CS Daily Featured Artist

FEATURED ARTIST~ Evie
http://breadandcircuses.etsy.com/

Artist of the Month
Tomlabadia of Fort Lauderdale, FL

My name is Thomas LaBadia, I am an art director for a South Florida advertising agency, a digital artist/illustrator, a curator and co-publisher of Digitalis Art Magazine. If I were to give myself just one title, it would just be artist. I live and breathe art and it encompasses everything I do.I am happiest when I am working on something creative. Music and art have been an integral part of my life from when I was just a small child. My mother once said that I had been given all the toys in the world but most were never even taken out of the box. All I wanted was crayons. I guess I just grew up and traded my crayons for a mouse and several flat screen monitors.I am often asked 'why digital art?'I knew I wanted to explore digital art the moment I got my first computer. What I didn't know was that my entire career path would change almost instantaneously.I spent every waking hour learning how to do things I never thought were possible. Within 6 months I was working as a full time graphic artist at a small local magazine. While I had dabbled in traditional art techniques my entire life, it had always been a struggle for me to technically achieve my goal. It was not that way with digital art, although there is still a lot to learn, it all came very quickly and easily for me.Moving from graphic design to digital illustration was just a natural progression for me. Although the marketing design I do for other people pays the bills, it's clearly not the most creative thing to work on. Few corporations request illustrations of "Barbie-like" vampires in their marketing collateral. That is where my digital art comes in. I love having no limitations and being able to express myself fluently without having to color in between the lines.

Please visit Tom's page to check out more photos, info & comments are always welcomed :) http://creativesouls.ning.com/profile/tomlabadia

BUY HANDMADE this SEASON

Please share this banner & help support handmade this season & beyond!

Creative Souls Halloween Self Portrait Challenge #6 "The Spooky Side of YOU"

This was a fun & hilarious self portrait challenge, there is still time to come join us. Have fun altering your face! :) This by far was the funniest challenge we have had so far! We are in the sub group section under "Soulful Self Portraits" at the Creative Souls site http://creativesouls.ning.com

BOO!!!!!

Creative Souls featured artist Tracy Rapier

I would be happy to share anything I know with you about epoxy figures . I find that working in layers , letting one dry then going on top of it with another seems to look the best and keeps you from bumping into wet areas that your happy with . For armatures , I carve dense foam for the waist and torso , then aluminum wire ( 14g ) for the arms and legs or if its bigger than 4" I use combination of wire and wooden dowels . If you want to make your mixture a little more creamy or give yourself a bit more time , make your mix A side rich , you can be off on your mix by 20 - 25 % and it will still kick off . I find that all the gear going on the figure is easier if I sculpt it separately , then put on later ( again layers . ) . Think of dressing a figure in the order a person would actually dress , from the bottom up . If you let the clothing layer beneath dry completely first , then the next layer you put on top of it will give you more options as you can cut hard edges and make wrinkles , frays , etc easily as the layer underneath is already hard and wont stick to what your trying to do ( look at Mellisas armor plates ). A heat gun is a fantastic tool for epoxy . You can force set a layer with it if your on a roll and dont want to stop , just be very sure you back off at least a foot or it will bubble . Experiment with the bubbles , its a cool affect if thats what you want , sculpt an area , then make sure its very wet ( if it turns white your good ) then pound on it with the heat gun about 3" away ! makes cool " rhino skin " , its random and hard to control . A dremmel tool is also a must with epoxy as you can carve in very cool patterns and textures with it ( clothing patterns ) . Epoxy takes texture pads very well also . Alley Goop is good for making those , paper thin is what your looking for on texture pads .
Also , if you want a hollow cavity , get balsa foam or florist foam , carve your shape , then cover with epoxy , let kick , then dig out the foam and you have a hollow piece . Make sure you paint the foam with latex or acrylic BEFORE adding epoxy . What this does is keeps the foam from denting more while you handle it and prevents the foam from creating a grainy dust that makes it hard to cover . Epoxy doesn't like to stick to unpainted foam . Learned this the hard way lol .
When you do layers of clothing ........ all you really need to fully detail out is the area that people will actually see . For example , look at my pic of " Dr. A " ( the purple guy reading from a book , not sure if I named him on this site ) His innermost shirt is only a one inch wide strip of epoxy . The multi layers on his vest that went over it are actually just a long skinny cone of epoxy smashed off to either side , then textured , the only layer he is actually covered completely with is his jacket as it is the final layer ( just like we would dress in real life ) This saves on material as well . If that makes sence .
Making an Art Journal: Now that your playing around with epoxy , you can also use it for making art journal covers . An easy , cheap way is to go get some plastic for sale signs ( they are flat and very thin ) , sand both sides , go to town with your epoxy and paint , then simply glue onto your journal . I use contact cement as it will not come off . Pictured below is my actual sketchbook done this way , you can even make frames out of the epoxy for photo inserts if you want .

