My Art Series 2009 Set 17 - Ovation TV Video - Make Life Creative

My Art Series 2009 Set 17 - Ovation TV Video - Make Life Creative

Happy Halloween!

This is "Pearl". I found the woman image in a 1922 newspaper, she was an actress but no name was given. She was standing in a pearl so that is why I gave her this name. I faded the image by erasing the ink off the print so she would look ghostly.

A video about me

My art to be featured in Victorian Homes Magazine

I am so thrilled about this! I've read this magazine since I was in my twenties, back when I was only dreaming of owning an old house. At one point in my life I was married and we built a custom home. I saved every issue and used these to help me design that house. Now after all these years I finally have a 109 year old house and it's all mine!

I've always loved art and antiques. Never did I imagine that I would find my muse in making art and be using the vintage images I find so endearing. Victorian Homes Magazine is sure that their readers will enjoy learning about me and my collages. I've submitted photos of my work, and one of me. Also did a phone interview with the editor who was so nice and encouraging.

I am to be featured in the February issue, 2010.

http://www.cathyhorner.com

50 Artists/50 States/50 Mediums

This is titled "Oh Home Early?" and will be part of a gallery exhibit through December. It's a long way from home in WI, I'm in TN. Here is the information about the show. I love the concept and proud to represent Tn and Collage art!

50 artists/50 states/50 Mediums

One artist from each state will represent a different medium, bridging the gap between the traditional fine art, craft, and design fields.

September 23-December 31, 2009

The Eclipse Gallery
507 Fourth St
Algoma, WI 54201

920-487-8060

www.theeclipsegallery.com

To see more of my art, portfolio and other events please visit:

www.cathyhorner.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Cloud Nine

Ovation TV is going to spotlight a pic of me and this art piece titled "Cloud Nine" on their segment called "My Art". I won't know the exact time but they will also have it available to view at the OvationTV website. yay!

I love this giveaway! Check it out! Blank journal

Hey friends! I usually don't blog about giveaways but this one is so cool. It is being hosting by "The Funky Monkey" and the winner get a choice of a blank journal from Ex Libris Anonymous. I love it so much because the journals are made with recycled old book covers. I love old images as you can see from my collage art, and these book covers are full of humor and nostalgia. Ex Libris Anonymous has lots to choose from so you can find one that fits your journal writing, recipe collecting or whatever else you need a special blank book for.

Click here to go to the Funky Monkey site

My home makeover grand prize!

As I promised, I am posting photos taken after my grand prize win from Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute (now with Dow corp) of a $20,000 exterior make over to my 100 yr old farm house. A very special thank you to them. Deborah Zimmer and Sharon Justice flew into my town on Arbor Day and not only presented this wonderful gift, but also offered their expert advise on painting and design. You can learn all about painting techniques and about paint at their site. I was also presented with a gift of a Leland Cypress from the Arbor Day Foundation, who also donated 10,000 trees to my community!

The Paint Quality Institute (PQI) was founded in 1989 in Philadelphia with the initial goal of educating consumers, contractors and retailers on the advantages of using the highest quality paints and coatings. Today, PQI also delivers information on cutting-edge trends such as color, decorative techniques, and innovative new ways to use paint.

http://www.paintquality.com/

I'd also like to thank Michael Moore Painting, a local contractor in Elizabethton TN who painted my roof and house. I chose Michael because of his extensive knowledge about painting. He was delightful to work with and really cared about this project. Also Ronnie Luttrel for doing all the carpenter work to the porch and Evergreen Nursery for planting my tree.

I can't thank my friends and family enough for all the support they gave by voting for me! I am so proud of my home now. In addition to the painting of the house, I also bought a porch swing and was able to do some landscaping around the house.

I am so happy. Thank you!!

Painting with paper

I "paint" my images using tiny scraps of hand made papers. Sometimes I will use a vintage image, scan and size it then print it out on quality paper in gray scale ink. Then this image is cut out but not glued to the canvas yet. To color the image the hand made papers are torn in pieces, sometimes no bigger than a parsley flake so I can add shadows and depth. An example of this would be the shadow in the staircase in the first picture.
In the second picture the man and woman sitting at their desks are very small and detailed. The circus tent and sunset in the next two pictures are not as detailed, however there is texture. The easiest paper to work with is mulberry because it layers to blend colors but sometimes other papers will create interesting textures.
I use a gel medium to glue them in place, then trim the image before it is glued to the canvas.

I won the house makeover!

Hi followers! I've been extremely busy with my gardens. First spring in my house and getting surprised daily by finding different flowers and shrubs growing in the yard of this 100 yr old homestead. The BIG news! On Arbor Day I was awarded a check for $20,000 to give my house an exterior makeover from Rohm and Haas (now with DOW) and was given a 6 foot Leyland Cypress from the Arbor Day Foundation. It was a wonderful day and I was front page news in the local paper.

