I'm moving!

lyndashoup.com

I've enjoyed this blog so much. It has brought me much happiness and I've made great friends. This blog has taken me far and could continue to do so. Somehow it seemed time for me to commit to my own website. And so I have. I hope you will join me there. My posts have been migrated to the new site, so you won't have to go far to find any post you may have enjoyed. 

I'll be posting to the blog and creating new things. I will have some exciting news in the weeks to come. 

Making Holiday Gift Wrapping - Part One - A Party

I got my hands on Gwen's holiday stencils and the ideas immediately started going round in my head. I mean, look at them! And yes, those are fairy lights shining down on them. I do so love to have fairy lights shining down on my desk. 

First I stenciled on white paper. Then on a brown tag. Finally on tissue paper. The possibilities for making materials for gift wrapping were amazing. 

I couldn't keep all this goodness to myself, now could I? So we decided to have a gift-wrap making party and enjoy making our wrapping with our friends. Now I must admit that some of my friends are not all that comfortable with being asked to make things. They say things like "I'm not artistic." or "I don't make things." Usually, I nod my head and tell them that there will be refreshments and they can hang out with the other people who don't think they can do it making hot chocolate. Frankly, some of their work ends up being amazing.  

When having a party that involves paint, covering the tables with craft paper and securing with duct tape relieves those what-if-I-spill-on-the-table jitters. Frankly, I encourage people to draw on the paper. It's so much more interesting that way. 

Here's the tag I made using markers. 

One participant mimicked the poinsettia stencil using one of the makeup sponges. 

Another made stripes of color and stenciled the poinsettia over them. 

In this picture, you can see many different approaches. 

This was a careful stenciler who made beautifully crisp images. 

This friend believed she could not do this stenciling thing. Imagine a package wrapped in this! I love the colors she used. 

This friend has a mathematical and geometric sense of balance. 

Here the stencil was stamped onto paper, cut out and pasted to a large piece of paper. Paint was added on top and other elements added around it. 

More color was added ontop. 

Here it emerges. 

Brownish red paint in a spray bottle was used to spritz the stencil. Then the stencil was used with red paint to create more poinsettias. 

They were then layered and glued to the paper to create a full and dimensional work. 

The party was fun. It was especially enjoyable to see the different things my friends did with the stencils. It was a good way to gain a new perspective.

Stay tuned - That was Holiday Gift Wrapping Part One. Later this week I will reveal what I did with these stencils to make some unique gift wrapping. Hope you will come back and visit me then. 

Until then, I would love to know:
Do you make your own wrapping material?
Have you ever done it? How did it go? 
What are your favorite gift wrap go-tos? 

Welcome - Artist Tribe Blog Hop

Welcome to my post for the Gwen Lafleur's Artist Tribe Blog Hop.

Today and tomorrow each of the members of the Artist Tribe will be posting a project to their blogs. You will see a wide variety of styles and projects all using materials carried by Gwen's shop. See the links at the bottom of the page for each member's post links and the giveaway from Gwen.

I have been a maker from a young age. I grew up surrounded by women who knit, crocheted, quilted,  embroidered, baked pies and got creative in the way they met challenges. One thing about mixed media I love is the ability to incorporate just about anything. Incorporating scraps of this and that into pieces is a passion of mine.

My artistic style tends to be stream of consciousness. While some projects I plan, most happen as I follow my instincts. And so it was with this project. 

Last week I visited the Peace Pagoda in Leverett, Massachusetts. It was a beautiful day. 

Below you can see one of the tiles that circle the pagoda. 

There was a lovely breeze and the prayer flags were beautifully flapping. This is just a small portion of the flags. 

I sat on a rock under the flags and felt them cooling me. This page emerged from the sights around me. The floral pattern of the pavings, the purple that was being used to prepare for an event, the colors of the prayer flags and a sign I saw there "No matter where you are from, we're glad you are our neighbor."

The water lilies were stunning. 

Which leads me to my project. I still had the flapping of the prayer flags on my mind and these elephants that are found all the way around the base of the pagoda. 

One night when I couldn't sleep I looked through my basket of goodies from Gwen and found the digital downloads. There were elephants! I gathered my materials and was ready to go. 

