MY PROCESS
rituals

rituals

"hazing ritual, 1953" embroidery on paperthursday: i wanted to try my hand at embroidering on paper. i have seen so many great projects on pinterest (i am at it again) that are so inspiring. what i couldn't find out was how they can sew on paper without it ripping to...

words cannot describe

words cannot describe

tuesday: cross stitch: jacob, xoxo i watched the movie "shirley" over the weekend and had to know more about shirley jackson. i downloaded an audio biography which i have been listening to as i cross stitched my husbands portrait. so far i am only up to her college...

yiayia

yiayia

tuesday: another cross stitch, this time my greek grandmother. while we are experiencing troubling times, i think about my grandmother, living in greece, her husband living in america, she has three daughters to take care of, it's 1940, italy invades greece, soldiers...

the year i was born

the year i was born

friday: today i was inspired by someone else's collages on pinterest (you see i have been trying to curb my habits, i haven't mentioned this in weeks). they used very simple elements and a limited number of elements, and thus made a nice, clean design. these collages...

hellenic connection

hellenic connection

this image is from a batch i bought many years ago from buffalo, NY. the family is greek and the image i used is mr. panayiotou. the letters on his "hat" are AHEPA which stands for: Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for...

beloved

tuesday: one of my favorite authors toni morrison was featured in the documentary toni morrison, the pieces i am. watching it i enjoyed learning about her and was inspired to do a new cross stitch featuring her image. one of her best books is beloved. 

will the real velvet photo album please stand up?

saturday: countless hours were spent building the campbell family tree so that i could see how mother is connected to all the others in the velvet photo album. there are over 390 people in the tree. i might be giving up now, as i seem to not be able to make some...

william chester minor

william chester minor

very late friday night: since these projects take some time to complete i was able to watch/listen to another of pbs's american experience episodes, this time about emma goldman, anarchist, activist and writer. then listening to another of winchester's books about the...

this really is the last one

this really is the last one

tuesday: i ventured out today and met shari and elizabeth for a get together in the park, six feet apart, bring your own coffee. we went to encanto park, which is beautiful and right up the street from us. there were families taking walks, and some people fishing....

redo joe pegg

redo joe pegg

monday: today i spent the day making the chart to show the connections in the velvet photo album. as i was doing it i realized that the only painting that i had included a pair of people, needed to be on opposite sides of the chart. so a do over for today. jake went...

weekend

weekend

early morning coffee monday: i have not been posting as all i did this weekend was still trying to find a connection from one campbell family to another. i know, i just can't give up. so i spent hours trying to connect a massachusetts clan to our west virginia clan......

humming birds

humming birds

friday morning: i sat in the yard to get some sun this morning. we are visited by humming birds this time of year. i thought i would capture one with my camera. the shot is a little dark, but i enjoyed watching it. eggplants are cooking in the oven, Melitzanosalata...

words

words

tuesday: so i am reading the grammarians, i think i might have told you this already, about twin sisters who love words and whose father gifted them, as children, an edition of webster’s second. as they grow older they differ on the use of language and are at odds over the idea of living language…

iconic

iconic

monday: today i worked on a four page brochure for the equal rights amendment. the task force i belong to is trying very hard to get the AZ house and senate to have majority democrats so that we can get the ERA passed in our state…

weather scarf grows

weather scarf grows

sunday: here is an update on my weather scarf. so far i have been tracking low temperatures since february 18. you can see that there is a lot of green. those were days when the lows were in the 50s. now it's getting hotter. after a week of 60s we have jumped to a 70...

isolation

saturday: oops, this is late, i was in a funk. feeling confined is getting me down. assignment today: frida kahlo using any art supplies you want. while doing this painting i listened/watched her bio on youtube. i am enjoying these assignments because i get a glimpse...

witches

witches

friday: hatred towards women. watched a series about witches. the first reported witch trail in the late 1500s in scotland was about some "respectable" man's housekeeper. the documentary indicated that she refused his advances as she was reported to be seeing someone...

my mom’s veranda

my mom’s veranda

thursday: i have a cousin in NYC who has an olive oil business, no, not like vito corlene, and they have a wholesale produce business too. you can order retail from them on the website: terra medi the oil and olives are very delicious. anyway, she wanted to get one of...

