Other Peoples Flowers

Will You Be Ready When The Horses Come For You?

2012-01-26T15:25:00.000-06:00

“Will You Be Ready When The Horses Come For You?” by Crystal Neubauer

My recent work time in the studio found me attending to this piece for the "100 Artist Show: Art of Communication" opening at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon the first weekend in February and running through March 3. The show features 100 artists who were invited to participate in partnerships of 2 artists each. After writing handwritten letters to their partnering artist, each artist was assigned to create, in their own medium, a piece inspired by their partners words.

As I read the explanation from my partnered artist, Patricia Giraud's letter of her own work as an artist: “the horse became my totem around which I consider the principles of relationship, challenge, generosity and stewardship.” a song began playing on the radio in my studio called “Horses” by Margaret Becker. The lyrics read in part:

"Last night I dreamed of horses
Coming for my soul
Taking me to places
I wasn't ready yet to go

Last night I dreamed of silence
The silence that I keep
All the things I could've said
Well, they stole away my sleep

I need to remember
The horses will come
I need to remember
How quickly they run

I want no regrets
When the horses come for me
I cannot forget
That the horses come for me"

I view this type of serendipitous moment in the studio as divinely led and knew that the theme of the piece I would be creating for the show would center around the horse imagery Patricia described in her letter.

Patricia writes that she has been delving into issues of self and home, thus the bits of mesh and textured material in the upper portion of the collage above the ghost like images of the horses in the bottom portion are meant to impress upon the subconscious of the viewer as if looking through a kitchen window, curtains blowing in the breeze. The bits used here are multiple components from the spines of old books. The use of book spines in my work always symbolizes inner strength. Just as the books strength comes from the structure of the spine hidden inside, so our own strength is often hidden within.

Patricia's own handwriting can be seen on the right and left sides of the bottom half of the collage, as I have used her letter and the envelope that it was mailed in as part of the composition, along with miscellaneous bits of antique letters and envelopes, English and Japanese, a sort of passing of a memory from one generation to the next.

Patricia is a very talented print artist, whose entry and explanation of what inspired her art from my letter can be viewed here. I love the piece she created and find myself selfishly wishing this partnership were a true art swap so that I could claim it as my own, but am well pleased that the show is actually a silent auction that will be raising funds for an art education program. You can read all about it at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery website here.

Happenings

2012-01-11T20:43:00.000-06:00

Reel Life - From Chicago is My Kind of Town Series: 6" x 18" digital collage with acrylic and found materials

We've been experiencing an unusually warm winter so far in the Chicago area, but the snow is on the way. No matter what the weather is, there is always an exciting vibe in the city. It is indeed My Kind of Town.

This week finds me dropping off several pieces from my Chicago series, along with my collage work, to Sacred Art, a popular and trendy little alternative gallery on Lincoln avenue that features emerging and established artists in a laid back environment. Be sure to stop by if you're in the area.

I am also excited to announce that I am now carrying Giclee Fine Art Prints of some of my favorite collage works in my Etsy shop. There are currently four designs to choose from.

And finally, this Sunday I am teaching Intuitive Collage and Encaustic Basics at Perfical Sense Studio in Evanston and there are still a few spaces available if you are looking for a fun way to spend the day.

Image Of The Week: Minute Book

2012-01-05T14:11:00.000-06:00

Minute Book: Mixed Media Collage by Crystal Neubauer

A new year brings a sense of expectancy, new beginnings, second chances and continued growth, yet we long to hang on to the memories of the year that has passed and honor the places we've been. Not "out with the old, in with the new" as tradition would say, but "out of the old, I am made new".

Local Workshop Announcements for January 2012

2011-12-22T09:02:00.000-06:00

"Do You See Me?" by Crystal Neubauer

Local Workshops were announced in last weeks Image of the Week Newsletter. Here are the details and a date change to the workshop being offered in my home studio:

Intuitive Collage & Encaustic Techniques
Sunday January 15, 2012 at Perfical Sense Studio in Evanston, Illinois. Visit the website here for details and registration information.

Wax, Wire, and Paper
Saturday January 21, 2012 at my home studio in Grayslake, Illinois.
10am - 4pm with 1/2 hour break for lunch (bring a lunch and drinks will be provided)

This class will focus on combining wire frames and paper with encaustic wax for personal adornment, sculptural works, or adornments (a spin-off of my Wax & Wire Jewelry class taught at Art&Soul and EncaustiCamp). Working with encaustic and paper students will also learn to create non-traditional collage works free of any structural forms. Materials are included, but students are encouraged to gather found papers from their personal collections for a more personal experience.

$120 per student - 1/2 down with registration and balance the day of.

Email crystal_opf@comcast to register.

A Clean Slate Series

2011-12-15T15:09:00.002-06:00

"A Clean Slate Series" by Crystal Neubauer

Sometimes my art informs my life before I even understand it - this new series is titled "A Clean Slate" and made its debut at Chicago's One of a Kind Show this year.

As I looked at the works in this series- named for the centerpiece shown above- and talked about it to those visiting me at the show it struck me over and over how profound it was, the way it came together and the timing of it all. The series consists of several large works that have been evolving in the studio for several months. I've agonized over some of these pieces and was not able to bring them together to a satisfying outcome. Over and over again I would pull them out, work a little on them and then in frustration put them away thinking it just wasn't going to happen. Then just a few days before the show, when I was supposed to be framing and putting the last minute details for the booth together it all struck me so clearly - I could see what each piece needed and I worked frantically adding the black fields of Indian Ink and some graphite details. Better, much better. But still needing something. More pencil and mark making I thought. So I picked up a small pack of drawing pastels, in which a white piece was included, and as I put those white marks to the black ink I knew it was done. The worn chalkboard appearance with all the visible erase marks. Words came out of that white pencil. Labels I wanted to be free of. Names I had been called, or had called myself. And places I had been that I never wanted to go back to.

I wrote and I wiped away and A Clean Slate series was born.

But little did I know as I put it all together how much more it would mean to me just a few days later.

"A Clean Slate" by Crystal Neubauer

On the bottom left of the centerpiece is an old ledger page, over 100 years old, that I had splatted with ink during a time of worship as the words "by your stripes I am healed" were sung. It is significant to me that this page wound up in the collage without my knowledge of what the finished piece would be about, symbolically adding to the theme of a clean slate, speaking to me - "your debt has been paid, the slate truly has been wiped clean."

"More Then a Woman" by Crystal Neubauer

I've written about this piece in the past. I thought it was done, but was never quite satisfied with it. As I worked on the centerpiece of the series I spied this one hanging on the studio wall and had the same epiphany as I had with the first work. More mark-making and the slate appearance was added, more words and labels written and erased, and I am so fully satisfied with the result.

"You are more then the labels they want you to wear. More then your past mistakes or any one thing. You are more then a woman. You are uniquely made and have unsurpassable worth."

"Do You See Me?" by Crystal Neubauer

This one also came off the wall to be reworked. The thoughts and feelings being poured out on the canvas.

"Sometimes I think you look right through me. Sometimes its like I'm not even there. Do you see me? Does it even matter to you? I'm a real person - you can't turn me on and off. I am not disposable. I matter. Do you even see me?"

A new chapter is beginning in my life, with a clean slate. I am blessed by the places I've been, good and bad, as they have made me the woman I am today. I'm looking to God to show me the next steps and am following hard each day, the places He is telling me to go as I heal and begin again. I have many workshop announcements and exciting things to share so be sure to come back in a few days. Meanwhile be blessed.You too have unsurpassable worth.

Thankful

2011-11-24T07:23:00.001-06:00

Native Son by Crystal Neubauer - 10" x 10" collage mounted in 20" x 20" shadowbox frame

As I begin the day with thoughts toward baking pies and welcoming guests to enjoy the holiday feast, my mind turns to a friend who is away from all that is familiar to her while serving the underprivileged in a far off country. The difference in the lives and life styles she is experiencing there is startling to her and I can't help but feel just a little more poignantly this year, the gratitude I have in my heart for the simple things I ordinarily take for granted. I am grateful for all of you today and pray that you are enjoying the harvest of a life well led.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Standard Blank Book

2011-10-20T13:18:00.000-06:00

A Standard Blank Book by Crystal Neubauer

4" x 4" collage matted and mounted in 11" x 14" frame

In letting go of the traditional career path and embracing the passionate pursuit of an artists life I am facing each day without a script. The old life felt as if I were a poorly cast understudy suddenly thrust on stage and unable to remember my lines. Now I write my own story, each day is a new page in a standard blank book waiting for me to make my mark.

Autumn Stroll Through New Orleans

2011-10-13T15:11:00.000-06:00

Autumn Stroll Through New Orleans by Crystal Neubauer

4" x 4" mounted & matted in 11" x 14" frame

Fall is upon us in all its glorious splendor here in the Midwest. I've been taking advantage of these warm sunny days and getting out for a walk each morning before hitting the studio. Next week I'll be heading to Louisiana with my husband to welcome my step-son home from Afghanistan after a long year away. I'm looking forward to seeing him return safely home and taking an Autumn stroll through New Orleans.

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Following Boldly Their Path. . .

2011-09-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

One of the great things about being an artist is getting to meet and make friends with other artists. And one of the best things about making friends with other artists is watching the journey of their own calling as an artist unfold. Today I want to share with you some of the exciting things my friends are up to.

This is my friend Jan, well this is one of Jan's girls. Jan lives in Hawaii where she is a wife, mom, and owner of a successful indie business selling her beautiful hand-stamped jewelry online. But down deep in Jan's heart she felt a yearning to release her inner artist, so she began taking steps to answer that call. This past week she has launched both her beautiful new website, Jan Avellana, Art and Words, as well as a new Etsy shop featuring her mixed media art. Stop in and say Hi to Jan, start your Christmas shopping early or just treat yourself to one of her beautiful inspiring mixed media girls, I certainly did!

And then there is my friend Sue. Sue has been following her dreams as an artist too. She is a painter living in Camano Island, who has added Encaustic Art to her resume. The beautiful work here is Sue's carton of roses work. She entered this work in a gallery show, which led to her being asked to teach encaustic workshops there. Taking one bold step has led to another and another, and pretty soon Sue began to see her dreams coming true. I can't tell it as good as she can, you'll just have to read it for yourself on Sues blog, here.

This beautiful encaustic work is by none other then artist Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch. You've probably heard me mention her name a time or two. Talk about a woman following hard on an artistic journey unfolding a step at a time! Trish endeavors to bring the art of encaustic wax to the world of mixed media and make it accessible to all. She has launched her own line of products, picked up endorsements along the way, is the founder and fab leader of EncaustiCamp (a not to be missed summer retreat!), and has just had her second inspiring book on Encaustic's hit the store shelves! What an inspiration and motivating friend!

I've admired Bridgettes paintings and encaustic art online from afar for some time. She has a blog called Contemplating The Moon, where I would see inspiration every time I visited. I don't remember when or where or how we first met, bt come to find out she lives just a hop, skip and a jump away in Chicago. Bridgette also came to EncaustiCamp to teach her technique on encaustic and bookmaking this summer. In spite of raising her two youngsters, Bridgette makes it a priority to stay connected to the artists in her own community and those who she meets and admires online. Her desire to connect with other artists led her to reach out to two very talented people, Seth Apter- who writes a popular blog called The Altered Page, which led to his upcoming book, "The Pulse of Mixed Media" - and the very talented Jen Worden, to suggest a collaborative project a few years back. That action led to lasting friendships and now their works are being featured in an outstanding exhibit at the Arts Center in Logan Square. You can catch the exhibit until September 30th, but if you aren't in the Chicago area be sure to stop by Bridgettes blog to read more about it here.

There are so many others, friends I've met on my journey as an artist. Each one following boldly their own path, without knowing exactly where it might lead. I can't share them all with you today, but I hope to leave you with a sense of the possibilities that arise when you take just one step. And then another. And then another. . .

American Craft Expo Recap, or, Things I Learned at the Show - Part 2

2011-09-14T16:59:00.001-06:00

One of the questions I was asked frequently, as I sat in my Emerging Artist booth at the American Craft Expo, was "Where do you get all these papers?". . . Oh flea markets, estate sales, auctions. . . The question was sometimes posed as a remark "You really like to collect!" or "You must have a lot of stuff!". . .Yes, yes to both. I've got quite a collection and yes it is a lot of stuff!

It was interesting to watch and see how different people responded to different elements of my collage work.

Some were drawn to letters, words, or documents that had a certain familiarity to them and they would share with me their stories.

Others were fascinated with the use of ink in the work and would comment on the placement of it within the composition. Many were brought in by the textural aesthetics of a particular element or combination of elements and wonder what the bit or piece within the collage they were viewing had originally been and say that the threads and strings of frayed edges and spines of books were especially appealing to them.

Yes, I would agree, Yes, these were some of my favorite things too, these bits and pieces and scraps, these ink blotches and fragments, they were all very appealing to me as well.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, I could still see them in their original form. Not as they were when they were brand new, off the press sheet music or newly purchased books, but as they were when I found them. Discards of long forgotten lives. Beat up, worn down, time weathered and well, just plain old trash.

The stuff I use in my work is typically the stuff nobody else wants. I don't need to rush to the estate sale and line up at the crack of dawn. No, the books I use are falling out of their covers and the book dealers have long since left the premises, no doubt turning up their noses at the editions that I treasure. Many times an estate dealer will breath a sigh of relief to see what I am purchasing, as they thought they would surely be throwing these things away after the sale.

And so I marveled as person after person proclaimed to me "You need to raise your prices!" and looked at my work time and again throughout the show wondering, as somebody was handing me money, what would compel a person to tell me they were willing to pay an even higher price for something I had made? Did they really look? Didn't they really see what it was they were buying?

And it was one such remark, said on the last day of the show, after hearing this remark many times over the course of the event, as a man passed through my booth complimenting me on what he saw, parting words said in sincere exclamation, "You need to raise your prices!" that caught my ear just so and I turned my head once again to look.

And I felt a stirring in my heart and heard a whispering in my soul, as I first caught sight of myself in the glass, and then looked beyond to see the collage I had created inside, and heard that voice within.

God saying to look. Really look and see what it is that they see.

"You see trash, each bit that went into it as an individual element in its found form, but they see the whole picture."

Profound, that moment felt like one of those scenes from a movie, where all around the activity faded to a far away black and white scene and the noise receded to nothing and all I could hear was the beat of my own heart, and that whisper inside.

"Is there anything here you would have left out? Is there a particular element you wish you had not included? Anything too dirty to be a part of this picture?" No, I shook my head silently. Each element had been carefully selected. Each one, no matter how dirty or worn it had been when I found it, was important to the overall composition. Together these things formed the complete picture, every last bit was important, I wouldn't have left anything out.

And then the picture blurred again and I caught my own eye in the glass.

And I heard it again, I saw it in my eye, felt it in my heart...

"You see your life the same way you see these collage elements. You see the past, certain events and choices, as nothing but trash. You feel ashamed of some and think if only they knew . . .but I see you as a complete picture. There is not a single element that I would remove. Each one is vital to the overall composition of who I created you to be. And each piece has value. You have intrinsic value to me."

"You need to raise your own price, my dear, I paid for you with my life."

American Craft Expo Recap, or Things I Learned at the Show - Part 1

2011-09-05T16:31:00.002-06:00

Today as I come off the high of my recent experience of participating in the American Craft Expo as an Emerging Artist, I am reflecting on how the experience impacted my life and all the things I learned in the process of preparing for and being at the show.

For starters, I learned a little about my sense of fashion and personal style.

Face it, I'm an artist. I spend my days mostly in isolation working at home in my own studio. My wardrobe consists mainly of comfy clothes, including what I affectionately call my "studio pants". A pair of army green capris, with those little stretch bungee things that scrunch or loosen, depending on what I ate for lunch, that I salvaged from a bag of one of my daughters cast off's and wear year round with tank top or sweater, depending on the temperature in the studio, or the cycle of my hormones.

and while I can get away with this in my own studio, I was wise enough to realize the caliber of this show warranted taking a second look at my clothing options.

One of the first things I learned is that I do like to shop at real clothing stores, in places where many different clothing stores can be found together, along side entire stores for shoes, and others just for make-up. I typically spend as little money or time on myself as possible, coming from a background laden with a distorted sense of guilt, and what it means to sacrifice, putting others needs ahead of my own, etc. etc. and past shopping trips for my own clothing has traditionally been done in stores where I can also purchase the family groceries, and tires for the car, and fertilizer if I felt the need.

It was fun trying on all those clothes and after a long day at the mall I selected some new jeans, cute new shoes, and a couple of what I felt looked like artsy-yet-dressy tops, but the first night at the show I felt out of place and uncomfortable in the first flowing artsy top I wore and the second day I put one on and wound up taking it off in favor of a more classically cut blouse I had hanging in the closet.

By the end of the show I had a dawning recognition of my true style, a little tailored, a little classic, and just a little trendy and I treated myself to a post-show shopping trip to both, celebrate the successful outcome of the show, and my developing sense of personal style.

Setting up my booth in the Emerging Artist section, I wasn't sure what to expect from the attendees of such a prestigious show coming to view the high caliber craft and meet the established, experienced artists who had created it. I imagined there would be long stretches of silence watching the action from afar and an occasional visit from a curiosity seeker, a sympathetic patronizer of the arts, or a lost visitor looking for the bathroom.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find more then just a trickle of curious onlookers, but an onslaught of eager-to-talk, look, and buy art lovers and sincere friendly and encouraging men and women. In the process of answering questions, many that were asked several times over the course of the 4 days I was there, I learned how to loosen up and talk about my art in a sincere way that included the intuitive process and my experience of working in silence in my studio. I shared how I felt my time of creating was similar to a time of prayer, meditation and worship. I shared that I viewed many of my smaller works as "wordless prayers" or blessings meant for the viewer and recipient of the work as much as for myself. I learned that when I spoke with this kind of openness, not trying to pretend I knew more then I did, or that I had a well thought out artistic plan that led to each creation, and not trying to hide the spiritual side of my creative process, that I was received with the same genuine openness that I had shared and I was allowed a glimpse into the heart of many who shared with me in return.

