I love Blogging! There are many reasons why I do but the #1 reason is the wonderful connections I've made and am still making through the art of Blogging. And; I do believe that Blogging is an art! I could go on and on about how I feel about Blogging but this post is not about me.
For those of you who do not know of Laura Haviland and her art, I'd like to introduce you to her. Laura and I had one of those "instant connections" through our mutual admiration for our art and words and we keep, in touch, as we can and I just adore Laura's enthusiasm for her artwork and what it means to her. I happen to think she has a magical way of bringing art dolls to life.
Laura has a lovely Blog
The name of her Blog is Creative Whispers which I think is amazing and if you read her introduction, here, I think you'll see how she came about choosing the name. :)
I highly recommend checking it out to scroll through her Blog and you will see what I see; wonderful art dolls with stories that relate to her inspiration. So; without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the amazing Laura Haviland:
M-Laura; first I'd like to say how honored I am for the opportunity to interview you and have you as April's Guest Artist of the Month. Thank you! Please give us a little background info. on yourself and when and how your art journey began.
L-My name is Laura Haviland. I am a Mixed-Media Artist. Creating artwork is a big part of who I am. I live a very quiet life in the province of Ontario, Canada. I am the wife of a hard-working seventh generation farmer, mother of two wonderful teenagers, and, I have two adventurous bengal cats. Before I met my husband, I lived in Toronto, ON. I really enjoyed my career, it was another form of creating art. The Estee Lauder customers clean faces were my art canvas to create upon. I loved my job, it was a great challenge everyday. Life is always changing and it was time to move from the big city. I met my farmer husband and moved to the country. It was an excellent place to start a family. Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed creating different kinds of art. I used to sketch odd cartoon characters. Some years after, I was married, I had to have back surgery. While I was recovering from the surgery, my husband suggested that I take a tole painting class to help the use of my fine motor skills to return in my hands. I was immediately thrilled with this new painting hobby and it was a success. I tole painted for many years but there were new little whispers entering into my art thoughts. I was thinking of trying this new art called stamping, creating traditional homemade cards. Then you can guess what happened; I was hooked on rubber stamping. It was just the beginning of becoming a loosey-goosey artist rather than a pantie folder artist that stays within the lines.
M-If you had to choose three words to describe your artistic style, what would they be?
L-To describe my art style, I will need to use four words: "out of the box".
M-You seem to really enjoy art dolls. Has this always been? I know every time I see them, on your Blog, they just come alive for me. That takes a lot of creativity and talent to do that.
L-I did not start out creating Art Dolls in the beginning. Back in the year 2002, I was shopping at our local stamping supply store. Unfortunately, due to health reasons the store is now closed; it was a lot of fun. The owner of the store would share her magazines and let you sign them out to take home. I had no idea that day shopping at this store, change was in the air. I opened a magazine called "The Stampers Sampler". Well; I came to a page with a featured Mixed-Media artist Catherine Moore. I had never seen unique art work like hers; they were these funky art dolls, too. The unusual art dolls were wearing corsets and boots. I thought to myself, this is the kind of art style where I will fit in well (no rules-LOL!). I enjoy all different mixed media art but, art dolls are my first passion.
M-I see you are on the Design Team for Catherine Moore.
How did this come about for you? Your creative mind and spirit seem to be a wonderful marriage with Catherine's rubber stamp line.
L-Thank you, Marilyn, I appreciate your lovely comments. I received an email from Catherine inviting me to be a part of her Design Team. It comes so easy to create with Catherine's unique art stamp collection. I have been an admirer of her art stamps and an avid collector.
M-What gives you inspiration for your art dolls? Is it the rubber stamps, themselves, or do they call to your inner child? I notice, on your Blog, you seem to always have a story with your dolls and I find it fascinating.
