Thursday, December 23, 2010

Question of the Month--Art Gifts


In the spirit of the season, our question this month is "What was one of the best art gifts you either gave or received?"

Lenall:

I think the best art gift I have ever given have been those to my nieces and nephews. My nephew, Adam, just graduated with a BFA in Art. I have often wondered if me encouraging him lead to this degree.


Suzie:

Given: Our PAC gift exchanges have opened doors for me. As a result of a couple projects, I’ve developed classes and products to sell, not to mention how much I learn each time we do these. When I gave Leigh the Shrine, I learned how to work with water soluble oil pastels and developed the Pop Up Fold Out Neighborhood Shrine, which lead to writing a little booklet and teaching classes, and having an article published in Cloth Paper Scissors in March 2008. Then that lead to doing photo tinting and teaching classes in that. This group has been a huge gift in helping me develop as an artist.

Received: Teachers who have showed me how to work with art materials that broke through my story that “I can’t do things, like painting, drawing or calligraphy.” Best gift received: possibility. Then there was the woman at Fabric Depot who was cutting some yardage for me and out of the blue asked me “Are you can artist?” I had to look behind me to see who she was talking to. When I realized it was me, after a moment of going inside and really asking myself, I realized the answer and said “Yes!” That was a gift.


Lorraine:

Best art gift? The unexpected one. A friend went trekking in Nepal and visited her daughter who lives in Katmandu. Upon returning home, my friend presented me with 4 sheets of colorful paper, each one stamped differently in gold. To think that she had traveled around the world to bring home this precious gift. Of course, I quickly made a box for her covered in the papers.


Judi:

When I was a kid I used to beg for paper without lines. I always had tablet paper, but not drawing paper. When I was about ten, one of my older sisters who had gotten married, sent me a whole a box of typing paper and construction paper along with a paint set and a bottle of glue. I thought I was in heaven.


Jennifer:

The BEST art gift I've ever received was from an artist (now architect and artist) who had seen my assemblage art and loved the fact that I actually used my treasures to create my art. He said he had "a few assemblage bits" that he had collected and that he would like to give them to me. We kept in touch by email for about a month and finally the day came for me to collect the "bits". Imagine my shock when I saw the boxes (plural))! He told me the stories of how he came to acquire many of them. He used the treasures he collected to paint (fabulous!) still life paintings from them and wanted to pass along many of them to an artist who could use them.

It took me months to finally incorporate them all into my art studio. Many of the "bits" have become my favorite treasures (of course) and it will take a very special piece to get me to part with them. Some of them have become "just the perfect thing" for an assemblage. I can only feel passionately grateful for these gifts as I place a bit in my art piece (a skull, a yellow car, part of a musical instrument). When people asked how I could bear to use some of the pieces in my work, I can say that was because I feel like I have "enough" to use! Well, you know, one can never have "enough" of these treasures. But as I created pieces for my shows, the pile of treasures doesn't seem to diminish.





Sue:

The best art gift I have ever been given is the invitation to join PAC!



Z'anne:

One of the best arty gifts I've received was today, at our Annual Christmas Party. Judi gave me her most wonderful rooster. He is big and red and living on a purple background. He fits perfectly in my office and makes me smile every time I see him. Not to say that the beautiful gifts I've received from our other members are not appreciated, they are, very much so! I'm glad to be surrounded by such creative artists!


Robin:

I've made handmade gifts my whole life and always like to customize whatever I make to the recipient, so it's a little hard to pick a favorite gift I've given. Most recently I made my sister a funky stitched pillow for her bed in reds, limes, oranges and purples. No one else probably would have liked it, but she loved it, and it pulled her room together perfectly.


The best art gift I was ever given was when I was 8. The first art supply store opened in our town, and my parents got me a huge set of real artist oil pastels and canvas paper. I was so thrilled to have serious art supplies. This was during my "swan period," so I drew swans for weeks and eventually took all my clothes out of my closet and turned it into an art gallery to display them. To this day, I'd much rather have art than clothes.



Tammy:

One of the very best Art Gifts I receive are the teachers that share their creative instructions with us, for example a great gift to me is Tory!

Steph:

Always the most recent one. Anything I recieve is so special, that someone took the time to give me anything, the value is of no importance, just the gesture. So for this moment, I would have to say a special personalized coffee cup that my art friends got me...it was too funny.


Cynthia:

This was a hard one for me, as I think of all the wonderful gifts I have received over the years from PAC friends and others, and it is too difficult to name just one.

Sooo, I will retreat from that area to perhaps my all time favorite art-related gift from Jim, which was my all in one color printer, lo these many years ago before they were so commonplace. I only recently reluctantly replaced it, and the new one just isn't the same.


Dayna:

One of the best art gifts I ever received was one of Stephanie's flaming hearts! I had been coveting one for a very long time!



From all of us at Portland Art Collective--Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Giveaway Winner!

Leslie is the very lucky winner of the wonderful book made by Jan Harris! Congratulations! Those who would like to see more of Jan's work may visit her blog: here

Please keep watching for our monthly giveaways! You may have noticed we are not on the same giveaway schedule...we are still monthly, but more random with announcements! Keeps things interesting...

