More fun with Journaling Pieces from Tumble Fish Studio

This week I entered a challenge just with a personal art friend to create a collage with Tumble Fish Studio Journaling Pieces sets one and two.  The deadline was on Friday and....

I confess, I was hopelessly stymied (and you may think I still am!) to arrive at a composition or something of logic.  I gave up, inventing one imaginary character by the name of FIN, who is a "Quinn" and simply playing with composition and various design elements for the second one I labeled V Notes.

Enjoy your day and thanks for your visit!

 FIN the Quinn

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits:  Tumble Fish Studio Journaling Pieces One and Two

Holliewood Studios - Raven, Copyright free image from www - Fish Cape

 V Notes

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits:  Tumble Fish Studio Journaling Pieces One and Two

 

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Two New Journalling Kits from Tumble Fish Studio

 "The Others"

Digital Collage

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits:  Tumble Fish Studio

Just back from a week in San Diego and started goofing around with some new images from two new kits Marsha from Tumble Fish Studio has just released at Deviant Scrap - "Journaling Pieces 1 and 2

Check them out at www.DeviantScrap.com

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A Tribute to Joseph Cornell

 Thanks to everyone who so warmly welcomed me back to our art blogging community!  It's good to feel love!

In September, Hollie from Holliewood Studios released a kit paying homage to Joseph Cornell and his famous 'boxes' or assemblage. 

 Joseph Cornell

 I've long been a fan of his quirky and magical collections of disparate objects and Hollie obviously is too.  The images she gathered together have endless possibilities.  

Anyone who enjoys creating digital art would not want to miss this kit titled "Bird Boxes".

Holliewood Studios:  "Bird Boxes"  

(click on a bird to travel to the Deviant Scrap Shoppe)

And below, my two creative team contributions as examples of how to employ this kit -

JoeBox 1 - digital collage

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits with thanks to Holliewood Studios

The-not-so- Mysterious Escape of Cassiopeia

Digital Collage

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits - Holliewood Studios: Bird Boxes and Trudi Sissons personal collection

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Jumping back in!

What better way to get back into blogging by just JUMPING IN!  

 

 In the back of my mind I've been composing a reintroduction to my blog, and all that seemed to produce was more procrastination!

I have a great reason to blog this Monday morning - to share three digital collages I created for Marsha (Tumble Fish Studio).  

98% of the images are from a new kit she released today "Autumn Junque" - you can purchase it at Deviant Scrap - here!

I'd like to promise I will be back tomorrow or sooner with more posts on artwork I've completed over June, July and August, but ...you know... Murphy's Law!  It's a plan!  

Regardless, good to be back today and looking forward to getting caught up with the on-line art community friends/blogs.   

Thanks for stopping by!

 "Nancy was Fancy"

Image Credits with thanks to Tumble Fish Studio - Autumn Junque

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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"Inked"

Image Credits - Tumble Fish Studio - Autumn Junque, and some little touches by Holliewood Studios (stenciling and stitching)

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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"The Foodie"

Image Credits with thanks to Tumble Fish Studio - Autumn Junque

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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I didn't plant any annual flowers this spring....

.....   My heart wasn't into it as I knew there would be on-going work on our back deck all summer and  they'd no doubt either take a beating from being moved around, or be eaten by the deer as per usual.  I did however buy and plant a few perennials - an Engelman's Ivy to grow up our arbor as well as this White Oriental (Royal Wedding) Poppy.   It bloomed today.  I've grown oriental poppies before that were the size of dinner plates.  This one however is much smaller approximating the size of a  tea cup saucer.

White Oriental Royal Wedding Poppy

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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A thousand words in one Far Side

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AOEDE (Lisa Sniderman) and Dodge Dart Commercial Contest - YES!

*image from ReverbNation

Hi All!

I must apologize for being absent from my blog for so long and then popping up only to ask a favour!  But it's an easy favour and with your help, it could make a big difference in the life of a friend - Lisa Sniderman, also known as Aoede.

She is currently very close to winning a contest that would put her in the finals of creating and recording a song to be featured in a Dodge Dart commercial!

