Funky Art Queen

I love the new year. I always feel like it is a time to reorganize and refresh. After all, we do get to start a new calendar! We can throw that old calendar from 2006 with all it's unfinished projects and missed appointments-right in the trash. Now we will really get organized this year right? At least that is what I'm saying. Lately, I have been thinking about my plans for the new year. I have several goals and a couple of resolutions to share: I long to simplify my life some. It just seems that my life has become so complicated with activity, stuff, bills, obligations, and clutter. We have so much garbage. How can we make that much trash? We don't have one empty closet or drawer in this house! Lately, I find myself thinking about how I can simplify my life-my families life, our home, our budget. My first thought was to find a book on the topic...then I decided that would be just one more book to clutter my already spilling over bookshelf. I will continue to think and pond...

I was looking at this photo of my kids and my grandmother at Christmas and decided I should share it with you. My Grandma turned 90 this year. She looks good huh? Unfortunately, the last year or two she has begun to experience some episodes of confusion and memory loss. It is so sad to see someone you love get to a point that they don't recognize their family members. However, this woman has so many family members-who can blame her? She had 8 children of her own, and they begat lots of grandchildren, and great grandchildren. To me, Grandma was always working. She sewed for the public as long as I can remember. She and grandpa used to run the old Shamrock Gas Station in Big Spring, Texas. I remember her sewing machine was set up right at the window so she could stop sewing and go out and fill up a customer's car with gas, wash their windows and whatever else they needed. She was tough! Here is a picture of her when she was about 16. I just recently received this photo from my M...

I had this idea on the drive to Midland yesterday. I wanted to do one of my funky trees with the Klimt like designs within the entire tree. So, I have been working on it and wanted to give you a sneak peak at it. This is just a little piece of it without any paint-just pencil and ink so far. I can't wait to get all the designs in so I can pencil color and watercolor it to life. Here is a little glimpse.....Maybe this weekend I can get it done. But, I want to take my time and do a good job. It will be a trial of patience for me because I normally get inpatient and hurry to much. Have a good day! Oh and Happy Friday!!! UPDATE: 12-30-06-Finished the piece today-so I thought I would give you the update of the finished product.

I called this mixed media piece, "She Sleeps". I did this the day after Christmas. I was probably having fantasies of a sweet nap or something. Christmas is so busy and crazy that I was glad it was over. And for some reason...this came out of my little art session. My mother made one last stop at my house on her way home (Tyler, Texas) to give me some little wooden boxes, 1 brief case and another little make up type box to decorate like I like to do. But before she left, she took a peak at this work in progress and commented, "that is just what you want to be doing". That helped me name it for sure. I wasn't sure if it was something about meditating or waiting on her lover or what. But, Mama had it pegged with one glance! The past few days have been trying for us here at the Chandler Household. We have had a little upset that I won't go into detail about. So, being in this state of mind helped me appreciate these two little things I found. First, I was led...

The other day I found a recipe for "Cowboy Cookies in a Jar". One of those gifts in a jar ideas. I have always wanted to try one of those for gifts. I made six of these last night and wanted to share them with you. It was relatively easy-I just made quite the mess with the flour and stuff-but quickly cleaned up when I was done. Now I have 6-very nice homemade gifts for my family. I got the "wide mouth" jars with lids at Hobby Lobby. I had all the other cowboy kind of things to add with the ribbon. The recipe was computer generated on an antique looking paper. The "cowgirl" charm was created by me some time ago and it finally found it's perfect home. I have multiple unfinished projects that must get done in time for Christmas! Gifts that I am making, gifts that I am buying, wrapping, cleaning house to prepare for Sunday night-Family Christmas. I have some commission work that has to be done today! OK! I CAN DO IT!!! Now, I will continuously remind mysel...

Discovered a new artist and had to clip some of her work for my inspiration journal. I wanted to share her work with you. Here is my journal entry and a link to her site: http://cynthiamarkert.com will add more later...gotta get to work!

