Paint Party Friday.... no time to paint

but always time for coffee...

Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting Paint Party Fridays!!!  Wow, all the awesome art!!!
cheers, dana

ART IS IN THE AIR...

Wow, had our first project meeting for the upcoming ScrapFest in old town - here in Lansing, MI.  Teams of five get together and run thru a local scrap yard for one hour - gathering what they can to produce a sculpture from their finds.  I have never done anything like this, nor have any of us in the group.  A friend of ours decided we should enter - she is a talented graphics designer and our leader, Stacy!  Her muse, Troy, is a race teammate of my husband's (Mark)- so they are definitely part of production.  Our main welder, Rizzo, is an artist of several mediums.  He is the fabricator on the race team too... so this is really stepping outside the box for our guys. What am I talking about - for us girls too!  Once we run thru the scrap yard - we have 2 weeks to produce the piece.  We are responsible for all transporting and it must be stable for display purposes.  The actual showing will be outdoors during the Festival of the moon and sun in June!  I will keep you updated on our progress!  We are submitting our entry application this weekend and will know in a couple weeks if we are in!!!!  Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

http://www.oldtownscrapfest.com/Old_Town_Scrap_fest/Old_Town_Scrapfest.html

cheers, dana

I am really still here...hello Sunday Sketches...

It seems that each day that I am not working is filled - end to end.  Busy getting ready for my youngest son's wedding in just 3 weeks - need to try the dress on that I bought several pounds ago...and I don't mean pounds down.  Bridal shower, babysitting grandkids so adults could go to the parties for bride and groom...buying a new bike for this season... Harley Sportster (picking her up today) ...getting my current bike on line for sale (86 Honda 450 Rebel super great first bike) and, oh yes, going to WORK everyday!!!
I have also been working on a special project that I can't share at this time but will in a few weeks...
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... today, I thought I better post before you all think I went off into la-la land.  I have an artist friend taking a class and she was telling me that her assignment was to do an abstract... YIKES was my thought.  After so many things going on and no time to paint, I thought, why not try an abstract journal page???  Seriously, why not??? So, for Sunday Sketches I will share my page!!!  Thanks to Sophia for hosting... I have learned so much from all the artists' that share their work on her site!!!

Wikipedia says this about abstract art : Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.^[1] Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality.

With this in mind, and that I have been doing exercises from some of my art books trying to understand techniques with layering better... I decided to combine some of my practice to this page.  So, I have been putting paint to paper for the last few weeks... just doing random exercises from books... I want to get better but don't have a schedule that allows me to take a formal class as I would like.  You do what you can and keep moving forward!  Not exactly what I invisioned but at least I tried it!

rain on my window

Rain on my window... it has been raining and raining and oh yes, did I mention raining... here in Michigan.  I love sitting in one of my chairs by a window that looks out into our side yard every morning sipping my coffee in complete silence and darkness... it was raining the other (most) morning and was really quite pleasant just listening to the taps on the window and watching all the drops turn into drips.  So, not sure if this qualifies as a true abstract but it is for me!!!  I will post it in the sketchbook challenge for April, theme is branching out, and this was definitely me branching out into an unknown direction.

Just for fun, another look, thanks to Kristin Dudish for sharing dumpr.net









A sneak peek at the paper I am currently working on... I love it!!!

please click to enlarge...it is wonderful to look at and run your hands across its surface!


Happy Easter to everyone - don't eat too many jelly beans!!!
cheers, dana

all work on this site copyrighted dana strickland, sinderella studio designs 2011

Wisdom for Wednesday...

Just do it ... what EVER it is... just do it!

When I was a teenager I loved to write.  Simple poems, reports for school, dreams of being a journalist for a big newspaper... I had also wanted to be a clown in the circus.  I had pictures of clowns all over and sent for the info regarding clown college in Florida.  I would draw road runner on everything - sew some of my own clothes and dream of being a designer. 