L-My inspiration comes from so many creative ideas in my surrounding environment. I am often told I have a huge imagination (this makes me giggle). I am so inspired by nature on my daily walk, artwork in "Stampington Magazine" and follow artists' fabulous blogs. I love using the colors of the ocean in my art work and sometimes very bold colors depending on my mood. The rubber stamps do call to my inner child, that is, for sure. I will never grow up and enjoy childrens' fairytales very much. Every art doll I created seems to have its own little personality and they all tell their own story when completed. I try to give them all a uniqueness with a different theme and I create them from that visual idea.
M-You have a lovely Blog, called Creative Whispers, which I've linked above. You have many followers, which is not surprising, and I, for one, am a HUGE fan! Do you enjoy Blogging and what are some of the benefits you've gained from the activity?
L-I truly enjoy Blogging; it is so rewarding in many ways. At first I did not feel ready to create my Blog. It was a big step for me. A very dear and best friend, of mine, from Ontario, suggested it was time to create a Blog so I agreed. I can never thank my friend enough for helping me and my computer savvy daughter. My daughter goes off to school in the Fall, so she will not be here to help me with computer questions. I am very happy for my daughter; a new door is opening in her life. Anyway; I had no idea how fun creating a blog would be. It has been a completely positive experience in so many surprising ways. I have made so many incredible and talented friends. It is such a delight sharing a little piece of yourself through your art work. I can't say thank you enough for all the thoughtful and kind comments that are left to read on my blog. They are all so special, to me, and I love reading everyone of them. They give me the biggest smile on my face when I receive them and make me want to try harder to challenge myself to grow as an artist on my creative journey.
I enjoy visiting all of your blogs, there are so many talented artists among us. With that thought on my mind and speaking of talented artists, I want to say a big thank you to the awesome Marilyn Rock for this wonderful opportunity. I feel so blessed to have such a dear friend and her name truly says it all..."she rocks". Thank you again lovely Marilyn................Hugs, Laura xxoo
M-Thank you for your words; you are so kind and we truly share the same feelings about each other. Thank you SO much for this interview and it was a pleasure to have you here as a guest artist on my Blog. I do hope everyone will pay a visit to your Blog to see your creative art dolls that come alive with your creative talents!
End of interview.
I am wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead; our weather, here, is supposed to turn warm and sunny! It will be so welcome from the past three days of gray and rain. My heart goes out to the people in Rhode Island for suffering through terrible flooding; I am hoping things will improve there over the next few days. Keeping positive thoughts.
Much love to all! -Marilyn xxoo
I thought I would share, with you, that today I had an art opening at a local venue. It is The Jonesville Store in Clifton Park, NY owned and operated by Jean Travis. It's a marvelous spot and we're really happy to have this wonderful venue in our area.The Jonesville Store offers delicious gourmet food and treats as well as a beautiful art gallery above the restaurant.A dear friend, of mine, Carole Fults and I were participating artists in an art exhibit, there, and today was the "meet and greet" event for the artists. We had a great showing and got some hugs from some friends and met some new people.
I was thrilled that, through this venue, I sold a painting of mine that I am sharing the picture, here, as well as an "altered" picture of me with the sold piece. I say altered because I have such trouble and discomfort having my picture taken but thought it would be nice to share. I used a photoshop filter to alter my photo :). The second picture is a photo of the original works that I called "Winter Walk". I was very moved by the fact that the person who purchased this piece was taken with it and wanted to have it hang in her home. It's always a thrill to sell a piece of art to someone who really appreciates it and has meaning to them on a personal level.
Hope you all are enjoying your weekend, have a safe and happy upcoming week. Again; coming on April 1st will be my Guest Artist of the Month post.
Much love to all...........................Marilyn xxoo
Marion Bockelmann is a wonderful artist and has a really inspiring Blog. She has announced that she is offering her 4th Annual Blog Swap with the theme Beatles or Stones? I joined, last year, and it was a fantastic exchange. I just had to jump in on this year's as the theme is right up my alley. Thank you Marion!
The song Imagine has always been my favorite and I had to create my atc's with this song in mind. The song never loses it's effect and I find it most appropriate given our current events in this world.
Thinking of all, of you, and wishing you a great weekend!
