Sketchbook Project 2011 ~ Art Journal Workshop ~Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

Art Journaling Workshop
Dena Wenmohs Ranch
July 2010

I didn't know much about the Sketchbook Project 2011 when I signed up but it sounded like it might be something my 2 "Love Your Life" art journal classes would enjoy while we were working in our journals at Dena's ranch. Click HERE to read more about this class on a previous blog post. Several posts during July also discuss the class. The time has come to mail in our journal book and today I added some information to our online portfolio.
Go here to see the images.
Sketchbook Project 2011
http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

Click on Browse Participating Artists on the right
Enter Name Nancy Standlee
Click on my profile photo to see some of the entries

I made a slide show about the Sketchbook Journal. I chose the theme "Storybook" and let each student tell their own story in words and art. I did teach a November class at the Upstairs Gallery but it seems no one had time to make a journal entry.
Mouse over for captions.

Fort Worth Billy ~ Goat Collage ~ Mixed Media Painted Paper Painting by Texas Contemporary Artist Nancy Standlee

Fort Worth Billy  SOLD
8 x 8 " on canvas board

A friend Margie Whittington, one of the CBC members sent me this Fort Worth Fat Stock Show Goat photo and I made a hand painted paper collage painting for the FWCAC 9 x 12 show and entries are due November 15. The painting must fit inside a 9 x 12 envelope. I also used some found papers, vintage stamps and my signature Texas map in the background.

Here is a photo at the Upstairs Gallery studio for my "Love Your Life" art journal class. On Saturday we had 10 students and some visitors to drop by. Lots of door prizes that I mentioned in my last blog post but thanks again to Creative Catalyst for the wonderful DVD's and to Strathmore for the Visual Journals. I you haven't signed up for their FREE visual journal classes starting in January, please click HERE.
Looks life fun doesn't it? I see Scherry's pear she had planned to have for lunch but decided to draw and paint it before she ate it. Yesterday we painted things we loved and were near each day, today we painted things we might encounter on travel, people, faces, architecture and we made a few stamps. No more art journal classes scheduled until in May at Dena's ranch. What exciting days to spend with new friends who enjoy making journal entries.

BLOG:...............http://NancyStandlee.blogspot.com

WEBSITE:.........http://NancyStandlee.com

WEBSITE:.........http://CanvasbyCanvas.com

GOAT COLLAGE

PAINTED PAPER COLLAGE PAINTINGS ~ TORN PAPER PAINTINGS ~ WATERMEDIA ~
COLLAGE ART ~ MIXED MEDIA TEXTURED ABSTRACT PAINTING ~
~ TEXAS DAILY PAINTER ~ NANCY STANDLEE CONTEMPORARY ART ~

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Pepitas ~ Pumpkin Seeds ~ Healthy Bread ~ New Art Journal Class on Schedule ~ Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

Here is yesterdays journal entry in a small Strathmore Visual Journal. They should be in the stores in July. This is such a great size for travel 5.5" x 8", mixed media, 51 lb. paper but it took the watercolor washes nicely and the paper did not buckle. I typed up the following details and glued the paper onto the facing page.
I am once again going to concentrate on eating healthier because of an out-of-range blood work results due in part for too many late night trips to Braums for a double dip strawberry in a waffle cone. The “Super Good for You Whole Wheat Bread” recipe from “With Love, From Cynthia” cookbook from the Peach Tree Tea Room, Fredericksburg, TX. sounded healthy enough and I’ve always like to make bread. As per instructions, I began the sponge the night before and then later in the morning ran to Kroger for the ingredients I didn’t have, specifically pumpkin seeds. I just grabbed up a bag wanting to get back home to my bread making and threw the walnuts, sunflower seeds and those pumpkin seeds into the Cuisinart for a quick spin. Much to my surprise the blade barely dented the pumpkin seed hulls but in my haste I just threw them in along with the raisins and flax seeds and wondered if that recipe might mean, hulled pumpkin seeds as it just stated, ½ c. pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped. There’s nothing like doing your research after the fact. While the bread baked, I Googled how to eat pumpkin seeds and Yahoo had lots of answers and opinions on the proper etiquette of eating a pumpkin seed and it turns out it is a personal preference to shell or not but when used as an ingredient it’s usually shelled. I had purchased big old Kroger generic brand of whole pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted because they were a little cheaper and I’d noticed a bag sitting nearby of David Sunflower seeds that I found amusing with the little motto - Eat. Spit. Be Happy.
Back to the finished loaf that included the outer shell or hull or fibrous coat - take your pick. The hull is edible and full of fiber but when you eat a piece of my bread be prepared to eat healthy but Eat. Spit. Be Happy. I’ve got a Whole Foods trip in my future for some hulled pumpkin seeds.
To see the altered recipe go to The Artist Food Network.

Art Journal Class is Scheduled:
And if you're interested in taking a 3 day class in art journaling call The Upstairs Gallery or email J. T. to sign up for the November 6, 7, and 8th, 2010. Telephone 817 277-6961, email info@upstairsartgallery.com. This will be a "Love Your Life" class similar to the ones I taught in July at the Wenmohs Ranch near Marble Falls. Watch my blog for more details and read the labels on your seeds.

