Art & Soul: What Happened in Vegas

You know, I think a lot of the reason I don't blog more is because Blogger has made it so difficult to lay out the pages in a pleasing way. All of these photos are not in the order I'd have liked and the problem is that when I choose the photos and start blogging, I don't necessarily know what photos I want to use or everything I'm going to say in the order I'm going to say it. Blogger, you're a horrible bastard and I don't like you anymore!

OK, now that that's off my chest, on to What Happened in Vegas!

If you saw 'The Hangover' you still don't have a clue what happened to us while we were at Art & Soul in Las Vegas. But you were truly entertained and so were we! I didn't have to get up early and I didn't really go to bed late (for me!) but I sure was wiped out when I left and I still had to drive home!

On the left is the middle of a project, The Love Bird Necklace, designed and taught by Sally Jean Alexander. If you've ever tried to get into one of her classes, you know how difficult it is to find an open spot. I'd already taken a couple of soldering classes so when Cheryl (check out her new blog!) had to sell her class, I was ready to jump right in there. Then I had to gather the materials and tools, surprised to discover that I had them all.

Of course, when Saint Maria (the patron saint of those who shop for art tools and supplies) announced that she'd have Sally Jean's preferred soldering irons and tools at the on-site shop, I HAD to have one since I suspected that my soldering iron was half of my problem. Having used the right tool now, I know that it was 99% of my problem! One cannot emphasize enough the importance of having the right wattage and the right tip for the job.

Oh man, was this class intense! Hardly anyone got done with the necklace then and there, and those who did, did so long after the official end of class. Some of us were still there an hour and a half after class was officially over and many people didn't even take a lunch break, or like we did, brought it back and ate while we collaged and taped. That was after the waterfall started and we had to move classrooms because of a hotel guest allowing their bathtub to overflow. Crazy!

Here I am with Sally Jean. She's got this fabulous smile and a way of giving you confidence. I really liked her a lot. That's why I've signed up for another class of her's in October!

Below is the beginning stage of my project in Stephanie Lee's Selective Seeing "Painting the Mind's Eye View". It's my dad in his MG TD in front of our house, pulling a set of gang mowers he built to cut the 3+ acres of grass we had.

I love that car and this picture of my dad is one of my very favorite photos. Yes, there are three kids in there with him. We always wanted to ride along for a while. I know I'm the kid on the right, and the one on the left next to Daddy is my brother, but the one in the middle is a neighbor kid, I only suspect who it is. The picture is adhered to heavy watercolor paper and is ready for the next steps of Stephanie's process. Once I realized how easily the heavy WC paper breaks with the photo and it's 'glue' on it, I wished I'd opted for 140# paper instead of 300#. I really enjoyed the process of painting it in this unexpectedly untraditional class.

On the left are the new backup signers for Craig Ferguson's Late, Late Show themesong backup singer, me. I gave the job to myself because I love his peppy theme. When I was singing it for the girls as we dined at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris Las Vegas, Keri on the left and Kathy on the right chimed in while Gina snapped our photo. We five had a wonderful time together. Keri tried to assassinate me by driving my mobility scooter off the top of the Eiffel Tower, but all is forgiven and I'm only going to mention it a few thousand more times for the rest of her life! ;-))

Here is the first project I did at A&S Vegas, in Lisa Kaus' class, 'Color My World'. I had a great time and really like my finished piece. Lisa had drawings of her own that you could trace and use but I'm happy that I decided to just wing it and draw. It's so easy to let your drawing skills go by the wayside when you do arts that don't strictly depend on it the way traditional painting media relies on your ability to draft your idea or what you see onto the canvas or other substrate before you can start. This class was an interesting blend of traditional painting, follk art, and mixed media. I'm so pleased with the finished project as well. It is definitely going up on the wall in the kitchen!

So that's what happened in Vegas. Or at least the part I am telling! If you want to know for sure, I guess you'll just have to come to Art & Soul there next year! ;-))