There is a lot to think and say about Nietzsche…not here though- LOL- but this quote above by him…is a smart one! So…let’s get a bit philosophical…sigh

I have thought long about my word for 2013. Last year it was “transform”. I transformed in different ways, than I anticipated. But still I guess I transformed…2012 was a hard year for me…in many ways. A lot of questioning in different directions…and over the question how to do certain things, I lost my reasons why I was doing them.

Why did I quit my job, why did I become a mixed media artist, why do I blog, why do I do Creative JumpStart, why do I take care of my great-aunt, why am I on the house condo committee, why ….?

Everything last year was just about : How? How to manage financially, how to get further with my art, how to keep up with blogging, how to organize Creative JumpStart and how to take care of all things related to taking care of an elderly person, how to …HOW..?

I lost myself in the how… and that although I do so perfectly know WHY! I do know all the why’s to those things. I do ! I just need to keep my focus on that instead of how…the rest will just come …hopefully LOL. Just today I had to remind myself  again on the why I do something…

that’s WHY!

Ah- and the canvas…well it is the old one from last year – “transform”- was transformed- so there

Have a gorgeous day!

Huge Hugs

nat

It has become a tradition for me to wind down the year on my blog by posting some Top Ten Lists before the year ends. It makes me go back and look at what I have done and accomplished and it also makes me dwell in memories. Too often we forget about the things we did and accomplished throughout the year- often just bashing ourselves for not fulfilling all the wonderful new year’s resolutions from last year.  Maybe this makes you wanna do it too – if so – share

This art journal page which I showed with a fun video tutorial is still one of my favorites because of the happy colors and the technique.

This Canvas I created for very dear friends – I had so much fun making it and I am so happy for their little addition to the family.

MiniBook Cover which is part of a class I taught with several other artists organized by Donna Downey- called Internationally Inspired.

Another art journal page- which is actually part of my Über*Media Gesso Online Workshop. It says “Not Reaching for the stars! I am just reaching for my personal star – one that just shines for me!” Pretty much sums up my year.

A canvas which just makes me happy with texture and colors- this one I actually also teach right now as an in-person Workshop- but it is also part of my  Über*Media Acrylic Paint Workshop . I think it might be my favorite class to teach at the moment.

Happy Canvas I love it because I made the products just my own.

An artjournal page which is part of the Whatevers Storytelling Project. For this sgraffito background I posted also a technique video .

I sneak this altered project in here- I love it because it was a bit unusual for me- a little Sardine tin.

Also not really Mixed Media- but Altered Book…I love this book. I had a blast creating it with many wonderful heritage picture of my aunt Margot.

This Canvas is probably my absolute favorite of the year. It says: Before I die, I want to become the person that I am

If I look at my Mixed Media Projects this year- I can definitely say that the love for texture got even heavier. I totally embraced texture in every possible way- and I still don’t see the end of it for me. I also seem to like to do bigger statements in my work and there is also a lot of hidden meaning involved in the way I incorporate techniques and materials with a theme or thought. Also pretty clear that I had a little love for bold happy colors this year- lot’s of orange, red and yellow

Which of my posted projects do you like the best?

Huge hugs

Nat

Very thrilled to be the guest designer for scrappeland.no this month. Scrappeland is a wonderful message board in Norway and they do some really cool features and tutorials throughout the month.

Here is my contribution. On the message board you can find how this canvas was made (in Norwegian AND in English) and there is also a challenge to create something based on my tutorial. You can win a free seat in my running 5 week-long Über*Media Gesso Online Workshop if you play along in the challenge and upload your project at Scrappeland here.

Can’t wait to see all the projects

Have a wonderful day!

Huge hugs

nat

Recently I got up very early on a sunday morning to tackle some deadlines and projects. My husband was still asleep and I stood in my studio and I had a shrugging moment of “meh”. I felt un-inspired, dull and I felt the urge to do anything but what was necessary that day.

