Divine Susan

Another piece for a friend. Susan of Broken Heart Art is someone I've had many intimate and cherished e-chats with about womanhood, motherhood, beauty, body image, and the fact that as we age, we want to, in Susan's words, "take names and kick ass". I'm almost there. I want to "take names and kick arse" if you catch my drift - not quite there yet but I'm payin' attention. Susan has a great post up right now (not that they're not ALL great) about individuality and I immediately connected to it and tried to apply it to my shifting middle age perspective on who I want to be - human or dancer. (you'll have to read the post) Anyway, this piece for Susan is about a rebirth, the one we women sometimes experience as we get a bit older, wiser, worn maybe a little from some tumbles we've taken, more comfortable with ourselves . . . we find our own beauty in our accumulated strength and as we find our true selves. And, it's about how we might be a mixture of all the other women we've encountered over a lifetime. So this is Divine Susan, beautiful in her own true self and ready to "kick arse and take names".


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/31/09. All rights reserved. You may NOT copy, download, or use this image in any way without my permission.
This is a 5 x 7 collage using a body from Boticelli's Birth of Venus, a face from a friend, a crown from scraps from paperstreet.etsy.com, and handmade hearts. These pieces were all reprinted, hand trimmed and hand colored. The wings are from itkupilli.etsy.com. After hand construction, the main image was attached to a background made from a texture from flickr's JoesSistah, which I digitally manipulated and formed into a box. The cloud, grass and flowers were used under a purchased commercial license.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/31/09. All rights reserved. You may NOT copy, download, or use this image in any way without my permission.

As I am sure it is obvious, this piece was inspired and borrowed from Boticelli's Birth of Venus.



I have not been around in blog, flickr, or art world this week. Just when I got all caught up, I'm behind again. Sorry about that! It's been "The Week of Lauren and Everything but Art" around here. Lauren is my nearly 16 year old daughter and she has a lot to do with this quick description of the week so far . . . husband gone all week, work out, Lauren's (very important for soccer camp) kicking foot, pain, doctor, xray, doctor, cortizone shots, Lauren, laundry, work out, grocery store, pick up friend, Lauren soccer practice (on new cortizone laden foot), take Lauren and friend to mall, pick up Lauren and friend from mall, workout, lawn work, laundry, cleaning, Lauren, Lauren, Lauren, Lauren, cleaning, laundry. That's pretty much the week! But next week, I'll be lonely cuz she'll be away at soccer camp. Poor 17 year old son has been completely ignored all week - I'm not sure Shawn is even here, he sleeps all day and is awake all night and I never see him, I'd better go check. I have a feeling next week will be Shawn Week.

Hope you all have a great weekend! August already! Wow! Happy belated 21st anniversary to my best friend in the world, my right hand, my left, my heart, my world, my soul - my Kentboy.

For my friend . . .

Queen Yoborobo


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/27/09 All rights reserved. You many NOT copy, download, or use any part of this image without my permission.
This is a 5 x 7 collage using a face from my good friend Pam, a body from flickr's sassyarts, a doll from Yoborobo herself, wings from Jen Ulasiewicz Designs, a crown from spicteitup.etsy.com. All of these pieces were reprinted in black and white, hand trimmed, hand colored with ink and pastel, and attached to a background made from pieces by me and flickr's Joes Sistah and th3ph17 - all recolored and digitally manipulated.

Pam of Yoborobo has been a great and encouraging friend that never fails in sending me the right etsy convo, email, flickrmail, or blog comment. She is relentless in keeping me in good spirits and on the journey chin up and head high. She offers much higher optimism than I usually give myself and gets me to dream big with very specific projects to undertake. Pam is a children's author (with new books coming out very soon!), a talented artist, and a doll maker. Her magically filled dolls kept my plane in the air during my travels this last spring and summer. I had promised to fairy-fy her months ago and finally got to it today. It is the least I can do for someone that gives so much to me. Be sure to go check out her lovely work at her blog (linked above)!

(Susan, you're next, I promise! I haven't forgotten cuz I want my fish print! The zetti sisters just got home Saturday by the way!)

I am not blog or flickr visiting much this week. I am working with my daughter on a training routine to get her in shape for a big college soccer camp next week (that sounds so funny but we are working out - at our own paces - at least once and sometimes twice a day). Hubby is out of town. I treated the wood fence with waterproof stuff and sanded off the first grafitti we've ever had on it in 40 years (stupid heads). Still have half the fence to do. Tonight we have dinner with friends, tomorrow night a school fundraising dinner, and tomorrow daughter has an appointment with a foot doctor to see why her kicking foot hurts so badly (several months now). In between I am still losing myself in my own work a few days - have some deadlines coming up I'm trying to meet. And, I'm still kinda whiney I think. So I'll be by to visit and get inspired even if I don't leave comments for a few more days! I'm thinking of you and peeking around quietly! Have a good week!