I have been working on Christmas cards lately. I have painted some on watercolor paper and pasted them to card stock and decorated, etc. I have also done a lot of paper art type cards with stickers and rub ons and such. It has been fun, but it does make the process last a lot longer. The one above, was made for my mother-in-law. I wanted hers to be really special. She has always liked angels and she seems to have developed a little collection of them. So, I thought this would be a good idea. I had no idea how to draw an angel so I found some images on google image search and got inspired. I wasn't crazy about her face. I liked her little wings and the rest was fine. The "PEACE" is a rub on and the words at the bottom were added digitally. Now, I must show you what my 17 year old son got me last night. Monday is my birthday, every year he does something special for me and reminds me of how wonderful and thoughtful he is. He got this cake for me. He made sure it was healthy...

Hi all! It is freakin' cold here today in Big Spring, Texas. Yesterday, I wore no coat and had to take off my suit jacket several times because it was too hot. Well, this morning, we have a little snow and the roads are icy. They have closed the interstate I have to use to go to work.....darn! Heehee. Anyway, that is the joy of living in Texas. The lovely weather. So we don't know how to handle these kind of days. There have been wrecks all over the place. O.K. Yesterday, I picked up two books to help satisfy my appetite for eye candy to inspire me. The first one is so wonderful! Oh my gosh! It is fabulous!!! I have always loved the Quilting Arts Magazine http://www.quiltingartsllc.com/shop/cq_book.html because the images the ladies create on fabric are just crazy, wild, beautiful, and brilliant! I can't say enough about it. Did I mention I am not really into quilting? Anyway, I picked up this book called "Creative Quilting" The journal Quilt Project. It is a huge...

I have had so much fun playing around with all the fun tools available for tweaking your photos. I created this one this morning. Yes, that is what it would look like if I was a famous artist. They will come for miles and miles to view my art-(insert sigh here) heehee. This tool can be found at http://www.dumpr.net/ It would be easier to do if you had a flickr account. I'm almost finished with my kitchen project. I still have to put a poly finish on the cabinets and I need a few more little doodads to put up on the walls. It was a hard pr0ject mostly because of the border scraping I spoke of last time. NEVER AGAIN!!! JUST SAY NO TO BORDER. I have had the last 4 days off from work. My husband and son went on a little trip together so it was just me and my daughter. You would think that I might have taken that time to relax and "gather my thoughts" but no, I had the psychotic idea to do the kitchen. I am so sore in my legs and back from getting up and down from the stool...

I worked on this piece for the last day or two. That is, in between scraping the tenacious border off my kitchen walls which was not so much fun! Shew! I got some of this stuff that was supposed to make it easier when you sprayed it on...wait 15 minutes and it will come right off! NOT!!! But, I did get a good work out for my arms. Since I ate so much Thanksgiving dinner....as Martha Stewart says, "it's a good thing". I decided that it was so hard to get off because the last time I redecorated, I probably did not wait long enough for the paint to dry before I put up the border. I also used a border paste because I did not want it falling down. I decided I would never do border again!!! It just makes me dread painting and redecorating. I plan to paint cabinets and walls today. So anyway, here is the abstract piece. I did it on a canvas board. It is 12"X16". I used acrylics, H20 Watercolors, and inks to create this funky woman and bird. It is funny how you think yo...

This was my weekend project. I first had this vision of a woman smelling of flowers. More of a full body pose. However, after looking for inspiration, I found a photo in some stock art of a picture sort of like this. This is my version of that. I have always loved lavender. First of all, it is purple and that is a color of passion! Secondly, oh, it smells wonderful. I love for my house to smell like lavender. It is truly a relaxing and pleasant scent. Ok, enough about lavender. My son critiqued this for me. He said she looks like she is in water and her hat hangs over too much. Ouch! But, after looking at it some more, I see that. So I put the butterfly on her hat to deflect a little from the "too big" hat. The water? Well, I worked a little more on the lavender field above her. I tried to make it look like it was further away from her. We learn as we go don't we? By the way, this is a mixed media piece. I started out with acrylics but found that the watercolor softened i...

