Merry Christmas--Joy to the World!!!

Can't believe Christmas is only a week away!  Where does the time go?  I've been so busy lately, I haven't had much time for art.  I'm going into mixed-media withdrawals! I was determined to create at least one colorful Christmas collage.  Here it is--"Joy to the World!"  I feel much better now!  I plan to have more creative time after the holidays!  Wishing you a very merry christmas and happy new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  Giving thanks for family, friends, health & wellness,
art & adventure!

Iceland Adventure--Dream Come True!!!

My family and I just got back from an Awesome Adventure in Iceland!

For me, it was a dream come true!  When we told people where we were going, most looked at us like we were crazy and asked "why Iceland?"  My reply was "Why not?!?!"  There are so many reasons to travel to Iceland…here are just a few: Northern Lights, waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs!  A glimpse of the Northern Lights was top on my list!

When we arrived (after a two hour nap) we explored downtown Reykjavik. It was full of cute little shops, colorful houses and rooftops, and friendly people.  Our real adventure began the following day when we walked across a glacier, crampons and all!  The landscape was beautiful--white and blue ice set against black lava mountains and a wide open sky.  

That night, we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights!  It was AMAZING-- a true gift and miracle of nature…definitely a dream come true! They first appeared as milky white wisps.  Then they turned green and started dancing around the sky--twisting, turning, swirling, fading, reappearing--growing more intense and colorful. We watched in awe for over an hour before boarding the bus back to the hotel.  The beautiful aurora borealis display lasted another couple hours and we were able to watch from the road.  The lights were apparently so spectacular that night, that they were visible in downtown Reykjavik.  We saw one last wisp as we arrived at our hotel after midnight.  Definitely a night to treasure!

The next day we were up early for a full day with our friends from Finland who flew out to meet us!

We rode Icelandic horses through a lava field in the morning and relaxed in the Blue Lagoon all afternoon!  Another out of this world experience!

More sightseeing in Reykjavik (The Pearl, the geothermal beach, etc) before heading to the airport.  I would definitely recommend Iceland as a travel destination for nature and adventure lovers.  I would do it again in a heartbeat!

These Boots Are Made for Walking!

Just got some new hiking boots and I'm ready for my next adventure!  Iceland here I come!
Thanks to all the great people at REI who bared with me while I tried on almost every pair of women's hiking boots in the store!  I have already started some new artwork based on my adventures!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  Hope everyone is recovering from hurricane Sandy!  Here are our carved creations for 2012.  We had fun hosting a costume party for our daughter and her friends.  We turned our basement into a haunted house.  More pix to come soon...

Autumn Inspiration!

Words to live by... as seen in front of a local high school.  Live each day to the fullest!

Enjoying the gorgeous autumn views of Skyline Drive with my family!

Artful Apple Picking!

Autumn is my favorite time of year!  I love the rich oranges, reds, yellows...the cool, crisp air...the tastes and smells of apple cider and pumpkin pie...the fun celebrations of birthdays & Halloween...I love our fall family traditions of apple picking and pumpkin patching...Here are a few photos from our most recent apple picking adventure!  Remember, when apple picking...

Reach high...

 Pick a good one...

 Fill your basket & enjoy the view...

bake something yummy!

Sweet Success!

The "Sweet 'n Salty" Show Opening on Friday was a huge success with over 150 visitors!

We spent a fun evening at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery greeting guests, admiring art, and chatting with fellow DRA members!  Lots of positive feedback and comments on the two pieces I have in the show "Celebrate" and "Take a BITE out of LIFE!" Here I am with friend, co-worker, curator, and fellow artist Amanda Wright.  Don't forget to stop by the show...it runs through October 28th.

Sweet 'n Salty: New Art--New Show!

"It Runs in the Family" show just ended.  Thank you Michelle for the awesome placement of the Tury Family Portrait (front and center as you enter the gallery) and the wonderful compliment (I love your piece and wanted to showcase it--it's the signature piece of the show). 

 The next show at the Del Ray Artisan Gallery is "Sweet 'n Salty" and runs from October 5-28.  Join me at the opening reception this Friday, October 5th from 7-10 p.m.  The sweet 'n salty theme inspired two new mixed media pieces that I created for this show. "Take a BITE of LIFE" has a carnival theme and features a juicy apple as the main subject.  "Celebrate"is one of my 3-d cakes complete with real candle.  This month I will be celebrating the 6th year in my creative journey.  It was almost 6 years ago that I signed up for my first painting class as an adult.  A birthday gift to myself with the encouragement of my husband Paul.  The first painting I did was of a slice of birthday cake, complete with 3-d frosting.  I have been happily painting ever since!  Thanks Paul!  Time to Celebrate!

New Art: Back to School & Dream Big!

 I was inspired to create "Back to School" by this bittersweet time of year.  Tomorrow my daughters and I all head back to school.  We enjoy school/work, but hate saying goodbye to summer.  In "Back to School," I was able to incorporate bits and pieces of my daughters' homework and my kindergarteners' drawings into my collage.  Wishing everyone a great first day back to school! 