All that is required is for you to press on the image below (beginning with ...500 Artists...) which will then  take you to the Dodge Contest Facebook page where you can download her song and in doing so, VOTE for her.

It's such a funky song, and if you like Feist, I can almost guarantee  you'll like Aoede's (Lisa's)  music !!!

Thanks and see you soon!

(Double click the above image to go directly to the Facebook site to VOTE)

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Happy Canada Day!!

I am in the process creating a long 'catch up' post with lots of news to share ! Soon, I hope!

In the meantime,  I hope all of my Canadian artist friends are enjoying a warm Canada Day today !

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From Hidden Vintage Studio - Dude, Where's My Pants?

A new group of wonderfully colored young children with those kodak moment expressions - just released today from Tracey and Melissa  via Hidden Vintage Studios at DeviantScrap.  Here's my contribution - 

For You  

 8 x 8 digital illustration

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits thanks to HVS- Dude Where's My Pants (for figure) Holliewood Studios - vase, zebra, flowers - Beasts of Burden and Finecrafted Design - Alice in Zettiland (background)

I was so impressed when I printed the above that I decided it was begging for a companion - so here's a little guy to keep her company ! 

For You Two

8x8 digital illustration

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits with thanks to Hidden Vintage Studios - Dude (figure)

Holliewood Studios - toys, and giraffe (Little Prince and Beasts of Burden)

and Finecrafted Designs (Alice in Zettiland) for the background

Don't they make a nice couple?  Here they are framed -

I will add these to my shop at Etsy when I get a moment, but if you are interested in purchasing either or both, please email me at twodressesstudio@shaw.ca  I promise you the quality and clarity of the prints are second to none!!!

Thanks again to the 4 designers who create these images (Hollie, Evelyn, Tracey and Melissa) and who let me 'play' with their wonderful images and thanks as well  for your visit and comments!

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Teasers are Us and The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread!

A couple of weeks ago now, I received an email from a manufacturer  who had seen my work via Cloth Paper Scissors.

 He wanted to introduce me to a new product that will hit the press in July 2012.  We eventually arranged a teleconference and I agreed to test the product for them.

I've tested product in the past, but THIS has me  excited!  

A few of you may recall my Eleanor Series (see last image below) I began 3-4 years ago. My fascination with combining and collaging images like that old series has never waned. AND, this product was exactly what I wished I would have had way back then!  

I don't usually create posts with 'teasers' - but right now, I have no choice but to just give you this sneak preview - including my new blog header.

So stay tuned and over the next few weeks, as I'll be sharing more information about this tremendous new product!  In the meantime, comments with feedback are appreciated and will be entered into a draw for another giveaway!

 

"Middle Maycee"

Mixed Media Collage 

 Gallery Wrapped Canvas - 8 x 8 x 2 inches

 Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Immage Credits - Tumble Fish Studio and

one of my own photographs

          "Memories of "Eleanor"

            Digital Illustration 8 x 8 inches

           Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

        All Rights Reserved

         Image Credits with thanks to: 

         Holliewood Studios, Iktupilli and my own privately owned images

The Many Faces of Eleanor (2007-2009?)

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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May Long Weekend - Time to shop for those bedding plants? No way.

 

Muse on The Run

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits - Tumble Fish Studio and Holliewood Studios (Head Dress and Earring)

When I was creating this I wasn't thinking at all about shopping this weekend for bedding plants because it is the busiest weekend of the year and I'd rather wait until next week...obviously my thoughts surfaced via my muse who thought differently!

and of course, 'the moo!'

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Marion's Annual ATC Project

Every year, Marion, a fellow mixed media friend, hosts an exceptional Artist Trading Card Exchange that I always participate in.  It's really the only time now that I make ATC's, so I look forward to it!   This year's theme is  "My Body is a Cage."

At the same time she announced this year's exchange, I was creating "My Zetti Self" for part of of a challenge via my  creative team work at Tumble Fish Studio and another digital collage (pictured below).   It seemed like a perfect opportunity to combine these with Marion's theme.  

