Every month, Lisa and I exchange a piece of paper that has something to do with a chosen theme, in this case botany.  Then we make some art with it.  We call it the point of departure or POD.   On the left you can see that Lisa gave me part of a cell phone advertisement.  I really liked the simple leaf shape and thought I knew what I wanted to do.  Later, I realized that having such a great form to start out can be a disadvantage.   I didn't want to change the leaf but I also didn't want to end up with another Clearnet ad.  With the clock ticking, I came up with the the collage on the left.   For some strange reason, everything I look at closely turns into a strange little country.   I've had this problem all my life.  The bookcase becomes an apartment complex, the melting ice becomes an ice palace... the kitchen table becomes...a strange land.  I probably shouldn't have mentioned it because once you start thinking like this,  you can't stop!  At least it helped me finish my POD!

Apparently I was featured on AptDweller which shows the latest appartment trends!  It was quite excited to see my art there.  They featured four pieces from my store.  Thanks Amber from AptDweller!

On a different note, I have been trying to make some changes to my blog and I managed to delete my home page, not once, but twice!  This has impressed upon me the fact that I can be quite a dunderhead!  However, they do say that you learn from your mistakes and thanks to kind Barbara from Weebly support I not only had my home page restored twice, but also found out how I can set my pictures so that when you click them they will enlarge.  From now on you should be able to see all the gory details of my pictures!

Here's a new print that I've just put in my Etsy store.  I'm happy to say, "Click to Enlarge!"

I used to live my life as if it was a race; always rushing to get ahead.  Then one day, after afew too many speeding tickets, I decided to slow down.  Strangely enough life slowed down with me.  I wasn't late.  I got just as much done.  I was just calmer.  After all life isn't a race.  What are we trying to get ahead of? 
This is another page of my altered book showing everyone rushing through a very strange station.  It's made with magazine cuttings, tissue paper, watercolour and marker.

Lately I've been very busy trying to frame some of my pictures.  I like to use what I call "reclaimed frames".  This means I get them at garage sales and flea markets.  I find it interesting that these frames are often much better quality than many of the frames you can buy in the stores.  They're solid wood and the glass doesn't break as easily.  The images I take out of these lovely frames are often from calendars or even magazines.  Who puts these cheap images in these expensive frames?  I guess it's all done in the name of "decorating". 
If I didn't do watercolor I definitely wouldn't do alot of framing.  I tend to get bored, especially when I'm cutting mats. Then my mind wanders and  I make mistakes and then there is a lot of swearing and gnashing of teeth.  In the end it's all worth it though.  Just remember to take a picture before you put the picture behind glass!  I've made that mistake too many times!

Going grocery shopping without my glasses is part detective work and part guess work.  Sherlock Holmes would probably do better.  This week I bought yogurt with only 35 calories in a tub.  The trouble is, I'm not on a diet and after I have it for breakfast I'm still starving! 

The weather has been beautiful here lately and I've been so busy with various projects that I've barely noticed.  It's a good thing my dog, Basel, gives me the sad puppy eyes when we haven't gone to the park.  Yesterday I grabbed my old waterbrush, a little travel pack of watercolours and a 4 by 6 pad of paper and we sat by the river.   I did this little painting.  The composition's not very good because I was trying to remember how the waterbrush worked but it was fun to sit in the sunshine and look at the new buds and hear the water flowing.

Now that I'm back at the computer, does anyone in blogland know what is wrong with paypal these days?

I love computers.  I use them everyday, but I must admit that I haven't a clue how they really work.  Somehow signals get sent from one to another through the air and through cables and now we are all linked.  It's really amazing!

Collage artistry is a serious addiction for which there is no known cure.  You will know the collage artist when you meet him or her because of the strange behavior.  When walking on the street, they may suddenly stop to pick up bits of paper garbage which they may later wash and iron.  Some of them are particularly interested in rusty things they find on the ground.  They are no longer interested in the contents of their mail but focus on the envelopes and stamps.  They hoard magazines and all sorts of printed materials which they store in strange filing systems.  These files often have bizarre labels such as "greeny-blue", "rough", "shiny" or simply  "things".    When they start collaging they loose all sense of time and space and their habitats become littered with debris.  If you know someone who has been affected by collage, it's best not to confront them with their problem since it is incurable.  Simply smile and nod and give them bits of garbage, like candy wrappers or electrical tape and they will be happy and scurry off to continue their collaging.

Here are some new pieces made on Saint Armand's handmade paper.   I love working with this paper.  It has beautiful deckled edges and no grain direction.  It's lovely to paint on.  Saint Armand paper is also eco-friendly.  They use no bleaches or chemicals.  The white paper here is made from cotton cut-offs from clothing manufacturers!  They make the blue from blue denium cut offs!  Thanks to my friend Lisa for pointing it out in the store, or I might not have noticed it.  Speaking of Lisa, she just opened her Etsy store!  Check it out!!!

Click these to enlarge.
They'll be in my Etsy store as soon as the sun returns and I can photograph them.

Here's another page of my altered book.  As soon as I read the IF word this week, this popped into my head so here it is.