Creative Savers Can Get Overwhelmed In Their Mixed Media Art Studios Which Can Be Packed With Artsy Treasures Waiting To Be Re-Purposed Or Used As Art Tools

Downsizing Your Art Studio

I'm about to "downsize" my art studio which has become packed with really fabulous STUFF but is starting to cramp my style. I just know that so many of you who are reading this post understand the mind of the creative saver. I can remember thinking about the concept of re-purposing useful items way before the phrase got catchy. Let's be honest, it is hard for some of us to simply let go of potential art and craft treasures. We look at the world differently that other people. I can fondly remember strolling through Provincetown and seeing broken ceramic tiles being used as the ground cover in a trendly grocery store. I picked up a handful of these very interesting tileswith textured backs to stamp or print with in my Mixed Media work. Who am I kidding. I know that after I thin our some of my collections of artsy treasures, I will just replace them with new ones!  Feel free to comment on this post and share our experiences.

Visit my art website  http://www.cdiannezweig.com/     

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists

Introducing Contemporary Mixed Media Art Website of Artist C. Dianne Zweig, Influenced by Mid-Century Design

New Website: CDianneZweig.com: Mixed Media Contemporary Art 
of C. Dianne Zweig

I am delighted to announce my new ART website C. Dianne Zweig Contemporary Mixed Media Art   (cdiannezweig.com).

My loyal followers may think of me as the "Kitschy Collector" of Vintage and Retro kitchenwares, but I am also an Abstract Mixed Media artist. My work is influenced by Mid-Century palettes and designs. Of course spending decades of strolling through Antique shops and markets is also so much a part of me.

Online Portfolio of Mixed Media Contemporary Art by Artist C. Dianne Zweig

After a long wait, my son Ben, a Creative Specialist at Social Edge Consulting designed a very attractive website for me to use as an online art portfolio of my work. My site also includes a blog under the section "Updates" which keeps you informed about my exhibitions, events and art related topics. I will be regularly   sharing tips and demo's about my art process. For those of you who might be interested in taking classes or workshops in Mixed Media collage, please check out the "Workshop" section.

If you are a Mixed Media Artist, please feel free visit my new site and join in on discussions on the comment section of any of my blog posts.
   

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists

Seeing Abstract Art In The Spirit Of The Season

Studio 9B Farmington Valley Arts Center Welcomes Visitors November 16th, 2012 For Candlelight Season Opening 6:00-9:00 p.m.   

The days leading up to the Candlelight Opening (November 16th, 2012 6:00-9:00 p.m. ) at the Farmington Valley Arts Center (FVAC) are very exciting.  Artists are coming and going all day long and even throughout the evenings getting ready for the big event which draws crowds of visitors to  FVAC.

I can attest to  just how busy FVAC gets on Candlelight Night because my studio was packed with guests last year for this festive event.   I am one of the newer artists at FVAC and I really had a great time listening to people comment on my work and realizing that taste and meaning  in art is a very personal  experience.

Interpreting Abstract Art Is Contextual

One of my pieces had always reminded me of a faucet dripping water. It was really an abstract done in pastel and paint. It really didn't look like a faucet, but in my head I called it my faucet painting. Then (last year) a "jolly" group of folks stepped into my studio after sampling the wine and cheese and other sweets and goodies offered in the open studios and declared that Santa Claus was making an appearance in my painting. And that my "faucet" was a young boy sitting on a chair wearing boots. 

Santa still appears in the painting and so does the boy. It's amazing what people will see in the  "spirit" of the season.

What do you see when you look ast this artwork?  


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists

Farmington Valley Art Center, Avon, CT. Hosted Mixed Media Weekend Workshop By Artist Lynn Gall

The Mixus Gals Were Back in Classroom 3A At The Farmington Valley Art Center, Avon, Ct.

It was great to be back in classroom 3A at the Farmington Valley Art Center with some of the gals of Mixus, a group of Connecticut Mixed media artists who originally met at FVAC a number of years ago while taking lots of classes together. Art (top) by C. Dianne Zweig

Lynn Gall
Returns to
FVAC

The Mixus mates, joined by another student and FVAC veteran, re-united with their friend and mixed media art instructor Lynn Gall for a busy Mixed media weekend workshop at The Farmington Valley Arts Center. Lynn returned to FVAC following a few years abroad and now residing in NYC.

Artwork (with letters) is by Jill Henderson Pasanen.

Weekend Challenge: Mixed Media Grid Design

Lynn showed workshop members examples of artwork with a grid design. With a little bit of inspiration.....we all got very industrious and down to work. As is usually the case, we only came up for air two times, lunch on Saturday and lunch on Sunday.

Artist Lynn Gall

Otherwise we were all knee deep in paint, papers and STUFF. Carolyn Tertes and Jill Henderson Pasanen (below) were tied for bringing with them the most boxes and bags filled with painted papers. Bunny Millan probably brought in as many mixed media materials as Carolyn and Jill but her very neat stash is deceptive. She conceals more.

Jill Pasanen
at the easle

Collage Medium
Verus
Glue Stick

I'm the outlaw, not digging messy stuff as much as the other Mixus gals , I brought a few glue sticks, my paint and pastels and begged Carolyn and Jill for a few pieces of their fabulous papers. Beverly Spence, a FVAC frequent flyer who loves collage and is an amazing artist, was new to working with all the mixed media STUFF. We are breaking her in.

Carolyn Tertes triptych

Critique Time

Beverly Spence & Carolyn Tertes

On Sunday after we cleaned up our work stations we reviewed our work in the critique session.This is a very exciting dimension of the weekend workshop when the group has a chance to take a look at how each of the members resolved their artistic challenges.

Deep in thought is Bunny Milan listening to the critique.

While the workshop is going on, we are all glued (no pun intended) to our own projects in progress and not really thoroughly involved with what's happening to the to the artist's work. Lynn is busy consulting with each and everyone of us, but it isn't until the end of the weekend session that all of the workshop participants sit back and get a chance to see what each artist has accomplished. I can tell you that it was a very productive weekend for all of us who attended this workshop...we produced a lot of successful pieces.

When Is Lynn Returning To FVAC ?

Rumor has it that Lynn will be back to The Farmington Valley Arts Center in January and in March.
For more information about Mixed Media workshops at FVAC or other wonderful classes and workshops, visit: http://artsfvac.org/ Visit C. Dianne Zweig's studio at FVAC

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Society of Professional Journalists