Fine Art in the Library, Class 4

Our numbers were few today as school's are out for Spring Break this week. Nevertheless, a few eager kids came to the class to learn about our artist of the week, Canadian Ted Harrison.

The Leduc Public Library has a Ted Harrison limited edition print (30/150) which the kids were able to view his work up close and personal. The print is entitled Winter Day ~ something we're all very accustomed to around these parts.




We found out that although Harrison's work looks easy to duplicate, that his simple lines are not that easy to reproduce.

Where's the fridge light?

One friend describes our home as "a cool museum". My son's college buddy said: "I like your house. It's cool ... it's not normal." Naturally, I took that as a compliment. If all this sounds sweet, if somewhat odd, then you'll enjoy the funny exchange I had with my son Zach last night around midnight.

Zach: (in panic-y voice, outside my bedroom door) The light's out in the fridge!
Me: Yeah I know.
Zach: I can't see anything! What happened to the light?
Me: I needed it for the lava light.
Zach: Whaaaat? But I can't see in the fridge!
My hubby: Zach go to bed.
Me: I'll get a fridge bulb in the morning.
(Sound of lights flicking on all over the kitchen and fridge door opening ... again)

Perfectly normal, right?

And the winners are ...

Today Greg and I celebrate our 23rd anniversary!

Wow ~ hard to believe that it's been that long already.

And today I'm announcing what I'm giving away for
my 4th Blogoversary prize.
As I was deciding what that should be,
I thought since it was my Blogoversary and Anniversary,
I should award not one, but two prizes.

For last week's Fine Art in the Library, I created two objet de'art
imitating the style of Marc Chagall. These are the pieces that I will give away.

The first, a 10"x12" acrylic painting, on canvas
"Angel of Peace" goes to
Karyn Hutchinson of Musings from Me

The second giveaway, an 8.5"x11" soft pastel on repurposed card stock
"Evening Song" goes to
Kel of My Ladies Fine Designs and The Holy Land

For Karyn

For Kel

Karyn and Kel, please contact me so that I can send these out to you.
And thank you to everyone else for your comments and best wishes!

Garage Sale & Good Will treasures

I just wanted to share a couple photos of some things I bought today. One is a jam jar and the other is an "authentic" ceramic Hunny jar. Oh bother! How exciting!

Fine Art in the Library, 3rd week

On Week Three
we discovered the work of
painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

First we painted our canvases blue,
and let them dry.

Then some of the kids looked at some of the reference materials to be inspired
to create their own Chagall-ish paintings.

We talked about how and why Chagall used a lot of symbolism in his work.

The Eiffel Tower showed up in many of the paintings, as did Roosters, Flying People and Violins. One of the students even did a painting of a stained glass window.

Next week is April 1st ~ come back and see who our featured artist is next time round!

Chagall study

This coming Wednesday, our class with be learning about Marc Chagall with the kids.
With that in mind, I painted this small 9.5" x 11.5" painting this afternoon, using
Chagall's Le Champ de Mars painting as inspiration.

Blog Interview #18 ~ The Farm Chicks, Serena & Teri

I'm sure many of you have heard of The Farm Chicks (aka, Serena Thompson and Teri Edwards). I am so pleased that Teri has graciously agreed to do an interview with me this morning.

Thank you for being with us today, Teri. Please tell us a little bit about The Farm Chicks.
Serena and I started our business in 2002. In addition to producing an antique show, we're also contributing editors to Country Living magazine and just had our first book released [entitled] "The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen".

Why did you decide to blog?
Although we have a website that shares information about our business, we knew that a blog would allow us to interact with visitors on a more personal and creative level.

What date did you begin The Farm Chicks blog?
It was the end of October 2008 so we're still newbies at this!

What did you talk about on your very first post?
It just so happened that I was on vacation when we went live so Serena did an introduction post. We were so pleased that it was so well received and everyone made us feel so welcome to this new and unknown world of blogging.

Do you prefer to blog with words or pictures or both?
Both. Words are necessary, but pictures really help to tell the story completely.

Have you met people through blogging?
We've met a lot of really nice fellow bloggers!

Can you describe a friendship you've established through your blog?
Christina from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho has become a blogging friend. We found out that she's been to some of our past antique shows and even asked her doctor to postpone inducing labour so she could attend our show last summer!! We recently featured how Christina decorated her daughter's bedroom and we just met her in person to discuss photos (she's an amazing photographer) over a cup of coffee.

Did you design your blog or did you have it professionally done?
Oh gosh, we had it done professionally ~ we're not very techie!

Have you ever been featured in Artful Blogging?
We don't believe so.

What does your "About Me" (or in your case, "About Us") read on your blog?
We talk about our childhoods, how we met and got our business started. "Our childhoods couldn't have been more different. Serena bounced through the first years of her life in a hippie gypsy wagon, wandering the back roads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Teri grew up in tiny White Swan, Washington, herding geese, doing farm chores and kneeling in daily prayer. Who would have guessed that 30 years later, an Irish Nun would bring us together, seeing instead our many similarities...."

What feature do you like the most on your blog?
We like that readers can comment. It's a great way to not only interact with guests to the blog, but it really helps us to see what they'd like us to blog about.

Is there anything on your blog you'd like to change?
I can't think of anything, but that's probably because we're still so new to all of this. I do wish that I could post better photos. Many times, there's something I'm excited to blog about, but because the photos don't turn out well, I just skip it.

