Mail Art - Have You Tried It?

When is the last time you received a letter in the mail that was hand written? Chances are, a long time ago. In an age where technology seems to have us with a choke hold the fine art of letter writing is quickly becoming a past time. I had thought past times were for 5 cent Coca-Cola's or penny candy from the corner store. I never dreamed that I would actually see letter writing come so close to extinction in my life time, but it seems it has a lot in common with oily birds these days.

Being a member of the Letter Writer's Alliance really opened my eyes to the beauty of the handwritten letter so I made it a challenge to myself to send at least one hand written letter or post card out each week. I joined Postcrossings, which is an international group of folks who swap post cards from around the world and I joined several other letter writer groups. But, being an artist, I found myself wanting to incorporate my love of art into the mail, so mail art became a major part of my letter writing activities these days. If you Google "Mail Art," you can see hundreds of examples of letters, sent through the mail, that are actual works of arts. They are quite fascinating. Because I am a collage artist, I actively sought out other artists who participated in mail art and have now begun swapping actual works of art, with letters inside, through the mail. It is pretty fabulous I must say! 

So, I thought Mail Art would be a wonderful lesson to add to my collage class and next week we will get our hands busy creating, not only letters, but beautiful ones at that. Here are some ideas to consider if you are thinking about a mail art project for yourself or your children.

1. First, decide who you are going to mail your letter to and write the letter. Don't type it, actually pen the words yourself. 

2. If you are going to add mail art, consider what type of art you love to do or art they would love to receive. Do they have a favorite color?

Do You?

Do you love abstract, or funny cards, or do you love to simply draw? 

3. Choose a theme for your mail art, such as holidays, spiritual, sports, gardening, and design your envelope to fit that theme. 

4. Decorate both sides if you choose, just be sure to leave a clear space for your addresses and stamps. 

5. Collage Mail Art can be created using cut out images from magazines, ephemera, patterned or painted paper, or by using rubber stamps. 

6. Sometimes, simply the addition of one simple image, like a flower or a bird, can turn an ordinary white envelope into a work of art. 

Regular white craft glue is great to use for collage, just make sure you glue the edges really well so the automated machines doesn't rip them. 

Postcards can be sent in the U.S by the Post Office for 28 cents, up to a 4" by 6". If it's larger, you need to use a regular stamp. International postcards cost 98 cents to mail. 

Here are some images from mail art that I have made using collage and colored pencils:

If you have a love for letter writing and mail art there are several groups on Facebook and the internet you can join to swap mail art with folks all over the world. Most all of them usually have one primary rule to follow: If someone is kind enough to send you a mail art card or letter, it's always customary to send one in return. I want to challenge you to write at least one letter in the next week, even if it's just a few lines, and consider turning your envelope into mail art. You might be surprised what ends up landing in your own mail box as well!

It's Official, I Have Become A Paper Arts Pimp!

It's official, I'm a collage/mixed media addict. There is no getting past a thrift store without scrounging around the book aisle. There is no visiting a junk/antique store without leaving filthy, loaded up with old, crusty, full of illustrations, books and magazines. There is no visiting Bienville Books without feeling like it's crack for the collage artist. But most of all, there is no table space to be found in my house, without some type of magazine, paint, paper, glue, or work in progress sprawled out everywhere and paper clippings have become our new carpet. I am beside myself with joy and my dear, sweet hubs has begun to suggest a paper arts rehab program. 

And, I must admit, that I am quite guilty of spreading my disease to my parents home, my friend's houses, and my fellow artists bag of tricks. Yes, I am a full, fledged paper arts pimp, that finds her Facebook fanpage and kitchen table much more accommodating than the sketchy street corner. So, to be true to my craft, my disease, my "can't look at a book or magazine the normal way, every again" mantra, I share with you here some of the products of this affliction. I do warn you though, these images may be hazardous to your health. They are known to cause one to stare, and study, and get tantalizing ideas for their own paper arts obsessions, so be fore warned.