Sunday miscellany . . .

Mermuse


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/26/09. All rights reserved. You many NOT copy, download, or use any part of this work without permission.
This is 5 x y collage using a face from LandofEnchantment.etsy.com, fish parts from keeperofthenest.etsy.com, and a body from my own vintage postcard. These pieces were reprinted, hand trimmed, hand colored and arranged on a background using parts from flikcr's Joes Sistah and 'Playingwithbrushes'. The background was also rubber stamped.

Here are the parts I used (watermarked & linked to my blog to protect the original image owners)



It's been a quiet weekend. I did chores yesterday and went to see Harry Potter with my kids and mom-in-law. It is my favorite Harry movie so far - really really good in my opinion. Then we wii-ed last night and according to the almighty Wii, I have not gained an ounce but have aged 9 years since I did it last! Guess I need to get back into working out! Other than those little things, nothing much going on. I am still mentally tired and a little blue but that may be cuz my honey is outta town for a week . . . and it's still hot and icky here and a few other minor little things have me kinda down.

One fun and wonderful thing to celebrate today are some recent blog awards. I've been very lucky and so excited to receive a few in the last few weeks since returning from my dad's. I've been holding on to them, not sure how to pass them on. It's so hard to pick a few blogs to pass them on to. It's hard to choose because there are so very many that I love, and a lot of folks don't do awards and a lot have already received these. So, for now I will just say thank you, thank you, thank you blog award giver outers! I am honored and excited to receive your special attention. It has given me a much needed boost lately.

from Lumi of Lumilyon



from Paula of My Art Keeps Me Sane and Shelly of Blue Ridge Lady



from Kathryn of The Kathryn Wheel

Just Playin' . . .

Fish Secrets


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/24/09. All rights reserved. You may NOT copy, download, or use any part of this image in any way.
This is a 5 x 7 collage using a face from kumareeboo.etsy.com, part of a body from my own vintage postcard, legs from flickr's takeabreak, crown from my own vintage label, shoes from phenomenon1859.etsy.com, and fish from keeperofthenest.etsy.com. These pieces were printed, hand trimmed and hand colored and attached to a background made from asunderephemera.etsy.com and a border made from pieces borrowed from flikcr's Nancy Baumiller's Collage Play with Crowabout group (which I am a member of), and my own photographs.

I am tired. It's been a long week. I may stay kinda quiet this weekend and just escape into my own art work around doing some litte stuff at home. So, I'll catch up with you all next week. Hope you have a great creative and restful weekend!

Are you ready for this?

To participate in Seth Apter's Buried Treasure project, I've cast aside all modesty to share with you not one of my favorite posts and art works from the past but the first of each in my newly reclaimed life as an artist oh not so long ago actually . . .

First ever post (which got 0 comments by the way - hee hee - this is me before even one little person in the blog and altered art world even knew I existed not that that many know I do now!)

Sep 18, 2008

Oooooohhhhh . . . here it goes

I am standing on the edge of the pool. I've been here a w hile, a lllooonnnggg while, just looking, dipping a toe in once in awhile, splashing a few tiny drops on my other foot, just trying it out. Right now, right this moment, I'm in that place that you just grab your nose, count to three, close your eyes, and jump in. Those split seconds in which you wonder if the water will be too cold, if you'll hit your head on the way in and drown, if you'll hit the bottom and scrape your knee, if you'll breathe in too soon and suffer from that awful sinus burn and pop up coughing and hacking with stuff hanging from your nose.

But then . . . you realize . . . people are watching, you realize people just WANT you to jump in. It may have been much easier for them and they can't for the life of them wonder what the heck you're so worried about. Or, they may have been just like you - afraid to do it. But they did. They've done it, they're in the pool, they're floatin' around and doin' handstands and other nifty water frolicking tricks . . . they love it and they know you will love it too if you just get over yourself and dive in.

Okay, so . . . (grabbing my nose) 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3, big breath in . . .

And I can't believe I'm going to show you this, but here is my first ever collage, made last August. It's name is, cleverly,

First Collage (I'm kidding - it has no name - mayb e "Collage Which Will Remain Nameless and Hidden Away)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen August 2008.
I can't remember all the details now, but the picture is from my own collection of vintage photogrpahs and the rest of the pieces are all rubber stamps and Dover clipart.

