Art In Miniature

I’m at it again…creating little works of art! Using regular playing cards as my base, I love making small collages on top…and in this case, making an ATC triptych (Artist Trading Card). All you need…a little collage material, such as images, papers, tape, pens, a little creativity, and a dash of romance…that’s the recipe for “Love”, this little triptych art piece. You can create these art pieces to display in your own home, to give as a gift, or they can even be framed.

They are so much fun to make…you can’t make just one! I’ve joined our local online “newspaper”, The Suisun Patch…and here is my listing for my art and community classes http://suisuncity.patch.com/listings/creative-art-classes  I’m excited for the opportunity to teach one of my favorite things…collage!!!

 

Artcy Lucy’s photostream

Artcy Lucy’s photostream on Flickr.

 

Classes start soon!!!

Artist Trading Cards
 
So, what are they? Simply put, they are miniature works of art! They are fun, easy, and pretty much anything goes in making these little art cards. There is one rule….they must be the size of a normal trading card, or a playing card, 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.  You’ll be inspired to create these fun little pieces throughout the rest of the summer, and trade with other artists. I’ll show you how they can be made, given as gifts, and displayed in your home. But watch out…creating them can be addicting!

Join me on Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
(youths 12 years of age and older, welcomed!)

All supplies and instruction booklet will be included with class. Want to sign up? It’s easy!

Go to http://www.suisun.com/Recreation.html   You can look through the online Activity Guide, as well as use their Online Registration.

And what’s in store for August? A mixed media art class, The Storyteller’s Collage…where we will be creating beautiful collages with a mixture of old and new.

Want to print out a PDF flyer of the three summer classes I’ll be teaching? Here you go…Mixed Media Classes 2011  Feel free to share these with a friend!

I’m so excited to be teaching these classes in my community, and I hope you are able to join me!

 

…this just in…

I am so pleased to share some news with you! One of my art assemblages, “A Thankful, Loving Heart” has been published in an upcoming issue of Somerset Studio Gallery magazine. It will hit national magazine stands on June 1st, but they were kind enough to share an advanced copy with me.

I am thrilled to find a nice large photo, and full page…page 131…with my art piece, as well as printed instructions on how to create something similar. That is why I love Somerset Studio publications…not only do they SHOW you a variety of mixed media art…but they encourage you to try creating something yourself! It helps spark the imagination!

And more exciting news….

I’ve reopened my Etsy shop, for the first time this year! I am only listing my very favorites…my story box assemblages, as well as my vintage book cover collages, for now. I LOVE creating these stories out of vintage items…I love giving new life to old things…that’s how I came up with my little business tagline for my shop and blog…ArtcyLucy…Modernly Vintage Art. 

I hope you have a second or two, to browse my art, as well as all the fun stuff you can find when you explore Etsy!

That’s all the news for now. In the meantime, I am busy creating new art, as well as preparing for teaching summer classes. I hope all is well in your corner of the world too!

 

Artist, Explorer, Photographer…Teacher

Yes, it is the very first blog post of 2011! Please forgive me for my lack of posting here…and bear with me, as I have a lot of filling in to do!

No, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, but it’s been a busy, yet wonderful year so far. I started off the year taking an online class with a fabulous teacher, which explored painting and writing, and combining them both…which really inspired my art process!

Then, as the class ended, my husband and I boarded a plane for Ireland, to celebrate our 25th year of marriage…yes! 25!!! It was blissful and beautiful, and EVERYONE should see this amazing country at least once in their lifetime!

We came back home, and had our normal colds, and jetlag…and after the fog had cleared, we had over 4000 photographs to sift through. Then, we settled back into our routines…but with Ireland still on our minds. So, it wasn’t any wonder that I started to sketch and paint the places we had seen.

Since then, I’ve been working in collage, watercolor, mail art, oil and acrylics, and art journaling…as well as writing. There’s nothing quite like seeing a beautiful country to inspire me to try new things, especially when it comes to my art.

