Landfill Hubcap Art - A Project for 2011

Ken Marquis of Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania has created a widely popular eco-friendly art project that has captivated the world, Landfill Art Project. He has convinced artists to turn hubcaps into canvases and do what they want with them! He's sending out hubcaps every day to artists in this country and around the world. Today I received my hubcap.

Thanks to my friend and fellow artist Robin Maria Pedrero for encouraging me to take part in this project. She has already painted her own hubcap.

I am looking forward to collaging my metal canvas, although I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do!

Setting the Pace for 2011

I've been in a bit of an artistic slump the month of December. After getting all my work together for the Grand Bohemian Gallery show, I felt like all I wanted to do was to be lazy.

Well, it's almost the end of 2010 and I figured I needed to get over my lazy self and get motivated. Here are some sketches and some under-paintings that I have ready to start of 2011 running!

See the whole album of sketches and under-paintings on my Facebook fan page

Reflections 2010 - United Arts Magazine

It seems 2010 was a good year for me in print. Orlando Arts Magazine did a photo spread/story to coincide with my solo exhibition at Maitland Art Center in September. I very much appreciated the superb color and quality of the reproduction of my artwork in this publication.

Orlando Arts Magazine is a bimonthly publication produced in partnership with the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The magazine covers Central Florida arts and cultural happenings.

My thanks to Cindy Bowman LaFronz, editor and Jessica Chapman, art director for showing my work in such great company!

Reflections 2010 - WP Magazine

I have to say that being featured on the cover of Winter Park Magazine along with a three page spread inside was quite an honor. This magazine is of fantastic printing and paper quality, it's perfect bound and was available at Borders Books as well as other major booksellers here in Central Florida.

Kristen Schaeffer-Santoni, the art director, was generous and gave me a few extra copies to send to my family and friends, and of course there is still one on my coffee table.

I am very fortunate and thankful for the opportunity!

Reflections - 2010

Workshop students at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Asheville, NC

I would be remiss if I did not highlight the wonderful relationship I have with the Grand Bohemian Galleries and their corporate director, Vanessa Hall. This year Vanessa has expanded my work into six locations across the country, and she has facilitated two workshops.

We had a great time at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville, NC our first workshop at my best selling gallery. We took that product and tried to perfect it, by adding a day of painting paper at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine in conjunction with the Gallery there.

Today I found out that the gallery director in Asheville has suffered a tragedy. Constance's husband Vadim Bora has suffered a stroke and he's in ICU. Vadim is an accomplished artist and sculptor, this year he was commissioned to create a sculpture "Cornelia and Cedric" for the Biltmore House, quite an amazing honor. In addition to being the Gallery director at the Asheville Grand Bohemian, Constance Richards is also the author of "Artful Asheville: Along the Urban Trail" a wonderful book that covers all the art there is to see in Asheville, NC.

Please keep this artistic family in your heart this holiday season.

2010 Reflections - Visiting Cherie

I guess one can always find good in tragedy. I am happy to have been able to help Cherie's family in their time of need with the creation of the fund raising book Art with Heart which gives $12 to her family for each purchase. Most of all I am happy to have had the means and support from my fantastic husband (and kids!) to visit her every week in Fort Pearce when she was at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and now to have been able to fly from Orlando to Atlanta to visit her here at Shepherd Center Spinal Cord Rehabilitation.

Cherie remains very positive, she is smiling and focused on her recovery. She tells me that she refuses to allow negativity into her heart. She is not bitter or mad, she is just staying focused on the positive,

Since being here we have shared long talks over tea, we looked at photos from our trip to Spain in high school, we looked over our 1982 Science Class final exam The Sludge Test, and we have taken a lot of trips down memory lane.

I am so lucky to have a friend that has been in my life for so long.

2010 Reflections - Solo Exhibition

A big HUGE, maybe the BIGGEST highlight of 2010 for me was my first full scale solo exhibition of Paper Paintings at Maitland Art Center (MAC) outside Orlando, FL. Exquisite Harmony was well attended by the community thanks to the marketing efforts of Gloria Capozzi at MAC.

Richard Colvin, the curator at MAC, was amazing in his encouragement as I spent the year preparing the show in the theme of "Music," something a little different for me. Not only did Richard offer me the opportunity to exhibit, but he attended the United Arts of Central Florida grant application review meeting in my stead.

Many thanks to United Arts of Central Florida for giving me a Professional Development Grant (my second from them) which helped in part to fund Exquisite Harmony.

Many thanks to the entire staff of the Maitland Art Center for all their amazing efforts in making the show and coordinating collage workshop a success. Heather Corino in the gift shop has sold many Flashbags™ and other unique Paper Painting gift items.

