Sunday's Quote of the Day

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." ~George Bernard Shaw

Wednesday's Quote of the Day

One must work and dare if one really wants to live.  ~Vincent van Gogh

Driftwood Mania

Dad calls me, "The Gatherer" LOL I came home today with my front passenger seat full of driftwood collected from the local beach. If I had another couple of arms or had thought to take a bag with me I'd have come home with even more. My mind is swirling with ideas for these pieces. Some of them I knew instantly what they would be transformed into, others will have to percolate a bit. I worked on one tonight and am figuring out what to embellish it with, then it will be listed under a new category in my Etsy shop.

Juggling Time

My new job is going wonderful! It's the most rewarding and meaningful employment I've ever had. Yesterday was my last day of training, today I fly on my own. My exit training review was excellent which adds to my confidence, however I'm a tad bit nervous about keeping an eye on the time throughout the day, as I have three sessions today and don't want to be late.

I've not given up on my own art :0) as usual I have several things going at once. One piece that I'm excited to complete is a transformed cigar box into a wall clock. No pics yet, but it will have repurposed tin with embossing, inlaid into the wood on the sides.


I've made a few more chunky rings, but haven't listed them yet in my Etsy shop, I do have pics of those so I'll give you a sneak peek :0)

Also in the works are a few carvings, a few wood cigar boxes, and I'm trying out carving driftwood. My goal is to make a gnome for Dad as a Father's Day gift. My practice piece is pretty small, so I think I need to find a much larger piece and then it will be easier to get detail.



Time to get ready for work! Have a great Tuesday everyone! :0)

Tuesday's Quote of the Day

"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces,
never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. "
~Flavia Weedn

Saturday's Quote of the Day

"I've caught this magical landscape and it's the enchantment of it that I'm so keen to render. Of course lots of people will protest that it's quite unreal, but that's just too bad."

~Calude Monet 

Friday's Quote of The Day

”An artist's early work is inevitably made up of a mixture of tendencies and interests, some of which are compatible and some of which are in conflict. As the artist picks his way along, rejecting and accepting as he goes, certain patterns of inquiry emerge. His failures are as valuable as his successes: by misjudging one thing he conforms something else, even if at the time he does not know what that something else is.” ~Bridget Riley

Quote Of The Day

”Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.”  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Artist Interview with Wendy Hannaford ~ TWC RePURRposed Gallery

Wendy was the first Artist I met outside of the RePURRposed Gallery. She and Kira had arrived early, we waited with excitement until we were welcomed inside by Brittany, one of the talented event organizers and our contact person. Although my sister Karen and I only traveled 3 hours to New York from Baltimore, it felt like a long journey to me until Wendy said she flew in from California. Here we are just inside the gallery space, our excitement is VERY contained! :0)

How did you hear about the Together We Can project?

I heard about the Together we can project with the casting call on the Friskies site.

Where did you travel from to attend the gallery event?

I traveled from Carlsbad California to attend the event.




Has your art been in a gallery show before?

Yes My art has been in a Show, but not in NYC!

Had you previously used recyclable materials in your art or was this a whole new medium for you?

Yes this was a whole new medium for me, but I have been wanting and thinking of doing this for a long time (I just didn't think it would be Cat food cans!! SMILE)

How many cat food cans did you use to create your piece?

I used About 38 cans.

I'm a big fan of anything symmetrical. Wendy's use of the repeated flowers in a symmetrical pattern  is easy and relaxing on the eyes. It's so pretty! and I love the embellishment with feathers and rhinestones. They really add a royalty spoiled feel to the white cat.

How did you choose the idea for the art you submitted?

I wrote out about four pages of idea's to start, but as I started to lay them out in different configurations, I just loved the flower's, and thought it was perfect since the idea is to preserve and protect nature by recycling the pet food cans "Leave only Paw Print's".

What other efforts do you make to decrease your carbon footprint?

I recycle, reuse, re-purpose everything, buy used when ever its appropriate, have a mulch pile in my garden, buy local at the farmers market when I can (or grow my own). I have energy star appliance's, and energy fluorescent light bulb's in my home. I would love to have solar panels and an electric car, but haven't gotten there yet!

What are your current adventures as an Artist?

Right now I am writing a book on Nature and Fantasy crafts.

Describe yourself using 5 words.

ME using five words? Creator, designer, heart, mind, soul.

Who or what influences your art?

The earth, all living things and ecosystems, beauty, fantasy, colors, joy and spirit. Sometimes its a message.

How has this experience affected you?

I loved the Together We Can  experience from start to finish. I will do more recycled art, and do some of the things I thought about before. I also think I will make some recycled art for my home!! Starting with a cat food can art piece for my living room above the fireplace! And I will add some recycle choice's into my book as well. I was raised in the Sierra club, hiking camping, canoeing, kayaking in the mountains and on the beach. I hiked the entire John Muir Trail by the time I was 12. I was raised with "Leave only foot prints" When you spend a lot of time outdoors you really realize how your actions affect the animals and nature.

It was  a real pleasure meeting and talking with you Wendy, and thanks so much for allowing me to interview you. Good luck with your book, be sure to let us know when it's published! I am certainly interested in reading it, as some of my art leans toward fantasy, and Nature is a very prevalent muse. I look forward to and hope you share any future art you create with cat food cans! :0)

High on Life!

Well I've sure been caught up in a whirlwind of activity lately! Right after my return from the RePURRPosed Gallery event, I interviewed for a job that I was praying hard I'd get. My first day was this Monday. My title is Art Therapy Specialist, and I am in love!

There have been previous jobs that I liked ok, enjoyed aspects of it, and then there were those I ended up hating with a vengeance. This is my dream job! I'm working with the elderly in retirement homes, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. I conduct art therapy workshops at 7 different facilities, three days a week. This month the project is painting in a monochromatic theme (one color mixed with black and white to create different shades)

Already I am learning things from these sweet people that I can't even put into words quite yet, but will as soon as I can! Despite their medical conditions or level of functioning, most all of them have a willing smile, share their humor and show their appreciation in such meaningful ways. I feel so very blessed to have this job, particularly because of it's bottom line purpose; to bring joy, relaxation and pleasure to these people's day.

I've always believed that you can learn so much from the elderly, after all they've been around a while and have seen many things. I look forward to sharing and passing on gifts of inspiration as I receive them.

Now that I've written my update, I'm off to format two Artist interviews for publishing here on my blog. They'll be posted soon, so keep an eye out :0)