"Telemadera Fusion" Alma De La Melena Cox by Lenall Siebenaler

Today was the first day of Art & Soul 2009. One down two to go! I must say that LIFE IS GOOD!

I had the best time in this class today! The teacher, Alma was lovely and a very good teacher. She paid attention to her students the entire time. She was helpful, respectful, generous and very patient. I did 2 pieces. The Sun piece is not quite done. To finish I will have to put 7 coats of varnish on them and they will come to look very like tiles.

I was first exposed to her art earlier this year when I had seen a segment on her on Oregon Art Beat. It totally captivated me and made me want to meet her and take a class with her. Was I excited when I saw that Glenny had her coming to Art & Soul. It has been well worth the wait. I've learned the basic process and now it's time to make it my own. I have some ideas so stay tuned! BTW, ALma has a new book coming out in November on Telemadera. Worth a look!

Lenall

Crochet Love

I can't seem to resist making these little amigurumi friends. They will be looking for new homes at the holiday show.

Some lovely yarns have been made into scarves, as well.

New Large Felted Pins by Lenall Siebenaler

I have actually been working. It must be getting to be crunch time for the non-procrastinators!

I have been working on larger felted pins for hats or broaches the past two weeks. The size came to be due to my being asked to embellish two hats that Jennifer Campbell bought in Ireland. I liked them and now have (you guessed it) alot cut out ready to embellish!

Check them out.

Lenall

Sprucing up the Doors

Before the fall rains set in the Portland Art Collective takes time to do a fall cleaning on the doors that make up our art show Dec. 4th and 5th.

They are attacked with soap, water, determination....

and vigor...

The sun was warm but not to hot, just right to dry the doors before they go back in storage.

We came prepared for a day of hard work....

But with so many hands we made short work of it...

We next will see our doors at the Multnomah Arts Center for the "Open Doors" art show and sale. Keep your eyes on the blog for glimpses of wonderful pieces of art you will be seeing in the show.

After the work was done we took some time to enjoy our surroundings

"The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." ~Paul Strand

Beaded Necklaces Crocheted with Wire

My latest project involves crocheting beads with wire to make necklaces that look vintage. You'll be able to purchase them at our Portland Art Collective 'Open Doors' Show in December. Click Here to see other examples on my blog.

It's fun to combine textures and colors.

Before and After Shots? by Lenall Siebenaler

With an art studio there is never an after shot-- after is just what happens the next day. I thought I'd post shots of my current garage studio. This is what is right now. I bet you wouldn't call me anal? Detail oriented? Linear? Nope.

In my studio I live in creative havoc. I honestly have a method to my madness and I can find most things that I am looking for. Sometimes it might take a little longer than others though. This attitude does not move out of the studio into my home though. I like to live in a neat and fairly organized house (although full.)

I plan to go in there today and will sit down at my chair and finish the danglie project I have been working on. Before I do so, I will have to clean up a bit, don't you think? What is it about us creatives? Is picking up our first stage of warm up? If I left the space neat as a pin would it invite me back sooner? For me, I don't think so. As I mentioned in my last post, I always end a play session with things ready to be picked up and with a thought to where I am going. If I cleaned, all the elements would need to be picked out again, discovered, combined, etc.

This works for me. Although, sometimes I'd love to have fairies come in and put the things I don't need away so at least you can find the double 5 ft tables.... Kinda like I love to come home after my housekeeper has cleaned my house.

I am posting pictures. Don't be embarassed for me. I'm not. It is what is right now. When I get in there who knows what will be. Maybe it will improve, maybe it won't. For those of you who are familiar with my work, doesn't my studio remind you of it a bit???? LOL

By the way, I really admire you creatives who can live and work in a pristine environment where everything has it's place and purpose. (I really do.)

Lenall Siebenaler

It's as easy as 123...456789... By Lenall Siebenaler

Do you ever have the feeling that you really want to be in your studio making art, but for some reason, week after week, you just can’t get there?
Does it seem that you constantly make excuses for yourself as to why you aren’t in there? Do the excuses sound lame even to you? I have to …”weed the garden, go to the store, watch TV, vacuum, empty the dishwasher, I’m too tired to do anything…”

Have you ever started to read a book, disinterestedly picking it up for short intervals through the course of a week, two weeks, and then all of a sudden you get to a point where it starts to draw you in ---and then you can’t put it down? You can’t stop reading and you’re staying up till all hours until it is finished? Then after being all consumed, it takes awhile to even start a new book and the process starts all over again.

