Art is My Happy Place

Art is my happy place. When I am painting, I forget about the rest of the world and can simply be. I get so lost in what I’m doing that I lose track of time. I love creating and collaging! Collage is defined as: An artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface. All you need to begin collaging is a great pair of scissors!

Ever since I was small, I enjoyed anything creative – drawing, painting, macrame, woven potholders, beaded necklaces, you name it! I loved doing it! I even helped paint a horse blue once. (The animal was not injured in this endeavor.) My grandmother paid for years of art lessons to encourage me in my art. I learned the basics of realistic drawing and oil painting as well as design, color theory, composition, and technique. I wanted to go to art school, but I was told that the only way I could make any money with art was to teach. So, I majored in Sociology which is not exactly known as a money-maker either.

When I was first married, I picked up sewing as a hobby. I had an old sewing machine that my mom had given me and a brand-new pair of sewing scissors. I had taken a sewing class in eighth grade, but my older brother actually got a better grade than I did. Once, when I was attending a Sewing Guild meeting, I heard a fabric designer speak. It was my dream job! Combining my two loves – art and sewing! I breathed up a prayer saying, “Lord, I would LOVE to design fabric some day!” I thought that was just a whim and would never, ever happen.

My dad, who was an entrepreneur, taught that if I wanted to be or do something to figure it out and just do it! In order to make a little Christmas money for our growing family, I began sewing santas, bears, angels, and other dolls and selling them at craft shows. This turned into designing and selling wholesale craft patterns. While at Quilt Market one Fall twenty-five years ago I happened to stop by one of the fabric booths. I remarked that I liked their fabric. The gentleman answered that they had three “pattern people” designing for them. I said, “I can do that” and he said to talk to his business partner. That was the beginning of my fabric design career. I did not know if I could do it or not, but I thought I could figure it out. I got a counselor job at a camp teaching canoeing the same way. Having canoed at Girl Scout camp in seventh grade I still needed to make sure that I knew more than the kids, so I checked a book out at the library. I got my first fabric company art director job by meeting someone in an elevator and convincing them that they needed me as their art director.

Although I hadn’t painted since I was in my twenties, in the last decade I discovered mixed-media and I fell in love with painting again! I could combine my love of color and design and create one-of-a-kind mixed media paintings. I love stamping, stenciling, embossing, and especially collaging!

This is my process: I start with bright colors of acrylic paint on the canvas. I am definitely not afraid of color. I heard a little girl say that her favorite color was rainbow and I totally agree! After completing the background, I add interest with mixed-media techniques. Using stencils, stamps, embossing powders, and metallic paints really adds dimension. I discovered that anything you can use in scrapbooking or cardmaking can be applied to a painting. My subject is next. Sometimes I have an idea in mind and sometimes I come up with something after I’ve done my background. In the next step, I hand-print bright designs on tracing paper. I could paint my ideas, but it is so much more fun to make my shapes with a pair of scissors. I cut out leaves, feathers, flowers, birds, houses – whatever I can think of. It can take hours and hours of cutting depending on the subject. I apply these cut-outs to my bright acrylic backgrounds with gloss medium. Because the papers have designs of their own on them, it really adds to the overall look. I love to add fun little details to the papers with paint markers and metallic pens.

The possibilities are endless. I have created peacocks with brilliant paper feathers, trees with bright leaves, rows of houses, sunny gardens, and bright hot air balloons. I’ve fashioned paintings with poppies, roses, daisies, sunflowers, and made-up whimsical flowers.

Quite a few of my works are being digitally printed on fabric by FreeSpirit Designs and sold around the world. I am thrilled that my paintings are turned in to fabric. Each time that I have a fabric line release I also design, cut out and stitch together quilts and other projects featuring the collection. Quilters and fabric artists can use my fabrics to craft their own unique creations. I love to see how other artist can take my designs to the next level.

I find immense joy in creating my art. When I share it with the world I am not saying, “Hey! Look at me!” I’m saying, “I found joy in making this and I want to share it with you so you can find joy, too!”