studiosuzanne

Trick or Treat ATC Art

 

I recently joined a Halloween ATC swap.  I love making Artist Trading Cards! The canvas is so small, it really makes artists focus their attention.   Since I have about 50 brand new Oxford Impressions Halloween images, I'm having trouble deciding what to make!  (I'm spoiled, I know!) 

Obviously, I need something easily reproducible.  For some reason though, even when I come up with a simple concept, I tend to "juice" it up with details.  The card I am posting started with a very simple idea, but I ended up going so far as crushing potpourri to make the leaves!  I hand-punched and applied little polka dots and then painted them! I won't be making 20 of these, but I like the way it turned out!

The Halloween word, pumpkin, and crow image are all from the Trick or Treat Collection from Oxford Impressions.

Suzanne

Mid South Fair

 

This past Thursday I attended the last Mid South Fair to be held in Memphis, TN. The Fair has been a tradition for our city dating back over 150 years.  A rival, fair-type festival has been competing on the outskirts of Memphis for the past two years and in that short time dealt the death blow to tradition.  I hated to see that happen.  The "festival" promoters plunked their stakes down close to the richest part parts of the suburbs.  The Mid South Fair, however, is held in Midtown, in a lower economic area.  So the people with plenty of cash to spend now have the convenience of a fair-type experience right near their own neighborhood - a week before the annual fair. I knew it would kill the "real" fair.  I just didn't know it would happen so fast.

I've only been writing for about six weeks, but you can tell from my photo albums that I like to get out and experience things.  I love fairs, festivals, shows, events; anywhere people gather in celebration.  I can find something to appreciate in almost anything.  (My Fair photo album includes a picture of a painted garbage can.)  The Mid South Fair is a "must" for me.  It is visually and aurally stimulating - almost to overload.  It is an opportunity to experience things in an uncommon way.  It is a chance to get above the city.  It is a chance to defy gravity.  It is a chance to fly!

Driven by the need to capture the experience, I took my camera along this year. I knew it could be a burden keeping up with it, but it had unexpected rewards. It helped me focus my attention on the visual, on seeing what was actually there rather than being overwhelmed by the experience. I ended up taking over 150 pictures!  I snapped everything.  I even took my camera into the "Starship 3000", a ride that uses centrifugal force to lift riders off the ground, sliding them up the wall.  I'm used to fielding comments and questions about my photography, so when the rider standing next to me eyed my camera, I smiled encouragingly.  She looked at me with a serious expression and said, "You better not let that thing knock me in the head!"  During the ride, I did get off several shots, although it was difficult to keep my arms raised!  The photos did not turn out very well, but I certainly enjoyed trying it.  I posted my favorite photos to a Mid South Fair album, if you'd like to take a look.

Trick or Treat...

I hope you'll think it more "treat" than "trick", but I have released a new Halloween collection! Why? There are two sides to Halloween.  It can be a spooky, gothic walk on the dark side.  On the other hand, Halloween can be sweet.  Think little kids in costumes  - dreaming of candy!  Even though Wicked and Trick or Treat are pretty much opposites, I love them both.  Thank goodness I don't have to choose! 

Stampbord Part II

 

I had an hour to play with the Stampbord product this morning, and I was impressed all over again. Photo-style stamps look AMAZING on Stampbord!  The clay finish of this product absorbs ink perfectly with no bleeding edges. I used Memories Brand Black Dye Ink to stamp the Cowgirl and the saying - (from Oxford Impressions, of course!) The wheat  - also OI - was stamped with Archiver's Brand ink in Sepia.  Once the cowgirl was heat set and masked, I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger Industries to color the background. (Colors used were Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade.) Leaving the mask in place, I spritzed the background with Walnut Ink.  Once dry, I colored the Cowgirl with Tombow markers.  I used a scratch tool to highlight the wheat fronds and a Zig Painty Twin pen to accent the little girl's clothing with the white polka dots.  I didn't think to photograph the project in process, but I will show you my test piece.  I sacrificed a piece of Stampbord to try all my color ideas.  I applied watercolors, all types of inks, markers, etc. and made notes on the piece.  Only two things did not work well.  One was a heavily pigmented watercolor called "Hydrus" by Dr. P.H. Martin.  The pigment sat on top while the liquid was absorbed.  My guess is that the pigments were to large or dense to work well.  I also had problems with Tim Holtz Blending Solution.  It actually blurred the stamped "permanent" ink I had used.  The round black spot?  That is a hole I drilled with my Dremel!  It went through like butter with no splitting or jagged edges.  I was simply amazed at how easily it was!  I am sure I'll have more Stampbord projects in the future.  The photo images just look so perfect and there are more color options than I have with paper.

