New Feature ( aka stalking victim)

Tonight, it is my pleasure to introduce you to someone I have wanted you to meet for days (if you haven't already). I met Shelagh Duffet of Alice in Paris loves Art and Tea through the One World One Heart blogging event and immediately fell in love with her, her blog, and her work in my infamous stalker-ing ways. Without further ado, and with her permission, I want to show you just a smidge of her paintings and photography . . . (it was very, very difficult to choose just a few!)



It is hard to say if I like her photography best or her paintings. She is so very talented at both. Her Etsy sites are http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335555 and http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5255904. But please go to her blog as well. She is a very gifted writer, one to challenge some of my other favorite thought-putter-downers. And, I have found we have some things in common, in my stalker investigation . . . I used to have the exact same reading glasses as she shows in one of her blog posts (I left them on the pop tart shelf at the grocery store sometime last spring - but I doubt if she buys pop tarts OR slim jims), we both have graying hair (unless she has recently gone to the dark side, literally), her bday was the 8th of January and mine was the 18th, both capricorns, both have teenage daughters, and both used to build forts and wander the woods and play in brooks and the moss. I have not figured out her age and she is prettier than I, but I find myself wondering if we are long lost sisters or cousins. I digress . . .

Back to her artwork . . . her paintings remind me of Madeline books. It may be the Paris reference, I don't know. But the color and boldness and clean crisp shapes make me feel like a sophisticated child in my sheer involvement when I look at her work. I just dive in and let my imagination soar, complete with warm cozy sensations and a smile on my face in utter contentment. So, please go give her a good stalkering for me!

What about ebay?

I have found several artists today that sell their original pieces through ebay and prints through etsy. Anyone have any ideas or opinions about this route? Feel free to say whatever.

Now I know it's Saturday afternoon

. . . cuz my house is full of people and things to do. The only thing suffering from my lack of sleep today is my back. I have a kink just above one of my shoulder blades from sitting and cutting too much for too many hours. So, I'm done for today, I think, and will do other chores.

Fig. 729 Fun in Love


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.31.09
5 x 7 collage using a vintage face, reprinted, trimmed and hand-colored (even whitened her teeth!), with a dress, hands, and hat cut from pieces from paperstreet.etsy.com, boots from a catalog, butterfly wings used with a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, other wings from jackandcatcurio, vintage paper scraps, and originally made hearts, label and trim. All are arranged on an antique encyclopedia page.

729 is my anniversary - over 20 years ago. In tribute to my fun and loving marriage.

I really, really need to make backgrounds - today or tomorrow. I keep making these Figure pieces cuz I'm plum out! When I get a couple for more, more colorful pieces done this week, I'll be listing on Etsy. Have to take some pictures of other stuff I want to list first.

Saturday morning, I think . . .

My son is really battling this flu and I have not slept proper hours or in the proper place since Wednesday. I woke up on the couch in a panic that everyone had overslept this morning and I had only been asleep for 2 hours, forgot it was Saturday. Went back to cat napping until a few minutes ago. I wanted to get this piece up before I tackle the day. Posting the piece helps me move onto the next one. Sometimes, I just get tired of working on the same piece, like this one. Now that she's done I've thought of some ways I 'd like to rework parts of it, but alas, I am tired of this one and posting it makes it done.

Fig. 23. Inner Beauty


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.30.09
5 x 7 collage using vintage images from paperstreet.etsy.com, reprinted, further hand-colored, and carefully trimmed and arranged with butterflies used with a license agreement with Butterfuly Utopia, and other images from flickr's collage images group. All are arranged on a 100 year old encyclopedia page with originally made trim and label.

About this piece . . .
I am not as happy with this figure as the first two. I was struggling with how to say what I wanted and I just didn't find the way I wanted. This piece was inspired from the lady and her post I suggested you read in another post on my blog. I don't know Karin of Creative Chaos very well but I've been following her blog since I discovered it through the One World One Heart blog event. The piece she wrote about losing her hair in her battle against cancer is still so moving to me, I think of it everyday. It was so profoundly and beautifully written. I told my husband last night that she is a hero to me, that I wish I could muster up just an ounce of her integrity and strength and most beautiful spirit to battle my everyday mundane life, let alone should I ever have to fight as something as big as she is - with such poise and honesty and humor and being real. This piece is my way of saying she is just as beautiful without hair as she is with it, that she is a true example of beauty coming from within - that she is prettier than what SHE sees in the mirror, her true reflection is much more beautiful than she even knows. So maybe, because of her, I had a lot of expectations for this piece and a lot that I wanted to convey and my disappointment in it stems from just plain old biting off more than I could chew on this one. The number 23 comes from the date she learned she had cancer.

Guess What . . .

I am still in my pajamas today! But, I am soon off to shower and change that. I'm compromising today by doing this seemingly lost ritual of mine in the afternoon. I started this about 4 hours ago - not as long as yesterday's took.

Fig. 39. Former Wallflower . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.30.09
5 x 7 collage using vintage pictures, reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with a dress and flowers from paperstreet.etsy.com and wings used under a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, all arranged on a 100 year old encyclopedia page with originally made trim and label.

Symbolism in this piece . . .