This was more then I expected to receive in this environment and I left with an increasing sense of awe and reverence for they way in which we were created as humans, with an earnest desire to connect and be relational, open and real with each other.

Many of these conversations not only led to purchases, but also to inquiries about commission work and interest in private workshops to lead students through the intuitive process and these inquiries led me to the next thing I learned at the show, which was that the business side of my craft matters as much as the art itself. I found myself unprepared with business forms, written information to answer questions on how to commission work, or schedule a workshop. I need to establish a contact list to follow through with inquiries and remember who had asked for what service. I left with several scraps of paper, a notebook, and some mental notes and the feeling that something important had been forgotten. But, I tell myself, this is part of the emerging process. Learn from this experience and be better prepared for the next show.

And this thought, of improving on and growing from the place that I am leads me to the most profound lesson I learned at the show. That of seeing myself as a whole and complete picture. It was a moment that time slowed down and the curtain was pulled back and I felt a stirring of recognition in my heart as if I were staring in a mirror and really seeing myself for the first time. I learned that God can speak to me anywhere, at any time, and I don't have to be on my knees pleading with him or sitting in the silence of my studio to hear it, though these times are important, but that when He really wants to show me something, especially something that He has been working with me on, He has a way of getting my attention. He can use even the most seemingly innocent remark from a total stranger in passing to say the most significant thing. I will share more in my next post as I mull it over and keep it close to my heart a few more days.

For now, I'll just leave you with a few pictures of my booth and a heartfelt thank-you for following me along this journey. . .

A Month Of Highlights

2011-07-25T08:08:00.001-06:00

Its been an extremely busy month with so many exciting things happening. I haven't been good about getting posts up for any of it so this one will hit the highlights.

I wrote a fun article for the July/August issue of Cloth Paper Scissors on a great way to show off your vacation photos combining digital collage and acrylic painting. Head over to this link to order your copy if you haven't picked yours up yet and catch the online freebies - three digital download image transfer sheets I've created from original antique ephemera and illustrations.

I just turned in another article that will be published in the November/December 2011 issue about using plexiglas as a support for Encaustic Wax. I took advantage of my time in Oregon at EncaustiCamp and challenged the other teachers and some of the students to join me in creating work for the article. Can't show you what we came up with, but you won't want to miss it!

I had the opportunity to interview for the American Craft Expostion Blog, where each of this years emerging artists are being featured. I really made the poor girl doing the interview work for it as I was extremely busy getting ready to leave for EncaustiCamp and had a ton of packing and shipping to do after my clearance sale but it certainly was an honor!

I've been having fun the past few months with my Tumblr blog where I feature art that inspires me along with my own recent works. You can check it out here.

And of course the biggest hightlight of the month was my trip to Oregon where I taught my Wax & Wire Adornments class at EncaustiCamp. It came and went so fast I've hardly had a chance to catch my breath since I've been home, let alone manage to put into words the experience. It went beyond workshops and teaching. The atmosphere was a true summer camp environment on the grounds of the Western Mennonite School in Salem, Oregon and many of the connections made there were the beginnings of lifelong friendships - for the students as well as the teachers. Many of the students have posted outstanding blog posts about their experience there so I'm going to link up to some here. Take a look at the pics and links..

Jessica Greene has an excellent blog and website called "Seek Your Course" where you can find course offerings and workshops from all areas listed and writes reviews from her personal travels and experiences. Check out her review of EncastiCamp part 1 and part 2.

This beautiful piece is by Roxanne Stout. She has a nice write up of her experience and plenty of pictures of art, students and teachers at her blog River Garden Studio here.

This shot taken on the last full day sums up the entire experience - real bonding and pure joy! Check out Don in the middle there. Look how innocent he looks while everyone around him is cracking up. I won't tell you what he said to cause such a raucous - it was a group moment among many. The beautiful woman with her head tipped back on Don's right is Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch. Our fearless EncaustiCamp leader and founder. Down in front clapping and cracking up is Judy Wise and Mary Beth Shaw. Judy taught a great class and Mary Beth came to partake of the camps goodness as a student. Trish has several great write-ups each day of the event with gobs of great photos of the event at her blog here.

Here I am in the middle with the other teachers, Michelle Belto, Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, Bridgette Guerzon-Mills, and Judy Wise.

This is a great shot of nearly the entire group of students and teachers. We are all keeping in touch via our facebook group now. Its never too early to start your planning - same place next year for EncaustiCamp 2012!

By the way, if you are regretting you missed EncaustiCamp this year, you can get a mini-version in Michigan in September with Trish and I as we team up for a Foundations in wax experience at The Maranatha Conference Retreat Center in Muskegon, Michigan right on the shores of Lake Michigan. Check out Trish's blog post or go here for more details on registering.

And now I am off and running - just a month to go to get ready for the American Craft Exposition. I'll be hiding out in the studio trying to produce some new large pieces of work along with additions to my Uttering series. I'll try to get some pics up here and on my website of new works and more highlights this month.

Store and Studio Inventory Liquidation Clearance Sale!

2011-06-14T16:27:00.000-06:00

First I want to say a very special thank-you to all who helped to make it possible for me to accept the position of emerging artist in the American Craft Expo and secure my booth through your purchase of art during my Celebration Sale last month! Being at the show in August will be even more meaningful knowing that you supported me!

As my career begins to move forward, my focus must shift to creating art and workshops more earnestly then ever, leaving me little time to continue with my passion of collecting and selling objects and collectibles through my Etsy store "Other Peoples Flowers" so I am busy this week listing clearance lots of all my remaining store inventory and vendor props.

Head on over to Other Peoples Flowers on Etsy where you will find deals of 50% off and more - most listings are by the lot and your savings will be pennys on the dollar. Stock up for your own altered art and assemblage projects or stock your own store inventory - these deals cannot be beat and will not be repeated!

Along with the clearance of my collectibles and objects, I will be focussing on continuing to add art to my new website and eventually closing OPF studio on Etsy where I currently sell my art. So I've decided to retire several of my art series and have currently listed many of these at 50% off the list price. If you've had your eye on a particular work, head on over to OPF Studio now - this is the time to grab it!

Thank-you all for continuing to support me through your purchases and your e-mails and blog comments. I really appreciate you!

War! Huh...What is it Good For? Absolutely Nothing?

2011-06-01T13:27:00.005-06:00

"In The Beginning" by Crystal Neubauer

Today my step-son is heading home for a well deserved 2 week leave from fighting in the war in Afghanistan. The longer he has been away, the more difficult it is to talk about him without tears springing to my eyes. I am so excited to be able to put my physical arms around him and see that he is okay and show how much I care for and have missed him!

And as much as my heart is bursting with desire to spend every single moment he is home with him, I know how torn this young man will be, between spending time here with me and his dad and his dad's side of the family, and spending time elsewhere with his mom, step-dad and their side of his family. And of course there are the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, not to mention the siblings and friends who have prayed for him, missed him, and can't wait to spend time with him.

So as I think of him heading home on a plane at this very moment, I simply feel grateful and excited for him. Grateful that he will be able to spend the next two weeks being surrounded by his family and friends and their love. Grateful for every second of time he is out of harms way and for every night we can put our heads on our pillows knowing he is not hunkered down in a hole somewhere being shot at with a gun in his hand.

"To Serve and Protect" by Crystal Neubauer

And as I think of how much he has matured since he enlisted, even more so since he left to fight the war, I am in awe. While speaking to my husband on the phone this morning of the celebration that was given to the soldiers upon arrival at their first stop here in the US today, he expressed his own gratitude for how he already feels like he is home. He is already seeing with new eyes and a new appreciation all that we tend to take for granted around us.

He will be forever changed from this experience. No doubt there will be emotional wars he will need to fight, even years from now, as his body and mind continue to process and deal with the stress he is under daily during his time of service, but this time away at war is also shaping him into an incredible man, with a perspective on life that many men well beyond his years have yet to gain.

"Almost Home" by Crystal Neubauer

This evening, after working her second day on a new rotation for her Podiatry internship, my daughter will be moving into a new apartment in the city with five roommates. She has been excited for the transition, looking forward to being able to share an apartment with these friends and no longer having the long commute from the suburbs, but today she is feeling the stress of all that she has on her plate between work and moving and life.

There are a few conflicts arising, as would be expected, from six adults trying to coordinate moving into a four bedroom apartment, and she has found herself in the unfamiliar position of having to speak directly and negotiate with so many personalities in a way that is truthful but doesn't harm. She feels a little anxious about it, worrying about hurting feelings but not wanting to stuff her own. And I see how this is a type of war as well - on an inner level. But that through it new communication and life skills are being learned.

"Follow Me" by Crystal Neubauer

It is hard to learn to speak up, speak directly, truthfully, and clearly about our needs sometimes. Depending on our pasts so many of us, especially women, have learned to just acquiesce and defer to the needs of others, putting ourselves last and denying our own needs, but then resenting that our needs aren't being tended to.

Would my daughter be learning these skills of self-care so young if she wasn't forced to deal with the natural conflicts arising from moving in with so many roommates? She feels uncomfortable today, as we tend to do, after asserting herself in a healthy way when she isn't used to it, but her emotional muscles are developing and so is her sense of well-being and self-worth. I'm proud of her for being open to hearing my advice and resisting the urge to blast out of her frustration or deny and stuff her feelings.

I couldn't help but reflect on these two very different "wars" my grown children are in today and see the value in it for each of them. And it led me to think of my own battles of late, those that are, for the most part, unseen. I woke today in the midst of an ongoing personal struggle with the deepest sense of gratitude for what the battle is teaching me and how much it is helping me to grow. If it weren't for this "war" I am fighting, I would not be learning to find my own voice, to set limits and hold healthy boundaries, let alone to recognize that the source of my fulfillment and love does not come from a place or person outside of me, but from Gods love planted inside of me, from the love he wants me to have for him and for myself, from which I am then able to truly love and be loved.

There are wars in life we are all required to face. Perhaps a financial battle is required to get you to look at how you handle money. An illness may increase your faith or change your perspective on equating your self-worth to your level of productivity. Overcoming addictions or bad habits and attitudes may force you to face and root out issues from your past, but bring you the long lasting peace you never believed could be yours. What of the battle of accepting one's aging appearance in the mirror? Or learning a new job skill when you thought you'd be retiring at the company you once worked? Accepting the illness or death of a loved one? At times these battles may seem overwhelming, purposeless and certainly unfair. But is it true that war is good for absolutely nothing? No, it is not without it's purpose, and I can honestly say, I am grateful for the wars I am facing today.

More Than a Woman

2011-05-30T20:24:00.001-06:00

You've spent your life looking after the needs of others. You don't even know who you are anymore. You are wife, mom, short order cook - but there is more to you then what they see. You are more than a Woman.

You have dreams, desires, and stories inside. You are more then even you realize.

It may take time to excavate the treasure of your own life, but you are worth it. She is worth it, every last layer you are required to peel away in order to find her - that person you've tucked away and nearly forgotten. The beauty that exists only in you. Yes, You really are more then just a woman.

"More Than A Woman" by Crystal Neubauer - click image to purchase

True Confessions of a Starving Artist

2011-05-17T15:37:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. I am a starving artist.

Well not literally, but very nearly so, yes. This week the groceries were bought by a very dear and generous friend, without which, I don't know what we would have done. Yes, we are existing on a shoe string budget, to say the least.

Life has been difficult for some time now, with our family facing things that I am sure many of you have been facing during this tough economy as well. Unemployment, illnesses without insurance, cars needing repairs, unexpected obstacles, and side jobs that have fallen through.

My husband has a new business that is taking off and in just a few short months things will be turning around, but in the meantime I have received the best news of my life at the worst possible time.

You may have read in my earlier post of my acceptance as an emerging artist to the prestigious American Craft Expo. I am thrilled beyond belief, honored, humbled, and terrified. Sick to my stomach actually, as there is no money in the budget to cover the booth fee and I am in jeopardy of losing the opportunity in just a few short days.

And so I decided to hold a sale - and several of you have responded. Thank-you! But I am afraid I am still short and so I stand here, in full disclosure, transparent and honest before you. This is not just a celebration sale, but a "Help Me Get There Sale".

Yup. I need your help to do it. Not that I haven't had your help all along the way. Without your support, encouragement and patronage I wouldn't have made it this far. And I surely wouldn't have had the guts to even apply this year for the American Craft Expo. So for all that you have already done to support me, I thank-you. And if you are able to, I ask that you take advantage of the sale I am holding - Free Shipping Worldwide and an additional 10% off all art now. Read on for the details:

There are only 3 days left to take advantage of the celebration with a 10% discount on all art sales and FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE on any purchase you make through Friday. Remember, you can now find my available work at my website, here, or if you are a member of Etsy or would like to become one, you can still purchase most of my pieces at my Etsy studio, here. Read on for details and thank-you again for all of your kind comments and encouragement this week!

Purchasers from my website: Click on the item price to be taken to a PayPal invoice and payment details. In the note to buyer section please include the coupon code: celebrateACE and make your payment. Your 10% discount and shipping charges will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

Purchasers from my etsy store: Make your selection, entering coupon code: celebrateACE when prompted. This will deduct the shipping cost from your purchase. Proceed to PayPal and make your purchase and your additional 10% discount will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

Last Few Days To Take Advantage of My Celebration With Free Shipping and Savings!

2011-05-17T10:16:00.000-06:00

Last Few Days To Take Advantage of My Celebration With Free Shipping and Savings!

Your response of congratulations and well wishes on my announcement of my acceptence as an emerging artist to the American Craft Expo has been overwhelming and humbling. I am honored to have so many supporting me along my journey as an artist!

There are only 3 days left to take advantage of the celebration with a 10% discount on all art sales and FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE on any purchase you make through Friday. Remeber, you can now find my available work at my website, here, or if you are a member of Etsy or would like to become one, you can still purchase most of my pieces at my Etsy studio, here. Read on for details and thank-you again for all of your kind comments and encouragement this week!

Purchasers from my website: Click on the item price to be taken to a PayPal invoice and payment details. In the note to buyer section please include the coupon code: celebrateACE and make your payment. Your 10% discount and shipping charges will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

Purchasers from my etsy store: Make your selection, entering coupon code: celebrateACE when prompted. This will deduct the shipping cost from your purchase. Proceed to PayPal and make your purchase and your additional 10% discount will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

Celebrating My Acceptance to the American Craft Expo!

2011-05-13T11:55:00.000-06:00

Celebrating My Acceptance to the American Craft Expo!

Over the past few years I have had many reasons to celebrate on my journey of growing as an artist and this week it is my pleasure to announce I have been accepted as an emerging artist in the highly competitve juried premium fine craft show, the American Craft Expo. This is a goal I had set for myself that I hoped to achieve 5 or so years down the road. The emerging artist category was even more competitive this year, being cut from 13 available positions in the past to 10 this year, and to be accepted on my first attempt to apply is beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. I am floating on the excitement!

The show is annually presented in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois by the Auxillery of Northshore University Healthsystem and is also a major fundraiser supporting breast and ovarian cancer research. This year the show will begin on August 25 with a Special Benefit Preview Party and open August 26th through the 28th to the public.

To show my appreciation to all of you who have supported me over the years in so many ways, I am offering a 10% discount on all art sales and FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE on any purchase you make between now and next Friday. You can find my available work now at my website, here, or if you are a member of Etsy or would like to become one, you can still purchase most of my pieces at my Etsy studio, here.

Purchasers from my website: Click on the item price to be taken to a PayPal invoice and payment details. In the note to buyer section please include the coupon code: celebrateACE and make your payment. Your discount and shipping charges will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

Purchasers from my etsy store: Make your selection, entering coupon code: celebrateACE when prompted. This will deduct the shipping cost from your purchase. Proceed to PayPal and make your purchase and your additional 10% discount will be refunded to you within 24 hours, and most likely within a few hours of your purchase.

EncaustiCamp bloggerama; Crystal Neubauer!

2011-05-10T10:47:00.000-06:00

In continuing my series of features on upcoming Encausticamp's workshop instructors, it is my turn to share my excitement about the retreat, and though I will be teaching my "Encaustic Adornments" class, this is what I most look forward to sharing with you.....

‘When you share your strengths you create competition. When you share your weaknesses you create community.” ~Rick Warren

Recently I have been sharing a dialogue about a dream of developing a series of workshops and retreats where women can go deeper in their creative lives, a place where they will be supported, encouraged, and strengthened in their identity and worth as a woman and come away with the tools they need to begin to trust the voice they hear inside to guide them. A place that feels more like a community of friends who have gathered for a weekend of fun and fellowship then just a series of art-project oriented workshops.

The process of using art as a tool in healing from the past and uncovering my true identity has been such an integral part of changing my life that I’ve begun to share it with other women in some of my art workshops, uncertain of how they would respond or receive it knowing they were expecting to simply learn how to create a specific project. But each time I’ve included something as simple as a breathing technique I learned in my own journey, I find at least one woman who writes to say it was the most important thing she learned that day.

As the dialogue with my artist-women-friends begins to solidify into a clearer vision of a deeper more meaningful art retreat experience and dates and locations begin to be penciled in on our calendars, I’ve wrestled with letting go of my desire to teach at some of the larger more well-established venues, but then an email shows up in my inbox telling me of how the breathing technique I shared became a lifeline during a family crisis and I know in my heart this is the direction I was intended to go.