Here are two mixed media pieces from my Rejection Letter Series. I found an  old collection of letters from the early 50's, from a writer here in Mobile, who was rejected time and time again. I am using those letters to create these vignettes, which are 4" by 12", in a series of 15. 

I laughed all the way through this piece, "A Royal Flush". As soon as I saw the toilet and paper I knew I had to create this. The only problem was trying to limit my ideas so it wasn't too crowded. I may work this into a "Toilet Bowl Series", which would be pretty hysterical but oh, what fun it would be!

 

Textures on paper are fascinating to me. I decided to play around with some different types, including painted paper and textured wall paper. What started out as a beach house, turned into a work involving architecture, textures, humor, and a profound point that not all neighbors are welcome, hence the expressions on the boys faces. "The New Neighbors" is 11" by 14", collage on paper.

 

My version of "The Ardithian Alice" came about thanks to my inner child. I love, love, love creating whimsical characters that tell a story and celebrating the release of Alice in Wonderland, in my own way, was tons of fun. This is 12" by 12", mixed media on canvas.

Ah, my first attempt at photo transfer and heirloom collage. These are two images of my parents, young in all their glory, and some ephemera from my childhood. The Red Cross letter was sent to my dad in Vietnam telling him of my birth. The map of Hawaii was from their second honeymoon and the little girl is me of course. I won't explain all the details but heirloom collage is something I plan on doing a lot more of.

 This strange little guy is what I call my Exquisite Corpse Doll Project. I start with a head and torso, tape over a section of it, and mail it to an unsuspecting paper addict like myself. They have to add a body part(s), cover up a bit of theirs, and send it back, for a series of four trips through the mail. When all is said and done, I get back a completed Exquisite Corpse, surreal and whimsical, just like the game was meant to be. I will post a separate blog when he is finished.

The Exquisite Corpse Night

(Me in my "Work of Art" art shirt at Exquisite Corpse Night)

When I first was starting out in collage I remember reading an article about the concept called, "Exquisite Corpse", and was fascinated. Andre' Breton, a Surrealist, and a group of other artists decided to start a parlor game, just for fun, by writing phrases on a piece of paper, concealing part of the phrase, and passing it to the next player so they could add to it. At the end of the round, the sentences were shared and they found great humor and appreciation in the fact that they made little to no sense. It was quite thought provoking to them. Eventually they added the use of graphite and began by drawing a head, then the other players would add body parts, but they never saw the completed image until the very end, adding to it's "enigmatic, conceptual nature." 

Here is a link, The Exquisite Corpse , to their group with pictures of the first works from The Exquisite Corpse game. There are some interesting passages to read, to understand the insight into Breton's mind, along with the other Surrealist of that time. I gave this game and concept a good amount of thought after beginning my collage class and chose to try it out with a group of fellow artists that had similar skills, tastes, and senses of humor, because I knew we would all need one. So I, along with Holly Carrigan, Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough, Wayne McNeil, McLeod Turner, Vikki Turner Finch, Lydia Host, and Jami Buck.

Because I wanted to do this game in collage I knew it would take a lot of pieces and preparation, so I asked the other artists to come prepared with a 'head' and an idea for a background. I think by the time we all got together we decided the best course of action would be to wing it and so we did. Although, to be true to the original Exquisite Corpse concept, we would have needed to not see the previous piece of work, we opted for randomly swapping each piece per round. Next time we will add the challenge of keeping each round concealed and I look forward to that added challenge. 

So, after 5 rounds of swapping, cutting, pasting, painting, eating, and laughing our heads off the final pieces were actually quite wonderful. For me, it really wasn't the finished piece that proved the event was successful, it was the whole process, especially the sharing and friendship that made the night unforgettable. Here are our finished Exquisite Corpses, dressed in their grandeur! Now that we have begun this adventure I can't wait to see what our "collective minds" come up with for the next EC! Stay tuned. 

Ardithian, Wackadoodle Art Journal and Picking My Brain!