The next day I had the chance to go to a member's weekend event at New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, Massachusetts. There I found this raffia dyed exactly the color I was using. Score. 

Welcome Here emerged. 

I was taken with the hand stamped paper from Gwen that you can see in the middle. The paper is lovely to touch. Paired with a piece of craft paper, it looked great against a piece of burlap. The elephant looked perfect with this combination, but I yearned for more dimension. Looking through my printing box I found this hoop that had been some packing for kitchenware. Knew it would come in handy. 

Taking some of that beautiful raffia from the bonsai garden sale, I wrapped it around the hoop. 

Next I took some of the  Handmade Newspaper Yarn and auditioned it on the inside and outside of the hoop. Once I decided, I stitched it to the outside of the circle with a single floss of thread. 

After securing the hoop to the burlap by inserting the ends and tying them in the back, the paper was secured with jewelry making jump rings. The elephants were secured to the ring by jump rings. This makes it possible to see the paper underneath and for it to flap gently in the breeze.

Next I wanted to add the Turkmen Jewelry pieces to add some movement and sound. They sound lovely in the breeze or in front of the fan I am living next to as we are having a heat wave. 

Using the mustard colored raffia for the dangling pieces the jewelry pieces were placed on and secured by wrapping embroidery floss around the raffia. The floss was waxed to make it more solid. I also added some red beads I had to up the jingle factor. 

More of those beads were added to the ends of the dowel by use of wire. 

Sari ribbon was added on the sides. Isn't uncanny how well these colors went together?

 I had wanted to add the welcome sentiment, but decided to leave it without. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my project and that you will go visit the blogs of the other members. I very much look forward to seeing what they have come up with. 

Thursday posts:

Gwen:http://gwenyth.typepad.com/gwen/2017/09/artist-tribe-blog-hop-making-atcs.html 

Jackie: http://www.creatingwithoutcrayons-jackiepneal.com/2017/09/hop-along-with-artist-tribe-and-be.html

Friday posts:

Sandee:https://inthehillsofnorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2017/09/artist-tribe-introductions.html

Linda W.: 
http://lindaedkinswyatt.blogspot.com/2017/09/earth-angel-warrior-modern-paper-doll.html

Jill: http://itsjustjillmcd.typepad.com/blog/2017/09/she-had-me-with-the-peacock-gwen-lafleur-studio-blog-hop.html

Read on to see how leaving a comment could enter you in the contest to win a gift card. 

One lucky winner will receive $20 Gift Card to the Shop at Gwen Lafleur Studios! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on any or all of the blog posts during the hop - the more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win! (One comment per person per blog please.)

You have until Sunday, October 1st at 11:59pm mountain time to leave your comments. The winner will be announced on the Gwen Lafleur Studios Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GwenLafleurStudios) on Monday, October 2nd.*-

Connection Between the Work and the Words

Shoup, Lynda Diane. Work in Progress. 2017, Private Collection of the Artist.

One of the concepts that struck me when reading about writing an Artist’s Statement is the discrepancy between what the artist wants to achieve and the actual artwork itself. I have seen the opinion voiced that a statement that promises the world paired with art that doesn’t deliver is one of the most disappointing statement fails. 

So, what to do about that? 

Clearly we all want to achieve great things. Some of us may be able to articulate those lofty ideals. What about that work, though?

On a personal level, after letting my statement ferment for a few weeks, I revisited my writing. I’m not too proud to admit that I didn’t like what I saw. Time to tear it apart and revamp, rework and possibly start over from step one. 

While the writing needs tweaking, it’s not just the writing. The connection between the work and the words needs to be stronger, more compatible. Does my internal dialog translate to a visual state? 

Below is a list of questions I’m asking myself as I explore the connections.

How have you found the work of writing your artist statement? 

Using Literary Genres in Thematic Writing about Art

This piece was done as part of a biographical study. The image is based on a detail found in a painting of Marie de Rabutin-Chantal the Marquise de Sevigne.

Another way to approach writing about your art is to address the themes you deal with. Frankly, this aspect is more difficult for me. This is where I have trouble setting limits.  

Scanning instagram I see that there are people who make art about social issues, family, humor, lampooning, and meta art making - making art about art. 

I’m going to borrow the genres of literature as a springboard for thinking about themes. Think about the genre and how it may apply to you. It may not apply to your body of work, but feel free to use it when writing descriptions for individual pieces. 