This July I will have my first formal opportunity during a two-hour breakout session at EncaustiCamp to share what I have learned along the way. I will bring a kit for each student who wishes to participate, that will include collage materials to be used as we walk through exercises designed to release that “inner-self” and allow one to experience what it means to “hear” or “listen to” their own voice and allow it to tell their story. The tools I hope to pass on in this exercise will go beyond paper and glue. This uncovering, discovering and releasing-of-self, is a journey so many women find themselves in the midst of and often without the resources or knowledge of what to do with all of these unexpected feelings and emotions. I will come, not as an expert or teacher, but a fellow sojourner sharing what I have learned along the way.

Of course, encaustic art will be the main focus of EncaustiCamp, but I am excited that the intention is to create an atmosphere that will be safe, cozy, intimate and restorative. This is where art becomes more then just a pretty picture; this is where it becomes a seed through which inner-healing can flow.

Mother's Day Weekend Trunk Show

2011-04-30T10:29:00.001-06:00

In the Chicagoland area? Come out to see me this Friday and Saturday for a Mothers Day Weekend Trunk Show at Randy Heller Design in Highwood~

EncaustiCamp Spotlight: Bridgette Guerzon Mills

2011-04-18T20:45:00.000-06:00

Continuing my series of guest bloggers from the EncaustiCamp retreat here is Bridgette Guerzon Mills from Contemplating the Moon....

"I mentioned in my last post that I will be previewing the instructors that will be teaching at Encausticamp this July in Salem, Oregon. This week it's my turn.

I am really excited to be combining two of my passions in one workshop this summer- bookmaking and encaustic. Well, actually three, come to think of it, because I will be covering mixed media techniques and incorporating those into your encaustic practice.

As readers of my blog, you all know that I have been creating handbound journals for many years. But my love of making books, goes beyond binding blank journals, it goes into the book art forum.

What is book art? Book art is works of art in the form of the book. Simple as that. But when you think of the book as a medium of visual expression, well, that opens of a whole world of visual exploration! Book art is the artist's interpretation of a "book". What I love about book art is the interaction between the artist and the audience. A book is not just meant to be looked it, but opened, touched, perused. So form invites exploration, while concept also engages. My first ever exhibit I was in was a book art show in Seattle, that included two of my pieces. I have been experiementing with book art forms since high school when my ceramics teacher, an exhibiting book artist, took me under her wing and introduced me to this fascinating art form.

Sheltered
mixed media book, includes pigmented beeswax
2005
published in L.K. Ludwig's True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling, 2008

It was only a natural progression that I would start exploring marrying encaustic with books. I am excited to be sharing my process at Encausticamp this summer in the workshop entitled "A Book of Images and Wax".

In this workshop we will go over incorporating photographs with encaustic with either collage or transfer techniques. We will create these on boards which we will bind in an accordian type of binding. I will also go over using paper with encaustic, one of my favorite things to do, and incorporating those creations into our book of wax and images.

If that sounds like fun to you, then head on over to Encausticamp to register for 3 days and 4 nights crammed with all things beeswax. This is a retreat that is for all levels and beginners in encaustic will feel at home here too. I think that people are often intimidated about starting to paint in encaustic, so this is a wonderful way to venture into painting and creating with wax.

a little sample book I made of encaustic pages coptic bound"

~Well I don't know about you, but if I wasn't already going to be teaching at EncaustiCamp, Bridgette's class would surely be enough to convince me to go!

EncaustiCamp Spotlight: Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch

2011-04-05T08:23:00.000-06:00

The next Spotlight guest post is written by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, our fearless leader and event visionary host of EncaustiCamp. This will be a two part post - today she talks about who she is and part two will focus on the camp experience~

"I feel like I need to start this blog [post] with a big, 'it's just me!'
It's just me:
It's just me.
Having fun.
Fitting into this thing called life.

Playing with my passions and making them work!
Stitching up torn edges and frayed seams.

Daring to stand on the edge: and take the leap.

Committed to staying in my committments.
It's just me.
A lucky, lucky, LUCKY girl humbled by the fact that others want to come have fun; figure out this life; play; stitch; dare; commit; alongside me.

It's just me. Come on! Let's do it~

Foundations in Encaustic: EncaustiCamp 2011
Everything deliciously 'no way' becomes 'why not' and ends up here as a 'look at what we can do!' Join me to indulge and explore. From plaster to tar; wood icing to panpastel; propane torch to shellac...yes, it's all that good :)
in love. trish

Join Trish and five other instructors and six passionate assistants this summer at EncaustiCamp 2011. Three days and four nights of all things beeswaxy and beautiful~July 13-July 17. www.encausticamp.com

Encausticamp Spotlight: Michelle Belto!

2011-03-31T09:09:00.000-06:00

Over the next few weeks I will be hosting a "guest blogger" series which will spotlight each of the EncaustiCamp Instructors and assistants. I couldn't be more excited about this event and I hope that you will be joining us!

Today's spotlight is on Michelle Belto. Michelle has developed her own luscious technique and I have to admit, there is a big part of me that wishes I weren't teaching at EncaustiCamp so I would be free to take Michelles workshop!

Here she is to talk about it~

All Roads Lead to Forever by Michelle Belto

18”X18”

Encaustic, Tar, Torch on Handmade Paper

"When I got married, I didn’t know the first thing about cooking. Unfortunately, my new husband liked to eat…and eat often! Thinking that it would be something easy, he informed me that his favorite side dish was mashed potatoes and that “it would go with everything.” What he didn’t realize was that even the lowly mashed potato was beyond the level of my expertise. I remember calling up my mom with a raw potato in my hand and asking the question: How do you get from here to there?

I often get asked that question about my work. How did you get there? For those who will be attending the first ever Encausticamp in [outside of] Portland this summer, you will get there yourself! Beating cotton and rag into a giant slushy pulp and then reforming it into something wonderful is addicting. What’s more making your own supports will open the door to endless new ways to explore mixed media work, sculpture, and, of course, encaustic painting.

Here is a visual overview of the process that you will learn when you come to camp:

Participants will first learn how to make pulp from ordinary recycled materials. We will use the pulp in a pour-mold (1) which will allow us to add cool things like glitter and cut up newspaper or embed threads or botanicals. Our form, created from foam core and other materials, will be embedded in the pulp. This will make the support stable enough to take the wax. (2)The next step is to remove the water by pressing. One of my students is hand-pressing the pulp. See she is smiling! It is fun! (3) The final step is to allow the form to dry…and voila! You have just created your one-of-a-kind support."

Michelle will then teach the students to use the support to create their own encaustic masterpiece. Thanks Michelle! Who would have thought you could learn so much in one day of camp? Can't wait to see what else is in store!

Stay tuned......

Giving Up Shame

2011-03-10T14:28:00.000-06:00

I have never been a faithful observer of the Lenten Season. In years past it felt more like a religious ritual - the act of fasting or giving something up for lent - then anything to do with my relationship with God. But this year I can't help but connect the place that I am in my recovery journey with the observance of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

Reflecting on and letting go of past baggage.

Repenting of our sins has gotten a bad rap over the years. I'm beginning to understand the deeper reason God says to come to him and confess. The bad choices I have made certainly come as no surprise to Him. He doesn't need me to tell him about them. He already knows.

Nor does he simply want to rub my nose in it. As if some sort of aversion therapy is necessary to bring about my redemption. His word tells me if I am weak and weary to come to Him and rest. No condemnation.

No, I see now that it is not for Gods benefit, this thing called repentance, it is for my own - for as long as I am unwilling to name it, it holds a secret power over me. That power is called shame.

Just as I cannot stuff my feelings - it is necessary for me to feel them and acknowledge them in order to let them go - I cannot stuff my sin and expect to be free.

This year I have decided to give up something for Lent. I am giving up shame.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" ~Isaiah 58:6

Learning To Trust

2011-03-03T09:43:00.000-06:00

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear" 1 John 4:18

In the midst of exploring who I am, in the process of uncovering my true self, learning to allow myself to make decisions based on my own needs, wants, hopes, dreams and desires, I come face to face with the fear that drove me to hide behind the mask of my co-dependent people pleasing behaviors to begin with.

Fear that others would not like the true me. Fear of being not good enough. Fearing the weight of judgment by others and never quite measuring up.

And feeling as if I must always strive to "make them" like me.

Whoever the "them" happened to be. Those invisible judges who knew my every move and were always displeased. What would they think of me if they could see my hair like this? or my clothes. or my room. or my grades. or my skin?

This extreme fear of man and being displeasing is not a conscientious thought or decision based on one moment in time. Rather a lifetime of moments, of "evidence" to my inherent flawedness.

We all have those moments. The feelings of rejection. unintentional or not. real or imagined. from peers, parents, teachers, society in general. A child absorbs the feelings and emotional waves of the people around her and has no way to process other then to associate it with her own behavior.

But there is now an opportunity to meet that child as an adult. To come along her within myself and help her to trust again. To help her to see her own worth and understand how much she is loved. lovable. worthy of. I go back to those moments now as an adult. I see them and experience them with fresh mature eyes and I show her compassion and acceptance and allow her feelings to be heard. I validate her and help her to release them. I help her to see herself, myself, in a new and more human way.

In this returning to the past I am able to tear down those walls around my heart erected so long ago. I invite God to come in and join me in the process of renewal. I trade in that fear of what "they" might think and let His good and perfect love seep in to the very morrow of my bone.

I don't have to be perfect to be loved. I don't even have to be liked by "them" to have worth.

I have a voice. I have feelings. I can make decisions about getting my needs met. I am learning to trust.

Learning to Accept Today

2011-02-18T10:52:00.000-06:00

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. ~Psalm 62:5

There is a deep inner peace that comes with learning to accept things as they are today. Yes I have hopes and dreams and desires to fulfill but today I am learning to accept where I am.

There is no sense in fighting it. Worrying about tomorrow won't change it.

Today I am healing. I am not lost to the One Who Heals. I am resting in the palm of His hand.

Acceptance has not come instantly. There are feelings that are valid and real and necessary to work through and acknowledge. Grief. Anger. Frustration. Tears were cleansing. But the stage of acceptance is necessary for change to occur.

I not only accept myself and my circumstances, but I see that I am accepted. Cared for. Loved.

And I am grateful.

Stirring Up Spring

2011-02-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

Last week the temps were below zero - this week they will continue to rise into the 50s by Friday. Winter is by no means over here in the Midwest, but its nice when the sun begins stirring up Spring.

My Dearest Valentine

2011-02-14T09:34:00.001-06:00

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" ~Song of Solomon 6:3

The weather is unseasonably warm for the Midwest today, with the sun shining bright, and birds can actually be heard singing outside my window. How can my heart not skip a few beats as my thoughts turn to the hope of Spring, the season of renewal....as if a lover who has been away a long time returns....

♥Happy Valentines Day♥

A Tune A Day

2011-02-07T07:15:00.000-06:00

I'm getting ready to hop in the shower and head to my morning painting class at the local community college for the first time in two weeks, but first I wanted to stop by and say thank-you to all those who have contacted me, left comments of thoughtful prayers and well wishes, and offered support and encouragement along the way.

I am post-operation and found to be cancer free! And though I am now without a thyroid, the massive tumor being found to be attached to it after all, and my body is adjusting to this a little slower then the average person, I can already tell how much better I will be feeling, having been able to trace the onset of my symptoms back over the last four years.

I am eager to move forward. To put into practice a life I have been training for. Becoming the me I was created to be. It is not an overnight transformation, but a steady moving forward step-by-step process, not knowing entirely the big picture, but having a growing sense of the next right step.

And then the next one. and then the next.

"Give us each day our daily bread." ~Luke 11:3

Make Mine A Double

2011-01-13T11:18:00.002-06:00

Many times, while working on a piece, a word or phrase will begin to form in my head and press in on me as I work. Sometimes it will come to me after a piece is finished - occasionally something will press on me that does not make any sense or seem to have any context in my life until some spark of recognition reveals the message behind it.

For nearly six months a phrase has been popping into my mind with no relevant explanation what-so-ever except maybe to annoy me.

I've learned over the past few years to tune in when this kind of thing happens and really listen - most often it is the voice within that wants to be heard - many times it is something I know God has for me. But this phrase just seemed to make no sense.

"Make Mine A Double"? Seriously? What?

I do enjoy a good gluten free beer or margarita with dinner now and then. And I've made my share of jokes about needing a drink, but nothing from this phrase made sense in any serious capacity.

Yet it persisted with increasing frequency - waking me sometimes in the middle of the night. Just those four little words springing from the recesses of my questionable conscious -

"Make Mine A Double"

I pushed the phrase away and ignored it. but there it was again.

And as good as I'd like to think I was at giving it a listen, I just wasn't getting it. And perhaps just wasn't ready to hear what it had to say. DISMISSED! I told it - but no. Here it comes again -

And again. and again. and again. "MAKE MINE A DOUBLE!"

What the heck?

About a year and a half ago I came in from an early morning bike ride with a sore throat - the kind that announced you were about to have a good case of strep. At least that is what I thought it was telling me, strep being one of those annoying viruses that liked to plague me, and having been long over due for a round of it.

But as I pulled on my throat in the bathroom mirror I found a lump in my neck.

It was determined to be a non-cancerous thyroid tumor, most likely a result of my fickle auto-immune system, and it would eventually need to be removed, but without insurance the doctor asked me not to return to his office. "You wouldn't go buy a car without money would you?" he asked over the phone, just after delivering the news from my biopsy report. But I wasn't trying to buy a car.

Funny how when you are learning new skills these things happen to help you flex your new muscles. I was, and am, in a season of uncovering my hidden true self, finding my voice, and becoming the woman I was intended to be. But this one took me by surprise, leaving me deflated and unable to form words.

There was a second doctor, whom I visited on referral due to his willingness to treat me without insurance, well suffice it to say I should have reported him, and sparing you the details it is enough to say - yuck! and off I went with my tail between my legs feeling wimpy and happy to put it all out of my mind and get on with my life.

And get on with it I have, pushing on through many trials and developing new skills, learning to speak up, and seeing certain dreams begin to come to fruition.

But then there was that pesky tumor. It eventually didn't like being ignored and started to grow. Pushing its way into my priorities until it couldn't be ignored.

This time the doctor was a kind, compassionate and very skilled woman, in such popular demand it took 4 months to get in - but the timing was just perfect as I sat down the week before and prayed "God you know my need and my circumstances I have no where to turn" and that afternoon the phone rang with an approval on insurance - the card arrived the day before my exam. Praise!

A new ultrasound has revealed that the tumor seems to be sitting next to my thyroid rather then in it. Other factors have raised the level of concern for what this tumor may be. A biopsy is scheduled today to answer questions and I spent a good couple of days rolling the waves of new emotions and fears.

I woke early in the am a few days ago staring into the dark and I heard it again. Pushing its way in where I had asked it not to go.

"Make Mine a Double"

Too weary and full of lifes concerns, this time I asked "What are you trying to tell me God?" And with that I knew in the depths of my soul God brought it to me.

I had asked for a double portion.

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” 2 Kings 2:9

Sometimes we pray the most earnest silly naive things. Sometimes God answers in ways we couldn't have imagined. But as soon as he reminded me of my prayer he brought me to Isaiah 61:7 -

"Instead of your shame
   you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
   you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
   and everlasting joy will be yours."

And once there, I knew the entire chapter was where he was asking me to dwell through all of this, especially here (emphasis mine):

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,

TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR"

And here (emphasis mine again):

"They will be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor."

And finally here:

"They will REBUILD the ancient ruins
and RESTORE the places long devastated;
they will RENEW the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations."

And so it seems he has been preparing me for this for some time. A year of the Lord's favor. I'm ready Lord.

Make Mine A Double!

Time To Get Your Wax On: EncaustiCamp Registration Begins!

2011-01-11T12:14:00.001-06:00

It is official! EncaustiCamp registration has opened~ Sign up now for your own grown-up summer camp adventure! Leave your cares behind for 3 full days and 4 nights of instruction, July 13-17 2011, while soaking in the beautiful Oregon woods!

Artist Patrica Baldwin Seggebruch, author of Encaustic Workshop will be hosting, as well as teaching at this exciting event. There will be something for everyone from the novice to the most experienced artist to learn as Patricia is joined by myself, and 4 other artists, each sharing a behind the scenes look at our own encaustic techniques. In Patricia's words: "This retreat is about going beyond the borders of encaustic art and opening welcome arms to the art and craft world at large so as to expose the beauty, versitility, accessibility and intense pleasure of this multi-media friend to all walks of artist, crafter, experimenter."

Come explore with artists Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, Crystal Neubauer, Bridgette Guerzon-Mills, Michelle Belto, Jan Harris, and Judy Wise. Along with the equally talented assitants-Mary Beth Shaw, Megan Anderson, Christine Webb, Sue Simpson, Deryn Mentock, and Tonia Davenport and leave feeling inspired and ready to take your own creative journey to heights you've only dreamed of!

Merry Christmas - An Expression Of His Love

2010-12-22T09:36:00.000-06:00

It is just a few days before Christmas and I have gone as far as I am able to go in preparations without more money - just waiting on hubby's current paycheck to show up in the mail.

Every year I say I'm going to get an earlier start - and this year I actually kind of did - as far as I was able to without getting fully paid for one of my own teaching gigs. But somehow here we are again down to the wire with still a few crucial things left to do. Always one kid who doesn't give me a list until the last minute and even with a minimal budget, times seven kids, it adds up to so much money!

And of course it doesn't help that we have a car in the shop (also waiting for the current paycheck).

But really - the tree looks so pretty and the railing up the stairs is wrapped in garland and antique glass Shiny Bright ornaments with the stockings all hanging along the way and it is just such a magical feeling...

I know it isn't about the gifts and the giving and the getting. It is about THE GIFT that we each received when God came to earth and was born as a babe in the manger, preparing to serve and spread the good news of His sacrifice to be freely given to all who ask - But how else could I even begin to express my joy? My desire to give what I have so freely been given? Nothing - NOTHING can even come close to that feeling.

