Creative Souls

CS Daily Featured Artist

2012-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

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

2011-10-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

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...

2011-04-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-13T10:05:00.001-07:00

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

2011-04-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-04-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-06-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

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PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ART PIECE!!! Voting will be until July 15th!! Click on images for a larger view~

Creative Souls Art Contest~ Please click on images 4 larger viewsurvey software

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feature article by Maureen Tillman ~Evelyn Nesbit, Supermodel of le Belle Epoque

2010-06-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

FEATURED ARTICLE FROM CREATIVE SOULS' MEMBER MAUREEN TILLMAN!!!!

Who was Evelyn Nesbit? If you lived at the turn of the century you wouldn't have asked that question. Everyone knew who she was! Some call her the world's first supermodel. She was a chorus girl and artist's model in New York City who was swept up in one of the era's most infamous murder cases.

Evelyn was born Florence Evelyn Nesbit on Christmas day in 1884 in a small village near Pittsburgh. Her father was a struggling lawyer who died when Evelyn was just 8 years old. He left behind substantial debts and a widow with two children who were nearly destitute. By the time Evelyn reached puberty she was noted to be a breathtaking beauty which was not lost on a number of local artists. She soon found employment as an artist's model. When she was sixteen, she and her mother moved to New York City where Evelyn was introduced to several New York artists and was soon a sought after model and also worked on Broadway as a chorus girl.

Evelyn, at the age of 16, was quickly noticed on Broadway by New York architect and millionaire, Stanford White who, even though he was married, was determined to seduce her. White was 47 years old at the time and seducing young girls was not unfamiliar to him. He invited Evelyn to his luxurious apartment located above FAO Schwarz toy store under the guise of wanting to photograph her. After a few visits Evelyn was no longer a virgin and Stanford White was no longer interested.

Stanford White

Soon Evelyn became involved with Harry Kendall Thaw, the Pittsburgh son of a coal and railroad baron. He became increasingly possessive of her. Thaw was jealous of her previous affairs with John Barrymore the actor, Robert J. Collier a young magazine publisher, and James Waterbury a well known polo player; but mostly Thaw was incensed by Stanford White who he said ruined Evelyn. Thaw was reportedly a cocaine addict who liked to sadistically whip women, including Evelyn, and occasionally young boys. But in-spite of that, Evelyn married Thaw in 1905 when she was twenty years old.

Harry K. Thaw

On the evening of June 25, 1906, Nesbit and Thaw ran into Stanford White in the audience of the Madison Square Garden's rooftop theatre. During the song "I Could Love a Million Girls", Thaw shot White three times at close range in the face. Needless to say, White died. Harry Thaw was tried twice for the murder of Stanford White. The first trial ended in a deadlock, and with the second trial Thaw pleaded temporary insanity. Harry Thaw's mother purportedly promised Nesbit a quiet divorce and one million dollars if she would testify in her son's behalf telling the jury that Stanford White had raped her (Evelyn) and that Thaw was just avenging her honor. Evelyn testified, got the divorce but never saw a penny, in fact, she was immediately cut off financially by Thaw's mother. Thaw was found insane and was incarcerated in a hospital for the criminally insane where he enjoyed almost total freedom. Nevertheless, he did escape several times but was caught, and in 1915 he was released after being judged sane.

After the second trial, Evelyn had modest success in vaudeville and silent movies. There was one more short marriage, alcoholism and cocaine addiction and multiple suicide attempts before her life turned around. She published two memoirs, and in her later years taught classes in ceramics. She died in 1967 at the age of 82.

She was reportedly the inspiration for Charles Dana Gibson's many illustrations of the "Gibson Girl" (see top of story - the Question Mark Girl) and also the inspiration for the model for the heroine in Anne of Green Gables by author Lucy Maud Montgomery. She was technical advisor and inspiration for the 1955 movie, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing. There were ten non-fiction accounts of her life and five fictional accounts based on her life.

Evelyn Nesbit is probably the most infamous artist's model of le Belle Epoque and certainly stunningly beautiful, but in coming weeks I will be introducing you to a few more of her contemporaries who although not as infamous, personally, I find them to be even more beautiful!

Sponsors of our Creative Souls site!!

2010-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

please click away & visit these amazing online shoppes!!!

written by Maureen Tillman Lina Cavalieri - le Belle Epoque beauty and Italian Opera Star

2010-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

This article is written by our Creative Soul member Maureen Tillman
Thank you Maureen for bringing to life some of our favorite images! We are going to try to make this a monthly or bi monthly feature, so keep your eye out for the next one!!

Lina Cavalieri was called the most beautiful woman in the world - and she may have been.

