art – Journey to Imagination

Tag: art

Mark Cage & ACAP—Fulfilling a Quest of a Different Kind

Posted on October 8, 2019October 10, 2019 by Laura

On Main Street in March (2019), the theater marquee announced The Wizard of Oz Unplugged by the ACAP Playmakers. Unplugged? Some bizarre techno-version of Oz? I was intrigued. That weekend I attended the show. In a packed auditorium, I sat next to a dad whose adult son had been thriving...Read More

Artist and Instructor Angelique Byrne: On Fire to Foster Community through Art, Part 2

Posted on October 1, 2019September 30, 2019 by Laura

What do fire, Milwaukee history, quilting, civics, and street art have in common? If you don’t know, first go back and read about my guest, artist and instructor Angelique Byrne. Then continue here as Angelique shares more about her creative process and how she brings art experiences to her students...Read More

Artist and Instructor Angelique Byrne—On Fire to Foster Community through Art, Part 1

Posted on September 24, 2019September 24, 2019 by Laura

The word fire carries many connotations, including light, heat, danger, destruction, passion, inspiration, Johnny Cash (“Ring of Fire”), roasted hot dogs, marshmallows, camping, and forty verses of “Down By The Bay.” But for artist and instructor Angelique Byrne, fire also means Art and Community. Previous guest artists and/or teachers I’ve...Read More

Educator Mollie Gruennert: Creating School Environment with Joy, Beauty, and Shalom– Part 2

Posted on March 4, 2019February 21, 2019 by Laura

Last time I introduced you to my former student, Mollie Gruennert. When my daughter Kaia was born, Mollie gave her a cute cloth doll. Much later, when I told Kaia that the doll was from Mollie, Kaia promptly named the doll after her. So over the years, we’ve had a sweet...Read More

Educator Mollie Gruennert: Creating School Environment with Joy, Beauty, and Shalom– Part 1

Posted on February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 by Laura

Mollie Gruennert is passionate. She has always desired to make a difference, exemplifying this outlook: "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." ― Mother Teresa This desire has taken many routes, primarily in education. She received a B.S. in Education...Read More

Artist Rita Trickel: Beyond Here There Be Dragons

Posted on September 10, 2018August 27, 2018 by Laura

Ahoy mateys! Ever see an old sea map where dragons marked dangerous or uncharted waters? Pictures of dragons, sea monsters, or mythological creatures warned sailors to stay away. No telling what’s beyond. Shiver me timbers! If sailors got too close to these areas, trouble abounded. Danger was at hand. All...Read More

Accidental Art & Inventions: Popsicles, Post-it Notes, & Parisian filmmaking

Posted on July 26, 2018June 21, 2018 by Laura

What happens when cooked wheat sits too long? Or when the movie camera jams? When you run out of ice cream cups or baker’s chocolate for your recipe? When your science experiment turns out the opposite of what you expected? Or when your cleaning product becomes obsolete? Sometimes these mistakes...Read More

Artist Marie Scott: Mixing Business with Pleasure

Posted on July 12, 2018July 12, 2018 by Laura

Mixing art and business is just as tricky as mixing colors to get precisely the right hue. And it takes just as much skill as applying paint to the canvas in a pleasing manner. For those of us who create and want to share our creations with the world, there...Read More

The starving artist is not so hungry

Posted on June 28, 2018June 26, 2018 by Laura

[caption id="attachment_752" align="alignleft" width="231"] Via picksnoz on Visual Hunt[/caption] How long could you live in a sterile environment devoid of color, surrounded by stark whites or drab grays? What if your only food was rice, cream of wheat, fish, oatmeal, or bananas (without the peel)? Could any of us survive...Read More

Are you Celebrating or Lamenting?

Posted on June 18, 2018July 26, 2021 by Laura

Did you ever read a book and wish you’d written it? Have you walked through a gallery and wished you had a better eye and camera for your own photography exploits? Have you found yourself envying the singer with the beautiful voice or the musician with such mastery of his...Read More

My Pitiful Venture into Interior Design

Posted on May 17, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

I call my decorating style eclectic. That’s mainly because I can never decide which route to take. My daughters, who have very good taste, probably laugh at me behind my back. Not in a mean way. Just something like, “Mom and her crazy decorating ideas. It just never goes well...Read More

Artist/Teacher Laura Fesser, Part 2: Inspiring students

Posted on May 10, 2018July 12, 2018 by Laura

Artist Laura Fesser not only creates art but teaches art. My four children had the privilege of being in her elementary art classroom. In fact, I was thrilled because she had the uncanny ability to bring out the best in them. Because of her, for the first time ever, my two...Read More

Artist Laura Fesser, Part 1: Inspired by Polymer, Playable Guitars, & Portraits

Posted on May 7, 2018July 12, 2018 by Laura

Laura Fesser wears two creative hats: artist and teacher. Her lively artwork brightens our community at the local hospital, library, and gallery, as well as numerous homes. Laura teaches elementary art at Heritage Christian School where I started the secondary art program years earlier. Later, she taught my four children,...Read More

Ode to Broken Crayons: Some do’s and don’ts

Posted on April 30, 2018April 25, 2018 by Laura

We’ve all been there with a huge sigh, staring at a pile of old crayons. Ready to throw them out. Or staring in disbelief as our child peels the paper right off brand new crayons! How dare he! And if he snaps a crayon in half, oh my! Call in...Read More

Let it Go to Let it Grow

Posted on April 26, 2018April 28, 2018 by Laura

“What a great job you’re doing on that tower!” I said to my three-year-old son, my enthusiasm rivaling a rock concert crowd. CRASH! In an instant, he sent blocks flying across the room. Not for fun, but in a rage. What was his message to me? Hmm. He wasn’t able...Read More

Backyard Art Fairs & Tie Dye Parties

Posted on April 23, 2018February 27, 2019 by Laura

Tie dye, anyone? When my kids were little, we had the neighbors over for tie dye parties. In the backyard, we dunked T-shirts, pillow cases, and socks into big buckets of dye. My husband Tim monitored the garden hose as we rinsed the colors out. The alley flowed with turquoise,...Read More

Alison Sherwood, Part 2: Memory Maker, Memory Finder, & Memory Keeper

Posted on April 19, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

As a mom of small children, Alison Sherwood says YES to Mess and Mayhem. Not only does she enjoy creating and capturing memories for friends, she makes art for, about, and with her kids. She doesn’t dictate the outcome but engages them in the process, even working alongside them. Their...Read More

Process vs. Product: the Sizzle or the Steak?

Posted on April 12, 2018April 23, 2018 by Laura

We all love shortcuts. From dishwashers to washing machines, from cars to planes, from texting to email, from Google to apps for anything you can imagine, the modern world is all about convenience and finding the easiest and fastest way to do something. But that’s not how creativity usually works....Read More

Welcome to my Blog

Posted on March 5, 2018October 23, 2021 by Laura

Tender Loving Care for Your Muse (or Hyacinths for Your Soul)Hi, I’m Laura, and I have a muse that shadows me constantly. It won’t let me sit still or sleep.She drinks tea with me in the morning.She goes on walks with me.She nudges me when I watch TV.She pokes at...Read More