If you are a fellow artist or journal lover, then you know the excitement I felt when I opened my handmade journal for the first time, almost like a kid in a candy store with NO ADULTS IN SIGHT! Ahhhhhhhh, I kind of touched it for a while, felt the pages, and breathed deeply because I knew this was no ordinary journal. You see, I have been a journal divorcee just about my entire life. What does this mean......well, I love the thought of journals, I would get a new one and launch myself into it, only to.....peter out and divorce it after a month or so. Sadly, I have various and random petered out  and divorced journals all over the place and it made me stop and look at my pattern. Why did I peter out with them? What's the deal with inconsistency? Should I cut them up and glue them into one just to make me feel better? LOLOLOLOL

UNTIL.......I was surfing Youtube and came across this video. Dirty Footprint Studios Drowning In Blue Art Journal 
Needless to say I had to pick my mouth up off the floor several times because I knew, I just knew I had finally found the type of journal my soul had longed for, the one I could be committed and married to for like life, and I also knew exactly where that journal was, because I had eyed it with great envy at Hobby Lobby for the longest time. A handmade, watercolor journal, with my name on it sat on their shelves and in this moment, it called my name.


THEN.... of course, I went and got it. Gessoed several pages just like Connie Hozvicka suggested, and sat with excitement watching the paint dry. Minutes ticked by, ok, gesso takes a while to dry so I cheated and got the blow dryer out, then.....started with the inside cover with watercolor and allowed it to evolve from there. Here are the pics of my first entry. I chose the sun, a full of bling and color sun, because I believe we must all walk toward the light in our lives. For me, God is that light, but the sun, the created light here, surrounding me, is a gift he gave me and I choose to wrap myself in as much of it as I can. 

 The second page, well that is pretty much just me being me, and of course I had to add my Ardithian spin on it along with my five finger toe shoes, which are my fave shoes of all time. 
I also chose to add a heartfelt thanks, on my first entry, to my dear, sweet hubs, because without his patience and love, I wouldn't have the freedom to create, be a fruitcake at heart, or paint, so to you Bill....thank you and I love, love, love U! 

Where am I heading with this one????? Time will tell but I know this like I am breathing, this journal will be one I can show the grandkids, and the neighbors, and my fans many moons down the road. Wanna join me? 

My fabulous artist friend tagged me in a blog with some intriguing questions, which I shall list and answer here. Might give all of you a little more insight into ME, which on one hand I would say I would be shy to share, but on the other, I have a blog.....duh......shy doesn't equate with online sharing, LOL! 

1. If your life was a sitcom, who would you cast as yourself and your most important co-stars?

This is easy, take Raymond's sense of humor, put it on a body dressed in Betsy Johnson's fabulous clothes, must have rainbow colored hair by the way, working in a psyche ward as an art therapist. Surrounded by, of course, all folks who are thought to be "crazy" but in actuality, really know the secrets to life and share them freely, between meds of course, bahahhahahha. My most important co-stars would be the geeky guy from The Big Bang, because his intellect makes me want to bust a gut with laughter, which is oh, so important in my line of work. And.......Frazier Crane as my own, personal therapist. Last but not least,  the British lady priest on PBS, can't think of the name of her show, but I love her character!

2. Outdoor concerts: Yay or Nay? And why?
Yes, been to see Bob Dylan outdoors, which, sad to say was my only outdoors concert ever attended in 42 years.  I have often wanted to go to Bonaroo, but my health and funds make that all but impossible. Would love to catch Jimmy Buffett and Will Kimbrough this weekend, but the Ticketmaster Puppets cut my strings. 

3. If you could learn one new skill tomorrow and be absolutely awesome at it, what would it be and why?

Forensic Scientist. I have always, yes always, been fascinated by the human anatomy and skeletal system. Now the blood, I could do without that, but the actual study of the parts and structure would completely mesmerize me to no end. Hopefully, if I was really awesome at it, I could get be a physical engineer as well, and design spine replacements that function better than our own and last a lifetime.

4. What would your name have been if you were born the opposite gender?

I have never really been told that, but considering how strange and beautiful my name is, and the fact that people mistake me for a man all the time, hello catalog printers!!!!!!, I guess it would have been Ardith Lee instead of Ardith Lynn.

