My Girls the Fly Girls

I have the wonderful opportunity to be in a trading session of Artist Trading Cards with a great group of women 

I met through the Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons-e-course. 

Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art created on 2 ½ X 3 ½ inch or 64 X 89 mm card stock. 
They are originals, small editions and, self-produced. Anyone can produce them. 

The idea is that you trade them with other people who produce cards in what ever artistic fashion they choose.

M. Vänçi M. Vänçi Stirnemann is credited in many circles with initiating and popularizing the modern artist trading card in 1997.

The groups theme for the trading cards is one of flight or flying. I made the owl cards while flipping pancakes this morning getting my oldest off to school. Not ideal and this is not how most people picture an artist making art but it is probably how a lot of us artist make art these days! It just worked out that I had supplies in the house from the studio. 

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I know that after art school is over many artist find themselves making art by themselves in a studio. I happen to be one of those artist. I should say that as of late I have had the company of my two year while making art. I am working on my book called "how to make art while distracted"! Just kidding. Anyway, my point being that the energy of other students to play off of each other is no longer there. You longer have anyone to have discussions with about art, art technique or to just bounce ideas off of. 

This is so important in process. Now that I have the group, I do.

The Flying Lesson Group has shown how important it is to support, teach and mentor each other as artist. E-courses have definitely widened the friendship circles. Some circles a cab ride away, others a flight away. 

Community and connection is the best prize of all in all of this.

 Thank you to My Girls the Fly girls.

Flying From the Nest • The Final Four

                                                                                                                                Velásquez©2011

All images and content belong to Deborah Velásquez. Copyright 2005-2011.  All rights reserved.

Please do not use anything without permission or without noting the origin on on your blog or website.

Cosmos

Grabbing last bits of beauty in the garden before the frost.

  

           

Nature and its gifts of beauty no matter the season are truly awesome. 

As an artist the offerings from nature with color, texture and beauty inspire the creative spirit.

All images and content belong to Deborah Velásquez. Copyright 2005-2011.  All rights reserved.

Please do not use anything without permission or without noting the origin on on your blog or website.

Word Paths • Heart

Everyone has a word path. One word leads to another.

Velásquez©2011

Word Paths, a Friday feature showcasing possibilities in written words, creative process and artistic pieces. 

My goal is to present three to five words or three to five lines. 

I may go to seven words or seven lines but probably not often, only if needed. 

I plan to work the Word Paths out artistically and process them to share with you here. 
You can go here, to my first post on this project and see how it all started.

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In the studio working with gouache and Sumi brushes. Spent the day creating some word art and exploring word paths. 

I love working with gouache. Gouache with its opaque watercolor qualities and smooth,creamy texture is a dream to work with. 

A favorite of mine since art school.

I started some pieces with acrylic ink but found acrylic ink too transparent for the look I was going for.

 Playing with words and paint, I really enjoyed making this piece of art. The motion of writing in cursive is so fun and so free with the flow of movement. I keep a notebook to record my word paths. This is where I work out the feel of the piece I will eventually paint and present.

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Here is my word path for today • Two versions

Silent with Love                                                                                                                  Velásquez©2011

 Silent with Love Repeated                                                                                                  Velásquez©2011 

Difficult to choose one piece to share because I loved them both. More love to spread around!

I love the word "love" all forms, in language, in poetry, emotion and in art.

Whether it is the love you have for your 

 partner

parents

children

friends

Nina Simone

or

Wassily chairs

It has the power to leave you windswept with joy.

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Happy Weekend • Fill your Heart with Love • Enjoy the Language of Words

IF: Scattered

For Illustration Friday • Scattered

Simple beauty scattered on the landscape.

Inspiration-Gifts from Nature

Nature is what you see plus what you think about it.  -John Sloan

This is the season where we are most color aware, more than any time of year. We trade in our shells, beach stones, walks in the sun and sand for leaves, sticks, acorns and cool and crisp air. We are in gathering mode, the children and myself, collecting beautiful leaves and dried flowers for fun projects. This season is touched, experienced and recorded in that expression or wonderment on their faces. 

