Jenny Doh

We Welcome :: Rhianna Wurman

This week, we welcome Guest Curator Rhianna Wurman.
Read her inspiring Art Saves story here.
Keep up with her curated links all week long here.

A Recap of Jennifer Mercede's Workshop!

Thought I'd share some photos and a synopsis of all the fun that was had these past two days with Jennifer Mercede in Studio CRESCENDOh.

It was a packed house as we started the first day with lots of blind contour drawings ...

And then we segued into doodling and then painting ... drawing, doodling, painting, drawing, doodling, painting, drawing, doodling, painting ...





... and then we went outside to learn how spray paints can also be used to add layers to your work ...

and then more drawing, doodling, painting ...

This was my second time learning from Jennifer and I tell ya, it all came together much more solidly this time around ... the drawing, doodling, and painting ... including the live model that we were able to draw in many different ways and then combine with doodling and painting.

Here I am with model Jennifer and our model Tracey.
For those of you who are interested, our model will be returning to Studio CRESCENDOh for short figure drawing workshops. A rare opportunity for those who want to practice drawing a live person in a safe, artistic environment. Stay tuned for that!

It was great fun to see everyone's art and I also left the weekend tired but with greater resolve to continue painting and to continue finding my artistic voice.

Many thanks to Jennifer, Tracey and all the students (some who didn't make it into this group picture) for a wonderful experience. Until next time. :)

Announcing :: A Doll Story Workshop with Danita!

When I see Danita's art dolls, I feel they are speaking to me. They have stories to tell ... like these two darlings in my collection of Danita's art ... the one on the left is knitting a garland of musical notes! The one on the right is Frida ... who has many stories to tell.

I'm so excited to announce that Danita will be visiting Studio CRESCENDOh this August to teach everyone how to make art dolls in A Doll Story, August 10-11, 2013! It'll be a special 2-day workshop.

It's a 2-day class where we will learn how to construct a doll from scratch, and beautify her with an outfit made out of our favorite stash of fabrics and trims. The class is titled A Doll Story
and will take place August 10-11, 2013 and enrollment is open right here.

Danita will be developing a special kit for everyone in class, including a pattern that you can use again and again to make more dolls once you learn how to make your first doll.

What stories will your doll tell?
Danita and I look forward to hearing them with you.

Hope to see in you Studio CRESCENDOh for A Doll Story, August 10-11, 2013!

We Welcome :: Nathalie Kalbach

This week, we welcome Guest Curator, Nathalie Kalbach.
Read her ART SAVES story here.
Keep up with her curated links all week long here.

And Grown-Ups Paint

Katie Kendrick.

I FINALLY got to meet her last night. And she was as marvelous as I imagined her to be. I learned so much from her last night and also today during her first day teaching in Studio CRESCENDOh. I also learned things from students and people related to students. I wanna make sure I don't forget ...

1. Leave the Predictable. Travel to the Unknown. It's where new information lies.

2. It's not the product. It's the process. So, so true. Especially in terms of color choices, it's always been much more about what I see, what I want, what I do. And many times, what I want violates rules about color combinations. And I dare say that sometimes I adore making a muddy, murky color ... the one that we're all supposed to avoid. I know what I like.

3 One of the fears I have about going to therapy to untangle some of my tangles is that it may negatively affect my art. Because the tangles and angst fuel what I believe to be my best art. To that, Katie shares that even when life gives you joy rather than tangles, you can still make great art ... as long as you remain true, authentic, passionate, vulnernable, and not afraid to go where you are meant to go. Joyously becoming.

4 What makes a painter a painter is not talking about it or thinking about it, but actually putting paint onto paper or canvas or wood or other substrate. What makes a cook a cook is when someone cooks ... actually chopping garlic and moving it around a pan with olive oil. What makes a poet a poet is when a person stops talking and starts putting words down on paper ... especially a very young girl who quietly pulls out ...

a plain white sheet of copy paper
and a sharp number two
to construct crooked, imperfect lines
with misspellings and word choices that don't rhyme
but pull from her heart the pain of anything, no, everything
and having not one thing, not one
there on the stark white paper
to make grown-ups fall
and grown-ups paint

Remembering :: Lace Ships Class with Holly Abston

Check out these beautiful lace ships that students made yesterday in Studio CRESCENDOh.