Stampbord test piece.

Cooper Young Festival

Typewriter Earrings

I know what you are thinking. "Another festival, Suzanne?"  Yes! I DID spend another weekend soaking up art.  This time of year in Memphis, we celebrate. The weather is starting to cool a bit and we can stand to be un-air-conditioned for a short while. (This means the temperatures dip below 90 F - not "cool" for normal people.) Every weekend in September is booked for outdoor activity. The Cooper Young Festival is one of my favorites!  The "art" outweighs the "crafts" at this show and it is held in the artist district.  A younger, more diverse crowd attends this event and there is a lively enthusiasm that is missing from some of the other festivals. It can be quite educational! (Take a peek at my Cooper Young photo album to get an idea of what I'm talking about.)  If a crushing crowd presents a problem for you, don't come to Cooper Young. An average of 80,000 pack into a few city blocks.  What did I buy?  The fabulous typewriter key earrings pictured above, for one thing.  There were also a few booths with vintage items and I scored some curious metal objects and about 5 pounds of antique buttons.  I collect buttons and these were not my usual find.  This box had an interesting selection of Bakelite buttons from the 40's and 50's in soft, feminine colors.  See picture below:

 

Wicked is Here!

"Something wicked this way comes,"  I've been teasing for a week.  The "Wicked" collection is now available for sale on the Oxford Impressions website!  My artist friend Shelly Hickox made the wonderful Shadowbox above with stamps from the Wicked Collection , an image from the Dressmaker Collection, and trims from my friends at RockCandy Studios.

The Wicked collection:

A "Wicked" little row house...

This "Wicked" little row house was made with Oxford Impressions new "Wicked" rubber stamp collection.  I really enjoyed creating something cute with scary imagery.  I have to grin when I look at the skeleton.  He looks so proud of his house and garden.  I don't think there is any doubt he gesturing to his prize headless flowers!  I was wishing I had a tiny little trowel to put in the skeletal fingers! The cool trims along the roof lines are from my good friends at Rockcandy Studios.  Go check out their webstore!

A little something wicked...

"Wicked" Stamps - Coming Soon! Visit Oxford Impressions this week to see!

Germantown Arts & Crafts Festival

 

I adore attending festivals! Today the weather was perfect for attending the Germantown Arts and Crafts festival in C.O. Franklin Park, Germantown, TN. This long running festival is one of the largest in the area, with over 400 arts and craft vendors, live entertainment, and food.  The festival is family-oriented with something for everyone. Children can enjoy face-painting, games, small rides, and a petting booth while the adults shop for art or enjoy the live entertainment.  I throughly enjoy the spirit of neighbors coming together in celebration.  I must note, however, that the festival this year seemed more heavily weighted to "crafts" instead of "arts."  No matter!  It was still great fun and I will get my art fix next weekend at the Cooper-Young festival in Memphis.  The Cooper-Young festival is a bit wilder with a more artsy, diverse crowd. View my Germantown Festival photo album.

Something "Wicked" this way comes ...

New Stamps from Oxford Impressions!!

"Wicked" is a collection of dark, gothic imagery timed specifically for the Halloween season.  Look for our new stamp collection to be released next week on the Oxford Impressions website. More "sneak peeks" to come!