2010 Reflections

Hummingbird on Cactus / ©Carol Flatt

DVD sales have been wonderful this year. Thanks to all of you who not only purchased the DVD but also took the time to send images of your artwork and your comments. Carol sent a glowing review of my instructional DVD that I just had to share with you:

Dear Elizabeth,

Recently, I purchased from you a Download and a DVD with your Paper Painting Process outlined. I wanted to tell you how pleased I was to receive it and immerse myself in this wonderful, new (to me) activity. I'd like to compliment you and your husband on a high quality, beautifully photographed presentation that is one of the best tutorials I have ever used. The color and sound and transitioning are perfect, and the oral description of the process is wonderfully sequenced with just the right amount of dialogue to grasp the concepts. I thank you so much for your efforts in this project and for sharing the talent and skills of your art. It's a highly motivating segment, and I have begun the pack-ratting process!!

I'd like to share my first project. Although not perfect it was a joy to do and a fun learning project. Best wishes to you...

Carol Flatt

http://carolflatt.blogspot.com

Reflections

Reflecting back on 2010, many wonderful opportunities came my way and  I am thankful for each and every one of them. Over the next week or two I'd like to remember some of the people who gave me opportunities and opened doors for me.

The Growing Bolder video piece that was done on me "Creating a Life of Exquisite Harmony" is one of 2010's highlights. The opportunity could not have been possible without Josh Garrick, fellow artist and photographer. Josh put me in touch with Marc Middleton, founder and CEO of Growing bolder, who was initially very interested in my artwork as well as the fact that I had completed my first Triathlon at age 40 and my first half marathon at age 42.

I am proud to say that my story just missed the top ten list for most watched videos of 2010 by Growing Bolder. To date, my story has been viewed 2,478 times!

Thanks to Growing Bolder for telling my story and giving me an amazing video to share. And many thanks to Josh Garrick for making the connection.

Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association Cover Art

Back in February, my rooster collage was featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association! (top center cover) My cousin (who is a vet) showed it to my Aunt, who was most impressed! Even my own vet saw it and told me how great an accomplishment it was.

I was pretty proud to have been chosen for the cover of this prestigious Journal. I did receive many requests for 24 x 20" giclée prints of the rooster as well.

Click here to see the whole gallery of cover artists

Big Smile

Annette Graves and her friends had a lot of fun collaging from my DVD. What a great job they did of making holiday collages from their own painted papers! Annette is one of the artists in my fundraising book for Cherie: "Art with Heart" available at www.cheriestannard.com.

Check out Annette's blog post here, she's just having so much fun with friends making collage that it makes me smile so big!

The Book is HERE!

Cherie's book is finally ready to order! What a labor of love. 52 pages, hard cover. I have priced the book $12 above production costs from Blurb. This means that $12 of each book goes to Cherie's family and the rest of the price you pay is production costs. A quick update for those of you who are new to the story, Cherie is my life-long friend of 42 who rolled her Jeep in September and suffered a spinal cord injury. Cherie is currently in rehab in Atlanta and when she comes home, her brother and sister have to adapt a home and provide 24-hour care for her as she is paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Use coupon code CHEER for $10 off the book through December 31!!!

This book is raising money for a family in need, what better gift to get for someone special in your life?

Please help me to spread the word. Many thanks to the 40+ artists who donated images of their amazing work to make this book possible. Every artist has their own full page with an image and contact information. I have artists in the book from the UK, Spain, Singapore, Canada and the US!

Here is a preview of the book, and to order yours, just click on "Art with Heart by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson" at the lower left of the preview window.

Thanks to everyone who can help, from the bottom of my heart.

Art with Heart by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson | Make Your Own Book

Cherie's Book

sample book page ©St.Hilaire Nelson

The book is coming along great! I'm extending the deadline for submissions to December 8, Wednesday. To be included in this book, with all funds going to the family, this is what you need to submit

high resolution photo of your artwork (image 5-8MB)
medium and dimensions 
your city and state
your contact information
a blurb of text (optional)

Please email me by Friday! The book will be available on blurb.com and all proceeds will go to Cherie's family. For anyone new to this conversation, Cherie is a 42-year old woman who was paralyzed in an auto accident on September 30. She has no insurance and her brother and sister have committed to her care and safe keeping. They have to modify her sister's home to accommodate a wheelchair and other adaptive equipment. Cherie is paralyzed from the shoulders down. Please help this family in need by sharing a photo of your artwork and buying a copy of the book.

Now, any suggestions for a title? My working title is Art with Heart.

Paper Marbling Workshop

Fellow artist and friend Judith Segal is offering a paper marbling workshop. She asked me to spread the word. Judy makes hand made papers that I use in much of my collage work, and her papers are exquisite!