and in the end…new yawk

and in the end…new yawk

wednesday: i finished the last portrait today. well, three exactly. but the series is done. introducing, blaine campbell, joe pegg and mary l.d. campbell.i also watched a great film about the photo league in NYC in the mid 1900s. beautiful work, incredible energy and...

amelia

amelia

tuesday: laura campbell, daughter of mother, sister of adolph blaine. this image was of both laura and blaine together, but i wanted to do more of a close up of her.  here's a little history of wheeling, west virginia around the time the velvet photo album was put...

picasso

monday: a lost day. not much done. drawing assignment: picasso as collage. bla. here it is. 

status

status

sunday: john deafenbough. something i am noticing as i am doing these images is the differences in the richness of the clothing that they are wearing. today's assignment: draw someone you would like to have dinner with using pen and watercolor.

it’s a good thing

it’s a good thing

saturday: a beautiful day, warm in the afternoon, cool at night. and the northern mocking bird sings all night long. the time of year everyone in phoenix loves. here is john sisson and his mother, jennie. mother’s father has sister, elizabeth pegg, who married george...

research is over

research is over

friday: ada carroll is sister to lavinia, daughter of camilla campbell and patrick d. carroll. mother's sister's daughter.  i stopped trying to tell jake, my husband, about these intricate relationships because i know it's not an area of interest for him. so, thank...

lincoln

thursday: today i was feeling a bit sick again. nothing serious... i signed up for a 14 day assignment at brooklyn art library, to do a drawing a day. they send you an assignment. today's was draw lincoln with pencil. here is my attempt. i think he looks more like...

laser v/s inkjet

laser v/s inkjet

wednesday: everyday i read the paper in the morning, catching up on the latest news, skim through my email newsletters from art sources and political ones, scan articles and read the few i find interesting. for the rest of the day, i try not to get sucked in any...

paper

paper

tuesday: i tried another paper, actually an index card. i am still not satisfied with how the paint is flowing. this is albert coulter, married to emma morton campbell, another one of mother's children. 

the novelty is wearing off

the novelty is wearing off

monday: it was fun for a while. the novelty of staying home has peaked, don't get me wrong, i am actually learning to appreciate my home and my garden more, but the cooking, etc, doesn't quite have the appeal it did at the beginning. although, last nights dinner of...

the talented mr. wilson

the talented mr. wilson

sunday: feeling a bit better. well enough to get up, shower, water the plants and make one painting. this is david wilson. another mystery in the story. there is a connection of wilsons to the campbell family which comes many years later, when "pc" marries a wilson....

sick day

sick day

saturday: i had enough energy to pay bills and do my taxes. that was it. getting some rest for the rest of today.

results

results

friday: i was not going to post at all today as i am having flu symptoms. so far mild, except the chills.  then i looked at my email and i received the processed order from the film i shot with my new/old camera.  it works. the film might be anywhere from 15 to 30...

john henry

john henry

thursday: john henry, i don’t know who you are, or how you are related, or where you lived, nothing. john henry you are a mystery.

bashing flower petals

bashing flower petals

wednesday: i am going to try each of these crafts today. except for the bubble wrap printing (i’ve done that before) from craft contemporary. project one: (above) bashing flower petals. i used roses and geraniums from my garden. no. i don’t like any of them.project...

technical difficulties

technical difficulties

tuesday: ok, so the collages were sitting here on my table as i tried to think of something clever to add to them. since i love vintage drawings and i was also looking for an easy fix, i decided to see if my printer would print these images directly on them. i found...

out of the trash

out of the trash

this is will sisson. monday: replicating restaurant meal from ocotillo: their version:burrata, sweet potato hummus, baby arugula, heirloom squash and ginger-date mostarda served with toasted noble bread. my version:burrata, avocado/chickpea hummus (i made it myself),...

i get lost in the research

i get lost in the research

sunday: i have been researching for hours and have not made the connections i was looking for, i have hit a wall with david wilson, christina shealter and john henry.  this is maggie sisson(s). i did make the sisson connection. here's the relationship. dorothy ellen...

scrabble

scrabble

saturday: i don't know why saturday's have become our lazy day. we read, watched some shows, took a nap... i did manage to air out the house and wash towels and sheets.  we played a game of scrabble, these were my letters. it was downhill from there.   