It was Holly Mason Abston's class and I have to tell you she was a masterful teacher ... helping guide each student to experience success and have a whole lot of fun in the process.


During the first part of class, we worked hard to construct our ships with wire and then before we broke for lunch, we started to think about how we would cover our constructions with lace and fabric.

After lunch, things started coming together and each ship exuded the personality of each student.


What a wonderful time we all had as we crafted, chatted, and shared a lot of laughs.

Holly was accompanied by her dear friend, Shelley Overholt who was simply adorable in all ways. Studio CRESDENDOh has expressed its open invitation to Holly to return and teach again and so it is my hope that she will teach here again soon.

By the way, I want to let you know that Holly has many facets to her creativity. Not only does she construct lace ships but she is a talented watercolor artist, illustrator, and stitcher. I hope you'll check out her site and her creative offerings on her etsy shop here.

Finally, a huge round of gratitude to Pam Garrison and Amy Hanna for all of their support in helping welcome Holly and Shelley to southern California during this visit.

Thank you Holly. Thank you Amy. Thank you Shelley. Thank you Pam. And thank you students!

See you in Studio CRESCENDOh. :)

Paddle Boarding with Lisa Guerin

When I visited with Lisa Guerin today and saw one of her recent art pieces, I was reminded how much I love her art. It's like I've loved it for a thousand years. So tender. So beautiful. So perfect.

Just like Lisa herself. My longtime friend who I adore and have worked with, cried with, laughed with, and grown with.

Today, Lisa took me out to give me my first paddle boarding lesson. She was an awesome teacher ... tender, patient, and supportive ... and so inspiring with her ability to balance amazing poses on the board with her core strength.
It was one of the most challenging activities I've done in a long time. In fact, there was a point when the wind and speed of the board took me out much farther than I had intended and I got a little scared. Then I felt the adrenaline kick in, as well as some basic insticts and core strength of my own, along with Lisa's gentle presence at the shore that brought me back. Safe and sound.

When I reached the shore, it felt like I had conquered a new world. So much fun.

Life's curve balls are what Lisa's been catching like a champ for a while and I'm so thrilled to see her landing in a good place. Safe and sound. Lots more paddle boarding will be had with Lisa as weather permits ... I can't wait. And she will be working on a class to offer in Studio CRESCENDOh. Will it be shrink art? Paper dolls? Assemblages? Paper art? Whatever it is, it will be lovely, tender, and beautiful. Just like her.

Scenes From a Day of Art with Danita

Thought I'd share some fun shots that were captured during Danita's wonderful workshop in Studio CRESCENDOh this past Saturday. Everyone had such a agreat time learning from all that Danita taught.

It was wonderful to see Danita in action ... calm, cool, confident in sharing all of her knowledge, her tricks, tips, and methods for getting everyone to make fabulous collaged backgrounds and beautiful painted girls.

My admiration for Danita and her art goes back a long ways and so to be able to host her in the studio was really and truly a dream come true.

And guess what? She'll be back in 2013 to teach a 2-day class as she introduces additional methods like free motion stitching, and how that works together to push the awesomeness of mixed media to a whole new level. So stay tuned.

Sheryl Crow ... 50 and Smokin' Hot

Did you know that Sheryl Crow is 50 years old? I don't know why I didn't realize that ... after all, Gerardo and I have been HUGE fans of Sheryl since way back when. It was about 25 years ago when we went to our first Sheryl Crow concert together at The Whiskey. She was just starting to explode onto the scene and her parents were in the audience cheering her on. So sweet.

Last night, Gerardo and I had a complete and total blast watching Sheryl in concert again. And what a thrill it was to be able to meet and visit with her before the show. She was so nice. A class act all the way.

