I love ATCs ! ATCs are small works of original art that artists make and trade. When I first saw them they were being made using playing cards. Here’s one of the very first ATC’s I ever made… I thought you were supposed to keep the general appearance of the […]
Mixed-Media Art
“The Symbol of St. Patrick”
Here’s my piece that I contributed to the HCBC Art Exhibit entitled “Three in One.” I took a few pictures (not very good ones, unfortunately) while I was making it… First I formed the leaves and stem of the shamrock, and the decorative braids out of paper clay. It is […]
How I Learned to Play the Bagpipes–Part 3 of 3
In my last post, I finally had my very own set of bagpipes! I continued with my private lessons, working harder than ever to learn how to achieve steady blowing pressure, consistent arm pressure on the bag, and correct fingering as I played the melody on the chanter. Whew! Can you chew gum, […]
“How I Learned to Play the Bagpipes”-Part 2 of 3
When I ended my last post, I was finally ready to start making some phone calls. I had done some initial internet research in Step One and learned a lot, but I kept reading the same admonition over and over again from different experts: To learn to play the bagpipes correctly, you need a good instructor… Step […]
“How I Learned to Play the Bagpipes”-A Mixed-Media Book, Part 1 of 3
Yep. I play the bagpipes. The story of how it all came about is recorded in a small, green book I made… With St. Patrick’s day right around the corner, I thought I’d snap a few pictures and share this story with you… One day, in early summer of 2003, I was driving […]
Valentine’s Cards With Hand Drawn Birds
Hand-drawn Bird Valentine
I sketched 4 little birds in pencil, using a field guide for reference. Then I cut them out using an arch shape stencil I had. I cut one out as a heart since the arch didn’t fit around it. I decided to make the heart-shaped card first. Using […]
“I Am Loved” -Valentine’s Day Mixed-Media Assemblage
Valentine’s Day Tags
This tag came on an ornament I received. I always notice the tags on retail items since I love to collect all different sorts of shapes to use as templates. I loved the shape of this tag and I’ve never seen a paper punch this shape, so I tucked it away in my […]