5. Uhoh! It's karaoke time. What do you sing?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow......of course

6. What's your guilty pleasure?
Orange Circus Peanuts, Charleston Chews, Cadbury Cream Eggs, foot massages, and by all means, sitting on the deck of a hut in Tahiti, toes dangling in the cosmic, icy blue water, the smell of coconuts in my hair, my sweet hubs beside me, but......haven't had that one yet......and I say yet.

7. #1 on the bucket list?
Oh geeze! The million dollar question.......but I am only going to share my number 2, not number one. Finally get my children's book finished, then published, then sell......

8. Best thing you ever ate?

Easiest question for me, my grandmother's chicken and dumplings

Thanks MEK for thinking about me. Go out into this day friends and find the beauty in it, even through pain, or sorrow, the beauty is there to be found, and to comfort!

In Tribute of Michael Dahl Jr.

When the phone rang some time ago and I saw the California area code, I knew who it was, and my heart sunk a little bit. Not because I didn't want to talk to this person, but I knew the conversation would be one of heart break and courage, and I prayed I was up for it. Last year I painted the Soldier's Cross of Courage and blogged about the process. Part of that process was honoring the soldier who had died the day the cross was created, Michael Dahl Jr., and this phone call was from his mother. A mother whom I had never met or talked with, but one who loved her son deeply and wanted to say thank you. 

Michael was the only soldier to die that day and after much prayer I knew it was in his honor that I used my artistic gifts to give a humble, simple thank you to him, and to all our service men and women who sacrifice so much so that I might live freely. This weekend is July 4th, Independence Day, and I find it quite beautiful that after a year of not being able to contact this family, and through the wise counsel of my mom, they contacted me. I had always wondered what Michael was like. My son is 19 and as I looked at him, I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to lose him. Patricia Dahl spent a good while sharing the story of her beautiful son with me, and here, I share a little bit of his story with you. 

Michael was a Christian who loved God with his whole heart. She told me how he kept his electronic bible with him and he would seek out church services to attend. He was two weeks from coming home when an IED damaged the tank he was driving. Patricia told me how great of a son he was, that he had the opportunity to thank her for being a great mom, and was looking forward to coming home, with his best friend, and attending a Laker's game. His younger brother adored him and to me, he sounded like a really phenomenal human being, which made my heart hurt because of such an enormous loss this was. 

After we talked for a while and exchanged our addresses I  promised her I would send her a copy of the cross. I then went and read about his memorial service in his town of Beaumont, Ca. and it became quite clear how much he was loved and will be missed. Being an artist is rewarding in  many ways, but I must say, this experience, to me, is what sharing our gifts with the world is all about. I could have been painting sea oats or magnolia leaves that day but I chose to listen to my heart instead. I'm grateful I did. Of course, I would have much rather learned about Michael for different reasons, but I trust the link where our paths crossed and know God will use it. 

I still find it strange that in our day to day lives it is so easy to be unaware, or apathetic, towards the loss of life in the wars abroad because it doesn't touch us personally. I challenge you on this Independence Day weekend to find a soldier, learn about him, honor him, and really discuss what it means to live in an independent country. I will never look at the flag again without thinking about Michael, or the lives who were lost from the day our country drew its first breath. I will never watch the fireworks on July 4th without seeing past the beauty of them and not understanding the sacrifices so many make for me to sit and enjoy them either. 

I love our country. I don't love war or the losses that happen because of them, but I understand the necessity of some of them. If I were a mother that lost a child due to the war, it would mean the world to me to know that he wasn't forgotten and didn't serve in vain. Thank you God for guiding my gifts to make a difference in one person's life. May I never take that gift for granted or forget what it means to be able to do what I love. 

Here is the link to one of Micheal's memorial articles and the picture of the Soldier's Cross of Courage. If you feel led, please share Micheal's story. 

Michael Dahl Jrs. Memorial Article

And here is the link to the original blog about the cross from last year:

The Soldier's Cross of Courage

Happy Fourth of July to you and your loved ones!

