Live music, two “guests”, a painting collaboration & tiny little details…

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Signs hung! We are ready!

Okay everyone!

Things are looking quite spiffy at Above Elite Studios if I do say so myself! We are in the process of creating a cute spot for Cyra Morgan who will be our wonderful performer on friday evening. WE ARE SO LUCKY! Honestly, I am always unbelievably grateful for the musicians we have had at our studio over the years. They are all going places! Music is such an intricate part of my life and live music is just the icing on the cake, adding a wonderful dimension to an all ready spectacular event.

Cyra says, “My style is an intimate acoustic folk and I am a romance junkie. For me there is nothing more rewarding than creating a piece of music that paints a picture of expression vivid enough for the listener to really feel what I’m saying….. or singing. If I can touch someone with my words, if I can make a listener feel like they are not alone, that is the greatest form of success for me.”

Pretty awesome, right? Here are two of Cyra’s videos (I couldn’t choose just one!) to woo you with while you read this AMAZINGLY thoughtful guest post from my friend Michelle.

Thoughts & ideas from Michelle Dyson on collaboration & the LIVE painting we will create together on Saturday at my studio:

©Michelle Dyson 2013

My best thoughts and ideas always come to me in the car driving or in the middle of the night while desperately trying to sleep. Now as I struggle to remember those amazing images and words they are gone, a lost memory but I will give it my best. Laura asks me,

“What are our intentions for this painting?” and I respond with “I just want to play and have fun.” After teaching all week I’m not always interested in having a plan when I paint. What I do want to do is be in a playful, peaceful, safe painting place within myself.

©Michelle Dyson 2013

When painting in collaboration Laura and I flow in and out of the work with respect for each others space and technique without words. We both are inspired by color and texture. We are inspired by flowers and music. We are inspired by the ocean and sand in our toes. We will both come to this painting with sketches of our favorite inspirational items. The music will play and with open hearts we will dive into our third collaborative painting. We decided to make this a live painting to encourage anyone who wants to watch our process the opportunity to. Sometimes it takes just a peek into the magic that is a painting in progress to invigorate the creativity of others into action. We want there to be more artists in the world. We want you to be a witness to the joy it is to let go of restrictions that can be a deterrent in art making and experience the freedom of a painting done out of friendship, relationships and the beauty of the world surrounding us.

I hope you come out to see us and look for pictures of our work on our Facebook and web pages.

Many thanks for all who support our dream!

Smiles,

Michelle

***We are both looking forward to seeing you! If you can’t make it on Saturday you can meet Michelle at the Open Studio on Friday from 5:30 -9pm and see the first two paintings we created together. Getting PUMPED!!! Event details HERE.

SO looking forward to seeing you!

love, Laura

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Art display, an Open Studio & a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Laura&Tina

my apron collection

A joyful hello!

I had such a wonderful day yesterday preparing for our Open Studio. There is a lot to do before an event like this which often takes months to plan, not to mention all the time creating new work. Today I worked on my favorite task besides painting which is rearranging my studio! It takes awhile to do this and often I make a HUGE mess in the process but love doing it. I start by laying out all my new paintings and taking a look at them. Seeing them all together makes me realize how hard I have worked and appreciate all the time and effort I put into creating them (I have been known to wrestle with the “I haven’t done enough” & “I could have done more” when in fact I have done a lot which Tina can always point out to me). I then take almost everything off the walls and shelves, clean and get to work creating new displays for them. I have an affinity for vintage items as many of you already know from my Brimfield excursions and I try to intermingle them with my artwork.

This teapot is from Brett’s side of the family and I thought it looked cute with my little paintings and business cards. I paint a lot of teacups and coffee mugs and see them as a metaphor for connection and conversation. I have been blessed to have had many great conversations over coffee, tea and of course wine! Time with friends helps me grow, stretch, gather new ideas and see the world a little differently which I am immensely grateful for.

These card packs are popular as teacher & hostess gifts as well as being fun to send.

These card packs are popular as teacher & hostess gifts as well as just being fun to send.

On a different note, Tina and I have some SUPER EXCITING news! We just found out we have been accepted to create an installation art piece at a one day arts event in June at 1600 Meeting Street in Charleston. The organization, Enough Pie is “ushering in an era of arts-driven community collaboration for the upper peninsula.” We wrote the proposal for it when we were together and now that we know we have been accepted I can create a small installation at my studio that will work in conjunction with the piece in Charleston. We will post our proposal and work samples, but essentially we want YOU to to participate. More soon….

