Studio Tour, Part I

It occurred to me that we should give you a studio tour. So, here is the first installment. This is the outside of the studio. It is a one room building in my (Rachel's) back yard. To the best of my knowledge, it was build at the same time as the house, in 1890.
Kerry so eloquently wrote about our studio last March in this blog. But I don't think that we have given you a visual tour.
(This is also a way for me to stall. Amy tagged me, and I just can't think of what to write. Gee, I hate writer's block. But, come Monday, I promise to get it done!)

Putting yourself out there

Did you ever have the dream that you are giving a speech, naked? Have that anxiety before the first day of school? Have you put yourself "out there" only to worry about the consequences?
This seems to be the current theme of my life. Last week was the first week of school for my 1st and 3rd graders. Molly, my first grader, was (and still is) worried about making friends on the playground. "What if they run away when I ask them to play?" And sadly, that is what first graders do, when they don't know what to say. Mary, 3rd, was worried about getting the new teacher. I am sure the new teacher was just as worried about her class full of young eager faces.
My out on a limb experience came in the form of an art project. As you may have read in our springtime blogs, Kerry and I occasionally give each other assignments. It was my turn, and I chose wooden boxes as the controlling form. We decided to make it a multipurpose project and choose one of the the listed themes from Stampington, so that if we liked our project we could submit them for their Somerset Studio publication. The theme we choose was GREEN. My box was a study of Luck and Envy. Envy on the outside, luck on the inside, with depictions of what others may be envious of and what some may find with simple luck.
When it came time to send in our projects for the publication, we reached a block. First, we couldn't find the address. The next time we tried to ship, we didn't have the right boxes and packing material. Finally, we got it together and packed and shipped the projects. We have no idea if they will ever be used. But putting it out there to be judged was a bit scary.
I guess that's how it is with life. If you put yourself in a position to be judged and assessed, that can be a bit frightening. It might be as simple as cooking a meal for a new friend, reconnecting with an old friend, or throwing a party. There are always the lingering questions, have I done it right? It could be as life changing as applying for a new job or quitting an old one and the question is have I made the right decision?
In the end, I hope that I have done the best I could with what I have. And, I hope that others have done the same.

H

Here it is! My (almost) final product. This "assignment" was a great learning experience. By looking at the process and the finished product I learned a lot about my self:
1. I like using series and repetitive images.
2. I like sorting and grouping items.
3. There are a lot of H words that mean a lot to me: heart, home, hand...
4. I am a talker. I like to talk about the project while I am doing it and discuss my ideas --the opposite of Kerry, but she is a great listener.
5. I love getting outside input for my projects (thanks everyone for giving me word suggestions)
6. My work is evolving...as is this piece, I am never sure that I am "done"
7. Mod Podge is one of my favorite mediums!
8. I love words! (Once an English Teacher, always and English Teacher!)
So, there it is. I can't wait to hang our pieces in the studio! Let me know what you think, I always love outside input!

"F" has its say

Well, the art assignments continue now that we are almost done with the letter projects. Rachel told you all about her "H" piece. Now, you can see the completed "F." The best part of working on this project was working with my daughter Lauren. I asked her for some help in coming up with things that begin with the letter "F" and she just took off. I am trying to figure out how to use this hidden talent of hers. She came up with the most varied list of words that begin with "F." I put a portion of them written on the piece as well as having them represented in the collage. Also trying to represent emotions and action words in 3/D was challenging but great fun.

Rachel and I tried to hide them from each other as we were working, bu,t alas the studio is small. We did our best to keep them a surprise and had fun looking at each of them to see if we could figure out what the other was thinking. See if you can spot all of the "F" words in my piece.

We'll post Rachel's when it is completed and when they find their permanent hanging place in the studio.

We are already at work on our next art "assignment." We'll let you know how it goes.

...brought to you by the Letter H

Have you ever given yourself homework? Kerry and I gave ourselves an assignment in our art studio: Make a collage to represent the F and the H of FH Design. I have the H, since my last name is Hanson. As part of my thinking process, I thought of as many H words as I could: home, homemade, happy, helpful, hamburger, hotdog, hog, hen, hinge, hook, hardware, house, handy, hand, heel, hot, hop, hang, heart, heartache, heartbreak, happy, husband, herbs, harvest, hope, ....
The list goes on and on. Can you please send me any interesting H words you can think of to help me with my project?
Stay tuned for photos of our completed work!