Summer Art Camp - Girls Week

 This week the theme for art camp was "Happy to be Me".

The artists spent the week creating works of art based around themselves and the activities they love.

Project #1

Portrait Paper Dolls

For the first project, I took pictures of the girls posed like a paper doll figure.  The portraits were cut, laminated and used as a pattern for clothing.

The girls decided the theme for their dolls was going to be a beach birthday party. They drew, colored, cut and I laminated accessories for their portrait dolls.

The accessories included birthday cakes, balloons, presents, umbrellas, towels, and beach balls.

 They also made clothing for their dolls that included bathing suits, cover ups and short sets.

Finished Portrait Doll Sets

Project #2

Painted Pottery Portrait Plates

Drawing soccer portraits
 

Proud artists
 

Focused on painting
 

Soccer Girl Portraits

Project #3
Silhouettes

Silhouettes of the girls were drawn onto canvas - they outlined their silhouettes with sharpie

 and painted them with their two favorite colors.

Making Cupcakes :)

A little bit of shell adds to the nutritional value of cupcakes!

 Yogurt makes the cupcakes taste so yummy.

 And a little more moisture to help all the goodness stick together.

Mix everything together, pour into cupcake tins, bake and...

Gobble 'em up!!

 Nothing like a dip in the pool to wash off all remnants of cupcake crumbs and icing!

  And - set up for the art show!

Cork and Canvas Art Show

This past weekend I hosted a "Cork and Canvas Art Show" to showcase the amazing collection of art work created during my Women who Art Classes.  This engaging event featured a compilation of paintings from sixteen artistic women.  I welcome you to sit back and enjoy our magical evening of wine, food and art.

Art Show:
 

Apples

Apples - That Darn Chair - Turquoise Sea

Martini with fruit

 Lime Margarita

 Cowgirl and Garden Tomatoes

  Hot Pink Geraniums, Sailboats, Daisy and Beach Day

 Plein Air Garden

 Lucy, Plein Air Flower Garden, and a Work in process

Laundry Day 

By the Sea

A Snowy Day

 Afternoon Tea and Doris

Sailing

Wheat Field

Yellow Boots and Pink Rose

Little Red Wagon, Yellow Boots, 

Adirondack chairs  

 Coastal Sailboat

Opening Night Gala:

Thank you ladies for sharing your gifts of creativity, for your stories, and for the laughter and friendship you bring to my home each week.  I have been truly blessed.

~*~

Cheers to one incredible group of women!

Duck's Cottage Coffee and Bookshop in Duck, N.C....

Duck's Cottage Coffee and Bookshop

This is one of my families all time favorite hangouts ~ A delightful coffee and book shop located on the waterfront in Duck, N.C. The coffee shop opened in July of 2002, but the house itself, although renovated, has quite a storied past. It was originally built as the Powder Ridge Gun Club in the 1920's by a group of New York sportsmen. Visitors came to hunt the areas plentiful array of waterfowl - hence the towns name. The house was built on a point making it the perfect location for these sportsmen.

In the 1940's the house was bought by Duck and Betty Braithwaite who used it as their private residence until 2001. The house was then moved to its present location, renovated, and is now a hunt club for coffee and book lovers.

Duck Cottage is my son's respite and dream. This is his "gotta go to" place when we're in Duck visiting my in-laws, and his idea of blissful ownership. A coffee shop like this is the perfect business for a Starbucks-loving book connoisseur. So, in order to remind him of this stress-free spot while he's away at school, I combined two pictures:

This photo of my son studying Russian (notice the coffee cup!) ~ taken from U.Va's "Week in Photos" website along with the picture of Duck's Cottage

and ~ wala ~ his perfect visual study spot!

The story continues....

I started this painting last summer and this is how far I've gotten. I was having a tough time getting the colors exactly how I wanted them....so I set the painting aside for awhile, periodically glancing at it, and thinking "I need to get back to work on that!" Well.....a few months back I hosted a "Girls Night Out" glass slumping art party at my house ~ (to view pictures from that night, click here). Lo and behold but who should be here, and looking at my painting, but the wife of Duck Braithwaite's grandson. She looked at the painting and said "I know that place, it belongs to my husband's family and that's where we got engaged!" She gave us the history of the house and the painting - although unfinished - came alive through her storytelling. Life is funny sometimes - and you have to love it when a moment like this happens.

I am really hoping to have this painting finished in time for Stockley Gardens Arts Festival next weekend ~ May 18 - 19.

So, off to paint