And yet I try. And I will keep trying to express the love he has put in my heart for my family through the decorating and the baking and the gift giving and the wishing of Peace and Merry Making.

And I wanted to share this joy with each of you in some tangible way. But I couldn't because, you know, the money thing. And also the running out of time- which is very nearly as scarce as the money this time of year, especially since I tend to squander it sometimes - but then I remembered HE gave his gift to you too!

And we can just link our arms together over the virtual miles and gaze up at our Christmas trees or at the stockings hanging along the railing and just be content in the receiving of it. and the beauty of it. and the enormity of it.

and the knowledge that everything any of us really ever needs is right there in that gift. HIs gift.
Eternity in His love.

Merry Christmas - it seems like such an inadequate way to express it - those two little words.
and the tinsel. and the presents.

But there it is. My inadequate heart to express His more then adequate gift of eternal love. Merry Christmas to you all!

Introducing Utterings: A Wordless Prayer

2010-12-16T09:51:00.000-06:00

Working in my studio in silence my eyes are hearing from the overflow of my heart. I have no words to express these yearnings and longings.

They are known only to the Spirit. I move these scraps of paper around until there is a silent confirmation. Each one is a prayer. An offering. Perhaps a request or a blessing. a silent plea for mercy. grace. peace.

"So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought,

but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance." ~Romans 8:26

* While I may feel an impression or sense what a particular Uttering is about, I have chosen to leave the individual collage's in this series untitled so that the recipient is free from the influence of my words and able to find meaning that is personal to them.

Visit OPF Studio at Etsy to find available Utterings.

A Holiday Give Away! Yes, I said Give Away!!

2010-12-15T19:07:00.002-06:00

Have you heard? Cloth Paper Scissors has a new special edition holiday publication out called Gifts! I spent the evening last night perusing the pages of this action packed tutorial guide and I have to admit I had a hard time sleeping with so many inspiring ideas dancing around in my head!

Favorites? Of course! But a lady never tells - oh, but who said I was a lady?? I have to say there were TOO MANY favorites to do justice to, but can you say encaustic advent calendar?? Tech savy gadget skins?? or how about no sew tote bags with plenty of style? Okay - I have to admit there was a project that stood out as a must try for me - check out page 72 for a project titled "File It Away" by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Just what I need to motivate me to get organized!

What's that you say? Don't have a copy to see what I'm talking about?? HA! You are in luck! It just so happens that I have TWO COPIES of this special holiday edition to give away! Courtesy of Cloth Paper Scissors and from my door to your mailbox - leave me a comment (with some way to contact you!) between now and December 23rd and I will enter your name in a drawing to win one of the two copies I have to give away!

Whoot! I feel like Santa Claus!

It's Not Where I've Been - But Where I'm Going....

2010-12-01T08:51:00.002-06:00

Yes it has been well over a month since my last post, but the question is not where I've been, but where am I going?

Today I head to The Merchandise Mart in Chicago where I will be setting up a booth at the One Of A Kind Show and Sale which starts tomorrow and runs through this Sunday. With 600 juried artists, in its 10th year of production, this show is the ideal place to find one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your holiday list!

Come find me in booth 8-2013 in the Etsy Emerging Artists Pavilion. I have been working like crazy to produce new work especially for the show and can't wait to see you there!

Philippians 3:12-14

Announcing Encausticamp - A Highlighted Journey

2010-10-21T15:17:00.004-06:00

Dabbling in encaustics was a natural and somewhat uneventful shift in my journey as a collage artist. I was looking for a way to enhance, protect, and add more depth to my work, while maintaining the textural quality of the antique papers that I loved. After spending time perusing a stack of new art books at Borders one evening, I came home with "Encaustic Workshop" by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, feasted on the eye candy it contained, read a bit on the process, and set about developing an encaustic style of my own, falling in love with the process, and eventually coming up with my "Wax & Wire" jewelry line. I couldn't get enough of the endless possibilities using this warm honey-smelling medium. It all seemed innocent enough...

To say that doors have been opening as a result of this exploration seems like a bit of an understatement. In fact, I have been feeling more like Natalie Portman in this scene from "Where The Heart Is". The door hasn't just been opened, but more nearly thrown from its hinges, barely leaving me time to register the wonder of it all as tornado-like forces suddenly pull me through.

Melodramatic? Maybe a little. . .

There are times in your life when you just know that something is significant. There is a shift in the ground beneath your feet. A tiny crack in the heavens, just beyond your vision, for just a billionth of a fraction of a second, as you glimpse behind the curtain to the brilliance beyond. It's what my friend Sue recently described as God "highlighting" something significant. It may be just a verse from a song, or a scripture you've heard so many times it almost passed your notice. A word softly spoken by a stranger, or something that makes a particular person stand out among so many others and a new friendship is born. Even something that resonates deep within as you pick up an art book from the shelf at the bookstore.

And you just Know.

Not that you know what it is that you know. You just know. The moment has been lit from above.

The wonderment and suddenness comes when you look up one day and you start to see the connections between those highlighted moments and realize you were on a deliberate path that brought you to this place all along.

It is gazing at a night sky filled with millions of pinpoints of starlight and noticing some are brighter then others and then tracing a line between those bright stars and seeing the Big Dipper. Not so random. Not so unconnected.

And this path you have been following widens just a little and it all seems so suddenly to have come together.

And you know. You just know. Others can see it too and it becomes so bright, so visible, it beckons for them to follow.

These highlighted moments would fill many posts and may yet find their way into a few, but each one has led to this moment and yet this is just one step in many to come - how do I know? I just know that I know.

Join me on this creative journey at Encausticamp - A special all encaustics retreat - for 3 full days and 4 evenings of inspiration and education hosted by Artist and Author Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch, July 2011. Follow Trish's Encausticamp blog for unfolding details and stay tuned here for news!

Fun with EncaustiKits

2010-10-21T12:52:00.000-06:00

This week I had the honor and fun of testing an encaustic incising kit from artist Patricia Baldwin Seggabruch's line of EncaustiKits.

My kit came with everything needed to create encaustic masterpieces utilizing the technique of incising, 3 tins of encaustic medium (1 basic and 2 pigments), 4 Hake Brushes (high quality, so soft and lovely to work with!), 4 Encausticbord's, 2 incising tools, and 2 color pigment sticks.

The quality of the refined beeswax Patricia has selected to use in her wax is evident in the pure clarity of the wax and the honeybee smell permeating throughout my studio.

I followed the instructions in the enclosed brochure giving my board a base coat of clear and then a second coat of yellow, fusing after each application. Then the fun began!

Choosing to use a stencil as my guide on the first piece, I traced the lines with the incising tool. Now I have to say that I typically am a "use what you have" kind of gal and incise my wax with just about anything I find laying around the studio, but this little tool really made a difference with its quality ball tip (a different size on each end) that slid easily through the wax and left a smooth line behind it. After I was satisfied with the pattern, I let the board completely cool and then used the blue pigment stick to fill the lines, carefully rubbing and wiping away the excess.

I fused again to set the incising and then decided to add a little stenciled detail with another layer of yellow wax.

Sorry my photos do not do the color in this piece justice - the one thing I don't like about my studio space is it's lack of natural lighting - but I am tickled with the results.

Next I followed a similar process but with two layers of clear medium and adding a bit of old text for interest. I incised a tree and filled it with the red pigment stick, staining the entire upper portion of the piece with red before incising the word "life".

Here I masked off a portion with painters tape and used the blue pigment stick to fill the word life and stain the right half of the board.

The pieces I created are quite a departure from the collage work that I normally do. And I found myself wondering where the flowers and playful images were coming from when I realized it was simply the act of being allowed to play. It was a fun afternoon and I am inspired to pursue creating more pieces in this style. Patricia's kit contained all the materials I needed to complete these projects and then some, sans skillet to heat the wax and heat gun to fuse. Hop on over to the Encaustikits website for a variety of kits, tools (including the skillet and heat gun if you need them!), books and inspiration, and just in time for the holiday gift season, but I have to warn you....

It may be addicting!

Art and Soul - Portland 2010

2010-10-13T14:11:00.001-06:00

"Utterings: A Wordless Prayer Series" by Crystal Neubauer

It's hard to believe I've been home for two days now. I taught three classes in two days and have to say that I am still floating on a bit of a high from the experience. My only complaint? I just did not take enough pictures. I was just moving along on a creative tide not thinking beyond the moment. Yes, it was that much fun!

Tuesday was Front and Center: 3D Collage with a Story. A day packed with learning techniques that are transferable to all kinds of collage and mixed media projects, learning to saw acrylic with a jewelers saw, making tube rivets, and tuning in to what is going on inside to hear the story wanting to be told. I'll be teaching this class once again at Art & Soul - New Orleans in July. Here are a few class pics from Tuesday:

Wednesday day was Encaustic Adornment, also known as my "Wax & Wire" class. I've managed to combine these materials in an unlikely marriage of metal, paper, and encaustics and was eager to share the technique. Not only was it a fun class in which I was delighted to be able to see how each student interpreted the process to suit her own style, but I came away knowing I had met some really cool and inspiring artists (as I did in all my classes!!) - not as teacher to student - but as a peer learning as much as I had to share.

I've a few class photos, but be sure to go check out Jan's blog for a close up of her cool pieces with tiny found objects attached as well!

Admiring all the beautiful work!

Muriel's pieces were gorgeous - but my camera didn't like the lighting~

Here I am with my eyes closed - but the class was poised and ready with smiles!

And oh one of the most special things about Art & Soul, as I am sure those of you who have been there will agree, is connecting with friends, new and old. My dear dear sweet friend Sue Simpson is peeking out at the camera. We have been friends online for years and were finally able to meet face to face solidifying what will be a close life long friendship. Even now I have tears of joy at how God works to connect similar souls through the thread of art and a love for Him.

This is the multi-talented Becky Christian manning her booth on Vendor night. For the second year in a row Becky picked me up from the airport and drove me and all my stuff to the hotel (even returning to the airport in the afternoon to retrieve part of my luggage which did not make it on the same flight as I did!). Becky played chauffeur driving me far and wide searching out a Chipotle so my poor tummy could eat something I knew would be gluten free. She spent hours behind the wheel and more hours sitting in my room with me as we bagged and prepared our goodies for vendor night. There are friends you just know that no matter how many months go by without talking or seeing each other, will always be your good friend and Becky is one of them.

I did not manage to get any photos of my evening class "Encaustic Collage In An Evening" on Wednesday night (also being offered in New Orleans in July). I had a full class of 22 enthusiastic students soaking up as much as they could creating quick collage's and learning the basics of using encaustic wax to enhance and protect their art, along with some fun techniques including image transfers, incising, stenciling, adding color, and an overview of the endless creative possibilities to be found in encaustics. The unanimous plea as they went out the door with their beautiful pieces was "we want more!" ~ so stay tuned for a special announcement!

Whirlwind

2010-10-11T16:33:00.001-06:00

I've just arrived home from teaching and vending at Art & Soul Portland where time seemed to pass in warp speed. There is so much to share I'm not even sure where to start. A nap is in order and much unpacking to do, so for now I will leave you with an image from my new line of collage works on paper titled "Utterings" and I promise to be back soon~ xoxo

Recent Works 2010: A Juried Competition

2010-09-22T12:00:00.001-06:00

My original two works from my new series "My Kind Of Town" were accepted to to be exhibited in the Lake County Residents show "Recent Works 2010". -- As there were a record breaking 296 works submitted for entry, and only 61 of those selected for the exhibit, I am feeling especially excited about the show.

Opening reception Friday October 1 from 7 - 9 pm.

Back In The Saddle Again

2010-09-09T11:08:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine noticed OPF Studio was up and running again this morning and wrote that she was glad I was back in the saddle again. Now that song is stuck in my head ~ thanks Jan!

Life Lessons by Crystal Neubauer

Among the collage works I've just listed is "Life Lessons". I have been in the process of learning so many lessons of late. Good lessons. Hard lessons. Life changing and building lessons. - If only life came with an instruction book. I could have read it a long time ago, kept it around for those times that questions have come up about the "rules" - and by questions, yes I mean those knock-down-drag-out-power-struggle-me-first kind of questions! A good rule book now and then might come in handy. Well, okay, I do have one sitting next to my bed and it helps when I open it and give it a good read every morning.

Winter Bird by Crystal Neubauer

Winter Bird is one of a new series of works I've created combining collage, encaustics, and image transfers I created from my monoprint birds.

Friends and Honesty by Crystal Neubauer

Friends and Honesty is one of a series titled "For The Birds" within the series of monoprint bird collages - 9 works done on 4" x 4" cradled canvas - appealing on their own or grouped in vignettes of two or more.

For The Birds Series by Crystal Neubauer

The series is modestly priced allowing a snippet of art for any budget and making a collection possible.

Coffee Break by Crystal Neubauer

Coffee Break, aptly named for the calming tones and foundation that began on a used coffee filter, is one of the few collage works that is not completely done in encaustics. Sometimes the textures and tones of the work beg not to be covered.

Along with reopening the Studio at Etsy, I have been busy this month getting settled in to a new studio space and home. Thought I'd share a panoramic view of the space as I get settled in. What will be, I'm sure, a rare view of a tidy space. I've just about got it all sorted and put away, with the exception of the goodies I plan to take to Portland for Vendor Night.

Be sure to take a look at my Etsy Studio frequently, I'll be adding new works all month and if you haven't signed up for my newsletter be sure to do so and I will send you the latest copy with an exclusive offer for newsletter readers good for the entire month of September~ And now I'm Back in the saddle again - Whoopi-ty-aye-yay!

Welcome to Chicago: My Kind Of Town

2010-08-26T10:22:00.002-06:00

Left Side: Anatomy of The Artist by Crystal Neubauer

Tomorrow night, Friday August 27th, I'll be setting up shop with my art and objects at the Cloth Paper Scissors Create Retreat, Artists' Faire and welcoming you to my neck of the woods. Chicago is just a short jaunt from home for me and I'm commemorating the occasion with a new series titled "My Kind of Town".

Anatomy of The Artist by Crystal Neubauer

This series of collage & acrylic works incorporates a small series of digital collages I previously created from photographs taken during a visit to Navy Pier in Chicago, November 2008.

Side View: Anatomy of The Artist by Crystal Neubauer

"Anatomy of The Artist" speaks of the complexity of life, our Creator and the beauty to be found in all of creation. It measures 6" x 18" and is sealed with a textured acrylic gel medium that has a subtle wheels and gears pattern made with stencil from MaryBeth Shaw's line.

Reel Life by Crystal Neubauer

Also measuring 6" x 18", "Reel Life" is a skyline view of the city from Navy Pier with a dreamy surreal quality designed to evoke thoughts of a life that is larger then the individual, with consideration to the role one was created to play.

Right Side: Reel Life by Crystal Neubauer

In addition to these larger canvases, I have created a few small collages for the series "My Kind of Town" for purchase, along with my new series "For The Birds", many of my abstract collage works, some of my jewelry items, and of course a wide variety of my unique objects and paper packs for you to use in your own art projects. If you are planning to attend the CPS Create Retreat, or are in the Chicago area tomorrow night, be sure to stop by the Artists' Faire at the Hilton Rosemont, Chicago O'Hare, just outside Chicago from 6 - 9pm. The event is open to the public.

Left Side: Reel Life by Crystal Neubauer

Finding My Way Back Home

2010-08-20T09:07:00.002-06:00

Finding My Way Back Home Crystal Neubauer 2010

One thing I have discovered to be true, I am a collage artist. First and foremost, above all other mediums, my first and truest art love is collage. I could rip and tear and glue papers from now and through eternity. I have bins full of saved scraps of papers and old books in the worst of conditions are stored away on book shelves as if they are literary classics bound in the finest leather covers. I am a hoarder of language. I've described in previous posts how this art form is therapeutic, meditative even, and can be a form of worship for me. As I spend quiet hours in my studio these papers take a turn toward an unspoken language between myeself and God. A groaning of the Spirit as I push and pull and tear away with physical papers I am opened to see with greater clarity whatever it is God is working out in me through my love of collage.

But then came encaustics. When I first set out to explore with encaustics I thought this would be an aside from collage, a detour, if you will, but I found that it so perfectly suited the work I was already doing that it did not compete for my time in the studio, but completed it. And though I still have just scratched the surface with what is possible to do with this medium, I have fallen in love with the waxy substance that binds the papers and protects and enhances and adds a luminative quality to the textures I so love to work with.

And then came monoprinting, With fickle infidelity I fell in love again. This time with inks and brayers and new possibilities that stretch out endlessly in front of me. Monoprinting is fun and freeing. Where I had no knowledge of painting, I can paint. And where I did not know how to draw, I draw, and it is deeply satisfying. Again, I believed that this would be just a detour, that there would be times I would want to express myself through monoprint and times that I would work with encaustic and collage. But how could I not find a way to marry all of my loves?

And so I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting my new line of monoprint encaustic collages next week at the Cloth Paper Scissors Artists' Faire in Rosemont. If you are attending the CPS retreat or are in the Chicagoland area on Friday don't miss out! I will be selling my art and objects alongside many talented artists from 6-9pm at the Rosemont Hotel O'Haire in Rosemont, Illinois. I hope to see you there!

Home Is Where the Art Is

2010-08-09T09:59:00.002-06:00

Home is Where the Art Is Crystal Neubauer 2010

It has been a busy summer with many full days to come before Fall presses in. In the midst of the hustle and bustle I had a much needed break attending the Midwest Collage Society meeting yesterday. We each brought out our supplies and visited while we worked, ate our lunches and listened to two guests teaching on a variety of papers and the best applications for using them. First up, Susan Clark of Graphic Chemical & Ink Company, shared her knowledge and answered questions. The company is a local family owned business with an international clientele and a wide variety of paper and art supplies. Next, Andrea Harris, an Artist Representative for Strathmore Artist Papers, talked about the paper making process. Each woman brought a nice selection of samples to share.