So it could be worse, but it is so different from what I do now. And someday I will probably feel the same about the way I work now. My friend and idol Suzan Buckner of Thrifty Collage Artist sent me a picture of one of her first pieces once and it involved pipe cleaners, which horrified her and greatly entertained me. I actually loved it! (It's still better than any collage of mine!) Oh the eye of the beholder . . .

If this is your first time here, please scroll down and see some of my more recent work or go to my flickr here. You may not like it any better, but it will make me FEEL better for some reason. Oh no, can't do it, can't resist the urge to put one little piece up of one of my favorite pieces (I always like my last piece best for some reason). You can click on her to see the rest of her - she's linked to my flickr)

Beauty Queen

Before I go, I just want to thank everyone for their support of our flickr Stop Art Piracy Campaign Project. I didn't get through all of the blogs I like to visit tonight, but I lost count of how many have posted a graphic from our group up on their blogs! Wow, what an amazing thing to see! Hopefully we'll get the message out that we understand we all learn, share and even mimic each other to grow in our work, but out and out downloadking and reusing another colleague's efforts and work without their permission is not okay. If you want to know more you can visit the posts below (don't miss the work of other artists helping get the word out here and on the flickr site) and/or the link to the group in my upper right hand corner.

First Fabulous Five, Zetti Swap, Gifts and more!

The first fabulous five pieces were uploaded to our new flickr project for the Stop Art Piracy Campaign Project yesterday and here they are for you to admire! Wow, these ladies work fast! I don't think I have these in the right order but . . .

As per our group rules, You MAY copy any of thiese images for the sole purpose of displaying on your blog or website IF it is linked back to this flickr group www.flickr.com/groups/stopartpiracycampaign You may NOT use any piece of these images for your own artwork or any other publication or reproduction.

From Nancy of Crowabout (aka Nancy Baumiller on flickr)




From Susan of Broken Heart Art (aka Brokn Heart Art on flickr)



From Melissa of Honey Girl Studio (aka Tootieu on flickr)



From Joy of Joy to the Blog (aka Autumnsensations on flickr)



Marie of Ozstuff Online (aka Ozstuff on flickr)



And poor June missed being one of the first five by just a tad so I wanted to at least show you her lovely work

From June of Arty Retreat (aka junemac1 on flickr)




My piece for this project is in the sidebar and in the post below this one.

Other Important Miscellany

Dear sweet Heather of Creative Solace sent me the most beautiful altered assemblage the other day. I was so shocked and surprised and absolutely tickled pink! I am horrible to not have posted pictures sooner but I had the hardest time finding my camera after unpacking from vacation and the scans just didn't work. Found my camera today and here are some pix of this fun scrumptious piece . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you Heather!



Marion of Bockel24 is hosting a Zetti ATC swap and I finally have my cards done. I have decided I stink at ATC's - the small size just takes me so long to work with and I am rusty on Zetties. In fact, I'm not sure these really qualify as Zetties. They kinda look like my regular characters and I think of Zetties as being a little edgier and more expressive and not so safe as mine are. Oh well . . .

Zetti Pink Dream


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/22/09 All rights reserved. You may not copy or download or use any piece of this artwork.
Image credits: the legs are from my own vintage postcard, the face is from kumareeboo.etsy.com, the wings are from Itkupilli.etsy.com, the body and crown were made from pieces from LandofEnchantment.etsy.com, flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes', and designer Sande Krieger. All of these pieces were altered digitally, reprinted, hand-trimmed and hand-colored and glued to a background made from combining pieces from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes'.

Zetti with Heart


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/22/09 All rights reserved. You may not copy or download or use any piece of this artwork.
Image credits: the legs are from my own vintage postcard, the face is from kumareeboo.etsy.com, the wings are from Itkupilli.etsy.com, the body and crown were made from pieces from keeperofthenest.etsy.com, flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes', and designer Sande Krieger. All of these pieces were altered digitally, reprinted, hand-trimmed and hand-colored and glued to a background made from combining pieces from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes'.

Zetti No. 5


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/22/09 All rights reserved. You may not copy or download or use any piece of this artwork.
Image credits: the legs are from my own vintage postcard, the face is from kumareeboo.etsy.com, the wings are from Itkupilli.etsy.com, the body and crown were made from pieces from LandofEnchantment.etsy.com, flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes', and designer Sande Krieger. All of these pieces were altered digitally, reprinted, hand-trimmed and hand-colored and glued to a background made from combining pieces from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes'.