You hear a lot of "wow mommy"! 

We walk through color everyday in our lives. 

Go ahead and grab some.

Great resource books, Leaves In Myth  Magic &Leaves in Myth, Magic & Medicine by Alice Thomas Vitale Leaves and Pods by Mary Ellen Hannibal, photography by Josie Iselin.

All images and content belong to Deborah Velásquez. Copyright 2005-2011.  All rights reserved.

Please do not use anything without permission or without noting the origin on on your blog or website.

Word Paths • Coffee

Everyone has a word path. One word leads to another.

Velásquez©2011

Word Paths, a Friday feature showcasing possibilities in written words, creative process and artistic pieces. 

My goal is to present three to five words or three to five lines. 

I may go to seven words or seven lines but probably not often, only if needed. 

I plan to work the Word Paths out artistically and process them to share with you here. 

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Inspired by Audrey Hepburn's quote from the movie Sabrina,

"Paris is always a good idea" and my love of coffee. 

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 Here is my word path for today

Coffee is Always a Good Idea                                        by Deborah Velásquez©2011

Sometimes one cup is not enough. 
Ink and coffee on Paper.




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Happy Weekend • Enjoy a Cup of Coffee • Enjoy the Language of Words

An Invitation

Photo from the gallery in Ecriture Infinie 

I came across the Ecriture Infinie project over at the Black Eiffel blog. One of my reads.
I immediately fell in love with the idea, the project and the video of the artist Bili Bidjocka. It reminded me how words inspire me and very often come up in my work. I have a Friday feature called Word Paths. Three to Seven words processed and artistically presented to the reader. I take the reader from inspiration to the final piece. I thought this project and my work were a perfect match. I toyed with the idea of posting to the gallery.
Then I thought, it would be great to extend the invitation to artist and non artist alike to participate as well.

I am truly inspired by this project and I invite you to participate in this word and world journal. 

 The celebration of writing is presented in an art project by Bili Bidjocka and curated by Simon Njami, called Ecriture Infinie.

Ecriture Infinie explores the written word in a global fashion. 
There are eight giant-sized books made of blank, silent pages open and waiting to be filled. 

It has me so excited I might  just burst! 

Photo from the gallery in Ecriture Infinie

Meet the artist, Bili Bidjocka and the curator Simon Njami as they speak about their work. 

The gallery of Ecriture Infinie  is the perfect place to leave your mark. I love that no mater the language, there is  something to say, something to express. From post it notes to chalkboards, the canvas is ever changing as you travel through your day. In the gallery you will find a collection of images, a collection of words from sophisticated to childlike that will absolutely delight. 

The words  are written, painted, scribbled and scrawled and more importantly shared.

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Photo from the gallery in Ecriture Infinie

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Silence Without Words in Sepia              by Velásquez©2011

Get the word out. I am. I am going to leave my mark with,

 "There is only silence without words", the piece I shared in Friday's post of Word Paths.

 Join me, leave yours here. Visit the gallery .

Photo from the gallery in Ecriture Infinie

Word Paths • Silence

Everyone has a word path. One word leads to another.

Velásquez©2011

Word Paths, a Friday feature showcasing possibilities in written words, creative process and artistic pieces. 

The plan is to present three to five words or three to five lines. 

I may go to seven words or seven lines but probably not often, only if needed. 

Sometimes things just need to be said! Like today's piece.

I plan to work the Word Paths out artistically and process them to share with you here. 

                                                                                                                                                                                          Velásquez©2011

Keeping it simple with a pencil and an eraser on paper. 

The eraser was inspiration for the final piece of this word path as you will see. I enjoy using the stencil typeface because of its simple impact. I use this typeface often and the stencils themselves whether I am painting or printing tee-shirts. 

As I was laying out the stencils to prepare my word art I found that they made a nice piece of art as well. 

I love surprises like this while working. Designing by accident!

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 Here is my word path for today

Silence Without Words                                     by Deborah Velásquez©2011

Happy Weekend • Never be Silent • Enjoy the Language of Words