Summer of Love: A Feature from the Tribe with Sheila Runkis

The idea of this challenge was fun for me. Although I was too young to really participate in the events of the 60’s, the flowering of the ideas of the day certainly influenced my beliefs and values. As I was “Musing” (see what I did there??!) on Sandra’s beautiful stamps, a gorgeous image of repeated Frida and Oculus images plus other elements kept coming to me. A mandala was forming. As I allowed the piece to develop over time, it also began to have a story, which is true of a lot of my work.

In the 60’s, people were finding new ways to spread their wings, expand their consciousness, and express themselves freely, no matter what it looked like to the outside world. Frida Kahlo always authentically expressed who she was and how she felt, no matter what anyone else thought or said. Her art was her lifeline and her wings and it seems fitting that she is pictured here as free as a butterfly. As I was painting the outer borders around her and envisioning the words I wanted to say, I realized that under some images of Frida, a sort of winged shape was appearing, but under the corner Frida images, more like a body shape. These are the two aspects to her and our humanity--the Spirit always within and shared, and the Corporeal Body, our Earthly Home for the Spirit, if you will.

The Eyes of Wisdom in the center guard a treasure, but not the kind you might think. Many children of the 60’s were finding out that much knowledge, ultimate peace, and Union with the Godhead, was within them. All they had to do was be still enough to listen. Their happiness and bliss spilled over in waves of love, acceptance of others, and explosions of color in art and creativity. Like a precious parchment discovered at an archaeological dig, the sentiment “Life is Art” was real gold, and acted out daily with love as the guiding force. As I positioned my square piece of art on what was to become its canvas base, when I turned it on its point, I realized it looked like a God’s Eye. God’s Eyes, or Ojo de Dios, are a woven craft which originated in cultures such as Mexican Indian and Tibetan. Meanings include having the power to see and understand things unknown, and special protection and watchfulness over those who made the symbol.

From Sandra’s Antiquities Treasure Chest, The Uzbek Beaded Tassel speaks to us of a colorful past. Over years rich with history, these kinds of tassels were worn for adornment, luck, and for warding off the evil eye, among other purposes. The blue vintage Tibet Tesbih Prayer Bead is hand painted with flowers and the names of 99 gods. The beads are used to mark the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions.

Both of these special finds express the Bohemian feeling of spirit, joy and love that I had when making this piece and remembering some of the simple yet lasting ideologies of the 1960’s that I try to live by.

Supply List:
MUSE® Art Stamps Fridafly
MUSE® Art Stamps Life Is Art
MUSE® Art Stamps Oculus
MUSE® Art Stamps Epiphany
Antiquities Tibet Tesbih Beads
Antiquities Uzbek Beaded Tassel
 

"Live In Color" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Rochelle Gaukel

When I think of Frida Kahlo, I always imagine her sitting in a garden full of colorful flowers, living her life in color.  She danced to the beat of her own drum and many didn’t understand her and her artwork.

Though disabled as a child with polio and then at the age of eighteen seriously injured in a traffic accident, I believe art got her through her painful medical problems she suffered through her whole life. Art heals.

Many of her paintings were self portraits, using bright vivid colors inspired by the Mexican popular culture. These same bright colors were also reflected in her clothing and in the flowers she painted.

“I paint flowers so they will not die.” --Frida Kahlo

So, let’s live life like Frida, in full color, dancing to our own song, dressed in a frock with all the colors of the rainbow!

Supply List:

MUSE® Art Stamps Pangaea
MUSE® Art Stamps Introspective
MUSE® Art Stamps Namaste
Acrylic Paints
Crackle Medium
Dark Wax
Silk Flowers
Glass Glitter
Soldered Shrine
Glass Knobs
Vintage doll eye

"The Muse" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Milagros Rivera

Two years ago, I visited the beautiful place Frida Kahlo called home.  Casa Azul was such an inspiring place.  Standing in front of her easels, her painting window, brushes and paints, seeing all her mixed media, jars full of glass glitter, I could envision her, brush in hand.

I don't think she ever imagined she would influence so many of us later in life and I can see even more generations being inspired by her as I watched my daughter, in awe of her work.

I wanted to depict her happy, bright colors and the luminescence of her home and gardens by painting over glass with alcohol inks.

Shine on Frida!  We love being inspired by you!

“Si actuas como si supieras lo que estas haciendo, puedes hacer lo que quieras.” 
(If you act like you know what you're doing, you can do anything.) --Frida Kahlo

Supply List:

MUSE® Art Stamps Pangaea
MUSE® Art Stamps Destiny
MUSE® Art Stamps Mantilla
MUSE® Art Stamps Muse
MUSE® Art Stamps Infinitum
Ranger Alcohol Inks

"Soul Sisters" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Monica Downing

So first things first, these MUSE Art Stamps by Sandra, what can I say?! I couldn’t wait to get them.  The ideas have flown freely since I received them. I have so many projects in the works that incorporate all of these amazing stamps. Thank you, Sandra, for beautiful, unique, original designs, and the mojo boost they have given me. Seriously inspiration overload here.

This piece was born of pure and simple experimentation that started off with a cuff base purchased from my local craft hobby shop.  I wanted this bracelet to have a gypsy-boho flare to it while being able to incorporate the amazing Frida Kahlo Soul Sister stamp into it.

I grabbed sari ribbon and fabric scraps and just started sewing them together. Layering them under the sewing needle, not worried about placement or perfection. I really just let the process flow in its own direction. Once all of the stitching was done, I attached this beautiful mosaic of sari ribbon and fabric to the cuff base and framed it with a gorgeous kaleidoscope colorful glass beads.

The Soul Sister butterfly is stamped into Apoxie Sculpt, painted, beaded, then sealed with Ice Resin.

