the art of presentation

As long as I remember I have loved the simple act of taking the extra step. I take great delight in giving just a little extra.....in my gifts, in my work, and now I carry it along with me into the world of teaching.

Just this last summer, the managing editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry, Christen Olivarez, graciously requested an interview from myself, and a dear artist sister, Colette Copeland, of A Bird in the Hand.
Collette is that type of an artist, and her work reflects it. Upon my request, she made the most beautiful jewelry folders to pair with my jewelry.
We collaborated on a submission sent to Stampington called sisterhood. It was featured in the winter issue of the magazine that came out December 1st. What an especially sweet blessing.
Thank you Christen!Once again, as I prepared the brass charms, bronze wire, and extra goodies going into the bags of the students taking my Resolutions of the Heart class this next Saturday, I thought about ways of adding that extra touch....something really special.I think they will be pleased.

{Echo} Week 2 - decorate

diane / lani

It never ceases to amaze me how a prompt, in this case through the camera lens, can be interpreted so differently by each contributor. I must admit that this week was quite a surprise. Each of our photos so different, yet so very captivating side by side.
The second week of Susan's and Chrysti's bi-weekly prompt, through the lens of their camera, is decorate.
Lani began our collaboration by sending her picture for decorate:offering. She has more to say about it here.
My contribution is one made up of several layers. Much like adding layers of decorations to an area of my home during the holidays, or outside during different seasons of the year; my pictures were all taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico this past March. I walked Santa Fe that week, camera in hand, snapping hundreds of photos.
More details on what makes up each layer can be found on my flickr.
Want to take this ride with us? Details are found here.

{Echo} Week 1 - Emerge

Emerge:Beyond

My ever so talented Visual Poetry teacher, Susan Tuttle, and her likewise talented friend, Chrysti Hydek, have begun an artistic journey together as they explore a bi-weekly prompt (every other Wednesday), through the lenses of their cameras. The first prompt emerge. Their first collaboration is seen here. Visit Chrysti's blog to see their second. We are invited to play along (it's not necessary to pair with someone, but if you do, it is much fun -- just interpret the prompt through your own camera lens, post your photograph on your blog, and leave a link to your post in the comment section of either of their blogs.
I have collaborated with an artist friend, Lani Gerity Glanville, who took Susan's Visual Poetry class, along with me and 28 other artists. I love Lani's interpretation picture(the one on the right), which she said was taken in a butterfly garden. The pumpkin on the left, my way of expressing what emerges ~ beyond. (Click on photo for a larger version).
I look forward to seeing you there....through your eyes. I believe tomorrow is time for the next prompt!

answer to a mother's prayer

Last February I began an artistic journey with a group of fellow artists, lead by the very talented Seth Apter, in what Seth calls

Disintegration Collaboration.

I jumped in around February 14th. The big reveal date was May 1st.

This project has been brewing in my mind since then, as we were to use element(s) from our

DisCo DisCovery bundle to design, or give new life, to a piece of art of our choosing.

The due date August 1st or thereabouts.

I began pondering the very words of Seth,

"As I thought about the process of disintegration, I saw it not as destruction. Or decay. Or death. But as renewal. Change. And life".

This brought me back to last April, when circumstances (like an artistic journey to California) took place. But more important than that, and I mean life changing important, was the water baptism of my daughter, Melanie.

I had no idea she'd decided to participate in her church's outdoors baptism, held in the cool waters of the Guadalupe River in Boerne, Texas.

It tore me apart to not attend, as it was just several weeks before that I had purchased my airline ticket and paid for my classes.

So with great joy, my dear husband stepped in to video the event. Some of her sweet friends took pictures. But, even more and without a blink, my daughter gave me her blessings to go to California.

So this is why I am mentioning Seth's words, about decay not being death, but rather a renewal or change of life; as it made me realize that is exactly what my daughter did that warm Spring day in April...down in the cool waters of the Guadalupe River. She became a new person. A living soul in the body of Christ.

So with all that said, I have finished my project,

Day at the Guadalupe.

It is one filled with love and adoration for my beautiful daughter. The one I love so very much!

Melanie C. Wait was baptized into Christ on 4/19/2009.

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Right There

Michelle Ward's Crusade No. 32 is right where I am today! I have wanted to post about her latest crusade (since the beginning of July); but a vacation trip, an anniversary, an ER visit, LASIK surgery, a beautiful 5 month old grandson, class proposals AND a full-time job, have put me just a tad behind.

But, here I am, past all of the above distractions, with not a care in the world! Really! Working on class proposals made me realize just how much my jewelry has changed in the last five years....two years....one year!

Techniques have been refined. Lessons have been learned.

I believe you know I have a deep affection for vintage jewelry. Especially, vintage rhinestone jewelry. And, more than that~vintage rhinestone brooches, shoe and dress clips. Just let me loose at an antique mall, store or festival, estate sale or Etsy and eBay! My husband says I am keeping the UPS driver from loosing his job. Yes, he is right....I am.

