Beautiful Things From Scraps

Last week my art group met.  The project we did was inspired by projects by artist Eunice Pittman that were featured in the Sommerset Studio Gallery Winter 2011 issue.

As we crafted these lovely little works of art, I was reminded of how we all have the supplies with which to create art.  Really, we do!  Look around your house. Grab up scraps of this and that.  You can put them together to make something really lovely.

For this project, we utilized scraps of lace, beads we had on-hand, wire and other embellishments.  I'm not sure where the faces I used came from, but you could use scrap images for those, or search free graphics for small faces.  We used punches to punch them out.  The circle embellishments could be bezels or even bottle caps.  We did use Glossy Accents from Ranger to make the faces look like resin, but you could try applying a thick layer of Mod Podge or clear gel tacky glue...whatever you have on-hand.

Some of my favorite artworks are those that I created from scraps.  If I'm suffering from a creative block, sometimes I will simply take a plastic bin and walk around my studio putting "stuff" into the bin.  I'll include some collage images, embellishments, fabric scraps, something I have and have been wanting to use for a while, a couple of colors of acrylic paint, a couple of adhesives, and paint brushes.  I will then take that bin and make myself create something from just those items...nothing else. 

Next time your muse seems to have flown the coop, see if forcing yourself to create from just a few items on-hand brings her back.  I think you may be pleasantly surprised.

Have a wonderful day!

~Cyndi

Hosting a Halloween Art Party

My art group...  I LOVE my art group.  We have been meeting together for several years now.  Some people have come and gone, but the core group remains the same.  I blogged about them just the other day.  I wrote an article about them in the winter 2011-12 issue of Altered Arts magazine.  They mean a lot to me.

Next month I get to host the Halloween edition of our art group.  As I was thinking about it, I was reminded of Halloween art group meetings of the past.  What fun!  Even if you don't have your own art group, consider gathering like-minded, arty friends for a fun Halloween party.  It may be just what you need to get your creative juices flowing again.

Decide on a time for your gathering.  Our art group always meets during the week.  We find it works best to avoid the weekends as most people have family plans on the weekends.  Give yourself ample time for your meeting, especially if you plan to do a project.  We have found that 3 1/2 to 4 hours is about the right amount of time.  If you have any guests traveling longer than 15-20 minutes, you should plan on starting around 6:00 pm.  That way, you can probably be done around 9:30 and have them home before 10.

Determine the guest list.  This is essential.  To have a fun and creative time, make sure that you invite only arty, creative people.  We all have fun friends that do not have the least desire to make something creative with their own hands. Invite them to something else...not your art party.

In years past my art group created AWESOME Halloween bags for our gathering. Each participant would create a bag for everyone else in the group and then fill them with crafty items that were mostly already in their stash...so it wasn't a big cost burden.  It was more about the fun and creativity of it.

My gift bag creation.

 

Lorel's amazing gift bag.

  

Jane's fantastic art.

Melani's gift bag and goodies.

Gift Bags or Not?  Decide whether or not you will all create Halloween gift bags to share.  Be sure to give everyone on the invite list detailed instructions as to what to include in the bags and how to decorate them. They could be thematic: walking dead, spiders, ghosts, shades of graves, etc. Or, they could just be whatever "Halloween-y" thing that the creator desires.

Will there be a project?  Of course, since my art party was part of one of our regular art group meetings, we not only exchanged our fun and fabulous gift bags, we also worked on a project.  At the meeting I have pictured, the project was not Halloween-themed, but it could have been.  If you are hosting, you can present the project yourself or ask someone else to come up with it.  For our regularly meeting group, we each take turns presenting a project and the person presenting usually provides most of the supplies. You could, however, present the project but provide a supply list to your guests.

Determine the Bill of Fare.  I adore hosting the Halloween gathering at my house because it is so much fun getting creative with the food.  Last year I bought dry ice and had a spooky Halloween cocktail served in a cauldron.  You could be as thematic with your food as you wish.  You could also tell your guests that you will provide a main dish and ask them to bring other parts of the dinner.  Or, maybe just cocktails and hors d'ouevres are more in line with your party vision.

The fun cake Lorel made for my birthday.

Don't you just LOVE the rats crawling into and out of the cake?!

Perhaps you are interested in learning more about starting your own art group?  You can check out my article in the winter 2011-12 issue of Altered Arts magazine for more information on how my art group came to be, and how we do things.

I would love to hear about your Halloween art party.  You can share your Halloween art party pictures on my Facebook page:  www.Facebook.com/cyndiduncanarts.

Be sure to follow my blog by email so you don't miss my creative musings. 

~Cyndi