Oh, Yesterday was a lovely day. I received my Sommerset Studio package in the mail. They have finally used a piece of my art for their magazine. It will come out in the Winter Gallery magazine in December. They used my "Gypsy Children" piece. I can't wait to share it. I just feel giddy about it. It means I can say, "I'm a published artist" heehee. I won't share the photo with you until it comes out. I have been telling all of my friends and family about it. It could be a little tiny picture that you will need a magnifying glass for but I don't care because they still put it in their magazine. That means Published! So, I met one of my goals this year. Oh, thank you Lord! Sommerset Studio Magazine rocks. http://somersetstudio.com/index.html

My Sister and I went to El Paso last weekend. We were fortunate enough to find the Hal Marcus Gallery. We met Hal Marcus the Artist and viewed lots of wonderful art. Of course I loved most of it because everything was so vibrant and whimsical. The whole gallery is huge and has a little cafe upstairs. It was closed on Saturdays-darn! Anyway, I was so inspired by Hal's work. I wanted to share it with you. Please click on the link and go and take a look at his work. You can click on each artist's picture to get a sample of their work. I realize I have not updated in some time. This is my usual pattern. I get busy with other things and get distracted. But, I think the trip pulled me back a little. I always dabble with art in some way. I have done several little projects. Since I returned home from El Paso, I started on another "Me and My Little Bird" picture. This one is larger than my normal work. It is 30"X24". Here is a picture of the beginning of this work. ...

Here is a picture I drew a while back and finally decided to color it this long weekend. I colored everything in with my prisma pencils and used the water soluble oil pastels for the blue/night back ground. Then, if you look closely, you can see that I stamped a design on the entire piece-kind of a swirly thing with gold stamp and embossing. It's kinda whimsical don't you think? It kinda looks like the cat is suspended in the air. Perhaps I should have created some type of horizon?

Boy, I have my creative juices flowing again. Seems like I had a dry spell. I have a long weekend so my creative mind is going 90 miles an hour. I made an altered dress form this weekend. I was inspired by an article in the Cloth Paper and Scissors magazine. Here it is-or rather, here is my version: I don't know if I'm going to keep it for myself or try and present it for sale at Reneas Art Show this fall. I did a little painting on a wooden box piece. I took apart the wooden box and used the container part for this piece. I was really inspired by an artist I found on the internet. Her faces of women are so beautiful. Here is a link to her stuff. http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdandflower/ But, this is what I created today. My faces need work!!! I feel like they are getting worse instead of better. I get in to much of a hurry. I am looking forward to another day off from work to explore some other art projects. I should work on the quilt I have started. I am calling it "Wo...

This is a simple whiskey bottle reincarnated as a vase. I painted it first with gesso so it would hold the acrylic paint. Then I painted it with a golden yellow, orange-red and some gold. After it dried, I stamped it with some heart images and embossedthe stamped areas with a copper colored and a green colored embossing powder. Later, I created a little wire doo-dad for the neck of the bottle. You can barely see that here. I spent forever at Michaels today trying to find the perfect silk flowers to add to this creation. I'm proud of it. I put it on my dining room table.

I received this little vintage lunch pail from a friend of mine and I just had to do something with it. I painted it with the Lumiere Paints and stamped it. I covered it with canvas on both sides painted with the same. I wanted it to have a bit of a cloth feel to it and it does on the front and back anyway. Then I added these little polymere clay figures I made a few weeks ago with some new molds I bought. So it became the Sun, Moon and Stars lunch pail. I used to wear a cologne called Sun Moon and Stars I believe. Oh, it smelled so good. It was in a beautiful blue bottle with a gold top. I need to hunt for that on ebay! But wouldn't that be a cute gift for someone who is into astrology and all that? Or someone who is into dreams?