• She's holding scissors to symbolize cutting herself out of the wallpaper and off of the wall and "freeing" all the other flowers too.
• She also cut her dress shorter, revealing she doesn't need to cover up all the time.
  
• 39 comes from the idea that women about to turn 40 are entering a new phase in their life. One in which they know enough and have experienced enough they get a little braver to say what they mean, do what they want, and dance in their new found freedom to just be who they know they are!
• The dress is made from a vintage greeting card from paperstreet.etsy.com but it is upside down. If you look you can see there's a vase that leads up to her head. The upside down vase symbolizes spilling yourself out, letting it flow.

Thank you! Thank you for all of your encouraging words and support. I am truly touched by all. Now I'm really nervous about listing on Etsy, but I will after I get a few more things made. If you're not able to get the piece you have your eye on or can't afford anything right now, I will be making more pieces along these lines for awhile. I plan to do a whole series of "Figures" and maybe some more simple Zetti Fairy portraits like I have made the last couple of days. To date I have not made or sold prints. I just have this thing about only selling original pieces. I am considering making prints but, I don't know, we'll see.

With one piece finished for today, which is usually my goal - a piece a day, I hope to take some time to blog hop and flickr hop and give support back to everyone that gives it to me and beyond. It really is evident to me that support makes a difference in someone's life or day or hour. Gotta pay all of your kindnesses forward! Have a good weekend!

Symbolism and miscellanea . . .

Long post . . .

I hang myself up with symbolism usually. That's the battle with being trite I go through. I know I am, by nature, trite in my work. Either make it too obvious and over the top or incorrectly assume everyone knows what's going on in my weird and busy head and no one gets it and then I just appear strange. Anyway, I am having the most fun, slow fun, but fun exploring the Zetti world and finding my own Zetti forms. Here's today's piece, and yes, by slow I mean it took me almost all day, off and on, to get it all pulled together (some of you prolific folks are probably wondering why the heck it took me so long to make this little piece). I'll tell you about the symbolism after the picture. (you can click on it to see it larger)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.29.09
5 x 7 collage using a vintage picture, reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with eggs and dress using pieces from paperstreet.etsy.com, wings used with a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, shoes, and hands from the public domain, crown from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, and flowers from Dover clipart. The background is a 100 year old encyclopedia page. The title and trim were originally made.

Symbolism for this piece . . .

• Well, it's probably obvious that she's walking on egg shells meaning that finding balance in life is sometimes a delicate matter.
  
• Her hands use the "om" posture symbolizing self-reflection to find your center of well being, your heart and what it says to you.
  
• She wears red shoes like Dorothy to communicate the importance of home.
  
• "Fig. 43" comes from my age and my figure is very similar to hers!
• The background is an old encyclopedia page about chemistry. As if there is some formula to finding balance.
  
• And, the flowers reflect the balance every woman needs to find to keep everything going for everbody else in her life. For instance, you are about to get too much information, but I was able to finish and scan this piece, upload it, and write about it whilst doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, washing dishes, and cleaning up after my 17 year old throwing up every 20 min. with the flu. (Yes this part does not go away the older your kids get - they need "mommy" when they are sick. "Shouldn't you take my temperature? What if it's like 106? Shouldn't we call the doctor?" And me saying, "I've been doing this for 17 years now Shawn. I know what the doctor will say and your fever is not 106." "Can I have Dad's laptop so I can go to WebMD because this has to be more than a flu." "Shawn, everyone thinks that when they have the flu. I promise you don't need to consult WebMD. You have MomMD" I'm sure I'll be sleeping nearby so I will wake up and hear him should he need me tonight.)

The miscellanea parts

I'm wondering if any of you are like me . . .

• I am finding that I always like my latest piece the best. Well, not always, but usually. (I didn't like the "let go, hold on" piece I made yesterday) I think that tells me that I am growing, learning, advancing. I HOPE that's the case. I hope I'm not getting worse at this. I find that I can't hardly stand pieces I made after a few days, sometimes after a few hours. I keep hesitating to list anything on etsy because I don't even like most of them anymore. There's a few, like some of the Eva fairies, that I will probably always like. The bad or sad thing is, that no matter how much I like something I made today, I'll probably not like it next week. So, the only "feeling content" for me is in the making and a few minutes or hours later, looking at it and thinking "I made that". In a few days it will be "why the heck did I make THAT?"

I am planning to make some more "Figurative" pieces like the one above . . .

• I don't know that I'll get as lucky with the symbolism with any others. This one just fell together. I think that's my artist voice talking to me or my muse who, by the way, seems to neglect me and make me struggle through most of my pieces . I want a new muse.
  
• And though I so envy the art journalers of the world, for the time being, I'm okay telling the story with just pictures and an explanation now and then that can be ignored by the viewer if they prefer to make up their own story. I got my BFA degree by putting words to pictures and maybe there is some repulsion for me to do that in "my" art now. Maybe I am finally making what my guts want me to make instead of what I think I should be able to make or was required to make. Maybe my art soul is being rebellious. I used to teach calligraphy to adults when I was still in high school. I was the Governor of South Dakota's calligrapher. I should be able to letter things, but that door is sealed shut tight and I cannot get over the fear of trying it again. I would almost rather get a root canal.