Zetti for Marion


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/22/09 All rights reserved. You may NOT copy or download or use any piece of this artwork.
Image credits: the legs are from my own vintage postcard, the face is from kumareeboo.etsy.com, the wings are from Dover clipart, the body and crown were made from pieces from LandofEnchantment.etsy.com, flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes', and designer Sande Krieger. All of these pieces were altered digitally, reprinted, hand-trimmed and hand-colored and glued to a background made from combining pieces from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes' with added borders from Crowabout.etsy.com.

One last thing

Tomorrow will be the day to find Buried Treasure! You'll have to come back and see what scary old post I put up for you to see as a part of Seth Apter's The Altered Page blog's Buried Treasure project. Along with an old post, I am going to post a never before seen picture of the very first collage I made officially for my new life in art just about one year ago! You will probably get a big kick out of it and wonder why I didn't give up right then and there! I can't believe I'm going to show you!

But while we're on the subject of older work. I told you that a women's website wanted to post some of my work. To my surprise, the work they wanted was all older pieces. Oh, you know how I am about my older work - icky pooh pooh. This took some courage for me to let them use what they wanted. It's up. You can see it here http://www.vennti.com/2009/07/spotlight-marsha-salyer-jorgensen/

A graphic you can use on your blog . . .

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/21/09
You MAY copy this image for the sole purpose of displaying on your blog or website IF it is linked back to this flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/stopartpiracycampaign You may NOT use any piece of this image for your own artwork or any other publication or reproduction.
Image credits - legs are from my own vintage postcard, face is from kumareeboo.etsy.com, arms from iktupilli.etsy.com, body and crown made from pieces from LandofEnchantment.etsy.com, Sande Krieger, and flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes', and wings from Dover clipart. All were digitally altered, reprinted, hand trimmed and hand colored and attached to a background made from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes'.

You do not have to give a long credit line to me, just a brief tiny credit by name only IF YOU WISH, but please link it back to the flickr group. Thanks!

Need something visual up here . . .

It's been far too dramatic around here. To change the subject awhile, I am participating in Seth Apter's Buried Treasure project (along with most of the blogging world I think) on his The Altered Page blog. So, I've been going through some old posts to see what I am willing to dig up from my past and face. The first piece below was from a very brief post back in January so I won't use it for Seth's project, but it is one piece of my older work that I actually still like. It is one of the first Zetti's I ever made.

Simple Zetti with Lucky Fish (made and first published here 1/28/09)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 1.28.09 You many not copy or download. All rights reserved.
5 x 7 collage using an image from outsiderartists.com, wings used under license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, dress from paperstreet.etsy.com, and hat, eye, hands, and shoes all scanned from my Dover clipart books, printed, trimmed and hand colored with ink and pastel arranged on a watercolored background with ribbon trim.

And here is another that I still have a thing for.

Winged Things (made and first published here 2/11/09)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.11.09 You may not copy or download. All rights reserved.
5 x7 collage on a watercolored, stamped, and drawn background using birds from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, drawn legs, hat and boots from Dover clipart and numerous other pieces from image sharing groups, all reprinted, carefully trimmed and most are hand-colored.

I've been getting in the mood for some new Zetti's so it has been good to go back and look at the old ones. There's something to that Seth guy and his smart go back and take a look project! If you don't know about this go check out the project here! You still have time to sign up and get involved.

Issue Resolved!

Hallelujah! My copycat, which I now feel bad calling that, contacted me today with an apology and the work was removed from the site. Yay! Yay! Yay!

I have started a new flickr group - my first. I'm not sure how this is gonna go but it is worth a try. It may get tweeked as it evolves. Be sure to give me feedback and suggestions. Here it is Stop Art Piracy Campaign Project I don't have a group icon yet, nor my own first piece designed but hope to do that soon. It's not an easy theme to work with, I know! But, the first five people to upload work to this site get a prize! You'll get a set of pure authentic ephemera from me! You don't have any limitations except to include some kind of text about being responsible with the images people use in their art.

And for now, I've decided to host a blog campaign on September 19, which also happens to be Talk Like a Pirate Day so it should be easy to remember and work with. I'll try my very best to come up with some piratey images you can use. If you have any you're willing to share, let me know! And think about if you'd like to participate by sharing a blog post/artwork on our art piracy theme that day.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR TIME, STORIES, SUPPORT AND IDEAS THE LAST FEW DAYS. YOU ARE HELPING MORE THAN JUST ME - I'VE HAD OTHERS CONTACT ME ABOUT HOW YOUR FEEDBACK AND UNDERSTANDING HAS HELPED THEM THROUGH THEIR SIMILAR ORDEAL TOO.

