NEWSLETTER

I have started a monthly newsletter that I am very excited about!! It seems I am all over the place posting.....face book, blog spot, flickr, and on and on. I wanted to make it simple as possible....thus, the Newsletter.

It comes out once a month and in it I will have a variety of things. Photos from my workshops, Student's work, past work of mine, present things I'm working on, links to Videos, something new for you to try and whatever else comes up!

To sign up for this newsletter just email me and put "NEWSLETTER" in the subject line.

Hope you will join us! We are having a good time!!

Suzi

From my Doodling Journal

Had my "Doodling" Journal out today. Haven't looked at it in a long time and had forgotten what was in it. 

Just wanted to share with you. 

Some are finished, some are not.

Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed this :) have a great life.

Suzi

Pinterest in the middle of the Night!

You never know what you are going to find in the middle of the night when you can't sleep... so you fire up the computer and venture on over to "Pinterest"!!

Recently, that is just what happened to me, and as I was perusing the site trying in vain to return to sleep I found "How to make a hanger weaving"

Well....those who know me know how I love to play with weaving and I KNOW, in another time and place, I would have been a weaver....HOWEVER, in this time and place I just dabble in it.

Had to try it and it was really fun!!

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Work in progress. Figured out some things I would do different as I went through this process. You know I don't do anything by the book!!

Finished product! Yep. Looks like a fancy cobweb to me! :)

I love it!!!

What better place to hang it than on the door to my Studio! So if you come see me you will now be welcomed with my "Hanger/Cobweb weaving"

I have a feeling more will come.....thanks for coming by!

Suzi

Good Intentions

A Full day in the studio....oh Boy!!! I can finish up a Journey Journal, I can start on a couple of "Sisters" pieces and try out some new ideas I have.............

Yeah, well....you know what they say about good intentions!!

I DID spend the day in the Studio, but found myself knee deep creating some videos I'm adding to my "Journal Making Journal" online workshop on a new paper tape method I came up with that will work very well in journals. I realllllyyyyy did not intend to do that right now!! However....it's almost complete and will probably be available tomorrow. 

(If you are in my journal making class you will be receiving that information)

BUT.... I did get some other things accomplished!

Made a great sheet of Paper Tape

And completed the signatures and cover for my Journal.

And I'm loving this cover!! It is covered with hand woven painted papers, Kozo and Philippine Gampi bark and some jute and string weaving!!

so.....ALL was not lost.

Hope to have that Journal completed soon! Thanks for stopping by.

Suzi

To be Continued......

I am so excited about a new "Paper Tape" method I have come up with as a way of using clear packing tape!

BUT....I can't share just now because it will be part of my "Just loving my Journal" class in Kansas City, Mo. next year with 
Art & Soul! 

However, here's a photo of what I did yesterday.

I am thinking of adding this to my online "Let's Make Paper Tape" workshop and if I do, I'll let you know. 

Onward and Upward!!!!

Thanks for stopping by :), Suzi

I love it when this happens!

Oh my how I love little "discoveries"!

Those of you who are on my facebook page may remember me posting this image of a pastel painting I did

I even made a You Tube video of my process

That was a couple of months ago. Today I was leafing through a journal I just finished where I used this paper in the journal and when I came to this page....THERE THEY WERE!!! Two little people!! I saw them immediately and gave them some features and that was that!!

Can you see them??

LOVE it when that happens!!

So let me go see what else I can find!

Thanks for stopping by, Suzi

The Making of "Take Heart"

Many of you who have been following me for awhile, and especially those who watch my videos know that from time to time I'll take the surface paper I have been using to work on and turn it into a piece of painted papers. 

Welllll,...... not this time.

When I work on other pieces (small ones) I work on a board covered with paper. Sometimes it's butcher paper, sometimes newspaper, sometimes junk mail...but covered none the less.

This is one that just kept getting covered and covered and I wound up with this.

I then cut it off the board and tore into strips.

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And THEN the collaging began...

And when all said and done.... 

(drum roll please)

the finished product!

This piece is called "Take Heart" and is part of the "Sister's in the Faith" series even though it is large (25 x 19 framed) and framed and ready to hang. 

It was inspired by this sketch I originally did in early 2013 and from where my "Sisters in the Faith" series came from.

I felt it needed to be a large painting because it just had so much to say. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and finally have brought it out of my head and onto a surface where it can live.

I just want to say one thing about the images in my series. As you see, the sketch shows more of a little girl...and she IS cute and I love the little girls...BUT, it seems everyone is doing little girls (which there is NOTHING wrong with) but I felt these pieces were more about the thoughts and feelings of Women. Women who have lived these things and are now living through things in their lives that these scriptures give strength through.

Thanks once again for stopping by to see me. For more information on this piece click here.

Be Blessed! Suzi

Too much fun!!!

Well, I just had a good ole' time in the Studio today!! Finger and 

q-tip painting! MESSY FUN!!!

I'm thinking I'm going to have to add this to my "IN STUDIO" workshop and ART & SOUL in Kansas City next April!

So, if you are on board for any of these workshops....

GET READY!!!

And the fun part is the paper I'm doing this on :)

and what I'm going to do with it!

To find out more Come join me! and thanks for dropping by

Suzi

Now is the time to start signing up!!

Hi Guys!!! I just want to remind you of my classes I'll be teaching at ART & SOUL next April.

I know that sounds like a long way off but if you want to take several classes sometimes it's good to start signing up early...maybe a month at a time...spreads the cost out a little.

