Sunday, December 8, 2013

playing with Jill K Berry's new "TEXTures2" stencils


My artist friend, Jill K. Berry sent me some of her new  TEXTures 2 stencils to play with and I've been having a lot of fun with them. There are (4) different 6x6 stencils in the pack designed by Jill in a collaboration with Artistcellar

Their official name (should you decide to look for them) is "Artistcellar Signature Series Stencils by Jill K Berry and each stencil has its own name which I thought was cool. They are: Picasso, Bird, Gera and Miro. 



















I was playing with the stencils in my painting and then in some of my clay sculptures (after the clay had dried and I began painting). The name TEXTures are perfect for them, because I wanted to add texture and dimension into my art and they were perfect for just that! You can do so  much with stencils and if it was warm enough, I'd be outside with them using them with my spray paints.  I also decided to use little sections of one of the stencils to create eyes for my characters which gave them so much more persoality and I'm so happy I decided to do that! I also plan on using some wood icing along with the stencils (just as soon as my order arrives!)



This is one of my clay sculptures that I used one of the stencils on. The size, 6x6 was perfect for this since my sculpture isn't big, so it was easy to put the stencil on and create more texture into my work. 





Jill is generously giving away a set of her new stencils to one of my readers. So just leave a comment on this post and then I will pick a winner after the blog hop is over.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Last chance to take our soldered glass house class in person!

I am so excited to announce that in February, when we are mid winter and going stir crazy out of our minds, that Jane and I will be teaching our soldered glass house workshop, "Home is where the HeArt is" in picturesque, New Hope, PA. Our hostess is the lovely, Cara Vaughn, who is so generously offering us this opportunity to create in her unique and truly lovely environment. This will be the last time we teach the class "in person" before it gets sent over to its new host site.









The workshop is 2.5 days. We will begin Friday evening on February 7th, from 5:00-8:00. Then we will meet again on Sat the 8th and Sun the 9th from 10:00-5:00. You do not need prior experience in soldering, as we will help you through every stage of the house. 

The workshop is $250.00 for 2.5 days. You will have 2 experienced soldering instructors for the price of 1! There will also be a supply list for the class that will be emailed after registration. Kecia will have (5) soldering stations (iron and rheostat) to rent out, first come first serve, for $20 each. We will be creating a faux mercury glass house that we solder and infuse with a story based on photos or themes that reflects what "Home is where the heART is" means to each and every one of us. 

please note, students will need soldering equipment and glass to build their house. You can email me for specifics (keeshagirl4@aol.com) on what supplies you will need. 


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Please purchase class at the bottom of this post


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*Please note, NO REFUNDS will be given for any reason and no monies can be applied towards any other item. 

In addition, we have strived to create a weekend of creativity and camaraderie, so with Cara's help (since she knows the local layout, we have also orchestrated the weekend for optionally participating in after hour dining activities and where to stay locally for full flavor of Bucks County). 

A la carte menu:


Friday night we would have a catered meal at Cara's house - price pending



Sat Night I thought we would have dinner at 


will do a prefix menu with a few choices.


Sunday morning muffins and coffee at Cara's  place.



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Cara is suggesting a local inn (her friend owns it!) for lodging: 




**for questions about lodging please email Cara at: carajv@mac.com

for questions about the class, please email me at: keeshagirl4@aol.com
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Also, I asked Cara for some insight into her studio and where will be creating. I'm so looking forward to seeing this for myself and I hope that you will coming along as well!


"My studio/classroom is on the first floor of a refurbished barn that was built in 1860 as a dairy barn. The barn was used as storage in the 1950's for what was then known as Flower show farm, it was owned by the president of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. In the 1970's the land was subdivided and the barn's transformation into a home began. A new owner completed the rehab in the 1990's and we bought it 8 years ago and have made some more renovations, it is an ongoing piece of art.

The studio is space is large and open with table space for 3 at table, great lighting, a small kitchen and it's own bathroom. 
The studio handicap accessible and parking is right outside the door for easy transport of materials.

The barn is on 4 acres in beautiful, scenic Bucks county, Pa.
There are two stocked ponds on the property and we raise chicken and sheep."







-


You can purchase the class here:

Sunday, October 27, 2013

dog shaming at its best!

You've heard of dog shaming? It's where you take cute pics of your fur baby feeling contrite about some "alleged" offensive act, lol. I've submitted them. Kashie peeing on my suitcase. Sophie pooping in my studio and me tracking it all around (arg!). but here is the ultimate! For the last few days, Gracie has had UNBEARABLE gas. I mean , it's horrible. It was so bad that at one point I thought I would throw up and seriously my eyeballs welled up and teared.