She was born Natalina Cavalieri on Christmas Day in 1874 in Viterbo, Latium, Italy. She lost her parents at the age of 15 and became a ward of the state. She was sent to live in a Roman Catholic orphanage where the strictness of the nuns prompted her to run away at her first opportunity. Mixed reports say she ran away with a touring theatrical company, worked in a tailor shop, as a flower seller and newspaper packer in Rome and sang in Naples's street cafes. Eventually she made her way to Paris where she sang at the Folies Bergere and saved enough to begin her voice and singing studies under Mme. Marchesi with whom she worked diligently for two years. Later she went back to Italy to study some more under Mariani Masi. Some say those voice lessons in Italy were paid for by the Russian Prince Alexander Bariatinsky whom she had met in St. Petersburg, Russia where she was wildly successful singing all the leading opera roles. It is uncertain whether she was married to Bariatinsky or was his mistress. Soon she became quite successful in Milan, Monte Carlo and then Paris. She co-stared at the New York Metropolitan Opera in the Umberto Giordano opera, Fedora with the great Enrico Caruso in December 1906. She remained at the Metropolitan for two more years starring again with Caruso in Puccini's Manon Lescaut in 1907. During the 1909-1910 season she sang with Oscar Hammerstein's Manhatten Opera Company.

She became a famous beauty of le Belle Epoque and audiences flocked to see her as well as hear her. Considered the most beautiful woman in the world she was also the most photographed star of her time. She had amassed a fortune in just a few short years since her debut. Married four times, she was considered to have a classical beauty, with charm and personality free from affectation and her taste in dress was exquisite. Wherever she sang in Italy standing room was at a premium.

After retiring from the stage Lina Cavalieri ran a cosmetic salon in Paris, wrote an advice column for make-up for women, and published a book, My Secrets of Beauty in 1914 at the age of 40 which detailed over a thousand valuable recipes for beauty and bath preparations of her own. The next year she returned to Italy to make motion pictures. When Italy became involved in WWI Lina went to the United States where she made four more silent films. When WWII broke out and she was well into her 60s, she nevertheless worked as a volunteer nurse when she was killed in 1944 in an Allied bombing raid that destroyed her home on the outskirts of Florence. Her portrait was painted several times by well known artists of her day, her likeness was depicted numerously in Piero Fornasetti's designs. A movie was made in 1955 about her life starring Gina Lollobrigida and in 2004 a book was written about her life. Postcards from the many photographs taken of her have become collectible.

Please visit Maureen's blog to see more of her writings & art

http://maureentillman.blogspot.com/

so much going on over at the Creative Souls site

2010-04-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

hello all of you Creative Souls!!

This month we have lots of exciting things going on within the walls of the Creative Souls site! Here are a few of the happenings...

* Belle from Earth Gaia has the voting polls open!! Be sure to visit & vote, there will be an award of prize money!! The Theme is "Spring" Be sure to watch for new contests' through Earth Gaia~ Please vote for our Creative Soul members' entries here... http://www.earthgaia.com/content_pages.php?page=custom_page&topic_id=83#4feb6f8b1781
~Also she has now opened up the EG Shoppes as no monthly fees!!

* Jillian (Bohemiart) started a new group called "Through A Glass Darkly" This for all of you artists that want to take a step into the darker side, to create art from your pain & sorrows. She will be having weekly challenges!! You can visit Jillian's group here... http://creativesouls.ning.com/group/throughaglassdarkly?xg_source=msg_mes_network

* Bernice Wagnitz of the group "Sharing Techniques" is seeking artists' to participate in the Art Journal Project. The end product will be auctioned off to benefit Saint Jude's Children’s Hospital. Be sure to visit the group to sign up!! http://creativesouls.ning.com/group/sharingtechniques?xg_source=msg_mes_network

* "The Free Vintage Images" group has uploaded new free images to use in your artwork http://creativesouls.ning.com/group/freevintageimages?xg_source=msg_mes_network
Also I would like to annouce that Lesley Veneable of "The Art of Altering" has started a Free Vintage Image group on her Ning Site......be sure to stop over to take a peek... http://theartofaltering.ning.com/

* Becky & Lynne The Purveyors of Artistic Collage Sheets/ "Moonlight Journey" are having a fun Art contest this month!! The prize includes $25.00 to shop in their online store of hundreds of cool collage sheets!! Please join in the sub group Moonlight Journey at Creative Souls & get in on the fun. Creative Souls will feature the person who wins on the main page after the contest~ http://creativesouls.ning.com/group/moonlightjourneyartcontest?xg_source=msg_mes_network

* I have had many requests for sub groups lately, I just don't have the time to create anymore groups ;) If you have been thinking of starting a group here, these are some of the requests I have received ... ~Writing Group ~How to get Published Group ~Marketing Group ~Goal Setting Group ~Art Swap Group. Feel free to start a new sub group here if it's been calling your name!!! If you are a leader of one of the sub groups & do not want to run it any longer please ask someone in your group if they would like to take the reigns for you, so the group can continue, these are some wonderful groups & would like to seem them continue. I see there are a few groups where the Leaders have dissappeared.

