Thursday 31 December 2020

Welcome to 2021



I am sure I do not have to tell you that 2020 was a very different year.  Life changed completely and we had to learn to live with the "new normal".  The Artful Dragon Studio did not participate in any of the usual shows until early November, when we very carefully set up the Before the Rush Show.

I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive to be around people again, but I found that all the visitors were very respectful and very happy to adhere to all the rules we had laid out.

During the Summer and Fall I spent a lot of time in my studio as a way of focussing on anything rather than Covid!  Because of this, I now have a lot of new pieces and hopefully will be able to show them sometime in 2021.

I also returned to a hobby I used to have many years ago - photography.  Back then, of course, we used a roll of film to capture the image.  I really love the digital age - delete, delete! This inspiration came to me from my Sister in Law - Megan Lorenz - who is an award winning wildlife photographer.  Megan has a way of making every animal look awesome.  I particularly love these two:

Just want to cuddle these!




Can't image what she is saying!!

Take a look at some of the photos on her site and there is a lot of her merchandise available too.  Here is the link:  Megan Lorenz

There is no way I will ever be able to come up to Megan's standards, but we have a lot of birds in the garden and live just a couple of minutes from the St. Lawrence River in Ontario.  Lots of scope there!  Plus Megan is always there to answer my never ending questions. Thanks Megan.

My first photo that I was really pleased with is of one of our resident Blue Jay, who kindly sat still long enough for me to grab my camera and focus.  I think he is actually smiling, or it could be laughing at my confusion over which button to push!


Then a Chickadee decided to follow suit and sat still for just a second.  They are just so quick!



The real exciting day came when I was sitting in our sunroom and just happened to have my camera in my hand.  Suddenly, a hawk landed right in front of the window I was looking through.  He was certainly impressive.







The eyes are so intense.  



We saw him once a couple of weeks later, but nothing since then.






I have also been working on some more alcohol art, in 3D form.  I have begun to resin the smaller blocks to give them a beautiful glossy look.

Just love these colours
The black ink ends up as many different shades
A Fall Theme with metal branches and leaves



















The holiday season is almost over now and although we have snow, it was above freezing today.  There is still a lot of time before Spring arrives and my husband and I have switched over to playing our instruments (harp and guitar/cello.  We are hoping to record some of our new pieces.  Stay tuned.

That's just about all my news for now.  I wish you, your family a healthy and happy 2021.       

Stay safe.

Lea

Wednesday 24 June 2020

Today is June 24, 2020 and life is very different, as we all know.

Since Covid began here, I have been staying home, staying safe.  Not the easiest thing to do, but totally necessary.  I have had a lot of time on my hands and have put that to use by working in my studio.

I have been trying new ideas with weaving Copper wire and have ended up with quite a lot of stock.  I must admit that I find the wire weaving quite meditative (when it is going well!!).







As my husband plays guitar, I decided to see if I could weave one.
















Although I did find myself with a number of difficult tangles to re-organise!!













If you look closely, you will see that this cuff bracelet features a bird woven around a Labradorite cabochon.











This cuff features a strip of purple leather as a background to the weaving and the ring has small purple beads in the centre.








I am sure I will be making many more pieces in the days to come and I will post photos soon.

Stay safe.

Lea

Tuesday 11 February 2020

A New Year - A New Collection

Good day and a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you all.

2020 arrived and I was finding it difficult to come up with yet another new collection for this year.  I really wanted to expand the alcohol ink art in some way that was different from everything else I had tried.

My husband and I were walking through a thrift store in early January and I picked up this lovely old wooden box and "Eureka - Up-cycle old wooden boxes using alcohol ink".  So, I bought a couple of the nicer ones in the store and headed for my studio.  Here are a few for you to look at.


After mounting the piece of art on the top, I embellished the design with glass chips, gemstones and gold leaf.  Some of the boxes also needed refurbishing on the inside with new felt.  I also added some pieces of cut and pierced metal on one.





The only problem was that once I completed two boxes, I started buying more on our visits to thrift stores within reach.  I have ended up with lots of boxes as I try out different ideas - going to need a bigger studio soon!!!











However, I really like the look of these and hope you do too. 















Whilst in the middle of my "boxes phase" I also wanted to complete a piece of art to mount in a frame.  Sunsets have always fascinated me and I was convinced that with the vibrant hues of alcohol ink, I could come up with something special.  I also added cut and pierced metal for the Heron, rocks and islands.



Now it is time to chill for a while as I have promised myself some quality time with my harps before the shows start in the Spring and Summer.  

Bye for now,

Lea