The enchanted world of artist Ann Wood

Brooklyn artist Ann Wood has an amazing gift of turning scraps of fabric, paper, and wire into endearing and timeless works of art.  Her blog is one of my favorites as I feel like I'm in a fairy tale.   Handmade castles, ships with sails, and winsome creatures- what more could a romantic girl ask for?  (A knight in shining armor, I suppose, but a guy who washes the dishes will do.)

The pictures on Ann's blog are so beautiful, too.  I love these two snapshots of her place.

As an artist, I appreciate seeing Ann's works in progress.  Here are a couple of photos showing a blue bird in the making and some salvaged paper that is being used in a paper mache project. 

And Ann is generous in sharing her creative ideas with others.  This is a lovely pattern of a cardboard horse that she designed.  I absolutely love the look of the stampede!

Ann's speciality are little charming birds made from vintage fabrics.  The bride and groom are adorable, but the striped pirate bird is hard to resist!  See more of her handmade bird collection in her shop.

Behind the scenes with Sharon Montrose

A couple of weeks ago, I featured the work of animal photographer Sharon Montrose.  I was just browsing the community section of Etsy when I came across this wonderful short video on her photography. The baby giraffe is just too cute!

The forecast calls for clouds

1.  Suppose Design Office, Designtide, Tokyo, 2009
2.  Kecky, Umbrellas in the Rain
3.  Will Cotton, Candy Clouds (Hannah), 2008
4.  Tara Donovan, Nebulous, scotch tape, 2002
5.  A beautiful cloudy day in Portland

Beautiful mixed media works by Heather Patterson

Blue Line and Wallflower, 2009.

I just love Heather Patterson's art.  It makes my right and left brain happy.  Each piece is oozing with vibrant colors, geometric patterns, and intricate line drawings.  There is so much to look at I get lost in each piece.  I love it when that happens!

Blast, 2009.

Whirlwind, 2009.

Two new pieces in my Etsy shop

Columbia River

I just added these mixed media works, Columbia River and camping with bears.  At the moment, I'm enjoying working on smaller pieces that can be completed within a couple of hours.  I have a large oil painting in progress on an easel, but I'm waiting for another wave of inspiration.  Hopefully it'll happen in the next few weeks, I'm starting to get a little antsy.

camping with bears

Here are a couple of other pieces I worked on this week, but they didn't make the cut- for now. 

How it all began

My mother dropped by yesterday with a box of memorabilia.  Included in the box were my class pictures from elementary school.  Here's my 2nd grade class picture; that's me in the upper right hand corner.  I remember how much I loved that vest! The back was this pink, satiny material. 

Miss Newson was my second grade teacher, and I adored her.  She had a cool silver streak in her hair, and she was always so kind to me.  I remember one day I was coloring a picture with a ship in it.  She asked me if I wanted to be part of a program for kids who wanted to learn more about art.  I enthusiastically said yes, and for the next six years I was regularly pulled out of my classroom to participate in art classes taught by specialists in the Portland area.  I took courses in weaving, still life drawing, and even clay animation. 

My artistic abilities and passions grew in those formative years.  Because of these experiences and teachers like Miss Newson, I became a public school teacher myself.  So, this picture is more than a walk down memory lane.  In a way, it represents the start of my journey as an artist.

Vending machines that dispense art

I first heard about Art-o-mat when I was teaching in Eugene many years ago.  A fellow colleague told me about a vintage cigarette vending machine that dispensed miniature art at the local community college for $5 apiece.  I thought it was a brilliant idea.

There are currently 82 Art-o-mats in the U.S.  Venue, the art shop in Seattle that I mentioned yesterday, has the only one in the state of Washington.  While I was at the store, a customer came in to buy art from the Art-o-mat.  She paid for a token at the counter and browsed the selection of artists listed on the vending machine.  She found a landscape artist that piqued her interest, pulled the knob, and voilá! An original work of art for just a few dollars! 

Amtrack it from Portland to Seattle

The beautiful ceiling in Portland's historical Union Station, which opened in 1896.  

While the kids were away for a couple of days, my husband and I decided to take a short trip to Seattle to see some friends.  We traveled by train, which is about a 3.5 hour ride to the Emerald City.   Not bad considering it can take as long or longer by car if you get stuck in Seattle traffic.

Downtown Seattle and the famous Space Needle.

We try to go to Seattle at least once a year.  I love all the hills and water surrounding the city.

Yesterday we visited the Ballard district.  For lunch, we stopped at an amazing eatery called La Carta de Oaxaca.  I loved all the beautiful photographs on the wall of the scenery and people of Oaxaca, Mexico.  A few were even illuminated from behind.  And the presentation of the food was just as impressive as the decor.  I snapped this picture of our meal before we ate it.  It was delicioso!

Mixed media painting by Seattle artist Janet Fagan and Lotus Glows made by Michelle Fokos of Luma Designs.

There is an an art retail store in Ballard that I like to go to called Venue.  The shop also functions as a studio space for several local Seattle artists.  When I first visited the shop a few years ago, I came across these great candle holders made from recycled glass.  I love how the color of the glass is illuminated onto the surface when the candle is lit!

Venue currently showcases handmade collections from over 40 artists and craftspeople.  Products carried in the stop include jewelry, stationary, soaps, linens, and handbags.  I couldn't resist these felted rocks made by Leah Adams of Spiderfelt.  They are actual rocks that are wrapped in wool! And I was so excited to finally find something to put on this wood platter-like piece in my home. Perfect!