*CALL FOR ARTISTS!! Barbe Saint John and Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books are creating a new Steampunk book. This sounds like it is going to be a grand book!!! She is looking for the finest Artisan-made examples in the following categories: Costumes and Garments ~Jewelry ~Accessories ~Head Gear ~Time Pieces ~Gadgets and Contraptions ~Vehicles ~Artwork ~Home Decoration Please visit the website for submission information. http://www.barbesaintjohn.com/steampunk/

*Creative Souls now has a Fan Page on Facebook!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creative-Souls/303267844346?v=app_2373072738#!/pages/Creative-Souls/303267844346?v=wall

I think all this info will have keep you busy for a while.

~Izabella

Visit Creative Souls at: http://creativesouls.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

featured photos from Creative Souls

2010-02-16T15:46:00.000-08:00

Find more photos like this on Creative Souls

featured photos from Creative Souls~ http://creativesouls.ning.com

Cash Prize!! Digital Arts Contest!!

2010-02-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Prize Awards

Earth Gaia - Call to Artists Themed Art Contest

Earth Gaia is hosting their very first digital arts contest and you're invited!
The theme challenge for this contest is "Spring Has Sprung" . Entries must be your own original design and will be judged on the creativity, uniqueness and overall design. Digital art is defined as art created on a computer in digital form.

A cash prize will be awarded to one lucky winner by a panel of judges. The amount of the prize is dependent upon the number of participating artists, minus a small processing fee of 10% to cover paypal fee collections and advertising.

This contest is open to all artists 18 years and older who hold an active account on Earth Gaia. An active account is defined as anyone 18 years or older that has an active shoppe on Earth Gaia.

No entries will be accepted after April 1,2010 and the winner will be announced on May 1,2010.And prize will be awarded on May 5, 2010.

In addition to a cash prize, the sole winner of this contest will win FREE lifetime membership to Earth Gaia and the artist's profile will be featured on Earth Gaia during the month of July, 2010.

*All submissions should be in JPEG or GIF files of original work, with file size no larger than 3MB and 500px X 600px.
*Size is subject to these format guidelines and limits and you are responsible for submitting the correct size.
*No submissions will be considered if they are defamatory, abusive, obscene, profane or otherwise offensive.
*Posting of the work is at the discretion of the administrators.
*By submitting your work to this competition, you are representing and agreeing as follows: (1) your submission is your own original artwork and, at the time of your submission, you have all ownership rights in the submission; (2) you authorize us to publish your submission on Earth Gaia website without restriction or compensation; and (3) the artist retains ownership of the original work, and is free to sell the original work as he/she wishes.

more details here... http://www.earthgaia.com/index.php#88b4b887e9be

somerset ad Earth Gaia

2010-01-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

I am lucky enough to be a Founding Member

of one of the coolest sites on the Web for

digital artists: EarthGaia !!

Belle Luna is the one who created this

awesome site for buying & selling everything

that falls under the heading of Visual Art.

We believe in this site so much that we all

chipped in to pay for an ad that will appear

in Somerset Magazine in the very near future.

I am very pleased with the beautiful ad that Lynne Tears

created! and can't wait to see it in all of it's glory

somewhere within the covers of Somerset Studio.

Why wait for the ad?

If you are a seller of beautiful art, get yourself

over to Earth Gaia and sign up. It is user-friendly,

affordable and you can set up your shop before

the mad rush happens when the ad comes out!

If you love digital art, are looking for a

custom web banner, need new & exciting

collage sheets or simply want to purchase

a little something as a treat - we are open!

*thanks Lynne for allowing us to borrow your words ;) xo!!

Good news for bad moods The Painters Keys

2009-11-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

When I am feeling blue, I notice I am more intune with my work & feel more satisfied with the outcome of my art. Do you relate to this article?! ;)

a letter from the Robert... The Painters Keys

Dear Izabella, You may have noticed the odd times when something is irking you, putting you into a bad mood, and you sit down at your easel and do good work. While it's not as pleasant as when you're in a good mood and everything is coming up peonies, it works to your benefit in another way. In my experience, a bad mood helps the attention span and the critical faculties--not necessarily to be more creative--but with a wider vision and a sharper focus.

Before you start to rub me out as a certified nutter, I have to tell you that Professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales in Australia has now produced research that shows people in a negative mood are more critical and more attentive than regular happy folks.

Sadness, he found, actually promotes information-processing strategies best suited to dealing with demanding situations. Other bad-mood benefits the professor found included less gullibility, improved assessment of others, and memory improvement.

In my case, as a kid I might have been "blessed with a sunny disposition," as my mom used to say, but it was in my quieter, reflective moods that I made my art. Darker moods came and went, and I remember doing the odd decent thing while in them. Fact is, I still do. I'm wildly curious to know if anyone else might have noticed something similar.

