IF - Entangled

I decided to do a fun, little, abstract doodle for this week's Illustration Friday theme of entangled. The word usually conjures up negative images in my mind--tangled up Christmas lights, necklaces, or even hair--but these entangled threads just look happy to me. It was done with Pitt and Micron pens and watercolor in my watercolor Moleskine.

IF - Music

I had a difficult time with this week's Illustration Friday theme of music. It should have been an easy one, but I did a LOT of erasing before I settled on this. I tried to use as few lines as possible and added a bit of overlapping to create intersecting shapes. It was done with a Pitt pen and watercolors in my watercolor Moleskine while listening to an "oldies" radio station. I'm not ashamed to admit that 70s music is my favorite!

IF - Unbalanced

This week's Illustration Friday theme is unbalanced and I chose to illustrate this quote by Ann Landers. Take a good look at your closest friends and decide who the unbalanced one happens to be. Is it you? Maybe unbalanced is the new eccentric.

IF - Blur

May you all have a supremely blurry weekend!
Now get out there and play.

IF - Skinny

This is one reason why I will never be skinny again! Done with micron pens and watercolor in my watercolor Moleskine for this week's Illustration Friday theme of skinny. I don't think you can see it in the scan, but I used some Twinkling H2Os for the first time ever and I LOVE the shimmering effect. I will definitely be playing with these a lot more in my watercolor work.

It Takes A Long Time To Grow Young

It takes a long time to grow young. - Pablo Picasso

I'm definitely on my way! Don't you just love this cake that was designed especially for me? I know I do. I hope you all had a day as fabulous as mine!

IF - Fast

My submission for Illustration Friday this week is a quote about the gazelle and the lion. They both need to be fast to survive. This quote reminds me how important it is to get moving every day. It was done with Micron pens and watercolor in my watercolor Moleskine.

A Whole Lotta Lettering Going On

I've been trying to limit my art activities lately to projects that really need to be finished and projects that have a definitive purpose. (As opposed to all those crazy "what if" ideas that are constantly running through my brain!) My Art House sketchbook is at the top of the list of projects that need to be finished. Even though the deadline was extended to January, I feel like I'm running out of steam and would like to be finished with it. The good news is that I finally feel like I've turned a corner and am headed to the finish line. In the meantime, I've managed to sneak a few lettering projects in between sketchbook pages.



A postcard for Kim because we love Seinfeld in this family.



A postcard for Zack who followed his dream to the Big Apple where I wish him success and happiness.



A wedding memento for Bridget and Rick who were married on October 3rd.



A birthday card for Kim who was born on October 3rd.



And finally, the piece I made for Sarah who was the winner of my blogiversary giveaway.

IF - Frozen

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! This week's Illustration Friday theme is frozen, and I chose to illustrate my favorite frozen treat. This one is for all the ice cream lovers out there (you know who you are!) who I'm sure will agree with this chilling revelation. Go ahead--get yourself a scoop or two. Nobody wants to live a meaningless life!

Let's Go On A Treasure Hunt

Last weekend, Cathy, Casey and I ventured out to the annual open house of Riverdog Studio & Gallery. Riverdog is owned and operated by husband and wife multi media artists Deborah Banyas and T.P. Speer. The studio is situated on 20 acres and was converted from a property that was once a summer camp. The main building is a combination gallery space and working studio that is simply amazing. In addition to their artwork, you can also see some of Deborah and T.P.'s fabulous collection of folk art plus a studio space that has everything an artist could possibly want including a photo studio and wood shop.


A really fun feature of the open house is the chance to go on a treasure hunt on the extensive property and choose a piece of art from the treasure chest if you complete the task. You are provided with a map and the first of eight clues. Each clue leads you to the next and a rubber stamp proves you found each and every one in the correct sequence. If you get to the last clue and return to the gallery with a small head, (yes, I said head) you get to pick out a treasure. Even though a treasure hunt sounds like child's play, trust me when I tell you that it's not.


We spent close to two hours traipsing through meadows, wetland trails, brambles, bushes and branches looking for bee hives, wells, and this caterpillar infestation. Cathy and I thought we would fare better this year since we had Casey with us--she's young, energetic, and grew up on a farm. Even that wasn't enough to help us find clue #2 easily. We searched forever for this small tree infested with caterpillars. The clue said it was "just past" the settler's house. In reality, it was way, way, way, way past the settler's house. I suppose that's the difference between the way city folk and country folk interpret distances.


The very last clue led us to this bad baby in the woods. How creepy is that?


So creepy that we just couldn't stop looking at it and taking pictures of it.


Enough already!


At last, we found the heads! They were sprouting like mushrooms on fallen trees and logs.


These little polymer clay masterpieces are what Deborah uses in her artwork to create whimsical wall sculptures.


Hey, this one looks like Casey!


See what I mean?


Here's my treasure map complete with rubber stamps and the required head. Now I'm off to collect my prize.


Ta da! Here's what I chose from the treasure chest. Isn't he adorable? Was he worth an entire afternoon spent with my friends, soaking up art and inspiration indoors and fresh air and sunshine outdoors?


Yep. Totally worth it.

IF - Flying

The Illustration Friday topic this week is flying. I found the quote by Ponce Denis Ecouchard Lebrun and used that as my inspiration. The illustration was done with micron pens and watercolors in my watercolor Moleskine. The border was added after it was scanned.

Congratulations to Curious Crow!

