janis

Art Class

Before I go any further, I must admit to you that those two words, "art class", are enough to strike fear and trembling into the depths of my being.  I am not a naturally "artistic" person.  Any natural genetic ability skipped me and went straight to my nephews.  My childhood experience with "art class" was one of feeling totally inadequate and getting barely passing grades.  "Crafts", on the other hand, was something I loved and thoroughly enjoyed.  I had no problem putting elements together to create something, but "art" implied (to me) drawing, painting, sculpting, and so on.....things I could not do if my life depended on it.  Crafts, in my world, included sewing, crocheting, beading, creating Christmas ornaments, and, eventually, scrapbooking and stamping.  So, as soon as "Art" was no longer a requirement in school, I removed myself from that negative classroom experience and focused on other things.

Flash forward to college when I took my first European study tour and viewed many of the masters' works....I realized how little I knew of art basics so I then signed up for a Fine Arts class.  Taking that college level class was another big clue to me that I had never learned "the basics" of art.   Then when I got into scrapbooking I met Donna Kauffroath, an awesome scrapbooker, stamper, altered artist, and....drum roll....retired art teacher!  After several years of learning from her by osmosis, she agreed to give our scrapbooking group a crash course in art basics.

This crash course took place last weekend. All of us were excited to be there and have the opportunity to learn how we could apply the "basics" to our own art, i.e. scrapbook pages, cards, and so on.  We spent Saturday learning about the Elements of Art, then started in on the Principles of Design.  I think you can see from this picture of Sue that we were all very intent on what Donna was teaching us.  We did a few exercises along the way to help us learn the application of those principles.  The plan was for us to learn the elements and design principles, then apply what we learned by working on a collage project. 

We discovered that each of us were there because we felt "collage challenged".  We can put together a scrapbook page, but a "collage"???  Then Donna gave us the definition of collage:  a technique in which the artist glues or attaches paper, fabric, or other found materials to a ground.  Guess what!  A scrapbook page is a "collage", as are many other "crafts".   And a "collage" is 2-dimensional.  An "assemblage", on the other hand, is 3-D and uses more bulky elements.  Well, those definitions, as well as the new-found training in art elements and design principles, gave me a lot more confidence to dive in on my collage project.

Donna hold told us that we could use any size or background we wanted for our collage.  We quickly discovered that each of us had totally different ideas...some brought a canvas, one a board book, and I had a small spiral album.  Some of us used photos, others used other art elements.  Some used patterned paper, other acrylic paint.  Some collages were intricately designed, others more simple.  But each of us, with Donna's help, applied the principles we learned and created a "collage".

Here's mine:  a simple 6x8" spiral album that I'm going to use for favorite pictures of Jake.  I used patterned paper, a matted photo (click on the image to see why this is the cutest photo of a 4-month old puppy!), some ribbon, and chipboard letters.  Donna had instructed us to "bring more than you expect to use" so I had brought everything pet/dog oriented in my scrapbook stash.  As you can see, I used very little from my arsenal.  As much as I was tempted to add more, Donna practically threatened me with my life if I did.  She pronounced it done long before I would have and kept emphasizing that "less is more". 

So here's my little Jake album, "done" whether I like it or not!  And now I can say I know the basic principles of design and how to put art elements together in a collage.  It was a great experience...thanks, Donna!

Phoenix Convention 2006

The Phoenix Scrapbook Convention is now history and what a weekend it was!  As always, excitement was high on the show floor and in the classroom hallways as scrapbookers found new, exciting products and learned new techniques.  I actually remembered to take a few pictures in the midst of all the excitement...this first one shows part of our display in the booth.

I was again fortunate to teach two classes each day.  Everything was going as planned, when on the second day I was in the middle of my first class, attempting to give away a door prize, and the fire alarm went off.   There were groans all around, including from me.  After discerning that yes, indeed, the building was being evacuated, we all headed outside.  It was nearly 1:00 in the afternoon and, while it was warm outside, fortunately it was a cooler-than-normal day and not even close to 100 degrees.  At first we all hung out around the convention center doors, but then we were instructed to go across the street. Evidently, there was evidence of gas in the building.  After about 15 minutes or so, we were told that we could head back inside.  I must say that despite the potential chaos of the evacuation and then letting everyone in again, it all went very well.  Teachers were the first to be allowed inside the classrooms and vendors were permitted on the showfloor before the buyers were let in.  It all went rather smoothly. 