So tonight in my studio, she gases me again and i start BITCHING! I  say to my husband, what the hell is going on? We start narrowing down things that she could be eating outside and then he suddenly looks contrite and says, "oh, i know what it is". He's been adding some "extra" treats (human goodies) to her meal. So of course I go ballistic! I tell him, YOU ARE SO DOG SHAMED!  and it's not Gracie's fault. He agreed, (good sport!)



the sign says " I fed my dog "human" food making her EXTREMELY flatuence and diaper worthy. It was so bad that our eyes teared up and hurling was involved.

Friday, October 18, 2013

dramatic blog post!

I tend to shy away from drama, don't like it, find it a wasteful time of energy. However, with that said, since I haven't blogged since late Aug, what a better way for a comeback but with DRAMA!

I've just returned from teaching in Stamford, CT at Art-is-You and was unpacking the car, putting things away, cleaning house, doing laundry, tending to tucker, pups and kitties (and birdie!) and prepping for my husband to leave over the weekend for a friends get-a-away.

It was early morning, 7:30ish, and I'm cranky cuz there's no half and half for the coffee, so jeff runs out to the store for more (hey, he drained the last drop, not me). I was getting tucker ready for school. Jeff came back in and i noticed my kitty wanted to go outside on the porch. But the porch was covered with wet leaves and kind of icky, so i told Lilly (kitty) that I would sweep it clean so she could lay out there as she loved to do. So I was sweeping when BAM, a yellow jacket stung me on my ankle.

So you have to now that about a month ago, a yellow jacket stung me on my chest while I WAS SWEEPING THE SAME PORCH (hint, i know now there must be a hive there somewhere in the ivy) and I had a very bad reaction to the sting. My neighbor who is a doctor, we were texting back and forth and after things settled down, insisted I see an allergist. So I did, last week. Got an epi pen and then yesterday on said DRAMATIC day, was to go in for my testing levels to the toxins.

So after this sting, i shouted, "gawd damit" and ran into the kitchen. Screamed for jeff that I had been stung. Took 2 benedryls, stripped out of my clothes (last time I got REALLY hot), got a cold cloth, took new epi pen and went into Tucker's room (because every reaction can be different, this time could have been nada, zilch, fine, so there is a "wait and see factor". Last time I had about 10 minutes before I became symptomatic. I was sort of counting on those 10 minutes. This time it was less than 2 minutes.

When I saw my allergist last week and we talked, I asked him, "what do your patients say about how they felt before deciding to use the epi pen?" he said, "Mainly they all mention a sense of impending doom". Hmmmmmmm. guess you'll know that feeling when you are there.

Fast forward, within a few minutes, my hands went numb and all I can say is that I felt that a black shroud was being brought over my head, kind of coming over the back of me. I saw the blackness and I screamed to Jeff, it's happening now. I'm going to do the epi and you call 911. But I sort of blacked out so we did the epi together (and have sinced learned that we should have left it in a bit longer). He caught me as I blacked out (turns out my blood pressure had plummeted) and then shook me to consciousness, where i said, "oh i fell asleep". Then i started vomiting. my head started POUNDING and the only thing i remember is insisting that jeff put my pants on!

he called 911 who arrived in minutes. gave me oxygen and an iv. asked a million annoying questions and then loaded into the ambulance. As i know now, Epi will make you extremely cold. I was shivering (and so glad to have on pants). Jeff had to get poor mr. tucker together, who along with the dogs are freaking out and then he would come to the hospital.

I was feeling weird like, "was i being overdramatic by taking the epi?" (you know that bastard called, "guilt" that lurks in every decision we make"). I kept picturing some old lady having a heart attack needing the EMS and here i am taking up their time..........but at the hospital it turns out that my body was covered in hives, another symptom that i was nearing  the dreaded "Ana" shock". I'm not making light here, just recapping with some humor and feelings from my perspective. My mantra here is "never second guess yourself" because you are worth second guessing". From Jeff's perspective, he said, "while you had nerves of steal, I was scared shitless".

They kept me for the afternoon in the ER, checking on me,listening to my lungs, watching the hives "resolve", chilling get better, nausea dissapate, clarity from me and so on. Was sent home to "follow up with allergist and continue benedryl PRN".

So there you have it, my first DRAMATIC post. I drew this pic tonight, (quoting jeff that i am a "marked woman" since they seem to go after me.....)

I am doing well tonight. have spent 2 days in bed, ankle still swollen, but has to go down eventually, right? thanks for reading. xoxo



Sunday, August 25, 2013

Wanna to come to Mexico with me in March?