Here is a glimmer of something in the beginning stages for this project. It may change a bit but I wanted to have an element of nature in the work and a place for people to write and share their ideas.

That is all for now. I will check back soon with more fun things to share, including a special blog post from my friend Michelle about our special LIVE painting on Saturday.

Cheery Smiles your way…love, Laura

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A little gardening, decorating & A Summer Affair…

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Hello Sweet T & friends!

Hope you had a delightful weekend. I got up early on Saturday and hit my favorite plant sale in Ledyard with my friend Sue where I scored some really pretty perennials. I always buy WAY more than I intend to but the prices are just too good to pass up. Between the two of us the car was packed to the brim with all these delights.

Sue & I have a common love for many things including antiquing, gardening and decorating. After our plant sale excursion she helped me “redecorate” my home with my new Brimfield finds and “shopping my house,” rearranging things. Sometimes just moving things to new places gives your home a fresh, new look. Do you ever do that?

You might remember that we recently had our living room renovated and put bead board in. We loved it so much we decided to add it to our kitchen and repainted it, giving it a fresh, cottage look. We have the most AMAZING contractor who offered to help me hang some of my larger pieces so it was time to “commit” to where I wanted things. Sue was the patient pair of eyes I needed to see my house again. She has a gift for that. I just love everything we did and am SO anxious to finish decorating my house which will have to be put on hold until next week.

This week will be all about getting ready for our “Summer Affair” Open Studio. It is making me a bit giddy thinking about it! We have never done an Open Studio this time of year and timed it with the Virtu Art Festival taking place in Wilcox Park over the weekend. It will be a great arts celebration for sure!

Our show opens Friday night (May 24th) from 5:30-9pm and on Saturday I will be doing a very special LIVE painting collaboration with my friend Michelle. We are going to paint a BIG canvas together and share our thoughts, ideas and inspiration as two artists who have grown together in creativity for over 20 years! This will take place on Saturday, May 25th from 1-4pm. I have so much to share with you, including many new paintings and a special project I am working on with Tina so stay tuned for more details throughout the week. I hope you will save the date and come on over to say hello, I would love to see you! Off to get crack a lackin’ on some work….xoLaura

p.s. I am looking for someone who would be willing to bartend on Friday night for any amount of time as well as someone who might be willing to help me with sales on Saturday from 1-4pm while I am painting. If you think you can help with either of these things email me at laura.gaffke@me.com. Many many THANKS!

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Painted bodies, a “strong back”, friendship, collaboration & so much more…!

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Laura&Tina

focus on the good, colorful flowers in vase painting

This painting is currently part of the Regional Show at the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly. It will be on view until the end of the month along with so many other wonderful artists work. Stop in if you are in the area and see the diversity of the show.

Dear Tina,

It seems like both yesterday and a million years ago since I was in Charleston. I know some people learned of my unfortunate experience with strep throat and back problems from Facebook and I was completely overwhelmed with all the kind, healing words. All I can say is THANK YOU to everyone but especially YOU my dear! Thank you for making me so welcome in your home and sharing your wonderful family with me, thank you for taking care of me when I couldn’t move, for bringing me water, crackers and blueberries, for just being in the room with me, thank you for rearranging my flight so I could rest, thank you for your inspiration and writing our blog posts when all I could do was share my ideas from bed, thank you for being such a wonderful, inspiring friend and bringing so much clarity to my life! I cannot tell you how humbled I felt by this experience and I am grateful to have you in my life.

When I returned home I rested for a day and felt a little better. Michelle & Jesse came down from NH on friday and I felt up to going to FUSION, a fun, artful event complete with body painters, a live band, a Photo Booth as well as food & drink tastings. My friends Millie, Joy, Serena, Heather & Lisa all participated in the body painting and their creations were each so unique and fun! Here are a few pictures of Millie’s work. Not too shabby a “canvas” to work on I have to say! You can see more pictures from the night here.

I attempted a little dancing at Fusion and my back immediately regretted it the next day so I wasn’t moving too fast. Michelle & I laid low over the weekend and dreamed about the collaborative painting we will create next Saturday (May 25th from 1-4pm) at my Open Studio. We are SUPER EXCITED about it and I hope lots of people come to meet her and see all the fun things she is bringing down to share and will have available for sale. I am already filled with ideas on how I want to decorate and display my work for the kick off event Friday night (May 24th from 5:30-9pm).