Please visit my web site and comment on my blog:

BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

WEB SITE ........Nancy Standlee

WEB SITE ........Canvas By Canvas

ARLINGTON TEXAS ~ ARTIST NANCY STANDLEE ~ DAILY PAINTER ~
CONTEMPORARY ~ WATERCOLOR ~ ACRYLIC ~ COLLAGE ~ GOUACHE
ABSTRACT ~ EXPRESSIONIST ~ ART FOR SALE ~ FIGURATIVE ~ MIXED MEDIA ~ ALTERED BOOKS

Contact NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net

Frida Kahlo ~ Art Journal Page by Texas Daily Artist Nancy Standlee

Frida Kahlo journal page start

I will add some print/lettering and more information later but I wanted to post this recent collage to show one of the things that will be covered in the workshop. This is an altered photo collage with some painting/glazing with liquid acrylics at the art journaling workshop at Dena's Ranch that is soon, soon. I finished this yesterday so you see I'm working down to the wire. As I'm looking through old journals and reading entries, I've found a theme in my journals, "Lose weight/walk and clean/straighten house." I promise not to mention either in the workshop.
I loved the Frida movie in 2002, and I had to buy the music from the movie CD, and when I traveled to Mexico for a workshop, I found a wonderful beach wrap/shawl where her face completely covered the background and a plastic tote bag with her image with a monkey. (All which I had to put in my travel journal.) I found an unusual handmade Frida necklace that I wanted on the last morning at the market there but felt like it was too expensive and I've regretted it ever since. I've ordered and received this EBay one and I'm very pleased with it and I can wear it when I'm feeling "very Frida".
One of her quotes I like is "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." That's the way journaling is. Paint what is in your head and your life and not what everyone else is doing.
Sketchbook Project:
This is a little surprise for the workshop group. I've signed up for the Sketchbook project 2011 and I hope each person will agree to add a page or two. I'm waiting for the sketchbook to arrive. I chose the theme "Storybook".. wonder if an ex elementary librarian was thinking of her favorite phrase "Once upon a time?"
No, I've never entered before and don't know a whole lot about it but I have a little motto.."what if, why not" so let's go for it. I've also paid to have it digitized so we should be able to view it online after it's mailed back. All of you coming to Dena's be thinking about a short personal story to share and illustrate in this book or maybe something that happens when you are there. We'll figure it out together.
Door Prizes:
Do you not LOVE door prizes? Oh, I do and they can be an eraser or a pencil but I love a freebie. Thanks to Creative Catalyst art DVD's, Blick Art Materials, and Strathmore Visual Journals, I'm bringing some door prizes. You're gonna love 'em. Thanks for sharing with my class, you generous companies.

Please visit my web site and comment on my blog:

BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

WEB SITE ........Nancy Standlee

WEB SITE ........Canvas By Canvas

ARLINGTON TEXAS ~ ARTIST NANCY STANDLEE ~ DAILY PAINTER ~
CONTEMPORARY ~ WATERCOLOR ~ ACRYLIC ~ COLLAGE ~ GOUACHE
ABSTRACT ~ EXPRESSIONIST ~ ART FOR SALE ~ FIGURATIVE ~ MIXED MEDIA ~ ALTERED BOOKS

Contact NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net

For workshop info:
dena@wenmohsranch.com or
call 830 825-3465.

Pets to Pintos ~Art Journal Page by Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

Art Journal Page Kilimanjaro 140lb. Watercolor Journal

This is a page I will share in the art journaling workshop at Dena's Ranch in July. See previous posts for more details.
On the first day I will have the students to paint something they are familiar with - favorite food, kitchen utensil, ingredient, or pet. I don't have a pet but I took a photo of this fine looking dog in Ingram while Cindy and I were attending a Pat Weaver workshop. The animal was waiting patiently in the back of his truck for his daddy to come back from an errand. On another occasion we were delighted to find a young man who crawled in the bed of his truck to share his breakfast with his dog. I didn't want to be so obvious on that one and my photos weren't as clear. The owner wasn't around in Ingram and we felt free to take lots of photos but the dog never looked just real happy, maybe he didn't like to wait in the truck or have his photo taken. On this sketch I used the Pentel Pocket Brush pen that I learned about from Roz Stendahl's Blog.
Texans share food with their dogs and neighbors and you might find a big pot of pinto beans cooking on the largest burner for the human food. There is nothing better than a meal of pinto beans and cornbread and I never sit down to sort a cup or two of beans without thinking about my Mother. She has always given me good advice and I miss being able to give her a call and discuss an issue or ask for that advice but I remember this. "You buy the Casserole brand of pintos. They cook up tender and you bring me that brand."
I had a package on the counter and looked at the brand and see they are packaged by Russell E. Womack in Lubbock and they are a product of the USA, always a good thing.
Once upon a time (I am a former elementary librarian and still love stories that start with once upon a time) I was a Home Economics major and I was Mrs. Betty Crocker, cooking, entertaining, being a school mom, and serving dinner promptly at 5:00 PM with a homemade dessert for the grand finale. In my advancing years my thoughts have turned to art related activities but a pot of beans still have a central part of my menu plans. Now because they can be warmed up quickly and can give me more art time I love to have some cooked or in the freezer for an emergency and it was after one of these sorting, soaking and cooking times much to my chagrin and surprise sometime later I looked in my sink and found a pretty good sized plant growing out of the disposal. Oh, my gosh what is going on. Surprises that entail any part of plumbing are very scary. I gingerly tugged at it and saw a healthy growth of roots and realized one or more of the pintos had fallen into the sink depths and loved the dark and damp and sprouted and I knew in an instant I'd lost my Betty Crocker crown. I think I may have displaced it sometime before this incident, however. At the time I didn't take a photo but with the help of a plastic flower tucked in my yellow sink, I created an reenactment and a photo and a pinto bean sprout sketch. Now I'm into faster meals that give me longer art journaling time.
Join us at the workshop and paint your pet or your sprouted pintos.