March 2-8, 2014  I will be at the picturesque Hacienda Mosaico, located in Puerto Vallarta,  teaching 5 days of jewelry techniques and projects. The focus will be on using our beloved vintage pieces and treasures and turning them into unique wearable pieces of art. This is the perfect way to get ready for spring and shake off those winter blues!




pictures of projects we will be working on: 








You can find more details about the workshop here. Also, take a minute and look at some photos from the Hacienda. The place is asolutely gorgeous. All meals are cooked on the premises. Fee is includes, room, meals and teaching fee. 

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Patron Saint of discarded things with Michael deMeng




I am please to announce that I will be hosting artist Michael deMeng again this year in Wall, New Jersey. The dates are Oct. 5 and 6th 2013.







As far I as know there is no such thing as

 a Saint or Deity of Discarded things,

 which is a pity because


there are many like me who wander the

 highways and byways looking for bits of

 detritus to incorporate into
o
artwork. Seems like an activity worthy of

 guidance or protections. In fact I recall

 one instant where I was

traveling Oaxaca Mexico in a large van

 with 10 or so students. On the side of

 the road we passed a large

dumpsite filled with oxidized goodies…all

 of a sudden everyone in the van starts

 oohing and ahhhing. The

driver looked a bit bewildered, and

 wondered what in the world a bunch of

 gringos would find so interesting


about an orange-ish/red heap of metal.

 Little did he know, that to us, it was as

 if we came across the holy


grail. The possibilities of creation were

 endless. In this class we are going to

 create a found object patron,



saint or deity that will aid in our artistic

 endeavors of finding and recreating from

 discarded things. Using


some sort of structure to build of (such as an iron, a shoe, a phone, a shadow box…just about anything) we


will create a place for our effigy to



 watch over our undertakings. This shrine



 will be filled with all sorts of


unusual elements as adornment but will

 also serve as a place to add future bits

 of randomness.







the fee is $200 paypal directly to Michael via paypal. Please email, me, at keeshagirl4@aol.com for more information.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

what does it all mean? The meaning of Puppet Master

I painted this picture a few months ago and had no idea what it meant or where it came from. It just sort of evolved (which is the fun, surprising part). But this morning as I was getting Tucker ready for school, I kept looking at it, and suddenly realized what it all meant. 





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I kept looking at the wedding ring. It was something I added at the last minute and it was this mystery to me, like, who is this character married too? And why are those people dangling from his arm?





It finally dawned on me that the "Puppet Master", who  I referred to the guy with the red arm, is my husband, Jeff and the 3 characters he is supporting (they are not dangling after all) are me, dillon and tucker.

 Jeff is very very strong (physically), so the red, bold arm, represents his strength. There was a time, in our past where Jeff's priorities where not so much about our relationship, but rather other things. He's always been a steadfast and great father, but in all honesty, I secretly felt he was a better father than husband. Over time as we have both grown and changed, he has matured. As we talk about our past, I bluntly summed up feelings by telling him, "you squandered that time in our relationship". he did not disagree.


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Now a days, his priorities have shifted. it is less about the party and friends and more about taking care of us. He is learning that taking care of us  also means emotionally too. Committing emotionally to being a better partner, father and person. (i think we all do that as we age anyway....) I gave up trying to help Jeff with his emotional demons. I stopped playing police woman and trying to control things in him that were beyond my control. When I let go of  feeling responsible for his well being, I changed as well. My mantra became, "I can not make you happy". I can only support you, but you have to do the rest. He has become extremely supportive of my art journey. I couldn't ask for better support and the freedom it allows me to "just be myself".

He often says that his new role is all about supporting and taking care of his family. So in the picture, his strong arm is gently supporting us the best way he can. 

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The pink character standing behind Jeff represents me again.  It shows that I'm the serious one and he's the joker (note his smirk and my very serious expression). I have a degree in psych and would quietly stand behind him and understand his behaviors, all the while knowing that I couldn't do much about them. I have always been the voice of reason and patient.




the cute little dude standing on the house is Dillon. He is pure joy and that he brought a lot of love back into our lives after Tucker's injury  He anchors our relationship. He is beyond precious to us. 


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 and lastly, my house. my rock - my source of stability and sanctuary. While I am not a religious, church going person, I am spiritual and hold many beliefs and have a particular fondness for religious iconic imagery that you can find all over the house. growing up in the military, I moved around so much, that often felt there wasn't a lot of stability in the sense of feeling like i belonged somewhere or had an attachment to one spot. I lived as an invisible person since there wasn't much time to get to know people before moving again. I've lived in this house since 1995, a long time for me. While living in NJ isn't my first choice, I love my house, my property and what I have achieved here. Jeff wants to move, always looking for utopia, which, in my opinion, doesn't exist. Utopia to me, is here in my own home, surrounded by my art and love of life. 








fondly,

kecia

Saturday, June 15, 2013

things to ponder


10 Easy Steps to become a miserable artist:


saw this on fb and thought it was great. 






