Into the new year    January 17 2025
How quickly the months have flown by since I last posted. Now that we are through the holidays and into the new year, I am finding more time in my studio. I am in the finishing stages of a new piece that is part of a series on constellations and the cosmos. I will be part of Artburst Studios pop-up sale later in the year, so have been working on these larger pieces (that I can't share yet) for that event. I also have been working on other small works to be included in the Oceanside Museum of Art's annual fundraiser, Teeny Tiny Art Mart on Feb. 9. Each piece sells for 25.00 and all proceeds go to the museum's educational programs for students.


Gallery News    October 31 2024
It has been a very busy couple of months creating art and applying to shows. I am pleased to be included in two upcoming shows in San Diego. My piece, Mother Earth Weeps, about climate change was juried into a group show called Black Out at Art on 30th gallery. I also have two pieces in a show at The Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad for a show called The Journey of Life through Vision and Verse including a new work, Words Under Fire. Lastly, my piece called Fortune Teller will be in a group collage show, Measure Once Cut Twice at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Hollywood. All of these shows run through the month of November. Incredibly all three exhibitions have their opening reception on the same day, November 9th! The artwork that I submitted are all combinations of polymer clay and collage. On the teaching front, I recently had a great group of gals for a workshop at my house called Home is Where the Heart Is where we created small house shaped shrines. Students knocked it out of the park. Then I got a chance to be a student and attended a three-day workshop with Lynne Perrella that was fabulous. I learned some new tricks of the trade that I hope to bring to future pieces. So many ideas, so little time...especially with the holidays upon us. However, it is a much better situation to have too many ideas and not enough time rather than all the time in the world and no ideas!


Studio Happenings    September 03 2024
Have been super busy in my studio both creating work and submitting to various calls for art. I was pleased that my two pieces were juried into La Luz de Jesus for their recent group show. I sold one of those pieces which I was pleased by. My piece entitled,Treasure Bound, a mosaic inspired by treasure bindings, was accepted into the prestigious Mosaic Arts International exhibition being held at the Janice Charach Gallery in West Bloomfield, MI. Last month I also spent a few days in Santa Barbara filming my next online course called Polymer Clay 3D Crowned Totem which will be a fun course working in three dimensions. Lastly, I am in the beginning stages of working on another large piece (24 x 30), the concept is being formulated and next the engineering aspects need to be worked out. Always exciting starting new work.


Summer time blues!    June 11 2024
Just finished up a three-day workshop at my home. It is always such fun to have 10 people join me for these intimate gatherings. The class we just finished was a crowned heart totem-like piece on a cube. It took every hour of each day to complete these pieces which turned out beautifully! In the meantime I have been submitting my work to various calls for art through the Oceanside Museum of Art and La Luz de Jesus. My focus has shifted to creating larger wall art pieces that I can hopefully get in to a few shows so they can be seen! The next piece I will be working on is a submission to Mosaic Arts International which is always tricky to get in to, so we shall see as I am doing something a bit different then in previous years.


May Days    May 02 2024
I have been loving every second in my studio these past few weeks (in between enjoying the company of our two new grandbabies). Working on this new series which incorporates AI generated imagery which is then altered and transferred onto polymer clay and then combined with collage has been thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable. My mind is reeling with possibilities and I am just waiting to carve out more time in my studio to see the images in my mind translated onto panel boards. I have also been experimenting with larger surfaces and the challenges and limitations that come when working with polymer clay pieces that need to fit in a standard sized oven to cure. I have explored some interesting work-arounds that help alleviate some of these issues. I will be taking new work to Pop Gallery in Santa Fe, check it out if you are in the area!


Springing forward!    March 04 2024
First off, I just wanted to offer my thanks to ALL who purchased my art at the Artburst Studios show and sale. Your support is truly appreciated. I was thrilled that 5 pieces sold especially since they represented the new direction that my work has taken. I am excited about this new path that incorporates some AI imagery to create both my polymer clay figures and the background collage papers. I am hoping to work on a larger scale as well though that provides lots of challenges when it comes to using polymer clay. My piece called The Illuminated Raven was accepted into The Crow Show at The Studio Door Gallery in San Diego, this wonderful show runs the month of March. I also had two works accepted into the Twenty 20 Gallery show called A.I.O.K.-The Lens vs.The Machine:A Dialogue in Pixels from March 11-June 8. 2024.


Artburst Studios    February 06 2024
The Artburst Studios (www.artburststudios.com) next online art show will open at 9:00am (PST) on February 22nd thru Feb. 24th. There will be over 240 wonderful pieces of art in a variety of mediums created by 20 very talented artists. Work sells very quickly in the first few hours. It is advisable to register for a free account before the show opens in case you find artwork you can't live without! I have created 12 new pieces for the show ranging in size from 8 inches to 24 inches high and everything in between! This new body of work reflects my continued interest in combining collage with polymer clay to create narrative works of art. Enjoy the show!!


A New Year-2024!!    January 08 2024
Happy New Year to all. May the new year bring you much happiness, good health and creativity. While I haven't been posting much of late that doesn't mean I haven't been creating artwork, quite the contrary as I have been working on 12 new artworks for the Artburst Studios upcoming online show and sale in February. You can find out more information at www.artburststudios.com for show dates and times. I am still totally enthralled with combining collage and polymer clay and using AI to generate some fabulous imagery which I then alter to truly make these images my own. I am working on a larger scale as well and will continue pushing these new techniques. I love combining cutting-edge technology like AI to create ancient, medieval looking pieces. I have so many ideas for this new body of work which have taken me in a different direction altogether. I have retired from being on the road teaching, though I still offer workshops at my home. This allows me more time in my studio and time to be present in the lives of our growing tribe of grandchildren!


Summertime News    July 10 2023
I have been fortunate enough to have spent the last few months traveling. First was an amazing adventure to Antarctica. This was followed by a trip to Europe which was a "do-over" from the trip we had to cancel last year because of Covid. In Italy, in particular, I was truly inspired by many of the cathedrals, art and architecture and museums in Italy. I am already working on a few new pieces that reflect these travels. One piece is inspired by a visit to the island of Elba where Napoleon was exiled. I will soon be working on a piece about Josephine Bonaparte! Hope the vision in my head can be translated through collage and polymer clay. In the meantime, I recently created a series of new collage images that are now for sale in my Etsy shop. I have been enjoying using AI and digital collage programs to generate some wonderful imagery.


Spring has sprung    April 27 2023
I just finished up my spring home workshop Illuminated Letters and it was a rousing success with students creating absolutely gorgeous panels that were richly embellished. I will be offering this workshop once again later this summer. I have semi-retired from teaching and will mostly just teach at my home. With a reduced teaching schedule I am looking forward to spending more time in my studio creating larger works, something I am very excited about. They will combine collage with clay which is a new direction my work has taken.