Stay tuned as soon there will be another giveaway announcement!
Happy holidays!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Caution

Brazil Nut Art


This is what happens when an artist is in full art mode from our resent show and attempts to stop abruptly and start cooking and cleaning too fast. If you would like to see more Brazil nut art follow the link back to my blog. Stay dry, have a great week and look for art everywhere.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sunday at Monticello Antique Marketplace

Sunday morning - what a great way to start the day with a road trip to Monticello Antique Marketplace on SE Stark Street in Portland! Carol (fellow PAC member) and I had planned this adventure and couldn't wait to get to the store (Carol had never been)! Monticello is a treasure trove of vintage and antique items.Carol - hunting for treasures...
Jennifer's goodies - to be used in her displays as well in her assemblages and found object jewelry.

Carol's stash - I think her favorite was the jar of pearl buttons! Which of these goodies will make it onto her fabulous tin books in 2011?

What's your favorite Sunday adventure?!
Jennifer Campbell
Be sure to keep up with posts on my blog also http://www.jennifercampbellheartwings.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Some of my purchases from the Open Doors show

These are a few of the purchases I made at Portland Art Collective's recent Open Doors Show and Sale. I am so lucky to be a part of this fabulously inspiring group of artists! Tin covered handmade book by Carol Cotton. The little circle says "listen". It really spoke to me, reminding me to "listen" in my coaching business. The heart was created by Gloria Sowell, "the present moment" - a message telling me to live in the present. The necklace was made by Tory Brokenshire - I don't know whether to wear it or write with it! Love it!!!

I hung the assemblage created by Lorraine Jones on the front of a mural in my entry (mural painted by me). When I first tried to hammer in the nail, it bounced off the wall (almost like it was real stone). This is the first thing I have ever attached to one of my murals!

This heart in a frame (Gloria Sowell) states "one wing caught with mine". Hmmm, will this be my 2011?


Love this fabric dragonfly vase created by Sandy Keating. I had to have it, and knew exactly where it would go in my home!



This tiny 2" x 2" book was made by Tammy Vail (from a typewriter ribbon tin). She showed it to me, and I snapped it right up!




A couple of the pages from the handmade book by Tammy.
Be sure to keep up with me on my blog - http://www.jennifercampbellheartwings.blogspot.com/ In today's post, you'll see some of the treasures I discovered on my Sunday drive.





Monday, December 6, 2010

Artists Thank You for Coming to our 2010 Show

We want to thank everyone who came out and supported us at our 4th annual "Open Doors" sale. It was the best yet! We were thrilled to see so many returning customers and to meet so many enthusiastic new ones. We all had a wonderful time, and judging from the comments we heard, you did too.

Here is a little overview of the show. You will be able to see more pictures over the next few days on individual artist's blogs, which you'll find listed in the sidebar.


Dangly and Charm Tree

Carol Cotton

Carrie Sakai

Cynthia Mooney

Darlene Veltman

Dayna Collins

Debi Koenig

Diane Havnen-Smith

Gloria Sowell

Jennifer Campbell

Judi Stack

Laurie Weiss

Lenall Siebenaler

Lorraine Jones

Jan Harris

Paula McNamee

Robin Olsen

Sandy Keating

Stephanie Brockway

Sue Girard

Suzanne Reynolds

Suzie Wolfer

Tammy Vail

Tory Brokenshire

Z'anne Bakke


Please leave us a comment and tell us what you thought of the show. We welcome any suggestions to help us make it even better next year.

Mark those calendars--we will be back the first Fri. and Sat. of Dec. in 2011!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Today is Saturday - have you attended the show yet???

Don't miss the second (and last!) day of our 4th annual Open Doors Art Sale and Show at Multnomah Arts Center in Multnomah Village (in the gymnasium)! The show is open from 10am to 5pm today. All of the artists of the Portland Art Collective are so inspiring, I am grateful to be part of this "tribe"! The assemblage piece I created (above) sold at the show yesterday. But, don't worry, we still have LOTS of fabulous art for you to take home with you - we're filling in with more wonderful pieces!
This (7" x 7") assemblage of tin is still available! Be sure to stop by my booth at the show today!
Go to my blog http://www.jennifercampbellheartwings.blogspot.com/ to see other my other pieces.
Jennifer Campbell

Thursday, December 2, 2010

It's SHOWTIME!!!!


Pictured are just a few of the items I'll have in my booth at the Open Doors Art Sale and Show this Friday and Saturday (Dec 3rd & 4th)! We (Portland Art Collective) and our fabulous helpers have spent a couple of hours on Thursday evening beginning our set-up for the show. The gymnasium at Multnomah Arts Center has been transformed into a winter wonderland - all in white and silver! We'll be ready for you to do your holiday shopping with us!
Jennifer

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

It's All About the Beads

Peridot and Copper

Labradorite and Crystals
I created these two necklaces for a themed show about Urban Landscapes. What to do with jewelry and urban landscapes? So, I did a little research and found that the Portland area sits on a variety of cinder cones, lava fields and extinct volcanoes called the Boring Lava Field. Then I discovered, there are certain semi-precious stones that were formed when those lava fields and volcanoes were active. Labraborite has been found in Rocky Butte and olivine, also known as peridot in its semi-precious state, is found throughout the area.

To see more that will be available at the show this weekend, please visit my blog Z'annes Bazaar. Scroll down the page to see more goodies.