Sunday musings

its been a tough week here in the states...
     so much conflict, confusion and chaos...
          how can we turn the tide...

Sunday musings

Yesterday I was able to spend most of the day working in my studio...I was so happy...a place to call my own, where I could work in peace and be surrounded with the supplies/tools/objects that inspire me.  
Virginia Woolf had it right...a woman needs a room of one's own...

In another life of mine...many years ago...this would not have happened...I wouldn't have a room of my own...I put my key in someone else's pocket...luckily that was not for long...

I hope you have your key and hold on to it tight... 

my word for the year

Throughout the holiday season, I was constantly at work on projects...on my dining room table.  Whenever we wanted to eat at the table (thanksgiving dinner for example) I needed to clear everything off...only to resume my work a day or so later...thank god the Southern Man is understanding...

For those of you who have no other area for creativity, this is likely a common scenario...but for me...I have three other areas designated as work areas...my office with a small table, my workshop studio where I hold classes and my basement studio space.  Other than the fact that my workshop studio has no heat (and thus a little chilly during the winter) I really have no excuse to be commandeering the dining room table for my projects.

I seem to be in a perpetual state of cleaning up my spaces...but never seem to make much progress...this time I decided to dig in deep and vowed that I will get my basement studio space into a manageable condition...

I've started with the west wall of the studio, lined with shelves...I pulled out everything and cast a critical eye...

I'm assuming that I had some project in mind...but really...this many vintage graters...

You know I have a soft spot for well loved metal...but its time to let it go...the flat graters have been slated for a future art party project (and put into a bin designated appropriately), the others into the box for giveaway.

More scrounging abounds...I find a horde of drawing circle compasses...yes, one is insignificant, more than one makes a statement...but this many is overkill...and this doesn't include the three I found after I took this photo...

True, one of these would be a lovely addition to a future mixed media collage...a couple of them are rather unique...but its exactly that kind of rationalization that has led to this overpopulation.

Which leads me to my word for the year...rather than a list of resolutions, I have found it helpful to have a word on which to focus...to guide my actions throughout the year...some years, its been difficult for me to pinpoint the exact word to describe what I want to achieve...this year, it hit me square in the face about a month ago...

I am overwhelmed...not just with a physical amount of extraneous stuff...but also with overly involved art techniques...and for that matter, complicated procedures in many areas of my life...

I want to take this tangled mess of materials, methods and madness and pare it down...

Now, believe me, this doesn't mean that I'll be living in a naked house with white walls decorated with one single feather...but I'm hoping...no, I am confident...that by the end of the year (if not sooner) I'll be able to work peacefully on my art...and eat at my dining room table any time I want...

Do you have a word for the year? I'd love to hear what it is...
and if you have a compelling story behind your word, maybe I'll send you one of my compasses...

Slipping away

it seemed like it was just yesterday...it was April...spring buds were blooming, the days were getting longer, 
the temperatures warming...

And now it is June...the time slipped by so fast...how did that happen...

I knew that I was going to change the pace of my blogging posts...but all of a sudden I notice that almost a month has gone by since the last one...

It hasn't been for lack of thought...but somehow it always got pushed to the back...

Maybe it was my subconscious telling me to take a break...from blogging that is...there's been plenty of activity on the creative front...new collage work, upcoming summer art festivals, photography fun...
And of course, preparation for Art Party Portland (a few spots remain...get all the details here...)

And now Summer is upon us...my garden is flush with green...the sunsets extend well past the dinner hour...
the temperatures are maybe a tad too warm...

Though I am off to visit my sister for a couple of days, when I get back, I'll fill you in on my creative work...
until then, enjoy a few of those lingering evening rays yourself...

Reconstruction

I've been working on collages for summer art shows...
and in keeping with my word(s) for the year, dig deep, I am doing just that...

I've dug out a few past collages that somehow didn't work...
and taking them apart...removing some elements, tearing apart others, cutting portions out...

and then combining the elements back together, strengthening the composition, adding in new objects, layering on paint or transfers...











This piece originally started out much larger with a long vertical orientation...I cut it apart and turned one of the cut paper portions on its side...other torn pieces were discarded or sanded down...

I've had the typewriter key image for a while...it was an transfer process on metal that went awry...forgot to flip the image before printing...but it was still compelling so I held onto it...and for good reason...

I thought I was finished with the collage but something seemed to be missing...the theme of the piece is "all in the day's work of a bird"

a feather tied on with jute twine was the last serendipitous touch...


















Reconstruction has been happening on other fronts too...with all the changes in social media, I've been thinking about the best creative outlet for me...re-examining what works and what doesn't...maybe you've noticed that blog posts have diminished...when I started blogging five years ago, this was the only mechanism for sharing one's inspired thoughts and ideas...though I love this format for more in-depth topics, it is not my sole platform any more...so my schedule for blog posts is going to change from 2-3 per week to 2-3 per month...but if you want a daily hit of four corners design, please hop over to Instagram...my user name is fourcornersdesign...its quick, its on the go, its a photo with a tagline...a little hit of eye candy each day...

and if you want to see my collage work up close and personal...please visit me at my upcoming show - 
Shoreline Arts Festival, June 27-28...I'll be in the Artist Marketplace...get all the details on the event here

out of the box

Within this first month of the new year, I'm trying hard to stay true to my words for the year - dig deep

To look beyond the surface...to explore new avenues...follow a different path...

I've been pretty surprised by my efforts...
discovering a few skills and abilities that I didn't know I had...or had merely forgotten...

Taking a different approach...not relying on the tried and true...

In my year-long Photoshop artistry class, AWAKE, I have surprised myself by taking photos of images that normally would not interest me...and then editing them in new and different ways...leading to an end result that I liked more than I thought possible...and revealing an insight that broke free from my standard artistic view...