Tomorrow I head to the Brimfield Antique Show bright and early with my friend Sue. It is an annual pilgrimage we make and this year we are being brave and driving Brett’s BIG TRUCK so we can fill it up with some larger items! I can already envision my new finds and working them into a display for my open studio. Sue has a wonderful online shop called, The Collected Cottage with some fabulous vintage items. Whoooo hoooo! I can hardly stand the wait!

I will leave you with some pictures Michelle & I took from my garden that we will use as inspiration for our painting. More to come!

Love, Laura

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Gallery Walkin’… Beer Drinkin’

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Here we are enjoying a brew at Holy City Brewing Company on Friday night. Laura, who is a wine drinker, actually liked the stout which was chocolaty and malty. We tried to play some pool but it was pretty pathetic. We always think we are so much better than reality!

Friday there was a gallery walk in Charleston so we meandered downtown to a few galleries. The picture below is of Mackenzie King, co-owner and gallery director of a beautiful new gallery, The Art Mecca of Charleston. Laura fell in love with one of her creations the moment she walked in. It is a gorgeous one of a kind piece made from recycled enamel.

These are more of Mackenzie’s creations. They are almost as gorgeous as she is.

We also visited Atelier Gallery a lovely two floor gallery where Laura was excited to see the work of Christy Kinard, an artist she has followed for some time. It was a coincidence that she was the featured artist. We both appreciated her use of papers and fabrics layered with paint.

Another artist Shellie Lewis-Dambax impressed us with her process. The layers of drippy paint and varied line quality drew us in to look closer and longer.

Today we are planning and plotting some new opportunities which we will share another time. Check out this painting below, which is outside the brewery. It has a weathered look, but it is recently painted.

Check in tomorrow for more updates on our studio work together.

Tina and Laura

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Laura’s Here!

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Whooohooo! Laura is here and we are already in the thick of making some artwork. Well, just playing around with some experiments. Tina bought some fun supplies and we are grooving away in her studio, listening to Madeleine Peyroux, sipping tea and enjoying the ease of our friendship. We will leave you with a video to get the vibe of our day…Enjoy!

Laura & Tina

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Doing my best….

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Hello Sweet T (& friends),

I was looking at my calendar planning, organizing myself and getting ready for upcoming show submissions and realized I am coming to see you next week!!! Is that possible? In my mind it seemed so far away. I have some serious thinking, dreaming and pack a lackin’ to do before my trip. My mind has been focused on a new body of work for my upcoming solo show at the Lighthouse Gallery in New London. I don’t think I announced the show here on the blog but it hasn’t been far from my mind! It will run from the end of July through August and I can’t wait! Hopefully you will be able to see it when you come visit me in August. (stay tuned for more details!)

As you know “goddess Michelle” just left and now my friend Brigitte is currently en-route as we speak. I am invigorated by my time with them. Tomorrow will be a day of studio work and most likely a little self-discovery. Do you ever notice how you share different things with different people? Brigitte and I share an abundant love for books that help us grow in a very soulful way. She has been giving me snippets of them in our quick phone chats and I am looking forward to our reflective time together. I have tons of things swirling around in my head (don’t laugh! I know, I know, what else is new!).

One thing that helps ground me are the wise words in a little book called, “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. I have more to say about this favorite book of mine as it keeps coming up in conversation, even with Michelle when she was here. We joked that it would have made our younger years so much easier. One of the agreements is to “always do your best”. I am trying to do this right now with my current work. Part of that is having a vision for what I want in my life. This is being expressed in my artwork and I can feel it even in these meditative background paintings. I don’t know what it all means but it if feels right so I am just going to accept that as my best today. Sending so much love & creativity your way…love, Laura

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Focus on the good…

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Dear Tina (& friends)

I was thinking about my last post while working on this painting in the studio. I had started it some time ago and just couldn’t find my way back into it, then something just clicked and it all came together. It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it? I am only sharing the bottom corner of it as I want to sit with it a bit more before I declare it “finished” but I really like it and the sentiment, “focus on the good”. I try to remind myself of this daily especially if I find my mind wandering in another direction. I am usually able to turn things around and put another spin on it. This isn’t always easy, I feel better when I do.