Do you ever blog when you "don't feel like it"?
We're really fortunate that two of us are responsible for the blog. We've never set a schedule, but decided that if we feel like blogging, we will, and if we're just not in the mood, then we don't. Nothing is ever good if it's forced. We usually always post at least once a day and sometimes twice, but never on the weekends. It works best for us to keep that time just for family.

What words or themes would best describe your blog?
Well ... I like to think it's happy, colourful and fun!

Do you have any interesting directions you want to take your blog in, in the future?
Right now we're just really working on getting to know the blogging world. There are so many amazing and creative women out there sharing what they love to do and inspiring others to search out their creative dreams. We're thrilled to be a part of it!
Well I'm thrilled that you took time out of your busy schedule to talk to us, Teri. Thank you so much!

* * *
Teri and Serena's brand new book, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen is flying off the presses and can be purchased online at Chapters or Amazon!

The Farm Chicks Annual Antique Show takes place on June 6th and 7th, 2009 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, 404 N. Havana Street, Spokane Valley, Washington. Admission is only $6 per person, and kids are admitted free.

Fine Art in the Library, 2nd week

Today we looked at some of Henri Matisse's early paintings and followed the progression of style over his art career.

Then the kids made their own cut outs.


Everyone seemed to enjoy "painting with scissors".












It was impressive how all the young artists worked with the contrasting colours as well as with positive and negative space.








Some of them even remembered to do their homework from last week by completing a self portrait, and bringing it back to share with everyone.

In our next class, we will discover the art of Marc Chagall.

Faux Gogh completed

My Faux Gogh chair (#2) is completed ~ yay!














What's next?
Look for another chair ~ and perhaps someone who is interested in purchasing a one-of-a-kind piece of fine art furniture!

Blog Interview #17 ~ Heidi, Dreams Intertwined

Blog hopping is a little hobby of mine. Usually I start out with blogs that I visit regularly and then I peruse their links and hop from one to another to another. This is how I discovered Heidi's lovely blog, Dreams Intertwined.

Thank you for doing this interview; please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a stay at home with 3 children, well not really, because I work for an estate sale company, have a booth at an antique mall, an Etsy shop, and I create little "handmades" and sell them in local boutiques, SO I am rarely "at home!" I come from a creative family. My father was always building something in his workshop (amongst other talents), my mother is a jewelry and fiber artist, and my sister makes cool jewelry out of vintage parts and works in the music industry.

Why did you decide to blog?
I started blogging to keep a "journal" and share my endeavors.

How did you decide on Dreams Intertwined?
I named it that because I wanted it to be a blog about all my dreams (or favorite things) concerning my family, my home, my finds, my craft and business endeavors, and my faith and ideas, and coming together, intertwining...

What date did you blog for the very first time and what did you talk about on your very first post?
I read others' blogs for about a year before I took the plunge in December 2007. My first post was entitled "Welcome to my blog!" original, huh? I talked about why I named my blog dreams intertwined and what my plans were for blogging.

Do you usually blog with pictures and words or mostly pictures or mostly words?
Both, but personally I am drawn to blogs with great pictures, so I try hard to post a lot of photos.

Have you met people through blogging?
Making new friends and cultivating those relationships online is an art form itself, no? I have met many new friends through blogging, which has led to swaps, and attending Silver Bella, where I met some of those blogging friends in person.

Describe a friendship you've established through blogging.
One friend I met through blogging I roomed with at Silver Bella last November. We keep up with each other through emails and our blogs, but have also talked about going to visit each other over the summer.

Did you design your blog or did you have it professionally done?
I have done my own "design", if you want to call it that ~ through Blogger tools. I have thought about having it professionally done, but haven't pulled the trigger on that mainly because I like to change things up.

Have you ever been featured in Artful Blogging?
Wouldn't that be a coup?

What does your "About Me" read on your blog?
"On this blog you will find Me, being Me. Part wife, part mom, art artist, part entrepreneur, and part decorator with a pinch of ADHD (not a joke). Focus is not my strong suit, but rearranging is! Here you will read, willy nilly as I write; about family escapades, tales of thrifting, adventures in arts and crafts, exploits of my home decorating, and anything new that catches my fancy! Hopefully, somewhere along the way, my contributions to my family, my friends and my community will be full of love, beauty, grace, gratitude and whimsy!"

What feature on your blog do you like the most?
I like the traffic feed, I am curious to know who visits my blog.

Is there anything on your blog you'd like to change?
Oh everything should change every once in a while. I like change.

Do you ever blog when you don't "feel like it"?
I can't think of a time.

Give me four words that best describe dreams intertwined?
Fun, flighty, artsy, whimsical.

Do you have any interesting directions you want to take your blog in, in the future?
I am thinking about opening a blog shop.

Is there anything else you'd like to add, Heidi?
I love feedback, so please comment if you come by my blog, even if it is just to say hi! Thanks. I really enjoy your blog, Dawn and have been loving reading all the interviews!

PLEASE NOTE:
1. Blogger is being nasty to me today. I am having trouble uploading photos, so I apologize for how Heidi's photos are all bunched together and the fact I couldn't include more. Would someone please fix the bugs on this Blogger program?!
2. Also, please add your name to my Blogoversary giveaway.
The draw will take place on March 29th.