Do You?

This morning's collage is made from some of yesterday's scraps, collaged onto watercolor paper. The final touches are torn words from a magazine and stamped paint using a hand cut eraser.

Color Splash

I am a "micro" artist --- I find inspiration in the details --- I take time to notice the little things that surround me. The photo above is the stack of cloth that I am working with for my new series. At the end of the day yesterday, I noticed the play among the colors and the random angles of the cloth edges. You couldn't arrange a scene like this in a million years!

Choices

The choices we make shape our lives. Seven years ago my Dad died, followed a year later by my Grammie. These were both very important people in my life, and I suddenly realized that life was far shorter than I ever thought. So I retired from my accounting career and became a fulltime artist. The monetary paycheck isn't nearly as good, but the rewards are unbelievable. I get up every morning, thrilled to be alive and head to the studio to "play" all day. Life doesn't get much better than that!

Be Yourself

Good advice in art and in life. As an aside, the background for this collage is an old apple strainer from an orchard near here. I love the color and texture and wish I had more of them!

Explore

Try new techniques; experiment with a new color palette; focus on a micro view of a familiar object. As an artist, the best way to keep your work current is keep stretching yourself and finding new inspiration in the world around you. Explore!

Daydream

This morning's collage --- painted cloth collaged with the word "Daydream" torn from a magazine, then stamped with two different handmade stamps.

Art Auction Preview

Oranges, Grapes and Limes (detail)
Artist: Frances Holliday Alford

Each year, ten artists are invited to donate artwork for Fiberart For A Cause's Reverse Auction with 100% of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Their artwork, including art quilts, beaded jewelry, and wearable art, is now available for preview by clicking here.

The artists are: Frances Holliday Alford, Terry Grant, Peg Keeney, Jay Rich, Susan Sorrell, Del Thomas, Larkin Van Horn, Laura Wasilowski, Leni Wiener, and Maggie Winfield. Congratulations to all of the artists selected for this year's auction!

The Reverse Auction opens March 10 and each day the minimum donation to the American Cancer Society decreases. Don't wait too long or your favorite artwork will be gone!

Generous Gift

This fantastic journal arrived in my mailbox today --- a gift from artist Cynthia St. Charles as part of the ONE World-ONE Heart project.

This turned out to be an interesting pair of coincidences. First, Cynthia was inspired to start embellishing journal/sketchbook covers after seeing one of my blog posts with photos of sketchbooks that I was embellishing. So she thought it was fitting that I was the one to win her giveaway journal. Secondly, I will be heading to Monterey for 8 relaxing days on the beach, and I needed a new journal for the trip. So it was wonderful timing to receive this fabulous journal in the mail. Thanks Cynthia!

Confused Cactus

I have a Christmas cactus that was started from cuttings of a cactus that belonged to my Grammie, who is no longer alive. Every year it blooms in November and again at Christmas. I like to think that the November blooming is because Grammie's birthday was in November. But now the cactus is blooming again --- in February. It is covered with gorgeous hot pink blooms. What a wonderful burst of color in the middle of winter's snow white!

This is today's morning collage. I have been tearing bits of words out of magazines to use in these collages. With thoughts of Grammie on my mind, this phrase seemed perfect for this morning's collage. These mini collages (approx. 2"x3") are my morning warm-up exercise in the studio. They're not meant to be great works of art, but more of a jumpstart to my creativity each morning.

A Splash of Color

Twice a year Fabri-Quilt launches new lines of fabric, and Kansas Art Quilters is asked to make sample quilts for display at Market, using their new fabrics. Participating in this project is a huge leap of faith for me, because I don't normally work with commercial fabrics, and I don't get to see the fabrics ahead of time. Saturday my fabrics arrived, and the photo above is the fabrics that I will be using. I couldn't be more thrilled! I have already decided on a design, and I am anxious to get started cutting and stitching.

Collage Lettering

A friend sent me a link to the Spell with flickr website, knowing that I would enjoy the collage style of lettering examples. What fun!

Fini, Beendet, Rifinito, Acabado

These are the postcard backgrounds from yesterday, now shown as completed postcards. I love the added interest and intrigue that the paint added to the backgrounds.

New Postcards

My artwork seems to cycle between working with paper and working with cloth. I enjoy both mediums, and many times they are combined in a piece of art. Recently I have been creating collages that include both paper and cloth, but today I felt a need to return to using cloth exclusively. The photo above is the start of three postcards. They will get stitching next; then a few layers of paint.

Fair Trade?

Beate Knappe, an artist in Germany, and I have traded small works of art a few times. The small piece above was part of a larger piece that wasn't working for her, so she cut it up into smaller pieces and started hand stitching on each of the small pieces. Because I do not do much hand stitching, I have a sincere appreciation for it in the work of others, and I easily fell in love with this little work of art. Beate's instructions to me were to "surprise her" for the trade, so I made the collage below and sent it off to her.

Yes We Can

Enough said.

Puppies

Puppies are so entertaining --- and so easily amused! Zeke thinks it is great fun to toss, chew, pounce and swat the empty roll of toilet paper. This will entertain him for about a half hour before he decides to start destroying it, at which point I take it away from him.

He is almost 7 months old now and weighs 8 pounds. It doesn't seem like we have had him for almost 5 months. He adds so much to our life!

Starts Today!

Client Appreciation / FFAC Fundraiser Sale
February 1-15, 2008

Swept Away
10.75"h x 22.25"w
$300

Two weeks only ---- On any artwork purchase over $50 from my website (http://www.KarenStiehlOsborn.com), the price will be discounted 10% as a "Client Appreciation" sale. Additionally, another 25% of the original price will be donated to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.

If you would like to donate the 25% directly to the American Cancer Society, please contact me to verify that the artwork is still available and the amount of the donation, then go here to make your donation.

Save money on a new art acquisition and help support a worthwhile cause!