Enough is Enough

I had an assignment in collage class to create a photo montage out of magazine pages.  I pieced together images from about 15 different magazine pages to create my montage.  The base of the montage was a jewelry add with the word "Reevaluate" written across the top of the ad in big white letters.  That word was eventually covered up by the pieces I used to create the hair in the montage. 

In one of the magazines I was using, there was an article about Mark Madoff - son of Bernie Madoff, the infamous director of a ponsey scheme that lasted 20+ years.  It said that Mark Madoff had hung himself in his home while his wife and one of his children were at Disney World. His second child was at home sleeping in another room when he comitted suicide.  He took his life on the second anniversary of his father's arrest.

I placed a small section of the article in the mouth of my montage and I had to wonder:  Why didn't Bernie Madoff ever "reevaluate" his life.  Did he really need a bigger home or another car to feel complete?  Was the race to keep up with the Jones' so great that it blinded him to what he was doing to his clients, his friends, and his family?  When was enough going to be enough for this man? 

After working on this assignment I try to remember to count my blessings every day and know that everything I need to make my life full and happy is what I have here and now - on this day - in this moment - I have enough.

Don't Resist - Dance

While listening to the radio in the car today, my 8 year old daughter says to me,  "Mom, you know how you can tell if a song is really good?  You just can't resist the urge to dance."  Kids are so smart and uninhibited. 

Sometimes I catch myself resisting the urge to dance, to create with abandon, to go against the grain, for fear that people might not like what I do, make, believe.  Why?  I admire people that pour their soul into art and life. 

So, I am going to try to not care so much about outside perceptions and just close my eyes and sway to the music, let go and see what happens.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it.

Art - Crash Glass on canvas by Lisa Morales

Dreaming Like A Child

My oldest son, Jared, turned 18 last week; and I had to cry a little tear as we sang happy birthday to him.  18 years went by in the blink of an eye.  I have such vivid memories of him as a toddler, a boy, an older brother.  I think I cried because I know he is heading out soon to find his own way, build his own life, pursue his own dreams.  I wonder if I have raised him well, provided a strong ground for him to stand on, loved him enough. 

Sometimes I feel like an 18 year old myself with childlike hopes for living an artistic life.  And then I think of how lucky I am to have an opportunity to do just that.  Jared is a blessing that I will have until the day I die.  Living a life full of goodness and hopes and childlike dreams is also a blessing I hope to have for the rest of my days.

Art Project from 2D Design class - A technique called rotoscope interpolated where use tones (in this case, colored paper) to create light and dark values. 

Collage and Assemblage Assignment - This semestrer at Glassell, I am taking Drawing II and Collage/Assemblage.  Our assignment this week was to take a box of 300 matches and "build something".  Wow, how wide open is that idea.  Holy Moly - I am so glad I quit court reporting school.

I recently read how moms are the only true super heros on the planet.  How do we do everything we do, be everything we are supposed to be -  love, nurture, discipline, keep a happy home and an open heart.  This little matchstick project is my homage to all the moms out there who stand tall on ever-shifting terraine and boldly face each day with super human powers.  Rock On Mamas!

I am starting a new lamp today with a lamp base from IKEA and paper from Texas Art Supply on Montrose.  Fun and easy and pretty and fun ;o)

Daisy Garden Stone

Crash Daisy grouted in purple grout - all done and moving on.

Crash Daisy Ready For Grout

The daisy rock is ready for grout.  I put crash glass over the paper and taped off around the flower with painters tape.  I am going to grout in dark purple; so, the tape will keep the grout from staining the rock.  

Purple Daisy

Purple paper and yellow crash glass added to the rock.  Little teeny tiny millifioris added around the center of the flower.  They may be too small to show up when it is grouted.  We'll see.

Crash Rock

Daisy Crash Rock - Getting rid of the last of my stash of rocks that I bought over a year ago.  Aren't New Year's resolutions great.  One of mine was to get rid of all the stash I have accumulated in 2011.  I used a very simple crossbar to center my flower and then used a measuring tape to mark the length of the petals so they would all be about the same size from the outer edge of the center circle to the end of the petal.

Starbucks Mona Lisa

Finished off the Starbucks Mona Lisa by adding two rows of tiny ball chain around the image.  All done and moving on.

Coffee Goddess

Coffee Goddess is almost done.  Since the cap is pretty deep, I filled it halfway up with resin, let the resin dry and then glued the text and the stars down.  More resin was added to fill the cap to the top.

Mona Lisa - Coffee Goddess

Mona Lisa is going inside my Starbucks coffee cap.  I printed the "coffee" text off the computer and found the word "Goddess" in a magazine.  I think she would have had a bigger smile if they had Starbucks back in the day ;)

Starbucks Pendant

After drinking your Starbucks deliciousness, save the cap.  They make pretty cool bezels.  Just drill a hole in the top and insert an eyepin.  I put a little spot of MAC glue on the inside of the cap where the eyepin came through to keep the resin from seeping out and to hold the eyepin in place while I am working on the inside.

Finished Valentine Pendant

The Valentine pendant is finished.  I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bezel to hang the drop beads.  I like the look with the see through back.  Next up - a pendant made from a bottled Starbucks Mocha Frappuccio cap.  Man - those drinks are good!!

Valentine Pendant

Today I started another demo for the pendant class.  I found some really nice printed transparancies at Michael's the other day.  You need a transparancy when working with a backless pendamt base.  You can also attach the base to packing tape before pouring in your resin if you don't have a transparancy. 

Collage Pendants

The first set of collage pendant demos are done.  I used ICE Resin and really liked it.  More to demos to come this week.

Collage Pendant Demos

Demo collage pendants going together.  Next step - adding resin.