Andrea Harris, Artist Representative for Strathmore Paper

I pieced together the collage above titled "Home is Where the Art Is" as indeed, sitting among these women I felt very much at home in spite of it being only my second time sitting in on the monthly meeting.

I was able to sit next to Jerri Reimann, the current president of MCS. Jerri and I first met years ago in one of the online groups we were both active in and lost touch over time, so it was a nice surprise to find her at MCS. And in one of those serendipitous timing type of things, Jerri was carving printing stamps, which I had just the day before decided I wanted to try my hand at. Jerri generously sent me home with a piece of the Soft-Cut material and I am looking forward to having a go at making my own stamp.

Oh the idea wheels are turning....

Jerri Reimann carving her printing block

New Gallery Page

2010-07-23T16:33:00.000-06:00

~I've just added a page for my art portfolio and would love to hear what you think~

Studio Play Day

2010-07-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a treat. I spent the afternoon in an impromptu workshop taught by the very talented artist, Sandie Bacon, in this spacious and beautiful studio belonging to a friend of Sandie's. I am still feeling inspired this morning and wishing I could walk out my own back door into this inspiring retreat!

Here is the view from my chair to my right of the other two talented participants in the workshop. Unfortunately my pics of Sandie did not turn out as she stood with her back to the wall of open double doors in front of me and the light was too much for my cheap phone camera to handle.
Sandie taught us the ins and outs of Golden's fluid and open acrylics, along with some tips on painting on Golden's regular and light modeling paste. This was a much needed tutorial using these products for me. Sandie is part of Golden's Working Artist program and has a plethora of information to share. I'll be getting together with her again very soon to learn more!

To my right was this beautiful and relaxing view of the studio

Supplies along the wall behind me

Working studio space to my left

Wow! What a day and what a treat to be invited to participate! Be sure to check out Sandie's blog and workshop schedule and catch her at one of her many workshops or demos around the Chicagoland area.

Artists Reception at the Norris Cultural Arts Center

2010-07-09T12:16:00.000-06:00

I have 3 (or 4? oh bad memory of mine!) works of art hanging at the Norris Cultural Arts Center. Artist's Reception is tonight (Friday July 9th) from 7:30 - 9:30. Hope to see you there!

Paper, Process and Perception
June 7 - July 30, 2010
The Dellora A. Norris Cultural Arts Center
1040 Dunham Road
St. Charles, IL
(630) 584-7200
www.norrisculturalarts.com

Squeezing in A Little Studio Time

2010-07-08T14:58:00.000-06:00

In bits and pieces and snippets of stolen time. Between homework and packing and family fun and holidays. It isn't the end that I crave, but the process that gets me there.

*wheels and gears stencil by MaryBeth Shaw

Its All On Clearance at 60% Off!

2010-07-06T13:23:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe but its true - For my blog readers only - I am clearing out the objects in my Etsy Store while preparing to move so hurry over to get in on the best items at the lowest prices ever! I'll be closing the doors for the rest of the summer on Sunday so there's no time to lose!

Please be sure to use coupon code Jul0211all in the MESSAGE TO SELLER area when you make your purchase through PayPal and your savings will be refunded to you immediately. Or if you prefer you can contact me at crystal_opf@comcast.net for details if you would rather be invoiced with your savings before making your payment.

How Curiosity Killed the Roly Poly

2010-06-30T18:31:00.001-06:00

Photo by Andrea Sherrick

School has once again captured my attention and stolen away my free time, more intensely packed this summer then usual, with 16-week courses being crammed into eight-week spans of time. So in lieu of paper and paste, my artistic cravings are being satisfied through the creative writings required for my English Comp class ~ this is the second installment for you to enjoy.

How Curiosity Killed The Roly Poly

by Crystal Neubauer

Inquisitive by nature, Andrea kept me on my toes as a mom. There seemed to be nothing she was afraid of trying and the word “stranger” did not exist in her young vocabulary. Many times I would find her batting her wide eyes up at me having found herself in one sort of a jam or another. Little startled-deer caught in oncoming traffic at rush hour had nothing on her with those eyes. Remarkable Eyes. Once a woman at the grocery store declared “Oh you have the most beautiful eyes! Can I have your eyes?”. Taken quite literally and turning those eyes to me in fear, Andrea whispered loudly: “Momma that lady wants my eyes!”. Perhaps it was coincidental, but there seemed to be a connection between those eyes and the inquisitiveness of her nature. 

Family lore includes the trip to the hospital to retrieve the large red bead jammed far up the cavity of her nose. So far up had she managed to insert that bead, a slight bulge presented itself just between those eyes, a little to the right. Another time those wide eyes staring up at me were offset by the closest thing to alien green one could expect to find in the form of permanent ink marker. She had covered her chubby cheeked face, her arms and hands (not even sparing her fingernails), and all over that rounded baby belly that was among the little evidence her height would give to her true age. And one night as I stood at the stove her tiny voice pleaded up at me “Momma I'm stuck”. Intent on my stirring I asked her to wait, but with only a moment's hesitation she repeated “Momma, I'm stuck”. Secure in her whereabouts at my side I paid no attention and once again she insisted, loudly this time, “Maaaaaww! I'm Stuck!” Looking down impatiently I see her extending her arm with her cupped baby hand thrust in the air just above those eyes, having glued each tiny finger to the next from the web to the tip so securely that another trip to the hospital was in order. They were starting to know us by name.

Standing in front of the washing machine, mind set on pie-in-the-sky dreams and mental note-taking of tasks to be done, I thought nothing of reaching my hand into Andreas jeans pockets to clear them of the evidence of her play. Glancing down at my hand as I threw the jeans in the wash it took a moment for my mind to catch up. Squealing, I jump back in compensation for the delay, then catching myself with a chuckle, I realize the harmlessness of the creatures I am holding in my hand, curled as they are and long dead from suffocation. 

Or curiosity. 

We've had our share of odd creatures as pets, along with a fair number of kittens and puppies. The tarantula bought with Kristin's eighth grade graduation money, the backyard snakes and turtles smuggled in boxes to live under Jason's bed, and of course, there was the Oscar. Oh yes, the hedgehog, and birds, yes there were plenty of birds – but Andrea had an obsession with the Roly Poly. 

Photo by Andrea Sherrick

We lived that year in a rented house in the middle of the historical section of town. It was the kind of house that made you wonder if it ever really had seen better days. Its additions were intended to improve, but had been so hastily and poorly erected the entire structure looked like it could be knocked down by a good stiff wind. Or a slight sneeze. But where the house had little to offer in the way of aesthetic appeal, the garden, with its dead logs, plentiful rocks, and old vegetation, was just the thing to excite a wide eyed curious little girl, and the perfect habitat for her favorite terrestrial crustacean, known as the Roly Poly.

Interesting characters, those little Roly Polys were. I was more inclined to believe their small size put them in the category of “bugs”, but in actuality they were more closely related to that hermit crab the Easter bunny had left for Jordan one year.  Andrea spent hours that summer poking and prodding those little woodlice into the balls they formed when protecting themselves from harm. “An annoyance” is how they are described in the Pest Gallery by the Blue Chip Exterminating company, but I would reckon to guess that this description would more aptly describe the way the Roly Polys viewed Andrea then the other way around. 

She couldn't help her curious nature. Some would say curious was just a polite way of saying “nosy” and if able to answer, the Roly Poly would surely be inclined to agree that this little girl was a little too nosy for their ultimate good.

 Photo by Andrea Sherrick

She's grown up now, that curious little girl, and still seeing the world through those wide inquisitive eyes. But instead of stuffing her pockets full of the treasures she finds each day, she is recording her life through the lens of her camera. And in those captured moments I am able to see the beauty that she sees hidden in the most mundane of things and I too have become fascinated with the Roly Poly.

The therapy is in the process...

2010-06-28T10:19:00.000-06:00

I stole away some precious time yesterday afternoon to play and practice some techniques without a finished project in mind while hubby spent some time practicing for his show on the 4th. Art is therapy. No doubt. Relaxing and breathing. And Letting Go. No matter what medium you choose to create in, there really is therapy in the process.

A Star-Spangled Lullaby

2010-06-21T14:14:00.000-06:00

Photo by Andrea Sherrick

Pull up a chair and a tall glass of lemon-aide, slide the brim of your hat over the bridge of your nose, dangle your toes in the lake and forget about work for just a little while.....

A Star-Spangled Lullaby

by Crystal Neubauer

Rows of newly purchased Keds lined the gutter as I sat on the curb shoulder to shoulder with my cousins along First Street excitedly anticipating the distant rat-a-tat-tatting of the drums and the blaring of sirens which signaled the start of the parade. Our hands clutched little American flags waiting to wave them at the antique cars and floats passing by in hopes of being rewarded with a shower of candy for our patronage on that day.

 For the first ten years of my life the Fourth of July was celebrated in much the same way. There was a strong sense of community in my hometown of Champaign, Illinois. The Fourth of July festivities was a good example of how the diverse faces that flavored the racial makeup of the mid-sized, mid-west town would come together without the self-consciousness that so often segregated other communities in those years. But community to me had more to do with the gathering of my aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins, and the wide array of friends, and friends of those friends, who would turn out en masse early in the morning to unfold lawn chairs with newly webbed seats in Illini colors and spread out orange and blue plaid blankets claiming “our spot” along the curb.  

 After the parade we would happily clutch our bags of candy and pile into Dad's work van for the six block trek to Gramma and Papa's house, where we would spend the rest of the day oblivious to the continuing celebration at the Field House on the U of I campus. Here, we would spend the afternoon eating the ice cream Gramma had made the day before after hours and hours of hand-cranking, and we would fold paper airplanes to give to the uncles who would load them with Black Jacks and send them hissing into the air while the aunts scolded and warned us of the little boy who had lost the tips of his fingers after participating in just such folly.  

 Later in the day we would gather the lawn chairs and blankets again and head across the street to sit in the parking lot of the Radisson Hotel, where the white dome of the Assembly Hall was visible and the view of the fireworks display at the Stadium on Kirby Avenue was unobstructed by the cherry tree that filled Gramma's front yard. We'd chase each other with snap-n-pops exploding at our heals and wait for it to be dark enough for the fireworks to begin and then cuddle on the nearest lap. It didn't really matter whose, back then the arms weren't selective and were always open for one of the cousins to climb in. And just for a moment, in the bursts of those acrid-smelling stars, I held on to the illusion that begged me to believe that everything really was going to be okay.

Photo by Andrea Sherrick

This year Gramma was forced to give up her little ranch house on Birch street and go to live at the Champaign County Nursing Home. The same culturally rich faces were present as I remembered from my childhood, but now each one in a different state of decline. It was startling, really, to see her after all this time and realize she no longer knew my name. As I leaned in close her smile widened and she grabbed the sides of my cheeks in both hands as if she knew exactly who I was and she was delighted to see me after all this time. “Gramma, do you know who I am?” I asked with tears filling my eyes as she shook her head from side to side, the same wide silly grin still on her face highlighting the emptiness of her gaze.  

 Later she grabbed my face again and spoke, “You do look familiar....”, and I prompted her with names she might more easily recognize then mine, “Do I look like Dianna?”, as she shook her head once again my cousin Lony leaned in and giggled “You probably remind her of you!” And so we shared a laugh and Gramma sat smiling at us both, just happy to see somebody stop in front of her chair and keep her company for a while.

 Walking through her house that afternoon, I stop to look through the large picture window of the living room and am struck by the lack of change in Gramma's front yard. The little concrete gnome still stands by the bird bath under the cherry tree, which has not grown much taller then it was when I was ten, just enough shade to cool under in the heat of the day, but still preventing a clear view of the night sky. I can nearly see the outline of the chairs scattered across the lawn and closing my eyes I can just catch the sound of my Gramma's voice calling my name and hear the laughter of the family that had once been so close. 

 Across the street I look to see that time has not stood still as I had hoped. The parking lot where those sweet summertime gatherings took place is no longer there and the view from Gramma's yard is nothing more then the cold brick backside of the newly renovated hotel. I load the boxes of memories into my car and head out for the three and a half hour drive. And as I watch Gramma's house disappear in the rear view mirror, I know in my heart that this town will always be my home.  

Get Your Hopes Up

2010-05-26T07:38:00.000-06:00

I heard a girl on one of those reality contest shows on TV saying to the judges that she had worked really hard but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

And it struck me as kind of sad.

I mean, whatever you do in life shouldn't you be allowed to at least get your hopes up? Especially when it is something you have worked really hard for.

I am a dreamer.

Over the past year I have worked really hard at making some changes. Some big changes. Things are getting to that point, you know, the point where you see if the hard work will pay off. Or not.

And I have my hopes up. At the end of it all I want to say I lived my life with my hopes up. Longingly. Expectantly. To the fullest.

I want to dream big dreams and work really hard to follow them and I want to hope that my hard work pays off. And if it doesn't I want to dream again. and again. and again.

Can I really call it life without dreams? Without hope?

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Restoration in Progress

2010-05-25T08:34:00.000-06:00

Transitions are keeping me busy but in a good way.

Soon I hope to share more with you but today these words say it best

"Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." Isaiah 58:12

Art Saves

2010-04-12T08:59:00.001-06:00

This week I have the privilege of being a guest curator on Jenny Doh's new website, Crescendoh. I love this website Jenny has started. Every week she features 4 artists and their stories and each artist shares their personal favorite posts and new links to inspiring websites and blogs each day.

This week you can read the story of how Art was a tool that saved me, along with the stories of 3 other guest curators and 3 guest readers. In addition to sharing my story and a link to one of my favorite posts from my own blog, I get to direct readers to two of my favorite blogs or websites each day, so be sure to check these out daily for a glimpse of what inspires and moves me.

Everything and Anything

2010-04-01T17:30:00.001-06:00

Growing up in the 60s and 70s messages for girls were mixed. Most of my friends moms were stay-at-home moms. I remember mine taking night classes when I was in grade school, but during the day she babysat a little boy whose mom went to work in stylish office clothes. She seemed exotic and intelligent and foreign to me. And maybe just a little "bad" like those women who got divorced.

We girls were told we could be Anything we wanted to be when we grew up. But somehow "Be Anything" translated in my mind to "Be Everything for Everybody".

Maybe it was those early mixed messages. I remember seeing a plaque somewhere in my grandmothers house: "A man will work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done." and grandpa and dad and all the uncles being served their dinner on TV trays by the wives as we kids lined up to help ourselves at family gatherings. That message seemed clear. Serve the husbands first, let the kids eat and then clean up after everyone.

What a relief to finally realize not only can I be anything, but I really don't have to do everything. And I can explore and take my time and make a mess and even ask somebody else to help me clean it up.

Everything and Anything is an assemblage framed collage that explores the idea of femininity, beauty, and the role women play in the home, society, the arts, and religion.

A Long Time Coming

2010-03-30T09:33:00.002-06:00

The focal point of this assemblage, the collage, has been in the process of being "done" for well over 6 months now. I reworked it several times before feeling somewhat satisfied, but even in this state felt it wasn't quite done and it languished on the work table (among a few dozen other collage works in similar states of undoneness).

I really don't remember why I entered the studio yesterday or how I came to be sawing these pieces of wood. It was one of those "Aha!" moments as I stood in front of my display of finished pieces, some already framed with reclaimed wood. My eyes fell on this collage and suddenly I could see it in my mind and there was this force that could not be contained. I worked in a frenzied adrenaline state until it was finished. All thought of my "to do" list out the window.

It was finished in less then an hour. But it had been a long time coming.

In the satisfaction of seeing it completed, I reflected on the many stages I've seen it in. Honestly, at one point I threw it into my redo pile to scrape clean at a later date. It didn't seem possible to salvage and better to accept that I needed to let it go.

Many times it takes coming to this point of surrender, letting go of control, to see something you've worked for and wanted for so long come together. Change can't be forced. Sometimes the harder you try to "make" something happen the more elusive or impossible it becomes. To admit that you are powerless over another person, a relationship, even your own character flaws can seem like giving up, but it gives change the freedom to do what it needs to do, unhindered by our finite vision and limited views.

A seed languishes under the soil. It seems dead. There is no outward sign of the change that is taking place. And suddenly a flower bursts forth, overnight. But it has been a long time coming.

There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
but now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come. ~ Sam Cooke

Voices of the Sky

2010-03-28T20:31:00.004-06:00

"Our sky is never the same – from day to day or even hour to hour. It holds the brightest and darkest things we will ever see, and in addition is capable of displaying every imaginable color and mood."~ Samuel Hazo

What if I....

2010-03-23T09:35:00.003-06:00

There is so much inspiration online it is amazing that I get anything else done at times, other then look and drool. One blog I like to visit on a regular basis is Mary Buek's. Each post begins with the question "What if I". Recently she posted one title "What if I...Had No Time"

Time has been short for me recently, as explained in my previous post. This week finds me in the midst of (should be) studying for mid-terms. On top of which I've been exploring a new (to me) technique and my head is exploding with ideas. Tough to concentrate on studying when I keep walking past my work table and stopping to fuss and play with these new materials.
In the next week I'll try to post a few pictures of my recent collage work whether I have time to write or not. There are times, I've come to believe, the quieter the artist is the stronger the work speaks.

Blame It On Art

2010-03-03T15:05:00.012-06:00

I've been away from the blog for some time, but not away from Art. I've started back to school again this semester but this time I've decided on a goal. I finally know what I want to be when I grow up and am taking my first academic steps toward that goal. I say my first academic steps because it isn't just about training for a career. Its more like acknowledging who I already am.

Art Therapist. Using art as a tool to aid in healing is something I've been doing since I was a little girl. The times I felt I was most comfortable being me was when I was creating. Art gave me a voice. A way to express myself. A way to release whatever energy I was storing inside.

