Art and Soul 2010

Hello,

Welcome back, or welcome to those of you who are new to my blog!

I will start by saying I'm not the best blogger in the world. In fact, I'm rather laid back (and more than a little behind in my posts). I've been back from Art and Soul in Hampton, Va., for more than a week, and am just getting around to going through the many photos I took while I was there. I have three to share with you today.

First, upon arriving at the tea party on Wednesday night, May 19, I immediately spotted a red-haired woman across the room. And I do mean red! Orange red. She was heavily tattooed and bejeweled, and I whispered to my friend Erin that I thought the redhead was one of my favorite authors. Indeed, it was Rice Freeman-Zachary, author of Creative Time and Space and several other books. She's one of my Art Heroes, and she and her hubby, the Ever Gorgeous Earl, were at Hampton on assignment for a new book tentatively titled Creative Destinations. I introduced myself to her, and we had a lovely conversation about writing and my destiny. Seriously! She gave me something interesting to think about: What do I really, really want to do for a living?

I need to think about my answer...

My first class was with the wonderful LK Ludwig. We are not related, but I've been told we look alike. (I've also been told I look like Jack White, but that's another story.) The class was "Natural Beauty," and we learned how to do gelatin monoprints, to print on metal mesh, and to incorporate our photographs into our journals. LK brought her beautiful journals to share with us. My attempts at monoprinting turned out tolerably well, but the mesh printing was very difficult and I think mine turned out more like Rohrshach tests than like the ferns and leaves they were supposed to look like!


This is an example of my monoprints. They were done with an artificial zinnia (left) and a maple leaf (right). Not bad for a first try!

This is one of LK's journal pages. I love the simplicity of her designs. I just ordered her new book, Creative Wildfire, from Amazon.com, and I can't wait till it arrives.

Well, that's it for today's show and tell. I will return with more photos and stories as soon as I can. Until then, stay well and stay cool!