"......so that your SOUL can find what your SPIRIT SEEKS to BREATHE.....and find your place.....give LIFE to your PASSIONS.......sing your ART SONG.....it's EVERYTHING YOU WERE MEANT TO BE"........joanne sharpe
...It's my peaceful happy place... writing, and bringing thoughts to life with luscious color in my art journals. Be true to what is calling you.
Doodle and draw and girly girl sketch.... Just let the pens spill out the lines and shapes, words and thoughts. Then fill with color.
When i was a kid i was the coloring queen. I love, love, loved to color EVERYDAY!!! Stayed in the lines perfectly, I did. Had to have fresh crayons always. I was a crayon snob, only perfect points for my coloring adventures. That must be why i LOVE COPIC MARKERS now!!! They are the Cadillac of markers, the Caviar of Coloring! I was so obsessed with these pens recently, i drove 6 hours to Long Island for a Certification Class. Which means that now i can teach people (with the company's specifications) how to fill their world with COPICS and COLORING!!!
These are my "girls"....the shapes and lines and patterns that i could fill with buckets of color....no photoshop, no illustrator, just hands on, inky fingers, snapping caps and pure bliss......
****ALL CONTENT, IMAGES, QUOTES AND WRITING COPYRIGHT JOANNE Z. SHARPE 2010*****
Here to share some of the journaling i have been doing since New Year's. I have made a promise to myself to do something creative every day. It's been easier than i thought, and i have several journals filling up with yummy words, thoughts, doodles and color. My design style is taking on a new life, while the feel is still quite WHIMSICAL, i am inspired in many new directions.....Copic markers, Ranger inks, Pan Pastels, Golden paints, glimmer mists, pen and ink and more.....here's where i have been on my creative journey.......when my soul speaks through my art......
***ALL IMAGES AND WRITING COPYRIGHTED BY JOANNE Z. SHARPE 2010*******
There's a new blog in town and it's all about my studio shop in Fairport, New York, yipeeeee!! I hope to somehow figure out how to connect both of my blogs for easy reference.
Why TWO blogs??? Well, i get 3 blogs from Typepad with the account i use. With my "WHIMSPIRATIONS", personal blog (this one) i want to share my creative journey as an artist, product designer, as well share project ideas and techniques.
On my STUDIO BLOG, joannesharpe.typepad.com/artandsoulfairport i'll communicate the happenings, classes and gatherings at my Fairport shop.
.....imagine the possibilities, there is so much to be creative about!
(One of the huge 8 ft handpainted canvas banners i created for Camp Stella Maris, Conesus Lake, NY)
It's official...i am a CERTIFIED RANGER EDUCATOR!! Last week i had the honor and privilege (with 23 other people from all over the world) to attend "Ranger University" in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. This very cool company, Ranger Industries prides itself in that, most all of their products are made in the USA! We even toured their on site factory and warehouse....it was a Willy Wonka experience for the art nerds like me!
This insanely intense 3 day "art class" was conducted to familiarize store owners and artist/designers with the potential of the boatload of Ranger products. With their inks, paints, mediums, etc, we learned about 80 new creative techniques. The experience was beyond incredible, and quite a conversion experience for me.......the opportunity to stretch artistically and collect new ideas to reinvent my class programs.
Look at all the "STUFF" we got, art treasure, a bounty of creative toys.....
From 9am til 6-7pm each day we created under the expert teaching of Tim Holtz, (the King of Inks) Suze Weinberg (the Melting Pot) and Claudine Hellmuth (the painter). These folks are kinda the "rock stars" in the art/hobby industry internationally. It was a thrill to have them share all their knowlege and tricks of the trade with us.
Me and Tim Holtz. What a great guy, such a brilliant artist and innovative teacher. Never met anyone like him!
And below, me and Suze Weinberg. She is the Queen of the "Melting Pot", the daVinci of molten art plastic. She's a hoot, and so talented.
Suze, Claudine and Tim at our "Designer Forum".
BRINGING IT ALL HOME!!! New Ranger tools all over my studio, ready to create new classes and programs... (for scrapbooking, stamping, painting, home dec, jewelry, canvas, cardmaking, collage and more). Stay tuned for the rebirth of Art & Soul Studio!! I'm over the moon with all these tools and the endless possibilities that i can teach and share.
This is the last day in 2009 my three boys are all the same age............for the past 20 years, just for one month, you'd think we have triplets! What a great time that was when from March 12,1990-April 15, 1990 Matthew, and twins Kevin and Brian were all ONE!!! (no wonder we're a little nuts)
