Pay It Forward 2012

I have decided to participate in "Pay It Forward 2012". I will make something handmade for the first five people who comment on this status. They must in turn post this status and make something for the first five people who comment on their status in order to qualify. The rules are it has to be handmade by you and they must receive it before 2012 ends.

Ill have something handmade to the five people delivered by the end of february. Otherwise time may get away on me and this will ensure everyone recieves their items :)

Sketchbook Project 2012

I have finally finished my sketchbook for the 2012 tour.
This was my first time participating in something like this and I am quite happy I did.
It was an incredible journey and I learned many new ways to work with my beloved mediums. I also know what to do for next time as well. My new sketchbook for the limited edition is already being constructed.
Below you will find a video showing my sketchbook.
The song is by Danny TC and is called February.





For a better look at each individual page, you may find images posted on my FB account and on my main website.

If anyone else who participated in the sketchbook project has their photos posted, I would LOVE to see them :)

Amazing Art

Matchbox Twenty - Long Day (Video)

Fresh at Sticklings

Alternate World
Sharpie and Ink on Canvas
12x12

Lost City of Atlantis
Mixed Media on Canvas
16x20

Living Hope
Mixed Media on Canvas
8x10

Story Unfolding
Mixed Media on Canvas
8x10

Treasure Golden Moments
Mixed Media and Gold Leaf on Canvas
16x20

Laurel Burch

Laurel Burch is an amazing artist. I love her use of colors and how her work is truly unique. She uses her imagination and doesn't simply reproduce an image.
Laurel's work has feelings and warmth.
This is simply my own opinion, but I really am a fan of her art.
In one of my youth classes, we will be studying Laurel Burch as an artist and will be creating a piece that is inspired by her style.

In the l960s, Laurel Burch was selling her work on the streets of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Today this “flower child'' is a nationally famous artist and designer who fluently speaks the universal language of art. Though she has never taken an art class, Laurel’s trademark style is the manifestation of her strong, imaginative spirit.

Growing up as a young girl in southern California, Laurel was the child on the block who brought everyone together through the world of imagination. Frequently hospitalized because of a rare bone disease, osteopetrosis, young Laurel would make things happen while recovering in the hospital-creating stories and making small gifts to cheer up the other patients. At the age of seven she was already spiritually precocious, using her physical obstacles as stepping stones to her inner strengths.
As a young woman, Laurel saw intrinsic beauty in the streets. She collected stones, bones, beads, and coins, joined them together, then polished them and wore her creations. When passersby admired a piece of her jewelry, she responded by giving it to them. People identified with and valued the kind of global spirit her work expressed, and soon she was able to sell the pieces she created.
This self-taught artist has since expanded her design to coffee mugs, clothing, tote bags, prints, fabric, buttons and note cards through The Laurel Burch Design Studio. Laurel considers herself to be more of a folk artist than a designer, creating symbols and myths that communicate universally. She paints images that represent her own values, yet at the same time provide a bridge between cultures, and honor the common ground.
The whole purpose of my art is to express beauty and meaning, and most of all connect people to one another in special ways.
Laurel furthers this commitment through her involvement within the community. She contributes her talents to causes supporting children, the disabled, animal welfare, disease prevention, and global conservation.
The strong, uplifting spirit of Laurel Burch is evident in her art and in her life. “I have had to overcome such an enormous number of obstacles that I have developed a belief system which allows me to feel like I can accomplish almost anything. Of course, I can’t, but sometimes the courage to say ‘I can' is all it takes.”

Source - Taken from Wic Biography

Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

TR Mack

TR Mack is an amazing artist.
I first came across this artist while doing research for projects to use in my youth mixed media class. Being a lover of nature and trees, TR Mack's pieces spoke to me immediately.

If you wish to create a piece inspired by this amazing artist yourself or with a young one, please follow this link.

"I am a mid-career artist.
Self taught for the most part. I've dabbled in furniture design, cartooning, pastels, pen and ink, color pencils illustration and many mediums, but I always come back to the paint, the canvas and a brush. I guess I know what I need to do... " -Tom

Why...

This is why I could never handle school. I know I am not alone when it comes to feeling this way.
This is why PCVS is so important to me. I am not sure where I would be without that school, no doubt somewhere quite unpleasent.
Pcvs was the outside for me.

Second Annual Art-A-Thon

The second annual art-a-thon is here again at the Art School of Peterborough.