Perhaps the good-work-in-a-bad-mood syndrome has something to do with the simple realization that when all else fails one can still paint. It's as if art is a sanctuary and a safe haven from life's inevitable disappointments. All humans need some sort of escape from whatever irks them--drudgery, boredom, failure, penury, barking dogs, unpleasant companions--a mighty long list if you decide to think about it. Personal art-making, with its complex creative demands of audacity, application and focus, as well as its perceived nobility, fills the bill.

No human life is all joy, none is all pain. It may be necessary to have a bit of one to gain more of the other. Surely, all moods are worth exploring. While a good mood is way ahead of whatever comes next, this is where I tell you to joyfully jump into your bad moods, watch yourself, and see what happens.

Best regards, Robert

PS: "Whereas positive moods seem to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world." (Joseph Forgas)

Esoterica: Bad-mood guys like Beethoven are no shirkers when it comes to turning out the work. Whole schools of poetry, art and music have been founded on anger and misery. "Sunny dispositions" might be missing out on something. Bad moods are, on the other hand, bad moods. You don't want to stay in them too long--maybe just enough to be focused, attentive and a little extra critical. A bad mood could be good for you.

free autumn collage sheet from moonlightjourney

2009-11-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this lovely gift from Becky & Lynne of Moonlight Journey . They put together this free offering, to get us in the creating spirit of the holidays !! Be sure to check out their lovely website http://www.moonlightjourney.com/ for an array of fab collage sheets

Collage sheet by Becky Loyall
Please click on sheet and you will be taken to a 300 dpi page just right click and save to your computer. This collage sheet is for personal use only. You may sell the artwork you create but please do not sell the original pieces in the middle in a collage sheet or as a single.

The Falling of Leaves

Autumn is over the long leaves that love us,

And over the mice in the barley sheaves;

Yellow the leaves of the rowan above us,

And yellow the wet wild-strawberry leaves.

The hour of the waning of love has beset us,

And weary and worn are our sad souls now;

Let us patt, ere the season of passion forget us,

With a kiss and a tear on thy drooping brow.

~william butler yeats

The Outsider Artists tribute to Edward and Bella Twilight

2009-10-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

A few of the OA gals decided to create a few Twilight inspired art pieces & a giveaway!!

Be sure to leave a comment for the drawing, of a digital collage sheet created by Lynne of Moonlight Journey

Izabella created the piece, "Dammit Edward why aren't you real!!!"

closeup of beautiful Edward sparkling away.....

and here is Izabella with Edward Cullen!! .....

with a little help of her favorite editing program...photoshop!!

Deborah has created several digital collages of Edward and Bella. She invites you to save all three of these images to your computer. The resolution of these images as posted is about 120 dpi. If you especially like one of her three Twilight collages and want to be able to make a high quality print of one of them, feel free to e-mail her at deborahbohm@embarqmail.com and she will e-mail you a high quality 300 dpi image of your favorite of the three displayed here! Additional collages are $3.00 for each 300 dpi image you want e-mailed to you. (Purchased collages will NOT have her name on the image.)

Twilight 1D

Twilight 2D

Twilight 3D

Becky Loyall created a giveaway also....Be sure to leave a comment for the giveaways.

and here is the original digital piece, by Becky...

Featured Artist Lorraine Reynolds The Glimmering Prize

2009-08-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Glimmering Prize is a bounty of heartfelt treasures made from discarded trinkets and everyday items. Mixed media collage artist, Lorraine Reynolds, transforms the mundane into mystical, the everyday into extraordinary. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lorraine is a costume and technical designer by trade. A Vermont transplant for almost 18 years, she takes found objects, such as broken dolls, rusty tins and discarded books and brings forth their unspoken stories, weaving tales of lost love, childhood memories and remembrance into each piece.

She is a self proclaimed junk collector, treasure hunter and junkyard gypsy. You can find her meandering about early on a summer’s morning with her two boys, Henry, 14 and Jack, 7; scouting flea markets and yard sales looking for that embellishments for one of her pieces. It’s the process of collecting, finding and discovering the components that inspires her to make her art. But, music and history are her two muses. She cannot create without her “soundtrack to art.” Playing her music in the studio; the lilting notes from her favorite movie scores carry her to a creative space that has no walls. Often, she will get stuck on a song and play it over and over again until the piece is finished and the bittersweet emotion is caught within her mixed media collages.
She loves to travel about the state of Vermont, admiring old mill towns and Main Streets: places off the beaten path that are permeated with mysteries, secrets and perhaps a ghost story or two. It is the mixing of the past lives with the present in the physical form of art as an offering to remembrance that is what she calls “the Church of the Ordinary.”

Her work has been shown throughout the state of Vermont, as well as in New York City. She is a proud member of the International Society of Alter Book Arts, the Vermont Book Arts Guild and ZNE. She has recently been published in Somerset Studio, the art of mixed media and paper, July/August edition, where two of her assemblage pieces were featured in this “sisterhood” edition.

