Category Archives: Art on Exhibit

I am Here, and Here, and Here

24 Wednesday Sep 2025

Posted by in Art, art class, Art on Exhibit

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This coming Saturday I will be teaching an art journaling class at the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI. We will start out altering a book to serve as our art journals and then we will do some gelli printing. After that we will use a stencil and black or white paint to create a line from stenciled images along the edge of one of the pages. Then we will cut along that line to make an interesting edge. A gelli print will go on the next page that will show off the cut edge. Coordinating papers will be collaged on the main page to create a cohesive layout with pen work to tie it all together.

The class will run from 1-4 pm and the cost is $65. All supplies are included and you will leave with a new altered book art journal for you to continue your art journaling practice in. The Art Hub is located at 145 W Main St. in Cambridge. There’s still time to register if you are quick! Register here.

I currently have art on exhibit at UW Hospital on 600 Highland Drive in Madison, WI in the surgical waiting area. It will be up until October 4. Hopefully you won’t have a reason to see it in person at the hospital so here are photos of the pieces that I will have in the show.

I had one piece, Dane County Garden, juried into the Art by the Foot exhibit at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. This show will run from October 3 through December 20. Here is their description of the show “So much creativity in such little space! Art by the Foot features a variety of artwork that is 12 in or smaller in size. A great show for collectors to visit.” There will be a reception on November 14, from 5-7pm.

Wishing you good health, safety, plenty and peace.

EcoSquared at Hatch Art House and ICAD

03 Thursday Jul 2025

Posted by in Art, Art on Exhibit

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I gave some background information and beginning samples of my Index Card a Day art in my last blog post. I did decide to use the technique of cutting a larger piece into index card sized (3×5 inches) pieces and working on them as individual pieces. I’m very happy with the results.

I also dropped off 5 pieces for the EcoSquared show at Hatch Art House. EcoSquared will run July 1st – August 31st, with an opening reception Friday July 11th from 5-8pm. It would be lovely to see you there. The address is 1248 Williamson Street in Madison, WI.

The exhibition is geared towards Hatch’s emphasis on using upcycled materials and will feature only square works of art. Here are my pieces.

100 Day Project 2025, Current/Upcoming Exhibits and ICAD

09 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in 100 Day Project, Art, Art on Exhibit

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I worked on the 100 day project again this year. It’s an Instagram challenge intended to support a daily art practice and is frequently used to dive deeply into something an artist wants to explore. It starts in February and runs for 100 consecutive days, ideally. I had a lot of health challenges since last December and wasn’t able to make art at all or much for a couple months. It really set me back in my art practice so I did a very gentle version of the challenge.

Spring Metta Meditation

This piece was one of the main things I worked on and I was so happy to be able to finish it in time to get it framed for the Madison Art Guild Summer Salon. It is currently on exhibit in the surgical waiting area of UW Hospital at 600 Highland Dr. in Madison, WI. It will be up until the end of July. Seeing my art when I go to appointments at the hospital (usually at least twice a month) is amazing. It makes me happy and I think it makes me more 3 dimensional to the health professionals I encounter during these appointments. Having my art in medical facilities that I go to has been on my art bucket list and I’m grateful for each opportunity.

This piece started with some collage and gesso on mixed media paper. Then I wrote out a long version of a Buddhist Metta (loving kindness) Meditation. I found I really needed this at the beginning of this year and I hope people stop and notice that it’s in the background. We need all the loving kindness we can get.

Some days I wasn’t able to make much progress and I took a lot of breaks to participate in a few free Instagram workshops: Sketchbook Revival, Mastering Mixed Media and Workshop Week. These free classes offer me projects that can subtly or significantly impact my art process or remind me of tools/techniques I haven’t used in a while. I really think it’s a big part of keeping my art practice fresh. Usually free access is only for a limited time but you can pay for unlimited access at any point during the workshop. So I prioritize the workshops I want to try and can let the rest go. I did get long term access to Sketchbook Revival so I haven’t yet done as many of those projects yet.

Here are the results of some of these fun workshops. As you can see they are very different from my usual work and maybe you will see the influence of them on the index cards I’m currently playing with. The index cards are for the #ICAD index card a day challenge hosted by Tammy at Daisy Yellow. Check out her website to learn about the guidelines, prompts, history, and community related to this wonderful Instagram challenge. I am starting a new large piece and wanted to play around with the design and techniques I use and I’m cutting it up into index card sized pieces and trying different things on them. I am actually really liking the effect and might to this for the entire piece. Stay tuned.