New Pic for today. Lesley

mis pequeños pájaros That means "My Little Birds" in Spanish. I had to find that on an English to Spanish translator on the web. I am still working on my Mexican Folk Art Series. I have been looking at a lot of Latin, Hispanic Culture art. Seems like there is a lot of Relgious type things with crosses, Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc. Here is my most recent work. I sold the last two on ebay and I was excited about that. One lady who bought a piece was named "Sharon Stone". I thought that was funny. What if it really was Sharon Stone-the movie star!? Oh, I have arrived! Heehee This was created with my ever so used Prisma Color pencils and water soluable oil pastels (back ground). I did this on watercolor paper (140lb) which I like much better than the smooth paper I used last week for this type of art. I am a busy lady. Here are the other things I am working on. I have several purses and one case in progress. I have decided to make a quilt called "Women of the World...

Altered Train Cases Today, I finally finished one train case and the other is well on the way to being completed. The first one, was done for a lady that ordered it. She likes vintage and victorian. She gave me some information about her favorite colors too. So, this is what I came up with for her. I hope she likes it. I am going to call her later and either email her these pics or make an appointment for her to come and pick it up some time next week. I like for it to cure for about 2 weeks before it is used. I put some fresh lavendar inside the case to help eliminate that musty smell that comes with these vintage cases. The second case, not quite done...is a case I did for my Aunt Wanda. She wanted one sort of like one I made for my mother for Christmas. She wanted pictures of all her grandkids on this. I hope she likes pink. I am thinking about putting some black checks around the edges to give it some spunk. I am also considering giving it a wash with a pearl white to give it a bi...

I'm on an altered purse making frenzy. You know, I don't know what gets into me but I get on something and I can't stop! Then, before I can master the process....off to something else. Probably Attention Deficit Disorder. But, it is fun! If I can just tell myself that there does not have to be a point to this, then I am o.k. I was inspired by the purses by Teesha Moore in the Sommerset Studio "Haute Handbags" on page 76 and 77. I love all the fabric art and fiber art that is prevailant now. I want to explore these techniques. Anyway, hence the fabric purse I'm working on. As you can see, it is a work in progress. It is not quite done but I wanted to share it anyway. I was also inspired by the purse by Anne Robinson on page 133 in the same publication. I can never follow one set of directions. I have to go off and do my own thing. I imagine there will be much more stiching and color on this by the time I am through. The next purse is a purse I purchased at a ...

Alebrijes: These very popular figurines are carved from wood by hand and have a very nice history. The name Alebrijes was given by a Mexican Indian of the State of Oaxaca that once had a dream in which he saw strange animals made up of parts of one animal mixed with others, and those animals were making strange sounds that he could not understand. The one and only word that he could understand was Alebrije. Without knowing the meaning of that word he adopted it as their name. When he awoke, he took a piece of Copal Wood (which is native to Oaxaca) and started carving the animals that he saw in his dream. His animals are very similar of the ones we are presenting here. Creatively carved by the artists hand, no two pieces will ever be exactly alike. Each one a unique piece of art. I have been looking at different Mexican Folk Art on the internet and I keep running into these little wood carved figures. Of course I love them because of their color and whimsey! Here is a link to a great si...

Here is a picture I came up with from that phrase "chicken no make good house pet". I did this with pencils and water soluble pastels. I'm stuck on those again. But this one also had a foundation of acrylic paints layered/textured some. I always do up several ofand let them dry. I put them away and later pull them out to create art on. O.K. so it is a Rooster. Don't be such a rigid Annie. A rooster is a boy chicken right? Just go with it!