The painters are prepping the roof and siding and I have a carpenter working on the front porch. I ordered wonderful gingerbread that will look like arches between the pillars. I'll be taking lots of photos to share. So happy!!!!!!!!!

Thank you everyone for helping me win this huge prize!

Art Print blog giveaway

"She became a butterfly" is hosting a giveaway of one of my art prints. Be sure for your 2nd entry to mention you follow my blog. Have fun!

http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net/?p=1520

Art: Working with real butterfly wings

First things first. I assure you I'm not a butterfly killer! With the exception of the Monarch most adult butterflies only live a week or two. There are butterfly farms, and as far as I know they don't hook them up to a plow or anything and just wait for a natural death before collecting them. I find the ka-put insects in my yard, the park and even parking lots where I've recieved an odd glance or two as I carefully pick them up. I don't limit myself to butterflies and have collected deceased moths, cicadas and even hornet wings for my art!

Butterfly wings are very delicate. They are covered with thousands of colorful scales that are so tiny it is almost powder like. With a very light touch, using a paint brush I coat both sides with a gel medium. I let each coat dry then add another coat. This makes them a little easier to handle. Since I am using them in collages, usually with a paper image on top of part of it, I cut away some of the thicker veins that wouldn't be seen anyway and would cause a ridge in my image.

In collage art, after arranging all the images that you have decided on, you have to take it all apart again before glueing everything down in the order it needs to be. The wings are still very fragile, sometimes I will use tweezers. Even once I have glued the wings in place, numerous times I go back and add more gel medium around the edges. If there is an air pocket I will carefully make a tiny slice with a razor blade and fill it with more gel medium.

Once an entire collage is finished I coat each one with about four coats of decoupage finish. If a collage has insect wings, I put this finish on thicker on the wings.

My intention is to perserve a beautiful part of nature in art.

You can help get my old house fixed up!

Some time ago I wrote a contest essay on line explaining why I thought my house needed an exterior make over. One of the judges is from the show "Trading Spaces" the sponsors are Rohm and Haas and the National Arbor Day foundation. They chose 20 houses nation wide for the finalists which now will be voted on by the public. I am one of those houses!!!!!!!!!!!!!The grand prize is $12,000 to paint the house plus a $8000 check, also a 6' tree for the yard and 10,000 tree's to the winner's community. My house has yellow siding, red shutters and an orange roof lol!Please vote for me!!!! Also if you don't mind asking your friends, or any lists that you are on to vote too. I would love to win this contest and could really use the prize!! I believe you can only vote once through March 6th. I am "Johnson City, TN" tenth house from the top. This would mean so much to me to win, it would be huge! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! Here is the entrance page: http://www.paintquality.com/spruceup/index.html Here is the voting page: http://vote.mediagravy.com/votepage.php

Robots, Robots mowing the lawn

I never thought about writing a blog. What is a blog anyway? Is it a journal? I'm not even sure what to write about, however the wheels that constantly turn in my head never seem to run out of things to think about. What is even more amazing, my Dear Followers, you have subjected yourself to my rambling of which has no clear direction as of yet. Maybe I am blessed and you will guide me. BTW, I can be very silly so don't take me too seriously. Feel free to join my silliness.

Robots. Robots mowing the lawn. Robots serving ice tea. I wish. I have 2.3 acres of lawn and rocks and only a push mower. I tell myself it's good exercise so I don't mind.

To make these loveable robots, I use many vintage industrial catalogs dated pre-1950's. Some of their parts even date back to the early 1900's. I cut out images of parts, and since I really have no idea what they are it may be why I see faces, legs, arms as I piece them together. I then think of a human situation to put them in with a retro feel.

I've done robots in the baby nursery, in the kitchen and playing guitars. In collage art, I am really at the mercy of the vintage images I find but sometimes with a little creativity, handmade papers and paint I can add things to my canvas.

Readers, what other retro situations should I put my robots in?

I won a beautiful heart from Prized Possessions

Valentines Day was nice this year. Picked up dinner for me and my beau, he gave me a sweet card and Mario game for my DS (haha..he knows me well). I recieved a package in the mail from Prized Possessions, I had won a Swarovski Rose Heart Pendant from Mary Ann's blog contest. She is so nice and has also offered to help me figure out this whole bloggy thing. The pendant is very pretty and made a new friend too! I think these giveaways are fun, friendly and good way to meet new people. I also have been discovering lots of new things that are unique, original and that I want to buy!

Mary Ann's blog site is http://www.prized-possessions.blogspot/
and etsy site http://prizedpossessions.etsy.com

My first blog!

My very first blog post ever, so be patient with my page here as I learn the ropes. I live in beautiful TN in a 108 year old farm house on several acres. Here I have a music room where I give guitar lessons and also an art studio where I make collages. I have a cat named Miss Thang.

I hope to write about art and music and make new friends.