If you’re looking for local, nature-inspired gifts, check out the Portage Park District Foundation Nature’s Store Juried Arts and Crafts Sale. It is only two days: December 7 and 8 from 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm each day, so be sure to not miss it! Painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, metals, note cards, stationery, and mixed […]
Our final Art Hop of 2017 will be the Holiday Hop on December 8th, from 5-8pm. Ten locations in Hudson will have guest artists and refreshments – it will be a fun and festive evening! Our guest at Uncommon ART will be Linda Ackerman of Paper Rose Design – Altered Couture. She will be bringing […]
I go sketching once a week or so here at home with some friends, and we’re big fans of the “professional” urban sketchers who we follow online. In July, the Urban Sketchers group held their annual symposium in Chicago. Since it was so close by, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go. We piled […]
On the road again, how I love to be on the road again… This week, Dana and I will load up the ArtMobile and head south to the fall Stockley Gardens Art Festival. This is my first time exhibiting at the show; Dana has done it for several years now. Food, music, kids activities – […]
Finding Balance is a study in contrasts between hidden and revealed, light and shadow, old and new. This piece feels simple and balanced, but it is full of subtle contrasts. The colors run from dawn to dusk, words from A to Z. The utilitarian dictionary pages are edged in extravagant gold leaf. Some parts are […]
Ok, even artists like to have some fun once in a while! This piece does actually have a completed collage inside. What is it? Not telling! I wanted to convey the sense of anticipation and excitement of finding an unwrapped package. What’s inside? Who is it from? Is it for me? You’ll notice bits of […]
The inspiration for these pieces came from the envelopes themselves. I have saved greeting cards – and the envelopes – for years. Envelopes make me think of traveling – after all, they have traveled a long way to reach our mailboxes. I envisioned sewing the envelopes together to form the basis of a large piece, […]
Time of Waiting 2 was actually created before the larger version and was the inspiration for it. This smaller version really has the feel of expectation while waiting for the contents to be revealed. The interior is glowing with such energy, just ready to burst through. And so much luscious texture! Each layer is stitched […]
The idea for Time of Waiting is one that has been on my mind for a quite some time. I wanted a 3‑dimensional way to explore the act of unwrapping and revealing an image. Remember tearing the paper off a birthday present when you were a kid, that sense of joy and excitement to find […]
A companion piece to From A Fond Heart Faithful And True, this one elevates an envelope from an ordinary everyday object to something grand and special. Inside the envelope are several fragments of tiny vintage greeting cards: Cupid on the lookout for his next target, bouquets of flowers, and an open book printed with the […]