Art is one of my passions.
I dabble in lots of things and am sharing a few of them here.

This is an art doll I made one night in April of 2004 on the spur of the moment. I went upstairs to go to bed and the sewing room beckoned. I have this thing about making art with only materials that are on hand. http://www.livejournal.com/users/patsyterrell/8573.html was the entry at the time about doing it. She's about 7 inches tall. I ended up giving her to my friend, Diana.

The first one was a mail art piece I did for an exhibition with the theme of "secrets." I bought this old photo at a flea market. I scanned it in and hand colored this print out. The background is a blend of oil pastels on posterboard. I used the same photo for a postcard that was my own commentary on the, then new, Iraq war. The background of "Missing Daddy" has grit mixed into the paint so it's rough to the touch. The "Missing Daddy" message is scrawled on and has texture in the paint. It's Venetian Red paint, which I love.

This was a magazine collage I did one night with some friends - it's about 8 by 11. There was no purpose other than just to do it. It got rave reviews from everyone who saw it, and everyone insisted I frame it. So, it's still sitting on a table in my living room. The consensus was that it was "joyful."

This is a talisman made from driftwood I picked up at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers near Cairo Illinois. These are made and used by river people for various purposes. This one has a gaping mouth that is indented to gobble up bad spirits. The carving on the body and the colors of the paint all have particular meanings. This is the first one I've made.

I love monoprints and I adore texture in paint. I did a whole series of these that were made in to postcards and sent out in to the world.

This was a postcard made for an exchange. I love Egyptology so this was a natural fit. It's a bit more "structured" than I generally do, but it's good to break out of your "norm." The background was done with an ink pad that was drying up.

This was a watercolor I did for a friend who was leaving town. She had founded a group called "Chicks," of which I'm a member. Hence, the reason for the chicken.

This collage was done with a variety of papers, including the flower being cut out of a bag I got in a gift store. The little "window" is actually cut out.

This series was made from scrap paper that I painted with cheapie acrylic paints. I then just cut them apart somewhat randomly, but with some eye to design. Then I worked them on to 4 by 6 cards. I can't keep enough 4 by 6 index cards. They're one of my favorite things to work with.

The background on this is a coffee filter I dyed. I like to dye things. Don't ask.

This was a quick sketch I did of a tree at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which I'm lucky to live near. It was done onsite with a pencil and highlighted with some watercolor. This was one of my first days out with my Moleskine and watercolors. Even though it was a year ago, I still love the "wild" feel of it.

This was a spread I did in a deco for someone. The theme of the deco was angels and I used bits of a dryer sheet I had dyed and some metallic paint. The other one was in the same batch of decos - the theme for this one was metallic. I did one deco for this group and sent it around. I did a "Stars" theme since I love stars. I liked my little book but this group was the only one I've ever done. The whole process of decos leaves me a bit cold. It's a bit too "crafty" for me.

The challenge here was to capture summer. I couldn't get away from the color combination. The yellow is painted. The blue paper is dyed freezer paper.

A card I made for Diana's birthday January 2005. I used some old postage for the envy - obviously, it was hand delivered. The inside message was done in walnut ink to match the kraft envelope.

I did these pages in a journal, or maybe two journals, for someone. I can't remember who or when or why, but I was into the idea of using things that were lying around. A theme I return to again and again. I think maybe it was part of the 100 journals project - not to be confused with the 1000 journals project - both of which are likely to lose all their journals.

Some of the jewelry I've made. I have a thing about twisty, curvy wires.