Earlier this summer, I kept having dreams where I would run to the shore to see a whale playfully surfacing in the ocean.  I decided this meant that big creative ideas were about to surface for me!  This dream inspired my new colorful collage "Dream Big!"

 Don't forget to come by Del Ray Artisans this month for the "It Runs in the Family" show!  The Tury Family Portrait will be on display.  The show runs Sept. 7th through 30th, with an opening reception on Sept. 7th from 7-10 p.m.  See you there!

Tury Family Portrait!

We recently completed a fun family art project!  We each created our own mixed-media self-portrait (Cindy Wunsch style...thanks Cindy!) and combined them in a custom frame as a family-portrait.
Our family portrait will be displayed at the Del Ray "It Runs in the Family" Show this September!

More details to come...

CREATE Mixed Media Retreat!

Just got back from the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in NJ!  Had an AWESOME time!  I enjoyed learning new techniques, playing with paint, creating art and making new friends!  I took two full-day workshops: "Storyblock Collage" with artist Jodi Ohl and "The Heart of Art" with artist Cindy Wunsch.  Both instructors were wonderful and their classes were so much fun!  They are both truly talented and amazing women!  I also ran into Jenn Mason, editor of my favorite magazine, "Cloth, Paper, Scissors!" If you are looking for a fun way to make mixed-media come to life, this is it.  I recommend this retreat to artists of all levels.  I hope to go again next year!  I love the new pieces I created: "create joy" and "Queen of heARTs!"  I can't wait to try out these new techniques at home. Thank you to all my CREATE friends!

Attempts at Abstract!

I enjoyed my abstract painting class today with instructor Brenda Belfield.  Though I struggled at times, I had fun playing with paint and texture.  I came away with new friends and two new abstract paintings.  The highlight for me was re-connecting with artist Ginny Moore.  I hope to paint with her again soon.

Full House--Opening Night!

Full house for the Opening Night of "A Tribute to Margaret's Garden!"  Over 100 people showed up to share their stories and enjoy artwork inspired by Margaret's beautiful garden.

A Tribute To Margaret's Garden Show!

 I am honored to be participating in a group show paying tribute to Margaret Thomas and her Garden!  My family has been visiting Margaret's Garden every year since my girls were babies.  We have spent many a magical moment in Margaret's beautiful iris garden--looking for fairies, having picnics, taking photos, painting pictures or simply taking slow strolls through the beautiful blooms.  Margaret and her garden are very near and dear to our hearts.  She will be greatly missed.  Please join us for this special event at the Art Space in Herndon.  The show runs Tuesday, July 10th through Sunday, August 12th with an opening reception Saturday, July 14th from 7-9 p.m.

Art "full" weekend (continued)!

To add to this weekend's artful theme, we went to the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival in Reston!

I visited twice, once by myself on Friday night and again with my family today.  The weather was gorgeous and we had fun looking at all of the beautiful artwork and talking with the artists.  We came home with a few small pieces and lots of inspiration!  One of my favorites was "Live Your Dreams!"

Art "full" weekend!

This week/weekend was full of fun art projects for me and my family!  I experimented with abstract painting.  As you can see, I was drawn to blues, greens, and purples in the first piece.  Next I tried abstract collage.  I used acrylics, paper mache, metal charms, and decorative papers to create "Birdhouse in My Soul!"  This piece is very different from my usual color palette, but I am very happy with the results and hope to do more.  My husband led a family art project in the garage.  We all had fun creating marbleized paper!

Art Opening at Del Ray Artisans!

This weekend I participated in my first gallery show at Del Ray Artisans in Alexandria.

It is the 20th Anniversary Show and it runs until the end of the month. Check their website for details www.thedelrayartisans.org. The best part for me, was that my husband Paul and daughter Autumn also had pieces in the show!!! It was Autumn's first gallery show ever! We had such a fun time meeting the other artists and visitors on opening night -- over 180 people showed up! Gallery sitting on Saturday was another Artful Adventure. We enjoyed our special guest Grandma Tury.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy New Year--Blank Canvas for 2012!

It was an Artful end to 2011:

In November I participated in the Alexandria Art Market with the help of my daughter Zoe.

For my daughter Autumn's birthday, we took her friends on an Art Adventure to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. It is a fun-filled art destination featuring all kinds of cool outsider art from paper plate mandalas to mirrored mosaics--definitely worth the trip! The last time we went, my girls got to drive the giant pink poodle kinetic sculpture named Fifi! In December, we continued our tradition of creating a fun family Christmas card. This year's theme was the grinch. I gave my mom a private class in beeswax collage. For Christmas, I set her up with all the supplies she needs to do beeswax at her beach house. I also had a fun with Leslie, Linda and Mary at Wine & Design in Raleigh, NC! Now here we are in 2012...a blank canvas to fill. I'm not sure what artful things are in store for me this year, but I am looking forward to all the possibilities! Happy New Year!