Coming on April 1st - my guest artist of the month. Wait until you see whose next! You're in for another treat! :)
Love to all! Marilyn xxoo
I worked on another angel that was calling, to me, yesterday. She is the "Homecoming Angel".
The inspiration, for her, came from some contentment I've been feeling lately. Contentment in feeling "rooted". I won't go into a lot of details but I spent a lot of my growing up moving from one place to another; even into my early adulthood stage.
I remember my son asking me a long time ago for me to take him to see my "family home". Well; I told him he'd be in for a heck of a ride around the city-lol!
But; it was all meant to be and my earlier days and nights have led me to, here, right where I am now and I wouldn't trade it for anything! I feel so blessed to have a beautiful family support and my baby granddaughter has certainly enhanced all of our lives. My friends; both here and online - I just can't say enough on how wonderful the connections are that I've made through my art which was waiting for me all along. I have many gifts and I'm one very fortunate woman!
So; now I'm "home" and rooted - this is where I belong and will stay. I had to express these feelings with this "Homecoming Angel" as no matter where she began her flight, where it has taken her, she is able to fly home and know she's comforted there and totally be who she is. She has finally landed. :)
Thank you all for your friendships, words of support and maybe this is why I began my angel series. You all have helped me earn my wings! Thank you!
Be safe and hope your week is being good to you.
Happy Spring! Much love......................Marilyn xxoo
I call this Angel "The Storyteller". Someone asked me, recently, how do I come about naming my art works. I guess it's a feeling I get from the expression of an image; either a collage image or one that I've drawn and painted. I think eyes tell all. Don't you? I have much difficult leaving a person, face, etc. out of one of my mixed-media pieces. I seem to have to include this in order, for me, to really relate to what I'm creating.
This particular Angel, to me, has an expression of mistrust for some reason. Can you see it? I think she's told some lies, in her days, and that is where I got the name The Storyteller from. Are all lies bad?
Hmmmmmmm; how about those little white lies that can protect from hurt feelings, or soften a blow of bad news. Is honesty good at all costs?
What are your thoughts on this subject? Boy; this angel really got me thinking. I like to think she's a storyteller because she wants to protect. After all; isn't that what angels do? :)
Hope you all had a great weekend; I'm seeing such beautiful artwork on your Blogs and inspiration abounds!
Have a good week, ahead, and know you are all in my thoughts! Love, Marilyn xxoo 
As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I have been teaching an art journal workshop, here in my local area, along with my dear friend Kerri Posson. We've been having a blast sharing some of the things we've learned along the way with some very special people in our lives. 
Kerri and I offered a two-part workshop and have had to add a third part which is coming up in a couple of weeks. We all decided we wanted to finish our journals together as a group :)
Once our Part III session is completed, I will be sharing student journal works on my Blog, here, so you can see the amazing spreads of our students' journals. Kerri and I are in awe of how they've taken off with this personal expression. We handmade our journals out of watercolor paper with a sewn-in binding.
I thought I'd share a few pictures of some of the spreads in my own journal. I have had to work on them, at home, as when I'm teaching, my focus is on the students and not working in my own. Kerri and I offer demonstrations of background, painting, stenciling, stamping, transfer techniques and then assist students with what they've learned to add to their journals. It's really been a wonderful experience, for me. Kerri and I share the same enthusiasm for teaching art and we have so many ideas and plans for future workshops together. I've linked Kerri's Blog (above) and when you have time, check out her art! She's one creative art chick, not only with her artwork but her words! She has a keen sense of humor :)
Hope you are all experiencing wonderful weather and get some art time in for your weekend. I'll be catching up on my blog visiting over this weekend. I can't wait to see your new creations!
Be safe and much love to you all! -Marilyn xxoo
This is an 8 x 10 mixed-media piece I did last week. I'm keeping up with my angel series; it's where my muse is keeping me.
I drew this figure and then painted it using acrylics, Caran D'ache crayons. The "model" is from a postcard of a Waterhouse image. I decided to turn her into an Angel of Dreams.