I really enjoy Mexican folk art. The colors are wonderful and whimsical. I was looking at a craft book, I believe it is the Cloth, Paper and Scissors book and I saw this phrase, "chicken no make good house pet". This cracked me up! That inspired me to do a series of Mexican Folk Art paintings and works. Who knows what I will come up with. But, I have to do something with a crazy chicken in the house too. Here is a piece I did today. Does she look Hispanic? That is the look I was going for. The Mexican culture is so interesting to me. Maybe that is why I like Frida? The whole Day of the Dead thing is interesting too. So let us see what I come up with while studying this fine culture and ethnic group. This piece was done with pencils and water soluable oil pastels on a very smooth paper meant for pencil art actually but it came out okay. I prefer the water color paper for these pastels but sometimes when the mood strikes the supplies are not there so we make do.

My friend Dene's husband painted the first picture. It was so beautiful and caught my eye immediately. I just had to take a picture of it and see if Dene would mind if I tried to paint my version of this lovely girl. So, I did! Here is my version! Only I did not paint it really. I used Prisma Colored Pencils, some gel pens and some acrylic (burnt umber-color wash) to make the wall look a little darker. Well, mine looks like a totally different girl wearing a totally different suit in a totally different room! Heehee! Maybe they are sisters or something! It was a fun experiment! Thanks Dene!

Can you believe I have not posted here for so long? Even so, I have been busy! I have been working my Mary Kay business, doing some art occasionally, and I just started a new job. So, I have been quite busy! But, recently, I was able to work on these new handbags and I could not wait to share them with you. I am making them for a new friend who ordered them along with several other things. A blessing for sure! Extra cash is always nice, but I don't just do it for the money...I love doing this stuff. Here are the few I have completed...more on the way. All is going well, I have made a few greeting cards this week. I have not worked in my journals much...need to get back to it. Hope you are all having a fabulous summer. Hey, email me if you want to try the Mary Kay Cosmetics Time Wise "facial in a bag" and I will mail it to you. So far, everyone that has tried it has wanted some of it. It is great stuff!

Yesterday I purchased some Prisma Colored pencils. I love them because of the boldness of their color and the ease of blending with your fingers. I just love the colors! I created this little Egyptian Princess/Queen with the pencils. I used water soluble oil pastels to create the background. I used gold leaf to create her jewels. Instead of my normal water color paper, I purchased some Strathmore Bristol Smooth which is supposed to be good for pencil, pen and ink. I liked the smoothness of the paper. It made it easier on my pencils. However, if you like the textured look, the watercolor paper does help that.

funky sister friend (2), Sisters and Friends by lesley432 Get this custom t-shirt at Zazzle Another take on sisters and girlfriends. Where I end...she begins. I have this terrible habit of leaving my sentences just hanging in the air...incomplete. I can't ever seem to hold my concentration long enough to complete a simple sentence. Both my sister and my best friend complete my sentences for me. We just carry on a beautiful conversation, never missing a beat. That is how well they know me. That is what I mean...Sisters and girlfriends. We complete each other. When I am weak, she is strong. When I feel low, she lifts me up! When she is low, thank goodness I lift her up. For some reason, we are never low at the same time.

Another tree...happy and whimsical. I love doing these. The colors and patterns are fun and I love the repetitive nature like the checks in the branches. I don't know why I always prefer patterns. Black checks always add a whimsical quality. Today was a lovely day. We bought Craig a new barbeque grill yesterday and he could not wait to use it today. He made chicken, burgers, skewers with shrimp and all kinds of good stuff. I am stuffed. I finished laundry, piddled around the house and worked on this and another little painting. I worked on my Mary Kay business some as well. So, it was a nice day. Quiet and relaxing. Oh, and I did get a nice nap. Happy Memorial Day to everyone. We will not forget! Love Lesley

I just had to share this with you. It is a creative subject...it's about my wonderful son...I want to say "precious son" but I think he would hate that. He was in the highschool talent show the other night with a group of his guy griends. They did the Boys to Men Song "A Song for Mama". OK, do you think I cried? Ummm....yes I did. Here are the lyrics to that song. A SONG FOR MAMA (Boys II Men) You taught me everything And everything you've given me I'll always keep it inside You're the driving force in my life, yeah There isn't anything Or anyone that I can be And it just wouldn't feel right If I didn't have you by my side You were there for me to love and care for me When skies were grey Whenever I was down You were always there To comfort me And no one else can be What you have been to me You'll always be You will always be the girl In my life for all times Chorus: Mama Mama you know I love you (Oh you know I love you) Mama Mama yo...