Learn the science and magic of

PAPER MARBLING

Presented at:  The Hermits Pond Paper Mill

with special guest artist,  Steve Pittelkow

Saturday, January 29th, 2011 - Sunday, January 30^th, 2011   Time: 10:00 am- 4:00  pm.

Students will learn to marble on paper and cloth in this fast-paced  two-day intensive workshop designed to teach fully the process and practices of this historic medium using contemporary tools and materials. Students will learn to mix the bath of colors, complete the preparation of paper and cloth and create many traditional patterns. All students will use full size tanks large enough to accommodate 19'' X 25'' paper. This "at the tank" class will provide each student with a large portfolio of papers for use  in future projects. Tools and tanks will be available to purchase after the class.

As a bookbinder, Steve Pittelkow has been marbling for over 30 years. Steve's papers appear in museum collections and are used by bookbinders and artists in the United States and Europe.

Tuition: $95 for one day, $145  for both days.   Supplies: $25 (included in fee already)  

Deposit: 50%   by December 30^th.   Limited to 10 students only.

For questions:  call Judith Segall at (407)331-5008.  

Past classes taught at Minneapolis College of Art & Design. Asheville Bookworks. University of Minnesota. Studio on the Square, NYC. Penland, NC. University of Georgia, (Cortona, Italy). Morgan Conservatory, Cleveland, Ohio

Art With Heart; Raising Money for Cherie

Le Marchet (The Market) / pastel / 16x12 / ©Margaret Dyer

Margaret Dyer, nationally know pastel artist who taught a workshop in France last year, has offered to put an original framed piece of her luxurious work up for auction with 100% of proceeds going to Cherie's family! This is an amazing opportunity because if you google Margaret, you will see just how much of an accomplished award winning artist she is. This art would be an AMAZING addition to any collection!

This piece would retail at $1500 in any of Margaret's galleries. She has agreed to donate 100% of the proceeds to Cherie's family for living expenses and adaptations to their home for when Cherie comes home in a wheelchair from Shepherd Center.

Please click to visit Margaret's blog

Please click here to bid on this painting

Miriam Saves the Day!

My Facebook friend and fellow artist Miriam Hughes commented on the blog post about Cherie today and gave me a FANTASTIC idea on how to raise money for Cherie's family.

Calling All Artists!
please consider donating a high resolution image of your artwork along with the title, the medium, dimensions, and your contact information to be published in a book professionally designed by me.

I will self publish the book on either blurb or lulu.com (which I use for my collage process book and I am happy and familiar with) and 100% of the proceeds will go to Cherie's sister to help her cover living expenses now that she has quit her job and will care for Cherie when she returns form Shepherd Center.

Email me your image or any questions about this project. In order to get it up and running for a Holiday Gift Idea, I need to make the deadline for entries December 10. I know this rules out creating original artwork in the them of caring, love, dedication and healing for most, but if you have something like that in your body of work, I'm interested!

Update on Cherie at Shepherd Center

Cherie is small blonde girl in poncho, holding her shoulders is her sister Sue, who is holding her shoulders again these days. Off to the far left in the orange turtle neck is her brother Rich

Cherie has spent the last three days straight OFF the ventilator! This is a huge step and was the focus of the holiday weekend at Shepherd Center. Her sister and brother have been there with her, learning how to participate in her care; skills for the future. On Dec 9, their spouses will also be making the trip to Atlanta to take orientation classes as well as cheer Cherie on in her progress. This family is amazingly dedicated, and as a result they are financially burdened. If anyone has any ideas on how to help with living expenses for Cherie's support system, ideas are welcome. Both her sister and brother have had to quit their jobs and commit to providing her care upon release from Shepherd in 4-6 weeks.

Collage with Fifth Graders

©Amanda S. / Together We Can Save The Panda / collage of construction paper on cardboard

I volunteer at my local elementary school teaching art in a PTA sponsored program, once a month. Every year I go in and teach six fifth grade classes the art collage and talk about being a professional working artist today.

I show them my work, talk about my education and experience and then let them try their hand at collage.

Check out my Facebook fan page for  an entire album of wonderful work by the kids!

A Very Special Donation

Missy Mathis Stillwell contacted me via Facebook and asked if she could donate a piece of pottery to the efforts of raising money for Cherie. We kicked around the idea of logistically how we would do it- get the mug from her to whoever agrees to buy it, get the money from them to Cherie's family and who pays for the shipping? It got a little confusing.

Missy really wanted to make this donation in honor of her niece who passed away at a very young age of 8 years old after a very long hospitalization. She said that so many people were so good to her sister in her time of need, that she wanted to pay it forward by making it a little easier on people who have experienced heartache as a little way to honor her niece.