Interview by Bernice Wagnitz & Tracy Rapier, interview can be found at the Creative Souls website, under the groups section "Sharing Techniques"

http://creativesouls.ning.com

Happenings~ This week at Creative Souls

artwork by Izabella

This week we have a few fun things happening, be sure to check it out!!

*PRIZE for the best entry!!! Through a Glass Darkly Group~ October's Challenge here

*Self Portrait Challenge #6 "The Spooky Side of You" here

*ATC SWAP October/November - WINTER THEME ATC Sign ups here

*Story Time Inspiration Challenge #25 here

*Sharing Techniques Group, there is a discussion on how to create videos for YouTube here

CS Featured Artist

Katrina Van Tassel
"THE CAT WITCH"

My Inspiration For This Halloween Digital Art Piece

~ Kym Decker ~

I have always collected vintage images and antique ephemera and was thrilled when I learned how to create digital art with my beloved images as the subject! When a idea or image comes to mind, my favorite part of my artistic process begins! I am always excited as I look for the treasured images that will speak to my imagination and show me exactly how they will portray the art project I have in mind! I can't wait to start working in Photoshop with the goodies I have found! As the creative process takes over, I smile as I vanish in to the little world I have created where magic and curiosity abound!

My creativity is fueled by the intensity of inspiration that I feel as I begin adding images along with little parts of myself, my feelings into the art. Art doesn't have any meaning for me unless I have allowed my feelings, my inner soul, to control and define the shape, design, and theme of the art, that when finished, defines the "real" me through the symbols, images, and colors I have used in the art piece.

My creativity seeks an outlet to tell a story about myself, to show who I am inside, or just to empty out the emotions of a bad day! At other times, I feel whimsical and want my art to say something about my happiness, my hopes, and all of my dreams that I have envisioned for myself!

When a day of careless freedom arrives, I will plunge myself into a large array of fun, fanciful images that will express the appreciation I have for the joys of my life! The day that Lynne at Moonlight Journey sent the collage sheet "Beautiful Witches" to me and I saw the elegant image of this vintage witch, I immediately wanted to use her to create some funny, irresistible Halloween digital art! I originally started out with one cat for "Miss Katrina" but he seemed very lonely and so I added three more cats and sat back to watch how much more amusement they brought to the piece! The mischievous cats show their personality quite plainly in the slant of their "curious" eyes and the look on their furry faces! Miss Katrina doesn't look that amused...or does she? Even so, this piece of art is something fun that I hope will make you smile and take you back to those nostalgic days of childhood when Halloween was something mystical, a magical evening of make believe, silly surprises, and spooky fun!

Have a Very Happy Halloween!

Credits: All images used in this digital art piece came from the

Halloween Collage Sheets from Moonlight Journey!
http://www.moonlightjourney.com/ (http://www.moonlightjourney.com/)

RED WHITE & BUE!

Happy Independence Day!
Celebrate the Red, White & Blue!  I'm a little late due to parties but it's good to celebrate our great country any time!

My favorite colors for my kitchen have always been Red, White and Blue!  I remember in my other house I suggested a red kitchen and some people said that was "a stupid color for a kitchen", needless to say I did it anyway, I painted all the walls red with white trim, and white cupboards which I filled with blue  and white fancy teacups and my very special blue glass (cobalt) most of them are packed away until I find room for them. (hence the display cabinet being built!) ....someday it will be finished..  *sigh*
This is a gorgeous table runner that my friend Noreen Strautin- quilter!  If you click on it you'll see the details in her work. She made is specially for me with only my color requests. 
This is a few of my pieces (photo taken this past winter).

