DAY 9 AMERICA

America...VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

 This card had me thinking of standing up tall. Enough said, I hope. Bits and pieces.

EVERY DAY?

Postcards galore

"Create every day! Make it your job."

Well, my job got in the way of my commitment to twice a week on this blog. It was on my mind to write yesterday, but I just got carried away with a new series of fun pieces and worked on it way into the night. 

How I have found myself creating lately is by finding usefulness in the creations. Cards, postcards, etc.--small things that can be sent to hopefully brighten someone's day. And, it may be my "job,"but it also brings joy into my own day as I work.

So, back to work I go...heigh ho, heigh ho 😃 And maybe I can make up for my oops by posting three blogs this week. We shall see.

CHOOSING...

Tools of the "trade"

Such a beautiful day! I have to admit that it is a little bit hard to want to spend time inside the studio. Can I choose to just let yesterday's juvenile whale sighting and the gorgeous colors of sky and water suffice? Can I capture them in my mind enough to focus more closely on what I playfully call work?

Choosing joy has such ridiculous issues, doesn't it? To joyfully spend time in the outdoors, basking in color and light or to play joyfully in the studio creating....hmmmm.

What will I choose?

OH, WHAT FUN IT IS...!

Robyn, her angel, and angel's dog-angel

Robyn's daughter, Kelsey, scheduled this fun Sawdust Art Class with me as a surprise. Nine of Robyn's friends and family shared a fun evening creating, eating, laughing, and simply enjoying.

They were a really diverse-seeming and enjoyable group. Gotta say I love teaching these classes anyway, but this was a really special group.

Next class of Whimsical Collage Angels is December 14th at the Sawdust Art Festival.

Anyone can join in the fun.




FUN! FUN! FUN! 

Some of the angels created

SIMPLE

Simple

I thought maybe I would impart just a bit more of my ideas about teaching and what it means to me:

In my mind the doing of art should be simple. A piece may end up with layers of complexity to it and loads of meaning, but the doing can be just, well, simple.

Teaching is the same. I seek to simply commit to the students, to provide a supportive environment for imagining, dreaming, exploring and being venturesome outside their normal bounds. 

Above all else, I commit to a place where play is essential, for the soulful creativity is found there in that place, I believe. When creating, it is important to feel like the child stringing beads in kindergarten--happy, totally absorbed, and quietly putting on one bead after another.

Pablo Picasso said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." I would go farther, the problem is how to remain at heart a child and that is what I hope to bring to each workshop I teach.

Simple, right?

WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

The long view

On my morning walk today I paused at this inspiring view to just sit and ponder. One of the things that showed up was an article I had recently read on contributing to the good energy of a workshop environment as a student. While there were aspects with which I could agree, there were others with which I took exception.

With two workshops coming up this month, I thought long and hard as I sat about just what I think makes a good safe environment in which to play in the fields of art.

As an instructor, it is always my primary concern that each student should feel safe to create in his or her own way as long as it is done in a manner that is not harmful to self or others. Beyond that, the students should feel that both they and their creations are accepted and enjoyed.

In the student/teacher relationship there is always the accepted expectation of some critique. Nevertheless, I strive to keep this to a minimum, often waiting to be asked. Students are not to critique each other unless asked.

In a nutshell, beyond this, I strive to create an environment for my workshops in which there is a lot of daring experimentation, laughter, story-telling, good food, and new friendships gained. It is, after all, Mixed Media Playtime, and the joyful play I seek to see is implied, I think.

Always, I am grateful for the many opportunities of teaching.

WORKSHOPS WORKSHOPS WORKSHOPS!!!

While doodling (or dawdling) around, my mind turned to to autumn season workshops in my home studio. All materials are provided for each of the workshops and new friendships are formed as we play in the creative field that opens up in these five-hour Sunday Studio Workshops. Won't you join us in the fun? 

Play in progress

FALL SCHEDULE OF WORKSHOPS

Sunday, September 22  Alcohol Inks  $75

Sunday, September 29  Fun Figures and Faces   $65

Sunday, October 20  Mixed Media techniques  $65

Sunday, November 17  Mixed Media techniques  $65

All workshops are in my Laguna Beach home studio from 11 am to 4 pm

SIGN UP NOW!!

cherril@cherrildoty.com

CAN YOU TEACH A SUMMER WORKSHOP?

So very true!

When asked if in fact I could find the time during the busy festival season to teach one of the five-hour Sunday Studio Workshops I have to admit I hesitated. Could I?