I also worked on some pieces just because I felt like block printing and because I am getting some smaller pieces ready for the Eco Squared show at Hatch Art House. I will do a post on that show when I finish my final piece and submit them to the show.

Art Fair Experiment

23 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Art, Art on Exhibit

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I had never done an outdoor art fair until last weekend. My health has prevented me from participating since I have been actively working as an artist. I have been doing pretty well for the last year and I had the opportunity to be one of four artists in the Madison Art Guild tent at the Middleton Art Walk. This seemed like a good way to try it out, especially because it was a 1 day fair.

I worked really hard getting everything ready for the show. I tried to plan for as many contingencies as possible. The weather wasn’t supposed to be too hot and I was happy about that. Unfortunately, it was quite windy with a few sprinkles. Attendance was not very good. I didn’t make any sales and I felt really sick by 2pm. I think my UVA sensitivity was too much even in the tent with lots of 50spf protection from clothing and lotion. I had a 4 day migraine afterwards.

But I did it. I had some nice conversations and many people took my business cards. I got to know some of my fellow artists in the Madison Art Guild better. And I learned that I don’t want to do it again. So I’m calling it a success.

Sold! Exhibit Closed

02 Friday May 2025

Posted by in Art, Art on Exhibit

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

I sold 4 pieces in my April solo exhibit at the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI. Jacy, the owner of the gallery, did an amazing job hanging the show. We traded out some of the art that had been on display in the gallery before the exhibit with a few pieces from the show. Go check it out with all the other amazing art she has on view.

Thank you for providing such a fantastic space!

Final Piece for April Exhibit and Art Journaling Class Information

28 Friday Mar 2025

Posted by in art class, Art on Exhibit

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I call this piece Flourishing Spirals and it started with block prints of stamps I created inspired by a Golden Geometry class I took with Clarissa Grande. They started with the shape of the golden spiral and I ended up as a set of 4 stamps to create an embellished spiral. I only used the 2 largest stamps for this piece because I wanted white space in the center. I knew I wanted to enhance the prints in a variety of ways and I started with adding some water color on one side and gold paint on the other. Another form of enhancement that I had in mind was Zentangle patterns.

The above Zentangle tile is from a class I recently took. I participate in the monthly Tangle Lab online class with the talented Anica (ZenLinea) and I thought I could use these techniques on my block print. I really liked the idea of having components that went outside of the frame of the mandala. The subtle, simple background was very appealing to me, too. And I am a huge fan of Zentangled flowers, actually flowers of any kind.

Art with gold paint doesn’t photograph very well so I hope you will come to the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI to see it in person. The show will be up from April 1-26 and there will be a reception on April 4 from 6-8pm.

There is another opportunity to see me at the Art Hub in April. I will be teaching Art Journaling: Limited Composition & Mark Making ($68.00) on Friday April 11 from 6-9pm. All the supplies are provided and you will leave with a new (reclaimed) art journal with a start to art journaling. There are a few spaces left so register by clicking on the class link above.

Let’s transform old library books into lovely art journals. This class is perfect for someone just getting into making art but will also have novel techniques that will be interesting to the experienced artist. Learn how to repurpose a hardcover book using gesso, acrylic paint, writing tools and stencils.

We will introduce an element of play by using dice to make some of our design decisions. Our biggest decision will be on color selection. We will talk about the idea of using dice to take the pressure off decision making and as a way to limit your composition. We will talk about the value of setting limits when working in your art journal.

Art journals can be used in many ways to help you reach goals and improve your art skills, overall health, and satisfaction with your life. An art journal is a great place to experiment with art supplies and different techniques. We will do an art journal page layout using acrylic paints, junk mail or scrap paper and a variety of stencils, paint markers and pens.

Solo Exhibit Progress and Art Classes

25 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by in art class, Art on Exhibit

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have finished some new pieces for the exhibit in April at the Art Hub in Cambridge. The reception will be the first Friday in April. Here’s a few of the new pieces you can see there. These first 2 are the finished pieces from my last post and the others are some floral, block printed mandalas that I have been playing with. The red and blue one is a new direction I have been considering but I’m not happy with how it turned out. It might not be in the show. I think there is potential here, but I’m not getting close to my vision.