I finished the clay mosaic piece and just had to share it with you. Well, it is almost done. I want to add some kind of hanger to it. After using gel-medium to place all the clay tiles and other objects in the piece, I applied a coat of polyurthane to protect it and give it some shine. I'm too tired to critique my own work today so I will do it in the morning...perhaps. What a day!

Well, I have to say that I am fascinated with the mosaic maker I have discovered. So, bare with me for one more collection of my art in a mosaic form. This is a collection of my creative journal entries for the last two years. One thing I see from doing the mosaics is that you can see the patterns, themes, colors, etc. that you as an artist tend to stick with. Though my journals are my place for trying new techniques, they are also where I go to express myself. There are so many thoughts and feeling that one can pull from art. No words are necessary. Sometimes words are harmful whereas art is left up to interpretation of the viewer. OK, now I have to figure out something cool to do with these mosaics. Someone suggested posters. Wouldn't this make a bright and cheerful gift wrap?

I found this great site where you can create your own mosaics. Go and check it out. Click on the word "Picture Mosaics" above. It will take you right to it. Just another fun way to waste time and explore your creative side. Happy Monday! Lesley

I purchased this little purple velvet handbag at a purse auction for Relay for Life. So, I just had to fix it up. It is purple and patterned on one side and the other side is black velvet. I printed on fabric-this lovely lady. I sewed the metal letters "friends" on. I sewed on a button and stiched around the edges. I also added the little chain to add to the "vintage" look. I have placed it on my ebay site. My link to the ebay site is on the side there. It is not very big (7"X5.5") just big enough for your money and lipstick and compact. A lovely evening purse don't you think? I think it would be a great gift for a friend!

Life is funny isn't it? Why do I say that today? Well, I was thinking about my adventure at the Celebration of Arts in Midland yesterday. Renea, Heather, and I attended this event yesterday morning. I was so excited the minute I walked in to the Midland Convention Center! I could see booth after booth of beautiful art. We looked and looked and enjoyed conversations with the artists. Some of the artists were local and some from as far away as Ohio I believe. While talking to these artists, I did my own little personal survey and was delighted to discover that so many of them were self-taught artists. I suppose that was an encouragement to me! Anyway, about the "life is funny part". Renea and I happened upon booth that caught our eye. It was just the kind of art we love. Such depth, texture, and imagination. Even inspirational! We stayed there for some time before I realized I had discovered this artist in an ad once for an Art Gallery in Fredricksberg, Texas. I had actuall...

Well, I was so inspired by http://www.mikaarts.com/viewnews.php Lauris Mika at the Art and Soul retreat in Dallas. I did not even get to attend her workshop! But, I saw her work in the flea market. Oh, I loved the colors and patterns and textures. So, I was inspired to do my own version. It is not nearly as sophisticated as hers and I have no idea about her techniques...but it is mine. I can't hardly wait to finish it so I can share the finished piece with you. Here is a picture of what I have thus far. The pieces are not even glued in yet. I may not even leave the pieces where they are. But, this is my general idea...and the mess I'm making. I just cut out little shapes with some cookie cutters and baked them-polymere clay. Then I used a polymere clay glaze to cover and make them shiny. I stamped some of them with stazon ink and different rubber stamps. I have set them inside of a wooden box lid. You can see the ridges on the top where I removed the hardware. This is where I...