And here's the big finish for today . . . LET'S MOVE ON FROM THIS POSITIVELY! I've been a little consumed by all of this so I am off to clear my head and get some work done. Enjoy the day and have a great week!

Re: Copycats - I Want Your Help

(Excuse the drama. If this is your first time visiting me, I am currently experiencing some very unusual drama at the moment. This is usually a happy positive place to visit. If you want to skip the drama and see some of my work, just scroll down the page a bit.)

I still have not heard from my copycat. I am assuming she is away from her computer. She has not uploaded any new work to her blog or flickr. So, I'm still waiting but I do have a plan and am feeling pretty good that this will get resolved.

Word travels fast and now I am hearing from people I've never met and some that I know well that have unfortunately had or are having the same experience. So, let's do something. Let's do something positive. Let's stand up and "say NO!" to art piracy! Let's educate the ones that may not have enough sense to know and some that do know, stealing from your colleagues is not acceptable in OUR artist community. I have a loose idea for a group project. But having never done a group project, I'm not sure how to do it exactly. Here are my initial ideas . . .

• I would like to collect artwork with this theme (which we can define more clearly) from all of you and anyone else you know and send it all in to Somerset. I will write an article to accompany it, but I'd love to be able to send your artwork in with it.
• Should we make it simpler and just do a swap and flickr inundation? I'd like to reach out to other networks like Creative Souls, etc. too though.
• Should we start a flickr group that can be added to regularly? Or just a temporary one?
• Should we just have a blog recognition day and all post about it on the same day with art?

I need your input on this. Are you even interested? Do you know someone that might be? What approach do you like best?

Here's more of why this is an extremely important issue . . .
It is a complex situation with a lot of ramifications. Many of you that have offered your support know the person that took my art. That's upsetting isn't it? That's why I have to believe this is just a case of ignorance, not knowing any better. Knowing that you may know this person, are you looking around wondering who it could be? Are you wondering if your work has been used also? Would you want to be involved in a group or trade with this person? Some of you may be as I write this. I can only imagine how embarrassed she would be if you knew who it was, how it ruins her integrity and causes problems with friendships and her welcome-ness to be a part of groups and swaps. (unless she comes clean of course).

Here's another important reason we have to stop piracy . . .
Luckily, the pieces of my art that were taken were pieces I combined from books I bought from Dover, hand colored and/or drew. (you'll understand the "luckily" part in a sec) But, I keep thinking . . . I use pieces so often from somebody like lisasalteredart.etsy.com - what if she had taken a dress I altered from her? Then she would be stealing from Lisa's Altered Art and me. I want Lisa's Altered Art to be around awhile so I can still get images from her. If people rip her off even through my artwork, it affects her business too. Maybe Lisa won't sell any more images and we've all lost a great affordable place to purchase images to use in our art.

For those of you going through what I am, here's a link for a cease and desist document you can send to your "pirates" and copycats . . . http://www.free-legal-document.com/copyright-cease-and-desist.html I AM NOT A LAWYER NOR WISH TO PORTRAY THAT I HAVE GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO DO THIS, but the link is a good example of what such a letter might look like. Also, consider notifying flickr, blogspot, wordpress, etsy, etc. of anyone that has stolen your work. All of them have a way for you to do this. I know for a fact, they will require the person to remove the work in question or shut them down and ban them from their site.

Copycat Update

Good morning! This is a long but important post.

A little sleep and a whole lotta love from my blog buddies' comments, emails, and even a great phone chat with one of my idols last night, and I am feeling better this morning. I still have not heard from the copycat, but I've been told that copyright laws are different in Europe where this person is from. So I am still hoping this is a case of her just not knowing better. I have broken down my thoughts on all of this a bit . . .

• I hate drama and conflict and confrontation. I avoid it at as much as possible so I hate this situation, not life, just this situation.

• I want this person to understand what she did was wrong, not just for my purposes, but so that other artists aren't put in the same position. We need to police our community, at least our own art, a bit for the protection of our work as a whole. We need to work together, support each other, and not steal from one another. That doesn't help anyone.

• I don't want anyone to know who my copycat is. I don't want anyone to gang up on her or send her bully comments. I just want her to understand - hopefully she will respond to my message and rectify the situation. She needs to understand because if she does it to someone a little bigger, meaner, and vindictive - she could be kicked off flickr and even sued.

