy" ones! 

Result.....more orders than I can keep up with!! I had them on Etsy, but ran out and am just filling orders right now but once I get caught up they will be showing up again in singles, or a "pair" or a "group". 

Right now they are $3 each, but when I return to offering them for sale they will be $3.75. Why? Because as I continue making them I am getting more and more and more creative and they are taking a little more time than the first ones. Still WELL worth the price. Pairs and Groups will be a little less. Not sure what yet.

SO stay tuned!! And never stop creating art!!!

It's a GIFT from God!

Have a very Blessed Christmas!

Suzi

JUST PLAYING AROUND

You just never know! The piece circled above is my demo piece for making fabric paper that I did in a recent workshop. After I got home I just started "Playing" with it...nothing in mind....trees were obviously in it....and then BAM!! 

"A warm fire awaits near the Polka Dot Trees" was born.....

Playing with nothing in mind is the best!! 

CIRCLES ,WASHI TAPE and YOUTUBE

Having a good time in the Studio today playing with Circles. I love mixing all the different media together and seeing what happens and a Circle and/or Square are good shapes to play with. Squares next!

Also having a BALL making my own Washi Tape. Washi tape is all the rage right now and what it is in reality is a thin rice paper tape, but I am doing my own thing by painting masking tape and other tapes and also adhereing my painted papers to the tape making "strips" of painted paper to work with which happens to be sticky! Not only is it a cool way to work it is just plain FUN to make all these tapes. Can you say "Carried away"?

BTW

 I have started a Youtube series called "Monday in the Studio". Each monday I am posting a video of something I'm doing in the studio to share with you.

Hope you will all join me. If you subscribe to me you will get notified whenever I post a new one. Here is this weeks. ENJOY!

MONDAY IN THE STUDIO

WORKSHOP STUTTGART AR.

Had a GREAT time with my students in Stuttgart, Ar. yesterday!! We played and played and played some more. Just had a good time and created some cool papers.

This workshop was a real challenge for me in that I had to work with the supplies the Art Center had there and anyone who has worked with me or seen my work KNOWS I like to use LOTS of different stuff. But challenge is good. Right? :)

Thanks girls for a good time!!



FUN DAY WITH MY STUDENT!!

 LUNCH ON THE DECK! A beautiful day!!

 Mary Jane hard at work! Dedicated Student!

 Her pretty papers!!

Showing off her work! Good Job MJ!!

A really great day with my Student, Mary Jane Pierce, in the Studio. We really had a great time sampling all the media I had and then painting lucious papers. Tomorrow we will get her started on a new Journal!! What fun!!

For more information on my "In the Studio" workshops click the "Workshop" icon in the left hand column of this page! Would love to have you.

Maximum 3 students.

CLOTH, PAPER, SCISSORS

So Indulge me!

I just got my November/December issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors and "wha la"!! Here my work is on page 88!! I entered my piece "If you ask MY opinion" in the felting Reader's Challenge and was selected!! Now I know....I have a lot of artist friends out there that get published ALL THE TIME, but this is the first time in a major magazine for me since American Artist back in 1997 or 98 (that was an actual article)

SO, like I said....Indulge me please :)

DOLL FUN!!!

I have an artist friend that is the one who does "doll art" and she does a great job! She recently sent me this doll

I LOVE HER!!

What this did was inspire me to try my hand at doll making, in my way with my style. My doll is made out of a 2x4 block of wood, painted papers, yarn, fabric and other embellishment.

What fun to try something new and out of your normal "box"!

I had fun.....you may see more!

BACK



OKAY...I DID IT...

WARMING UP for my "Doodling" Workshop!!

I decided to go for it....4 videos, can do in one day or take forever!!

ONE OF THE FINISHED projects!

If you are interested , click on the WORKSHOP icon on the left column of this page and then click on "LET'S DOODLE"

ONLY $15!!!

DOODLING WORKSHOP?

I have been doodling ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil. For the record that is about 60 years. It seems here lately that a lot of young new artists are coming out with workshops to teach others to doodle. I'm amazed! But maybe it is something I take for granted and assume everyone knows how to do. So maybe I should get on the band wagon and do a little one day doodling workshop. Maybe I do it different.....I don't know, but if all these women have something to teach in doodling then maybe this old lady can too. Hmmmmm....we will see.....

IN THE STUDIO WORKSHOP

A great day in the Studio with my student Mary Carr!! We had a great time painting papers, exploring, experimenting, visiting and eating! Nothing like a day full of art!!

Next "In the Studio" workshop Nov. 2 and 3rd.

This workshop is just too full of great stuff for just one day!!

