the Artnest

testing out the posts

2007-04-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

just wanted to see how this would be laid out. Flower box shrine by Sally Jean Alexander

artnest creations

2007-04-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

brainstorming at the cabin

2007-04-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

we went up to the cabin yesterday to do some serious brainstorming for the artnest retreat. it was such an amazing morning. as we were driving up to timberlakes there was this lovely alpine meadow shimmering with lavendar flowers and fresh raindrops. we jumped over the ditch and set up my camera on a tripod with the timer and tried to capture how amazing everything looked.
the cabin is gorgeous, every room is perfect! i am so excited for june. the clouds started to gather among the aspens outside and then it started to snow. we turned on the fireplace in the great room and ate lunch in this cozy spot.

candice had the teachers contracts ready to mail out, every little detail so lovely.

How It all Started

2007-04-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

It all started with these adorable red heads. The boy is mine and that grinning girl is Julie's. They had preschool together, you know the one where the moms take turns teaching. We both had the same ideals for children; read, play, cook and build. In fact these two spent hours in the sandbox building the eighth world wonder.

Then we started running together really early in the morning. Creating ideas in our heads and getting fit. Here we have just finished a half -marathon.
Here we are making Christmas Stockings at another cabin for our friends and neighbors. This was around 1999. Julie had an old wool green coat. We picked it apart and made stockings out of it. We have had many endeavors since then. Our newest endeavor the art nest. This came from an idea to nuture the artist soul as well as making art.
So for now ...............we are Feathering the Nest getting ready for wonderful artists to come and share these few days with us.

a nest and eggs

2007-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

i think i must have nests on the brain.
i carved this nest stamp and used it to create this collage. the little egg book opens to tell about my own little nest and what i have put inside it.
this illustration of bird eggs is from a 1897 book about the life of birds. i copied the page onto sticker paper and have been cutting out the eggs to use on my mail art this week.

i have a collection of nests and real eggs that i have been gathering over the years. they are so fragile and lovely. this little nest is my favorite. my son brought it home from school one day with his face shining with his excellent surprise for me. a little nest had blown down from a tree on the playground. there are horses in the field next to the school and the birds must have gathered the horse hair from the fence and woven it in their nest.
it is the softest, lightest nest and i will never forget the day it was given to me.

Aspen Heaven

2007-06-01T22:32:00.001-07:00

If you like tall aspens that wave in the wind, then this retreat is for you. Just a few pics of the beauty of Timber Lakes. Hence all the trees and the lakes that suround this mountian. our family walked to this lake, listening to the sound of the babbling brook, and resting from the worries of the day. Trees and water do that for me, they calm me and center me. The entire mountain should be bloomed out by the time you all get here.

two week countdown

2007-06-07T11:17:00.001-07:00

can't believe we are on the two week countdown to the Artnest! every day a few more details work themselves out. candice and i met up in sugarhouse to put together the artist packets that we mailed out yesterday. honestly the man's face when we dumped all those fat envelopes on his counter. i think the park city post office doesn't see that much action. . .
(i am actually on a first name basis with my post office, i go there to mail unusual looking packages so often)
if you are coming to the nest look for your packet in the mail this weekend.
so, those amazing cookies, the ones with the macadamia nuts, i wish i had one right now so fabulous. when candice said she stopped and picked up cookies i went oh, pass. i hate that bulk shortning taste. i was completely unprepared for these babies! i went on so much about them i felt like i should offer one to the very kind older man who was reading so quietlyl next to us. he was so shy he said no.

here are all the folios drying on the library tables. wherever we go we raise eyebrows. what are you doing?
and candice's new ring she got at a boutique next door. really gorgeous on her. love the vintage buttons.

bits of all kinds of ribbons and trims were covering the table after we dumped out our whole stash and got ready to work.
a couple wish tickets are tucked inside with the invitation to sally Jean's trunk show at dear lizzies in highland.
oh it is going to be such an amazing weekend ladies, can't wait for you to get here. Julie

timberlakes at dusk

2007-06-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

as i was leaving the cabin at dusk this was the view driving out of the canyon. there are so many small lakes dotted around the mountain. candice passed a mother moose and her two calves down at the lake. the lane winds around down the mountain and is quite steep. you will pass this funny owl on your way.

i tried to sneak up on this deer and take her picture, but she was a little too nervous for me to get very close.

i still have to pack my supplies for my classes, finish my trades, and drive up one more load of supplies and groceries before wednesday. how is your list of things to do?
frozen junior mints, i can't forget frozen junior mints!