 
The cabinet close to finish!  Almost 8 months! Yikes!


Here is some more blue...  Beautiful pansies in my garden.






One last picture of one of a blue grackle of the grab and eat crew!                                       Thank upi fpr stopping by.  If you leave a comment I can come by and visit you!

Cleo de Merode, Beauty of le Belle Epoque

Cleo de Merode, Beauty of le Belle Epoque

She was born Cleopatra Diane de Merode in Bordeaux, Paris, France in 1874. She was the daughter of Karl von Merode, an Austrian landscape painter belonging to a famous Belgian noble family de Merode. Nicknamed "Cleo", she was selected for the Opera School of Dance when she was only 8 years old, at 11 she was dancing professionally, and at 13 she was chosen to dance in the prestigious ballet, Choryhee. It was then that she started to wear her hair pulled back in the chignon style with the hair covering her ears which became the talk of Paris and a popular style for many women. Her image was captured on post cards and playing cards which were widely collected.

She quickly became a favorite of many artists of the time including Toulouse-Lautrec, Gustav Klimt, Edgar Degas and Alexandre Falguiere. The ballerina performed in many major cities including St. Petersburg, New York and London but was probably more famous for her beauty than her dancing.

In 1896, King Leopold II of Belgium attended the ballet and it is recounted how he became enamored with the 23 year old dancer. At the time the king was 61. Ballerinas were regarded almost as courtesans in Paris at the time. The Paris Opera was said to have been called a "national harem". Gossip spread among Parisians about de Merode being the king's new mistress, so much so that the king became dubbed King Cleopold. Such accusations were strongly denied by de Merode but the scandal followed her throughout her life. Outraged, Cleo de Merode left Paris to dance internationally in such cities as Hamburg, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Budapest and New York. In the Russian Ballet she became the first ballerina to dance with a male partner.

At the peak of her ballet career, Cleo elected to perform with the Folies Bergere, something no other ballet elite would do. The risk she took gained her a whole new following. At age 42, Cleo returned to her birthplace of Biarritz, never to return to Paris. She still continued to dance, performing through the Red Cross for the wounded soldiers during WWI.

She is reported to have had only two relationships with men in her life, both long term. The first, an aristocrat lasted ten years until he died of  typhoid fever; the second, a Spanish diplomat and sculptor  eventually left her for another woman. Cleo de Merode died in 1966 at the age of 91 and is interred in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

April Newsletter

April Newsletter

"Art is a step from what is obvious and well-known toward what is arcane and concealed." Khalil Gibran

Welcome Creative Souls to the latest installment of your newsletter - your monthly portal on all things Creative, at Creative Souls.

As many of you may have noticed while visiting CS, we have been undergoing a number of exciting changes and are exploring several new avenues at this time. We are glad to have you here and are pleased that you will be joining us at this time of fresh beginnings. I can think of no better time for new adventures than wonderful, glorious Springtime!

Izabella, our amazing founder, has added several people as Administrators to assist her with the overall operations of the site: Kimmie Draper, Judy Keefe, Stephanie Voss (Joy Uslion) and yours truly, Peggi Meyer Graminski, have volunteered their services, and are here to help answer any questions or discuss any issues you might have. Please feel free to contact any of us at any time.

Admins - Creative Souls

creativesouls.ning.com
  
FEATURED ARTIST
 This month's featured artist is Bernice Wagnitz. Congratulations Bernice! Bernice is a multi-talented artist, residing in Clawson, Michigan. Her artwork is brightly coloured and highly energetic. Here is a little bit about her, in her own words ...

I've done art and crafts all my life. It wasn't until I had to have my first back surgery and the gals at work bought me my first set of oil paints. I was off and running. I had always sketched, I call it doodling but now I was hooked. I just started to do digital art in 2009 and just like with oil painting I fell in love with it.

Art is my life saver, it's why I get up in the morning and stay up all night. I try and learn new things all the time and grow everyday.