I have discovered something about wearing pajamas all day . . .

• (Funny that you brought this up Shellypaints!) For the last few months, I relished living the day in my pajamas and shamefully, not bothering to shower every day. I know. I do. I know what horrific thought this brings to mind. I have gotten lazy. It reminded me of the days when the kids were babies and that was just sometimes the norm, the necessity. There used to be a great commercial for Supercuts I think, that showed a mom and how awful she looked neglecting herself everyday for the sake of the family until she got a new haircut and became a supermodel. Maybe I just need a new "doo".
  
• So living in pj's reminded me of babies and I could justify that art was my baby now. It needed a lot of attention. I could be eccentric and thoroughly enjoy NOT having a boss, or hygiene or fashion protocol, or a schedule to keep up with. I was free. Free to be stinky and ugly and let my body morph into roomy pajama bottom shape.
  
• This week, for some reason, twice I have decided to take a shower, in the morning no less, not at night every other day like I was. And, I have to say, I get more done when I am dressed, (legs shaved, Cha Cha) and ready to go. I think it has been something with this feeling of needing to be ready to go at any moment to take care of my dad. Have to have all of my little ducks in a row (already thinking of a piece to illustrate that).
• So, this is a good thing, as my hubby will tell you. I have learned that I can be creative, maybe more so, if I am dressed and ready to go.

I think that's enough for tonight. I need to blog hop and visit all of my pals and see what they are up to.

A little simpler . . .

Ahhh, much better or at least more comfortable for me.

Simple Zetti with Lucky Fish


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.28.09
5 x 7 collage using an image from outsiderartists.com, wings used under license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, dress from paperstreet.etsy.com, and Dover clipart, arranged on a watercolored background with ribbon trim.

My first Zetti-ish fairy journal-ish type page . . .

Talk about feeling awkward. Boy, do I! Out of my comfort zone. But stretching helps you grow, I know. Well, the Zetti-ish thing came together pretty easily on my own and the other major pieces too (thanks to Nancy Baumiller and the Collage Play with Crowabout border pieces for this week's challenge) but I soo, sooo, sooo struggled with the background. I am just not ready for lettering. I cheated big time. I finally just printed over my rubber stamped background in the printer. I promise to work on lettering. (You can click on the picture to see it in more detail.)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.28.09
8 x 10 collage using vintage images from the public domain, Dover clipart, lisasalteredart.etsy.com, and paperstreet.etsy.com, and borders from scraps and Nancy Baumiller. Arranged on a rubber stamped and digitially printed background.

Dad update . . .

For those of you praying with me and thinking good thoughts, I just hung up from talking with him. It is not the news we were hoping for. His angiogram revealed that he needs a quadruple bypass to prevent a heart attack he is at great risk of having before they can fix the aneurysm. He meets with the surgeon on the 4th to find out when. More waiting with a plane ride tagged on - ooohhh, big deep breaths. Darn it, I wish I would have gotten that airplane window I had on my Christmas list so I could practice breathing next to it! (http://tumblefishstudio.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas-wish-list-continued.html) Keep thinking good thoughts. God has a plan.

Hold onto your hats . . .

Something a little different from me.

Fairy in Gray . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.27.09
3 3/4 4 3/4 collage using a vintage image and wings used with a license agreement from Butterfly Utopia, all reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored using various shades of gray ink, and arranged with paper scraps and ribbon.

Okay, so she still has a hat and wings but NO COLOR. Don't know what came over me this morning but I was challenging myself to try and not use color - just exploring how things would look without it. I'm okay with it. May do some more today. But, then I'll be back in color later.

Still waiting for news.

Just waiting . . .

. . . with Tulips


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/26/09
5 x 7 collage using a vintage image from Outsider Artists outsider-artists.net, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored, tulips from Dover clipart, and scrap trims all arranged on a watercolored vintage encyclopedia page.

I was going to list on Etsy today but it's too tedious. My dad is in his procedure right now and I know they do millions of them a year, but I am still a bit anxious today. I'm going to try and start another piece and "escape". Don't know if I'll hear tonight or in the morning how it went. I'll let you know.

Added later, a little goofing around with extra pieces . . .

A Little Ditty (and kinda ugly - oh well. What doesn't work is as important as what does) . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.26.09
3 3/4/ x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage image from Outsider Artists outsider-artists.net, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored, cloud stickers by EK Success, wings licensed with agreement form Butterfly Utopia, all on a watercolored background.

In the wee hours . . .

. . . I found a . . .

Perfect Day . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/26/09
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using vintage images, reprinted, carefully trimmed and slightly hand-colored and arranged with wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia, cloud stickers by EK Success, and original trims on a watercolored background.

Dedicated to my honey for making everyday as perfect as he can for me! (who I am so thankful is in my bed keeping it warm for me and will wake up, cuddle up and tell me he loves me when I go into bed in a few minutes and then, a few minutes later, when I ask him to roll over because his snoring is keeping me awake, he'll say he's sorry and he loves me, again.) Here's some of my favorite pix of my sweetie (I'm leaving a bunch of years out but these are some of my favorites) . . .