 I started with this.....

Then went "Zetti" with this......

..... came up with this.....

Moo Card

and finished with these.   They  are 3.5 x 2.5 inches (cut and paste)  and have 14 pieces each.

ATC Fronts "The Caged Bird"

Copyright 2012 for all above images TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits with thanks to Tumble Fish Studio and Holliewood Studios

 Back of ATC

The partial quote on the ATC is from Mayo Angelou and the entire poem reads:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Happy Weekend and to my Canadian friends Happy May Long!!!

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What a surprise!

This was an unexpected surprise this sunny Monday morning! 

 I was going through my emails and saw a headline titled:  "How to make a collage using the computer, or not" in the Cloth Paper Scissors Today column by Cate Prado  and thought "Hmmm, that might be interesting."  I followed the link and voila - it was about two articles I have written, one that I am just wrapping up this week.  They will be published in the July/August Cloth Paper Scissors magazine and Part Two in September/October 2012.

I received my draft proof for the article mentioned below last Wednesday and was so impressed by the  amazing design/background they created for the layout!   You can see a little bit of it in this article (the sand and sea shells behind the collage).  

The rest of the article of course has to remain under wrap until the magazine hits the newstands in July!  The cloth collages I made for Part Two of the article are different from the first you see below.  I think it's ok to give you just  a little sneak peak of what's in store -

And to see Cate's review, just double click  on the image below to go directly to the Cloth Paper Scissors Today website

Thank you Cate for your very kind review of the article.  And also a big thank you to Jenn Mason (Editor)  and Barb Delaney  (Assistant Editor) for their professionalism and sense of humor over the past three months - you are both such a pleasure to work with!

Learn more about Cate Prado here

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Today is the Day - Winners Announced!

Good Mother's Day Sunday to all of you!

First off  Thank You to everyone who took the time to respond to my post asking for help choosing which moo cards I should order!  Your feedback was really appreciated and very helpful!

After tabulating all of the numbers (that was fun) some clear favorites emerged and I placed my order at "Moo" last week.    Between the time I posted the original post and now, I created another 24  NEW moo cards that are now featured on my blog header, including this new collage titled "Stardust"  I recently completed.  I enjoyed hosting this 'contest' and plan to do a repeat with the new cards, once I'm caught up with other projects on the go.

I'd also like to thank those of you who signed up to receive my newsletter which is still under construction and may have to be patient until the gardening seasons ends!

Stardust - 8 x 8 inch digital collage

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits with thanks to Holliewood Studios, Mrs. Inman - Flickr,

Tangie Baxter and Maya

I also had the opportunity to finally read my copy of  The Pulse of Mixed Media by our friend Seth Apter, from cover to cover yesterday during the ten hours I spent in the car driving to my father-in-law's internment.  It really is quite fascinating to see the variety of answers to the questions Seth posed as well as some beautiful artwork. 

But, enough chatting - here are the winners as promised - 

For the three sets of 12 moo card, congratulations to:  

1.  Amy - 4 Corners Design

2.  Tami Roth

3.  Foxy Squirrel - Teddi R. 

And the winner of  The Pulse of Mixed Media by Seth Apter   is 

Teresa "in California" - A Magical Whimsy (Blog)

Here's a peek again at the 'old' moos -

Some of the top favorites were - 

 Thanks again to everyone!  If for some reason you are one of the winners and don't receive my email to you, please make sure to email me your address so I can get the moo cards off to you the moment they arrive~.

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It's a start!

This morning, I grabbed my cup of coffee and headed up to my studio/office to make a work related phone call.  I don't usually work on the weekends, but I'd fallen behind with  appointments and decided to play catch up today.  As I went upstairs, I grabbed the May/June 2012 Cloth Paper Scissors magazine that had just arrived in the mail on Friday, sat down, put it on my desk and proceeded to dial the number on the phone.

The "short story version" of my job is completing three  psychiatric standardized assessments/inventories   consisting of 71 questions on patients prior to their clinical visits with the psychiatrist I work for.  It's a way of charting progress and collecting data in a quantifiable/measurable way.    I've been doing this for over two years now and although each interview is always unique and different, the questions I ask are very standardized and I  am quite confident when I say I could recite them backwards in my sleep. 