I have an artist page on Facebook if you would like to see more of my art. Thanks and keep creating

The Gothic Garden, art by Bernice (Hodges) Wagnitz

Here is a sample of Bernice's lovely art:

If you are interested in being a Featured Artist at Creative Souls please visit our Featured Artist Thread

Le Mer

Come to me my love
into this sea you have woven within me
the bright and florid depths
filled with salty issues i have wept.

Come to me my love
and sing sirenically
of shores not yet spoken
and dreams not yet broken
of an oceans rhapsody.

Come to me my love
in the sway of each ebbing tide
shot with loves light
the arrows of our sweet delight
illuminating all the world inside.

Come to me my love
leap upon the bow waves of this rolling flame
the ever living play of passions fervent game
two dolphins swept upon each other
to slide in languid motions
through the depths, my silken lover.

Come to me my love
the swirling maelstrom of your grip
born between the tidal constancy and rip
shorn of every tether you have known
blown into the stormy heart that we've sown.

Come to me my love
sway in languid lengths of bliss
the delicate dance of your lovers kiss
to tangle dulces limbs desire
entwined within each other's fire.

Come to me my love
and i will sing to you of sea's
the shanties that do mermaids please
of pirate chests and crackens roar
the dragons rests, and fathoms more
in dulcet tones of evening breeze.

Come to me my love
upon a mirror's surface
and watch the flash of green
disappear into the depths unseen
Apollo in his resting place
and we on sands in sweet embrace.

Come to me my love
and never be apart
gambol in our playful waves
my one immortal heart
then we shall swim eternally
into this loving sea
in elegance and beauty
True Love entwined and free.

Richard Michael Parker

CREATIVE SOULS MAGAZINE
 Our new Creative Souls Magazine will be coming out soon! A creative team has been organized to put the magazine together, and they are now awaiting your submissions. If you have artwork or articles that you would like to submit for consideration please don't hesitate to send in your submissions now!

CREATIVE SOULS PUBLISHING

To announce some very BIG NEWS here at Creative Souls, here is a note from Richard Michael Parker, CS Admin

I want to welcome you all to Creative Souls Publishing Ltd, the Publishing arm of Creative Souls. In the coming weeks I hope that you will share in the experience of the workings and construction of a new form of publishing, using an innovative Business Model, that has not as yet been seen in the free market. This is the dawning of a brand new day, and a brand new way of doing business, Creatively. Welcome!

In the Next couple of weeks, we will have our own Publishing arm, and a shop front from which to sell our creations. It is hoped that we might be able to tap into the vast creative storehouse we have available together, to create something special, from which everyone can benefit. A full team of professionals have been employed to make this a successful venture, and a Limited Liability company has been set up to ensure its smooth running.

The model should allow for a generous royalty to be paid to contributing members in each of the projects, along with a profit sharing scheme of 9% of net profits, for those involved in each Creative Souls project. A modest contribution of profits of 1% will be retained from net profits for Creative Souls Publishing, with 90% of net profits being donated to Charity. The running costs of the Publishing company will of course be taken into consideration before net profit is calculated.

There is so much Creative potential here for Ebooks, Books, and other arts and crafts 'How too's', that it was about time we spread our wings a little and allowed Creative Souls to fly a little. Other sites, authors, workshops, and events will also be able to advertise and sell products through the shop for a modest fee, or in most cases simply a modest cut of the sale price of the items. So given the business model, with 90% of CSP's net profits being donated to Charity, it is hoped many artists and authors will find this an attractive opportunity, not just ethically, but also financially.

We look forward to working with everyone in a Collaborative and Creative manner, to make Creative Souls a community of true creativity that puts the Soul back into the Marketplace.

Please take a moment and stop by our new Creative Souls Publishing BLOG. See you there!

REMINDERS

Stay in touch with Creative Souls and Creative Souls Publishing on Youtube, Twitter, or Facebook. We also have our newly-created Creative Souls Community Blog for more general news. We have a full spring and summer planned, and our new shop will be opening very soon ~ more information will be available on the site and these links regarding selling items through the shop in the very near future. So please stay up-to-date by visiting our links :)

PROMOTE YOURSELF!