vegetarians

vegetarians

friday: watched a good movie on kanopy about people helping other people called “i’m with phil”. it makes me feel that there is something in people that when times are tough they can stick together and help each other. this all took place in phil campbell, alabama....

the end of times

the end of times

thursday: bean soup for lunch. i love to doctor up a can of beans. today i used some veggie broth and tomato sauce as a base, added the beans, garlic and tiny pasta shells. when it was cooked, i threw in some tomatoes, avocado and lemon zest. we topped it off with...

ghosts from the past are haunting me

ghosts from the past are haunting me

wednesday: this is p.c. mc henry. he was born in 1887. i don't know why i am so drawn to these old photos, or why i feel the need to figure out who they are and how they relate to one another, except to say that they are like ghosts from the past haunting me to tell...

i am overwhelmed with family trees

i am overwhelmed with family trees

tuesday: more research on the campbell family, very time consuming but nothing to show you. at least i got a painting done. this is blaine campbell.making baked tofu, rice and spinach goma-ae.

lemon fever

lemon fever

monday: the morning starts with laundry. there are not as many dirty clothes because we’re not going anywhere and, quite frankly, we’re wearing the same things for a couple of days in a row. the most dirty clothes are shirts for jake, that’s because he’s doing video...

sunday’s not a day of rest

sunday’s not a day of rest

sunday: we got up early, i made crepes with lemon and sugar and we went out to clean the garage. we got new cabinets that were surplussed from the school of life sciences at ASU and we are now setting them up in the garage so we can get organized. does it look neat?

leave the gun…

leave the gun…

saturday: what a lazy day. i did not feel like doing anything, watched some movies, had a visit with damian and lori, stayed 6 feet away from each other, sat outdoors in their courtyard and ate cannolis, which i made this morning.... well, not the shells, i bought...

water coloring

water coloring

friday: do i need another old camera? yes, of course. today i bought a nikon EM. it was $55 with the lens, tripod and all, thank you, james. it’s not an expensive camera, but i think it will be a fun foil to my fully manual canon AE-1 that i bought in college. i have...

it’s curtains for you…

it’s curtains for you…

thursday: ok, so i do spend a bit of time looking at pinterest. it's my only social media outlet so when i am not feeling like doing anything else i resort to it. today i found a beautiful idea for a window "curtain". i had 4 pretty hankies that my friend, shari, had...

peanut butter cookies

peanut butter cookies

wednesday: who is this john henry? continuing my research on the velvet photo album i have managed to connect 16 of the 22 people in it. they are all connected to the campbell family, except for a few that i cannot make. i think most of the images are from the turn of...

tracking a family

tracking a family

tuesday: time to open some cans. today's lunch black bean soup. sautéed some shallot and garlic, added two cups of water, a small can of tomato sauce, a can of drained and rinsed black beans, one bay leaf, a cup of frozen chopped spinach, brought it up to a boil and...

cross stitching

cross stitching

monday: today i worked on the "ruth" and "wendell jones" series, then i thought it might be fun to try my hand at cross stitching on a photograph.i scanned an old photo from my collection, took it into photoshop, added a grid, printed it on photo paper, punched holes...

i did not take a shower yet…

i did not take a shower yet…

sunday: our new old back door needed some repairs: caulking the panels because one of them leaked when it rained last week… adding weather stripping around the whole door… replacing the very ancient weather stripping under the door. the first two projects went...

grapefruits everywhere

grapefruits everywhere

saturday: jake pulled all the grapefruits off the tree, while i squeezed 9 dozen of them to make juice to freeze and also to drink. we took in about 2 more dozen to make cake and grapefruit rind preserves. we gave away all the rest to the neighbors. i only made the...

outing, still no paper products

outing, still no paper products

friday: feeling a bit tired today, maybe we overate. did some new “coloring” with sharpies on top of old photos, it’s interesting and i will do more soon.watching a bit of shows, got some groceries, still no paper products. "my mother's" restaurant only had small...

japanese garden

japanese garden

thursday: i took a walk with shari at the japanese friendship garden in the morning.i made preserved lemons.i made lentil soup for dinner.

paper beads

paper beads

tuesday: i made paper beads and some collages. i made pasta with lemons from shari’s tree and beets and beet greens from je paul’s garden.

mushrooms, lemons and grapefruits

mushrooms, lemons and grapefruits

monday: mushrooms are growing in our garden where we took away the walkway and planted grass seeds. shari came over and we sat in the backyard in the fresh air. no hugging hellos or goodbyes. she brought over lemons, i gave her grapefruit.