Do you dream? I usually do not; which I find odd and maybe I do but just don't remember - maybe that's for the good :)
When it comes to art, however, I "day dream". Visions enter my mind and sometimes I just go, with it, and I can actually see a beginning of an art piece. This mostly happens when I take my morning walks; it's a very reflective time, for me, and nature usually has a way of providing me with inspiration.
I like to think of dreams as the seed for possibilities. Without dreams, we might not have something to aim for, hope for or wish for. Dreams turn into realities, for some, and if we didn't let our minds drift, a bit, either at night or during the day, we might not achieve some of the things that we are trying to create or accomplish.
Thinking of all of you throughout my day!
"Sweet Dreams"................................Love, Marilyn xxoo
Even Sophia is celebrating the winner of my recent Blog giveaway! :)
The winner is...........................
Katelen Tays
Congratulations Katelen. You have won my Angel of Hope along with a surprise collage packet.
I used my highly technical random selector; namely, my husband and he drew your name out of a basket this morning.
Please email me so I can get your mailing address. Once I have your address, I will send the collage and packet out to you by the end of this week.
Woohoo!!!!!!!
I'd like to thank all who participated in my Blog giveaway; your comments and support, here, just keep me focused on wanting to create more and fly higher!
Hope you are all well and safe; and experiencing some lovely weather. We're supposed to be in for a good stretch of beautiful weather here starting today!
Much love to all! Marilyn xxoo
Hello Everyone! I am starting off, this week, with a Blog giveaway that I "hope" you will participate in :)
I am offering my Angel of Hope work as my Blog giveaway along with a collage pack. All the collage images, in the packet, will symbolize something hopeful.
I know I have shared a picture of this piece in a previous post but thought, for the giveaway, I would share it again. It is an 8 x 10 on canvas. I have decided not to share a picture of the accompanying collage pack, as I felt that should be a surprise :)
All you have to do, to participate, is leave a comment, here, to enter in the drawing. If you are unable to comment on my Blog, you can email me privately. (Artbeliever@gmail.com).
The deadline for entering is Monday, March 15, 2010. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 16th. I "Hope" you will all play :)
The onset of Spring always turns my thoughts to "Hope"; of a new beginning, the awakening of sleeping plants, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and also the unknown - the new year and letting time take me to new ventures, friendships and possibilities.
Also; many of you, who left comments, in earlier posts have inquired about my Blog banner photo. I do wish that was my home but it is not. I could fit a lot more art supplies in that house - lol! In my area, we have a historic district that we call The Stockade. I love to go down there and take photos of the old homes and what they offer. This banner photo is one of the homes, in that Stockade district, and the blue is the true color of the gate and all. I took that photo in late summer a few years ago and it's been my favorite. I have used that in a couple of my paintings. Thank you for your comments on it.
I "Hope" you are all well and safe; had a great weekend and may this coming week offer you the "Hope" of spring and what's to come.
Thank you all for your support, here, you all offer me "Hope" that I can continue to use the wings you've given me to continue on our artful journey, together, for a very long time.
Much love always - Marilyn xxoo
It is SO good to be back to blogging! I've missed all of you! I've tried, to keep as up-to-date as I could without hogging my husband's little net book computer. But; today I finally got my computer back from the shop and it's all better again!
I've also been babysitting my darling granddaughter, Sophia, who came down with a nasty stomach bug early in the week. I've spent every day, with her, and already miss her. But; she's well on the way to feeling better and it was a privilege spending that time with her. That baby's smile is a healer!
I thought it fitting that my first post back would be to introduce you to a new artist. Meet a dear friend, of mine, Claire Maziarczyk (pictured here). I had the opportunity to meet Claire a few years back and I'm fortunate because she doesn't live far from me :). She makes her own paste paper and sells it off of her website as well as in some local shops in the area. Her beautiful papers were being sold in a local art store that I was teaching in at the time; I was instantly attracted to Claire's papers! Beauteous. One of my favorite lines is her "Monet" paper - just as it sounds!