Our first Self Promotion Tuesday was a great success! Many new and inspiring artistic creations were seen by your fellow artists, so mark your calendars, and remember that every TUESDAY is the chance for you to self promote your work on the Creative Souls Fan Page. You can still promote your work on the main Ning site, on the Self Promotion Discussion Section. Many of our artists are taking advantage of this, and it is a great way to show others what you are doing and what you have to sell and share... so don't be shy, be seen!

MORE EXCITING EVENTS

Thanks to everyone who took part in our monthly Soulful Self Portrait Challenge, "You and Your shadow". We had some incredible entries, and are looking forward to receiving more entries in our 6th challenge 'Soles for Souls', come join us in this creative and fun event.

Heads up for CS member Michael deMeng's newest class offering. Creative Souls members will receive a special discount when enrolling for this class. Visit this link for all the details - Michael's classes are always informative and lots of fun!

http://creativesouls.ning.com/forum/topics/micheal-demeng-newest-online

Micheal deMeng newest online class!!! Art Laboratory issue#2 - Creative Souls

creativesouls.ning.com

Here is a slightly more comprehensive list of upcoming events
Take a look and see what's happening in the Arts community ~ don't miss out!

Announcements:

 If you would like to make an ARTS announcement to our community of 3000+ artists, please visit the Announcements message board. Remember, you have to be heard to be seen! :)

Wishing everyone a very Happy Springtime! Your friends at Creative Souls

Flying Again...

Welcome to the Creative Souls Flyer, a weekly 'whats on' event reminder for members.
-3000 members!...yes thats right, we passed the 3000 members mark this week!...Congratulations are in order to all of you for being part of such a vibrant and creative community! Together we are greater than we could ever be alone.
-The Newsletter:
Should be out this coming week, with any luck, with in depth news on whats going on at creative souls, and a new featured artist. If you wish to be a featured artist, please POST your art!, for no one ever appreciated art that was never seen, so be bold, show us all what you've been up to, and share the creativity :)
- Creative Souls publishing Ltd has a new BLOG.
You can also catch up with what is happening with CSP on Youtube, Twitter, or Facebook, and there is also the Creative Souls Community Blog for more general news about what is going on with Creative Souls these days. We have a full spring and summer planned, and the new shop will be opening very soon also, and more information will be available on the site and these links regarding selling items through the shop in the very near future, so keep an eye open, or follow us at the above links, this is YOUR community after all :)
-Self promotion Tuesdays:
Was a great success, and many new and inspiring artistic creations were seen by your fellow artists, so don't forget, TUESDAY is the chance for you to self promote your work on the Creative Souls Fan Page, It might be worth mentioning that you can also self promote your work on the main Ning site, on the Self Promotion Discussion Section, many folks already take advantage of this facility, and it is a great way to show others what you are doing and what you have to sell and share... so don't be shy, be seen! 
- Some Magazine News:
Yes the Creative souls magazine will be coming out soon, we have assembled a creative team to put the magazine together, and now await some of your artwork, articles and submissions. DON'T HESITATE, because if you do it will be too late! If you want to be seen in Print, send your submissions in now! :)

-EVENTS:
Thanks also to all those who took part in our monthly soulful self portrait challenge, "You and Your shadow", we had some incredible presentations, and look forward to the new entries in the 6th challenge 'Soles for Souls', come join us in this creative fun event. Speaking of Events, here is a slightly more comprehensive list of upcoming events

Announcements:
If you wish to make an ARTS announcement to the community of over 3000 artists, please visit the Announcements message board. You have to be heard to be seen! :)

Have a creative weekend, and a great week!

Creative Souls Network

We at Creative Souls Publishing believe it is important to be fully linked in to the community, and to this ends we have created a network of fully integrated social media avenues, that allow each and every one of you the chance to participate in what is happening at Creative Souls Publishing each and every day.

For those that wish to join in the fun whilst being mobile there is the Creative Souls Twitter feed which allows you all to follow what is happening at CSP, instantly and all day.

