The 10 Day Art Challenge

   Day 1 of the 10 Day Art Challenge

      A group of my artist friends have been participating in a 10 day Art Challenge on Facebook.  The purpose is to promote positivity, passion, and attention to art.  

     I was nominated by Leslie Ready to show one image of my art, my life, my studio, or exhibition for 10 consecutive days. The rules were that no explanation was to be given.  You were also to nominate another Artist every day to do the same. So basically 10 days. 10 images, 10 nominations. 

      On the first day I posted a picture of the bracelet I entered in the Arizona State Fair a few years ago. It was the first (and so far only) time I have entered a juried contest.  I was accepted, but I didn't win any prize.  But my husband and I got to go to an Artist's Reception with my friend Leslie and her husband, both of whom had entered and won awards for their art. It was very exciting and a fun night.

Day 2

       

      My entry for Day 2 was my Owl Cell Phone Purse. The feather came from a Great Horned Owl that had been living in another friend's tree and frequently dropped feathers on the ground.  I was taking a class on color, and the first assignment was to make something using neutral colors.  I had the little owl face in my stash and the feather, too.  I modified a Simplicity pattern to make the little purse.

 Day 3 

      My choice for Day 3 was a necklace I made from a piece of Quartz with some Amethyst and possibly Citrine in it. My husband cut and polished it from a small slab we had found at a rock show.  I added Swarovski crystals and other beads to make the necklace.  One of my faves.  

 

       I tried hard to nominate other artist friends to participate, but I struck out. One person wanted to do it but was recovering from a serious illness that I had not known about. A couple of others had projects and activities going on and didn't think they could take time away from them.  Two people couldn't get Facebook to work for them.  After trying six or seven people, I gave up on that part of the challenge.  It's too bad. They are all good artists and it would have been great to see their work.

       In a few days I'll post more of the Challenge pictures. In the meantime, if you've been in a similar challenge or would like to do so, let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

An Owl Cell Phone Purse

An Owl Purse in Neutrals

      Owls are messengers in many Native American cultures and in fantasy worlds like Harry Potter.  Remember the great scene where the owls fly into Hogwarts bringing letters and packages from home? I love that scene!  Recently I had a chance to use an owl and a feather in a project. 

       

     I'm taking a color class based on "Color & Design" by Heather Thomas.  It's a beautiful book - full of great color illustrations and valuable info.  The class is being taught by Ann Petersen, a world class quilter and member of Grand Stitchers. 

   
      I'm not a quilter, but I use color all the time in making my jewelry.  Taking a class about color has been a great learning experience and a chance to try out new ideas. Every month we are expected to make a new project based on a different aspect of color.  The first project was to create an item using neutrals.
  
     Normally I use much brighter colors so this was a challenge.  I had a beige  acrylic owl face and a feather from a Great Horned Owl as inspiration.  Since owls are messengers, I decided to make a cell phone purse.  I've been making Tree of Life jewelry so placing the owl in a tree seemed like a perfect fit.

     I placed the owl on a feminine Tree of Life to counter the negativity that some tribes associate with owls. Plus I love trees.

     I used Simplicity pattern #8356 for the purse. I altered the basic pattern to use lots of neutrals for the class requirement.  Although I bought 6 or 7 neutrals in a variety of patterns, I ended up using only 5 of them plus leather for the tree.  

I beaded a peyote tube and glued the owl feather inside it to protect the fragile feather.  I added some beads, crystals, and a chain handle to complete the project.

    If you'd like complete directions on how I made the purse, sign up on the e-mail list or send me a comment with your e-mail address.  The directions are free.  The pattern and book are available at many places.  I bought mine on Amazon Smile so I could support Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary with my purchase.