Here's my latest....the painting that drives me crazy! I have been done with the painting at least a dozen times and am still not satisfied. Like a child that grows up and is ready to be on it's own (even when the parent isn't), I have to let it go. With that said, I'm putting this out there for some feed back.

Most of my paintings are personal and I become consumed in every detail (a perfectionist with every shadow, as to recreate the vision in my head), so occasionally I'll do flowers.

I would really appreciate some feed back.......Let it go or work on it some more???

CHEERS to my friend and Author of "One of the Best Things"

Congratulations Sheri Doyle on your new book and your up-and- coming series of articles for More Magazine.com on wine tasting! Sheri has always been so talented but it's all coming to full bloom.

Now out "One of the Best Things" is available through Amazon.com. I have read this book and testify that it is one of those books that hooks you. It's impossible to put it down until you've finished it all. It is a very moving book of a young girl named Sunni and what she endures and overcomes. As Sheri states"It is a reminder of the strength of the human ability and the miraculous changes possible if we are given a chance."

The series of articles for More Magazine.com should be very informative for us women and about women in the wine industry. I can attest that since Sheri has been living in Italy the past year she absolutely knows her wines!
You can also visit her on her blog, oneofthebestthings.blogspot.com.

Sheri, I'm glad to know you. Remember me when you get on Oprah!

http://alteredbooks.meetup.com/cities/us/il/chicago/?success=update_subscribe&newMemberId=45928
48 Here is a site for anyone interested in anything altered or collage. They will notify you of metings in your area of any workshops or meetings pertaining to Artist Trading Cards, Collage, Altered anything, etc. I just signed in. We'll see how it goes!

Good day! Just wanted to put some more examples of the Altered Books for you. I think this one is so whimsy! There are countless possibilities with old books.

I hope you join in with us and create and share your own altered book. Below are the dates that the project will be due. I think we said Sept. 1st.

Have fun!
Dawn

Our Next Project

There are numerous books out there about Altered Art. If you want more on the subject for this project check out the
Amazon.com books section.

Altered Books

Our next challenge will be Altered Books. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of art it means to take an old book and alter it. Turn it into your own. Paint the pages, add your own pictures, make little holes that you can put things in...the creative process for this type of art is endless!!!
The project is due Sept. 1st. I will post the pictures on the 5th. Just take a digital picture or pictures of the book and e-mail it to me with your name if you want it posted with a comment about the experience.

Artist Trading Cards Project "Find It In One's Heart"

This one was a little personal. It's a quick sketch of me after my first show at 18 Artists and the paper says:Find It In Your Heart; What does that mean to me? What do I want to find in my heart? Right now - I want to find a universal language so that I can say something with my art. I've been searching since school years ago. "Do not be troubled for a language, cultivate your soul & she will show herself". by E. Delacrois on finding style. So I guess I need to cultivate my soul and heart. I want to find courage and strength to do things that haven't been done - or to just go outside my personal box. To have courage to be a little different. Cultivate my soul***How do I do that? Find it in one's heart!

I love Sheri's Artist Trading card because it carries some deep feelings like her determination to accomplish the challenges in her life.

For those of you who are not familiar with Artist Trading Cards there are books on the subject in your bookstore or go on line. They are small pieces of art that artists use to trade with one another.

Artist Trading Cards

As promised we are posting the Artist Trading cards that Sheri and I have worked on. I must say it is a bit of a challenge as I am use to large canvases and for anyone working 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" is not easy. I say I am envious of Sheri's as it turned out so well!!! You can tell I struggled with the idea since I made several and was never happy with any of them.

We will be posting our next challenge and we encourage anyone willing to participate. We decided it would be some type of Altered Art. If your not familiar with the term just key it in on your computer or go to your book store. It's taking an every day object (used) and turning it into a piece of art. We haven't decided yet on what type of object yet. It could be books, shoes, clothes, etc.

If your interested in participating then e-mail me. The buttons on the right side of the site.

The Southshore Art Association presents "Visions"

"Visions" opens Friday, June 29, at the SSAA Gallery, 724 Franklin St.,Michigan City. The opening reception is Saturday, June 30, from 5-8p.m..

Given the challenge to "explore the vastness of their imaginations,"artists from four states submitted art. The works of the 25 accepted artists range from a sweeping panorama of an Italian Pizza to faces twisting in a Van Gogh-like sky. In between are a young woman dreaming at the beach, a cathedral-serene painting of a Chicago Street, a near-empty canvas with a tree growing in from the side, a flute player on a Lake Michigan dune, and laminated wood shapes most fanciful.

The featured artists are: Carol Block, Esther Charbit, Diane Lynne Cheeseman, Judy Crawford, Joel DeGrand, Dawn Fetty, Kevin Firme, Sanford Friedman, Greg Gallagher,Garret Hamm, Susan Henshaw, Lee Hibbs, Larry Jensen, Connie Kassal, Neil Kienitz, Ed Levitin, David Okeley, Mary Ann P alsl, Lorraine Pritz, Matthew Rispoli, Steve Shor, Robert Stanley, Robert Williams, Clinton Worthington.

The only competitive art exhibit in all Northwest Indiana Scheduling three strong jurors, "Visions" promises to develop into a premier art show. Even the largest area art center, the former Northern Indiana Art Association in Munster, has only one juror for its prestigious "Salon Show." With three jurors, the art showed in Visions will be less subjective, and of grat overall quality.

After a trip to Tucson and then Memphis we had my husbands old college buddy and his family come to visit. Steve is an art teacher in Grand Rapids, Colorado so I took him to see the "Niki in the Garden" sculpture exhibit at Garfield Park, Chicago.

I LOVED this exhibit. Niki de Saint Phalle was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and raised in New York. She was self taught and has exhibits all over like Hon in Stockholm , Stravinsky Fountain in Paris , Noah's Ark in Jerusalem ,Queen Califia's Magical Circle in Escondido and her most important work, the Tarot Garden in Tuscany.

introduce yourselves

So, this is us; shopping in Florence for Dawn's birthday.
Here we are with friends, having dinner for Dawn's birthday in the restaurant I am featuring in my cookbook (shameless plug) about Tuscany.
Now you know who we are, or what we look like anyway. We were the best of friends, brought together by our sons, who were the best of friends, and now we are family. Our friendship has been a collaboration of creative minds and endeavors, hungrily searching the world for inspirations for our never satisfied souls. We have learned together, or more likely I have learned from Dawn, that our lives, both the ups and the downs, are nothing more than building blocks for our creativity. To be a friend of Dawn's has pushed me farther creatively than I knew was possible, and for that I am eternally grateful. So, enough sap, we laugh a lot together, we cry a little and mostly we push each other as far as we can to be the best we can all the time. This is our journey.

Creative Endeavors and Inspiration

This blog has transpired from the need to exercise,share and challenge our creative processes.

I am an artist living in the states. I am currently involved in several organizations and show my work in various galleries. My good friend lives in Lucca, Italy at this time and is a writer with a lot of creative energies. We decided we would post little creative challenges and projects on this site and perhaps get others involved.

Our first small challenge is to create an Artists Trading card with the theme: find it in ones heart.
Check back on July 15th for the results...