I left it for a while, dabbling in crafts and being creative was always somewhere in my life, but the dream of being an artist had nearly been forgotten. But Art would not let me forget it forever. Because Art wasn't just a dream of the fairy tale kind. Art was my insides pressing and spilling out onto a canvas and speaking words I didn't have any other language to speak. And it was about learning to listen and to trust those words. And it was about healing.

It is exciting to hear myself say it. Art Therapist. I know that I have a long way to go before it is really a title I can use. Starting with just a handful of college credits and working toward a Masters in my mid-40s requires some juggling. Ratio of time on work versus proportion of creative needs being met, balanced with school and homework and then factor in the e-mails, posts, and social networking. It is a little overwhelming as I get the hang of it.

I might drop the ball a time or two while I learn my way around. So if you notice that my posts are a little more sporadic and you don't see me update my status as frequently as I used to or I'm slow responding to your kind comments. Please don't blame it on me. Blame it on Art.

Announcing Portland 2010 Classes

2010-01-14T19:32:00.008-06:00

The Art & Soul Portland 2010 schedule was just published and I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching 3 classes this year. Registration goes live on March 1st and classes fill up fast so be sure to bookmark your favorites.

Wednesday night, Oct. 6, I'll be teaching a collage class. You can catch the Artist to Artist Interview by Lesley Riley in the current (Jan/Feb 2010) copy of Cloth Paper Scissors featuring my collage work to see more and read about my passion for combining collage and encaustic wax.

You can see a portion of the interview at this link.
P309 - Encaustic Collage in the Evening
6:30 - 9:30
Wed Eve

This class will help the student to break free of the fears or stumbling blocks that are frequently encountered when facing a blank canvas or trying a new technique. There will be some discussion about working intuitively, trusting the creative voice within, and following that voice to a satisfying finished work of art. The students will create a collage on canvas board and then enhance and protect the collage with encaustic wax medium. Discussion will include how to choose the right adhesive for the job, the use of encaustics versus regular beeswax as a finish layer, adding color, and displaying the finished work. The students should leave the workshop with at least one completed work of art and the knowledge to apply these techniques to other projects.

Use of materials supplied by me will include encaustic wax, paintbrush, heat gun, iron, etc.

Supply List:

Ampersand or generic brand gesso art board (bring several small sized boards)
acrylic gel medium, paste, or students preferred adhesive
variety of papers and thin cloth to create collage

Optional Items:

rubber gloves
oil pastels
oil paint
charcoal pencil or colored pencils
lightweight found objects

You'll find a feature on my Wax & Wire line in the Winter 2010 Issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry. Intrigued? Learn how to create your own pendants on Weds. Oct. 6th and pick up all the tips and tricks.

P308 - Encaustic Adornment
9:00 - 4:30
Wednesday - Oct 6

This workshop features a unique marriage of materials and techniques not traditionally used together to create a wearable art sculpture that tells a personal story. Each student will gather ephemera and paper or thin cloth mementos in advance of the workshop that will speak of the story the artist carries within. There will be some class discussion of how we can tune in to those stories we all carry in our hearts and how to release them in our art in a way that draws interest from the viewer.
The students will create the foundation and pin back of the brooch from steel wire. Techniques in wire shaping, texturing, soldering, and creating pin backs from wire will be learned. The papers used are preserved with encaustic wax. The students will then learn how to bond the two elements for their completed brooch. If time permits we will create necklace pendants or other pieces of jewelry as well. The students should leave the workshop with at least one completed work of art and the knowledge to apply these techniques to other projects.

$10 Materials fee payable to the instructor include: encaustic wax, solder, flux, small butane torches, butane, steel pins, soldering pick, sandpaper, and steel wool.

Supply List:
16 or 18 gauge steel wire
sturdy round nose & standard pliers
wire cutter
metal file
hammer
steel block or anvil
hand towel or metalsmith sandbag
soldering pad (need to be able to push steel pins into it)
dremel with grinding wheel
bits of meaningful or personal ephemera (does not need to be large – but consider color and texture as design elements when choosing)
small disposable paintbrush
long tweezers
small crafters quilting iron
glass or bone burnishing tool or old credit card/gift card.

Optional supplies:
rubber gloves
finger rubbers (to protect fingers while sanding the pin back)
oil pastels
oil paint
charcoal pencil or colored pencils.

You may recognize this piece from the Cloth Paper Scissors article. I had so much fun teaching this class in Portland last year I'll be doing it again in 2010!

P390 - Front & Center 3D Collage w/Story
9 - 4:30
Tuesday - Oct 5, 2010

Oftentimes the only barrier between you and becoming the artist you were meant to be is learning to trust your inner voice. In this class we will learn to listen to the artist inside to quickly create a background for this 3D collage. Once the background is complete, we will move on to learn how to use a jewelers saw to sandwich our main image between two pieces of acrylic and attach it to the collage with a telescoping rivet technique. Each student will create a highly personal work of art as we learn to hear the story that plays inside as we create. We will discuss how the skills learned for the finished piece can be translated into a multitude of other applications in collage, assemblage, and jewelry making.
$10 Materials fee payable to the instructor include: micro-screws and hex-nuts, small beads, drill bit, brass tubes, and selection from instructors ephemera.

Supplies Needed for Class:
-5” x 7” or larger Cradled Artist Panel by Ampersand with 3/4" profile (can also use the 2" profile if preferred)
-A variety of papers, music and text pages for collage
-Collage glue, acrylic medium, decoupage or white glue
-Focal Image to be used for the main image – this can be a vintage image, printed copy or original, a photograph or print – at least 1/3 the size of the canvas
-Scissors
-.60mil or .80mil Acrylic w/ premask attached (this can be found at window replacement centers in outlets such as Lowe's or Ace Hardware) – 2 times as large as your main image
-roll of blue painters tape or other EZ peel tape
-jewelers saw and plenty of sized 1/0 or 2/0 blades -
-bench pin
-Oval Sanding disk - 3M makes a good resin covered one that works really well with acrylic, otherwise just a plain sanding pad or disk is fine.
-Various grades from medium to fine sandpaper, fingernail files, jewelers files
-Dremel &1/16” drill bits (if you can't bring one along, one will be available for class use)
-Fine or medium tipped Sharpie marker

Optional items:
-Acrylic paints
-found objects
-small flat round/disk shaped beads or washers with a wide hole (should accommodate a 1/16” sized screw or wire)

I am really looking forward to the retreat ~ but October seems so far away. Be sure to keep checking back for updates to my schedule as I hope to be adding some local (Far Northern Chicago Suburbs) dates to my teaching schedule soon. And if you are planning to attend Art & Soul Vegas in February be sure to come by my booth on Vendor night, Saturday Feb. 20th at Bally's Ballroom, and pick up some of my art & objects and view the class samples first hand!

You Are Not Alone

2009-12-30T20:24:00.004-06:00

As 2009 winds down I find myself reflecting over the events of the past year. It has been a year of trials to be sure, but trials with a purpose that have brought about significant changes and set me on a path that will lead me even closer to being the person I know I was created to be. As difficult as the year has been I believe it has been one of the most significant in my life to date and I count the blessings that have come from it as I look back.

Tops on my list is the many friends that I have made and grown closer to. Friends that I see in my daily life and really dear friends that I have met online, some I have met face to face and others I only hope to some day. I have both been encouraged by and had the opportunity to encourage and many days of just hanging out, drinking coffee, virtual or real, and sharing life.

One friend and very talented artist, Sue Simpson, I have known online for some time has been mourning the loss of her mom these past few months. Especially difficult through the holidays, but in spite of her grief she has taken the time to write me words of encouragement that I will forever cherish and I've asked her permission to share this story with you.

"I took a walk on the beach once when I was feeling confused and alone. We live within walking distance to a beach I grew up playing on. It is rock instead of sand. Sand is when the tide is out. As I entered the beach area talking to God about my dilemma, I looked down to find a white rock, all by itself among the gray and black ones. I thought to myself, this is how I am feeling, alone. I looked a few inches further and there was another white rock. This one was a little bit bigger than the first, Jesus said, see here I am, always with you. Then another white rock, this one bigger than the rest. This is your family, our community, those who love you and whom I love. You my friend are never alone. Times will feel lonely, but you are not alone. Times may feel confusing, did I do the right thing? I will be beside you to guide you. Times will feel joyful, I will share in that joy and times may feel like a very doubtful future but I am here with you and will guide you along the way.

I kept those rocks for a long time. I am sure they are here in my studio, somewhere. Although that first rock looked like the only, lonely white rock.....it was within company of others. And most importantly not alone but with Jesus near by."

Sue has had a year of trials herself and these words were not lightly written. She has weathered many losses this year and I admire her for being able to reach out and share these words with me in the midst of her own pain. Be sure to take a peek at her blog and leave her a note and check out her etsy shop, Earthtone Studios, to see her beautiful work.

Inspired by Sue, I've titled this piece "You Are Not Alone". It is the first in a series of encaustic collage works done on salvaged antique board and wood scraps. I'm not quite sure how I want to mount it for display so I will be hanging on to it for a while but be sure to stop by OPF Studio at Etsy for more encaustic works.

Voyage of Discovery

2009-12-21T18:09:00.017-06:00

The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes,
but in having new eyes....Marcel Proust.

On Day 21 of my 31 Days of Art Challenge to myself I've managed to list exactly two-thirds of what I had challenged myself to do, but through the lenses of new eyes today I see this not as a failure but part of many successes I can look back at for the year 2009.

My world, when looked at through these new eyes, becomes a cornucopia of discoveries that have been made about myself this year. Of who I am, where I've come from, and more importantly, where I am going and who I was meant to be.

I'll sit down in a few days and make a list of all these discoveries and I will celebrate the New Year, not with regrets for where I have been or the things I have failed to do, but with gratitude for the voyage that I am on. I will look at the accomplishments and give myself credit for the strength that it took to begin and stay on this journey and I will begin to look at the steps I will take in the future.

I will remember not to get overwhelmed with the big picture, but take each step and appreciate it as it comes.

The wax & wire brooch above, "Voyage of Discovery", was my Secret Santa gift to Jeanette Blix Ryan of Jeannette Blix Metal and Wire Jewelry. The Secret Santa exchange was hosted by Molly Alexander of Beautifully Broken Me. Molly is revealing each of the Secret Santas on her blog so be sure to stop by and see all the wonderful pieces that were made.

My Secret Santa was Jan Thomason of The Polka Dot Barn. Jan is a very talented paper artist, selling her work at two sites online. She was challenged to create outside of her normal media with this swap and she rose to the occasion brilliantly!

First of all I received the package in the mail and right away could tell that there was more then just a piece of jewelry inside. It was all I could do not to rip into all of these pretty little packages as soon as I opened the box, but I managed to contain myself while I looked for my camera and all the while my excitement grew.

I was spoiled with all kinds of great items that I will be able to use in my own work and ideas have been bouncing around my head for many of these items already. But as good as all that was, the real treasure was in the package with the pretty red bow in the center of the box.

Jan was able to translate her artistic style from paper to jewelry with ease, creating this mixed media necklace from many vintage items, including this center pendant she created from copper that has been etched with a hand design and combined with several pieces of vintage jewelry forming a mini wearable art sculpture. I love the center with the rhinestones lined up under a silver rectangle with what looks like shell or glass flakes under resin.

She has also combined many other pieces, each with some personal touch, the stamped scrabble tile dangle, the hand rolled polymer bead with the copper coil dangling off of it. There is even a couple of tiny images on paper dangling with a key. My pictures do not do her work justice, but you can see how much of herself she has put into the necklace and I am very grateful to be the lucky one to receive Jan's work ~ Thanks Jan!

Whistle While You Work

2009-12-17T19:45:00.005-06:00

♪♫ Whistle While You Work♫♪

Worked the part-time frame job 2 days in a row and it has been busy as can be with Christmas fast approaching and last minute purchases being made. So many people this time of year lose site of what it is all about. And I know I am no exception. When money is tight, stores are crowded, you can't find what you need...well you know.

I decided today in the midst of all the running around the store and taking care of customers that the best course of action was to whistle. If only I knew how!

And here is the last of the Christmas Swap posts, but by far not the least!

♫♪ On the last Day of Christmas Lorraine George gave to me♪♫

This beautiful snowflake fabric ornament to hang on my tree! Simply cool and wintery in color and composition, Lorraines ornament is so soft to the touch I had to look at it a few times thinking she might have sent an authentic vintage ornament along. The fabrics she chose to use are wonderful and she has layered them one on top of another for a much appreciated homespun tactile touch to my tree! I love the blues and greens of the ribbon dangles that make me think of the snowflake in motion. Well done Lorraine! I love every inch of it!

Day 12 - Over The River and Through The Woods

2009-12-16T16:09:00.009-06:00

Life has a way of getting away from us doesn't it? I seem to be in a season where I am just continuously amazed at how fast time slips by. It really started to hit me when my youngest daughter graduated from high school. This year she turned 20.

This month I went back home to see my grandmother who just went to live in a nursing home. I was forewarned that she would most likely not know me. She was so cute when I bent down to hug her and she took my head between her hands smiling with delight. I thought for a moment she was going to say my name but when I asked if she knew me she just shook her head and said "no" still smiling wide.

Somehow that wasn't as hard as walking through her house this weekend after most of the furniture and belongings had already been moved. So many memories, especially this time of year, as all of our Christmas Eves as a child were spent gathering with the cousins at Gramma and Papa's house. Our little box of toys was still sitting in the bottom of the hall closet and I couldn't bear to pull it out and look inside out of fear of not being able to regain my composure.

Funny, I haven't been there in years, letting the length of the trip and the obligations of life get in the way of the important stuff, but walking in the door I felt like it was only a few days that had passed. In the cold winter chill the yard looked barren, but in my mind I could still see the flowers Gramma planted there every year and our lawn chairs all lined up waiting to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

How poignant, this reminder is, to really pay attention to the important stuff during this Christmas season. Its not about the gifts or the decorations or the food. Its about the relationships. Take the time to really notice and connect with the ones you have been blessed with and maybe even reach out to someone who hasn't been as blessed as you. What we share of our hearts lasts much longer then anything we could put under the tree.

And speaking of being blessed.....

♫ ♪ On The 12th Day of Christmas Lou McCulloch gave to me♫ ♪

This little altered baking tin is no longer used for baking sweets but still being used to dish it up! I love the pretty red & green patina Lou has given it. Not sure if she used copper patina or paint or inks? Whatever her technique she has managed to make it look genuine, which is honestly something I am drawn to. That look of one layer of paint peeking out behind another. Layers of color, a collage of patina, rust and paint! And the little tintype that I think must be a replica is just as convincing in looking like the real thing. I am so excited to have this ornament to hang on my tree and around my studio in the years to come. Sweet indeed Lou!

What Day Is It and Who's Counting Anyway?

2009-12-15T17:36:00.010-06:00

So I was a day behind in my posts and now 4 days behind. I've just come off of 3 more "body in motion" days. Taking care of all the important stuff, working the new part time job, doctors visits, morning coffee with very dear friends, and yes that was one of the most important.

Some days it is tempting, when the schedule begins to get tight and things like announcing a 31 day blog challenge get behind on only the 10th day into it, to cancel the things that aren't absolutely necessary. But coffee with friends, especially in the midst of the difficult seasons of life, can be the most necessary and vital appointment on the schedule.

Its nice to sit down and share your secrets, hopes, dreams, disappointments with a few very close women who will laugh, cry, encourage and pray with me. A place to regain perspective and set back out with a renewed ability to handle life and remember what the true purpose in it all is anyway.

And speaking of a few good friends ~

♫ ♪ on the 11th Day of Christmas Deryn Mentock gave to me ♫ ♪

Deryn is the ring leader of our annual Christmas swap. I'm really not sure how long I have known her or exactly where we first met online, but I am privileged to know her and have met her in person recently in person. Deryn is a true giver and puts her entire heart into her work. Take a look at the brilliant way that Deryn wrapped her gift. Using a luxurious purpley blue jeweled length of ribbon stitched around to form a little bag and then, just for the sake of torturing those of us that Deryn knew would not behave ourselves and wait until Day 11 to open the gift, she stitched the gift inside!

Ah, clever girl that she is. I really had no intention of peeking. I'm a big girl and I happen to love the anticipation of waiting and wondering what is inside such a pretty package. But the fact that this was the first present to arrive in the mail, and close to two weeks ahead of all of the rest at that, and the fact that it contained something that I knew was hand crafted by the very talented Deryn Mentock was a very powerful allurement!

Well I did manage to wait, but ONLY because of the stitching that held it all in place, and it was well worth it. Deryn has once again outdone herself creating this very tiny reliquary containing a nativity scene made from genuine vintage and antique elements, including antique bible text, postcard, scripture and many vintage elements that invite the viewer to look deeper and more carefully with each tiny detail. Oh my pictures do not do this little shrine justice. You really do need to read Deryns post and visit her etsy shop to fully appreciate how talented she is, but I warn you, you will wind up wanting one of everything for yourself!

Day 10 - Hark Herald the Bunny Sings

2009-12-11T12:20:00.013-06:00

The 10th Day of my 31 days of art postings and 12 Days of Christmas Exchange is all about the announcement of exciting things to come.

Remembering a Dream

Many months ago I was contacted by Lesley Riley asking if I would be interested in doing an interview with her for the Artist to Artist article she does in each issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and I have been eager to announce the news ever since!

This is truly a dream for me. Part of a bigger dream to become an artist "When I grow up", but as with many childhood dreams, it was put away and forgot about over the years. Covered over with layer upon layer of being who I needed to be to take care of the life that I had.

Over the years art remained a lifeline for me. Something I would turn to when everything else in life seemed to be so uncertain, so frightening or overwhelming and chaotic. Whatever the project was I had in my hand, it became an island of calm. And when I worked at whatever it was I was creating, sewing, beading, or crafting, the dream would stir and I would find myself thinking of ways I could turn what I was doing into a business. Just little sparks of thought.