Goodies for the Nest

2007-06-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Trims, baskets, sunlight and loads of stuff for all the nesters. What fun we had making all of these little delights for the Art Nest.

Our adorable girls are getting in on the fun. Here they are doing a collage experiment with all the leftovers. Even the teenagers helped for a bit. The boys helped with the deck and made traps for animals. It was a magical day thinking about this week and enjoying this place with each of you. A little sneak peak of some goodies...................... See you soon!!!!!!!!

Fly Fly Fly

2007-06-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

I am having a hard time even posting these pics from The art Nest retreat 2007. I am back into my life but feeling a new kind of openness and sadness. My heart has been opened by each of you sweet souls who came to our little nest. I see things with a new light with joy and excitement willing to open myself to whatever comes my way.

Misty's class was wonderful. She has such a great gift to teach others what she has learned, she is a very giving spirit with much soul that streams out of her.I will try and post some of each day as for now I just can't believe how talented each of the artist were that came to the nest,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Fabulous!!!!

i miss you. . .

2007-06-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

i am back after such an amazing weekend at the Artnest retreat. today is the first day i have been able to sit down at the computer. i am still unpacking and have so much on my mind. trying to work through all the feelings that came after spending months with candice planning the retreat and then four days spent so close together with each of the artists that attended.
monday i lurked around on the computer reading a few emails and checking misty's site. i wanted her to post something that would put into words and pictures the experience we all shared. i wanted to see the faces of the women who have opened my heart and cry over the emptiness i feel now that they are all home and going on with their lives.
i miss you. . .

misty taught our first class on thursday. it was such an amazing class! i loved watching how free she is with her art materials. at one point she blew out some white ink from a gel pen onto her painting and it splotched out a big blob. i thought oh know, its ruined. she swiped it around with a rag here and there and it was lovely. here she is with rebecca and diana showing us how to create a background. notice her table still looks quite clean. after she really got working there was paint everywhere.

this face is the beginning of her class piece that she used to demonstrate working with transfers and paint to begin your figure. after sketching and adding some paint you can see how the layers build.

at the end of the day we set out our paintings under the deck and talked about each one. i actually really liked the backdrop of the concrete behind the gorgeous colors.

angel, laurie and diana

lisa on the left, elise the two on the right

rebecca and sherri

my two pieces. i love how the plain background turned out. i made three more small pieces after class and realized how much i like working small. the large size was difficult for me to organize. i wanted to see how if i could do a 'man piece' just for fun and i love how it turned out. i was just playing with the light and dark on the face.

deb and her two pieces.

i think this is jessica and cathy

cindy

sherri and rena

this was sue's piece. it looks just like you!

candice's pieces.

i am not sure about these paintings as i didn't get your photo with them.

candice and misty

dinner that evening was out on the deck just at dusk. it takes you by surprise how quickly it cools off. i had to run in for a blanket before dinner was over. several deer came out to graze together and we watched them after dinner.
strawberry cheesecake was served in by the fire so we could warm up.

our group photos were taken with a timer and tripod so it was a bit tricky, but i am so happy i have some pictures of us all.

Pretty Little Things

2007-06-29T18:13:00.001-07:00

Day Two Sally Jeans Class.............what fun we had as we collaged, great techniques to take you to a different level of collaging. While pasting and cutting I had in the back of my mind that I would never want to use this ugly peice of nothingness for my pendant but it actually ended up being amazingly cool.
Many of us did not finish our pendants but, those who did turned out wonderful. We all did however smoke out the cabin breathing in the air of artists gone mad trying to get the flux in the right spot. Sally makes it look so easy and make no mistake this gal has talent....... it doesn't happen in one class unless you are Cindy, Jen....... or... Cathy.......I think Julie and Deb burned the 3a.m. oil finishing theirs. Diana had hers done for the big party at Dear Lizzies......she however is a genius with the sodering iron.i love the sparkle of this photo that Diana took at Dear Lizzies, thank you for sharing. I miss each of you dearly and am still trying to digest it all peice by peice.

a day with Kristin

2007-07-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday at the Artnest was spent with Kristin Steiner creating fabric books on the theme 'I am a Woman Who'.
Here is the lovely packet that awaited each of us as we came to class. The lovely display of Kristin's work.

close-up of the flower kristin was wearing. we got the pattern in our class kits.