Ardith

Turning To Art For A Bit Of Sanity

Sanity is a pretty precious commodity in my world, how about yours? I often wonder how much more challenging or weird life can get,  and then I turn the T.V. on, and a graphic dose of reality slams me in the gut, which quickly makes me know how 'normal' my life truly is, compared to most. But, as any creative person knows, normal is no state of mind that lends itself to being artistically productive, so finding that fine line between normal and funkatatively weird is my goal each morning. Often though, I fall a bit short, feeling like a sane life is simply a cruel oxymoron wrapped up in clothes stitched with 'normal' threads, and I am left wondering where the balance is. 

Art plays a huge role in my world in helping me find that balance. It seems lately that images of despair, hopelessness, anger, and death are all around us. Really???? Turn the boob toob on and think "oil", enough said about that. So in the interim, in those brief little moments that my psyche needs to stay 'sane', I turn to art, a God given gift which I am grateful for.  

Art surrounds me, at least that's how I perceive the world, through art lenses you could say. On days I get really down, or am having to deal with a pain crisis, I choose to watch the sunlight flicker through the colored glass bottles along the window seal, or grab my color crayons and add a page to my prayer journal. My prayer journal is a new thing for me. Not the prayer or the journal part, but the art part. I find that drawing through my prayers helps calm my mind, keeps me focused, and gives me a much more open channel than simply talking to God. In fact, I find that he talks to me a lot more through my art than in my head, and I am really cool with that. 

I have also spent quite a lot of time lately praying for the animals in our Gulf. The oily pictures shown on the media networks are hard to look at. I find myself sometimes being ambivalent or apathetic to be perfectly honest, but when my heart kicks in and lets a tiny bit of that reality hit home, I cringe at the horror of it all. So, I have started spending the moments that Bill and I spend glued to the evening news as art time. Using my watercolors and ink, I paint images of the unique animal life in our Gulf in 3" miniatures.  I kind of like to think it's my way of feeling sane and embracing all things lovely that are in harms way at least. 

The Green Room is another venue that I chose to participate in to help the Gulf through art. It's an  art show focusing on the beautiful flora and fauna of our Gulf region and all the  artwork is up for auction.  Part of the proceeds go the Mobile Baykeeper and The Mobile Arts Council. I donated my part to Mobile Baykeeper as well. My piece, "The Mermaid Angel Prayer", shares a prayer for the animals affected, in a whimsical sort of way. The least I could do is use my art, my gift, to give back to those innocent beings we share this planet with. You can visit the Mobile Arts Council up until the 25th to place a bid, and I encourage any and all to bid with their hearts and love for all things earthly and beautiful.

Sanity, or the perception of it, comes and goes around here. But one thing I know like I am breathing is this: No matter what craziness, tragedy, or heart break I face, God has given me art to use as a way to cope with it all, and that makes my life beautiful. If you are struggling with understanding all this craziness that surrounds you, I would encourage you to try and work through it with art. You don't need to be an artist, you simply need to grab a pencil, some crayons, or some paint, and work through your feelings on paper. It's much healthier than some other vices, and you just might be surprised with how much more 'sane' you feel afterwords, if only for a brief respite.

Here is the mermaid painting, along with two of the 3" miniatures of the Gulf animals. (Yes, pink dolphins do exist, they are actually very rare albino dolphins.)
 
May beauty surround you today, and my you have the eyes and heart to see it!  ((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))

 

Fight the Oil Spill with Art

What a month this has been! The news about the oil spill was jaw dropping and day by day it seems to get worse. Some days, I didn't know if I could bear to watch the news or not, and others kept my eyes glued to the tube. It's hard for me to believe that the lack of oversight and actions by a few could cause such a catastrophe but they did. I shouldn't be surprised should I? Minute by minute my emotions change from anger, to deep sadness, to WTH and I am sure most of my friends and family feel the same way. 

Yesterday, oil made it's way to Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores. Those are two places I hold near and dear. As a child, my grandfather and uncles worked tirelessly to build a cabin off of Fort Morgan and our entire family spent the summers there. If I close my eyes I can recall walking in the blistering hot sand as we unpacked the car. No one could play until that car was unloaded. The dunes stood almost higher than our houses and we had tons of fun rolling down them. In the evening, the big guys would take a net out and pull it in and we were able to pick through the bounty the Gulf provided. Those were the days, some of my most precious moments as a child. 