To be able to do art full time. To be an artist. Wistful. Wishful Thinking.

Well the dream has begun to take shape as a reality these past few years as I have begun the journey of uncovering my true self and looking into the past to discover my future. Hard work to turn around and face some of it, but without this work I would not have remembered this childhood dream of mine. I would not have been able to peel away the layers, the self-protective mask and realize who I was meant to be.

I get to talk about some of this in the interview with Lesley, which focuses largely on my passion for encaustic collage and on the objects that I love to collect and sell. I am so excited to announce the issue is now available for pre-order and will be hitting store shelves on January 5th. Check it out at CPS and see for yourself, my name next to the very talented Lesley Riley's ~ Wow! What a dream!!

and speaking of growing up to be a real artist....

♪ ♫ on the 10th day of Christmas Kelly Snelling gave to me ♫ ♪

A festive package to put under my tree! Now Kelly's package was one of those that invited shaking as soon as it arrived in the mail, I should have taken a picture of the outside of the carton. You'll have to be sure to read Kelly's post about it and see the artsy way she adorned the box and the message to be careful not to squish she wrote on each one for the postman.

As I pulled the shiny blue gift out of the box I could hear a jingling inside and I shook it. Rewarded by more jingling I shook it more and before I knew it I was shaking my way around the kitchen jingling and dancing and singing. I had to make myself put it down not knowing if it was breakable, but I was having so much fun!

Knowing the quality of work that Kelly produces and the fact that she warned the group that her ornament was kind of "quirky" made waiting for the 10th day of the exchange a challenge, but wait I did, and when I finally got to open it I laughed out loud!

Laughed and laughed! I was delighted with laughter!

Kelly this is another one that I will cherish as a "favorite among favorites" of all the years of swapping I've been involved in!

Just look at that worried expression on his white enameled face! Is he worried from his flight? or from all that shaking upon his arrival? or the many days of waiting to come out of that pakage? Bunny Rabbit, what are you so worried about? Kelly has invited each of the artists in the swap to come up with a story of their own for why she sent us rabbits for a Christmas swap.

First my thoughts turned to the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, running past Alice with his large pocket watch in hand worriedly announcing "I'm late, I'm late", and of course I could relate to that because I always seem to be running late. Even this blog post is going up a day late! Maybe Kelly was letting us know, through her ornament that she was worried about being late?

But after giving it some more thought this morning I knew there was something else about this rabbit. Something he was trying to say. It is kind of unusual, you know, to hang a white rabbit on a Christmas tree. Especially one who looks like he would be much more at home as part of a Spring time Easter display. And that is when it hit me!

He is an Easter bunny and he did have something important to say!

I thought of the traditional Easter Bunny widely viewed as a symbol to announce the arrival of Spring. And then the Christian tradition of incorporating this symbol and the eggs that he would bring as a way of sharing the story of Christ who would die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice and rise again from the tomb. Conquering the grave and paying the penalty for the sins of all who would come to him. I thought then of John the baptist, a forerunner of Jesus, who came to announce and point to the coming of The Messiah.

And just as I was about to name him "John" in recognition of his forerunner spirit, coming to me at Christmas to announce the impending birth of Christ, I heard in my head the song "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and I thought of that star on his bell and then thought of those Angels who came to the shepherds in the field announcing Christs birth along with the star that shone above Bethlehem and it all became clear.

His name is Herald:

announce: foreshadow or presage
acclaim: praise vociferously; "The critics hailed the young pianist as a new Rubinstein"
(formal) a person who announces important news; "the chieftain had a herald who announced his arrival with a trumpet"
hail: greet enthusiastically or joyfully
harbinger: something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone

And that worried look really was about being late. After all, when he arrived I did spin him around and around my kitchen until he was so dizzy he couldn't see straight, let alone remember what day it was!

Don't worry Herald, you aren't late. You are right on time.

♫ ♪ Hark Harold the Bunny sings ♪ ♫ Glory to the newborn King ♫ ♪

Day 9 Just Being Playful

2009-12-09T16:18:00.005-06:00

Art for Day 9, just a little ACEO Art Card. I love the look of the white on white. Pulling together seemingly random papers and items in a monochromatic scheme is very soothing. Many times when I pull together a random collection in this way I get something inside, a stirring of sorts and I hear a word, a verse, a scripture, and I'll know the storyteller within has something to say.

For whatever reason, I haven't delved too deep, when I see this card all I can think of is "The Zipper Man" from a dialogue between Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly in the movie "You've Got Mail" as Kathleen is preparing to meet her mystery man-

JOE: He could be the zipper Man.
KATHLEEN: Who's that?
JOE: This guy on Amsterdam who repairs zippers. You'll never have to buy new luggage.

Sometimes the storyteller just wants to be playful. And here is something else that is playful.

♫ ♪ on the 9th Day of Christmas JoAnna gave to me ♫ ♪

One of my favorite things about this exchange has been the creativity put into the wrapping of each of the ornaments. Many of the artists seem to have put almost as much into the wrapping as they have into the ornament itself.

The first thing I noticed as I began to unwrap JoAnna's ornament was how she managed to engage nearly all of my senses with her wrapping. The visual appeal as you can see, with the clear cellophane as a teaser showing off the the pretty red & white ticking fabric used to hide the gift all surrounded by little shreds of old text and just the hint of the ornament peeking from the top. As I picked it up the silver bell was jingling and when I opened it I caught the slightest whiff of something fragrant. I thought at first I was mistaken, but then noticed a bit of potpourri was also inside the package. It smells so good!

I am absolutely delighted with JoAnnas choice for her ornament this year. She has developed a style that is all her own, a sort of grungy primitive style and often with this muslin vintagy fabric incorporated somehow. But this ornament really shows off her talent for all things distinctly feminine. It is so pretty and I know that I will not want to put this away with my regular ornaments at the end of the Christmas season! Be sure to head over to JoAnnas blog to be wowed with the talent she has for making art dolls, fairies, bottles, and so much more!

Day 8 Elementary Science

2009-12-08T20:04:00.007-06:00

Perhaps this is just what I need today, a text-book in Elementary Science. It may help to explain why I have spent the better part of the day trying to get one simple solder to take with no success.

Granted, the materials I am trying to join are an unlikely duo. Silver and steel. They appear to go together just about as well as music and bugs, or religion and science, or salty and sweet. Really none of these things have to contradict, but can actually compliment the other, be it simply to create a curious appeal, to point to the truth the other holds, or support and enhance the flavor of the other.

I do love this contradiction created by steel and silver together. The dark matte black of the steel against the highly polished silver, but today it is just creating frustration in me so I will put it aside for another day.

Now here is something that I can say went very well for me today. I finally got to open this present!

♫♪ on the 8th day of Christmas Sally Turlington gave to me ♪♫

This beautiful ornament of the Holy family! Now talk about a contradiction. God coming to earth in the form of man. Not just as a man, but being born as an infant in the most humble of circumstances. Demonstrating his desire to serve, not just the King and Creator ruling with iron fisted will, but offering himself to each man and woman as a perfect sinless Savior. Because of Him I do not have to stride for salvation, always weighing whether my goods outnumber my bads.

I am so honored to be able to hang this ornament on my tree. It will remind me, not only of what the Christmas season is all about, but also of the wonderfully talented artist who put so much love into creating this gift for the exchange. Sally personalized each one of the 13 ornaments she created to suit the recipient, adorning with vintage jewelry and baubles. Mine has this beautiful vintage cross dangle that makes it both a reminder of Christs birth and His ultimate sacrifice.

I highly recommend you pay Sally's blog a visit. She has selflessly shared a step-by-step tutorial on creating these Christmas treasures, starting with the hand-formed paper clay arched frames and finishing with her special handmade brayed paper, which I have been dancing happy dances about since the day it arrived in the mail. I carefully removed each little gold staple used to bind it together so that I can use this special paper in my work! Two presies from the very talented Sally Turlington!

And don't forget to stop by OPF Studio where Day 6's art is now listed.

Day 7 Art & Ornament - One and the Same

2009-12-07T21:01:00.004-06:00

Is this cheating? Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas swap was the day everyone opened my present so I think I can get away with saying this is both my new art and my ornament swap photo today! And speaking of cheating, I confess that I never managed to wrap one of my own ornaments for me and didn't get a picture of the wrapped packages before I mailed them, so I have stolen this picture from Sally's blog. But how could I resist? She makes it look so sparkly pretty with the lights reflecting on it like that!

When I thought of all the very talented artists in this group and how many years I have been online friends with so many of them I knew right away I wanted to send them each my whole heart. What better way to express what words just won't say?

I've been working with encaustics for the better part of the year now and have had a love for jewelry making and metalsmithing for quite sometime. Somewhere along the way I managed to bring these two passions together in what I have branded my "Wax & Wire Wearable Art" line and I knew when I was given the opportunity to participate in the exchange again this year that I would creat my ornaments from wax & wire too.

So I designed and then redesigned and tweeked and thought it out and finally settled on a design that I was excited about. But once I started working I realized I might have been a little too ambitious and had to take it to the drawing board once again. The ornament that I wanted to make had a total of 24 soldering points, the one that I wound up making has 4!

If you are intrigued by the process check out the latest addtion of Belle Armoire Jewelry, page 92, for my Wax & Wire tutorial or come and see me in person at Art & Soul in February in Vegas where I will be vending my art & objects.

Day 6 - Dream in Color

2009-12-06T17:59:00.007-06:00

Day 6 and Dreaming of many things. Big dreams. Dreams beyond what I feel capable of at the moment.

An endless hope filled magical colorful dream. One that begins with a step and ends with a life well lived.

And speaking of colorful ~

♫♪ on the 6th day of Christmas Maija gave to me ♪ ♫

This adorable doll ornament just spilling over with her colorful ribbon tassel skirt! This is another one of those pictures that I feel just does not do this piece justice. It is so much prettier then I can get through on camera. The ribbon tassel at the bottom is full and soft and the colors remind me of a gypsies skirt. Her paper hat is adorned with a silvery trim, she is wearing a ruffle around her neck of soft maroon velour and she sports a red flower in the center of her body. Detail after detail of these jewel toned colors and sweet touches make this another favorite this year! I think I may be hanging her in the studio after Christmas too. As a matter of fact, I'm starting to think of ways to display all my ornaments from this swap and the previous ones. They are just too precious to be hiding away most of the year!
Be sure to head over to Maija's blog to spend some time reading. She is one lucky girl when it comes to art adventuring and she is generous in her sharing with photos and stories to wet your appetite!

Day 5 - Body In Motion

2009-12-06T11:06:00.012-06:00

When I decided to write a blog post each day this month to show you 31 new pieces of art and the 12 Days of Christmas exchange that I'm participating in, I didn't take into consideration that there would be days when I literally just wasn't home long enough to post. Yesterday was one of those days.

I was a body in motion. Work was sandwiched between activities and blogging was not impossible, but doing it early in the am on either end of the day wasn't that appealing. We all have days like that. Not a lot of thinking involved, just taking care of a very full plate.

So here I am on the 6th posting about the 5th and tonight I'll try to catch up with my 6th day post. The ACEO card for Day 5, Body In Motion, has been listed at OPF Studio on Etsy.

♫♪ on the 5th Day of Christmas Ruth Rae gave to me ♫ ♪

Oh lucky me that Ruth still had time to spend on this swap with us! She has been one busy gal this year with traveling to promote A Charming Exchange and putting the finishing touches on, and now promoting her new book, Layered Tattered & Stitched.

And layered, tattered, and stitched is the perfect way to describe this beautiful ornament that Ruth created for the exchange. The layers and layers of warm and cozy fabric with tattered and frayed edges all stitched up to create the little house just invite the feeling of home and family and calm appreciation for the treasure we carry in our hearts through Christ. Just what the season is all about.

Ruth pays such attention to every detail from the way the package is lovingly wrapped in layer after layer down to the way she signs the piece on the back. She is an inspiration! I highly recommend spending some time on her blog and putting both her books on your Christmas wish list!

Day 4 - Tenacity

2009-12-04T17:12:00.005-06:00

Day 4 is about Tenacity - and will have to write about it later.

But here's what is really important ~ ♪ ♫ on the 4th day of Christmas Melissa gave to me ♪ ♫

The most beautifully wrapped gift I've ever seen under the tree! This treasure of a bag has had me intrigued since it arrived in my mailbox with such a beautiful package I knew there would be something really special inside.

I was not disappointed when I opened it this morning to find this beautiful plaster heart handcrafted by Melissa David to resemble a Sacred Heart shrine to hang from the tree. With the dangle of objects it makes me think of a window into my soul. A sacred place where love takes root and gets its wings. What a beautiful gift and treasure to hang from my tree!
Melissa doesn't have a blog to direct you to so I will send you back to Deryn's blog for the best photography and to continue to read her study of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

Day 3's art has now been listed in my Etsy shop ~

Day 3 - Never Give Up Hope

2009-12-03T16:58:00.004-06:00

On Day 3 of my 12 Days of Christmas and 31 Days of Art series I find myself feeling a little down. Okay, more then a little down, one of those days that you wake up and everything seems to go wrong before you even step foot out of bed.
Ever have one of those days? The kind that you say things like "must have got up on the wrong side of bed" and "I knew this was going to be a bad day before it even started"? I recognize the negative mindset that goes along with this kind of thinking and try to correct it when I catch myself. It isn't a bad day just because I have to deal with something challenging as soon as I get up. There is no wrong side of the bed (unless you have a lumpy mattress) its just about ordinary life. Good, bad, and everything in between. Life.

Today, though it seemed to set off a pattern of self-doubt about the course I am on. One where I spiraled, try as I might, into self-defeating patterns and crazy hopeless thoughts like "I'm all the way back to square one." "all my hard work has been for nothing."

Thankfully I had an appointment with a very dear and wise counselor who helped me to get some much needed perspective. All my hard work over this past year or so has not been "for nothing". I've seen many positive changes in myself and my life. Some visible to others, some known only to a few close friends, and some are just between me and God. I've changed the way I react to difficult situations and people. Not perfect, but very good progress. I've set goals and achieved them. I've taken risks and addressed my fears head on. Well sometimes I've addressed my fears while cowering in a corner, but believe me, I've addressed them!

But now, it is time to start peeling away the next layer. I can hang onto the good of what I have learned already and begin to work on another area. It will be a challenge and many of the feelings will be similar to where I was when I first started this journey. But now I can hang onto the progress I've made and find hope in it.

Kind of like my faith walk with God.

At 33 I had more doubts then faith, but in the midst of it I came to Him. Took a leap of faith in spite of my doubts, fears, anger, and tendency toward self reliance. From that day 11 years ago until now God has been faithfully answering my questions and bringing me into a deeper relationship with him. One step. One day. One question at a time. I can look back to where I was with Him then and in spite of still having bad days my faith is night and day different. When I struggle with my faith I can look back at those questions, those answers he brought and see and know and trust even more deeply and continue to walk.

As I sat down today to write about my Art for Day 3 I could hear a song by a band called The Sidewalk Prophets playing in my head. Something I felt God was wanting me to listen to. It is something for you too:

If we were face to face,
I'd tell you just what you mean to me,
I'd tell you these simple truths,

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,
You're going to do great things,
I already know,
God's got His hand on you so,
Don't live life in fear,
Forgive and forget,
But don't forget why you're here,
Take your time and pray,
These are the words I would say,

And of course there is another song that continues to play:

♪ ♫ on the 3rd day of Christmas Jackie gave to me ♫ ♪

A beautiful doll ornament to hang from my tree! It is a dreary day outside today and my lighting was not good. I was hoping to get a good shot of this ornament while it was dangling because it is so pretty. It has a glass crystal dangle on an antique chain with tiny little stars hanging from the bottom and right away I knew she was not going to be just another tree ornament. I've been needing to find a pull for the light above my work table in my studio and she is just perfect for that purpose! But the silly girl would just not hold still and let me get a good picture. I don't think Jackie has a blog to send you too (Jackie let me know if I'm wrong), but you can head over to Deryn's blog for better pictures and read each day her story of the 12 Disciples of Jesus.

My Day Two art has now been posted at OPF Studio on Etsy where everything is still 50% off through tomorrow!

Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas - 31 Days of Art!

2009-12-02T18:18:00.005-06:00

Day 2 of my 12 (er now 13) Days of Christmas Swap and 31 Days of Art brings another untitled piece of art that I have decided for now is simply "Day Two". Yesterday's "Day One" has now been listed at OPF Studio on Etsy at 50% off normal pricing for my "Black Friday/Cyber Monday" Christmas Sale. All art in the studio and most of the objects in the store are listed at 50% off through December 5th.

"Day Two" is an encaustic wax collage created from canvas & paper salvaged from antique books, sheet music covers and wood veneers on gesso board. It is mounted on a standard 11" x 14" mat and is ready to frame.

Each of these works were an exploration of my desiring to make changes in my daily routine as I begin to think about my goals for 2010.

The life of a work-at-home artist can be driven by moods, interuptions, other "important" obligations, and just plain disorganization (yes I made that confession yesterday). If, as they say, "It takes 21 days to form a habit" then after creating, posting, and listing regularly for 31 days I should have accomplished some of the changes that I am needing to make in order to prepare for the goals I've set for 2010.

♫ ♪ and on the 2nd Day of Christmas Pilar gave to me...♫ ♪

A beautifully wrapped present to put under my tree. And today was the day I got to open the gift that Pilar so lovingly handcrafted for me to hang on my tree!

I wish I could show you each tiny detail of this simply beautiful ornament Pilar created. But even more beautiful to me is the meaning that Pilar put into her work. To have such significance portrayed in a work of art moves me, but to have the meaning be about a prayer moves me so deeply that I feel myself brimming with tears when I look at it. I will cherish this "Cloot" or Scottish Prayer Cloth always. Be sure to stop by Pilars blog to read more about it and the prayer that she has posted for all.

