The Independent Animal Rescue is a local non-profit dedicated to helping foster, spay and neuter local rescued cats and dogs. This year "The Good Life", a collaborative piece by Paula, Emily Weinstien and Kathryn DeMarco and many other wonderful pieces helped the IAR to raise $20,000!!

I want to post about a wonderful backslpash project Paula completed. I actually don't think that a backsplash truly describes this project. It is an image of a tree that is anchored behind the stove and runs up to the ceiling around the stove vent. Then the piece trails from there all around the kitchen in what would be a more traditional backsplash. It was a total of 40 square feet of work. She constructed the piece in her home studio using mesh panels and put it together like one big jigsaw puzzle. This piece took her about 150 hours to complete including the installation. She even had to get me to help at some points. This was the largest project that she has done to date and hopes that this will lead to even larger projects. Of course, she says "I will NEVER tackle a project like this by myself again!!"  Anyhow, just take a look at the pictures and you will be able to see the effort in this project.

These are pictures taken by a great photographer and friend Diane Amato.











Here is on of the piece in progress

Hello Mosaic Enthusiasts,

I ran across this blog about a new mosaic magazine called Mosaic Art Now. Please take some time to check it out.

http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com/2009/07/give-me-more-mosaic-art-now.html

Also, here is a link to Mosaic Art Now

This is an interesting video about The Scrap Exchange. Paula sells her work in this store and me and my son have spent many enjoyable hours making costumes and transporting ourselves off to far away lands. If you get chance it's worth a visit.

Julie Sweedler hosted my artwork in 2004 at the Women's Health Information Center at the Women's Hospital at UNC where she was the director. Since then, Julie and I have stayed in touch and I have enjoyed our friendship. This summer Julie accepted a 2-yr position as the Education Director at Bokamoso Private Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana. We will all miss her, but she has started a blog to chronicle her experience and stay in touch. I think it will be an interesting blog and invite you to follow along.

http://julieingabs.blogspot.com/

Jackie Roop,  a fiber artist from the east coast of Canada, has asked to do a rendition of "Vertigo".

 
Jackie's medium is traditional rughooking. She has been doing this for many years and thought Paula's piece would make an interesting and challenging subject. This blog will follow Jackie through her process. So far she has printed the image onto Belgian linen which is her preferred foundation to work on and has already started the first two quadrants .


 
There are several steps to get to this point such as printing the image, tracing the image onto trace-a- pat paper, drawing the picture onto the linen, and then tweaking the lines by adding in elements such as highlights shadows, etc. She is assembling wool colors and textures to be used. That will require a wool hunt for the appropriate values to be used.  Here is the mapping of the image that she will use for color values.


We are excited and honored that Jackie wants to use our image. When she has completed the work she will submit it for inclusion in Rug Hooking Magazine. We wish her luck on her submission.

You can also find her work in Hooked Rugs Today IV: Expect the Unexpected by Amy Oxford (Author) and Bruce Waters (Photographer)

Here are a few more of Jackie's pieces for you to enjoy.

Just because I can create art doesn’t mean I can teach you how. Isn’t that true? Well, after ten years of refining my craft and teaching (plus the 10 previous years I worked in the corporate world giving presentations and leading projects) I think I can. Some of my keys to satisfied students are:

• give a straight-forward overview of the project at hand first without embellishment
• provide handouts with step by step explanations so that participants do not spend time taking notes
• have ready-made examples of each step (it is very hard to visualize something you’ve never seen)
• keep to one technique at a time
• allow for questions after key demonstrations
• ALWAYS encourage participants to ask any questions and ALWAYS remind them that each technique is not a talent, it is a skill that they must practice in order to achieve perfection

These are a few of my “tried and true” practices.

Folks,

The Mosaic Husband thinks you absolutely must add Irit Levy's blog to your list of favorites. Her insightful and touching commentary on various artworks is nothing less than inspiring.
Check her out: http://iritlevyart.wordpress.com/

"Me 3" has been accepted into the 31st National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition hosted by the Arts Council of Wayne County, NC. Paula was raised in Wayne county and always loves to show in her hometown.