21 years ago . . .



20 years ago . . . (with me on a movie set and then hubby on our way back to get my degree)




15 years ago . . . (with daughter and then all of us)



12 years ago . . . (with son playing pirate)



Just a couple of years ago . . .



Today was a perfect day, or is going to be a perfect day. On Sunday, which still seems like today since it's 1 a.m. and I am still in the day of Sunday except it is now technically Monday, I cleaned the house, the kids did chores (for once), the laundry is almost done, the fridge is full, we actually cooked a real dinner, the bills are paid, the banking is done, my art stuff is put away, my hubby is home from his business trip, my sheets awaiting me are clean and tight (no bed wrinkles), and I am ready for Monday!

My dad is having an angiogram today (Monday) so please say some prayers. We'll find out what is going on with his heart and see if they can get in and fix that aneurysm. I'll know the details on Tuesday. Thanks everybody!

There's somethin' about Mary . . .

Mary Haldeman that is. (click her name to see her photostream). I discovered altered art a little over a year ago. I must've been living under a rock, right? Well, it so happened that I discovered it while researching art projects for my K-8th grade students and ran across Artist Trading Cards for the first time. That opened up a whole new world for me - one I don't know how I missed now. I found the Artist Trading Card Workshop book by Bernie Berlin and devoured it over and over again. Mary Haldeman's work stood out to me more than anyone else's. So, if you haven't figured it out by now, she has been the biggest influence on my work. Can you guess how? (being rhetorical) Not in specific imagery but most definitely in the use of color. Her colors melted me, spoke to me, got me excited. I was thinking of her work tonight as I made this piece.

Hope . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/25/09
5 x 7 collage using a black and white vintage image, reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with a crown from lisasalteredart.etsy.com and wings from jackandcatcurio, and arranged with original and ribbon trims on a watercolored background.

It is funny that this piece came out of me tonight. I was just etalking with Shellypaints (whose rocket journal page will be mine someday, I swear!) about my thinking I might mute my colors a bit (thus Maude and the Lucky Bug in the earlier post). To be candid, my bright colors don't fit into most decors very well (and don't sell well) and they take away from the vintage feel of the images I use, I know. It is still all a bit of my searching for my artistic voice, what I want to say in my work. The color debate will work itself out, just like the hats and wings when I'm ready.

Mary remains a bit of a mystery to me. I haven't looked lately, but I have in the past and I could never find a blog or bio or website - just her photostream. It frustrates me because I want to stalk her properly, as one would stalk the person whose work made you want to change your life, quit your jobs, and start making art full time.

This piece and many other new pieces will be listed on my Etsy sometime in the next few days. I've been trying to get rid of older work at lower prices, so don't be sticker shocked if you look up the new work. The new pieces are more complicated and taking a lot more time.

I must have an issue . . .

. . . with hats. I just noticed this morning that almost all of my subjects wear a hat of some sort. And, lately I've been slightly obsessed with putting something strange and surreal on their heads. I honestly didn't even think of it until this morning when I was looking through my work from beginning to end, critiquing myself, looking at what I like and what I don't like about my pieces. How strange I am. It seems to be such a natural compulsion for me to put something on the tippy top of my characters. I have been doing it without the slightest contemplation. I don't even wear hats. I look awful in hats.Maybe I have a secret yearning to look good in head gear. I wonder if I can even make something without putting an apparatus on its noggin. Now my heart is racing at that thought. I don't think I want to try. It scares me like the thought of jumping off the high dive. I think I will just take note of the issue and deal with it later.

Wait! Addendum . . . I had already realized I have an issue with wings. Just mentioning that so you don't think I am completely in denial. I know many think wings are overused and trite, but they are important to me right now for a lot of metaphorical reasons. I am trite. I am.

Maude and the Lucky Bug . . .

Well, here it goes! Here's my first attempt at a Art Creations Friday challenge using a lovely image of Maude from Jamie's Art-e-ology. (You can see the original image on either site.)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/23/09
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage image from Art-e-ology reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored and arranged with wings from greatmusings.etsy.com, a ladybug from the public domain, vintage papers, original trim, and stamped numbers.

I did finally get my bills paid AND mailed, budget done for next month, and my desks cleared off and hung out with my daughter awhile and that's about it. Laundry and cleaning tomorrow. Oh! You might remember that last week my daughter's cell phone got stolen from her open backpack pocket as she was walking to class (picked her backpack pocket). Today, we got our phone bill. In the hour that she didn't realize it was gone, the evil culprits downloaded $188 worth of who knows what. Thank goodness she had enough sense to call me immediately from the school office so I could suspend her service. And, thank goodness we contacted Verizon and they are deleting the charges from our bill. I tell you this so you make sure to tell your kids to call your right away should they be missing their phone so you can suspend service and be sure to note times - it really helped.

Featured today . . .