You can find out more about her work at her blog: http://glimmeringprize.blogspot.com/

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Lorraine-Reynolds-Glimmering-Prize/55961283750

Etsy shoppe: http://www.glimmeringprize.etsy.com/

Featured Artists The Outsider Artists

2009-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

They started noticing each other’s art on Ebay and Etsy. Sensing a certain “something” they all seemed to share – an emotional and sometimes dark approach to altered art – a small group arose, dedicated to exchanging ideas about art. Here they asked each other questions and openly shared techniques, experiences, and images. They also shared their lives with one another as friends do. After these artists joined together in a couple of group art projects, it seemed like a natural next step to join together in another kind of group venture.
Outsider Artists is a co-op of artists from this original group, selling original art pieces - ACEOs, mixed media assemblages, art tags, bookmarks, jewelry, journals, canvas pieces, boxes, dolls, corsets, hair accessories, and more –even an occasional jeweled crown! What you find at their site today might be totally different from what you find a week from now! They also offer a vast array of digital collage sheets including a beautiful antique style alphabet, tags, ACEO backgrounds, gorgeous vintage images, and edgy new images – many of which have been altered by the artist to enhance their appeal. These sheets are sent directly to your computer where you can print them as many times as you want to use in your own art projects. Each artist has her own catalog of art, listing the pieces that she currently has for sale. You will find that each artist has her own individual style. You can choose from art by Amy Flowe, Becky Loyall, Deborah Bohm, Jann Clark, Izabella, Judy Keefe, Lynn Tears, and Michelle McClinn, Jillian Schneider. Buy from one artist or buy from all of them. You will find that the artists welcome inquiries about custom pieces.
Outsider Artists is a treat to visit. In addition to the wonderful art pieces for sale, they offer free vintage images, articles on art-related topics, “how-to” instructions on various art projects and techniques, and links to other sites that you will want to visit. Via a comment section, they are able to have interaction with the people who visit their site. You can also see some of the prior art that each artist has created in their respective gallery sections.
Whether it is your first visit or your twentieth, you will want to stop by today to see what is new! (P.S. I hear these artists are set to embark on another group project at the end of summer. Rumor has it that at the end of this project, a joint creation will be offered for sale to benefit a designated charity. You will surely want to stay tuned for more about that!)
Visit now!http://outsiderartists.typepad.com/
You can also visit the blogs of the individual artists:
Amy Flowe - http://www.alteredamy.blogspot.com/
Becky Loyall - http://whymsicalmusings.blogspot.com/
Deborah Bohm - http://deborahbohm.blogspot.com/
Jann Clark - http://www.foreverjann.blogspot.com/
Izabella - http://izabella.typepad.com/
Judy Keefe - http://jmkoriginals.typepad.com/
Lynne Tears - http://moonlightjourney.blogspot.com/
Michelle McClinn - http://michellerenee777.blogspot.com/
Jillian Schneider - http://bohemiart.typepad.com/

Featured Artists' Remnants of Olde Kerin & Charley

2009-06-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Bio
Charley and Kerin are self taught artists who use wild experimentation resulting in many innovative techniques with resins and other materials. As heavy users of found objects, clays of all sorts, metals and optical glass, they make art jewelry and small scale sculptures. They have also been making mechanical and kinetic art pieces for several years and have discovered ways to make previously very complicated mechanisms quite simple to construct. Having recently left their school district and software development careers to relocate to the Southern Oregon coast, they now have more time to make and share art with others. Their creations can be seen in Somerset Studio magazine, 500 Pendants and Lockets by Lark Books and in galleries and shops. Kerin is currently working on a mixed media book featuring her very favorite art material, resin clay, which will be released by North Light Books in early 2010.

Charley and Kerin are changing their Creative Souls profile to fit with the other ning accounts they are using (which is under Kerin’s name). So if you see them twice you are not imagining things. : )

Background:

Charley and Kerin recently made a big move and life style adjustment because of a heartbreaking and life changing loss. Kerin's sister, Diana, lost a long battle with cancer a few years ago. Charley and Kerin met just as she was leaving to take Diana to get a second opinion and learn what ultimately would be the worst news possible.

Charley has since been a great source of strength and this was especially important since Kerin was her only caregiver. Diana had always encouraged Kerin to quit doing software and real estate and do art full time. So to honor Diana and life in general (which is far too short anyway!) they followed their hearts and moved to the southern Oregon coast.

The plan was to work doing art full time in whatever forms it took to make a living. The thing is that no one knew who they were because they really weren’t actively selling or promoting their artwork at all before moving to Oregon. Luckily all the ways they sought to make a living turned out to be immensely fun and rewarding (and definitely challenging as well!!!)

Here are some of the things they are doing now

Mixed Media Art gathering place— Kerin was led to build this site as a place for artists to learn and grow and reach their dreams whatever those might be. The site is just a month old and already has over 300 amazing talented and caring members. Simply put, there is a tremendous amount of love and inspiration on that site. In fact Isabella was member #300!! http://mixedmediaart.ning.com/

Blog and website—the first post is about why this journey to Oregon began and everything that’s happened since. http://remnantsofolde.com/

Online workshops – The first workshop they are offering for sale, Resin Clay Pendants, is open during “pre-registration” at a reduced price. There are currently two projects up and many more will be added. There has been great feedback from the students taking the workshops and they all are really enjoying what is up so far.