Dauphin Island is also precious to me. When I first started dating Bill almost 14 years ago our second date was at Bright Waters. He had a beach house on the West End that faced the Gulf and I can remember like it was yesterday when I pulled up and saw Brandon picking oyster shells in the driveway and little Katie running around like a water fairy. Most of our weekends were spent there when it wasn't rented and it was a magical place, for family, for taking in the beauty of the island, and I miss it terribly. Sadly, Hurricane Ivan took the house, and before we could rebuild, Hurricane Katrina took the lot, so our time at Dauphin Island ended, which left a deep hole in our hearts. 

As we watched the oil spill, the enormous plumes gushing out of the pipe, and took in the new, "oil forecast", we quickly realized that life along the coast was going to change for a long time. Friends from up north seemed concerned, but until you have visited the Gulf I fear one just can't comprehend the beauty of it, and the loss of it. As an artist, it is difficult to sit by feeling helpless, in fact, I can't stand that. So, many artist are coming together to do what we do best, PAINT!

Several auctions will be hosted between here and Pensacola in the coming weeks. The first one I am participating in will be at the Mobile Arts Council here in Mobile. "The Green Room" is an auction celebrating the mission of The Mobile Baykeepers. That organization works so hard in keeping our coast, bay, and watershed clean and the animals protected. Proceeds will be split between them, Mobile Arts Council and the artist, but I just may donate my share as well. 

Here is the painting I am donating for it, "Mermaid Angel Prayer." I love mermaids, and I thought turning one into an angel for the animals would be swell. There is a poem around the edge, it goes like this:

Mermaid Angel sent from Heaven, 
listen to her prayer, 
a prayer for all the creatures, 
in the ocean, land, and air. 

Protect them from the harm
that is around them everywhere,
from human greed and actions
causing harm with needless care.

Protect them one, 
Protect them all, 
these creatures great and small. 


It's a simple poem but one that I feel has a powerful message between the lines. My heart is breaking. I am holding close to my faith during these times, praying for a miracle, but it seems that the actions of man are too damaging to reverse and I can only imagine God's heart is breaking as well. I will encourage all of you to find some way for your gifts to help the cause of protecting our coast. It sure is better than sitting by and waiting for the sky to fall, or shall I say, the black wave to roll in!

Swapping My Art Story For A Cake - Brilliant!

Facebook can open doors unexpectedly, I am slowly figuring out, some worth walking through, and some worth running away from like your life depended on it. Thankfully, the door which led to the cake was well worth stepping through. You see, a few weeks ago a friend and fellow artist/teacher, Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough put out a call on FB for an artist to come speak to her art students at Bishop State and the payoff was a cake. I jumped toward the cake with pure excitement!

What I didn't realize, of course, was that she needed someone to give a 50 minute talk, so this would be no ordinary show up and answer a few art questions/mingle thing. I actually had to share a picture of my art journey as a presentation and that at first gave me great pause, cake or not.  The teacher in me had no problem talking to groups, in fact, I missed that experience quite a bit, but that was sharing information about academic topics, not about me, my art, my beliefs, my story, and the personal nature of this was daunting.....at first.

As I began to ponder what I would talk about, what these students needed to hear, and what part of my journey I would NOT talk about I realized I needed to know where it got started, my art path that is, and built it from there. Luckily, being the collector and pack rat that I am, I was able to dig up some art samples as far back as third grade, and proceeded to create a movie about how my art developed from childhood and eventually led to a full time art career. The walk down memory lane was beautiful and priceless, and I quickly learned that this experience was as much for my benefit as it was for those students or MEK, and I was grateful. 

Now, if you have ever been asked to give a presentation then you know things don't always go as planned, and this day was no different. There was a hibernation issue with the computer, a once in a blue moon fire alarm, and a rather warm upstairs. But, we just rolled with the punches and despite the interruptions, I felt it went pretty well. 