I have another great blog for you to check out if you haven't already. Jamie from Art-e-ology, one of my new favs - Jamie AND her blog! There is just something about Jamie. She sits very well with me. I love the atmosphere and ambiance of her blog. I love that we have several things in common. I love that she is just about the sweetest gal you'll ever want to meet. The images she finds and shares are to die for! Mmmmm, mmmmm. I just want to see more of her work (that is an official request, Jamie)! Jamie has a lovely etsy too so be sure to visit it from the link on her blog. I have her marked as a favorite for those quick emergency image needs! And, I may join the Art Creations Friday group she mentions so I can stalk her thoroughly! Go have some fun at Art-e-ology! (Warning . . . you may wish to arm yourself with kleenex should you start drooling like I do over there!)

Now in honor of Jamie and her generous free FIT images (FIT is Free Image Tuesday), I am posting another image you can download. I will not have such a cute or catchy name for the images I send your way because I am far too flaky to remember to do it regularly. So here's today's image from me. Jamie's are better. I didn't take the time to crop or edit this one but you'll see why if you keep reading this post.



Not featured today are me or my art work. Never have I been so scattered and all over the place and slow to get done what I need to get done. I feel like I am in one of those dreams where you can't run fast enough out of the mud! I HAVE TO DO LAUNDRY AND PAY BILLS AND I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR DAYS! So, though I can't wait to start on the piece I have in my head or visit a ton of blogs and chit chat all day or wish I could prepare my image giveaway above more properly for you, I fear I cannot until my work is done or my family may well throw me out!

The quirks of living in Los Angeles . . .

Many of you know that my husband works in the movie industry so I have rubbed elbows with some very famous people in my day. But it's funny when you don't realize until later that you were rubbing elbows with famous people and it happens more often than you might imagine around here. Last night, while going through my daughter's hair yet again (long story if you're not up to speed on that one), Big Love had come on HBO and we were all too lazy to quit what we were doing , get up and go get the remote to change channels. I have watched it a few times but it is just not my cup of tea. I'm just too into House. Anyway, as we were watching Big Love, my mom-in-law said, hey, we know him!



And we do! He is the scout leader for a boy scout we know well, Matthew, who we just think the world of and have adopted as our little man and his mom who has been a long time family friend, a sister really. We just recently went to a Court of Honor honoring Matt and Mr. Miller was such an entertaining Court of Honor master guy of things that evening. I had not put two and two together until last night. How funny. He must look different in his Boy Scout uniform!

Maybe some of YOU are famous and I don't know it because I am clueless! (or I don't recognize you in your boy scout uniforms)

Just do this . . .

. . . go read this http://creativechaos.typepad.com/creative_chaos/2009/01/oh-my-goshi-swear-i-didnt-pay-her-to-write-that.html

If it touches you like it did me, you'll say some prayers for Karin and you'll count your lucky stars much more than your little day to day absurdities.

When you get over what you read, spend some time looking around Karin's lovely and charming blog. What a great spirit she has - squeezes every drop out of life. She'll have you laughing and crying at the same time.

I'll be sharing some more great and talented and beautiful souls that I've found from the OWOH event over the next few days.

Tiny Little Pieces . . .

These are slightly larger than ATC size - all 2 3/4 x 3 3/4 because I cut about 50 of them incorrectly a couple of months ago and am too lazy to go back and cut them all again. I decided this morning to just use scraps. These are all made from pictures that had flaws or I cut and decided not to use over the last few months. All the trims are scraps saved from larger pieces. It was great fun to just whip some stuff out. I spend as much as 6-7 hours on some of my larger pieces, start to finish. I tried to do these tiny little pieces in under 10 minutes each today. As Suzan Buckner teaches - just make, don't think about it. This was practice.

Queen of Arts Rocks the World!

Well, Kim of Queen of Arts really does rock! I have had a beautiful early morning reading through her blog more than I did the first couple of times I visited. I kind of skimmed over the rocks I would see pop up here and there but this morning I found a great post on her blog explaining the whole idea. I am all over this (!) and wanted to share Kim and her rocks with you! Here's the link: http://queen-of-arts.blogspot.com/2008/10/rocking-my-world-some-more-plus-rocking.html

Kim is just one of the very sweetest talented folks I've met through the One World One Heart event (you can see more posted below in the OWOH post). She is one of those connections you hope to make. I love her colorful and genuine (meaning you just feel the sincerity in it, the love she has for the world and people around her) art and her reflective writing. She speaks to me. She has a Hope collage a few pages into her blog that just makes my heart melt. She is the kind of person you just can imagine will change the world just a little at a time, Kim time. She rocks!

Sky Diva . . .

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/21/09
8 x 10 collage using vintage black and white images, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored and attached to a background made of trim I created and images from nasa.gov manipulated in photoshop and printed on cardstock and vellum.

Another 8 x 10 done! Yippee! I might get the hang of this! But, I feel like I am cheating cuz I'm not watercoloring the backgrounds like I used to. I'll work back into that.

My fingers are sore. Not as sore as my toe, but sore. I have visited 165 of the nearly 400 blogs listed on One World One Heart and tried to really meet everyone and write something personal. The 2nd day into it, I realize I need a break. It has been so fun and wonderful to see so many great blogs and art and jewelry and pictures and I have already made one or two really good connections with people. But, my husband is about to go underwearless again if I don't get off the computer and out of the studio to get some laundry done. And, I need to pay bills, yada, yada, yada. So, I'll play catch up and be back for more blog hopping and art making in a day or two!

p.s. My toe is better today but still really throbbing. Life could be far worse, baby.