And once we were back inside, class resumed right where we left off.  A big thank you to all of those wonderful ladies in both of my classes.  While my first class is the one that was interrupted, both classes felt the rushed effect of the evacuation.  Everyone was so patient and understanding and I really appreciate them all. The picture at the left shows my Stamp & Stitch class after the evacuation.  See how focused they are already?! 

And, finally, we have a picture of the show floor right by our booth.  This was taken on Saturday afternoon and you can see that it was pretty crowded at that time.  That's Todd just left of center with his head sticking up above all the ladies.  (He's tall.)  He was demonstrating our products while Cheri (my able helper) and I were in class. 

So thanks again to everyone for a wonderful show!  We'll see you again next April in Mesa!

Feeling a little blue?

Our printer has been producing pages with a white streak on them, always in the same place and getting noticably larger.  Since I knew we'd be printing a bunch of class handouts for the show this weekend I asked Todd if he'd figure out what the issue was and take care of it.  He did some research and theorized that part of the printer must be dirty.  We've had it for a couple of years now, so that made sense.  So, over the weekend he took the printer apart and gave it a thorough cleaning.  You know how that goes.  To clean anything, one must make a huge mess first.  And it always takes at least twice as long as one predicts.  J

Well, Jake was not happy about this.  He figured it was time for his walk, not time to clean the printer.  Priorities, people!  At any rate, he got a little nosy, and this is the result (click on the picture for a larger image).  He looked like he had blue chicken pox.

And what was the offending dirt on the roller?  Why, duck down, of course!

Remembering

Whether or not we personally knew anyone directly affected by 9/11, today is a day of reflection and remembrance.  I've heard that everyone has several world events during their lifetime that they can vividly remember.  I was too young for the JFK assassination (yes, I was alive then), but I do remember the attempt on Reagan's life and can recall like yesterday the day we now refer to as 9/11. 

Here in AZ, we are 3 hours behind NY time during the daylight savings time months (we don't observe DST here) so it was 5:45 am here when the plane hit the first tower.  I was getting ready for work, ready to rush out the door when my carpool arrived.  I never listened to the news before work in those days.  As I opened the car door to get in, I knew right away that something was wrong.  Cheri & Betty immediately told me that a plane had hit the Trade Center.  We started discussing whether or not it was terrorist attack or an accident (the news wasn't clear yet on the size of the plane) when we heard a witness exclaim that another plane had just hit the second tower.  We stopped talking.  We knew that this wasn't an accident.  And a sense of dread enveloped me.  We (3 normally very chatty women) drove in near silence to work, listening to the news on the car radio the entire way (about an hour), riveted by what we were hearing. 

Upon arriving at work, I immediately went to the TV in my department.  I worked for a brokerage firm in those days and TV sets were disbursed throughout the building, set to the financial news.  On this day, however, the picture on the TV was different.  The stock market was no longer important. Just as I started watching, the first tower went down.  We weren't sure what we were seeing, and neither were the newscasters.  It wasn't until several minutes later that it was confirmed that the tower was indeed down.  I was at the office for nearly an hour before I ever went to my desk.  I was glued to the TV, but there was work to be done. 

Honestly, I didn't really earn my pay that day.  In between doing wired funds approvals and signing off on accounts, I was constantly checking either the TV or cnn.com.  It felt like the world was falling apart around me.  The Towers, the Pentagon, a plane in Pennsylvania...what was next?  When would it end?  Was it over yet?  Or was this just the beginning?  I felt instinctively that the world had changed and life would never be the same again.

While much of life has returned to normalcy, in some ways life has changed for me since that day.  Ever since then, the first thing I do in the morning is turn on the news (TV) or check it on the web.  I am now very aware that dramatic things can happen while I'm involved in my normal routine.  We started our business, my brokerage job came to an end, and I'm now self-employed full-time.  I no longer take fire fighters, or other first responders, for granted. 