I have followed Kristin's artwork in many books and magazines, but I was so completely unprepared for how lovely her work would be in person. Even more amazing is meeting Kristin and taking a class from her! She had so many great techniques for combining paint, dyes, stencils, transfers, and ink to fabric. Really opened my world.
What was the most wonderful part of her class though was watching her teach. She has a real gift for expressing so honestly her heart. She invited close inspection of ourselves and what we most wanted to say with our art. She was completely open and encouraging.

rebecca, amanda, and angel with their fabric book projects.
I have taught classes before but have always held back that most personal part of myself and my connection to the art I create. I guess the distilled atmosphere I usually have while teaching helps me feel safer. After being in Kristin's class and being part of what was felt there with her I will never hide who I am again.

i love this picture of misty and kristin. they posed for a picture and then the click of shutters was like a press conference or something. they both disolved into laughter. such remarkable women with such beautiful hearts. J.

angels

2007-08-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

it does feel a little weird making christmas things right in the middle of summer, but i seem to run out of time in december to make lovely things to give away. this lovley angel is one of three angels that can be made with the angel holiday kit, a vintage craft kit i am designing to sell at the art nest retreat and on line in our store if i have any left.

amanda showed me this totally cool glue pen by sakura called 'quickie glue' that works so beautifully with the fine glass glitter on the old german scrap images. i bought mine at archivers. really the best glue pen i have ever tried for super small details! such a cutie cap don't you think?
oh, and how could i pass up that totally cool vintage tape dispenser at di?
50 cents well spent. :)

Peek a BOO!!!!!!!!

2007-10-02T10:12:00.001-07:00

Some exciting things happening at the nest. If you have had a dream of going to an art retreat and hand picking the three artists, these gals would be it. What a wonderful retreat we are planning for February 20-24 . Here is a peek at who is coming.......

these are the packets I sent out to them this week.......I am getting into the Halloween mood are you????

you're invited. . .

2007-10-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

I can't even imagine how I will wait until February!

Come visit The Art Nest website for more gorgeous photos of the workshops. Talk about eye candy.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

2007-12-17T21:42:00.001-08:00

Come away with me.......... to snow packed roads and blue sky.Aspens taller than the sky...........with white glistening snow sparkling in the sun.
Wreaths tied with bows, welcoming all who come to visit.

Last week I celebrated my nineteenth wedding anniversary by going away with my husband to our cabin in the mountains. There was plenty of snow, firelight, and holiday cheer. We took walks in the snow, decorated the cabin for Christmas, and felt very lucky to have each other. Still in love after all these years.

Married December 17, 1988

one spot left for february art nest. . .

2007-12-21T06:28:00.001-08:00

a little bird told me there is one spot left for our february art nest retreat!

i guess you could put in a good word with this guy and say you really, really want to come. . .

then you could make a tiny paper chain and count down the 61 days until you would come enjoy 4 days with these amazing artists.

visions of mushrooms will dance in your heads ~~ anahata

nestled all snug in their beds~~ pam

a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer~~ amy

maybe send a tiny note with one of santas elfs to us here in the snow to say you'll go. . .
theartnest@hotmail.com

what. . .you didn't know santa used hotmail? he's a busy guy :)

merry, merry. from the nest

in the mail today. . .

2008-01-23T09:15:00.001-08:00

for everyone coming to the February Art Nest your packets were mailed out today!
you will find inside information about what to bring, trades, the Winter Sparkle Artist Sale, shuttle and driving information, and our schedule! if you are counting down like we are it is time to gather your supplies for each of your classes.
we will have a post dedicated to helping you locate the last few things on your list, but for now let us know your packet arrived and leave a link to your spot on the web so we can all visit.

see you in a couple of weeks, julie and candice

Ananda on the Big Island

2008-01-30T04:21:00.002-08:00

Hi Nest Artists
This is Ananda from Colorado, spending a month on the Big Island before
attending our weekend in the snow.
Enjoyed the evening alone on one of my favorite beaches yesterday...
Was blessed to do my sunset dance and took some photos to send your way.
Im enjoying the warm air for all my fellow Art Nesters who are bundling
up right now.
Ma ke aloha ke akua
Ananda Foley
(can you believe these were taken on my iPhone?)