When I peeked out of the window I realized that it was going to be a promising sunny smiling fall sunday. So I jumped into the bed room and made my husband who was still jet lagged after coming back a couple of hours earlier from California and with a 9 hour time difference in his bones getting up by yelling “Get up , get up, we have breakfast and then we go out into the woods”. To which he more or less friendly mumbled something which I interpreted in my own selfish way as “Sure honey, what a brilliant idea. I will be flying out of bed and I am so happy to interrupt my sleep and drive with you into the woods for a walk”. It took a little while until he interpreted this the same way though

We took “our” little Smart car…well – we do city car sharing, so you just check out where the next little Smart car is parked in your neighborhood and you are ready to take it and go, and we drove to the Sachsenwald out of the City. Beautiful Forrest – mixed oak and beech trees. We were only there for about an hour walk but we had such a great time, the colors, the sun , the fresh air and our conversation – AWESOME.

I came home so inspired and full of ideas from this walk and also full of energy for my work that I actually was able to do all my tasks way faster than usually – probably not only because I was so refueled but also because I just focused then on getting my “schtuff” done. It also freed my head and I made a decision during this walk regarding some ideas, that were giving me a headache for a while. And then this Fall Canvas which is another sample project for my workshop Season Canvas is actually inspired by this walk too.

So…wasn’t this walk a necessity too in order to finally be able to do all the work I had to do? It is so important that we take care and balance the times we work, we create, we spent time with loved ones, we go out into nature and else. Nourish your soul by giving in sometimes and do what you want to do or do something that the situation allows you to do (like a surprisingly sunny fall day), instead of thinking “no time, no place, can’t do it, it will break my neck”. It can help you tackle all other things way easier and might inspire you in ways you haven’t thought it would. Give yourself permission for some fun and get out of your rut once in a while !

Where did you go on your last short trip?

Huge hugs

Nat

For me some photos are activating memories like a Rube Goldberg Machine (auf Deutsch auch als Was-Dann-Maschine bekannt). I love this!

For example this photo of my cousin Isa and me in Italy shows a scene that I not remember. But it starts pulling up all kinds of fun memories.

Like the dress I was wearing- I loved this dress.I remember I wanted to wear it every day. I also remember that I wanted to be as beautiful as Isa when I grew up and I thought she was REALLY old (LOL- she was like 17 I think on that photo). I also remember the house and the garden and the dog that my Aunt Antionetta and Uncle Giulio had. Which then again reminds me that the stupid dog bit me in the head when stupid me stuck my head into its dog house to check out the puppies. That actually reminds me that this is a good excuse for a lot of things, and I should use it more often. Which reminds me on the time when I burned my shoulder on Aunt Antionetta’s gas stove – how I managed that- no idea. But I remember that she put half a potatoe on my shoulder to heal it, which probably was a weird thing to do, but when I look at my shoulder there is no scar left. This then again reminds me that I could never say Zia Antionetta (Zia means Aunt in Italian) as a kid, so I said Zianetta – and that I actually believed that was her real name till I was 10 or so and then I got it.  Remember, I got bitten in the head by a dog… things take a bit to sink in This photo also makes me remember one of my comfy foods, as that is what we had sometimes along breakfast – fresh olive oil with fresh lemon juice on a self baked white bread with a little bit of salt. I kid you not, when I feel I need comfy food, that is what I eat. It reminds me on my cousins Franco and Alessandro and that Alessandro who was just a couple of years older than me was always way faster than me when we had to wash our hands before eating and that he locked the bathroom door . Which I found really unfair because I had to wait till he was done and was always late for the meals. Which reminds me that this is also the reason why I have a crooked several times broken and operated finger, because one day I was a bit faster and I squeezed in my little finger into the door angle, which he didn’t know and he locked the door, thinking I was yet again throwing a tantrum because I didn’t make it faster into the bathroom. Which reminds me this might be the reason why I love to have all doors in our apartment to be open – It can go on and on….

And that is one of the reasons why I love to work with photos and take my time with all the techniques on the project…it let’s me dwell on the memories triggered by the photo while working on it.

The canvas was a workshop called Timeless Colors that I retired after spring.

Do you have Rube Goldberg Machine Photos too or is that just me because I got bitten by dog into my head when I was a child?

Have a gorgeous day

Huge hugs

Nat