For Tace . . .

If you visit here often, you know that I publicly admit to stalking a few people, three in particular . . . Suzan Buckner (Thrifty Collage Artist), Linda Crispell (Linda Crispell), and Tace (All Kinds of Stuff) - all linked on the right side of this blog. I am a well rounded stalker. They are all artists and they all mentor me in one way or many. But they all have their other unique qualities quite deserving on their own to be stalked. I have written about these qualities before and will again, but today it is Tace that gets some attention.

Tace is my favorite writer. She makes me laugh out loud all alone in my house sitting in front of my computer with the my 3 dogs all looking at me funny. If she is very lucky, she gets me to laugh while drinking a beverage - this has happened more than once. You'd think I'd learn. Tace has some extremely funny antics going on over on her blog which include a great Ode to Parallel Parking. So, you have Tace to thank for this picture I am sharing. I was going to keep it all to myself (though I have acquired this image I do not own the copyright an it is free to use and in the public domain) and use it brilliantly someday in a piece of art leaving everyone wondering where I found such a great picture. But, Tace deserves this image. I will someday use it for a piece of art for her and her Great Conquering of the Parallel Parking Procedure!



You are free to download and use this image.

p.s. I have a message at the top of my screen that there is a scheduled blogspot outage at 4 PST today. Just FYI.

Yay!

I finally got the guts to work a little bigger tonight. As I said in my flickr, it's not perfect - there's a little crookedness to it and a couple of glue smears, but I like it. I don't even care, for once, if anyone else does or not (well, I kinda do). It was great fun to make! (you can click on the picture to see it larger)

Pods . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/20/09
(Finally! an ...) 8 x 10 collage using vintage images slightly altered in Microsoft Publisher, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored and arranged on a background made form images from nasa.gov and handmade stripes.

I am off to bed. The One World One Heart project is taking a lot of time. I am trying to visit everyone and really look at their blog and what they have to share and then write a personal note. The participant list keeps growing so don't know if I'll be able to keep it up, but I'm trying.

Went to the foot doc today regarding one of my toes. Oh, pain. I mean PAIN. A shot of whiskey (I think, I've never had any) and a stick to chew on would've helped me during the procedure. Foot doctors are cruel - no anesthetic. They must have great feet and don't know toe nail pain. I once cut my eyeball, literally took a chuck out of it on a box and the ER doctor told me he's heard from people that have been shot AND cut their eyeball that the eye injury was more painful. Up until today I would've believed that. My toe is just throbbing and swollen and bleeding tonight. They had to take a lot of nail to send off to the lab, but it looks like I have a bone spur under my nail which is causing all of the problems and they will have to surgically remove it. Waiting for x-rays now. Just what I need, huh? In one of my favorite movies, While You Were Sleeping, the dad says something like "for just one minute everything seems okay" - I'm ready for my one moment! Ha! Just kidding. All is good! Toe and I are off to sweet painless dreams!

On the wings of hope . . .

(You can download this image - it is in the public domain)

I write this with goosebumps this morning. I am watching the inauguration as I visit all of the One World One Heart participants. (It may take me a month to get to everyone!) The cheering of the millions and millions of people I see just gives me chills. So many people with so much hope in their hearts. Never have I witnessed anything like it. What an incredible and historical event to be a part of in our lifetimes, even from our homes so far away. I have not enough words to write what I wish I could and the moment is almost here. I'll just leave you all hopeful myself!

One World One Heart

Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian has organized a truly special blogging event called One World One Heart with this lovely purpose . . . . "to meet new and wonderful people. Bloggers come from all walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds, all areas of the world, female, male......some are artists exclusively, some dabble, some are professionals in various areas, some are stay at home parents, some are teachers, some are very young and some are up in years. The common denominator in blogging is that we all have stories to tell....be it through visual means or life stories or the day-to-day or art work or handwork of varying kinds or poetry and journaling."

So, welcome visitors! Here is my piece to share with you . . . One World, One Heart

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/16/09

This is a 3 3/4 by 4 3/4 collage using black and white vintage images, reprinted, trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with wings from jackandcatcurio, crown from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, moon from nasa.gov, and handmade scraps, all on a watercolored background.

Blogging has truly opened up the world to me and brought to me some of the most special, creative, generous, and caring people I have ever met. It has made the world a little smaller and a whole lot bigger all at the same time. It is an honor to participate in this event with all of you!

If you are participating in One World, One Heart and post a comment on this post to introduce yourself, you will be entered into a drawing to win the piece pictured above. If I haven't already, I will visit your blog as soon as you comment so we can get to know each other! I will notify the winner on February 12th! You have to click the time listed below this post to leave a comment (I have a blogspot glitch - sorry about that!).

If this is your first visit to my blog and you have the time, you can read more about me here (so you don't have to search around for info). I am relatively new to collage and altered art. I started making a few ATC's last year. It wasn't until this last August that I worked on anything larger and with the idea that I wanted to make art for sale. I have taught art to elementary students and parent docents for many years, and have been an elementary school librarian for many years. I graduated with a BFA in graphic design over 20 years ago, long before computers were introduced to college art programs. I earned my focus in graphic design mostly by hand setting type and making plates of my images and printing them on a Vandercook letterpress often using handmade paper. I love vintage pictures and looking for new ways to use them in my art. I also love vibrant, sharp colors to frame these vintage pictures.

