All Posts by admin

0 Mother, Daughter Think Outside the Bouquet in Floral Arranging

In growing her own plants to use in her business, she could control how the blossoms were grown — including what kind of pest control she used. Pairing up with her daughter, Karly, she created a growing operation to raise her own flowers from seeds to blooms. The half-acre Verbena Flower Farm is the name of their business venture.

Read the entire Commercial Appeal article at http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/dec/06/mother-daughter-flower-farmers-share-slow-to/.

Karen explains that using flowers that have been grown locally — instead of commercial blossoms grown in South America and Asia and shipped to the United States — is part of a movement to encourage buying goods and services locally. Doing so helps stimulate the economies of small communities as well as ensure quality in the flowers — not just quantity.

Growing at Verbena Flower Farm hasn’t been all sunny, though. Mother and daughter struggled with timing their planting and growing so that they had all the blooms they needed at the right time. They also had trouble growing several popular flowers, including dahlias, and had to battle pests and molds.

The Plarisans are excited to continue to offer their bouquets and flower arrangements to like-minded customers.

Interested in making your own floral arrangements, bouquets, centerpieces, wreaths, and more? Consider signing up for a floral arrangement class today to start exploring the art and practice. Turn your interest into a passion with expert guidance and training.

0 Interactive Mural Imparts Information

The school’s library, however, didn’t reflect the rest of the campus pride.

Described by educators and administrators as dull and dingy, the library was colorless until the school decided to add a mural.

The mural brightened the space and offered something even more valuable than aesthetics — information and a learning experience.

Read the entire Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article at http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/interactive-school-mural-uses-apps-to-reveal-information-to-students/article_c1463eb0-5d8a-11e3-a4ff-001a4bcf6878.html.

Students at the school helped experienced muralists complete the work of art. The professionals taught the students just a few tips before cutting them loose on the blank walls. The mural reflects animals, plants, and sights typical to the region. There are many different creatures, including foxes and rabbits, as well as a village represented with paint.

One of the most special parts of the mural is invisible to the naked eye. When combined with an app on a tablet computer or smart phone, the mural comes to life, imparting valuable information about the animals, plants, and village seen in painting. The children at the school learned art to complete the mural, but they will continue to learn through the information that technology provided.

Enroll in a class on mural painting today to help educate and beautify communities and locations around you. Explore how technology or education might make your mural ideas even more special through the help of highly trained professional artists.

0 Mural Memorializes Caring Mother

Friedman had been very involved in the school, even starting a book club with some of the other mothers whose children attended Larchmont. That’s why it made perfect sense to memorialize her through a mural in the school’s library.

The principal and art teacher decided to use the children’s picture book “Good Night Moon” as the main inspiration for the mural. The mural depicts a sleeping bear in a bed, as is the theme in the story. From there, though, the work departs from canon, adding in various elements that represent Larchmont Elementary. The school’s mascot is a bear, which fits in with the theme of the mural even better.

Read the entire South Jersey Sun article at http://sj.sunne.ws/2013/12/06/mural-in-mt-laurel-school-library-to-honor-mothers-memory/.

The art teacher of the school explained that the principal wanted the mural to reflect the school as well as honor Friedman. The art teacher drew the mural using pencil, but the actual painting of the work has fallen to parents, other faculty members, and even members of the book club that Friedman started at the school. They often reminisce about her as they construct the mural.

Take a class on mural painting today. Murals can depict any number of themes, including honoring departed figures in a community, celebrating contributions to places, or reflecting the history and culture of a town. Investigate how you can give back to your community through a mural.

0 Pollock Painting to Inspire Clothing

The effort is one to emphasize the importance of wearable art, and the celebration is actual double-edged: It will function as a competition and also celebrate the Pollock piece’s return to display.

“Mural” is currently being restored, having its dulled surface cleaned and adding new stretchers to help support the heavy painting. The fashion show will mark the painting’s return to the exhibit space.