Back again, after the resounding success of last year's Art-a-thon! From noon to midnight, artists from all disciplines will be gathering in the art school to work on their craft for 12 hours straight in our 2nd Annual Art- a-thon. Sponsor and artist, and support the art school. Spectators are welcome throughout the day. Admission is $5 at the door. Doors open noon- midnight. Come and witness the spectacle, as well as learn about each artist's varied approaches.
Saturday, February 25, noon- midnight

ASOP Second Annual Art-a-thon
Saturday, February 25, noon- midnight


If you wish to sponsor Brianna for the annual art-a-thon, please send an email to briannagosselin@hotmail.com or leave a reply here.
For every $25 pledge, each sponsor will receive a miniature painting similar to the one pictured above.
Each miniature will measure 4x6 inches.
All payments can be made in person to Brianna at the Art School or through paypal.
All donations $10 and over will recieve a charitable tax receipt.
(All miniatures will be delivered to sponsors within 2 weeks of donation.)

All donations and money raised from the art-a-thon will go directly into the Art School of Peterborough and help keep the school running.
The Art School is a non-for profit organization and provides bursaries for youth and adults to attend classes.

To learn more about the art-a-thon and how the Art School operates please visit: http://www.artschoolptbo.org .

Art Biographies and Applications

For quite some time I have been postponing tackling my art applications.
There are a few festivals and tours I wish to take part in this new year and the applications are the last thing I wish to do.

Writing artist statements, artistic vision, choice of medium and biographies have never been my strong point...actually writing in general is not my strong point (as you may of already noticed).
I will be tackling these applications all day and hopefully will be able to mail them out tomorrow...well realistically probably by the end of this week.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Well... even though it seems I didn't quite make it to staying up all night, I was still awake for the 10 second countdown. My mind and body were quite exhausted, which resulted with me going in and out of conciousness on our couch. The quilts kept me so nice and warm, how was I to resist?

Before I begin working on my art pages for the sketchbook project today, I shall leave you with some interesting facts about new years... (Resolutions to follow tonight.)

Five Festive Facts About New Year’s Day

Ring in 2012 with a few things you probably didn’t know about celebrating a new year.
By Anthony Rando

It never ceases to amaze me how the beginning of a new year can bring such a newfound sense of responsibility, renewed hope in lost endeavors, and pledges to change the way we think, act and feel.

Of course, by mid-January those hopes and pledges usually dissolve into empty promises, leaving only a foggy memory of a really awesome New Year’s Eve party.

That said, here are a few fun facts about celebrating a new year that might stay with you:

1. The first New Year’s Eve ball was made because of a ban on fireworks. In 1904, the owner of the New York Times threw a huge New Year’s Eve party with an enormous fireworks display. This became a tradition -- hence the Times Square party every year -- until 1907, when NYC banned fireworks.

So that everyone would have something pretty to look at when midnight struck, a huge ball was made out of wood and iron and illuminated with 100 light bulbs.

That first ball weighed in at 700 pounds, but that’s nothing -- the current Times Square ball tips the scales at 12,000 pounds, and is made of Waterford Crystal.

2. The most popular New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. The biggest empty promise of the new year is to watch those empty calories. Which makes sense, when you consider that more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

The other top five resolutions, in no particular order, are: quit smoking, get a better job, go back to school and save money.

3. Pork isn’t the only traditional New Year’s food. Growing up in my house, January 1 meant a dinner of pork and sauerkraut. But if you grew up in the southern United States, it’s a safe bet that black-eyed peas and ham were a part of the feast.

In Spain, people down a dozen grapes just before midnight, while in Sweden and Norway they serve rice pudding with an almond hidden in it. Whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune!

4. You know that song that plays every New Year’s Eve, that no one really knows the lyrics to? It’s called “Auld Lang Syne,” and it’s actually a Scottish folk song. It was first published in 1796 when a poet named Robert Burns transcribed it for a book about Scottish music.

The song’s title literally translates to “times gone by,” and if you ever really listen (or read) the lyrics, you’ll see that the song promises to remember friends and times in the past with fondness.

5. Approximately one billion people watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. Which means that people all over the world are watching as the ball in Times Square makes its 275-foot descent at midnight on January 31.

Up to one million people pack themselves into Times Square to watch the ball drop in person, and to hear Dick Clark count down the seconds to the new year, like he’s done nearly everyyear since 1972.

Have a safe and happy New Year’s!

Five Festive Facts about New Years

I hope everyone had a beautiful new years eve and they arrived to their destination safely.