Thinking of good things, I am excited to share the fun things I have been cooking up with my friend & “goddess sister” Michelle. She just left this morning and I miss her already! You might remember her from her guest post as well as the painting collaborations we did together. Well, another one is in the works and I think it will be our best one yet!!! It is SUPER exciting because YOU are invited to be a part of and will get to meet her! We are still working out the details but please consider the honor of gracing us with your company. You may want to double star the dates below on your calendar as both events are something truly special and surely not to be missed!

WHAT:

“A Summer Affair” Artist Open Studios with Featured artists:

Laura Gaffke, Millie Donovan, Lisa Szaro, Serena Bates & Charles Estabrooks

WHEN:

Friday, May 24th from 5:30-9pm

***SPECIAL EVENT***

Saturday, May 25th 1-4pm

LIVE COLLABORATIVE PAINTING & Open Studio

with “Yours Truly” (Laura) & guest artist, Michelle Dyson

both events taking place:

Above Elite Studios

181 Main Street, Westerly, RI

Stay tuned for more details in the upcoming weeks or find the latest information on my facebook page. Until then, Happy day to you!

Love, Laura

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Choosing LOVE…

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Laura&Tina

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
-Buddha

Dear Tina (& friends),

I am not sure I have the “right words” but I felt compelled to write after hearing about the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. Boston is so close geographically and I have visited often over the years. Seeing and hearing the stories of why people feel compelled to run this marathon and the training involved is awe-inspiring. I can just imagine how it would feel being there at the finish line, cheering for someone you knew running not just any race but that race. This time last year Brett & I were sitting in a bar downtown talking with parents whose son was running the race. They were SO PROUD! You having lived in Boston and being a runner must connect to this emotionally as well?

I heard the news last night driving home from the studio, I had called my sister and was in THE BEST MOOD after having a great day of painting. I casually asked her what she was up to and she said, “Trying not to watch the news.” My heart sank, What now?!?!? This is when she told me about the explosions in Boston. Going through a range of emotions I woke this morning and made a decision to choose optimism over hopelessness. My intention both in my artwork and in life is to do my best to see the good in the world. I believe most people are good. This tragedy will not alter this belief. It will make me go out of my way to be kinder, to do something nice for someone else, to smile extra bright & take action TODAY to let the people in my life know how much I care about them. It may seem like such a simple thing at such a tragic time but I believe this is when we need to express and share kindness even more. I believe through our actions, however large or small, collectively we can make a difference.

Today I choose LOVE because my heart could not bear it otherwise…xoLaura

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Vision 5: Script Series

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Laura Gaffke, Vision 5: Script Series

Dear Tina,

The daffodils are finally starting to come up in my garden and I am starting to find them in the grocery store (a little farther along). They make me smile and think about the warm months to come. I have been experimenting with different variations of protein smoothies & juicing. What you see here was made with carrots, a pear, an orange, and probably some other things I can’t seem to remember right now. Delish! Still lots to learn and recipes to try as I am committed to a healthy lifestyle. You know creativity in the kitchen isn’t exactly my forte~ha!

xoLaura

Dear Laura,

Do you remember when I took this picture? We were in New York City last summer. Too bad that mug had pink on it with the t! It also has not escaped me which book is in the background. At any rate, drinking coffee with you on our visits or over the phone is always a treat for me!

Tina

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ReVision 4: Script Series

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Laura&Tina

ReVision 4: Script Series ©laura gaffke 2013

Dear Tina,

I LOVE Dr. Seuss as well as the Lorax Village you had a chance to see. How fun is that?!?!? You are right, Dr. Seuss certainly did have a magical way of relating difficult issues to children. It made me want to share the story of the Lorax with my niece & nephew. My mind twirled thinking about how I could share nature with them. Perhaps some fairy houses are needed in my garden! For my ReVision I started by Iayering paint and collage papers then added the whimsical fuchsia flowers (a favorite plant in a hanging summer basket). I have always found these flowers to be fascinating and complex. I was inspired by the Dr. Seuss quote,

“Sometimes the questions are complicated but the answers are Simple.”