It’s kinda like that with a painting for me.
Earnest Hemingway once said, “I always worked until I had something done and I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next. That way I could be sure of going on the next day. ” This makes a lot of sense to me? How about you?

I currently have about 10 or more painting starts sitting in my studio waiting for me. Some of them actually look rather promising. Others are going nowhere fast. I did five of them one night in one energetic sitting. About two weeks later, I returned to two of them, but haven’t touched them since.
What’s going on here?
Is it really just a lack of time? We are pulled many different directions everyday. Do we just need to make art a priority?
Is it lack of discipline? They say that if you make a habit out of doing art every day that you can’t help but be more prolific and that your skills will improve.
Is it lack of focus or commitment? Our minds are full of the days doings, our stress levels is high. It’s hard to get in the zone when you know you only have an hour to play. We don’t want to be so disciplined that we have to actually schedule an hour each day. Perhaps trying it might not be such a bad idea though. It only takes 21 days to make a habit.
Is it lack of confidence? We don’t know what to do next so we don’t do anything. Are we afraid of failing, messing it up? Is it fear of ruining them? It’s only paper after all. They’re not that precious.
What can we do to help us get over this BLOCK? I’d love to hear from all of you as to how you get through these dry periods. I’m sure you have some great ideas.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Schedule time each day to so some art. Write it down and keep your appointment with yourself! Even if it is just a 10-15 minute drawing of something in the studio. Try to do it in the studio or where you normally do your work.

2. Don’t allow yourself to make excuses. Commit to yourself—this is important to you. Make it a priority. Stop watching TV or surfing the net and get in there!

3. Leave out everything you are using on your work space so that all you have to do is grab the brush, pastels, pencils, ink and paint and pick up where you left off.

4. Make sure you don’t allow your work surface to become a dumping space. Keep it clear. You don’t want to feel claustrophobic. If you have to clean up or organize each time you’ll never get to the art itself. You can always just keep reorganizing… A mess can also stop you from even beginning.

5. Make the tools you use regularly accessible. Know where they are and put them away in the same spot each time. There’s nothing worse than not being able to find something when you need it. Consider enlisting the help of a professional organizer if you aren’t satisfied with your space.

6. Ensure your space is a place where you are comfortable and that you enjoy being there. Surround yourself with things you love and things that inspire you. Paint the walls your favorite colors and play music that excites or relaxes you.

7. Be like Hemingway and stop at a point where you know what you’re going to do next. That way when you finally get there, you won’t waste anytime getting down to business.

8. If you get to a point where you don’t know what to do next—set the piece up in a place where you pass by it regularly. Look at it, and ask yourself “What if?” Try using clear acetate and experiment painting over areas that are not working.

9. Get a second opinion. Call a friend, join a critique group, ask your husband or wife, or take a regular class where others can help you. Take only those suggestions you like!

Now that I’ve figured out what I need to do to help me get back in there and make it happen-- I just need to do it!

Wish me luck!

Lenall

Cloth, Paper, Scissors article

I'm really excited to have my article on using prompts to spark design ideas in the upcoming Sept/Oct issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. They did a beautiful job with photography and layout, so I'm very pleased with the results.

Here are several of the pieces in the article:

You can read some about the process of using prompts here, and there is more detail in the article.

Book Review

Stitch Alchemy, combining fabric + paper for mixed media art, by Kelli Perkins . ISBN 978-1-59668-113-2 from Interweave 135 pages.

This book is like having a box of the best candies ever, it is rich with colors, textures and so many ideas you don’t know where to start.

She lays out each technique with a photo and next to it is a recipe card block with instructions and tips.

All the toys we love to play with and messy wonderful COLOR!!!

Did I mention color, before you ever start reading the book it is just a delight to look at.

Art Festival In The Forest

Please join Portland Art Collective member Laurie Weiss at Art Festival In The Forest Aug 15-16, 10:00am- 5:00pm at Mary S. Young Park (Hwy43 in West Linn, OR)



There will be-- 70+ Juried artists in many media
Entertainment
Picnic Food and Beverages
For more information: www.marysyoungartsfestival.com