The students at Bishop reminded me so much of some of the students I had taught at younger ages. They were from all walks of life, some challenging more than others, but they seemed attentive and engaged in what I had to share. I chose to present my journey as one from a person who, despite life throwing me medical and emotional curves, made the best of what I was given. I knew I was an imaginative, creative child, but I was no art prodigy. I simply took the gift of creativity, and after going on disability, used it well, and am proud of that. 

After the presentation I went to lunch with MEK and we were able to get to know each other a bit better, which was another high lite of my day. Mary is studying for her PhD and by the way her students responded to her, I believe she is already a master educator, let alone artist. Her collages are bright, beautifully colored, but layered with meaning and background around a theme she is studying. It was her artwork that drew me to her on FB, and I am thankful that her artwork has now led to a friendship. I am surrounded by wonderful artists in my life and feel that is one way God shows me favor. They are some of the most intelligent, creative, and loving beings I know, and I am honored to know so many. After sharing with MEK's class, I said a little thank you prayer to the big guy upstairs. 

To me, art inspires all of us one way or the other, and I was able to inspire a few new folks with my simple story of being a creative, passionate person. I felt right at home that day, surrounded by students, by a fellow artist, by crazy interruptions, but most of all, by a common belief that art and life are beautiful and meant to be shared. That to me is the icing on top of the cake~!

MEK writes a blog where she shares her vast knowledge of art history, love of family, and beautiful artwork with the world. I encourage you to stop by and check it out. 
http://mekonline.blogspot.com/2010/04/thank-you.html

Here is one of her latest pieces of artwork as well:

And, here is the link to the movie I created and shared with her students. It's 18 minutes long, filled with relaxing, peaceful music and some interesting art, so I hope some of you will spend some time checking it out and let me know what you think. 
Peace Friends, Ardith
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow?fl=3186943&alb=0

Why I am choosing to write about dolls I found buried for years.

I had no idea how much a simple walk in the woods would change my artistic calendar, but change it did. I had simply gone out to visit the 42 acres we own, to see what my hubs had been up to and accidentally walked up on Found Baby. She was buried in the ground, the same ground that Bill had been working on clearing the past few days, but he never saw her. After pulling her out of the ground, and then photographing her, the images seemed to draw not only me in, but many people and friends who saw them on Facebook. I also realized that she was 49 years old, made in 1961, and that just added more to the mystery of how exactly she came to be here, under our feet.

I had to think about that for a while. I had to really consider what or who it was she represented, by her haunting images. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that a doll could actually have a voice, but Found Baby does, simply by how she looks, and the emotions she invokes in people when they see her. Getting past her creepy looks was part of the process for me. I first thought she was creepy like most who saw her, until I looked past her physical features and imagined what could have happened to cause her to go from looking like a princess to looking like she does now. Some journey must have taken place, so the idea for her blog was born.

I also can't negate the fact that I myself relate to her a good bit. Many things about my history are similar to her fictional one, at least metaphorically speaking, so getting under the skin of this doll wasn't too hard for my creative brain. What I didn't expect was to find other dolls, that for some reason, they just kept showing up on our property, and that was strange too. Several days ago after I had been out at Dulcinea, which is what we call our property, I specifically wasn't looking for any more dolls. Found Baby had caused quite a stir in our household, so I was in "dump digging time out," LOL. As I was walking past the pile, after it had rained, a tiny, peach colored foot was sticking straight up out of the ground, like it was waving to get my attention. When I dug that doll up, its body was shaped like it had been running for its life, which cracked me up. Later, I found its head and just like Found Baby, it was creepy at first. Found Friend has similar hair and skin issues, except its skin and face seemed scorched, but not melted, and is 46 years old. Go figure, doll #2, found under strange circumstances. 

And then yesterday, after I had just told Bill that I doubted there was anything further to find, and if there was, it would find a way of showing itself, Bill walked past a tree and his foot landed on yet another baby, buried half way with its head exposed. This poor thing only had a head and ambulatory arms past it's neck, but when I searched for a pic of it, I found that it was really Little Miss Echo, a doll that repeated everything you say, and was made in 1966. So the oddity and creepiness continued, but the impact Found Baby has had on people hasn't. 

