Hardscaping......

I'm putting together a new class called "Creating a Hardscape".
Years ago, after moving to Hawaii where silk velvets and lace just don't do well, I began creating costumes with apoxie clay and embellishments and no fabric.
I call these "Hardscapes" and they are great fun to create.

I have a series of classes now offered at That Creative Place that begin with how I sculpt and paint a face, how I sculpt and paint hands and arms, legs and feet, how I create a torso and put together the arms and legs and build a stand. ( not up on site yet ) And now the culmination of those classes will be "Creating a Hardscape." Since I've been so lost in my Blessing wall pieces, it's been a while since I did a Hardscape and I am loving this process!

Here's a few photos of some parts of the class....the undergown, the hood and today will bring a glorious cape!

If there is any class you would like me to offer, please let me know.

Hide and Seek class

My husband and I took a watercolor painting class this weekend.
I knew nothing about water color and he knew even less, but as of today, I'll never look at a hibiscus in the same way. It's amazing how gaining new knowledge shifts and expands one's perspective. What a great thing!

Patrice Federspiel has lived here in Hawaii for about 10 years now. I met her when she first moved here and was just learning the art of watercolor, having mastered oil painting. She was part of the group of women who, not knowing each other initially, gathered together in my studio once a week, because of the love of creating.....and the beauty of Kawela Bay. We met each week, over many many years, and while the group has since disbanded, it's fun to stay in touch and relish in the new directions that we have found ourselves. And the love of creating still holds us together, at least in our spirit.
She has a lovely web page and a great eZine that I highly recommend.
The Art of Aloha.

In these past 10 years, Patrice has become a master in the art of watercolor. Her style and technique are thrilling and inspiring, and her use of bold color is exciting and fresh.
The technique she taught this weekend was called "Hide n Seek" in which one lays gauze, string and such down on the paper, adds paints, lets it dry and then discovers the painting within. Right up my alley! It keeps one in their heart and out of their head and adds such a fun element of mystery.

This is what I found hiding in my painting!

Here's my husband's hibiscus..... very cool, I think . :)








Patrice Federspiel The Art of Aloha

New Online class site!

I'm very very happy to announce that my online class in creating a "Maryhoonie" has just opened up on a beautiful new teaching site called: A is for Artistic

http://www.aforartistic.com/maryhoonie.html

Have you ever participated in an online class?

I've been teaching online for several years now and I am
continually amazed at how fun and easy it is.
And how connected I feel to those taking the class.

The class is made up of 4 lessons and will run for 4 weeks, with a new lesson each week.
The first class will begin on March 22nd.

There is an online forum for any questions you might have.
Each class is full of written instruction and detailed photographs, so in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace, you can create away....using techniques that I have developed over my 35 year career. And if you have any question or wish to share, I'm here to guide you and I'm just an email away.
And...I love email! :)


And it's fun! It's so inspiring for me to chat with people all over the world as we sculpt together.
Ideas bounce back and forth and the wings of inspiration connects us all. I love that the internet has made our world into a community...a neighborhood.

Maryhoonies have been a real joy for me to create. They are funny little creatures that make me smile! If you click on this link, you can read about how I came to first create these little guys.
Once you begin, you will find all sorts of subtle little adaptations that will create new forms of Maryhoonies and soon you will have a village, as I do. :)

Come join me for lots of fun! The more the merrier!!
I can't wait to see what you create!
We all need something to make us smile, don't ya think? :)
If you do decide to take this class, please let me know........I just feel a sort of bond with those of you that read my blog and I'd love to know that you will be joining me.
I'm really quite excited!

Ahhh.....Hope!

Ahhh...Hope...
As I made more and more of the Sins, I found myself thinking more and more about Hope.
Wondering why Hope was left inside...and deciding that it must mean that Hope was always within us.
I started to think about what my little Hope piece would look like, and I decided that it would be the same little Hoonie figure...
with a kind smile...and maybe some wings.
Well....I started sculpting Hope and it just wouldn't flow like the other ones had done. The eyes wouldn't work right...I kept messing up 
what I sculpted...I got more tense and frustrated.  I kept going and finally got the beginning stages photographed and got the piece into the oven for the first bake.  And then I stopped and took a deep breath and realized that Hope wasn't just another Hoonie character with wings.  
It wasn't working for a reason....this piece was not to be another of the same characters.
No...Hope, to me, was a tiny newborn baby. That little bundle of innocence with a whole future to live out.
Hope was going to be what we all started as....innocence.
That felt just right to me, particularly because our 7th grandbaby...our 7th granddaughter is due to be born in just a days.
She is Hope to me. She is my inspiration for Hope and she will be the final sweet touch to "Pandora and the Seven Sins"
And as it worked out, without my planning for it, Hope fits perfectly into Pandora's hands. :)
I love when special things like this happens!
If you might be interested in making this piece in my class, please find more information at: http://www.thatcreativeplace.com

Envy and Pride......

Okay....I have 6 Sins done now.  Here are Envy and Pride.  

Today I shall create Greed.  Oh my.....

So I read up on the Seven Sins and it seems that all the sins flew out of Pandora's box...except "Hope".   

Hmmm...so what was Hope doing there with all those Sins?

And so I guess that Hope didn't escape into the world?

I think it must mean the Hope lies always within us...The sins are out there flying around, but Hope springs eternal...and internal.  

I  like keeping Hope close to my heart.

I like finishing this Pandora piece with the little Hope that will stay within her belly.  :)

Pandora and The Seven Sins.....

I've been working on a piece for my Sept. online class, 

called Pandora and The Seven Sins.

The photos in the postcard ad, over to the left of this posting are of one I created and sold a couple of years ago.  Of all my pieces, this design has been one of the more popular ones.

And it's so fun to create, so I thought others might enjoy creating one too.

  

I get so lost in the act of creating.  I really think artwork for me is like a meditation.  

I become so focused on what I'm doing that the chatter in my head stops and I find myself in the moment...to moment...to moment.  

I think that must be what happens for anyone that finds that one thing that allows them to focus so intently...whether it be meditation or surfing or golf or gardening...or whatever.

But anyway....back to Pandora....

The piece is created with a gourd which is hinged so that Pandora can be opened at her waist and you can reach inside and withdraw your Sin for the day!  :)

Pandora, herself, is done now and I am working on the Sins....and I began with "Lust"....which is really fun cause I'm making really big red lips!  It's really challenging to figure out what Envy...or Greed...or Sloth might look like.

If anyone is interested in joining me for this class, just check out the info. on this site:

http://www.thatcreativeplace.com

I have to say that I am surprised how fun it is to not only teach these classes, but to be with others as they create a piece of artwork.  And to be connected to others all over the world, creating the same piece, through the magic of the internet, is just ...amazing!  I love it!

I extend an invitation to you to join me.  If you have any questions please email me.

The more the merrier!  :)  We begin on Sept. 20th.