• I am happy to share my work if asked. I have collaborated on pieces many times. I have given work away and I have given permission for parts of it to be used. They are not holy hands off parts of me IF I am given the choice to share it. When it's taken from you without your knowledge it's another story. And when you discover it was taken by someone you cheered on and supported, the wound runs a little deeper I think.

• The whole thing has had me thinking of copyright issues and my own faults. I started to identify the log in my own eye as I tried to remove the splinter from someone else's last night for awhile. I thought of the boots and hair I have scanned from mag pix and catalogs. My good friend Pam of Yoborobo sent me a great link that made me feel much better. This is worth taking the time to read http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2009/05/fair-use-guidelines.html After studying more details on Harriete's site I felt pretty good that I have obided by the 5 guidelines in my use of those boots and hair. The person that took from me used the pieces unaltered in the exact same way and context in a competitive market and in a way that would confuse the issue of who the pieces belong to and the end result is unmistakably similar. She clearly failed at meeting 4 of the 5 guidelines.

• I realize I may be a bit over the top on this in the opinion of some. Copyright has been a concern of mine. I don't think that surprises anyone given my long work descriptions and credits below my work wherever I upload it. I pay for licensing fees, I pay for commercial use rights, I ask permission, I give credit. That's just what makes it all work for me. And, it is handy to have the record should anything ever be called into question or be published in a magazine or on a website. Other websites and publications require often require those credits. Part of the reason for this is so that pieces I am allowed to use, even pay for, pieces we may all purchase, or create, should not ever be assumed to be part of the public domain (unless they truly are) because they have been shared and downloaded so many times it's hard to figure out where they came from until someday there is no way to know if what your using is stolen or not.

Hopefully you are still awake and I have not caused you to doze off. Hopefully I am not such a whiner and drama queen that you will come back here again and enjoy my favored lighthearted disposition. I would like to say hopefully this is the end of this, but I will let you know when and if the situation has been rectified.

Now for some good news . . . I was contacted this morning by the editor-in-chief of a website for women's issues asking to have my work featured along side one of my earliest artist idols, the great photographer and digital artist, Rose Hardy. (The website she shares with her long distance love of her life, Aaron Nace, has been in my blog links since the beginning - ARFotography) What a surprise and honor! When it is up, I'll let you know where you can see it.

Okay now, don't bother with me and my drama anymore today. I'm actually off for the day. You have been wonderful to me. You have saved me. You have touched and overwhelmed me. Go make something beautiful and enjoy your life as an artist/creator!

I can't help it, I'm sad

I've hit a bump, a road block, a narrow uphill part of the journey here. I have had a bad experience today with someone pirating parts of two of my works. It is a well known collage artist, a contact many of us share, and the pieces remain on her flickr and she is getting comments on them from people that have no idea that I made the parts she used. They are distinctly mine - all 3 parrts had many unique qualities in their creation. I am hoping against hope it is simply a matter of copyright ignorance. I have notified her and am waiting to hear back though it has been several hours. In the mean time, I have hidden the original post about this - needed to make it clearer for myself for some reason. I am reacting in a lot of different ways but with a very big sour taste in my mouth. I don't know what I think yet about this or how I will feel tomorrow. I want to be the bigger person and move on and have things in perspective, but this was a deep wound for me. It has rained a bit on the art making parade, so to speak, and I am going to take some time away to ponder it all. This incidence has brought a lot of self doubt on whether this is all worth it or not and I need to think about my intentions more deeply. I'm sorry to be a party poop. I do try to be positive in my view of the world and people. I had such a wonderful time visiting you all today and had so much inspiration tucked away. Now I just want to stick my tongue out and make that raspberry spitty sound. (not to you but to someone in particular)

New piece and blog visits

Beauty Queen




copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/17/09
This is an 8 x 10 collage using a body from lisasalteredart.etys.com, a face from keeperofthenest.etsy.com, wings from iktupilli.etsy.com, and a crown from spiceitup.etsy.com. These pieces were reprinted, trimmed with scissors, and handcolored and arranged on a background made with a border from Anahata Katkin's Spare Parts and flickr's Joes Sistah which were both further altered digitally before printing.

Believe it or not, I am off to visit AND comment blogs! Finally have a good amount of time to get to it and enjoy it this evening, soak it all in. I've been peeking just not commenting until I was more caught up on everyone. Anyway, I'll be by soon! Have a GREAT weekend!

Update 7/17/09 11:30 p.m. - Okay folks. 6 hours later, I am only through 2/3 of my favorite blogs so I will have to finish tomorrow. You all are too interesting for quicky peeks and comments!