The assignment was to take several photos of an object, each from a different angle...I merged this assignment task with another assignment, which was to focus on how we saw our artistic life...as I took my morning walk, I was struck by the row upon row of boxes of this apartment building...and how I would hate to live in one of those boxes...as I combined two of the views of the building, I struggled with how to make each stand out yet blend together...exploring some of the blend modes in Photoshop that I never use (hard light for example) yielded the effect I wanted...masking, blending, and layering helped to bring the entire composition together.

going off in a different direction...sometimes the best way to go...

joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is the exhilaration of taking new trails and leaving the path behind...

and speaking of new trails...did you read about that I'm taking the Art Party on the road...to Portland, OR...
want to know more?  get all the details here...

pursuing a dream...and a winner

a fresh start...a clean slate...a new beginning...

however you want to phrase it, the turn of the calendar page to a new year always brings promises and dreams...

I'm sure that several of you have made plans for the new year...wrote down a few resolutions, picked a word for the year (my words for the year are "dig deep")...and just as sure, as the year progresses, plans change, priorities shift, this year turns into next year... or maybe even "some day..."

I have two friends who have stuck to their dream...and have made "some day" to be now...they are packing up and moving to Bogota, Colombia...for real...as in "sold all of their stuff, learned Spanish, said goodbye to friends and family and bought one way tickets!"

Jane Ann and Jim Engel are off on their lifetime adventure...to experience life in the Southern Hemisphere.  I applaud their gumption...I have moved a fair amount in my life but this is big...this is starting over in a new place, where you not only don't know anyone but there is no firm footing of a place to call home nor a familiar routine...but oh, the experiences they will have which will enrich their lives...fantastic!

You can join me as I follow along with their adventure...not only do they have a website - Colombia2You but a Facebook page and an Instagram account, user name janeann_engel

I've always had a dream of visiting South America...now we have someplace to stay...I've mentioned to the Southern Man that we could drive the new RV down there...follow the Pan American highway...yes, maybe some day...



And now a little drum roll...

angi eharis

is the winner of the drawing for the autographed copy of Make It Vintage magazine which features my workshop studio...

angi - you have no email address attached to your profile - so please contact me at amy_duncan@yahoo.com with your postal address so I can mail the magazine to you...

Thanks to all who left a comment...and to all of you who read my blog...I appreciate your support so much!

Nature is always inspiring

As the light changes from the bright hues of summer to the languid tones of autumn, 
a change of artistic scenery is due...

An old metal medicine cabinet displays vintage bottles and practice sketches...contorted oil paint tubes await their turn...a broken clock, reminiscent of a former time...capturing what once was...

The patterns and textures of nature are always intriguing...

a whorl of flower petals...

the striations in a leaf...

the delineations of a feather, the precision of a wasp nest...

Can we ever really capture the essence of this natural beauty...

these replications in print, paint or photography...only serve to remind us how wonderous nature is...
and that it is best to be experienced and explored...

joining the group over at kim klassen's texture tuesday...
all of my photos were edited with either kk texture magic0916 or kk texture everyday...sometimes both...

Layer it on

As the seasons change, I like my surroundings to reflect the current mood...so with summer waving goodbye and autumn knocking at the door, its time to put away the seashells and white slipcovers...change it up a little bit...maybe some fall leaves...old books...anything rusty...

Need some help in setting a tone?  I have just the thing...
the latest issue of American Farmhouse Style has hit the newsstands...and in it you will find "5 Steps to Creating a Seasonal Vignette", a simple guide written/photographed by me.  

Using what you already have, I give a simple outline for changing your seasonal decor...for whatever suits your style. 
I firmly believe that your home should reflect who you are and provide a place of comfort and solace...how better than to be surrounded with the things you love.

And of course there are other wonderful articles - from dining alfresco during the fall season to a gorgeous yellow kitchen that I just love...

Come on in autumn...make yourself comfortable...I definitely want to enjoy you before winter makes its appearance...

Now we are home

The Southern Man and I have returned from our sojourn to the South...
and now that I have my computer fixed and running, I am back to blogging...

The opening photo, taken from my kitchen window, really sums up the essence of our trip...we left to visit family and explore alternative places to live...there's been a nagging idea that perhaps it was time to move...

It was a productive trip...fun at times...trying at others...but all in all...we came back with a firm decision...
to stay right where we are.

We visited quite a few possible cities and towns...and looked at real estate...walked through neighborhoods...
read the local papers...talked to folks in the community...

But there just didn't seem to be that one place that inspired us enough to move 3,000 miles just for the sake of change.

To catalog this adventure, I took a blank journal with me...along with a small package of art supplies...I've never been one to keep an art journal...but thought I might start. So in between the directions to locations, receipts for expenses and jottings of phone numbers and addresses, I decided that I would create mini collages using only the scrap paper/detritus/junk pieces that we came across each day.  I also had my smartphone with me...and used its camera constantly to capture moments and moods. Combining my photographic images with my junk paper collages provided me with a creative outlet...and really began to reflect the progress of our journey...

I found inspiration everywhere...from the tiled floor of the diner where we ate lunch in Athens, Georgia, to the antique shops in Atlanta and Richmond, to the quiet country lanes of Scottsville, Virginia, to the beaches and endless skies of western Florida...

It was a long journey...but a good journey...and now we are home...at last...

p.s. - as for the broken computer...after more than one expert told me to buy a new computer...Gerrit at Office Depot performed a miracle and fixed it...he could have easily sold me a new computer...but instead was my saint...still have some work to do in restoring saved files...but dodged a bullet for the time being...

Joining the group over at Kim Klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is - there is no place like home...