For those wishing to view some of the Video productions we have already produced, and the ongoing Audio Visual experience that will encompass Creative Souls Channel broadcasts, along with Audio Books, and various workshop experiences in the future, there is the Creative Souls Youtube Channel.

Finally for a more leisurely view of what is happening at Creative Souls Publishing, you may wish to join the ever growing community at Creative Souls Facebook Page.

All of these linked in, and online experiences of course would be nothing without the community of which we are a part, and to take a look at the exciting artwork that is being produced on a daily basis, and what projects may be up and coming i urge you to visit our community of over 3000 artists at the Creative Souls Community.

BUT WAIT... there is more!

Coming very soon, Creative Souls Publishings very own Store, where you can purchase items specifically designed for you by the Artists at Creative Souls, and affiliates.

The marketing and company model is like nothing the free market has ever seen before, and will allow Creative Souls Publishing to put back 90% of its net profits back into the community by way of Charitable contributions... yes thats right 90%...

So, stay tuned...
http://creativesouls.ning.com

Flying

"It was your Heart within your Art, that flew upon those airy wings into my own, enjoining souls that once alone, resound now in blessed unity, and sing in soulful raptured harmony..." RMP Welcome to the Creative Souls Flyer, a weekly 'whats on' event reminder for members. -The Newsletter will still be out each Month, with more in depth information and featured artists, but to fill the gaps for members in the intervening weeks, here is a brief run down on whats happening this week at Creative Souls. So come get involved, and together let us shine a bright Artistic and Creative light for each other and those that seek inspiration. -We have a New group of Administrators on the site to help Izabella with the ever increasing demands, events, and projects that are taking off on the creative souls site. Peggi, Kimmie, Judy, Richard, Melissa and Joy will now be available for the site, and should help things run easier. -Creative Souls publishing Ltd is an exciting edition to the site, and we look forward in the coming months to seeing a number of collaborative projects published, both in Ebooks form and Books. We will be looking to expand this part of the site gradually in the next year, SO, Look out for whats happening with this exciting new venture. http://creativesouls.ning.com/

something new Creative Souls Publishing Ltd

We are a collective of over 3000 artists, and this is our Publishing arm. In the coming months we hope to change the face of the artistic community, and the business community to boot, with an innovative business model that seeks to give back to the community, by way of charitable contribution, that which the community has given to us. We will be producing Books, Ebooks, Audio visual presentations, 'How to' books, Children's Literature, and a plethora of Publishable prints and artistic works, all of which will be available through our SHOP. An innovative Business model has been designed by creative business minds that allows us to give back 90% of our Net profits to charitable causes of merit, to support artistic and community efforts world wide in there efforts to give future generations of young artists the chance to produce even greater creative opportunities and works. We hope that you will join us in making Creative Souls Publishing, the watch word in the business community, and charitable communities, not to mention the Arts world as we seek to explode upon the scene with Creative and artistic verve and vigor. http://creativesouls.ning.com

Lily Elsie, le Belle Epoque Beauty no.3 in my series Beauties of le Belle Epoque

Lily Elsie had a flawless face, true perfection in my estimation. She was one of the most photographed women of le Belle Epoque. She was born Elsie Hodder on April 8, 1886 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. On her birth certificate, her mother, Elizabeth Hodder, was listed as a dressmaker. There was no father recorded. Then in 1891 her mother married William Cotton and Elsie took the Cotton name at that time. William Cotton gave his occupation as a theatrical baggage master. By the 1901 census Elizabeth Cotton the dressmaker was listed as an actress. Elsie herself began acting as a child and soon the precocious yet painfully shy child became known as Little Elsie in the world of music hall and theatrical entertainment. She traveled from theater to theater throughout England as she grew starring in many popular shows of the period including, The Arabian Nights, Little Red Riding Hood,  King Klondike,  as Aerielle, the Spirit of the Air, McKenna's Flirtation, Dick Whittington, The Forty Thieves, Blue Beard, The Silver Slipper and the Three Little Maids. From about 1900 she adopted the name "Lily Elsie", not too different from her previous Little Elsie. Having grown into a beautiful young woman, Elsie joined a company at Daley's Theater in London as a chorus girl. Soon she was acting again appearing in fourteen musicals from 1900 to 1906.