I am here

but I've had a friend in need the last couple of days and that has taken me way off task. She is in a very tough spot so it may be a few days before she doesn't need the long talks and a shoulder to lean on. My head is better, the heat is better, the fridge is full, but hubby and grandma are gone and, of course, today the kids need to be taken and picked up all over the place. So bare with me a few more days.

I did manage to list new stuff in my Etsy, and put lots of older pieces on sale if you want to take a look. And, I'm starting to lay out my collage sheets for sale - holy moly, I had no idea how much work was involved and how much stuff I've collected that needs to be scanned. It will be a bit longer before I have them ready but I'll let you know!

I miss my music here. Is it helping comment or visit at all to not have it? Is the page loading faster? Is everyone good with it?

Housekeeping

Literally - have to do some housekeeping here and in my actual house. I've been hearing from a few folks over the last two weeks that my blog is freezing up their computer. I'm trying a few things today to try and fix it. It seems it started just after I added a Michael Jackson video just before I left for my trip, and I have since removed it though it doesn't seem to be helping. Now I'm going to try getting rid of my music and then reloading it eventually. Anyway, if things look weird and sound quiet around here today, you'll know why!

Dear husband painted the fence for me last night and I did get to the grocery store and almost all the way through 30some pages of flickr in my contacts' uploads that I've missed lately. I am getting a migraine (seeing dots and waves) this morning, so I'll be in and out and still working on blog visits - I miss you all so much and you all are so dang busy! There's lots to read and see and I like to enjoy it and not rush through.

Tumble Fish

I wish you could see this in a black mat - it really pops, but it's too big for my scanner.

Tumble Fish


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/14/09
This is an 8 x 10 collage using a body from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, a face and fish from keeperofthenest.etsy.com, wings and floor (a background I altered) from itkupilli.etsy.com, and a crown (altered) from spiceitup.etsy.com. The bucket, border, and grunge were purchased from various commercial use vendors and were layered over two backgrounds from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes'. Except for the border and backgrounds which were altered and combined digitally, all pieces were printed, hand-trimmed, and edged or colored by hand and glued to the background.


Close up views (it doesn't show as well in the largest size here since it is bigger than my usual work)





Have I painted the fence? No. Have I gone to the grocery store? No. Have I blog visited as much as I planned? No. Have I showered? Gotcha! Yes, did get that done. I have had so much fun just playing yesterday and today. And shopping! I didn't spend all of my allowance from vacation and flea marketing so I have had quite a time shopping for images and elements online. I highly recommend lisasalteredart.etsy.com, keeperofthenest.etsy.com, spiceitup.etsy.com, and one of my new favorites itkupilli.etsy.com among just a few I regularly purshase from. (you can always read below my pieces where I get my images)

I especially want to tell you about Kirsi at Itkupilli. Wowee! What a gal, artist, and image maker! Her Etsy if plum full of deliciousness and so is her blog *iTkUpiLLi* ~ mY aRt aNd cRafTs. Pop over and check her out. She is very generous and very talented and you won't be disappointed!

So the playing part of today . . . I am slowly figuring out Gimp. I have PhotoShop Elements 7 but I am finding Gimp, which you can get for free (though I paid to download mine safely - $3.99), much easier to figure out. It even recognizes PS brushes so I'm liking that. By the way, there are some free brushes at Brusheezy.com. I figured out how to download and use PS brushes yesterday and today figured out how to change perspective so I can start making my own floors in my collages - very cool and useful thing to know.

Okay, I swear I am going to get to the store, the fence, and at least a few more blogs today.

Ahh, much better . . .

It may have been hot, but I had a good day today. It felt so good to make some stuff! And, I went through my mail and got the bills paid. Can't complain about that!

For Collage Play with Crowabout - Parlor Queen


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 6/14/09
This is a 5 x 7 collage using many elements and a face from Nancy Baumiller's flickr Collage Play with Crowabout challenge. The body is from lisasalteredart.etsy.com and some borders are from Sande Krieger. The face and body were hand-colored after printing. Most elements were hand-trimmed. The background was made using layers and textures from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes' and Joes Sistah, both altered digitally by me.

Green Queen


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 6/14/09
This is a 5 x 7 collage using a face and body from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, hair and boots scanned from magazine and catalog pictures, words from Nancy's Baumiller's flickr Collage Play with Crowabout group, crown from spiceitup.etsy.com, grass and wings purchased from other vendors. Most pieces were trimmed and hand-colored to some degree after printing and then placed on a background made from pieces from flickr's 'Playingwithbrushes' and anji one.

