keeping a promise to myself

This week I kept a promise to myself: I made time to work on my "Art is My Compass" project. It wasn't easy given my chaotic parenting and volunteering schedule, but, like I've said before, without art I am lost.



I've experimented with staining art papers with coffee, tea, and wine. I'm most happy with the uneven edges of the stain and I'm really digging the use of pencil and ink. I like to think that my great-grandmothers would approve of the use of natural colorants to create my art -- I've heard stories they, too, used coffee to dye fabric.


I've added a number of photos to my new flickr account. You are more than welcome to take a peek. Cheers, Mandy

studio update

The week of August 22nd promises to be a big week for me. That's when I plan to offer all new art for sale in my shop.

For starters, I will unveil my very first series of paintings, Dust Bowl Glimpses, since opening my Weathered Silo studio in January 2010. It's been a rewarding (and excruciatingly slow) journey. I plan to sell my original paintings (acrylic on birch panels) as well as limited-edition giclees (professionally printed locally).



Additionally, I'll be selling a handful of original pencil+ink drawings that incorporate natural colorants such as coffee, tea, and wine. They are part of my Art is My Compass series. Stay tuned for more details.




And last but not least, I will be offering the first of several oil paintings I've completed on pieces on handcrafted canvases made in my studio using salvaged exotic hardwoods + eco-textile remnants from previous studio work (hemp/organic cotton). I can't wait for the reveal -- they are paintings you won't need to frame!

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In the coming days I plan to finalize all the administrative work associated with updating my Etsy shop and other online marketplaces (a task I do NOT favor...especially when it comes to matching screen colors to artwork -- sigh!).

I will also be taking a much-needed family vacation August 7-14th in Eastern Washington with dear, dear friends. Thankfully we can count on sunshine and heat during these trips...something we haven't seen much of at all this year in Seattle. ;-)

Thank you to everyone who has given me support and advice along the way. I am grateful to have you in my life!

dabbling with natural colorants from my kitchen

I'm loving how these natural colorants are working as watercolor washes on my "art is my compass" drawings/paintings.

Last Friday I found myself raiding my cupboards and refrigerator in search of potential washes.

I started with coffee (a columbia supremo blend) and moved quickly to a red wine (cabernet sauvignon), green tea, earl grey tea, vanilla flavoring, and ended with balsamic vinegar. I know, the vinegar most likely won't make the final cut, but I couldn't not try it. I think they're all pretty, but my preferences are the coffee, wine, and earl grey tea colorants.

I'm loving the end result of multiple washes on each sheet. Take for example the photos below of a few wine washes. I LOVE the imperfection of the edges. Don't you?



My pieces will be 8"x10" sheets with a smaller washed image with pencil and ink sketches/drawing. They will have a white border approximately 1/2" wide on all sides for framing. Of course, each piece will be hand drawn by me, so no two will be alike. Stay tuned!