There are links on the right side of this blog if you're interested in purchasing art, seeing more of my work in flickr, or just interested in visiting many of the blogs that inspire me. There are a lot of talented writers and artists out there that I am pleased to share with you.

You can see the rest of my blog, not just this post, by clicking on

the banner above.

Comments are closed temporarily as of 1:28 a.m. Feb. 12. A winner

will be selected and announced later today! I will notify the winner

but you can also check the top of my blog by just clicking on the

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A nice day . . .

Binding . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/18/09
Slightly larger than 5 x 7 collage using several black and white vintage images, reprinted, trimmed, and hand-colored and arranged with wings and crown from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, and watercolored scraps on a watercolored background.

Despite a few little mishaps and unplanned interferences, I had a really nice bday. I heard from all the people I love the most and my family did the best they could to make me feel special. Thanks to all for all the good wishes!

Here is a close up of the pieces I used for the collage pictured above . . .

I love Saturdays . . .

Started this last night and finished this morning in a quiet, sleepy house.

Shroom Fairy . . .

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/17/09
5 x 7 collage using a black and white vintage image, reprinted, trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with wings from suppliestogo.etsy.com, architecture, bird and mushrooms from paperstreet.etsy.com, and a hat purchased from bjorn lovell, all on a watercolored background.

I usually get an egg mcmuffin and large fountain coke on Saturdays. I used to everyday, but have cut back to once a week now. mmmm. Then a few chores and off for lunch and shopping with the all the girls in the family. Hubby will be home this afternoon and we are going to finally try and take my "portrait". I'll post if I can handle it! Have a great weekend!

Had to share . . . .

This is a hat for me . . .

Back to basics . . .

My head is just completely void of any creative thoughts. Don't you hate it when that happens? Sometimes the ideas pile up so fast you can't make things fast enough, and other times you can't think of anything to make.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/16/08
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage black and white photo, reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with a crown from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, wings under a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia and scrap pieces of new and vintage paper on a watercolored background.

I was happy to have a reason to rework an old idea today. Miss Shelly, another good and loyal Etsy customer, purchased the original and older version of the piece above. I just wasn't happy with it so I decided to rework it today. This particular fairy is a hard one to work with or doesn't want to be made. She is particularly hard to color in and I have had several failed attempts. Today, of course, after I was satisfied, not content, but satisfied, she developed a beauty mark on her cheek in the attaching process. I'm not sure how that little black speck got on her cheek but I've decided it is, in fact, now a beauty mark. Her skin was too perfect anyway. The thick border on the left will be more covered by the matte - I can't find the right mattes anymore. The only ones I can find are narrower in thier opening, so I have to design to the matte.

Now, about Miss Shelly. I just found her blog and then her flickr today. How have I missed her? You have to go take a look at her beautiful baby and beautiful artwork. I have called dibs on a piece or two (or we'll just have to fight for 'em) when she opens her Etsy. Here are the links: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shellypaints for flickr (be sure not to miss her collages - mmmm, mmmmm) and for her blog http://shellypaints.blogspot.com

It's amazing . . .

. . . how brave you get the older you get. Here, I am. No make-up, badly in need of waxing and plucking, and jars of wrinkle cream, hair product to make my hair look spiky and edgy as it is supposed to, and a little focus from the camera-15-yr-old-daughter-girl-picture-taker-person. (maybe the soft focus is a good thing) Notice I didn't say hair color. I have learned to embrace my gray hair. I once had naturally very dark and very long curly thick hair and it was just too hard to keep the gray covered. And, I got a headache from pulling my heavy hair out of my face. I started going gray in my early thirties. I cut my hair the first time my daughter had lice in 2nd grade - 8 years ago - because we cut her hair and I didn't want her to "go it alone". I'll be 43 on Sunday. I have earned every one of those gray hairs and wrinkles - mostly in the last week. I never wear sunscreen due to pure laziness and the idea since I don't burn I don't get damaged. Now that the wrinkles and crepe paper skin have set in, I beg to differ with myself.

So, here I am with my smile on a stick. The coolest thing in the world about this is . . . that no matter how ugly I think I am, I know I am the most beautiful person in the world to my kids and hubby and I know how that feels to think that. I remember feeling my mom was the most beautiful person in the world. I am smiling under my smile on a stick, too, (didn't have to fake it really) because my daughter was cracking me up. I'm doing okay. Trying to catch up with myself. I am worried about my dad and the strike. Mostly my dad. I still need him and I don't like the spot we're in.