Well, as a Wizard of Winot (inside info), I of course said, "Why not?"

And, thus, was born the first summer workshop to be held this coming Sunday, July 21st. 

There are still spots left so why not join in the fun? We cover myriad techniques, laugh a lot, enjoy each other's company, nosh on good food to share, and so much more.

 click here to email me if you want to join us. You, too, could say, "Why not?"

SLOWING IT DOWN

Finally! In creating a new angel to add to the collection I finally slowed enough to remember to document the steps.

Materials ready!

The first step was to gather some magazines and, of course, my trusty scissors. Since this was to be a Valentine angel I knew I would need some great reds. And so I began.

The first pieces are usually the head, arms, and legs. Often, the hair is the very last, but this time a special piece just called out to me.

Now all the pieces are gathered. The wings and several other pieces were found by perusing an art catalog. Time to decide just how to place them.

This is the first placement. As I attach the various pieces some things tend to change, but placing the parts on the watercolor paper to start at least gives me a general idea of where I am going.

The pieces are all adhered now. Sometimes I use glue, sometimes matte medium. If using the medium, I recommend spritzing with a bit of water and using a brayer (I use a brayer to smooth pieces as I go in any case.) 

Now to the final step, which is to outline with a fine pen. I like Faber Castell PITT artist pen SX.

Ta-da!

PLAYTIME DONE...FOR NOW!

As I said last time, a big oops for forgetting to outline and show the step by step on this one. But here is the verbal step by step: I first chose a magazine image of a dark skinned woman, tore it out roughly. Next, after lightly sanding the image, I applied a light coat of white gesso.

Then, though she had beautiful eyes and lips and perfect eyebrows, I took the liberty of choosing some new ones for her. The black collar pieces and green succulents backed by text pieces for hair...a few flowers and leaves and some rosy cheeks almost complete things.

The very last touch...a few words from the great Mary Oliver. TA-DA! Just a whole lot of fun in preparation for Sunday's workshop.

ANGELS IN MY CORNER

Many of us know that angels come in different forms when we are in times of need.
I am having such a joyfully fun time creating these fun collage angels. It all started with time on my hands. Then, just two magazines off of a rack. Scissors, a piece of deli paper, a variety of small tubes of paint, and a black outlining pen finished up the pieces needed for the project. Watercolor paper was of course needed for the base piece.
Then...let the fun begin!
Now there are 30 completed collage angels. Some of the originals are being framed. Others are prints and/or cards. All will be ready for the Sawdust Festival's Winter Fantasy.
I feel blessed to be able to have so much fun creating art...and angels :)

WHAT MOOD IS THAT?

Spring flowers bloom

What mood is that? Hobbes asks Calvin while discussing creativity and inspiration in a cartoon by the great Bill Watterson. Calvin's reply, Last-minute panic is probably recognizable by many of us who play in creative fields. 
It's not that ideas and possibilities do not abound, but somehow getting to the nitty-gritty often awaits that last minute crush.
Recently, after completing eight collage pieces for a set for Amy Poehler's upcoming production for Netflix of Wine Country, I found myself unable to focus on just one creative area. I was all over the place. Perhaps this was in part a direct effect of the intense pressure to complete the eight pieces. Last-minute panic had been the rule.
So now do I have to wait until another last-minute time? 
Gee! I hope not. 
Plodding on will continue until some brilliance shines through. Maybe I'll even get another film gig.  Wouldn't that be great?

MOVING ALONG

Bits and pieces

The cleaning and clearing has gone so well that, with trash cans and recycle bins all full to the brim, I thought to play with some ideas for the collage workshop I am teaching next Sunday.

First try

Not really happy with this first try, I moved on to the next possibility...

A little more sassy?

Not sure yet this is it, but will keep playing.  To see the finished product and to play with ideas yourself, why not come to the workshop, or as I call it the Playshop, on Sunday? It is from 11 to 4 and all materials are provided for $65.

TINY BUBBLES...LET THEM BEGIN!

Happy New Year (inspired by Jacki Long)

Beginnings and endings...this day into night marks them for so many of us. At this time of year, rather than resolutions, I strive to embrace something, while letting go of something else. There are always possibilities.
What will those things be for 2018? I don't yet know. I DO know that I seek to explore more, to spend more time with family and friends, to say "yes" to more...the list is unending.
Workshops are a place I am already stretching
and hoping for changes. The schedule has only 
just begun to show up.It will start with some 
fun in January creating fun figures in collage and
move in February to an intensive image transfer
session. I hope many of you will join in for the
fun.

Always possibilities