Last night I watched the documentary about the journalists that were following a NYC ladder company on that day.  I saw it several years ago when it first aired on TV but I felt it was important to view again.  At the end, they showed pictures of each of the fire fighters who died that day, with "Danny Boy" accompanying the images.  I had been weepy during the entire show, but I really lost it then.  Even after 5 years, the emotions are still a bit raw. 

Is it important to remember, and emotionally relive, events like this?  I believe it is, even when it's difficult.  When confronted with the evil that is in our world, we are reminded of that which is good and holy as well.  So let's not just remember the sorrow of that awful day, but focus also on what is good and right.   

Teaching

A few months ago, Barb Steffan of Scrapbooks and More asked me to come teach a few classes during their Hot August Nights event.  I told her about my road trip to Wisconsin and said that if it didn't conflict with that, I'd be happy to come.  She arranged it so that I would simply continue on to Lake Havasu City after leaving Cheri at her home at the end of the trip.  I stupidly said yes. 

It's not that I don't enjoy teaching.  And it's not that I don't like Barb, her staff, or her store.  It's just that I was unprepared for how brain-dead I'd be after nearly two weeks on the road.  The Hot August Nights event was designed as a preview of the Phoenix CK Convention coming up next week.   You see, Lake Havasu City is about 3 hours away and her customers get a little testy about Barb carrying way-cool stuff in her booth that they might not get to see back in the store.  J    My time at the store would be spent demonstrating our products plus teaching 3 classes, 2 of which are my convention classes.  Piece of cake!   (so I thought)

Time came to start the first class and I realized I was struggling to formulate my thoughts.  You know it's bad when the store owner has to prompt you with the word "cardstock".  sigh.  The ladies in all 3 classes were wonderful, however, and appeared to overlook my weaknesses.  From these pictures you can see that they were heavily involved with their stitching.  I'm afraid they don't look like they're having much fun, so please trust me when I say that they were simply intent on what they were doing and were all smiles about the completed projects!  

I enjoyed my time there thoroughly.  Barb and Beth (the store manager) are always wonderful to be around.  And it was my first time there since the store remodel and build-out of the new crop room (which is very nice).  I was surprised to learn that many of the ladies in class had come from a distance, coming from places like Phoenix, Palm Springs, and Kingman.  A lot of them were in all three classes, having made a weekend of it.  And some had even attended classes of mine at the Phoenix or Mesa conventions in the past. 

And then, to make the visit a little on the surreal side, I got to talking with Cathy, one of the store's teachers, and she mentioned something in passing about Iowa.  Well, I'm originally from Iowa (many moons ago) so I asked her whereabouts in Iowa.  Making a long story short, it turns out that my grandparents rented a farm from a man in her family back in the 1930's and '40's!  Now how weird is that?!  Unfortunately, we discovered this right as I was supposed to start the last class and if I was brain-dead before, well, I was even more distracted at that point!  Scrapbooking?  Fiber Friend?  What's that?

All in all, I had a wonderful time with Barb, Beth, Cathy, all of the very nice ladies who stopped by for the demos and took my classes.  And now we turn our attentions to the final preparations for the Phoenix CK Convention next weekend.  Actually, I'm feeling on top of things so far, with just a few details to take care of.  Fortunately, Todd's taking time off from his day job and will be able to help with set-up as well as basic booth staffing during the show.  He's a huge help and I don't know what I'd do without him. 

If you're going to be at the show, I hope you'll swing by Booth #93 (just inside the entrance to the left) and say hi, or, better yet, attend one of my classes.  Registration is closed on the website, but tickets can be purchased at the show.  There are still a few seats left in both Stamp & Stitch and the Fabulous Fiber Techniques class.  And both are brand-new for this show, so even if you've attended my classes in the past, you'll learn something new.  See you there!

Almost to the end!

Yes, I'm back home now, trying to catch up on everything that piled up in my absence.  I've discovered that road trips wear me out far more than they used to and that 2 weeks away from home is longer than I remembered.  As much as I enjoy traveling, it was very good to be back at home again.  I figured Jake (our dog) would be happy to see me but I was still rather unprepared for the reception I got.  Instead of walking right in the door, I rang the bell and waited for Todd to answer.  Jake looked at me, then it registered and I was basically mauled for about 5 minutes straight!  He's not a real jumpy dog, but he just kept hopping and hopping, about knocking me over!   Just when I thought he was done, he'd start in again!  And he's hardly let me out of his sight since I've returned.  The ducks were happy to see me too, though they showed it in different ways.  Louie (the male) decided to try to mate my arm.  ugh.  I have two big, ugly bruises on my left forearm to show for it.  You see, they grab onto the feathers at the back of the female's neck to hang on and steady themselves while, well, you know.  (Or perhaps it's just to show who's boss.)  At any rate, he bit me twice and it hurt!  He's nibbled me on a couple of occassions before, but he's never bruised me.  I'm afraid I look like a junkie this week. 

