Canvas is done!

I finally finished my canvas! In my defense, I had my company - my daughter, her husband and our lovely granddaughter, so not much art happening for awhile. The canvas is a birthday gift, so I'm not showing the whole thing - I don't want my daughter getting a sneak -peak here! So, here are a few close-ups of some of the elements.

A couple of rusty pieces - one old, flattened spring and a small key-hole. I glued an image of two children to the back, so they appear to be peeping through the key-hole.

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The main theme of the canvas is birds. I cut out some eggs from an old Cavellini calendar, brushed them with Rock Candy crackle paint for a little shine. The text came from an old children's book of poems and I printed the words onto it. Then, pushed in some big grommets I got on sale at Marshall's for next-to-nothing.This is a glimpse of another section - the round gold piece has been looking for a home for quite some time. I stamped a few flourishes with white acrylic paint onto the corners. It seemed that this spot needed something more, so I staple-pleated a short piece of ribbon and glued it on.

These flowers were a first time attempt. I cut out circles from different fabrics - burlap, muslin and some old quilt squares. I sprayed them with fabric stiffener, then scrunched them and let them dry. I swiped ink on some of them to add some color. The flower centers are three old buttons, stamped with Staz-On for some added interest. I cut the leaves out of an old text, sewed the center "vein", swiped them with Diamond Glaze and folded to add some texture.

I learned a few more things working on this project. Nothing like a loaded hot glue gun to inflict pain and suffering! Don't you just love how acrylic paint sticks to nail polish!! I seem to time my creative urges to coincide with the day after I give myself a manicure!! Nothing says polished and put together like paint stuck to your nails!

Also, it's hard to know when to quit with collage. Not sure if I went a few steps too far or not far enough. I need to get more comfortable with blank areas or embrace the excess - not sure which.

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair

Our Montana daughter and her family just went back home after a wonderful but all-too-short visit. I am missing my lovely little granddaughter so much! To take our mind off our empty house, we went on a road trip and stopped at this fair. The fair began in 1932, making it the oldest craft fair in the US. This is a rigorously juried affair with gorgeous work at every booth.

I got an early birthday present - this lovely bracelet made by Anne Hanson from Dunstable, Massachusetts. I've been looking for a silver bracelet for some time now and believe I've found just the right one! Not only is Ms Hanson's jewelry beautiful, but it is even more amazing once you hear her story. She was a successful artist, making wonderful jewelry when she had a major stroke at age 50, leaving her right hand - her jewelry-making hand, essentially paralyzed. She then taught herself how to be left-handed - not just for day-to-day life stuff, but to start all over as a left-handed jewelry artist. What a courageous and talented woman! If ever there was a lesson in " when life hands you lemons, make limoncello" , this is it.

I'm always intrigued by the labels we give ourselves ( as those of you who've read some of my older posts know!) - do we call ourselves "artists" or "craftsmen" ( or the PC "craftspeople"). In one of the booths - very intricate woodblock printing by Matt Brown, I came across these definitions that finally made sense to me. He says that "craft" is the technique part of what we do and the part that can be reproduced over and over. Like making water-stamped backgrounds - a technique we can all learn, and repeat whenever we want to use it. The "art" part is unique to us - once the technique part is done, art is what we do with it to make it uniquely ours - the colors, composition, materials and vision that go into each piece.

Now, to get going on that canvas that needs to be finished!!