FABRIC PAPER DRYING ON THE LINE



Mary did some terrific work once she got going!



JOURNALING

 Have been working a lot in my visual journals lately. Just needing some time to play and loosen up and explore. I really enjoy this part. It's a time when I can just do what I want....no thinking "will this be received? will people like this? etc." It doesn't matter.

TO ME there is a difference in a visual journal and an art journal.

In an ART JOURNAL I am working on certain images and exploring different techniques and mediums. These pieces are from one of my Art Journals
a VISUAL JOURNAL is a place where I can express thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc.

This is one I am starting. These are just some painted papers I did and now I will see where they go.



DOODLING IN THE AFTERNOON

Sometimes I just break out in "Doodle"!! I can't help myself. Found myself drawing this cat on my work surface this afternoon. Nothing going on in my little brain but "doodle". I think that is what art is about anyway....Letting go....doodling your thoughts.....having fun. Maybe not for everyone but certainly for me!

My "It's Okay to Play" online workshop is going to be over Dec. 1st and I've got some ideas to restructure it. There are sessions I want to keep, but some I want to re-do. I've been in the studio experimenting and coming up with new things and I want to pass those along to my students. To see what is going to be different, go to http://okaytoplayws.blogspot.com/ in the next few days. I'll be posting the changes over there. VERY excited about sharing my new ideas with you!



STUDENT WORK

Papers made in my "In the Studio" painted papers workshop. These are made by Mary Jane Pierce!

I haven't been on my blog much because I spend most of my time in the Studio experimenting and coming up with new ideas to teach my students. My first "In the Studio" workshop was on Sept. 27th and we had a great time!! I can take 3 students at a time and what we found was that one day was not enough! Too much information! SO it has been extended to 2 days.

This is a lot of fun for me because they are not the only ones learning! And it is so much easier to teach in this setting with all my "stuff" there!

GOOD JOB Mary Jane!!

BEGINNING AND END OF "THE BEGINNING"!

 In my workshop "In the Beginning" you Start with this......



and end with this!

And we have a whole lot of fun in between!! I finished up putting this workshop together yesterday and was so surprised to look at the whole process!! It was a challenge for me to work with only 3 paint colors and limited other media and supplies!! As Artists we get into trying this and that and the other and soon forget the basics. Creating this workshop helped me remember where I started and appreciate how I got where I am today!

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

In the Beginning Overview from Suzi Dennis on Vimeo.

IF you are thinking about joining me in this little fun workshop for Beginners, I hope you will watch this video.

It is a 2 minute overview of the 11 Session Art workshop for Beginners, "In the Beginning". This is a self paced workshop strictly for beginners starting with the basics in working with acrylics all the way to creating your own collage with your own painted papers. Come join us!!

BACK TO THE BASICS

I'm starting the process of putting my new workshop "IN THE BEGINNING" together and I LOVE IT!! I'm having to go back to the basics and that is a place I have not been in many years! I have been using a palette of all kinds of colors and all kinds of brands and all kinds of "helpers" and all kinds of all kinds!! In this workshop I am teaching the basics of mixed media, mostly acrylics and going to teach my students how to paint papers with limited materials. I don't want anyone buying a lot of materials that they will be stuck with if they find this is not for them.

Besides, back to the basics is healthy! Right!!

I'm up for the challenge and I can't wait to see what I come up with!!

LET ME EXPLAIN

Okay....give me a chance to explain. This was a "what if" piece in my journal today and this is what journals are for!  I've noticed art work in the past where images of people were all weird colors, and yesterday I was in a gallery and there was a piece with a guy with a blue face, green nose and ever what else. Now this is something I have never ventured out and done before and it got my curiosity up. I've never had any problem doing this with my paintings of animals, but I guess my tape in my head on correct colors for people is just wound too tight. So....I decided to give it a whirl. Well, here she is "Feelin' Blue" and I think I am too! Maybe my nursing background is kickin' in too.....blue = no oxygen. hmmmm.

IN THE BEGINNING

Watch for new online workshop

COMING SOON!

This workshop will be designed for the person who has never picked up a brush and always wanted to and/or the person who has picked up a brush and didn't know what to do with it.

By the end of this workshop you will have created a collage piece from papers you painted on your very own.

AGAIN.....for BEGINNERS ONLY!!

STAY TUNED.......

WORKSHOP WORK

We are having a great time over in the "It's Okay to Play" workshop. At this point in the workshop we are learning to paint papers to use in collage. This is only a small sampling of some of the beautiful pages that are coming out of this class! Wish you were here if you're not, but it will be offered again!