Funny, not much has changed... a jack of all trades and a master of none!  I shall never give up on the doing of my dreams -
 I love them!!!  and YOU shouldn't either... Just do it!

Make a GREAT day!!!
cheers, dana



all work on this site is copyright 2011 dana strickland, sinderella-studio.blogspot.com

STAR OBSESSION...and Sunday Sketches

The past few weeks have been so busy, and I don't see that changing much for the next several weeks.  Work is hopping and my son's wedding is fast approaching... so many things to do!
I have added to my star power this week... this was truly a challenge for me.  I have NO patience and yet feel a strong need for some NOW!!!  I seriously do have 2 MUST projects that I continue to stare at...I realize I must approach them calmly and with a plan... not my normal hap-hazard way.  In an effort to somewhat slow myself down and instill some discipline I did a journal page that required focus!!!

starflies...skypilots of the universe

I kept my journal with me and took it everywhere I went.  I would dig it out and pencil in a few more stars...color a few more stars with my NEW sharpie markers my husband gave me... then draw some more until the page was full.  I have decided that my little "starflies" are my new reminders of continuing to reach and climb toward improvement!  They are my skypilots of the universe!!!  This exercise qualifies for the Sketchbook Challenge this month too... theme branching out.... or out on a limb - either way - this was way outside my comfort zone to do.  Sounds silly but I had a very hard time finishing it... it is like me trying to do yoga - slow... it required that I stay INSIDE THE LINES!  I have also gotten out some of my art books, time to study before tackling my projects.  I shall paint a larger Starfly this week to post on my art table as my inspiration to REACH!
Thanks for visiting - be sure to check out all the wonderful art on Sunday Sketches...  thanks to Sophia our wonderful host.  Also, Sketchbook Challenge there are some GREAT interpretations of OUT ON A LIMB.

cheers, dana
make art, make friends - send art, share souls

all work on this site is copyright 2011 dana strickland, sinderella-studio.blogspot.com

Okay I missed Sunday and it's not Friday...

Wow, it has been a busy few weeks... I don't know how to keep up with all I want to do!!!!  I have two commissioned projects I keep starring at - HELLO - need to do them!!!  And, if you read about my 5 of 5 to do daily last month- well that didn't last long!   I did work out more than I would have - had I not said I was going to do 5 of 5!  All that in mind I have got to reel in some directed energy instead of just spinning in circles accomplishing - bits and pieces!

Doodled this in my journal - now I need to absorb it and keep going.
Getting back on track - that's the goal!
cheers, dana

Long week...

The cold is still here, although the weather has improved BUT going backwards again this weekend.... is spring really just around the corner????  I guess not feeling well added to the temperatures made for a long week.  Ready to start the next one...
I finished the umbrellas - same way I started it - just a dab of paint, a word jotted down, a moment at a time... done.  It is a fun journal page to look at.

Now, onto other things... a patient sent me these BEAUTIFUL SEEDS to plant (when no longer a chance of frost - I wonder when that will be).  I love looking at them and holding them.  They are sooooooooo smooth and intriging. 

Each time I hold them I think that I'm like Jack and the Bean Stalk...I'm going to plant them and I will wake up the next day with a magical stalk climbing to the sky!  OR - don't they remind you of a Jelly Bean from a Harry Potter movie...maybe flying bayou turtle flavor!  I just had to color them on a journal page... so here is my paint party friday sketch -

I have had tunes running through my head all week.  While dabbling with the umbrellas I kept singing, Rain Rain go away - come again another day... then singing in the rain.... then purple rain, purple rain... you get the idea - What songs about rain pop into your head looking at the umbrellas???  Then I got to the beans and was Bus Magic Bus... now Beans Magic Beans!

They are actually Scarlet Runner Bean seeds...they will attract hummingbirds!!!  They climb 6 - 10 ft even if you only provide a string!

Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting Paint Party Friday's!!!  Love everyones' work...all my blog hopping is inspiring, encouraging and educational in my own artistic journey!
cheers, dana
make art, make friends - send art, share souls