Real success did not come to Elsie until she appeared in the starring role in The Merry Widow at the operetta's London premiere in June 1907. The hit show ran for 778 performances at Daley's Theater. The show was a triumph as was Lily Elsie. Overnight she had become a legend. Her face was soon featured on many products  and advertisements from chocolate and biscuit tins to cosmetics. Magazines produced special supplements about her. Clothing designers sold more when their garments were associated with Miss Lily Elsie. Every fashionable woman of the time wanted the plumed hats she wore in The Merry Widow so much so that they became an extraordinary fad. After The Merry Widow, Elsie appeared in 16 more shows always receiving many accolades.

Many of the most prominent, wealthy would-be suitors, mostly from the nobility of London, were met with a casual and elusive disinterest that just fueled her beguiling sense of mystery and nevertheless, did not stop them from sending her the most exquisite gifts of jewelry emblazoned in diamonds and rubies and more. Elsie was quoted as saying, "I have never been fool enough to give my heart to one of them, and so they think it must be worth having!" and "I'm always rude to men. And the ruder I am the more they like me!"

After just a few short years of fame, Elsie married Major Ian Bullough, the twenty-six year old son of a millionaire textile manufacturer in November 1911 and relished spending time out of the public eye. She did return to the stage periodically for roles inMalvourneen, The Admiral Chrichton, and Pamela. She appeared in 2 films, in 1918 a cameo in The Great Love with Lillian Gish, and in 1919 in the silent movie Comradeship. Then in 1920 she and her husband moved to a village in Gloucestershire for a number of years away from the stage enjoying social events and fox hunting. In 1927 she appeared in The Blue Train and in 1928 her last show,The Truth Game. Her health was said to have been poor throughout her life and she reportedly had several operations during her life on stage. She found the eight performances a week of The Merry Widow especially grueling and found excuses for not appearing in matinees. She was said to have become "difficult". Speculation exists about possible problems with anemia and/or an early onset menopause at age 22. Her husband had problems with alcoholism. She and her husband divorced in 1930.

In her later years she was said to have become a hypochondriac and spent much of her time in nursing homes and Swiss sanatoria. She was said to have become so quarrelsome that even her most devote supporters left her. Luckily, she had the finances to be cared for in style for the rest of her life. Her mental health seriously deteriorated to the point that she underwent brain surgery, a frontal lobotomy, a practice common at the time but since then considered barbaric. She spent the last two years of her life living at St. Andrew's Hospital in London happy in her anonymity. She died December 16, 1962 at age 76 of heart failure and bronchopneumonia.

the game has begun! Come join us

Read the clues & join in here

The game is now a'foot, O' intrepid Puzzle Masters and lovers of hidden treasures!

Clue one (of four):

His vision was outside the box
but his most famous artworks were within it.

'Tis the place and the year of his birth you'll need
to send him a query so you can proceed.
(hint: he loves gmail)

"...tarry not and do not falter, 'tis worth your while if you're not Walter...
...or even if you are."
- words to the wise but not a clue

~Come join the hunt for clues~ presented by PaperWhimsy & Creative Souls

photos & words sponsored by PaperWhimsy

voting!! and things.....

The voting poll is now open for the cash prize art contest!!!

Please visit the main page of the CS site to vote for your favorite artist or art piece!! This was a great turn out & a special thank you goes out to those who participated! Please help support our fellow
members by voting! PLEASE help spread the word to your friends invite them to vote, you can find the embed code at the end of the poll to add to your social sites & blogs, it would be much appreciated ;)

We will be having another contest around the middle of August, so for those of you who would like to join in can sign up & find more details here~

.¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)*(¸.•´ (¸.•`


We have a new "featured photo" & "featured video" section on the main page. I will be uploading a new photo & video from our members, so keep a look out~


.¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)*(¸.•´ (¸.•`


Last but not least we have something fun instore for our members! shhhhhhhhh ....you'll have to wait just a few more days for a clue, so keep an eye out, I will be sending out another
newsletter with info in a few days~

Featured Artist ~ Tiffany Adventure

My Artsy Adventure Story http://www.artistadventure.com/

Hi!