~Dr. Seuss

It made me think of the simple things we can do each day to make the world a better place. Thanks for sharing!

love, Laura

Laura Gaffke: ReVision 4/Script

Dear Laura,

Your Vision photo this time around is one I want to frame and put up in my house. This image reminded me of the weathered antique textbooks that I have in my studio so took them out and began paging through them. I also noticed that my neighbors Water Ash tree has peeling bark just like your Birch tree. I took some pictures and samples of this bark, brought them back to my studio and began mixing and combining these with with the text pages. I took several days of arranging and then rearranging until I found a combination that I liked. It is this process of decision making during the creative process that is hard to teach but can be cultivated over time. This part of an art practice (the editing) is one I believe takes years to develop. I still have more to learn with editing and making decisions to match my thoughts with what I am seeing with the materials. This is the kind of thing I think we could talk about for hours! I am sure we will when you come to visit this Spring!

Tina

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Strange Birds…

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Dear Tina (& friends),

I have just returned from a lovely trip with Brett to Florida to visit his parents. Although the weather wasn’t as warm as I had hoped (no tan here~boo hoo!) it certainly wasn’t as cold as it is here in New England so I will not complain. Brett & I went tooling around in the golf cart and kept seeing these funny birds. I was very much amused by the way they walked. They made me think of your Vision and the quirkiness of Dr. Suess (ReVision soon to come~very inspired!).

One of the golf cart paths was lined with these trees and I immediately thought how these trees are everywhere in Charleston aren’t they? It makes me even more anxious for our visit together next month. Hoping for warmer temperatures!

xoLaura

p.s. What kind of trees are these? Live Oaks? Do any of you happen to know what kind of birds these are?

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Blogs that ROCK!

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Dear Tina & sweet friends,

I have been in creativity OVERLOAD and LOVE IT! I just finished a rockin’ three day webinar on Creative Live with James Wedmore about You Tube and I couldn’t take notes fast enough. It was so inspiring I am actually entertaining learning how to create videos of my work. As you can imagine it will be a learning curve but one that juices me up when I think about it!

I am also taking a wonderful class called, Blog Boss with Holly Becker of Decor8. I have been learning, watching, absorbing and inspired, hoping to make our blog better. I am also entertaining starting a second blog and researching ways to make it special & meaningful (more to come!).

This weeks homework was to closely examine blogs we love and do a case study on them.

Here are 8 blogs I LOVE & why I think they ROCK!

Jessica Swift’s blog, Treasuring is amazingly colorful and FUN. I imagine her to be genuine and sweet and I am in love with her creative work. She shares her inspiration, snippets of her current work, the different series she writes and little bit of her daily life. She is one gal I would love to know.

Alyson Stanfield’s blog is wonderful not only for its ease in navigation but for the content as well. Her blog is about art business and she is amazingly generous with the information she shares. Alyson is current, stays on top of trends and is always re-evaluating, assessing and updating her own blog and business. She makes me strive for the same commitment to excellence she empowers.

I recently discovered Alisa Burke and love the clean layout of her blog. It is easy to navigate and her pictures are uniform and engaging. She has a unique font she uses for her titles and I am drawn to the sweet, hand drawn social media buttons with her artwork on them. Her many creative projects (which I LOVE) are photographed beautifully. This woman’s creativity never stops! SO very inspiring!

Kelly Rae’s blog rocks in so many ways. Visually, I love the white background with a pop of color in the border. You know right away what the blog is about from her description and get a sense of her style. Her social media buttons are in several places making it easy to navigate and she has created a clever list documenting her journey as both an artist and business woman. Kelly Rae is brilliant at authentically marketing her work, making you want to cheer her on in her journey.

I am a huge fan of Mae Chevrette’s artwork and since her blog documents her creative journey it makes for an inspiring read. It is well written, clean and inspiring. I also love her photographs and the cute kitties that she photographs in her studio. It makes me wish I had a studio cat!

I have followed Marisa of Creative Thursday for years now and am always inspired by her unique, authentic voice. She always seems to know just what I need to hear and is clear in her vision. She follows her intuition and shares the many different ways her artwork has evolved. She like me believes in the “thriving artist” but is realistic and honestly speaks about the ups and downs of being an artist. Marisa is thoughtful, encouraging, always evolving and refreshing.

I learned of Annetta Bosakova’s blog, Inspired from my class and I am blown away with her photographs! Her compositions, color and subject matter really resonate with me. I will enjoy following along in her journey and getting to know her better.

Now who wouldn’t like a blog named, “Likes to Smile“? It makes me wish I had thought of the name myself! This blog celebrates the good things in life. I really appreciate Stacey, the authors creativity and sense of style.

Hope you enjoy these blogs as much as me! What are your favorite blogs? Please share with us in the comments or if you write one of your own let us know and leave a link. We always enjoy learning and meeting new friends!