Please visit my web site and comment on my blog:

BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

WEB SITE ........Nancy Standlee

WEB SITE ........Canvas By Canvas

ARLINGTON TEXAS ~ ARTIST NANCY STANDLEE ~ DAILY PAINTER ~
CONTEMPORARY ~ WATERCOLOR ~ ACRYLIC ~ COLLAGE ~ GOUACHE
ABSTRACT ~ EXPRESSIONIST ~ ART FOR SALE ~ FIGURATIVE ~ MIXED MEDIA ~ ALTERED BOOKS

Contact NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net

dena@wenmohsranch.com or
call 830 825-3465.

Art Journal ~ Love Your Life Art Journaling Class by Texas Daily Painter Nancy Standlee

Raffine Art Sketch
Super Deluxe All Media Sketch Book 9 x 12
The first 3 images are taken from the current journal I'm working in. I thought I would show some of the recent additions since the Art Journaling Workshop "Love Your Life" at Dena's Ranch has been announced. There is still time to sign up as it won't be until July 23, 24 and 25. Email Dena at dena@wenmohsranch.com or cal l830-825-3465 for more information.
Click HERE to read about it on my blog and Click on images for a larger view.


Plans for the 3 day workshop are progressing and I'm preparing images, gathering up journals and favorite book references to share and the stack on the couch is growing. It could mean renting a U-Haul or I will need to do some "weeding", a good librarian term.
I like to add events from my daily life so in later years (which is now) I can recall and remember. Who would want to forget this granddaughter's 7th birthday when she wanted a "Fox Birthday" and who ever heard of a fox birthday? My daughter scrambled finding all things "fox" and found this great long fox tail and converted it into a wearing device and Grace wore it proudly and securely over her neck and shoulder all during the celebration, much like a traveling tourist would wear their passport and money. She had an extremely tall pointy party hat to round out her attire. It was green but I chose to make it in pink collage. I collaged other pieces from the invitation and ephemera. I found an used fox stamp and glued it to her dress. I have the fox saying "Oh, dear, I seem to have lost my tail."
Above this I have a Zentangle (more on that later) a quote and a reminder to me at just how gullible I am to the power of suggestion and an evidence of that below in an oil pastel practice area. More on that later also. Why do I want to try everything "art" I see?




I take a lot of art workshops and my friends sometimes refer to me as the "workshop Queen". What can I say? I do like to know the kind, make and model of the brush used and please don't ever just say "red" when I ask "what color is that" as I want to know manufacture and name and pigment number. The instructor may receive a mention in my blog, a 1/4 page or a whole page such as Skip below where I wrote a note summary around the painting, or I might have a whole sketchbook devoted to just one instructor after taking several workshops(oh, tabbed dividers). See below and you know who you are Bob.
A Canson Montval All Media Sketch Book 9 x 12


These are just a few of the journals I will share and discuss. The one below is an altered book I've just started. You purchase an old book on the cheap at the thrift store or a garage sale, glue pages together and use gesso, collage and acrylic paint to fill the pages. For this one I chose a book on women's health because it is filled will neat photos of bodies, babies, wombs and you can save the print or a photo and/or paint out what you don't want to include. Or just practice a technique in one. I tried out some of the oil pastels on this page also. Does any of this appeal to you? If so, call Dena for more information.


Please visit my web site and comment on my blog:

BLOG.............Nancy Standlee Art Blog

WEB SITE ........Nancy Standlee

WEB SITE ........Canvas By Canvas

ARLINGTON TEXAS ~ ARTIST NANCY STANDLEE ~ DAILY PAINTER ~
CONTEMPORARY ~ WATERCOLOR ~ ACRYLIC ~ COLLAGE ~ GOUACHE
ABSTRACT ~ EXPRESSIONIST ~ ART FOR SALE ~ FIGURATIVE ~ MIXED MEDIA ~ ALTERED BOOKS

Contact NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net