Tuesday I HAVE to go to the grocery store before my family hangs me by my thumbs and I want to paint one of our fence walls. Now that I have some art out of my system, I hope to make the blog and flickr rounds more seriously though I did lots of peeking today! Soooo inspiring!

It's good to be home

No Joke


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 7/13/09
This is a 5 x 7 collage using a face from flickr's chicks57, a body from itkupilli.etsy.com, a crown from whymsicalmusings.etsy.com, and borders from Sande Kreiger. I've forgotten where the rabbit came from as it is a left over scrap. All pieces were reprinted and hand-trimmed and many were hand-colored.Other pieces including the wings and background were pieced and layered together from image sharing groups after being digitally altered.

It is HOT, HOT, HOT here! We lucked out in Missouri this year with some unusually cool weather only to come home and find a stagnet heat wave. Oh well, it is still so good to be home. The "to do" list is rather large for a few days but I'll be back in the routine soon. I think I am home for awhile. I had hoped to go back to Missouri for my dad's 80th birthday in August but I think the kids will have me too busy here.

After the sorting the pile of mail and stacks of laundry I have waiting for me the next few days, my "to do" list includes putting together some collage element sheets I hope to sell in Etsy, some house painting, and learning to use my new Wacom digital tablet my mom-in-law bought us to play with. Of course, I have lots of blog visiting to do and some trade pieces to work on to. It's good to have a lot to do. Happy Monday! I'll be by as soon as I can this week!

Another quickie!

I'm home! I got home last night, went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market as long as we could stand it in the heat today (about 3 hours and 1/4 of the space!), and am getting ready to go to the concert in the park tonight. I'll be back at work tomorrow! Yeeeeeeeehaw! I can't wait! Etsy is open again too. Hope everyone is well!

Just a quickie!

Hi everyone! Happy weekend! I am in Flagstaff, AZ tonight. We had a great time in Santa Fe, the Tinkertown Museum northeast of Albequerque this morning and in Flagstaff this afternoon. We are stopping in Williams, AZ for breakfast and to hopefully meet up with one of Kent's best friends and we should be home early tomorrow evening. I've had a great trip with my family. Sunday we have some family plans for the Rose Bowl Flea Market and a concert series in the park near our house. I should be back "at it" Monday! Can't wait to visit you all and see what you've been up to!

(I have a few more pix to share but I will wait until next week)

More trip pix

Hi everybody! It's been nice having my family with me on this trip to Missouri and it's been doubly nice to have my dad feeling pretty good. The only trouble is, it leaves me very little time to blog and keep caught up.

We are on our way home now. In fact, we're in Amarillo again. But, today we are taking a side trip up to Santa Fe, NM since I've never been. We should get home Saturday. Here are some pictures from the last few days.

Lauren fishing at Hammon's Camp on White River in the Ozarks. We all fished but we don't want you to see our fat white bodies holding our miniscule fish. If the fish were bigger we would've looked better I think, but the trip was a highlight of the trip. Everybody caught several little fish standing in that cool clear stream and we had a great picnic lunch.



My dad - doesn't he look good? It's pretty amazing to me all that he has been through in the last 6 months. He doesn't feel like he has much strength and has absolutely no appetite but he kept up with most everything going on.

My Kent just loves tractors. He would like to be a farmer just so he can drive a tractor. We arranged with a friend of my dad's for Kent to go move some hay bales - he was in heaven. Oh, we are sad, sad city folks aren't we?

Of course I had to work in a few antique store stops. I haven't bought much, an old set of encyclopedias, some snapshots, an old flyswatter, and some other ephemera.

One of our usual outings on a trip to Missouri includes eating at Lambert's in Ozark, MO. They throw their hot fresh rolls at you, literally. I'm not sure why that is so fun, but my family just eats that up, also literally.

The roll thrower.



The men in our family must always make a trip to Bass Pro Shop. It is a huge sporting goods store that is put together with the extravagance of a Las Vegas casino or Disneyland theme park. Even the bathrooms are spectacular.

While the men looked at boring fishing tackle and archery stuff, Lauren tried on all of the camouflage sportswear and then posed with anything that stood still. Our friend Jolene would be proud of Lauren's shopping antics show.

I will leave you for today. I feel so badly being behind on everyone else, but I will savor a few good days of blog reading and commenting when I get home. I look so forward to it! Thank you for all of the fun comments you've kindly left on my boring vacay posts - you all are so nice to me!

p.s. Becky - I waved to you at exit 108 yesterday! I think that was the right one. I want to know more about Roman Nose State Park in the middle of Oklahoma!