ANYWAY.....Here are links to my classes and I hope you will check them out and come on board!

I can't wait!!!!

click on date and class title to go to class site and learn more!!

April 27th - "PAPER TAPE ART"

April 28th - "PAINTING PAPERS FOR WHATEVER"

April 29th - "JUST LOVING MY JOURNAL"

Hope to see you there!!!

Suzi

OHHHHHH!! This made my heart warm!!!

Angie Guignon is the Dean at Oak Crest Private School in Carrollton, Texas. I met her on my flight to Portland in April on my way to teach at Art & Soul. Soon after she emailed me this wonderful Picture where she had made me "Artist of the Month" at her school and had posted all these images of mine at the school. Some of you may have seen where I posted this on my facebook page.

Welllll................

  TODAY, I received this photo where her 4-5 year olds made journals using my "Spring" bird image!!!

NOW HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!

Like I said....made my heart warm :))

Thanks Angie!!

Suzi

Sometimes you just gotta' do it.....

Whew!! I'm exhausted! I just spent my whole "Studio Day" preparing fabrics for future use. It's just one of those things that from time to time I have to do to make my life easier down the road. 

I'm sure you are no different from me if you work with fabric at all (and I do this with paper too) but it seems I accumulate basket fulls of scraps and then when I want fabric for a spine on a book I have to stop and get the scraps out and piece one together. That annoys me because I'm wanting to stay with the flow of making the journal and that kind of slows it down.

SO.....today I got those baskets out and the first thing I did was sort....

Bigger pieces, strips, little pieces for accent and medium size pieces....those were the ones I was focusing on doing something with today.....AND most of those are kimono scraps!! Beautiful pieces of silk from Kimonos that my friend Theresa Gallup sends me from time to time from her scrap pile after making her glorious jackets, purses, scarves, etc. 

So I get all those separated out plus some medium size pieces of cotton fabrics I have. Then comes the tedious part that almost makes me say "Nah....I'm not gonna mess with this right now...."

Ironing them! Because....

They are very very very wrinkled and impossible to do anything with...(I told you this was tedious!)

After I get them all ironed ( at least an hour later) I have the kimono fabric separated from the cottons and I'm ready to sew.

THIS is a job!!! It's like piecing a quilt and these are not pieces of fabric that are in neat little squares or rectangles! So off I go...

And hours later I have this wonderful awry of fabrics sewn together

And rolled up and waiting for me to cut them up for whatever I need. Mainly journal spines in my case.

I'm tired just looking at this....Didn't even get to the cotton ones yet!!

But glad I did it....glad it's done and now I can "stay with the flow" :)

Thanks for stopping by. You may want to do this...it does save time later on.

Ta Ta, Suzi

Sneak Peek....

I can not tell you how excited I am about a new series I have started!! Now, first of all I rarely do a series, so that is important to know, secondly I want to tell you a little bit about it.

From Jan to March of 2013 I started doing a series of little sketches during my morning prayer and meditation time...just little images that came to mind with scripture. Many of you know, on March 11th of that year my precious daughter Shari went to Heaven. All of my art came to a screeching halt. I wasn't sure and didn't care if I ever returned and put it in God's hands like I had to everything else at that time.....by His will and no effort of my own, the images inside of me returned to paper. A few days ago I was looking at these little images and was inspired to do something with them. The thing is, what I am doing looks nothing like the sketches I did before, but the scriptures and the thoughts and the inspiration are all there. This is a sneak peek.....just a little one....don't want to spoil it.

The series is called "Sisters in the Faith"

More will be revealed.............

I hope you will love these as much as I am loving doing them :)

Suzi

From the Church Pew...

I have to confess, I've been sketching in Church for years. It's just the way I document what I'm hearing...some people take notes some people sketch, I do both. This morning was about adoption and two young couples who have adopted children, told their stories. So moving .... yes, I had tears. Anyway, this was what I heard this morning with my "visual ears".

Hearts for God's children....Keeping of souls...young souls...new souls. God bless those who hear the call and respond.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. - James 1:27

Have a blessed Sunday :) - Suzi

Special Order Journal

Had a request for a journal all about the sea and the beach and all things water. I loved doing this because that too is one of my favorite places and was my daughters as well.

This is a Journey Journal and it is No. 50. Wow....can't believe I have made that many and they are everywhere!! Makes my heart happy. 

 

Later, Suzi

Several things....

Have I told you guys how much I LOVE it when you introduce me to something new?? Well.....I DO!! And one of my students, Patricia Walker, put me onto Sakura  Moonlight Gelly Roll Pens and I AM HOOKED!!! Can you say FUN!!! 

Just got them in the mail today and, of course, had to get right on it. Results are in....

Oh Boy Oh Boy!!! I am in Love! You will see more of these!!

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So....the other thing is that a couple of days ago I was watching a Movie and there was this room divider that kept getting my attention. It was like woven sticks....I was fixated on it! So the next day I did this piece of paper as a result of what I saw.

What I did was to paint all these dark grey "woven" lines with my "tube" paint and let it dry. Then I just doodled and glued in pieces of paper etc. When I had it like I wanted it I layered a layer of white tissue over the top. I love what it did.

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Next.....I've been doing some envelope art. This is a large envelope and my plan is to do several for a special envelope journal (large one). I thought I was finished and all of a sudden these little ladies appeared! Go figure.....

Do keep in mind that I use these pieces in my journals. If you buy one, you never know what you might see that you have seen before :) That's what makes it fun!

I also finished a journal order today and will post it on a separate post.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me ramble on....

Suzi