Fired image transfers

Fired image transfers

It has taken me a couple of months to get back to the image transfers, but here is a glazed plate. I will add a few more in a couple of days as I unload the kiln. Sneak preview.  This is from a photo of my parents. 

IMAGE TRANSFERS REVISITED

IMAGE TRANSFERS REVISITED

I used images of my parents from an old photo and tried some filters in photoshop – torn edges and graphic pen – and printed them from my laser printer. Mind you, the laser prints worked before. But again today, the images came out a little dappled and more distressed than I prefer.

WEEK 15

WEEK 15

This week's assignment was to create a collage using an old book cover. The original book was called Petite Histoire de la Civilisation Française, and it had the map of Paris already. Adding some paper parts and red ink, I wanted it to have a more...

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT 2018

SKETCHBOOK PROJECT 2018

This year I am participating in the Sketchbook Project. I have filled my book with collages, and have sent them off to Brooklyn to be filed and digitized. Now a part of me will always be in Brooklyn, my home town.   Brooklyn Art Library is home to The...

WEEK ONE

WEEK ONE

The U.S.A. Trilogy is a series of three novels by American writer John Dos Passos, comprising the novels The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919 (1932) and The Big Money (1936). The books were first published together in a volume titled U.S.A. by Harcourt Brace in...

52 WEEKS

52 WEEKS

I am taking a collage work shop for 52 weeks. It began back in January and I have made some collages that are just simply exercises, but some that I really like. I'll post the ones I think are good here. lol. Follow along with the whole year on my flickr...

THINGS THAT HAVE KEPT ME BUSY

THINGS THAT HAVE KEPT ME BUSY

It's been a while since I posted anything new. Not because nothing is happening, but I just have not kept up with myself. In the past few months I have created some new websites, made some art, curated another show and got involved with my local NOW group....

year: 2017

year: 2017

(sneak preview) This year was a strange year and even stranger was the fact that Jake and I did not have any motivation to make greetings, nor inspiration. To all who sent us greetings, we thank you. This year, 2018, I am working all year to create...

JESS HAWK OAKENSTAR

JESS HAWK OAKENSTAR

Finished new site for singer/songwriter Jess Hawk Oakenstar. This project was challenging as there were many elements that needed to be incorporated, but felt too different from each other. With the help of some consultation with trusted friends, and the client...

A COLLEAGUE FROM NOW

A COLLEAGUE FROM NOW

Latest website done for a colleague of mine, Dianne Post, from our local chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She is an amazing women who has worked all over the world for human rights, social justice and women's rights. It was a pleasure working on...

COMMISSION

COMMISSION

"Christmas 1948", 6x4 inch, acrylic on photo paper A friend had an old, very yellow photo that she asked me to try to get some detail out of. Then she asked if I could paint it for her cousin who is featured in the photo. I hope she likes it. Here is the progression....

MY SISTER-IN-LAW HANNA

MY SISTER-IN-LAW HANNA

Hanna is an activist and environmentalist. She really cares about the earth, health, and people. She is kind and smart. I just finished working with her on her website, Hanna Writes, where she offers creative copywriting for good causes.

LOS SAN PATRICIOS

LOS SAN PATRICIOS

“Battle of Churubusco – Fought near the city of Mexico 20 August 1847” artist: John Cameron, hand tinted lithograph: Nathaniel Currier Made a new exhibit for the Irish Cultural Center about Los San Patricios, a group of, mainly Irish, deserters from the US army in...

year: 2016

year: 2016

Inspired by the political climate and feeling very badly for the promises to build a wall and send people away, I created this card as a tribute to one of my favorite Americans, Woody Guthrie. This land is your land This land is my land From California to the New York...

year: 2015

year: 2015

I have an internet friend whose work I really admire. He did a series of paintings/drawings on library check out cards. I bought a few for holiday presents. Well, should I say I copied? or say I was inspired by them? And I decided to look for vintage library cards on...