Fiction

Adventure - this genre features people who, willingly or not, face extreme physical challenges that often are life or death deciding. Does your art inspire daring?

Fable - a tale which ends in a moral often involving talking animals. Does your art tell a story that is meant to impart a message? Is there a way in which you use the fable model in your artwork?

Fairy tale - Fairytales and folklore are close cousins. Fairytales are based in Europe, have royalty, a magical creature or thing, a problem and a magical solution. Many have a happy ending. Does this describe your art? Your take on life? What you want to portray to the world? 

Fantasy - The genre of fantasy covers anything from unicorns to talking bears. Imagine how this might apply to your work. Whimsical is a word that works well along with this genre. 

Folklore - This type of tale is one that is a traditional tale, passed down by word of mouth, and is commonly known among people. 

Historical fiction - deals with events of the past. It is storytelling that uses the framework of a particular historical period to inform the whole. Love vintage? Telling stories with vintage materials? Could this be your genre? 

Horror - Too scary for me, but perhaps you like being terrified and having your hair stand on end.  Does your work deal with the seedy, horrific or pathological? I hope not, but if so this might be your genre. Or you might just be creating political satire. 

Humor - Everything from joke books to hilarious memoir this genre sees the light side to events. Quirky, erudite, clever or restrained this genre brings a smile to your face. Does your artwork do that? Do you do satire? Play on words? See the funny side of things? Does the irony of a situation make you burst into giggles? This might be a genre for you. 

Mystery - this can be crime and grit or Agatha Christie, but it could also encompass the unsolved mysteries of the world or the things that seem out of our control. 

Poetry - uses rhyming, text structure, or other constructs to create an emotional response to the world. Does that sound familiar to you? 

Realistic fiction - This is the genre that could be things that have happened, but they haven’t. They were made up. I’ll bet a lot of us could use this genre to describe at least some of our work. 

Romance - need I say more?

Science fiction - this genre uses applies possible scientific theory to storytelling. This seems like a genre rife for collage artists, among others. 

Sports stories - Does your work revolve around sports? This might be for you. 

Tall Tale - These tales often start with a grain of truth, but the story takes on a life of it’s own. The fisherman who catches a 6 inch fish that turns into a 3 foot long devil of a fish with horns. Does your work stretch the boundaries of reality? This might be a hint for you. 

Nonfiction

Biography/Autobiography/ Memoir - a recounting of the events of a person’s life experience. While most art can be said to be biographical to some extent, some falls clearly in the realm of memoir. Make use of the construct when talking about your art. 

Drama - all the world’s a stage. This genre is all about what to do on that stage. Standing front and center. Claim it.

Essay - is meant to put forth an opinion and sway the reader to adopt this point of view. Perhaps your artwork is a visual essay. 

What do you think? Can any of these genres help you frame your artwork? Can they inspire vocabulary to use when describing your work? 

If you feel that this is helpful and would like to see a post with lists of words typically associated with these genres leave a comment to let me know. 

Changing Blog Title

Art journal page prompted by Rae Missigman's #artmarks30daychallenge

While I haven't been posting to my blog in a while, I have been fairly active on Instagram. Even before the last post, I made I started considering where this blog was going and some changes I hoped to make. Changes I hoped would make this blog more interactive. 

Art journal page prompted by Rae Missigman's #artmarks30daychallenge

It's not unusual for me to overthink things, to dream up new ideas and leave half of them behind as I forge forward with a creative idea. Each week I thought I would make the decision. I would move forward in a new direction. I did some research. I did some brainstorming. I spent time sketching in the park. 

Finally, today, I made a decision. It wasn't any of the options that had been under consideration.

Finally, I decided to just be me. And so it is. No agenda. Just me. Making art. Sharing joy and art. That is all. So from now on, you can find me by my name. 

A collection of mood books I made from magazines I decided had to go after a spring cleaning purge.  

As stated previously, these hands have not been idle while my mind was working overtime. 

