Abstract Color, Musings and Paintings

Hey...bet that got your attention as a title! Today I'm cleaning out the studio a bit....seems I get side tracked often during that task. Today's side track was an older painting that I had cut from its warped stretchers and as I stood wandering what to do with a canvas that would be a pain to restretch....an idea struck! Why not create a tote bag from the painting! I had never tried to sew on painted canvas before so not knowing if the idea would work was half the fun! First I trimmed the painting into a tote size; then chose a stripe tapestry fabric for the backing. And yep, it stitched up just fine when I went slowly and did not pass over any of the pins holding the edges together. Next using some neutral color for the lining and a burlap like ribbon (I removed the wire from the edges) and adding an old belt for a strap, the idea became a reality! If sewing is not your thing, I'm sure you can come up with another idea to share with me....I have a lot of paintings!!...

I keep saying that I'm going to keep my blog friends updated on the happenings around the low country but often I get so caught up in life's changes that it's not easy to sit down at the computer! So for a quick update.... Last fall the old hospital building (my 1st Street Studio building) began to get refurbished as an apartment building. By November I knew my days were numbered there....no heat and often no electricity due to the rebuilding...gave me a good reason to make a tough decision about building my own "studio". By January I was busy moving into the new workshop located just out my "new" back door! In fact, I find that I'm still in the process of trying to fit all my art gear and paintings into the new building!! Will post some new pics when the rain stops! And then, a group of artist friends called and asked if I was still interested in a cooperative effort in forming a new art gallery! For the next few months we worked on creating ...