How to Make Yourself Feel Miserable as a Creative person: 
1) Constantly compare yourself to others in your same craft
2) Base the entire success of your career on one project
3) Stick only with what you know
4) Undervalue your expertise
5) Let money dictate exclusively what you do
6) Only work on what you think others will love
7) Do only what the client/patron/gallery owner asks
8) Base your artistic merit on the comment sections of your posts
9) Never take time to recharge
10) Set unachievable/overwhelming goals, to be accomplished by tomorrow.

**I was finally able to track down the original post -  see it here on this blog, Craft, Create, Connect. 



Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Nominate someone deserving




Those Art is You girls (Sallianne and Ellen) are at it again! These 2 women are constantly giving back to the community through their events,  charitable contributions, their generous spirit and the understanding of how to encourage women to bring more art and creativity into their lives.  







This time they are holding a contest where you can nominate someone deserving to attend one of their retreats (Petaluma, CA or Stamford, CT), a $1000 value! Here is what the prize consists of:

3 nights’ accommodation at our host hotel – King

 Room with Breakfast.

3 Full-Day Workshops (Chosen by winner but based

 on availability) and Kit Fee subsidy ($20 per day

 where applicable). Lunch each workshop day
.
Full access to events such as Morning Motivators,

 Art Trunk and charity events.





here's how to nominate someone: 

Tell us who

 you’d like to nominate to win the prize above

 and why you feel they deserve this special

 creative-outlet treat.

We’ll be making a new 

post here on Create Mixed Media each week

 for the month of June and we’ll announce the

 winner of the prize the first week of July.


 (Winning nomination to be chosen by Art Is 

You andCreate Mixed Media.) You can leave

 a comment any week, but please only one 

nomination per person.


To spruce things up

 and increase the fun, we’ll randomly select

 one commenter each week to win a North

 Light book.


You can enter the contest here:



Sunday, June 9, 2013

Hope for Oklahoma



A couple of my cool facebook friends (the Heather's) ran a really cool auction a couple of weeks ago to raise funds for victims in Oklahoma, following the hurricane. With all the items donated and then auctioned, they were able to raise almost $9000! how amazing is that. I donated 3 pieces myself. 

Well the girls are starting round 2 tomorrow. I am donating this piece that I have called, Angel of Hope. The auction takes place on this page and you bid under the photo of the item you are interested in. You have to have a paypal address to bid. Visit their and like their page here


"Angel of Hope":

Angel of Hope is a mixed media hanging piece, measuring 12" long and 7.5" wide. She is made up a variety of objects because she represents the disentanglement of life after a hurricane comes through. Her feet are old spoons. I imagined finding them on the ground in the rubble afterwards. Her body is an Altoid tin and can be opened to view the inside, which contains a small painting, meant to illustrate the wounded voice to all that have lost so much. She has been soldered and her head (and old vintage bisque Charlotte doll part) has been anchored down with a screw. This screw now holds her together; much like the support offered by Hope for Oklahoma. ~kecia deveney


















Saturday, June 8, 2013

Mysteries



I love a good mystery. In fact, I can very obsessed about them, given my over curious personality. I find things like this so interesting and really glad I stumbled upon it (via facebook, of course).

The coffins of Arthur's Seat

In 1836, five boys were hunting rabbits on the north-eastern slopes of Arthur’s Seat, the main peak in the group of hills in the center of Edinburgh. In a small cave in the crags of the hill they stumbled across seventeen miniature coffins carved in pine and decorated with tinned iron. Carefully arranged in a three-tiered stack, each coffin contained a small wooden figure with painted black boots and individually crafted clothing.

how cool is that? I think they are so amazing. makes me want to create my own.











The story was posted on  the blog, The Museum of ridiculously interesting things (great name!) go to the link and read more about them.

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In a way they remind of these cool Nuches that I purchased from an antique dealer in New York (well I bought one and he gifted me the smaller one, since as he said, "he enjoyed my enthusiasm") Mine are from Panama. This is  what the dealer told me about them: 

These are healing figures that represents  medicine man, woman or Nele. The spirit of a vivo or an alive figure is summoned  in the healing process, generally for soul retrieval  to restore the balance of health to an afflicted individual.  The process is accompanied by a shaman's healing chant and the burning of cacao beans in a clay sensor underneath the patients hammock.








I placed my 2 nuchus dolls in an assemblage piece I recently completed.



(I carved the totem myself!)









slide show!