1. Chipping away at The Artist's Way, albeit slowly.

2. Making a Facebook page with artist-friend, Cindi Huss, to keep us accountable to each other. You can check out our page at 

3. Completed Rae Missigman's 

#artmarks30daychallenge part 1 and part 2 

4. Did a studio purge as the spring cleaning bug hit me. I needed room to move about. These beautiful magazines needed to go, so I made them into mood books. That way I could try out binding them with the Coptic stitch. This was something that would have been on my bucket list if I had one. The bindings aren't perfect, but they mark progress. 

The mood books stacked to show bindings. Each book is themed by color. 

Thanks for coming by. I'm excited about providing some new content for you. Let me know if there is something you would like to see. 

International Women's Day

International Women's Day journal page. The prompt I was working on was "primary". The librarian in automatically thinks of primary documents. So I chose two from the National Archives - one of suffragettes marching on Bastille Day (they ended up in jail) and the amendment to grant women the right to vote. Keep marching. No accepting backsliding. Thanks to the women who came before and paved our way. 

#internationalwomensday #strongwomen#adaywithoutwomen #wearred#wearredforwomen#artmarks30daychallenge #artjournal#artjournaling #artjournaleveryday#artjournalmixedmedia

Background Knowledge

I recently came to the conclusion that I need to add more layers to my work...that I just don't push forward as far as I really want to go. I wrote a blog post about it. 

Well, this week I started trying Morning Pages again. It is an exercise that comes from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. To be completely honest, I have never read the book. Those around me have, however, and I have gained some knowledge symbiotically. (Some day I will read the book.)

But I digress. Writing helped me realize that not only do I not push myself far enough, I haven't finished anything in quite a while. Some time ago I satisfied myself with creating backgrounds as a way of getting some art in during very busy patches. There are many very busy patches. 

The time has come, however to reach beyond and start finishing the beginnings. Taking a good hard look at the journals I have been beginning has been enlightening. Part of this issue is not knowing where I am going with any of them. So I assigned themes to each of the ones I have been working in and found a surge in activity. Even the backgrounds are coming together more fluidly. 

So instead of limiting me in a negative way, the themes are helping me to be free. Before I was hesitant and noncommittal. Now I forge forward adding with abandon. Well, with as much abandon as one can forge with when paint, gesso and gel medium are drying. 

Some of the themes are also demanding that color be evaluated rather than flinging the same bright colors on the pages willy nilly. I loved those vibrant pages, but they will be tamed and toned down and reined in so that they bring more life and illumination to the whole. 

Fun. Fun. Fun. 

Background knowledge informs my work. 

Blogging for Connection

From time to time most bloggers ask themselves the question. 

"What question?" you ask.

That question. 

Why do we blog? 

If you are asking this question, pull up a seat and have a cold glass of peach infused ice tea. 

"Why this tea in particular?"you may well ask. "Why not plain? Why not coffee? "

Because this tea is the answer to your question. I hear your confusion. 
"Get to the point already, will you?" you say with a slight irritation in your voice. 

I will oblige you. 

I have never in the whole of my life had peach infused ice tea. Never given it a backwards glance. When the recipe was shared by Ricki Jill of Art@Home on her post for this year's Mad Tea Party I was intrigued. I had to try it. If you ask around, and I beg you don't, you may even learn that I became a bit obsessed with giving it a try. 

The ingredients I bought at a local farm. South Carolinan peaches were chosen over the white ones. Locally grown mint was procured. 


As we sat and sipped and proclaimed over the tea I mused upon the ties that bind us as bloggers. The richness of experience we are granted for the inspiration and kindness from each other, persons unknown to each other in our local, everyday lives. The tea was, and remains, delicious. Ricki was astute in mentioning that the recipe can last a while, but won't because it will be finished long before it's expiration date. For the record, I drank more than one glass. 















Blogging, instagram, and a variety of other ways of connecting are a blessing to those of those who stick with it, who engage and who share. It requires a certain level of engagement, however, and that connection does not come without effort. We blog to see and be seen, to inspire and be inspired, to express and find expressions that help us understand our own experience. We blog to send beauty into the world and to fill our lives with that beauty. 

These are all things I am thinking as I muse over the beauty of the connection we gain from blogging. There is so much more. I need not be complete in this post. 

Dear reader, thank you for being part of this blogging experience. Ricki Jill, thank you so much for this recipe. So delicious! 

Why do you blog? Why do you read blogs? What do you get out of the experience?