So I often gaze around my art studio as I am waiting for the patient to consider and answer the question I've just posed.   Today, I was looking down at my desk,  pen in hand, ear to the phone and looking at the cover of the CPS magazine when I realized a piece of my art was on the cover!  Way up in the top right corner, about 1.5 x 1 inches there it was - a postcard I'd submitted for one of their challenges.  A big thank you to Jenn Mason (Editor - Cloth Paper Scissors) for the start of helping me realize a bigger goal!

Let's just say - thinking with my glass half full - it's a start!   Here it is - (you may want to grab a pair of 3.50 reading glasses to view it)  OK, I said...it's a start.

 Cloth Paper Scissors - May-June 2012

 And here it is larger inside the magazine - 

 Cloth Paper Scissors May June 2012 - Page 83

and my photograph of it before it went postal -

 

Postcard for Cloth Paper Scissors Postcard Challenge

4 x 6 inches Mixed Media Collage 

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits with thanks to

Tumble Fish Studio and Holliewood Studio

 Figure of the little boy - from my collection of vintage photographs - 

 

original photograph

 

-  extracted figure from above photograph. with shadow added and contrast adjusted - 

Now, on the other hand, Seth Apter from The Altered Page really did strike it big recently as his art work graced the cover of the most recent edition of Somerset Studio! !  When I grow up I want to be just like you!

 Somerset Studio - June 2012

Congratulations Seth!

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you had a little giggle at my expense  and have a great weekend!

 

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The Charade

Can art express the inexpressible?   Is the language of art able to overcome deficits in our vocabulary?  

Schadenfreude is a German word to express the emotion of feeling joy for another's  misfortune.  There isn't an English word to express this emotion. 

Do you think artists experience an impotence in emotional descriptors  in language that their visual communication attempts to fill?   Do you think a poet's focus is to  overcome this same deficit?  And if that is true - are literary artists and visual artists approaching the same goal, or are they  at opposite ends?  

What do you think?

The Charade - digital illustration

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits - public domain art, raven and fire - Holliewood Studios

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An occasional self-portrait....or 'two'

 

Untitled 

 8 x 10 Digital Collage

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image credits with thanks to Holliewood Studios and Tumble Fish Studio (figure)

 The Birder

Digital Illustration

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image Credits - Holliewood Studios - bacvkground/hand/string

 Mask - my own creation, bird - to follow

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I am so far behind....I think I am first!

But, I really want to thank everyone who has cast their vote for their top five moo cards for a chance at receiving a selection of the final cards and as well a copy of Seth Apter's new book -  and signed up to my newsletter, as well as spread the word via a blog link!  It's always nice to feel loved isn't it?

Also, there is still plenty of time to join in!  Just press on the poster below and you'll be magically transported to the appropriate post to leave your selections.

I've been busy multi-tasking on a variety of things, above and beyond my normal busy life.  One of these things is volunteering to help create a book fo each of the  upcoming exhibitions at the Jubilee Auditoriums in both Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta sponsored by the Alberta Society of Artists.  These exhibitions consist  of approximately 45 works of art created by supporting and full members of the Alberta Society of Artists and were  all created reflecting one of any of the hundreds of lyrics and music by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.  The curtains are set to go up during May 2012 when Alberta Ballet will perform "Love Lies Bleeding."  More information is available by clicking on the poster below:

Here is a brief  33 second trailer on ballet/musical performance -

I look forward to enjoying  both performances and also have more news to share regarding this particular event once I am caught up on the task at hand!

In the meantime, and while we are on the subject, here's a digital composition I completed this week, combining four separate mid-renaissance paintings along with  stars from Holliewood Studios  arms and legs from Tumble Fish Studio.  I can't help but seeing a tutu anytime I see a 'ruff'. 

Digital Illustration 8 x 10 inches

"Ruff Pirouette"

Copyright 2012 TwoDressesStudio

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Image credits:  see above

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