Something has been brewing for a while…it just took me some time to make it happen…or to let it happen. An opportunity for me to teach locally, just a few afternoons this summer, has come my way, and I couldn’t let it pass me by. Am I ready for teaching? Well, that thought crossed my mind a lot in the last few months…but YES, I can finally say I am ready to try this. My reason? Because I love creating art so much…I want others to experience the joy of making something with their own hands too!

These are the classes I will be teaching…

A Traveler’s Journal

An extremely fun class, where we will be creating a book to store memories of traveling, ticket stubs, maps, photos, postcards, original art…anything and everything! I’ve made two of these for my last two adventures, and I LOVE looking through the memories they hold.  Once you know how to make these simple books…you will be hooked! These would make wonderful gifts for friends and family too!

Artist Trading Cards

This class will be for adults and youths (12 years and up) to create little pieces of art, on playing cards. These make great little gifts, or can be traded with other artists. There is literally, a whole world of people out there who create and trade and collect Artist Trading Cards…really! It’s a fun way to enter the world of collage and mixed media!  That’s how I got my start…five years ago. You never know what creating ATCs will lead to.

It’s also a great way to try painting like the masters…it’s easy to do a Monet inspired piece on a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch canvas! It’s art without fear! And a whole lot of fun! 

The Storyteller’s Collage

For those of you that have seen my art, it’s no surprise to you, that I have a love of vintage images, and love to create art surrounding the imagined life of the faces in the photographs. For me, collage is a wonderful way to tell a story, of the past, present or future. In this class, we will be creating beautiful collages, that are about 4 x 5 inches in size. We will start with an image we want to use, gorgeous background papers of our choosing, vintage ephemera, buttons, lace, ribbon, and “found” text from a book, to create a story.

So, do any of these classes appeal to you? If you live anywhere near Solano County, California, please join me for three afternoons this summer!

More info can be found here at the Suisun City Community and Recreations page. My classes can be found in the Activity Guide on page 9  under Mixed Media Art Classes by Roberta Schmidt  and online registration can be found here on the “View Activities” section of the web page.

I hope those of you in my area will feel free to join me for these very fun (and affordable!) classes. I would love to take this new adventure with you at my side!

 Do you have any questions regarding these classes or any of the art you see here? I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to email me at ArtcyLucy@aol.com

So, what’s new in your 2011???

 

new year, new goals

The artist’s world is limitless.  It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away.  It is always on his doorstep.  ~Paul Strand

Can you believe another year has come and gone?  I hope your 2010 was a wonderful one!

For me, it was a year of growth…of stretching, of trying new things, of finding inspiration in so many different places. It was a year to delve more into my collage journal, to gain more confidence with watercolors, to try gouache paint, to sketch more, to brighten up my digital art, to create little story boxes, and to paint with acrylics more and more! And it was a year of wonderful workshops with amazing teachers. I felt so grateful to learn from them…inspiring me to push ahead. I took what they offered, and carried it through into my own art. And I could feel a shift…

I was gifted (by my very loving husband!) with an adorable easel, that easily rolls from one room to the next. While working on my newest acrylic paintings, I felt more like the master artists of old…imagining them centuries ago, sitting in front of easel and palette and creating what they saw in front of them. I’ve taken a lot of time this past year, to research artists and their techniques…particularly the Impressionists. and Post Impressionists. Sunflowers and van Gogh go hand in hand…so, that became a focus for me in the summer of 2010…to capture the outside world, in a thick impasto brush strokes. I fell in love…with painting! I think I was a bit surprised about that, as my first love was collage. But with a paint brush in hand…I felt a certain freedom. It felt pretty amazing.

So, for 2011…I’m moving forward towards more painting. I’ll still continue my education of art techniques and forge ahead with brush in hand. That “shift” that I mentioned earlier, made me think more and more about my Etsy shop. And while I have loved offering my art to others, I want to take some time to really explore what I can do with acrylics. To spend time doing that, I am taking a break from my Etsy shop. I will be closing it on January 15th…taking a bit of an extended vacation from selling online. At the moment, I am not sure when I will open it again. Maybe in the Spring, or possibly the Summer. So, if there is something you see there, that you like, this may be the best time to acquire it. I’ve marked a lot of the items with affordable prices, but I do know that the economy is bad, and people are struggling a bit. So, if you see something there you love, but would like a lower price, just email me with your best offer, or offer a trade of some sort (ie, art for art, art for jewelry, art for ephemera…you get the idea) and I will be happy to consider that option!