Sending cheery smiles your way…Laura

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Vision 4: Script Series

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Laura Gaffke Vision 4/Script Series

Dear Tina,

I snowshoed a trail while I was in NH called, Bridal Veil a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful hike to a frozen waterfall. It’s supposed to look just like the name when the water is flowing and looked magical frozen. I lugged my back pack with my good camera (and a few beers, yes, I drank beer!) to the top. The hike took a little longer than I had expected but was a peaceful and rewarding adventure. This white birch tree stood out among the freshly fallen white snow. I loved the color and texture and thought you might too! It looks very different then the earlier Vision I shared of the birch trees that you can see HERE.

love, Laura

Tina Hirsig, Vision 4: Script Series

Dear Laura,

On a recent family trip to Universal Studios we walked through Dr. Suess land. That man had an incredible vision for how to speak to young people about complex issues. I think as adults, we all need to go back and revisit his stories. I know that you have a special concern for the environment and making actions against the “Once-lers” and figured you would appreciate this exhibit on such a grand scale. Even his choice of colors seemed like something you might be able to relate to. There was not a straight edge or 90 degree angle in this part of the park. Perhaps this vision will spark something in your studio today.

Tina

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We are here to…

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Laura&Tina

©laura gaffke 2013 “Morning Mist” acrylic, 9 x 9 inches *available for now

We are here to…………

shine

soar

grow

love

create bliss

serve with love

help each other

pave a path for those to follow

…fly high and low…. for that COLOR

Treasure every moment and grow

enjoy the moments

inspire

rock your face off!

help others in need

be kind, be creative, learn and teach

make a difference

I asked this question on my facebook page while I was working my ReVision 2 and as you can see I was overwhelmed with the responses! People were so generous with their thoughts. Working alone in the studio I am always curious how others will respond to the questions I ask of myself.

My response to this question was:

“We are here to lift each other up”

I had intended on adding script to this painting but it had a mind of its own as you can see from its origin HERE. After I finished it decided I really liked how light and airy it was and decided not to add the text. I am often surprised by what happens when I trust my intuition.

The title of the painting is “Morning Mist”. Thank you Sue and everyone else who left a suggestion on my facebook page. I really appreciate it! Come on over and say hello.

love, Laura

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Where the magic happens…

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Hello Sweet T (& friends)~

Acrylic paint has been my obsession for some time but I have been wanting to push myself a bit, experiment and use my mixed media muscles so I pulled out some of my thick caran d’ash crayons and colored pencils and built up a bunch of layers. I know you and I had talked recently about the playful aspect of our Vision/ReVision project that we enjoyed so much and I want to pull that playfulness back into my work.

It is so easy to get caught up in the pressure of preparing for shows and the desire to create “strong, meaningful work” that you loose sight of where the magic and discovery happens and I believe that is when we create space for it without these pressures. This is what I did here. I really loved the colors and textures I got from the oil sticks but when I came back to it the next day it just wasn’t right.

SOooooo, I turned it over and “allowed” this to come through (this is a cropped part of the larger canvas). I am not finished with it yet but love the transformation. It think the flowers give the painting that happy, uplifting vibe I was going for. What do you think? I will share more as it evolves.

Sending you a magical day filled with inspiration & love,

xoLaura

1 Reply

Vision 3: Script Series

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Laura&Tina

You can learn more about this Series HERE

Dear Laura,

Did you see we have gone over 600 posts? Nice! This flower is in my window and it’s luminous quality caught my eye. It seems that it is a bit dark, but it really is glowing in the sunlight. I often see a luminous quality to your work with a subtle shimmer added and wondered what your thoughts are about including it among the many layers in your paintings?

Tina

Dear Tina,

As you know we had quite a storm here last week. I went out on an adventure with my camera and found my “winter garden”. This flower was a Brimfield Antique Show purchase from last summer. It is made from an old tank of some sort which I thought was interesting. This is actually the original color of the tank and I just loved it. I thought you would appreciate the recycled nature of this little sculpture even if it is wearing it’s “winter coat.”

xoLaura

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ReVision 2: Script Series

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Dear Tina,

I loved seeing your “LOVE” sign from New Orleans! SO FUN and you know I am all about the love! I was thinking about how love can lift you up. You and our friendship lift me up in so many ways and I wanted you to know. Dragonflies are a repeated theme in my work because of what they symbolize~staying present and living for today. I added the heart to remind me to look at those around me with compassion and love.

