Happy New Year

The hopeful and dreaded 2012 is here!
Here is to the hope that it will be a wonderful adventure and the weird ones who think the end is near are wrong. Even if the Mayan predictions are true..oh well..I hope I have lived my life to the best of my abilities!

That said, I posted an event on Facebook of a one day workshop making art papers for the last Saturday of January. Already have 2 students and just need 2 more to actually hold the class!!! Of course one is an artist friend and the other my son..but I was totally surprised by their desire to come and pay to play!
This particular class will be making and taking some papers that can be used in a lot of ways..from scrapbooking to book binding,journal making, collage and painting backgrounds..I will try some marbling effects so I can offer that. There will be mediums used and textures made, some collage. I read an article about Penny Brown who has done some interesting things with watercolor and other things on Rives BFK printmaking paper. So more things to experiment with.
I am even going to make some jewelry from bits of colorful 300# arches paper that was cut off some bookmarks I made to make them a better size. I kept these bits because the colors were so beautiful..and I am going to incorporate them into some jewelry.
So I will demonstrate many things and then we will go at it and play and make grand messes.
Also I will be providing lunch.. I figured this would be a good way to get people in too. It will be very healthy and taste good too!!! We can have lunch out in the lobby area which has a refrigerator, microwave, table and chairs and a nice counter area.
My studio will have to be moved around a bit but very doable.

I need to organize my thoughts because I get excited then don't know where to focus first.
I will be holding workshops on the last Saturday of every month this year unless something happens.. 4 students at the minimum my rent is paid and then some.
The other plan is developing..I have run it by Hubby and he is fine with it..
I have been researching Crowd Funding, for those of you who have not heard about it..it is a way of getting funding for projects that you want to do.
There are several sites, 2 of the most well known are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. They give you 90 days to 120 days to get the funding you ask for on their sites. You provide the dream..be it helping children with an afterschool program of some sort to renovating the local park, to taking a trip to research your next art project. You create the vision and get people on board through the site you choose and also you bring in as much interest from your friends, peers etc. leading them to the site where you have hopefully presented your dream in a way that gets them excited to help you achieve it. If after 90 days or 120 you have not received the goal funding through donations, then no money has changed hands and there is no risk to investors.But if you do get people to donate up to and beyond what you have asked for then you can get the funds with a small fee to the site and proceed with your project.
Now I need to do more research but it seems the more visual you make your vision to site goers then the better your chances are of getting funded. People apparently can donate in any amount that is comfortable for them. So videos and slideshows of your ideas are a good thing, along with a gift to donors of a minimum amount. I would think that would also cement the ideas and plan for the artist/person with project. Even if it doesn't get funded..then you have a plan you can refine, and possibly present elsewhere.
So I was trying to come up with ideas..and this is my favorite. Our house needs lots of cosmetic work and I want it to be beautiful in an artistic way. Colorful, a mural on the North wall, outdoor sculptures. Something that won't upset the neighbors too much but is enough to make people who pass by happy.

(Not this house, but cute!)


I need to go to the city and make sure what can be done within the boundaries of what is allowed but since the house is not a part of any subdivision or PUD development and on a State Highway..well we should be free to use color the way we want. Of course we want it to be tasteful but it has to be fun too. (A gallery of sorts) I have many sculpture friends whom I hope to enlist in borrowing their outdoor pieces they have no where to put or at least help me build some of my own.
This all will involve making a detailed "storyboard" of what I envision and hopefully a fun video. I don't plan to become a kitschy roadside attraction but with all the drab taupe/beige subdivisions going up all over..there needs to be some color introduced!

( not these but wouldn't that be awesome?)
So if nothing else the idea has made me happy to think about even if it never actually happens the way planned.
The sun is shining here..have a wonderful New Year!

More outdoor or just wonderful sculptures