Cats in Bed

My friend Katherine has been working with me to try to get me to break loose and draw. I am trying, but one of the hardest things is to let go and just draw and silence my inner critic.

At Artfest I took a class from Carla Sonheim, a delightful and whimsical artist as well as a delightful person! Carla's drawing lab book was just released, and an online art group is going through each chapter, lesson by lesson, exercise by exercise---I've joined in.

The first exercise in Carla's book is called "Cats in Bed". She encourages students to place heavy drawing paper on a pillow or on their bed. Using a permanent marker pen, draw at least 30 cats and the pillow or bed will cause the paper to "give" so there is fluidity in the lines (and a good excuse if you don't like it! ha!). This is one of my quirky cats. Believe it or not, giraffes are next!

Evening with the Artsy Craftsy Club

Last night my daughter and I went to a good friend's house for what she calls the "Artsy Craftsy Club". This is a totally fun evening where friends show up, eat snacks, talk and laugh, and play with art. Jamie, our fearless leader, provides all the art supplies and a project idea to work on. She is an incredible artist who also happens to be a new mom, a pediatric nurse, and lots and lots of fun! You can see her incredible artwork at www.therustyartichoke.etsy.com.

Last night Jamie chose a collage project from an art magazine with step by step instructions, and Jamie kept us moving in the right direction when we were stuck. Interestingly enough, Jamie says she could NEVER be a teacher, but shhhh, don't tell her, she really IS a teacher and a great one at that! Each person's final product was very unique, even when a few chose the same color palettes.

This is my completed project. I think I'm going to frame it and put it on my art wall in the den. At the end of the evening I felt invigorated (Playing with art is like that for me!) Thanks again Jamie, for a great evening.