Read the entire Iowa City Press Citizen article at http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20131204/NEWS01/312040020/Canvas-clothes-Mural-inspire-wearable-art?nclick_check=1.

Twelve fashion designers will be chosen to take part in the fashion competition, each being awarded a $100 stipend to purchase materials for the show. Their pieces will be expected to reflect “Mural.” The painting itself is a wild swirl of color — thick black lines depicting almost human forms — several circles that could possibly be faces are seen among a cacophony of brightness. The lines unite the wildness of the painting overall. The top three winners will be awarded additional prizes.

Think about enrolling today in an art class that suits your personal interests. Classes range from oil and acrylic painting to sewing and fashion drawing. Art can span over several different genres, as evidenced by the combination art exhibit and fashion show at the University of Iowa Museum of Art. After mastering oil painting, for example, think about taking a class on sewing to help translate your work on canvas to a wearable outfit.

0 Seamstress Pieces Together Traditional Clothing

Nashimbuli first learned to sew when she was working at Ramatex. She says that many of her customers compliment her on her traditional creations, which she taught herself to make. Ramatex only produced modern clothing.

The seamstress sews to support herself, but also because she doesn’t like sitting around, not doing anything. Sewing has become as much a business as it is a hobby for her.

During the latter half of the year, business is good. Many customers come to buy the traditional attire that Nashimbuli creates because many weddings and holidays occur during this part of the year.

Read the entire New Era article at http://www.newera.com.na/2013/12/05/dressmaker-making-traditional-wear/.

During the first half of the year, however, times can get tough. Nashimbuli continues to make the traditional clothing she is known for, even if the customers don’t come. She takes her attire to potential customers, selling her wares on the spot. In addition to attire for men, women, and children, she also sews traditional baby carriers.

Learning to sew — and purchasing her own sewing machine with the severance money she received from Ramatex — has enabled Nashimbuli to try to make a life for herself.

If you’re interested in learning how to sew or increasing your already existing sewing skills, consider signing up for a sewing class today. Sewing is a valuable skill to hone, meaning that you can make or mend your own clothes, or start a lucrative business doing it for other people.

0 Mandela Portrait Painter Recalls Leader

Though many portraits of the peacemaker, who died at the age of 85, exist, Mandela only posed for one artist — Riley.

Over the period of a year and a half, Riley met with Mandela in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. During the six sessions, Riley developed a rapport with the leader that has made a mark on the artist to this day.

Mandela was humble, witty, and interested in everything around him, Riley remembers. The painting was designed to benefit the poor children in stricken townships of South Africa — one of Mandela’s passions. In the end, the painting was auctioned and it brought in $1 million for the charity.

Read the entire BBC News article at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25257385.

During the sessions, Riley encouraged Mandela to act as natural as possible, encouraging the leader to read the newspaper, chat, or do anything else he might want to do. While Mandela did as he was instructed to, Riley sketched. It was from these many sketches that the final work was painted in lush, vivid colors. Riley confesses that he wasn’t sure where the final product was going until he saw it on canvas.

Consider enrolling in a class on portrait painting today. Instruction will center around accurately and candidly capturing your subject on canvas while exploring different skills and techniques needed to do so.

0 Man Turns Hobby into Business

But that’s just what happened for the former machinist. Mullinix used his wife’s sewing machine to make a bag to go hunting with and the rest is history.

It wasn’t until a sewing shop in town closed that Mullinix rose to the occasion to fill a need. He doesn’t work normal hours at the shop, since it’s a part-time venture. But customers can call or email him to set up a time to meet.

Mullinix makes anything from cot covers to gun cases, filling orders from many different places in town ranging from the funeral home to a church. He even sewed a sort of diaper for horses to keep the streets clean from waste.

Depending on how the business grows according to demand of the town, Mullinix said he would be open to expanding, including purchasing additional sewing machines and hiring new employees.