Until tomorrow . . .

12 Days of Christmas - 31 Days of Art!

2009-12-01T18:29:00.011-06:00

Every year for the past several years I've been part of a group of women-artist-internet friends who exchange handmade ornaments in a "12 Days of Christmas" swap. Last year I was unable to participate so the group invited another artist to take my place and this year I was invited to come back and join the fun, making the 12 days of Christmas a "13 Days" event!

Here is a group shot of all the packages waiting to be opened, minus three. I had not thought to wrap one of my own for this photo and there are still 2 ornaments due to arrive very soon.

The hard part: creating my ornaments, wrapping the ornaments, packing the ornaments to ship and getting them to the post office on time.

The fun part: opening my mailbox every day to find packages with my name on them, arranging all the packages, anticipating opening the packages, and finally December 1st arriving and getting to open a new present every day for 12, no, make that 13 days!

Before I show you what I got to open today I have a confession to make.

I am disorganized.

Terribly disorganized.

Of course you may have already guessed this from my infrequent blog posts or my sporadic art listings, but I have been convicted lately of just how disorganized my life has become and in light of my taking on a new part time job as a framer at Hobby Lobby, and my plans to begin working toward a degree hopefully this January, and noticing the date of my last blog post (an entire month ago!), and even more plans to begin teaching more workshops in 2010 and vending at more shows, I've decided it is time to address this issue and begin to develop better work and life habits.

~First order of business, post a new piece of art a day for the entire month of December~

This one is not titled yet, but I can feel the inner story teller whispering something about making the decision to go back to school. This time with a specific goal in mind. There is much fear and many doubts about the long term commitment and my abilities etc. etc.

But also many hopes and dreams and just the hint of possibility. Can I? Should I? Will I be able to?
One day. One day at a time. I won't look too far in the future. I will just take one class and then another one. I will just change one habit and then another one. And one day along the way it will start to feel more real. More comfortable.

And I know I will be able to look back and say I can. I should. I will be able to.

Okay but before all that, I won't keep you in suspense any longer.

♫ ♪ On the first Day of Christmas Danita gave to me ♪ ♫

I am sooooo excited about this one. When I dropped out of the group last year and found out Danita was joining in my place I was green with envy! Happy for the other members but I wanted to be on the receiving end of this fantastically talented artists gift giving!

I've been drooling over the brilliant way she wrapped her ornament since it arrived. And the little tag is to die for! Have I mentioned how much I adore Danita's work? She is a very talented painter, but doesn't stop there. She then turns her little characters into the cutest little creations. This tag is just one example. You really HAVE to stop by her blog and her Etsy shop and check everything out for yourself!

I carefully cut open the back of the package because I couldn't bear to tear it open, and this adorable little girl is what I found. And I have to say, this is, and I don't mean it in any way diminishing the other talented artists, but this really is one of my all time favorite ornaments I've ever received in the 12 days swap! I am gaa gaa over her tiny little painted face, pipe cleaner arms and legs, crepe paper skirt, and tiny little wreath! Now I just need to put up my Christmas tree and give her a special place on it (did I mention how disorganized I was?)

See you tomorrow~

Prayer Journal Entry - Hey God It's Me Again

2009-11-01T11:32:00.016-06:00

Some days as I create I am simply creating, just listening as the pictures I see and the words I hear collaborate to form a story. Other days I do a lot of thinking, sometimes maybe too much, and have questions for God. I work silently and wait to see if He answers.

Hey God it's me again,

I'm struggling today, as always, with so many questions on my mind. I know my questions don't scare you, but do they ever make you mad? Make you turn away from me? Frustrate you? Make you laugh? Do I ask too many or too often?

Like, what qualifies as real worship? Is there a right way and a wrong way? Is there a way that brings me closer to you then others? Is it jumping up & down clapping in unison with the entire congregation to celebrate the life you've given? Is it singing a prayer, walking in circles around the chair, speaking in tongues, calling out your name in between stanzas with hands raised? Is it closing my eyes and weeping at the beauty of the words being sung too moved to speak? Or is it when I sit quietly in my studio and push papers around, slopping glue on my hands and getting it in my hair, and faintly hearing your answers to my questions as I begin to see the picture I am making form in front of me?

And do I have to pray out loud in order for my prayers to be more powerful and effective? To send the enemy on the run as he hears me calling to you and standing on your promises? Am I sinning if I start to falter and forget what your promises to me even are, let alone how to stand on them? How do I know which way to pray is right? If I'm not prophesying and don't pray in tongues am I missing the mark?

If I quietly lead my life & sometimes talk about you to people who don't know you, but sometimes not, am I hurting you? Grieving your Spirit? Lord did you put me on this earth to live a life of martyrdom like your servant John, eating locusts and wearing animal skins or the modern day equivalent to it?

How can I believe what some say about sacrifice when they talk to me from their big houses & drive their nice cars? How can anyone believe me when I talk about you when they see that I have so little or need so much? When I am dealing with broken relationships and have such a messy life?

Do I discredit you when I don't look like I have it all together and still claim to know you, to be known by you?

I cry and moan to you and ask for one thing and then the next day I contradict myself and ask you for the opposite. I waver and flounder and don't have a clue some days, but I am trying.

Clearly, Lord, I have a tough road ahead of me and I know that you are with me on it, but are you with me more if I pray to you out loud while posturing on my knees then you are if I sit squirming in my bed because the pillows aren't comfortable enough, while the cat sleeps in my lap and I journal my thoughts in the form of a prayer to you or if I am simply sorting through these scraps of paper?

Lord I know you are a big enough God to handle my questions. On the one hand I feel guilty for having the questions in the first place, for my waffling and unsteady emotional swings, but on the other hand I feel like you are the only place I can go with this. You understand me more then anyone.

One thing I know for sure is you are there. You allowed me to stray so far from you and when I was ready you opened your arms and welcomed me home. You answered every one of my questions when I needed to know if you were real. I am grateful I can come to you. Grateful you will be with me on my steady and secure days as much as you are on my most uncertain. Grateful that for as many questions I have, you have all the answers.

And I know that you hear me, even if all I am doing is writing to you in this journal and praying to you in my head & my heart, because there have been so many answered prayers. So many real & tangible answered prayers.

Field Studies - Encaustics and Bugs

2009-10-26T11:58:00.005-06:00

"Field Studies" is a series of collage works featuring black & white insect engravings from a 1920s edition of an Insect Field Guide.

Each collage is created from antique papers, ephemera, and textures on gesso board, then enhanced and protected with encaustic wax and nicely mounted on a standard 8" x 10" mat ready for you to frame to fit your own decor.

Check these and further Field Studies works out at OPF Studio on Etsy~

Trust the Voice Within

2009-10-13T10:56:00.016-06:00

"I've Got Something To Say" Encaustic Wax Collage by Crystal Neubauer

There are stories within each one of us just waiting to be told. There are experiences we've had and feelings we've stored that need to be released in the telling. There is a playful side to even the most serious among us. A voice that wants to be heard.

It is the storytellers voice within.

We all have it, this desire to communicate creatively. Some are blessed with the ability to put pen to paper and write or even draw, releasing the story in a clear and precise way. Others may easily paint what the storyteller sees. But there are times these stories are lost in the clamor of daily life. So many demands fighting for our attention that we lose our ability to hear or to trust that voice within.

It is necessary during these times to slow down. Find a place of solitude and listen. Trust what we are hearing and our ability to express it uniquely, creatively.

Maybe your story comes out in the form of a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread. You've created the starter and excitedly shared with your friends what you learned of its history.

Maybe you've developed a love for gardening. Planting and weeding and lovingly cultivating the soil in preparation for the crop as you work through your grief over the loss of your mother. You reach across the void to connect with her again. Her story, your shared story, is told as the lilies dance and bloom each Spring.

I've found my voice in the artistic process of creating collage and mixed media works. I sit in a quiet place and trust the materials I've placed in front of me to speak. Trust that the story that is still unheard, still not perceived by my conscious mind, will be told as I assemble the pieces that have found their way into my possession.

As I commit to what pleases my eye I have learned to listen. To hear what begins as a faint whisper of recognition within my heart. Sometimes I know from the very first moment the story that is about to unfold. Sometimes it takes days of walking around the finished work before the meaning is revealed to me. This storyteller of mine can be shy, but it never disappoints me. It always has something to say.

As I have learned to trust this voice, my voice, I've grown in so many ways. And as I've grown in confidence of my own artistic voice, I've grown in my desire to share what I've learned with others. This month I had my first opportunity to do just that at Art & Soul in Portland through my class "Front & Center: 3D Collage with a Story".

It has been two weeks since I've been home and I still can't do justice to the experience with words. Maybe the storyteller within will need to sit down and do some creating to find a way to express it?

I had an amazing group of artists there, eager to learn the skills that were being taught, and very open to the process of learning to trust what they were bringing together and listen to the storytellers voice within.

Wendy S. piecing together her collage

As we talked about glue and the process of collage we discussed working without a plan. No formula or rules about composition, just trusting the eye to see what the storyteller was trying to say.

Wendy S's background collage

We learned to use a jewelers saw and cut acrylic and make tube rivets to sandwich a focal image and set it apart from the collage.

Yona sharing her story

As the students got used to the proper way to hold the saw and discovered it took patience to use for this purpose, we talked about icons and the possible symbolism and deeper meaning our main image would bring to our finished piece.

Yona's Completed Collage

We talked about slowing down in the process and using the time it took to saw as a time of meditation and listening for what the storyteller was beginning to reveal about what we were making.

Pam sharing her story

In the end each woman had a story to share and I felt fully blessed as I listened to what the storyteller revealed to each one.

Pam's completed collage

Stories of healing, stories of celebration, stories of discovery, each one was personal and each was willing to share.

Glenda Sharing her story

I am so thankful to these women for their kindness, the way the opened up to each other and to me.

Glenda's completed collage

And speaking of feeling blessed, my good friend Becky came to support me and help keep me organized.

Wendy W working on her background

She went over and beyond the call of duty as she organized all the items I had mailed ahead, picked me up from the airport, helped me set up my table for vendors night, helped me set up for the class and was still able to follow along and create her own collage and found she too had a story to share.

Wendy's completed Collage

I couldn't be more grateful to her. I felt like God had sent a guardian angel to meet me there and it was Becky!

Becky shares her story

Thank-you Glenda, Pam, Yona, Wendy S, Wendy W, and Becky!

Becky's completed collage

Oh and did I mention Becky's dog Otis? We quickly became the best of friends, Otis and I. I just know he's still sitting there waiting for me to come back!

Be Who You Are

2009-10-01T10:23:00.006-06:00

Sometimes as we grow up we learn to put on masks. We put on a mask to hide our feelings from the people around us because they don't understand or give us credit for what we are trying to say. Sometimes we put on a mask to become who others want us to be. To fit into the image we have in our heads of what makes us acceptable to them. Right or wrong, good or bad, sometimes we try so hard to be the right thing for so many other people that we forget who we really are. Who we were really created to be. In pursuing this feeling of acceptance from the outside we may wind losing our way altogether. Sometimes we are so buried under these masks that we can not even remember where we started.

Slowly peel it all away. It may be painful at first but it is worth it. Take a step today. Stop trying so hard to be the right kind of person on the outside. You are okay. Allow yourself to just be who you are. Who you were meant to be.

Preview Vendor Night - Art & Soul (and read for a special announcement!)

2009-09-26T06:47:00.003-06:00

I've been busy in the studio preparing to head out to Art & Soul in Portland just 1 short week from today. There are so many things I've wanted to write about. So many things that God has been doing in my life, but time is flying by and my to do list seems to be growing the closer the event gets. I promise to slow down when I return and write in more detail about some of these things.

If you plan to be at Art & Soul drop me a note here to let me know and then be sure to stop by my table and see me at Vendor Night ~ I will be selling many of my Objects from Other Peoples Flowers and have prepared a lot of new art (which you can preview in the slide show above and still find a few pieces at OPF Studio on Etsy) ~ I would love to meet you face to face!

There are still several spots available in my class, Front & Center 3D Collage w/Story, if you are free on Sunday I would love to have you join us. We will be learning collage techniques, using our jewelers saws to cut acrylic, making tube rivets, and discussing ways that these techniques can be used in other applications. But the class isn't just about the technique, it's about you. The artist. The artist you were meant to be. You will learn how to observe, listen, and trust the artist within you and begin to create art that speaks about the stories you carry within your heart. I hope you can join us!

And if you can't make it to Portland then I am pleased to announce that Art & Soul has added a new venue in the Midwest, Madison Wisconsin, just a few short hours from home for me! Start watching for announcements for registration. The event will be held in July 2010 and I will be teaching my wax and wire techniques!

And if you are unable to make it you can always

Dwelling Places

2009-09-16T07:08:00.006-06:00

It has been a whirlwind of activity here at OPF Studio with many fun and exciting things going on that I can't tell you about yet, but soon...

Meanwhile I have once again turned my attention to my first love, collage, and am so pleased to begin showing and listing a new series of works that have been mounted on archival mat board ready to be framed to suit your decor.

One of my favorite pieces yet began as one of the most boring and dissatisfying from the series. As I finished up a few pieces this one just looked bland and I kept pushing it aside knowing it wasn't complete.
One night on an after dinner trek through the neighborhood I came across this scrap of copper with a hole punched through. The next day I was cleaning the bowl I use to melt my encaustic wax and pulled out a piece of antique text to absorb the last few drops. As I tore it into strips I noticed it was a poem and in that moment the collage became what it was meant to be. I love these seemingly random, but connected moments. It is the voice, the storyteller, the Spirit within that guides me.

"And there were temples on the heights
And homes beneath the fruited trees
And never had I seen before
Beings so beautiful as these..... they laughed, and they loved"

from "The Tryst" by Harriet Prescott Spofford

~My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest~ Isaiah 32:18

"Dwelling Places" is an encaustic wax collage created from antique papers, textures and found copper scrap on gesso board. It is nicely mounted on a standard 11" x 14" mat and is ready for you to frame to fit your own decor. To purchase e-mail me at crystal_opf@comcast.net or visit opfstudio at Etsy.

Free to Dream

2009-09-11T10:28:00.009-06:00

Eight years ago on this day I was rushing around getting ready for work. The kids stood in front of the TV watching the news. They pointed out what was happening on the screen, but I was too busy to notice more then smoke coming from a high rise building. By the time I dropped my 12-year old daughter and 13-year old step-son off at school, I realized the magnitude of what they had been watching. I knew in my heart there would be a strong military response to this action against our country.

This week my, then 13-year old, step-son left for basic training after volunteering to enlist in the Army. He signed up knowing full well the likelihood was high that he will be deployed soon after his training. But he has a dream and he didn't let fear keep him from it. From the time he was a little boy he has wanted to be a pilot. He is also an avid watcher of the military channel and after exploring his options he knew this was the best way for him to become who he knows he was meant to be. On his facebook page he left this quote:

~ Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call." John J. Rambo- Rambo 4 ~

At 21 he already knows what he was created to be. Something many adults twice his age are still trying to figure out. Something I have only begun, in the past few years, to learn about myself.

It has been quite a journey from where I was then to the artist I am becoming today. The me that I was created to be.

I am grateful this morning for the men and women of our military who serve day and night to keep this country free.

Free to speak. Free to live and love. Free to worship. Free to follow our dreams.

~ Free To Dream is available for sale at OPF Studio on Etsy or e-mail me at crystal_opf@comcast.net for details~

The Cat is Out of The Bag

2009-08-21T08:12:00.003-06:00

It's true, I can't keep a secret. Last week my newsletter readers enjoyed exclusive savings of 25% off everything on the shelves at Other Peoples Flowers store and 20% off all art at OPF Studio. This week the savings are for you! Head on over to the store or the studio where everything is on sale and marked down. There are still a lot of unique treasures and art left and I'm listing new items every day! Don't miss out on your favorite items ~ the deals are going fast!

Imagine My Surprise

2009-08-17T15:08:00.002-06:00

When I opened the mailbox today it was full of surprises ~ one was this copy of the new Fall issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.
I was recently contacted by editor Christen Olivarez asking me to submit some of my work for the Winter issue and I am excitedly waiting for that edition to be published, but I had no idea why I was receiving this issue until I flipped through the pages and found an interview of Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling, the two authors of the book "A Charming Exchange" that I was lucky enough to be included in. Being a part of the original charm exchange and the resulting collaboration of artists for the book project was an opportunity that continues to bless me to this day. Be sure to pick up a copy of Bell Armoire Jewelry and read the interview as Kelly and Ruth get set to auction off the jewelry that was made for the book to benefit Breast Cancer Research.

And speaking of blessings, I received an unexpected gift from my mother in the mail today as well. At the bottom of the encouraging card she wrote the words "I wish I could be there with you" and my heart just about burst.

Mom, you are here with me every single day. Every time I look at my own daughters or my son I see you in their faces. Your light and your life shines in their eyes. When they laugh or tell a joke I hear you in their voices. I think of you when I look out my window and see the birds in my yard. I feel your heart when I am moved with compassion for an injured animal or angered at an injustice in the world. When I walk through my studio I remember painting ceramics and making Christmas ornaments at your side as a child. Every time I look in the mirror you are there. Somewhere along the line of my life the words "you look like your mother" stopped making me cringe and started making me feel very proud.
~ I love you mom ~ You are with me always.

Shhh....Don't Tell Anyone....

2009-08-14T12:48:00.003-06:00

I'll let you in on a little secret...
I've been having a ball this summer exploring the flea markets, auctions, and estate sales and finding some really amazing and unusual objects for collecting and creating. There are some new categories at the store for you to explore and you may have noticed that some of the best items are flying off the shelves lately.

My newsletter readers know the key...exclusive offers and savings just for them. Want to know what they know? Sign up for my newsletter (see the sidebar) before Monday and I'll let you in on the secret.....but shhhhh....don't tell anyone....