Our Summer Retreat

2008-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

The word is getting out ...............

that we are cooking up some sunshine at The Art Nest for June.

Come stay with us here at this lovely inn ..........................
the snow will melt
and the wild flowers will bloom just in time.

Dine with us at this French Restaurant...........................

Create to your hearts content ................................
At the Kimball Art Center, just a few steps down the road. No need to decide what class to take, You will have one full day of class with each artist. Registration begins February 8th, 2008.

Amy Hanna, two weeks to go. . .

2008-02-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

two weeks from today we will be gathered in the cabin having dinner together. the snow is so beautiful, you won't even believe it. . .
we asked Amy Hanna if she would write a post for those us still working on gathering our supplies for her class.
thank you Amy, your work is so breathtaking!

I would suggest each person bring an ounce of 24 gauge wire in half hard. I bought an ounce last week and it cost around $23.00. One ounce of 24 gauge wire equals 48 feet. This is good for most beads. It is always good to have some 26 gauge wire also in half hard. Some gem stones and pearls have very small holes in them and only 26 gauge will fit through them. I would also suggest to bring some 22 gauge wire in dead soft. One ounce of 22 gauge wire equals 31 feet. 22 gauge is great to connect found pieces and to make hooks for closures. Wire also comes in 21 and 20 gauge I would suggest using dead soft if you bring these sizes. I will be bringing some black max to oxidize the silver with. It should be enough for the whole class. If someone would like to purchase this they can Google Rio Grande gems and findings.

I also suggest to bring two pairs of flat nose pliers, one pair of round nose pliers and wire cutters. You do not need to spend a ton of money on these. I like to use a pair of flat nose pliers that gets small at the end. I also suggest bringing chain, what ever kind of chain you love. A small cable chain is great for earrings. Sometimes you can find and old necklace that is very delicate that you no longer use. You might want to mix up the chain that you put on one piece, I usually use sterling silver but you can mix copper, brass or vintage chain. It usually takes around 2 1/2 feet to make one necklace.

Vintage clasp are always fun to use and you can find them on vintage necklaces or maybe a bead store might carry them. Bring old rosary necklaces, medals and watch fobs-- they are my favorite. Don't forget the pearls, mother of pearl beads, gem stones, Victorian pieces and cool buttons. I use a lot of vintage cracker jack charms in pieces. I will also have some things for sale, but I want to stress to bring goodies that will make your piece special. My favorite pieces are always made from my favorite things. It would be a good idea to bring earring hooks and watch swivels, lobster clasp or toggles. You may also want to bring some jump rings in different sizes. I will be bringing my soldering iron for demonstrating.

I would search you local bead stores or on line for supplies. It is always fun to search eBay for goodies. Happy hunting and I look forward to meeting everyone, Amy

stay tuned as we will have a post from Pam and Anahata later this week.
see you in two weeks, the mama birds Candice and Julie

Hello all!! from Pam Garrison

2008-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hello all!
Our time together is quickly approaching. We are going to have so much fun! just wanted to check in and make sure everyone has their supplies now. If not, you'll want to gather them right away, because if you have to have paper or ledgers or anything else sent to you, you'll need the time it will take to get to you. Does anyone have any questions? I know with my move and email problems at least one person's email fell through the cracks. Anyone else's? You can email me at pmdgarrison@cox.net

Ok, a few reminders: You'll need a ledger. Any hard cover book will do actually, I just happen to love the repurposing of these old ledgers. We are going to be pulling out all the pages and sewing the new paper in, so don't worry about the insides. You don't need to worry about your binding too much either. I try to save the binding on the ledgers, but if it is too thin (in width) or too frail, I just glue on binding linen. I will bring the binding linen in case anyone needs any. It can be quite expensive, so you might not want to buy a roll until you decide if you'll be making more books in the future. If you are still on the hunt for a ledger, try ebay. Search under ledger, accounting book, or journal. They can get quite pricey, and be sure you check the size as well. I have bought many a journal that comes and is half the size (and once even twice the size) of what I was expecting. I will be shipping about 5 journals to sell once there ($25.00 ea.) in case anyone is in a real bind, but this isn't ideal, as you'll want to tear or cut your paper to size before coming.

