making up words…

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Sandy Lupton

The meaning of life is to find your Gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
Pablo Picasso

—

I remember a workshop I took about 10 years ago taught by Zana Clark of Stamp Zia who asked “What kind of artist are you?” She said there were three types and asked us to raise our hands when we fit the type: the artist who amasses a ton of supplies and never finds time to use them, the artist who hates everything she does and the artist who loves everything she does and everything that everybody else does too… When she got to the last type, I was the only one in the room who raised her hand.

My job is to help people find joy in the process and stop worrying so hard about the end product. Making art takes practice — just like anything else. It may as well be fun! I am here to help you get past the perfectionism and on to the joy of making art. I figure that makes me an enthusiastician (yes, I made it up).

I’ve got a few new workshops scheduled this fall… I hope you will join me.

contemplating the list

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Sandy Lupton

Kayaking Aventure
Merchants Millpond – Gates County, NC

Merchants Millpond is a beautiful NC State Park, home to a 760 acre pond full of cypress trees and wildlife. We saw a small snake, lots of sunning turtles, blue dragonflies, frogs, fish, birds and an alligator.

I guess that learning to kayak in a water hole that has alligators in it is not the best idea.
The webite says they have 6 alligators in residence, the largest one about 9 feet long.
I think the one we saw was about 6 feet long, a rough estimate, since we didn’t get too close. She slapped a tree with her tail to let us know that we were indeed close enough, and we responded by turning in the opposite direction. We got along just fine. We named her “Ali.” The Park Ranger said we were lucky to see one this time of year. I agree.

Kayaking has been on my list for a while now. This year I decided it was about time I started tackling that list a little harder as I work on that “what do I want to be when I grow up?” thing.

My friends Linda and Paula volunteered to teach me the ins and outs of kayaking. The ins and out are the hard parts, by the way. Paddling was a piece of cake, and kayaks are built not to be tippy, so staying afloat was no biggie either. I am pretty agile in the water, pretty klutzy on land, so getting in and out was a little awkward, but the rest was gliding thru the water and feeling like I belonged there with the fishies. With a little practice, the ins and outs should be easier too. This is something I can see me doing a lot of… Good exercise, plenty of sunshine, gorgeous and serene surroundings, picnic lunch on the water, fab friends… an all around great experience. I can’t wait to go back!

(thanks to LB for use of her photos)

~ ~ ~

SIDE NOTE: My friend Leanne has the most amazing bucket list I’ve ever seen or heard of, and she makes great strides at living it. When you get a chance, check out her blog, Girl vs. the Bucket List. Her adventures range from flying on the trapeze to diving in the arctic to going to Comic-Con in costume. It’s a good read.

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TAP dancing!

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Sandy Lupton

CREATIVE IMAGE TRANSFER– Any Artist, Any Style, Any Surface
by Lesley Riley

Creative Image Transfer is finally available and I am so excited to be a part of it! The book includes 16 new mixed-media projects using TAP Transfer Artist Paper. My project uses TAP on Faux Bone – a non-toxic, flat PVC plastic that can be cut and carved into any shape for beautiful, lightweight jewelry components. The book showcases 5 of my Faux Bone necklaces, each with a TAP transfer of my artwork.

To celebrate the event, Lesley is having a Creative Image Transfer book and TAP Give-away! Just head over to her blog anytime from Aug. 6-10, 2014 and enter to win!

one fish, two fish, beach fish, blue fish

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Sandy Lupton

Gyotaku- the art of fish printing
hatteras island, NC

During our annual girls’ camping trip to Hatteras Island, we usually do a craft project. We take turns teaching and this time it was Jill’s turn. She chose to teach Gyotaku, the perfect beach art project. Gyotaku is the traditional method of Japanese fish printing dating from the 1800s.

After a little bit of fun, teasing the girls who were not really into the idea of grabbing real, slimy fish and rubbing them on fresh t-shirts, Jill brought out the silicone fish printing kit.

Everyone brought out their shirts and we got started. We took turns rubbing various paint colors onto the fish and printing them onto our t-shirts. Some of the girls did single multi-color prints, while others chose to put entire schools of fish on their shirt.

We printed a few extra shirts for our tribal members who are currently on the other side of the world – sending a little love across the big water. We also got to enjoy the SuperMoon, knowing that those gals could see the same moon from their spot on the planet.

What we learned: A spritz of PAM cooking spray before adding paint made the silicone fish easier to clean. Let the fish soak in a bucket of water for a few minutes and then scrub gently. Laying the t-shirt on the sand made a nice firm printing surface and allowed more of the detail to print. Instead of a piece of cardboard in the shirt, put a trash bag inside to make sure the paint does not bleed thru to the back side.

What I loved: The finished shirts are super bright and happy. Everyone was really successful and went home with an awesome shirt! And… no fish were harmed in the printing process.

hippy hippy shake

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Sandy Lupton

Hippy Hippy Shake – Altered and Embellished Jeans class
Art & Soul Retreat, Virginia Beach
september 29 – october 5, 2014

It’s hard to believe that summer is half over already! In just a few months it will be time to pack up and head to Virginia Beach for the Art & Soul Retreat! It is absolutely my favorite artful adventure of the year! Where else could you find so many like-minded folks to play with?

The week is filled to the brim with fun! Artists come from all over the world to teach classes on everything from metal to fiber. The students flock in from all over too — to learn from the best, meet the art stars, commune with friends and party on! In the past I have taken classes on wig making, still life, mixed media, soldering, landscapes, assemblage, mold making, 3D animals and more.

This year I even get to teach! I am getting so excited! I’ve been working up lots of samples for my Hippy Hippy Shake Altered and Embellished Jeans class. The jeans are taking on a life of their own — with each layer of color and texture, they become more amazing! Just further proof that “more is more!”

I got my posse to help me out by trying the techniques on their own jeans– and of course, each of them went in an entirely different direction with their pair. Kat (the amazing fiber artist) went straight for applique and embroidery. Terri did an awesome image of a lion on hers so that she can rock them this fall at the ODU Monarchs football games. Julie went sweet boho-style with lots of patches and Jill threw caution to the wind with brightly colored mermaids covering the entire pair! She recently rocked them at a Journey concert and they got rave reviews!

The class promises to be tons of fun and your embellished jeans are sure to become a family heirloom! Come on out and get your groove on!