WHAT AM I DOING?

WHAT AM I DOING?

Hello friends. I have not posted in a long time because I have been working on a series of projects that has taken me away from my art practice. It's a good thing though. I am enjoying each step and each activity that I have encountered over the past few months and...

NO MILK TODAY

NO MILK TODAY

"no milk today" front, collage vintage photos on antique post card, 5.5 x 3.5 inches.Since collecting postcards and photographs I have often thought about using the original pieces in my work, but at the last minute could not bear to part with them. This year I want...

year: 2014

year: 2014

google analytics: viewers: 3 Jacob says only 3 people ever read about our holiday cards here, me, him and Mary Leto. That may be true. So this year’s blurb is going to be really short and sweet. Consumerism I am tired of it. Censorship I abhor it. A Snowman Represents...

CENSORED

CENSORED

Our holiday cards are going out, read more about them on the wren and the mistletoe.

HALFIES

HALFIES

I have not made a new post or a new piece of art recently. But that doesn't mean I have not been busy. I am doing some volunteering and work at the McClelland Library at the Irish Cultural Center here in Phoenix. I helped coordinate an exhibition and have been working...

PIGEON MULTITUDES

PIGEON MULTITUDES

"what is that big giant white blur?" acrylic on photo paper, 3 x 3 inches. First in series of three, taken from one photograph of a scene in a square with lots of pigeons.

EAT YOUR SPINACH

EAT YOUR SPINACH

One day a few weeks ago I was telling a friend that at this point in my life, "I am what I am". We both started to laugh and she called me Popeye. We agreed that this had inspired some kind of work of art, so she sent me this lovely post card. I, in turn, painted a...

SPEECH IMPEDIMENT

SPEECH IMPEDIMENT

"speech impediment" acrylic on photo paper, painting and collage with vintage text book pages, 6 x 4 inches I was able to complete this collage in time to show it in the 2014 National Collage Society's Annual Postcard Show. It opens June 2, online and will be up until...

ED KIENHOLZ REVISITED

ED KIENHOLZ REVISITED

"for $23.00 revisited" rubber stamp and yellow pastel on paper, 8 x 4.25 inches After a lovely visit to the paper show at the Bentley Gallery/Projects downtown with Carole Hanks, I promised to recreate a wonderful work on paper we saw there using my...

YUMA FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION

YUMA FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION

The Yuma Territorial Prison based art that I have been working on for the past year is being shown at the Yuma Fine Arts Association on Main Street in Yuma, AZ. If you are in the area, please stop in. The work will be up until the end of April. An added bonus are two...

VAN DYCK

VAN DYCK

Kyria (my granddaughter) had a school project, it involved showing something that was invented during the industrial revolution. She picked a mouse trap camera conceived in 1834 by Henry Fox Talbot. She told me about what she wanted to do, and together we set out to...

YUMA COLLABORATION CONTINUED

YUMA COLLABORATION CONTINUED

Monday I went back to Christine Cassano's studio. She had poured the concrete into our molds that we had prepared a few weeks back. (see inset below) The results are amazing. We cleaned up the clay that was used as a resist and did some transfers directly onto the...

YUMA PLATES FINISHED

YUMA PLATES FINISHED

"2102", ceramic plate with lithographic transfer, 6" diameter. One of the finished glazed pieces in the Yuma plate collection. To be displayed in Yuma during the historic 100th anniversary celebration.

year: 2013

Things have been piling up in the studio. There are drawers full of ephemera, magazines and photographs. This year I decided to be “green” and recycle what I already have. I am trying to be totally anti-consumerism and thought: if I could only make my cards from what...

YUMA PLATES

YUMA PLATES

Continuing to work on my Yuma material for the Centennial Celebration in April of next year. Today I did five new plates, some with the addition of "blood" splatter. Going to the kiln tomorrow.

COMMISSION NEXT VERSION

COMMISSION NEXT VERSION

After making the initial 3x3 design, I blow up the first painting, transfer and re-paint it, using the original photo as my guide. The final image is 6x6 inches on canvas board. This is it.

BUFFALO BROTHERS MAIL ART

BUFFALO BROTHERS MAIL ART

"grandpa plays the popeye ge-tar", 3 x 3 inches, acrylic on photopaper.I got an email from Gary A. Bibb who is putting together a mail art show of guitar themed work, to be shown at Buffalo Brothers Guitars, asking me if I wanted to participate. Of course my first...

