maureenthomasdesigns.com blog

Hope to see you there! Here’s a link for more info:
http://artisansfestival.org
Maureen
http://maureenthomasdesigns.com

Before the rains began on Friday I headed out to take a few photos of the fall garden. Seems the unusual weather this year (extra long, rainy spring and relatively mild summer) contributed to some beautiful autumn foliage. The old Bartlett trees that are scattered among the surrounding properties are brilliant orange, the oaks are turning lovely subtle russet, and the barberries are a beautiful deep red. The rains brought down lots of leaves so I’m happy that I captured some of the colors first.

Maureen

Back to the treasure chest! I pulled another drawer from my many little drawers of fun stuff a few weeks back, but I forgot to post a picture because I was in a hurry to finish a batch of Halloween and autumn jewelry for the Blue Line Gallery in Roseville. This was not a random pick because I knew inside this drawer lurked some cool metal spider web stampings. Vintage, I believe, because I’ve done a pretty recent and thorough search and have not found any new ones at any of my usual sources. If you recognize the spider webs…..PLEASE drop me a line because I’d love some more!

In addition to the spider webs, this drawer contains some fun souvenir stamped pennies from Disneyland and the Skunk Train, some pressed paper flower beads (broken, so now they are cabochons), an old tiger’s eye pendant, a lucite/resin vintage red striped pyramid, and miscellaneous metal beads and drops.

Because I love the spider webs and can’t find more I’ve been holding on to them for dear life. I didn’t quite like the bright shininess of them so I knocked down the finish with a torch until they were dingy and more spider-worthy. A simple molded and antiqued polymer clay spider was all it needed to become a fun Halloween pendant. Mine, all mine!

Two treasure drawers down and many more to go!

Have a spooky Halloween…….
Maureen

I’ve had a piece tucked away for the Autumn Art Studios Tour preview show for some time (thought I was way ahead of the game). I then decided to submit something a bit more seasonal and ended up scrambling up until the deadline to complete it in time.

We have an abundance of oak trees and acorns on our property. Acorns are everywhere, but I still get excited every time a find a “perfect” specimen. I pick them up by the pocketsful and end up with bowls of them every fall. I decided to make molds of a few exceptionally large ones recently and that was my inspiration for this necklace. The focal bead is a molded polymer acorn, the tiles were each impressed with a different oak leaf, and then they were textured with silicone sheets created from either the bark or cut surface of an oak branch.

The AAST preview show opens this Thursday (Oct. 14) at the ARTS Building in downtown Auburn. Please check the PlacerArts website for details. I hope to see you there!

Maureen
www.maureenthomasdesigns.com

Hot, hot, hot! We apparently are paying the price for enjoying a beautiful and “cool” summer. Record-breaking temperatures over the past week have left the garden pretty tired-looking. I can’t wait for things to cool down…let the autumn colors begin please! This week’s garden photos felt a bit unexciting so I decided to try a little Photoshop magic on them.

Getting the studio ready for the Placer county studio tour (AAST) in November and beginning to panic as I realize that I need to have something ready for the tour preview show by the end of next week! More creating and less computering would help…..bye!

Maureen

Anxiously awaiting some fall color in the garden. We’ve had a few sprinkles and gorgeous autumn-like weather. Looking forward to a chill in the air and falling leaves! Here’s what’s going in in my garden these days. I particularly like the sunflower petals which are perfect inspiration for a layered Ikat Skinner blend cane…

Maureen

Recent challenges with my local polymer clay guild (Clayville California), my local arts guild (PlacerArts), and various Flickr photo groups have taken me in art directions I hadn’t been before. Art challenges can get you out of a rut or pull you out of an “art block” and encourage you to try colors or techniques you’ve never used before.

I’ve really been enjoying my weekly mini photo safaris. My photography skills have definitely been improving and an extra bonus is viewing the pictures on the computer. A snapshot will often provide a better appreciation of an interesting color combination or an intriguing texture. Great for art inspiration!

The IPCA introduced a new photo challenge. I am thrilled that they chose my closed sunflower picture as the first “inspiration photo”. Please check it out and see where the clay takes you. I’m looking forward to seeing the entries!

You would think that lots of bright sunshine would make for beautiful garden photographs, but that’s just not the case. Morning seems to be the best time for me to take great pictures, while it’s light but before the sun really starts shining. I typically go out about 6am to take my weekly garden shots, but I got a late start today. So, I went on the hunt for some interesting shadows about 9am. I think these are the most interesting shots from today.

Maureen

I like to take my Monday morning garden pictures when it’s light, but before the sun starts to shine-bright without shadows. Got a late start this morning so I raced out with my macro lens and no tripod. I lucked out and got a few good closeup shots just after the sprinklers ran. I’m encouraged to try some more water droplet shots with the macro lens. If you do a Flickr search with the word “drop” or “droplet” you’ll pull up some amazing pictures.

I’ve got a tip to share (unless I’m the only one who didn’t know how to do this). A fellow Flickr member noticed that I have been watermarking my photos with (c) before my name. He filled me in on how to create a © instead! I’m running Microsoft Windows XP and I don’t know if the steps would be different if you have a different system:
~Hold down the Alt key
~Using the number keypad type 0-1-6-9
~Release the Alt key
~Voila!

I learned another cool trick today, but I’ll save that for tomorrow…

Maureen

Kim Swearingen’s Gypsy Tour blog has inspired me to clear out some clutter. Some of it gets in my husband’s way. A lot of it has been getting in my way. I feel much more creative when I have lots of materials at my fingertips. I found that to be true during the many years that sewing was my passion (lots of fabric, threads, buttons, patterns, and tools). Also true with my beadwork (can never have too many beads and findings). Throw in the many other art endeavors in which I have dabbled and soon there’s tons of fun stuff to store. Many items cross over so it’s difficult to clear things out of the studio because “you never know….” The hanging on is reinforced each time you discover that a gadget stashed waaaaaay in the back has a new or unexpected use (sure glad I didn’t get rid of THAT!). But there’s a fine line between lots of good stuff and a goat explosion.

My “treasure chests” are little hardware cabinets that are jammed full of lovely vintage findings, old clasps, single fabulous earrings waiting for new lives, cabochons, bits of chain, game pieces, etc, etc, etc. Many treasures have been forgotten because they’re drowning in stuff I’m likely never to use.

220 little drawers. My husband has been challenging me to dive in, pull something out, and be inspired to create some new work. So, every few days I plan to randomly open a drawer and find something to either be rid of or to incorporate into a piece of jewelry or other art. Tomorrow will be Day One!

Maureen