After some discussion, Missy has decided to donate the mug to someone in need this Christmas, and to donate the cost of the mug to Cherie's family. She and I agreed, it's a "win-win" scenario.

Won't you take a moment to visit Missy's Etsy store and consider thanking her for reaching out to Cherie? You might find something special for someone on your list.

If you are an artist and you are willing to facilitate a sale/donation of art on behalf of Cherie's family, contact me and we can work something out!

Give the Gift of Collage

So it's officially Christmas Shopping Season. If you are looking for the perfect gift for the artist in your life who might like to try something new, my Collage Process Overview book is available in hardcover, paperback, and PDF download.

Another great gift idea is my Collage Process Overview DVD, which has had rave reviews from all over the country, and the world!

The Paper Paintings coffee mug has wrap around graphics in vibrant color and is dishwasher safe.

iPhone 4 cases by Case-Mate are high quality and custom made. I can also have them made in other phone formats, but order FAST to allow production and shipping!

Over The Moon holiday cards are still available for a limited time, as well as the Ornament cards.


Flashbags™ hand-made in Vermont with my artwork reproduced on all sides continue to sell well in galleries and gift shops, get yours on their website.

WORKSHOPS are listed on the right hand side of this blog always. What an amazing gift, to spend the weekend with a friend or family member making art and meeting new people.

Don't forget that you can always email me about giclée prints on fine art paper of my original collages.

Saved the best for last,  how about an ORIGINAL work of art? visit paperpaintings.com and email me about any piece you might be interested in!

Thanks for the Small Things

Cherie on a boat somewhere exotic!

Today I just want to post this email that I received from Cherie's sister last night. I wanted to remind myself and all of you, how thankful we should be every day for the little things in life we take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving. Cherie is getting settled in to Shepherd Center.  She has done well her first couple of days although she had been on the vent since she arrived mainly because of some secretions due to the transport and the need for the staff at Shepherd to do their own assessment of her.  She was up in her tailor made wheel chair today for a few hours and she said it was very comfortable.  They also started her on solid food and drink today!!!  She has not had nearly as many food requests as drink requests but this is very exciting!  We all shared chocolate cake tonight.  Tomorrow they will be moving her out of ICU and she will be able to get in her chair and tour around the halls a bit.  Rich and I are getting acclimated to our new surroundings as well.  We did take one of the family care lectures this morning.  It was good to get a chance to talk with a couple of the other families here.    The mailing address is the same as I had given in an earlier email: Cherie Stannard C/O Shepherd Center 2020 Peachtree Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Love, Sue

New Opportunities

Over a year ago, I gave a workshop in Amelia Island and had a fantastic water color artist in my class named Sean P. Callahan. Sean and I "clicked" even before the class when he emailed me about the supply list. I went to his website and was in awe over his amazing water color work. I wondered what in the WORLD he could learn from me? We all know that being great in one medium does not make you great in all media however. I am not even going to tell you how difficult watercolor would be for me.

Sean has permanently relocated from Vermont to Key West, FL. When he took my collage workshop in Amelia Island, FL the timing worked out for him because he was driving from VT to Key West and stopped along the way to take my class.

Serendipitously, Sean called me the weekend I was teaching this year in Amelia Island again, to ask me to be part of a Small Works December show at Stone Soup Gallery in Key West, FL where his work is now represented and he is curating shows!

Over a year after meeting Sean, he has asked me to be included in this show. A mutual admiration for talent, having kept in touch, and the "click" has opened up opportunities for me in a whole new place. I have earned my placement in all of the galleries that represent me with some level of networking. Let's face it, it's not only the art but YOU that the gallery is representing. The more personable you are and the closer you stay in touch, the better your chances are of being included.

I'm looking for an excuse to head to Key West in the future! Hopefully my work will be well received and Sean will choose to keep  me on at the gallery. If you are in the area, stop in and say hello to Sean and have some soup for me!

Florida Museum for Women Artists

Martha's amazing work with wood "City of Angels"

Princess and The Pea...

5,000 Sq. Ft. of amazing exhibit space

My girls!

Abbe comes out from behind the camera

I visited the FMWA over the weekend, attending their opening of the first annual juried show. They had 1200 pieces of art submitted for this show and they narrowed it down to just 40. Kudos to all who were accepted!

Martha Lent works with wood and power tools, I have three of her pieces in my own art collection. I was proud to see her work City of Angels featured so prominently and well lit.

My favorite piece was a clay sculpture by Barbara Balzer of Tallahassee called "Princess and the Pea, Sometimes Power Knows Sensitivity" simply amazing, the colors, the concept, bravo!

The best part about the evening was running into Martha & Larry and my photographer friend Abbe Eshack Arenson as well as spending time with my artsy mother-in-law, Pam and Talie for a girls night out!