xoLaura

Laura’s Visoin 2: Script

Dear Laura,

I have been intrigued by your Vision photo with the cool colors, tree branch pattern (that inevitably makes its way into all my artwork), and the layered quality of reflection and textures. I was surprised to have difficulty getting started on this ReVision. I suspect it is because I liked the photo too much. Looking back I think I should have used your photo in some way by creating a photo transfer print. I am still not thrilled with my result and see that I could use some more time in the editing phase, but wanted to make a solution to post this weekend. I have been preoccupied with some of my drawings which I will post at a future date. At any rate, I see all these Vision/ReVision’s as works in process. I think this is what makes it work for us. They are small enough to really get an idea going or create multiple solutions to one question we have in our work. I created three different versions of this one and eventually settled on “capture” as my Script element. This one has a textured element. It is one to hold and feel as much see. The thread seemed to ‘tie’ it all together in the end.

Tina

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Winter Wonderland…

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Hello Sweet T~

I thought I would share a few pics of what my weekend has been like up here in the North. As you know we have had quite a storm! Nemo & Charlotte dropped quite a bit of “the white stuff” on us! It was quite a blizzard. Many people are without power and still haven’t had their roads plowed and my heart goes out to them. I have finally dug myself out and meandered around my yard with my camera. Everything is so beautiful! I am not sure if I ever shared a picture of Brett’s new shed/workshop? Well, here it is all adorned in winter bling. (I personally still think it would make a great studio, just saying..).

One of my favorite details was the transom windows we put in. They let so much light in. I named the driftwood whale Fiona. Brett picked her out when he came to visit me at the Narragansett Art Festival this summer. Isn’t she cute?

Wintery river view

I love this old fence I found at the Brimfield Antique Show awhile back. Not sure it will stay here come spring but I liked how it looked with all the snow on it.

This sculpture came with me when I sold my magical cottage in NH. I love having this in my garden as a reminder of that special place I once called home.

Our rhododendrons were almost completely covered.

Brett just told me he needed to prune the lilac tree that lines our driveway. Well, Mother Nature was listening and helped him out taking down 3 big branches. I was drawn to the way the light hit them and the shadows on the ground.

Brett was in NH for the weekend snowmobiling so it was up to this girl to use some muscle to dig us out. We had a foot of ice and two feet of snow on top of that! Not an easy feat! I admit to feeling quite triumphant when I finally unearthed Brett’s “big rig”. My neighbors took pity on me and came over to give me a hand, then another neighbor came over with his snowblower to finish the rest of the driveway. You can imagine how grateful I was, so grateful in fact I decided to bake some banana bread to thank them. The house smelled so good when Brett came home (I baked him his own, just cause I love him).

This sunflower was a total random act of kindness from a lovely man named Jerry who worked at Stonington Gardens. He helped to put our patio in a few years ago and we had had a few nice conversations about art over the summer. He revealed that he did some creative work on his own with metal and described these flowers he made. I told him how nice they sounded and admired his creativity. A few weeks later I came home to find this flower in my garden. I cannot tell you how much my heart swooned at his thoughtfulness. It inspired me to pay it forward.

I spent some time forcing bulbs in different containers. They look so pretty in my new window and will make winter a bit easier to bear. I planted a couple of amaryllis bulbs as well. I can’t wait to watch them grow! I will leave you with this my dear. Going to sit by the fire and relax with my man and our good friend Troy.

xoLaura

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Vision 2: Script

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Laura&Tina

Vision 2 Script: Tina

Dear Laura,

Do you love it? This is a follow up to last week’s Vision since I also took this photo in New Orleans. I got interested in the hand crafted signs in the city and took long walks to find them. Glad I have an opportunity to share them here. It seems that art of the hand crafted sign is slowly slipping away to the computer generated kind. Maybe I am wrong. I am going to do a walk in Charleston on Friday and will let you know what I find out.

Tina

Vision 2 Script: Laura

Dear Tina,

I took a break from my work this afternoon and went for a little adventure. It has been quite gloomy and cold here so when I saw the sun peek its pretty head out I thought I would say hello. My escapade was short lived as I couldn’t take the cold but was struck by the shadows and light on the building next to the studio upon my return. The trees, colors and aged look of the bricks totally reminded me of you. I find how we associate things in our life fascinating, don’t you?

xo Laura