Live workshops – for only having taught at one workshop so far (Art & Soul in Hampton, VA) it has been a very good experience. There is already one class out of three that has sold out at the Art & Soul retreat in Portland, Oregon. And they have received a special invitation to teach at Art & Soul in Las Vegas which was huge since only sixteen instructors will be there. http://www.artandsoulretreat.com/

Charley and Kerin have worked very hard to add even more value to the live workshops by offering the same class on video. The “after class party” workshops are free to the students so they can really relax during class and not have to worry about remembering everything. Right now those are only available to the workshop students but they will be available in the future (most likely be when they are no longer teaching the live workshops). The after class party workshops are hosted on the Mixed Media Art ning site.

In addition to the Art & Soul retreats, Kerin is booked at Raevn’s nest this October to teach two classes. http://www.raevns-nest-art-retreat.com/workshops.html

Now that they’ve had a “taste” of how fun and rewarding it is to teach at art retreats they are planning many new workshops and are looking into doing even more venues.

Mixed media art book – Kerin’s book will feature resin clay based projects and is due to be released in early 2010 by North Light Books. She feels that resin clay (a two part self-curing clay) is a magical and wondrous thing! It has allowed her to make things as an artist that she never could have otherwise. So she wants to share this with everyone in the hopes that it will have the same benefit to many more artists.

Automata – One of the things they are known for is mechanical art or automata—a type of interactive hand cranked art that moves in different ways. The pieces they make are a new spin on the old mechanical that were popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. They both find this to be a fun challenge to come up with new ideas for art pieces that also are mechanical. Very few artists make automata and even fewer are teaching it. So they plan to offer a lot of workshops with that are kinetic and/or mechanically based.

Other plans – More collaborations with other artists, doing a lot more with metal clay (bronze/copper and silver), continuing to experiment with combining unlikely materials and finding new techniques, larger assemblage sculptures, seeking out more galleries that are a good fit for their work and most definitely a lot of new automata (mechanical art).

One more thing they’d love to do is make lots of friends on Creative Souls!!! Here is the profile that matches all the other ning accounts. : )
http://creativesouls.ning.com/profile/KerinGale

how to create fiber beads

2009-05-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

~How to create fiber beads~

These are fiber beads that I created, oh what joyous fun they are to create!!!

First gather your materials...

* drinking straw

* white glue

* scissors

* muslin, tapestry, nearly any cotton blend material

* acrylic paints

* 22 guage wires ~gold copper silver

* needle nose pliers

* wire cutters

* beads, charms & glitter!!

Tear/cut your muslin or cotton material 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch strips, this will be the width of your beads. You will want different sizes of beads~ Cut your strips to about 6 to 12 inches long(experimentation is best)

Proceed to wrap the material around the end of the straw, adding the white glue onto the material as you wrap it around the straw. Make sure it is glued securely & then cut the straw leaving some still within the middle of the wrap. You can usually get 3 beads per straw depending on length of the beads you create.

Now let the fun begin!!

Paint metallic paints on the material & ends. Wrap fibers or yarn around the bead. Wrap wire pieces 5 to 6 inches long, around the fibers or yarn to hold it in place. You can also add beads & charms to the wire, then add glitter or try dipping the beads in embossing powders!!

Have fun creating!!!

~Izabella http://izabella.typepad.com/

this weeks featured artist Kecia Deveney

2009-05-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lemoncholy's Studio aka kecia deveney

I have a lot of energy. I like to be busy and am rarely ever idle! I also tend to get bored quite easily, so one day I might make jewelry, the next day do a mosaic piece, then onto a painting or an assemblage. I grew up in the military and we moved every 2 years, so I've traveled a lot, have seen much culture ,diversity and experienced things that others will never see. I think that lifestyle plays into who I am creatively and how I see myself. I see myself as a free-spirited, gypsy type of soul. In my mid twenties, I suffered a horrible, life altering experience, when my older son, Tucker (then age 16 months old), suffered a traumatic brain injury due to medical malpractice. Now age 18, he is 100% dependent on care from my husband and I. My despair, anguish and grief over this traumatic event is what propelled me into the art world. I'll start with the cliche that I am self taught. I began making things as gifts and home decor and then onto art shows. It was at an art show that a woman put a name to my work, "altered art". I'd never heard the word before, nor realized that other people like to alter things. This was exciting! From there I found art retreats and dreamed about attending them, but didn't. Then one day I mentioned one of them to my husband, who surprised me by saying, "you should go". So I did - and that was it - I was hooked! I began making online friends who were so similar to me. It really opened a whole new world to me. Slowly I have progressed from classes, to blogging, to etsy, many yahoo groups and currently in the works, a website and now teaching. I'm in my studio every day and I consider this my full time job. Creating is a drug to me. It keeps me sane. I'm passionate about what I do. Through my blog, I've met many women who tell me I inspire them. This fills my soul with joy, that me, this grief stricken girl, can refocus that sadness into inspiration and help other women. It brings me vitality, so I've come full circle.