There are two samples, here, of Claire's art work for you to enjoy.
I met Claire, in person, not long after purchasing her papers and had the privilege of taking one of her paste paper workshops! It was fabulous and I love incorporating the papers in my artwork when I can. Claire and I shared an instant connection; and her sense of humor - well; it's right up my alley and we still get together, when we can to catch up and share some happy moments. Here are links to Claire's websites:
www.pastepaperpatterns.com (decorative paper line)
www.clairemaziarczyk.com (art work)
www.inkasart.com (posters)
Without further ado, here is my interview with Claire. Enjoy!
M-Claire; please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
C-I grew up in rural Northeast Pennsylvania. I went to Wilkes University and graduated with a BA with certification to teach K-12 art. I taught in public schools in New Jersey for 2 years before moving to New York City and Hoboken, NJ. During that time period I worked at Cooper Union School of Art as a print shop technician and at Center for Book Arts as a bookbinder and administrative assistant. In late 1981, I started making paste papers and continue to this day.
M-If you could choose one word to describe your art, what would it be?
C-One word to describe my art is a tough question. It would have to be COLOR!
M-You offer some wonderful workshops, one of which I had taken; your paste paper workshop. Do you have a preference for what art form you teach?
C- I am not sure I have a preference for what I teach, just so long as it involves art. My current teaching at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital's Studio Art Program has given me the opportunity to paint and draw again. I enjoy the challenge of creating lesson plan that will be appropriate for all of my students. The prep for my 2 classes each week pushes my creativity in ways I never anticipated.
M-How did it first come about for you to start making paste papers?
C-My paste papers began as a response to the lack of ph neutral and archival decorative papers in the book binding area. I started selling my papers to art supply stores in New York City. Both NY Central and Talas continue to sell my entire line of papers. I also create a number of custom papers for Vicki Schober Company. They sell primarily to the picture framing market. Over the years, my papers both custom and standard patterns have been on first edition books such as John Updike's Witches of Eastwick and Roger's Version. I have to thank Steve Miller and Ken Botnick of Red Ozier Press for giving me my first commission. It is because of their confidence in me that I started keeping coppious notes about my paint mixes and pattern execution. Many other small presses have also used my papers for their limited edition books. Ellen Weldon Design in New York City uses a great deal of my papers for wedding invitations and parties. I have been amazed at the number of celebrities that have had my papers used on their personal stationery or event invitations. It is a kick!
M-You also exhibit your art; I have been to a few of your exhibits and have been quite impressed (not surprised) :). Do you enjoy exhibiting?
C-I do enjoy exhibiting my art. I find it a great opportunity for dialogue with other artists and the general public. It is an opportunity to teach another viewpoint without using the spoken word. It also gets me out of the studio!
M-Many feel art is therapy; and I, for one, agree. What are your feelings about this?
C-Regarding art therapy, I believe the act of creating is beneficial for everyone. As I witness each week at Sunnyview, the 2 hours my students are with me is 2 hours that is totally about them as individuals. They can get lost in the act of creating. It is a great stress release as well and enjoyable and educational. I find it meditative for myself.
M-Thank you Claire for this opportunity to interview you for my monthly Blog feature. It was a pleasure and even I learned a little bit more about wonderful YOU! xxoo
I hope you all enjoyed meeting Claire. I'm going to spend some time, this weekend, catching up with your Blogs to see what you all have been creating. I have Part II of my Art Journal workshop, this weekend, with Kerri Posson. We are looking forward to it so it will be a busy weekend.
In meantime, hope you and yours are all well. I've missed you and will enjoy catching up.
Coming soon.................Blog giveaway!
Much love to all! Marilyn xxoo (who is happy she has her computer back)
I love Blogging! There are many reasons why I do but the #1 reason is the wonderful connections I've made and am still making through the art of Blogging. And; I do believe that Blogging is an art! I could go on and on about how I feel about Blogging but this post is not about me.