So I was showing some of my pictures to Todd, including the one of the very fat prairie dog.  We were commenting about how on earth they get that fat and Todd said, "yeah, he looks like Roxie...she's pregnant again."  (Roxie is one of the squirrels in our back yard.)  Light bulb moment...well, duh!  Perhaps those very fat prairie dogs are carting around some little ones!  I've posted another picture where you can really see that fat belly.  I'll blame my ignorance on travel fatigue.

While in South Dakota we saw Mount Rushmore (of course) but you all know what that looks like so I'll spare you the photos.  Heading down through Colorado, we stopped at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.  It's not a very large place, but the rock formations are pretty cool and it would be easy to spend a lot of time there.  Here's a picture of the Balancing Rock.  We were there quite early in the day when the sun was shining brightly from the east.  This is the type of place where you really need to get photos at various times of the day. 

After leaving Garden of the Gods, we headed toward Seven Falls which is just outside Colorado Springs.  It's a very pretty series of 7 waterfalls cascading down the rock, each one a little different from the last.  It's fed by a rather small creek so it's not a huge amount of water but it's very striking.  This picture shows the last 2 of the falls and how it juts out to the side at the very bottom.  You can also see part of the stairway up to the top.  There are 224 steps and they suggest allowing an hour for the round trip.  Um, no thanks.  The elevator was just fine, thank you. 

We continued driving, with the original intention of checking out Royal Gorge.  I had heard good reports of this from several friends and family members, but as we were running a little behind on time and I was traveling with someone with a fear of heights, we decided to skip it.  Someday...   Maybe with Todd.  He has NO fear of heights, to the point where his non-fear scares me.  I have to show you this picture of the herd of Big Horn Sheep.   We were driving along a rather narrow mountain road when I saw them off the side of the road.  I shouted at Cheri, who stopped and turned the car around as soon as she was able.  Now, there's something you should know about me.  When I see something exciting, I don't shout "hey look, big horn sheep!" or "Pronghorn!" or whatever else might be appropriate.  Nope, the only thing that comes out is "oh, oh, oh!" leaving Cheri to wonder if it's life-threatening or something we need to stop and see.  Fortunately, Cheri has become pretty good at interpreting my exclamations over the years so we were able to catch up with the sheep enough to take a few pictures before they took off out of sight.   

Our last day together included a stop at the Four Corners Monument.  I would say that this is in northeastern Arizona, but I suppose others would say that it's in southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, or southeastern Utah.  :)  This is the only place within the US where 4 states connect and has a brass plate covering the spot with a monument built up around it.  The last time I was here I was only 11 years old and I have a (not very flattering) photo of myself with each hand and foot in a different state.  To do this, you have to get in a position reminiscent of playing Twister and while I didn't realize it at the time, my back end was positioned quite high in the air compared to the rest of me.  One of those pictures is enough for a lifetime, so on this trip I chose the more sedate stand-on-the-intersection pose.   I can still say that I was in 4 states at the same time, but the photo doesn't have quite the garish effect of the first.

The sky in the photo shows a few clouds, but with a considerable amount of blue sky.  As we traveled further southwest, however, we became surrounded by huge thunderclouds.  At one point, we had thunderstorms virtually all around us, but it was dry where we were driving.  As we approached Flagstaff, this changed completely and we were once again in a rain pounding so hard we could hardly see.  There were a few "drops" that bounced off the hood so we're pretty sure there was some soft hail in that storm.  As we continued on to Cheri's home north of Prescott, AZ, it continued to rain but lightened up considerably.

After unloading my belongings from her little bug into my car, I set out for the 3-hour drive to Lake Havasu City.  I'll tell more about that in my next post.