Kecia

blog: www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com
website: www.lemoncholys.com
etsy: www.keeshagirl.etsy.com
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemoncholys

ZNE Art, Paperie and Pleasantries

2009-05-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend!! Art, Paperie & Pleasantries is being held at the Alameda County Fair Building in Pleasanton, CA. There will be lots of vendors, live music, book signings, make & take classes, coloring table for the kiddies and lots of pretties to buy! All the sparkly goodness happens Saturday May 2 & Sunday May 3, 2009 Noon - 5:00 p.m. both days, $3 admission, but get the dollar off coupon on the website. You can find more details here http://www.artandpaperie.com/index.html

Artella Land

2009-04-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

EMERGENCY!! JoAnnA & Ron Pierotti

2009-04-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Please see JoAnnA's blog for more information http://mosshill.blogs.com/

Ron has a brain tumor & it is much worse than they expected, they say if he doesnt have this done immediately, they give him only a month to live! JoAnnA & Ron are beautiful souls & would take their shirts off their back for anyone...I feel it's the least we could do is...chip in a dollar or 1000 dollars, Please please pass along this widget to help them in their time of need. And prayers are desperatley needed to comfort them in this tramatic time~
You can also use this link to add in forwarding emails, this will take you to the page where you can pick up the embed codes for your sites. http://ronpierotti.chipin.com/ron-pierotti Please forward this to your friends~ Thank you so much

Featured main page artist Pam Carriker

2009-04-15T20:58:00.001-07:00

Pam Carriker, a life-long art lover, was raised in the Pacific Northwest.
Largely self-taught, her work is reflective of the more than 20 years of
experience using a variety of mediums. Teaching art at a private school
for a year, prompted her to further pursue her interest in art. She is a Design
Team member for both variaZioNE (ZNE) and Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps,
has had her work published in Cloth, Paper, Scissors, Somerset Studio,
Stamper's Sampler, and has the honor of being the featured guest artist in
August '08 Stampers' Sampler. On the horizon are articles in Somerset Art Journals, Jan '09, Somerset Apprentice, Mar '09, and Cloth, Paper, Scissors, May '09. She currently has work on display at the Art and Soul Gallery in Bothel, Washington.

Note from Pam..... I joined ZNE 1 1/2 years ago, after continually seeing those letters attached to work I liked on ebay. What did they mean? I finally asked and found my way to the wondrous world of mixed media art. I dove in head first and applied for the Design Team and was an excited girl to be welcomed aboard! That excitement knew no bounds when I realized that my best friend from junior high/high school was a fellow DT member! Thank goodness Laurie Blau-Marshall hyphenated her name or it may have taken awhile longer to figure out the connection.
Art has a way of connecting people, both long-lost friends, and the new friends we make daily via our blogs and websites. That's why we are all here, gathered together. To be inspired by each other, to encourage and be encouraged.
I have always created art in some form. From drawing purple polka dots on my bedroom walls as a child, (much to mom's displeasure:-), to the crafty types of art, to my current love of mixed media, especially portraits. I never in a zillion years would think I would be where I am right now, and would not, except for the continual support, encouragement, and inspiration found on Creative Souls and like minded mixed media websites. Here I learned to dream big, and to go after my dreams. While I create art that is born in my mother's heart, I have found a great deal of satisfaction in the level of professionalism that having my work published and writing about the creative process has brought to this stage of my life.
I was so completely amazed to come home to my emails this afternoon. It was one of 'THOSE' days today and this so completely made my day end on a high note. Thank you all so much for this honor. Honestly, it is an honor to just be involved with fellow artists like you.

www.pamcarriker.com
http://www.thebagladysart.blogspot.com
http://www.thebagladysart.etsy.com

Main page featured artist Shariyah Garner

2009-04-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

Painting "Longing":

Artists Statement:

Shariyah was born in 1984 into a family of artists.

Rather than attending fine art schools, her childhood was spent drawing and painting with her mother as her "art teacher", along with her 5 sisters in the hills of Tennessee and the mountains of Montana.

Recently Shariyah (Yiyah) moved from Los Angeles, CA where she was working as a fashion designer, to a remote island in New Zealand. There she spends most of each day painting and creating in her small studio, overlooking rolling green pastures with sheep grazing, wine vineyards, and the ocean beyond. Shariyah sells her art online as well as exhibiting her paintings in a local gallery. Her more recent work explores mixed media portraits, with a reniassance-like feel that embodies a spiritual or expressive essence.