Take a class on sewing today to jump start what could turn into a lucrative and rewarding career. With sewing, you can complete many different projects once you master the basic skills. Expert teachers will help guide your interests, instructing you on how to make many different things. Projects can include bedding, curtains, clothing, alterations, bags, and more. With your newly found skills, you can give personalized gifts that you made from hand or start taking orders for your new sewing business.

Read the entire Columbus Telegram article at http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/hobby-turns-to-business-for-local-man/article_9337a1f1-32d2-5386-a702-da2a3aee0235.html.

0 Artist Enjoys Exploring Craft Through Many Mediums

Lewis enjoys learning throughout her life and creating art is no different. She loves to experiment with mediums she might not be that familiar with. The results are worth the process of gaining experience in previously unexplored genres of art.

If pressed, Lewis might admit she enjoys working with glass, creating shapes with a mosaic of colored pieces. Many of the glass works are popular among the residents of the town where Lewis lives, and she sells many pieces.

Read the entire Daily Independent article at http://www.dailyindependent.com/local/x439240629/Glass-and-more.

Lewis takes most of her inspiration from nature, which has thrilled her ever since she was a child. When she took up watercolor painting, though, her husband loved her pieces so much that she says he doesn’t allow her to sell any of them. Her very first watercolor work can’t even leave the house for prints to be made of it.

Other than glass work and watercolor painting, Lewis also sketches, quilts, dabbles in acrylic and oil painting, and makes jewelry. She admits that her attention wanders and says that she’s always been high energy, enabling her to jump from one project to the next.

Interested in art? We have a number of art classes available for all different interests. Rates are affordable and teachers will work around your schedule, so you have the ability to sign up for several to explore all of your various passions.

0 Cultural Inspiration Feeds Paintings

The paintings all use the same color scheme — black, red, and gold — which gives the entire exhibit a cohesive feel. Many of the paintings feature headshots of men and women prominently, with Islamic symbols and patterns in the background.

 Aijazuddin explains that the cohesive colors came about by accident. In his training as a painter, he was told to use red to make his gold details pop out. The practice stuck, and most of his paintings use these same colors.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/606114/painting-exhibition-on-an-inspired-spirited-spree/

 Some see his paintings as provocative, marrying cultures that are both physically and ideologically far apart. One painting might contain both Islamic and Christian symbols, clutched by normal people or god-like figures.

 Other viewers believe his paintings can serve as a bridge between cultures, reminding his audience that the world is filled with human beings, not belonging to different societies, but one.

 The figures in the artist’s paintings become even more similar because of his use of color, driving home the fact that we are all sharing a common experience of life and living.

 Painting is a wonderful way of exploring different cultures and belief systems. Enroll today in a painting class. Once you’ve mastered the basic techniques, you can make some observations and reflections of your own on canvas. Share your ideas on culture, religion, life, and everything in between by taking a class on painting.

0 Comic Artist Brings Like-Minded Together with Club

Grant and a group of about 50 other comic artists have arranged to make monthly contributions to a group of subscribers. Every month, the subscribers will receive a brand new comic sent directly to their address via mail, drawn just for that special group.

Many of the artists in the group have said that having a captive to draw for has truly inspired them to continue creating. In other venues, the audience might not be there for their work.

http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/cartoon-connections-20130726-2qpao.html

Part of the charm of the club, Grant explains, is that each submission is different. Artists who draw for the series come from all walks of life, ensuring that subscribers will be treated to many different styles of drawing and art.

Many of the subscribers have been posting pictures of the comics on social media sites, giving the art even more exposure. Seeing such enthusiasm from their fans is also gratifying for the artists who came together as part of the Minicomics of the Month Club.

Interested in comic art or comic drawing? Consider signing up for a class on the subject to explore your interests. Classes will center on whatever students would like to focus on, and can include figure drawing, drawing action scenes, plotting stories, using dialogue to advance a story, and even more skills and techniques necessary for a comic artist..