Here's a big, bloggy thank you to everyone who stopped by to help me celebrate my one year blogiversary and my 26th wedding anniversary. I really appreciate your kind words and heartfelt wishes. The lucky winner of the mystery giveaway is Curious Crow from the United Kingdom. Congratulations Sarah! Send me an email (mcspud@roadrunner.com) with your address and I'll mail the package off to you. Since Sarah likes surprises, I'll wait to post a photo until after she receives her package. I hope you all find something to celebrate today!

PS Pardon my typo. I guess the excitement of my first giveaway was too much for me.

Happy Blogiversary! Now Let's Have a Giveaway!

Today marks the one year anniversary of Lost and Found and I'd like to send out a great big thank you to everyone who has ever stopped by to visit, left a comment, linked to my blog, offered support, or become a friend or follower. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

In celebration and appreciation, I think it's time for the first ever Lost and Found giveaway. I know that most bloggers actually SHOW you what they're giving away...but this is going to be a secret...yeah, that's it...a secret. Leave me a comment--it doesn't matter if you're a first time visitor or an old friend--and I'll randomly choose a winner on October 7th. (Which happens to be my 26th wedding anniversary) I'll send you something made by me--most likely something that involves text and watercolor.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

IF - Pattern

I really like making patterns with circles and squares--especially circles. I find something round, slap on acrylic paint, and stamp away. This is one that I did in an altered book and then tweaked a bit digitally.

Off To Play

I haven't done much in the way of art this week because it seemed like a good time for a major studio cleaning and reorganization. Over the years, the little corner of the basement that I call my studio has just exploded with stuff...so much stuff that there is barely any room to actually make art. The job isn't finished, but it's getting there.

Now it's time to take a break and go off to play for the weekend. A few of us are gathering at the home of a friend to enjoy four fabulous days of friendship and fun. We're having an art retreat--aka a grown up sleepover--just for the purpose of making art. We're going to make our own paper, journals, and beads, play with polymer clay, take a few field trips, and generally hang out and play like kids. I hope you find a little time to play this weekend too!

Keep On Sketching

This past Saturday I attended the September sketch crawl with Cathy and her husband. This month's destination was the Detroit Superior Subway Bridge Tour. The lower level of the bridge is only open about three times a year and is one of the city's most hidden places. We found a small section where we could stand at the edge and sketch the view below. The railing was pretty high and required me to stand on my toes in order to see over it. That was not comfortable! I wish I had attempted a more expansive view, but instead I concentrated on just one building.

I still find this whole sketching business to be quite a challenge--but that's OK. It doesn't matter if the outcome is in perspective (usually not!) or looks anything like what I see in front in me. I'm learning a lot in the process. I'm learning that I like having a regular monthly meet up with area sketch artists. I'm learning that you can live in a city for half a century and still not see everything there is to see. I'm learning that every sketch brings me just a little bit closer to feeling comfortable with the whole process.
I had an empty page in my Moleskine so I made a list of all the 2009 sketch crawl locations to date. It wasn't much more than a year ago that I was unable to make a single mark in a sketchbook because I was self-conscious about my lettering skills. I forced myself to get over that, and I'm happy to say that I am now totally smitten with hand lettering. I plan to keep on sketching until I'm smitten with that too.

IF - Strong

This week the Illustration Friday theme is strong and I decided to go with this classic quote. This was done in my watercolor Moleskine with pigma pens and watercolors.

Another Sketchbook Project

A while back, I participated in a sketchbook project at a local art supply store. It was so much fun that I decided to try another one. Art House Co-op is hosting Sketchbook Project 4 and there's still time to participate. You have until October 1st to sign up to receive a Moleskine sketchbook, fill it up however you please around a randomly assigned theme, then send it back by December 1st. Art House Co-op will be taking the entire collection on a tour around the United States to select galleries and venues. In addition to the touring exhibitions, the ultimate goal of the project is to create a permanent library for which the sketchbook collection can be on display. How cool is that? The anticipated opening of the permanent sketchbook library location in 2010 and the cost to participate is $18.

We decided to turn Sketchbook Project 4 into an Artfits project, and Cathy, Casey, Annette and I all signed up to participate. We each received a completely different theme for our sketchbook and mine is "Over The Top." I decided to fill my sketchbook with examples of things that I find extreme, ridiculous, or slightly unbelievable. Each spread illustrates a different example using markers and a good amount of hand lettering. I have about six spreads finished so far. Here's a peek at one of the spreads.



Art House Co-op has a number of interesting projects in progress. If you like the idea of collaboration and group projects, be sure to check it out. Or just go there and look at some of the artist's profiles and portfolios. Plan to stay for awhile...there's a lot to see!

A Favorite Quote

I'd like to share with you one of my favorite quotes. I don't remember where I found it or who said it, but I'm sure I read it somewhere. I think it relates to everything from missing car keys and socks to misplaced dreams and wayward souls. Think about it the next time you're frantically searching for your favorite sweater or when someone you know is feeling a little bit lost. With a little perspective and patience, whatever you're looking for is bound to show up.

IF - Magnify

This is what came to mind when I thought about this week's Illustration Friday theme of magnify. The phrase, Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, is a safety warning often engraved onto convex mirrors in motor vehicles. Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, it has become a well known phrase that has been used for many other purposes. For me, it was just another opportunity to have a little fun with lettering in my watercolor Moleskine.