So why do I bring up Sheryl's age? Well ... because for the longest time I just assumed that she was younger than me. The way she looks, her vitality, the way she dresses, her whole package ... this shot below isn't the best one because it's a bit blurry but the way she sings, the way she tells her stories ... she is mesmerizing.

She's been through a lot too. Breast cancer. Relationship challenges. Single motherhood. And now some additional health challenges which I believe she'll power through. The way she talks about all of these things ... it's so easy ... so real ... she doesn't hide or mask her stories. They are there.

I'll be daring and end by posting this final photo below ...
Sheryl Crow.
50 years old and smokin' hot.

I posted this photo earlier today on my Instagram and it caused a bit of a stir ... causing some digs about Sheryl. Mainly about how it's easy to be this fit if you've never birthed a child and if you have money to invest in personal training.

Blah, blah, blah.

Similar digs are said about Jennifer Hudson. I've heard it. "Oh if I had money and an endorsement contract, I'd lose weight too." Um ... on the count of three, let's think of celebrities who have been given endorsement deals by Jenny Craig and such and have not come close to what Jennifer Hudson has done. Ready? One, two, three.

Ok ... more ...

On the count of three, think of a woman who hasn't given birth, and who has money but still hasn't gotten fit. Ready? One, two, three.

Now, on the count of three, think of a woman with a moderate income who has given birth but who has gotten fit. Ready? One, two, three.

The thing is, there are always examples that prove the digs right, and also examples that prove the digs downright wrong.

I remember after I had my babies in my social worker days, I spent something like 200 bucks to buy a Nordic Trak machine and worked my tail off on that machine for weeks on end to lose the pregnancy weight. It was a lot of money to spend back then for me. And I remember a colleague who said to me "Well, if I had access to a machine like that, I'd be able to lose weight too."

The gall.

It made me so mad. Because it's not that I had access to a machine that she could never have access to. She could have sacrificed things she was spending money on to buy a Nordic Trak or a treadmill or a gym membership or a flippin' jump rope for Pete's sake. It was really her discounting the discipline, hard work, the grit that it took for me to coordinate putting my newborn in an automated swing, settting my toddler up with a Barney video, while I got my soft, pudgy body onto the thing that I decided to invest in for 30 minutes every day, to lose my pregnancy weight. It was so hard.

One of the first things I have people do in my Crafting Fitness class is to identify who their fitness role model is. And people come up with all sorts of people. It's one of my favorite parts of the class because fitness role models come in differnet sizes, shapes, ages, professions, and walks of life. Role models give us hope. They inspire us. They motivate us. I've had several over the years. Some celebrities, some friends, some strangers who don't realize I am in awe of them at the gym. And the thing is, who motivates me is different from who motivates you ... as it should be.

I guess this is a long way of sayinng that in this season of my life, Sheryl has become my new fitness role model. She gives me hope that I can not only succeed in successfully fighting for fitness in my 40s, but well into my 50s and beyond. And regardless of what kinds of comforts or advantages we may assume she has, I also know she has discomforts and disadvantages that only she knows about.

But I know this. She's 50 and looks better than many 20-somethings and 30-somethings. And if she can do it, I know others can do it too.

So ... what about you? Who's your fitness role model? Who gives you hope, inspires you, motivates you, and challenges you to aim for optimum fitness in your season of life?

Loads of Laughter and Learning with Julie Nutting

I love this photo of Terry and classmates ... laughing and creating together ...

I also love this photo of Lynn and Judy. Sisters. Funny. Creative. Great energy.

Loads of laughing and learning were had yesterday, under the leadership of the talented Julie Nutting, who taught her first class in Studio CRESCENDOh ... Collage Couture, based on her fabulous book titled Collage Couture.

Everyone was hugely successful. Everyone was happy. Everyone became fast friends.

And the best thing for the studio?
Julie's agreed to come back in 2013 to teach again.
So stay tuned to our master studio calendar here. :)