"I believe that art is really just communication of something from deep within the artist. Memories, dreams, joys, sadness, spiritual journeys. I hope that people of all ages and backgrounds can relate in some way to my work and receive inspiration from it."

I am so surprised, and honored to share this "Artist of the month" award with Becky, and thrilled to be part of this Creative Soul community! Thank you so much each one of you, for this gift that I will never forget! It encourages me to continue to follow my dream, and as in the words of Rumi, "Let the beauty we love be what we do."

Peace & Love

Shariyah

Please click on the below links to visit my websites:

Shariyah's Etsy Site

Shariyah's Gallery

Shariyah's Blog

Visit Shariyah's Creative Soul's Page

Main page featured artist Becky Loyall

2009-04-15T20:51:00.001-07:00

The beauty around me engulfs me, inspires me to create. Each day is a new adventure, thoughts crossing the shadowy depths of my mind allowing me to share. Artwork, some funny, some sad, some that may touch your soul. Just my imagination running wild! My thoughts all the same. I hope to share what I create with each of you touching you in different ways. Provoking thought and conversation. Please enjoy my whimsical take on things.
By: Becky Loyall

Becky is a self taught mixed media artist with collage as her favorite form. She loves to create Artist Trading Cards also known as ACEO's and other types of Collage items like Books, Boxes, Tags and Bookmarks.
She has done Mural work for homes, schools and churches for charity for 2o+ years the last few years with her Beautiful Daughter Leslie. She has also painted and sold floorcloths and primitive items such as furniture.
Altered Art is her new found love one that she will pursue for many years to come.
Becky lives on a small acreage in rural Oklahoma with her Husband Clay who is the light of her life and her 2 sons Eric and Sean, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 2 large aquariums and many numerous critter visitors.
Becky has 2 grown daughters Leslie and Tammra and one Wonderful son in Law Robert. She also has 6 beautiful grandchildren.

Becky is a very proud member of the Outsider Artists group and ZNE group and of course she LOVES Creative Souls where her heart fills with Joy and Soars with the Beauty that is created here.

What an unexpected Honor I will treasure for years to come. Thank you for your friendships and the Talents that you share.

You may find Beckys work here or stop by and enjoy her blog:
Outsider Artist's http://outsider-artists.net
Etsy www.whymsicalmusings.etsy.com
Blog www.whymsicalmusings.blogspot.com
Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/whymsicalmusings
http://tinyurl.com/5qo2sn.

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK JULEE HERMANN

2009-04-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

I have begun a new feature at the Creative Souls site. Besides the monthly main page featured artist~ a weekly featured artist in the forums. If you know of someone you would like to see featured, please drop me a note at the Creative Souls site http://creativesouls.ning.com

This weeks featured artist is the beautiful & amazing Julee Hermann. She is such an inspiration. Everyone who meets her, has her forever etched in their hearts, she is a beautiful shining star!!!

Julee Hermann is a local artist who works in assemblage, jewelry, and 3D inspirational art. Julee inspires creativity with her energy and her wonderful sense of humor. She knows how to connect people with their inner artist. Julee spends her weekends playing with her young family and teaching around the US helping students create one-of-a-kind shrines reflecting memorable moments in a life lived. Students walk away feeling as though they've created something to treasure. Julee's motto is "...make the two foot drop from head into your heart and work from there." ~written from the heart Gina Gabrielle

this is what Julee says..... I love to impart my enthusiasm for all things mixed media thru my workshops. I weave silliness and permission to play and express your self into my classes. My motto is "make that two foot drop from head to heart and work from there" art is made in the heart not the head. I like to remind people to just check in with where they are and to let the muses tickle them into creating for them. This month I'm teaching the skill of soldering through two different classes. The first of which is the Mermaid Reliquary Workshop at A Work of Heart Studio in San Jose class is on Sunday April 19th and runs from 12 – 4pm we'll build tiny boxes with a small scene inside and then enclose the pieces with mica and solder. $65 You can register through their fancy schmancy website at http://www.aworkofheart.com The advanced soldering class is being held at the lovely Tangerine gifts and ephemera shop in Dublin this will be a soldered bracelet comprised of vintage watch crystals, tiny images embellished with glitters (oh joy!) all soldered together in the most delightful way! Class is Saturday April 25 from 10 – 3pm cost is $55 and includes tea and cookies! Have a peek at their charming site at http://www.elevenmorningstangerine.com/services.html Call Gina Gabr... to sign up to play! I'm excited to announce for the first time, that this Summer, I will be sharing workshops with girls(and guys, too!) of all ages through my Mermaid Warriors Summer Camps. For 5 weeks from the end of June through the beginning of August we'll be pLaYIng MeRmAid Style... tentatively I'm working on Mondays and Fridays in Orinda and Wednesdays in Dublin and will be specializing in empowering people to express themselves through art and silliness!

Julee Herrmann Teacher/Artist HeArt Collective http://www.heartcollective.etsy.com http://www.heartcollective.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/juleeherrmann/sets/72157615900316626/