PIZZA PIE

PIZZA PIE

"mangio", 3 x 3 inches, acrylic on photopaper. Inside this wrapper is my favorite lunch in Phoenix. It's one of Pane Bianco's delicious focaccia slices. To me it's a good old New York style Sicilian slice – yummy and nostalgic.

ODE TO DISCONTINUED COOKIES

ODE TO DISCONTINUED COOKIES

"why, nabisco, why?" 3.125 x 4.5 inches, acrylic on photopaper. Since I was a young girl, I have always loved the plain cookies, chocolate was way too busy for me, and besides it got all gooey in my tea. (OK, I admit, I dunk). My favorites are no longer being made,...

CARNIVAL’S IN TOWN

CARNIVAL’S IN TOWN

"song and dance man", 3 x 3 inches, acrylic on photopaper. William Rainer Yuma Prisoner 2111 This story makes me feel sad, it really shows the prejudice of the time and place, the first article doesn't even give William Rainer a name. Nor does it indicate if he got to...

FAKER

FAKER

"forged and forgotten", 3 x 3 inches, acrylic on photopaper. Frank R. Moore Yuma Prisoner 2502 A typical scam in the west during the early 1900s was the check forgery. A "customer" would go into the bank with a check from an out of town bank, usually claiming it was...

MY PROCESS
husbands and wives

husbands and wives

well, i have been busy. i took on two new web design jobs, one was something i worked on before for NOW (national organization for women) and one for a great organization called “phoenix jazz girls rising”. Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising is designed to teach young female...

making stuff

making stuff

i got a call from the local NOW (National Organization for Women) chapter that i used to belong to and they asked if i could help create some new product for them to sell at events. so i decided that i would join back in and help again. i am making string bracelets to...

lately

i have been working with the era task force az on some campaigns to promote interest in the equal rights amendment. i designed a post card, flyer, valentine, and more. it is frustrating at times to keep up the fight for equality for all. next year will mark 100 years...

unplanned parenthood

unplanned parenthood

my friend, olga, sent me this link to unplanned parenthood, a project by michelle hartney. she is asking people to re-write, by hand, letters from women that were sent to margaret sanger asking for help about birth control. i wrote out my script here. now, in this time, with the threat to overturn roe v wade i had to participate.

rounder

rounder

i made a few collages using paper and real pages, real magazine cut outs and real paint. but i don't have access to the supplies and i really wanted to experiment with some more of the same style. i downloaded images from life magazine covers, and book pages from...

dresses

dresses

since the studio is still off limits, i am working on the ipad a lot, keeping busy while recuperating. i am not sure if i like this layered dress idea and abstracted faces. i'll have to do some more to see where this goes. i also like this direction, so let's see...

while my studio is still closed

while my studio is still closed

so the roof leak is fixed, but we'll need a new roof... getting an estimate is taking a long time, so until then i will not have access to the studio.  instead, i am trying some water color "painting" on the ipad in procreate. i really like the feel of this and will...

odyssey

odyssey

i am done with drawing the images that i want to use in my odyssey series. now it's time to refresh my memory of homer's epic story, and take it to the mid 20th century. i have some work to do. will keep you posted. 

the studio

the studio

my studio is out of commission, everything is covered up with sheets while we are stressing about the leak in the roof. it's been there for a long time i fear. but jake tore down the ceiling so we could see what's up there. now we are waiting for roofing estimates....

old is new again

old is new again

using CMYK and white water based oil paints i wanted to revisit an old format that i did in acrylics. i am not very happy with the background results on this first image as the photo paper does not break down as well with the oils as it did with acrylics. but i like...

abstract portraits

abstract portraits

i painted a small work and had left over paint that i wanted to use up before it dried. so i decided to use some photos to paint over making them mostly abstracted. i took photos of them then brought them into procreate on the ipad and cropped and enhanced them a bit...

better homes…

better homes…

better homes and gardens 1927. my friend gave me a bunch of magazines to use in my collage work. some are from 1927, coincidentally, the year my mom was born. here's what they were pushing on women then: lots of ways to take care you your garden, where to buy roses,...