NONI art---what you get when grandchildren paint and Noni takes paintings home



"The world is bigger and the worries are
smaller through the eyes of a child." by
NAChattin--Noni Art 3/13

In February 2013 we visited my awesome step-daughter and her children. (Sam, age 4 and Anna, age 18 months) While we were there Grandpa built an incredible tree fort for the kids and Noni stayed inside. One of our activities was painting. Yes, if you listen carefully you can still hear my heart singing.

The amazing Mom, Molly, laid out a shower curtain on the floor, put newsprint from a roll on top of it, poured acrylic paint into bowls, got out brushes, striped the kids down to diaper and under-roos and we had a blast.

Here are some moments from our adventure with paint (photos by Molly Schloesser)

  Molly put the painted paper out for recycling and I rolled that baby up, put it in the car, and took it home. I stand strong in my philosophy that a home is not a home without kid art displayed. The paper was huge, about 5’ by 3’ and I just couldn’t get it to stay up on the refrigerator….

Thus, Noni art was born. I’ve been taking pieces of the painting and doodling into it and cutting it into smaller pieces for collage, cards, and ATC (which you witnessed during the 7 days of Holy week ATC display here).

Jump into color feet first by NAChattin.

 

The bird at top right is the first peice I created. It’s 5” by 7” and was mailed as a card to Molly, of course. It remains one of Henry’s favorite pieces in the whole collection. I am going to share more of my Noni art as the days go on—it’s spurred a whole new interest in doodling and drawing for me.

My first fun doodle adventure was with a photo from our paint date. I may have posted this previously but it's too fun not to mention again (Jump into Color Feet First--at right)

 Finally, because whoever met a grandmother who didn't like to show off pictures, here's one of Sam and Anna--Molly is a talented photographer in addition to everything else she gets right.

We can't wait to visit them again and again. The reason you don't see Dad, Ryan Schloesser, is because he is on army assignment overseas. (Keep him and all of us in your prayers)

 

Getting back to the kNACk of it

Greetings blog fans and welcome to the newly formatted Artful Tourist blog.

As a result of my Destination Heartfelt Art program which I began in February, I am already enjoying a renewed vigor for all things creative. Chances are that getting over a year of wedding planning, wedding recovery, and holiday projects contributed to this fresh approach as well.
I’m refocusing my efforts on writing for the industry and beyond again. In pursuit of this goal I am doing a lot more research and creative projects.

The impact on my blog will be more regular features, a return to many of the concepts some loyal readers may remember from my subscription newsletter, “Get the kNACk,” and more links to my own articles and artwork published elsewhere in print and online.

I will continue the effort to post weekly and continue to be kind to myself if I don’t meet that goal. I anticipate the artwork on the blog to be more limited as my creations are submitted to publishers for consideration. I may also be posting calls for ideas, links, resources, and subjects as I continue my research.

Before you go quoting my previous posts and giving me a hard time about my resolution not to let the industry influence my choices, keep in mind that I still hold fast to that decision. The way I see it, my ideas for spending less, using what you have, and creating for the joy of it are hot topics. I am approaching this freelance, which means I will not be constrained by a particular manufacturer, publisher, or market trend. I’m just putting it out there and letting the Universe take care of the rest.

Project Notes: Artsy Mother’s Day
The card shown this week was created to send to my step-daughter as she celebrates Mother’s Day with her first born son, Sam. It was created entirely from the scrap pile and my current inventory. The brad bar, for lack of a better term, came from a store where I was teaching in 2005 and was made by Karen Foster™. The red background piece is from the Club Scrap™ Egyptian collection and I love how it fit beautifully as a matte for the design.






New! Regular Features

Surf stops—web sites I’ve visited recently:


1. Crafsters.org had a button contest and loved the entries: http://www.craftster.org/blog/?p=1220

2. For your information a cost comparison between the ATG adhesive and Tombow: http://thescrapbeach.blogspot.com/2009/05/whats-so-great-about-atg.html

3. Upscale paper art doll book called Fantastiques: http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1219


Touch of color—what color(s) influenced me—black, gray, and white for an artsy mother’s day card

Most played song-from my head, IPod, or car: “Comin’ Back to the Bayou” theme song from canceled TV show called K*ville performed by Dr. John http://www.fox.com/music/?show_id=kville&clip_id=k_ville_longform_fullversion

Studio progress: This week I did the shuffle--not exactly productive but not inaction either. Emptied some additional tiny drawers, moved some items into what I hope is their new home. Used up some older items that had been hanging around waiting to be transformed.

In the kitchen—a great meal, recipe, or idea: Sir Henry bought me this cool thing from Pampered Chef™ that loads your own oil into a sprayer and eliminates the need for costly cans of oil spray. See a video review here: http://www.expotv.com/Pampered-Chef-Oil-Sprayer/2d-5VR

Austerity Plan progress ($15.00 per month for art supplies and tools): Spent $5.00 on new fonts during the CK retirement sale. I finally got my distressed typewriter font back that matches two of my rubber stamp sets. It was lost during a migration almost a year ago and floats somewhere in the ether still.

My opinion and where it may lead:
Stacey Julian’s “Simple Scrapbooks” and Rebecca Sower’s “Scrapbooking Life’s Little Pleasures are the two Creating Keepsake books that had the most influence on my adventures into the hobby. At the time of their publication, they were like light bulbs flashing repeatedly on each page. Action step: Since I can’t bear to throw either one away I’ll review them this month and let them inspire me anew.