My name is Tiffany and I have a very fun but fairly unusual life.

I am married to Joe (a.k.a. "Utopia Joe"). We met about 3 years ago when he was the V.I.P. Film Maker and Artist at The Oklahoma Creativity Project Launch http://creativesouls.ning.com/profiles/blog/www.stateofcreativity.com with his PBS TV series "Utopia Joe" show. http://www.UtopiaJoe.com

I remember reading his bio and being shocked by our similarities. Our past lives had included years as ministers working for the church, and our current vocations were both focused on being full time professional artists in the TV & Film industry. I came on board with his brilliant plan with the Utopia Joe Reality TV show. The show has evolved to be our remarkable real-life journey as husband and wife who are both trying to survive as full time artists in Oklahoma. Our garage is filled with local musicians who literally play in the shop while we create projects. There is nothing else like it on TV so it is hard to describe, but it reminds me of a surreal dream where the host is an OCD Bob Villa with a humorous bend that curves toward Howard Stern. The Set is a David Letterman Late Night Stage in an American Chopper garage with VH1 music videos. And if you're hungry, we are making mac-n-cheese like Rachel Ray. Except that I am wearing oven mitts while holding a plastic spoon, because honestly, I make art a whole more than I make food. It is there in the Utopia Joe Playground, that I play happily as both Artist, Culinary Mac Mommy and Muse that will kindle thoughts of colorful characters reminiscent of Daisy Duke, Audrey Hepburn and Kat Von D. What can I say?... I am an eclectic soul. To Alice in Wonderland, I say, 'p-shaw!'

Joe borrows the Lead Guitar during a music video shoot with Whitefall

This is me during the Making of a Cross Video Shoot

I am a Mommy and a Step-Mom. That makes 4 beautiful children all together. My two children are my daughter London and my son Hawk who are busy with elementary school. Joe's two children are Vanessa and Logan who are both in college. They are all very artistic and adventurous in their own unique and special ways and we are completely delighted with their strengths, charming personalities and witty repertoires.

London at Journey Church, Norman, OK

Hawk at Journey Church, Norman, OK

Vanessa at The Velvet Monkey, Plaza District - Photo Shoot

Logan & Hawk in Bricktown, OKC

Life is busy with travel and production and can be very hectic at times. We are very grateful that we have such amazing friends and families who have helped two crazy artists see their dreams come true.
THANK YOU!!!!

Artsy Adventure Website http://www.artistadventure.com

At Home and On The Go

This website is a look at the artsy adventure we experience through projects and our travels with creating art exhibitions both at home and on the go. Joe and I are both a Type A peeps with OCD tendencies. So in essence, we are organized neat freaks who make big fun messes in the shop that are truly necessary in order to create the art that is truly unique, beautiful, mind-bending, spirit altering, and often misunderstood.

Artsy Adventure Website
The Travel http://www.MommyTravelChannel.com

When we go out on location, we always have our cameras and video equipment handy. We visit extraordinary places and experience the hotels, the restaurants, the music & art scene, and all the nearby attractions. We also try to excavate the secrets of the cities that are off the beaten path. I let my audience know the down-low for that really good time that is still undiscovered.

Artsy Adventure Website
The Mommy Plan - Keep it Simple... Less is More

Being organized is arguably an innate gift. However, everyone can learn from others and adapt with great strides. I will share my planning tool for travel, art and beyond. I have done the homework, so you don't have to. Learn from my experiences and take the goodies to create your own adventure both in the studio and a place without walls.

The Reviews - HEAR THE GOOD NEWS!!!

I really enjoy sharing the good news about all the places and 'finds' along the way. I ALWAYS write a good review. I remember my mother saying, as all good mothers say, "If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say it all." Well, that is my philosophy. I choose to always make the good experience of any situation be my focus and that is what you can count on when you read my reviews. Let it be someone else's job to be a critic. The nag is not my bag. My staff is here to laugh. My dial is to smile... and did you ask for cheesy cheese??... well, apparently - Yes, Please!

The simple facts here are: You will only read about the good stuff. Our time is valuable and you and I both deserve to hear what is THE BEST!