Speaking of paper, I really can't recommend enough that you use this paper enough, it is so fun to play on: Fabriano Artistico 140lb. HOT press (smooth vs. Cold press which is more porous). You can buy sheets of it from dickblick.com or danielsmith.com . If you choose to use another paper, be sure that you can fold it in half without it cracking. We will be punching holes in the creases to sew into the binding and need the paper to withstand it. While at home, cut or tear your paper into 18 sheets. You want the size to be roughly 1/4" -1" less than the size of your book on all four sides when your book is opened flat.

You'll need a tapestry (size 18) needle, waxed linen thread (unwaxed will tear the paper),an awl, material to cover your binding if we have to tape on a new one, scissors, adhesives (I LOVE "Perfect Paper Adhesive by USArtquest"" you can find that online at the above sources or even at Michael's. You'll also want a small jar of gel medium for your new binding, and maybe some glue dots, glue stick etc. You will want a heavy holding glue (like E600 or Gorilla Glue) if you are planning on gluing on some heavy embellishments to your cover.

Of course, the standards: scissors, glues, an exacto knife,a scrap of sand paper, an awl if you already have one, a japanese screw punch if you already have one, paintbrushes- with different size brushes, fine to 1"-not foam, nice brushes for watercolors or acrylics. You'll also want a small mixing tray so we can play with glaze and also mix some colors.

To add your personal touch, bring embellishments for your cover, ribbons, stamps, markers,pens,stamps, ink pads, colored pencils,clip art,ephemera,photographs,collage materials.

When ordering your paper, I recommend that you buy a couple tubes of water colors- Daniel Smith, Windsor & Newton, or Grumbacher are brands I have used. And also a few Golden Liquid Acrylics are great. You can also buy these at the online art stores OR I have seen both watercolor tubes and Golden Liquid Acrylics at Michael's Arts and Crafts stores.

Your playful spirit, and anything else you like to play with when journaling!

See you soon! Pam

Anahata Katkin's post. . .see you soon ladies!

2008-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all having fun getting goodies for the retreat. (I just found oodles of components for Amy’s class at antique stores!)

As for our day together I wanted to ease your minds about the hunt for a “focal image”. I asked each of you to bring favorite faces and copies of imagery you like. I find that some of the easiest things to do is to find great and striking faces and make COPIES of them in black and white on standard paper. This instantly takes the glossiness out of an image and makes it really easy to integrate. I think integration is the key to collage.

So don’t work too hard hunting down the world’s greatest faces. Just go for something that’s got a great expression or some kind of beauty you connect with. The fun part is making ordinary people into fantasy, layered creatures. I use lots of boring faces and then I work hard to make them come to life.
Look through 5 magazines and then tear out pages and take them to get photocopied. Change the sizes. Blow them up, etc. (Make extras of your favorites to share!) The emphasis should be primarily on the face. You don’t need a perfect human form. In fact I hardly ever use an image in it’s whole form. I will work with everyone to integrate these faces so there isn’t any “floating heads syndrome”. Just copy, copy, copy. Bring a file full of stuff to pick from and it will make it really fun. Don’t worry about having perfect stuff. Just think about strong faces, and a few options. Working with what we have is half the thrill. You may also choose to bring photographs. But I suggest that if they are modern that you also copy them. The glossier the photo the harder it is to integrate into original artwork.
Old cabinet cards and sepia photos always work great. You may color copy these if you want to keep some of that great range of tone. You can also use the original if you don’t mind wrecking it.

A few patterns here and there and extra bits are always nice. But again. Just go with your gut. You really can’t go wrong here. And again. PLEASE do not try and pre-plan your projects. Just see something you like and throw it in a file. We will do all the rest together!

If you want to see examples from symbolic Icons in August you can visit www.anahataart.com

See you soon ladies! I can’t wait!
Anahata

sparkling winter artist sale night

2008-02-15T06:13:00.001-08:00

here is the adorable invitation Marina made for the nest. next week at the Art Nest we will be having the sparkling winter artist sale night Friday, February 22nd at 8:00 pm.
We have invited everyone including the teachers attending to bring and sell their artful gatherings and art work.
We are having a chocolate tasting table amidst the twinkling lights outside, warm drinks and lovely little things to adore. local artists and friends are invited to the artist sale, we would love to have you join us!
please email us at theartnest@hotmail.com for more information.