I don't know where the journey of Found Baby will take us. Artistically, I am challenged to find new ways to photograph her, and that is exciting to me. I am also challenged as a writer to develop her story in a way that advocates for victims of abuse, suffering, or neglect, and that is a huge challenge also, within the context of her being a fictional character. As she evolves, it is clear she has more than one voice, and each just as powerful as the other I believe. 

Then there is the God component in this story that I find intriguing. I don't believe in coincidences. As weird as it sounds, I believe it was no accident that these dolls were found when they were, and how they were. I believe God might have had a hand in helping me look down in that moment, to see a little doll buried for the past 30 some odd years. I believe he can use my creativity as a message of hope, togetherness, and ultimately that love will prevail to reach some people and I pray my beliefs here are right. I guess in the long run we will see. 

If you have read Found Baby's blog, thank you, and would you please consider sharing her link and story with others. There is power in a message of survival, and I feel there are many out there who need to be exposed to hope. If you are totally creeped out by her, that's perfectly fine too. It won't hurt my feelings one bit, but I encourage you to read her blog, from the beginning and it just might change your lenses on how you see her. Yes, this whole experience is a bit strange, but it has such great potential to be a unique work of art. I pray I am up for the challenge. 

This is how I found Found Baby.

This is how I saw Found Friend before I dug her up.

This is the third doll Bill Found, Little Miss Echo. 

To see all of Found Baby's and her friends images, you can visit my fan page on Facebook, The Artwork of Ardith Goodwin, and see her album.

Kandinsky's "Murnau Street with Women" Art Gown

 

 Black Light Image

 

 Day Light Image

Do you ever sit down and think about the date and then wonder, where did the time go? I am having one of those moments as I type this, where on earth has the time gone? 
For me, it has flown by with minutes of extreme happiness, insanity, confusion, illness, and in between all of that lots of paint and lovin! One of the projects I worked on the past few weeks was the Artgown project for Blue Velvet Studios. 

Karen Cassidy, the owner of Blue Velvet, came up with the unique idea of asking local artists to paint a wedding gown like a famous painting or painter. The idea was intriguing to me so I jumped at the chance and chose to paint Kandinsky's "Murnau Street with Women" for several reasons. He is my favorite, way favorite of all time, and this painting is full of color, which speaks to me. It would also be part of a black light show so the combination of painting a dress, with tons of color, like Kandinsky, that glows in the dark, was to good to pass up!

I had no idea how physically challenging it would be. My niece, Savannah, helped me block out the design and initial color which was a huge help. At the end of day one though, both our necks were in bad shape so I knew this would be a project to take in baby steps over weeks, not days. As the design took shape, I kept getting more and more excited! 

Along with the physical challenge I had to take a crash course in black light painting. I had always assumed fluorescent and glow in the dark paint where equal. WRONG! I knew this gown had to illuminate under black lights, but I also had to figure out how to be true to the painting and still have this piece come alive with darkness. 

In the end, I painted it so it does both. It illuminates under black light and when all the lights are off, in pitch black, it gently glows like the stars, which is way cool. Adding textile medium was a must, but even so, due to the amount of the paint that polyester and rayon soak up, it ended up being a bit stiff, but not hard. 

Tonight, during Artwalk at Blue Velvet Studios on Dauphin St., this dress along with many other paintings will be on display for their one night only black light show. Next month, during the Arts Alive Festival April 9-11, it will be part of the artgown fashion show, where up to 20 different artgowns can be seen, all painted by local artists. 

As a visual artist it is easy to get used to painting on paper or canvas, but I would encourage anyone of you to step out of your comfort zone and find a community art project to participate in such as this. Below are some pics, beginning with Kandinsky's painting, and then the dress. I will add some shots from the show tomorrow as well. You can also view the entire album on my FB fanpage, you can see the link over to the right of this page.(Pictures at the top are of the actual show!)