There is just a certain kind of magic about old rhinestone jewelry. I especially love when the rhinstones are grayed. Reminds me of tarnished silver I suppose, and you know how I feel about that! Without revealing too many details (*wink*), I have to share once again, one of my original rhinestone pieces. The one above (which is just another shot of the piece I used in my blog header), was designed in November 2008. However, my very first piece came around August, 2008.

This line I call "Rhinestone Dreams". Maybe because I dream of using vintage rhinestones (so much).

I had a great time working on the class proposals. Can't show you the pieces (just yet), but here's a small peak. I love this piece.

And, this one.....
Now, onto my next project!

Corrales, New Mexico

Welcome to another one of Seth Apter's brainstorms.

Here is what Seth posted on his blog, The Altered Page, today~

Welcome to Buried Treasure: an online, collaborative project that invites art bloggers to go into the depths of their blogs and dig for buried treasure. Each participant was asked to repost one (or more) or their favorite posts from their own blog. There are so many brilliant artists out there but so little time to explore all their work fully. This gives us all an opportunity to see highlights from posts we may have missed from over 80 artists!

This is my choice of buried treasure from my blog archives, dated March 25, 2009. It brought back some wonderful memories.

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I found I could say things with colors that I couldn't say in any other way -- things that I had no words for. ~Georgia O'Keeffe

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I do know I see way more beauty than I can explain in words. Beauty I feel deep in my heart and in my soul. I felt this way in New Mexico. Now I understand what Georgia O'Keeffe wrote about, as she lived out the later part of her life in Santa Fe. The Chocolate Turtle Bed & Breakfast

Color never became more vivid to me than in Coralles, New Mexico. This is where New Mexico began to come alive deep in my artistic soul.
We spent only one day in this quaint village, but I know it has left a lasting memory inside of me. It is nestled just outside of sprawling Albuquerque. Our time in this unique bed & breakfast, owned by Nancy and Dallas, proved to be an unexpected highlight of our trip.

After a little shopping and having dinner in town, we came back to the B&B. First, there was a (much needed) soft rain shower, and then a double rainbow. How could it have been better than this?

I will proclain the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God.
Deuteronomy 32:3

It was hard to leave. But I will be back. I just know it.

You can see more door shots each Thursday! Just go see David McMahon, who is a wonderful author & photographer, with quite a sense of humor, I might add.

Results Revealed

On February 14th I joined, along with over 120 other artists, in a brainstorm of an idea lead by Seth Apter, called Disintegration Collaboration.

We were to produce a bundle of art, place it outside, and let the elements do its magic.

I put together several pages of plain & stamped watercolor paper, a newspaper clipping, a used coffee filter from the morning coffee, an envelope from a friend, copper mesh & copper wire. I tied it into a tight bundle, using a ribbon of my favorite color~mint green.

However, on March 1st, I decided my little bundle needed to receive more of the elements. What was I thinking? I wanted more disintegration, not less. So, out it went on our backyard fence. I gently moved it to my favorite rusty garden gate.

It then weathered several hard rain storms. The most notable ones were in April. One was the weekend I spent in California; and the other huge one, was the weekend of April 24th. We received 12 inches of rain in Katy, in less than 24 hours!

So, here is how it looked on the big reveal day of May 1st. I had to shake off a few bugs that had made it their home. And, of course there were signs of mildew, along with decomposed leaves and dirt between the folds of the copper mesh.
This now leads us to Part 2 of the collaboration. We are to produce a new piece of art using some or all of our disintegrated material. The big reveal date is set for August 1st.

But, this lead me to want more. More disintegration that is. Therefore, I bundled it back up, and it went back out to my favorite rusty gate~for one more month. I will snap another picture or two when I take it down on June 1st.

Seth has some great ideas in the works for the completed projects. I have a few in mind as I type this post. None the less, it will be FUN.

a new collaboration begins

Disintigration Collaboration has been in full swing at The Altered Page. Go here to see how it began. The mission was to create a paper bundle, any way you like. Place said bundle in nature. Post a "before" picture on your blog. Watch and wait. Each artist will then reveal the result in an "after" picture posted on their own blog on May 1. Here's how it began for me:

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No.1 Coffee filter from the morning pot No.2 A few favorite stamps on Arches watercolor paper No.3 More favorite stamps~red included for Valentine's Day No. 4 Newspaper from the day-love included for Valentine's Day No. 5 Copper wire mesh as the base (not paper~I know) No. 6 Envelope from a friend No. 7 Seven layers, including the copper wire mesh No. 8 Wrapping supplies and tools No. 9 All tied up!

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This project intrigued me, so I started mine yesterday~Valentine's Day! Soon after we had a rain shower, but mine has been put next to our garage, just under the roof line. I wanted to somewhat control the amount of moisture it would receive, as our humidity can be overwhelming in the gulf coast area of Texas. Maybe this was or wasn't the best idea, but I will see on May 1st what has happened to my bundle of paper.

I snugged my bundle up as tight as possible to a small trellis which is waiting for a pepper bush to get large enough to lean against. If the bush starts to grow, it would be even more fun to see what happens. My little bundle may have to hang around till after the May 1st unveiling date......we'll see.