I am a planner. I always have plan A, B, C and usually D. When I can't plan for A, B, C and D, I get a bit off. Planning for the worst, when I think I know what it is, that's how I cope with the worry trait that has been handed down to me from generations of women on my mom's side. I think, I worry the best of any of them and I think my dad would agree. Not that I worry the most, but try to be the most logical about it. It really is quite an art to understand, which my husband is an expert at, hands down. He could lead seminars and motivational speaking engagements on "how to handle the worried wife". He, and my kids, get me. I don't LIKE to worry. I don't LIKE drama. I LIKE to be happy and carefree, I just don't feel worthy most of the time. I feel guilty when I am happy and carefree, like I'm slacking and not thinking of everything that needs attention . . . and fretting over. Someday I will share more of my story with you, because as much as this blog is about my art, it is about my life finding my art. It's about figuring out what I want to tell the world AND what I want myself to know about myself, if that makes sense.

I am making backgrounds this weekend and trying to get some ideas going in my empty head. Hope to be back to normal and making stuff next week. Thank you for putting up with my sobby, worried, drama lately. It's just life, now and then but not often, with mamafish.

Updates . . .

My Dad had his doctor's appointment today and it is mixed news. His lungs are strong enough to withstand the surgery, but currently his heart is not. His heart is functioning at 20% or normal, probably due to 2 heart attacks over 20 some years ago. They are looking to see if they can safely increase its function to 30% so that he can have the surgery but he will have to see more doctors to find out what can be done. They are also looking for a less invasive alternative surgery though the aneurysm appears too wide for the standard stint. So, no surgery scheduled but good that the doctors are not being knife happy and really making sure he is not put at undue risk. I am thankful for that.

The actor's strike. Again, mixed news. The national SAG board met for 30 hours straight and accomplished nothing but ruining their credibility even more. The board is newly elected, since the contract negotiations started, and the new more moderate and sensible majority of that board was thwarted by the old negotiating committee's filibuster tactics that included an 8 hour argument on when to adjourn their meeting among other ridiculous things. The current SAG president and chief negotiator have no idea how absolutely ridiculous they have made their union look to the rest of the industry and public. Now, everyone else is really pi**ed at them, I mean really, really not happy with them at all. All of the other unions have agreed to their contracts, but the actors for some reason feel they deserve more than the directors that direct them, the writers that write for them, the costumers who dress them, the make-up people, the stunt people, the camera and grip crews just to name a few. They would have no job without these people yet they are willing to put them all out of work for their peculiar belief that they are better than the rest and deserve something more than their currently much higher pay. So, most speculate production will remain slow a few more weeks while SAG sends out their ballot for the strike authorization which will unlikely succeed and just waste more time. Very frustrating.

I'm going to bed to watch movies and wind down from a week of wringing hands.

I would like a do over, please. Let's just start the year over.

It's been a long 7 days - that's how long its been since I made something. That's how long since things felt normal. I've been staring at the pieces of this collage for several days, adding more, taking away, adding different, cutting different, adding more, adding too much, taking away, etc. Finally got it finished this morning amidst canceling service to my daughter's phone which was stolen during class this morning while it was in her backpack hanging on her chair. Just par for the course this week, this YEAR!

Night . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1/13/09
5 x 7 collage using a vintage black and white photo and moon image, reprinted, and hand-colored, trimmed and arranged with wings used under agreement with Butterfly Utopia, beams made from 1906 railroad schedule book, owl and egg from paperstreet.etsy.com, and punched stars on an end cover from an obsolete text book.

So, to recap the 7 days' stresses, one of my best friends got fired due on Tuesday to suspicious circumstances by a new administration which compelled me to open my big mouth and complain about how things were not being run properly in my opinion which opened Pandora's box there and in my email for days. We found lice on my daughter's head (that was the secret) on Wednesday which, if you've ever experienced it you know, caused us to have to launder everything, EVERYTHING - even the clean clothes, vacuum floors, furniture, and cars, then spray floors, furniture, and cars repeatedly and spend endless hours nit combing her hair several nights in a row. (The lice remain a mystery - none of us have it, none of her friends have it, all we can figure out is that she got it from one of the 3 movie theaters she visited the week before that.) I think we're over that at least and the house is clean and sanitized like never before. A three day soccer tournament started Thursday. And, the anticipation and anxiety began to build over today's Actors' Strike meeting and my Dad's doctor appointment tomorrow - both of which will reveal the fate of my next few months. Then, of course, the cell phone stolen today. At least we had insurance on it. Bleck! Can we start the year over? I would like a do over.

Thinking of you . . .

I am behind blog posting, art making, and blog hopping . . . again. I am finding it hard to concentrate on anything or put any new information in my head or even carry on a normal conversation.

The actor's strike/no strike meetings start tomorrow and I am on big, huge, enormous pins and needles. It has been a long year of strikes and strike fear and we are nearing a happening of some sort in the next two days. Either the nightmare and dread and fear are over and gone for a couple of years until it is time to renegotiate, or the worst thing that could possibly happen financially for a lot, A LOT, of people will happen. It is very nerve racking!

All I can seem to do is laundry and cleaning. Which is good I guess. I'll keep you posted.

Love time . . .

I've been gettin' so much love from my blog buddies, it made me think of Valentine's Day. I bet lots of you started workin' on Valentine projects last month or many months ago. I don't make seasonal pieces much so I haven't figured out to do it months in advance yet.

Anyway, I scanned some of my 1930's Valentines and posted them here for you. Feel free to download them. They're for you! I love you all!