Here is my favorite new direction. The lady in the photo is from a page from Demorest’s Monthly Magazine from 1878. I have a small collection of these magazines that I inherited from my great aunt and I have been hording them for years. I have decided it is time to share them. This lady is modeling a riding coat for stout ladies. I have another model from this ad that I will include in another piece. They just cracked me up and I love how she fits in with the mandala and the flowers. It makes me think she is walking in a fantastical garden. The gold gesso in the background adds to the magic of it, I think.

February has been a very busy month and I have taught 2 small classes. The Zentangle class had 5 people brave more than 5 inches of snow to create some Artist Trading Cards. They were all completely or fairly new to the Zentangle Method and it was so much fun to share this lovely art form. We focused on 2 tangle patterns, cadent and paradox. Both are from Zentangle, Inc. This class was held at the Art Hub in Cambridge.

The other class I taught was a fundraiser for my Unitarian Universalist church, James Reeb UU and was a still life made from gelli prints. We had so much fun and offering a class for the auction has become an annual tradition for me. I have some action shots and finished (or nearly finished) pieces.

In these crazy times it is more important than ever to come together and create joy in community. I will be teaching an art journaling class at the Art Hub in Cambridge on Friday, April 11. Register here to create some happiness with me. Wishing you peace and beauty today and every day.

Lots Going On! Exhibits, Sales, Classes and Carving

06 Friday Dec 2024

Posted by in Art, art class, Art on Exhibit, Zentangle Inspired Art, Zentangle Method Class

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today I was notified that a piece of mine was accepted in the juried show “Midwest Seasons” at the Center for the Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. It’s a piece I just finished called “Olbrich Summer Dreams.” The orchid stamps are inspired by the orchids at Olbrich Gardens and there is a map that includes the gardens in the background. It’s a combination of block printed flowers, stencils, Zentangles and a lot of different kinds of paper.

Next week I’m going to be demonstrating gelli printing at Crestwood Elementary (5930 Old Sauk Rd in Madison, WI) from 6-7 pm. It is part of their Explore Arts Night and I’m curious about how it will go. It looks like there will be eight other artists doing demonstrations at different stations. It seems like such a great idea. That same night is the first open studio at Kindling Community Art at my neighborhood community center and I hope to stop in there for a few minutes.

On Thursday, December 12, I will be participating in a holiday art shop at Weichart Realtors at 2045 Atwood Avenue in Madison, WI from 5-8. I will have a selection of handmade books and little coloring books as well as some smaller pieces of art that would make wonderful gifts. There will be 5 other artist there and I believe their work includes jewelry and ceramics in addition to wall art, prints and cards.

Then on Saturday, Dec. 14 I’m teaching an Introduction to Zentangle class at the Art Hub in Cambridge, WI. It costs less than forty dollars and you will leave with your own Zentangle kit. It’s not too late to register here. We will learn some introductory patterns and then play with them in some festive ways. The circles of paper are called Zendalas and you will go home with your own finished Zendala.

After all that in one week I will be ready to rest. However it is Carve December on Instagram and I’m trying to carve a block/stamp every day. I think I may need to take a few days off next week. I’m also still working on my 100 mandalas challenge and I’m trying to use my new blocks to make mandalas. I have been taking a class from Clarissa Grande on Golden Geometry and it is fascinating. I will have a lot more to post about that class when I get caught up, but in the meantime I’m carving blocks to create golden spiral mandalas. The bottom 3 prints are the beginning of that and I have so many ideas of how to use them!

This is my most recent big piece and I call it Blue Skies. It’s kind of ironic because my sun sensitivity this summer was really bad so I stayed inside and worked on this off and on since June. The central picture is very early in the process and is mostly the original block print. I added Zentangles and watercolor and acrylics and colored pencils and I am calling it a mixed media monoprint. I think I’m going to submit it for an exhibit at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in January. At least every other week I walk past the place that local art is exhibited. Seeing my own art in medical facilities I go to was one of my main goals when I started making art again 10 years ago. It makes me so happy to share it with the nurses and medical professionals and they love it too. It makes us all more three dimensional to each other.