I’ll still be around to update my blog, to let you know what I’m up to. After all, sharing this art journey with you, has been a great joy to me!

I hope that this new year will bring some great art adventures for me and you!

 

the change of seasons

It’s in the heart of autumn here…and the leaves are falling slowly off the trees. I love this time of year. And if I had my way, I would be painting the season right now. That’s been my love lately…Painting. Honestly, I didn’t realize how much I would love it.

Unfortunately, there are projects being done around the house, that has impeded my painting progress….so I can only DREAM about painting falling leaves. Worn out carpet, is being replaced with wood flooring…which we are installing ourselves. The project started November 10th, but a lot of preliminary work had to be done around here. There is progress…but a home improvement person I am not. I am an artist at heart. And being away from my paints and canvases, my collage supplies, and little story box assemblages is driving me crazy. I miss the act of creating.

sigh…

And I miss sharing my new art with you, here. One of the last paintings I worked on, was this one…called Do You Remember?

It is based on a painting by John Everett Millais. It felt so good to be doing portraits again, and I certainly enjoyed the loose style of the brush strokes. It was a wonderful day of painting. While I am on my knees, clicking floor planks together…I remember painting, and how much I loved it. And soon, I’ll be back at it. Hopefully by the beginning of the year. By then, Winter will be upon us.

I keep reminding myself that it has been a very productive year…I’ve really grown in so many ways, and I am really enjoying this art journey. But for now, there is just a little detour, while the house (and art spaces!) are getting some much needed updating. I can say, that I am enjoying spending the time with my husband…it’s our project, and it feels good to see what our hands have accomplished…together.

I hope that November was kind to you, and that you are enjoying your December. And hopefully you are doing something a little more fun, than installing wood floors!

Meet me back here in January…so we can share a little art chat, ok?

But before you leave, check out my new blog roll on the right side…there are a whole slew of daily painters that you might want to take a look at. Their art has been inspiring me, and hopefully it will inspire you too!

This painting is available for purchase. Please email me at ArtcyLucy@aol.com for pricing information. Thanks!

 

a small book with a big heart

It’s a project very dear to me…and it hopefully will inspire others to create with abandon. What is it???

I’m glad you asked!

I’ve dedicated a whole page on my blog, just for my Little Fat Collage Book Project. Won’t you take a look????

 

Book Arts Jam

It came and went too quickly! My time at the Book Arts Show was certainly memorable though! I met SO many wonderful artists, and saw so many wonderful works of art…it is something I will never forget!

I absolutely LOVED creating work for this show…as I have always loved vintage books and old family photos (even if they weren’t my family!), and this was an opportunity to use so many of the beautiful items I had been saving up from my antique finds throughout the years.

I made quite a collection of vintage book cover collages, as well as assemblage “story boxes”. I have been busy photographing these pieces, and have slowly been putting them up in my Etsy shop this week, so if you have some time, and would like to take a look…please hop on over to http://www.ArtcyLucy.Etsy.com

Thanks to all of you who came by to see me at the Book Arts Jam! I certainly enjoyed seeing “old” friends, and meeting new ones! Connecting with other artists truly was the highlight of the entire day!

 

as sweet as a rose

If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I’d be picking roses for a lifetime.” ~ Swedish Proverb

Rose – 11 x 14 inch mixed media painting on canvas

I started this painting months ago, and like a butterfly, she went through quite a metamorphosis to get to where she is right now. But I am happy to say that “Rose” is finally finished! She reminds me a bit of the Pre-Raphaelite faces, such as those of JW Waterhouse and maybe a little of Dante Rossetti’s art. I remember finding their art online for the first time, years ago…before even starting my own art journey…I fell in love with those faces, the costumes, and the romance of that time period. So, it isn’t  hard to understand why I tend to paint faces like that…those melancholy expressions.

This painting is available for purchase. Please email me at ArtcyLucy@aol.com for pricing information. Thanks!