Let me tell you, it was a process but WOW!  I am absolutely thrilled with this piece of wearable art and I hope you are inspired to let go, let your process flow, and create something for wondrous for YOU from your own creative soul.

I anticipate this cuff will being worn A LOT.

Supply list:
Sandra Evertson Soul Sisters MUSE Art Stamp
Apoxie Sculpt
ICE Resin
Cuff Blank
Watercolor Paint
Micro Beads
Sari Ribbon
Fabric Scraps
Glass beads

RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Featured Artist: Carrie Eckert

We are constantly amazed by the talent our Relics & Artifacts® Tribe exhibits and from time to time, we like to feature exceptional talent and innovation here on the Muse.  Today's featured artist is Carrie Eckert.  She is widely known in our Tribe for her astounding Frida collages.  Let us take a moment to get to know a bit more about Carrie.

I have been a compulsive creator of art since I was a little girl. I started by making sand candles and purses as a young child and sold them to a few stores in my town. Later in my early teens years, I studied ballet. During all the time spent in between rehearsals, all the girls would knit. I also learned to quilt at that time. Our ballet instructor, who came from Russia, taught us how to make ballet costumes and headpieces.  I also choreographed ballets and taught ballet. After I stopped dancing, I needed to fill  that creative void.  I taught myself how to paint faux finishes. I also created bead work for clothes.

While my children were babies and I stayed home, I began to make jewelry and sold them to stores and to special customers. While visiting Barcelona, Spain one year, I was in awe with the works of Antoni Gaudi. I loved the vibrance of all the colors in mosaics. That was my new passion in the '90's! I began reading everything on how to make mosaic structures with cement. 

Fast forward to 2014, when we moved to La Quinta, California. I finally have an art studio where I can create 24/7! I  branched out from just using mosaics to adding mixed media.  And one thing leads to another. Now I am an obsessive junk yard dog. I'm making weekly trips to the local thrift stores in the hunt for vintage and upcycled castaways! (I sneak it home  so my husband doesn't see my new treasures.)

Now I use metal, canvas, wood, plastic,  paint and just about anything I find to create mixed media and assemblage art. I continue to branch out and try new things. I am a self taught artist, doing what I love to do, creating unique art stories with a theme. I do not  limit my work to one style because I would become too bored. I like to mix up my art to keep myself interested.

Carrie continues to wow the senses on her Facebook page, Mosaics By Carrie, as well as on Twitter (@mosaicsbycarrie).  She welcomes commission requests and can be reached via her website, Mosaics By Carrie.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful art, vision, and creative brilliance with us, Carrie!  We look forward to seeing your future works.

A Team Up and "Inspiration in the Most Unlikely Place" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Chrissy Colon

This next week is going to be a week that is absolutely jam packed with inspiration from both sides of the pond!  Relics & Artifacts® is teaming up with our friends from That's Crafty! in the United Kingdom for an overload of creativity, inspiration, and did we mention a giveaway?  More on that at the end of the post!  So without further ado, let's get this party started!

First up this week, is Relics & Artifacts® Ambassador Chrissy Colon with a colorful project inspired by one of our resident muses, Frida Kahlo.

How exciting is this?  We got a chance to play with products from That's Crafty! and they did not disappoint!  For my project, I chose to use the plain MDF board and some fun little bits Laura was kind enough to send in our packages. 

Now for an earth shattering fact about me: I love comfort.  I love comfort foods, comfy blankets, comfort zones.  I love comfort zones so much, that I never realize that I am fully entrenched in one, until something like this comes along.

Little known fact about me:  I am very comfortable with is working under pressure.  There is nothing like a looming deadline to really push your creativity to its limits.  I recently saw some images that inspired me to want to do something in the Mexican folk art vein.  I love talavera and the simplicity of color.  I love that imperfections are embraced and that there really isn't a wrong way to paint such patterns.

Another little known fact about me:  My favorite color is red.  But I never use it in my crafting because it terrifies me when I start slapping it down.  Do you know how hard it is to make sure red paint doesn't look like blood smears or splatter?  This piece is all sorts of covered in red!  And it doesn't even look like something that just fell out of CSI!

And yet another little known fact about me (get ready to clutch your pearls and shoot me some mean side eye):  I am not a Frida Kahlo fan.  I know, right?  In our little universe of creativity it seems so sacrilegious, so blasphemous.  I always told my friends, "You won't see a Frida piece come from these hands."  ::insert walk of shame::  So what happened today?!  I have no clue but I reveled in it.  The unfamiliarity, the breaking down of walls and barriers, the joyous feeling of a mind reopening, it all felt so fresh and so new!  I found myself on Etsy browsing all the Frida things.  The result?  Pure, simple, magic.

Now about that giveaway!  Follow along all week, visit the Muse and the That's Crafty! blog, leave some love on each day and be entered to win *3* Relics & Artifacts® sets of your choosing!  At the end of the week-long event, we will choose a winner!  If you are really looking for some extra fun, That's Crafty! is also hosting a giveaway as well so be sure to follow along with them too! 

The ever so talented, Moira, is the first on the That's Crafty! team to share in the fun!  Be sure to give her some love from the Relics & Artifacts® side of the house!

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® "Ex Votos I" (sold out but any heart will do)
That's Crafty! MDF Panels
That's Crafty! MDF Hearts #3
That's Crafty! MDF Panel #1
That's Crafty! Dinky Stencil "Moroccan Background"
Iced Enamels "Garnet"
Iced Enamels "Chartreuse"
Iced Enamels "Turquoise"
Iced Enamels "Amethyst"
VervePrint "Frida Kahlo Part 1"
Cemerony "Frida Kahlo Cuffs"
Liquitex Acrylic Paint
Copic Multiliner