"Art Is...You" Art Retreats *SALE*

If you've been undecided as to whether or not to attend this most amazing art retreat, here is a little push to help you choose to join in the fun.

Art Is...You: Your Mixed Media Art Retreats are amazing gatherings of talented artists and the most wonderful and welcoming people. While at the retreat you will be filled with art, fellowship, laughter & joy and you'll leave with an over-abundance of inspiration.

I am thrilled to be teaching at the Stamford, CT retreat again this year and really hope that I get to meet some of my blog readers. If you have been searching for an east coast art retreat, look no further. This is where you belong. If you come to Art Is...You alone, you will leave with more friends than you can count.

I hope you'll join the Art Is...You family and I'll see you in Stamford!

Image © Visually Speaking

Illustration Friday ~ LONELY

And when all three have flown from the nest, I daresay, I'll be one LONELY girl.

To see the myriad of takes on the prompt, hop on over to Illustration Friday and check out all of the marvelous artwork there is to see.

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ CARRY

Let the dreams in your heart CARRY you away.

"My heart sailed with open wings."

To see the myriad of takes on the prompt, hop on over to Illustration Friday and check out all of the marvelous artwork there is to see.

This 8" x 10" collage is available in my Etsy shop.

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ LOST

"I have wandered in different countries throughout the world"...and have never once been LOST.

This artwork hails from the archives circa 2007. I haven't given out fairy wings or dunce caps in a good long while, but it's fun to look back on little cuties such as this fellow.

To see the myriad of takes on the prompt, hop on over to Illustration Friday and check out all of the marvelous artwork there is to see.

© Nancy Lefko

Buried Treasure

I've signed on to join with Seth Apter in his "Buried Treasure" project where participants re-post hidden gems from their blogs that may have been missed, or forgotten, over the years.

The following post dates from June 13, 2009 and documents the culmination of an artful journey I made with seven other artists, who all met on a mixed media Etsy forum, and decided to create a group canvas. The traveling canvas made its way to eight states and received a signature component from each artist.

This project was more than an artful experiment for me, it was the beginning of friendships that grew ever stronger over the years. Granted, there are some members of the "sisterhood" whom I connect with infrequently, and some not at all, but many with whom I enjoy online chats regularly, among them my very close friend Pam Carriker (who was the brains behind this original idea :)

Sadly, all eight sisters never did collaborate again; but on a high note, three of the sisters met in real life at last year's Art Is...You Retreat in CT and this coming October FOUR will meet there! Also, the canvas and journal were ultimately auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting breast cancer research. A worthwhile ending to a wonderful project.

I hope you enjoy this post I've "dug up" from the past and make it a point to visit the other "buried treasure" via Seth's blog.

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This month's highly anticipated issue of Somerset Studio arrived in the mail today. It features a collaborative article entitled, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Canvas," which documents the journey of an art canvas that traveled our great land and was given artistic life by eight talented artists. It was my great joy to be among this group of artists, who began the journey as online acquaintances and completed it as close friends.



In addition to working on the canvas, each artist also created a journal page (front and back) to be bound in a journal documenting our sisterhood. The journal covers were made from scanned images of the canvas and embellished in a fanciful manner.


This project, having spanned many months, was such a joy and to see its culmination in print is so rewarding. I am bursting with pride on behalf of my "sisters" and look forward to collaborating again.



© Glenda Bailey, Pam Carriker, Kim Geiser, Denise Hayden, Nancy Lefko, Kathy Maximo, Alisa Nordholt-Dean, Jodi Ohl.

The Sketchbook Challenge ~ CIRCLES

The Sketchbook Challenge theme for July is CIRCLES.

I grabbed a little bit of time to work in my art journal where I'd already created a bit of background a while ago by "cleaning off" excess paint from my brayer. Tonight I added some design elements with pigment from Inktense blocks activated into rivulets and printed circles. The sentiment reads, "sometimes she dreamt of soaring in circles above the clouds."

If you need a little push to get yourself creating...then the Sketchbook Challenge is just for you!

© Nancy Lefko

Illustration Friday ~ SUSPEND

We hereby SUSPEND all rules...let the fun commence!

To see the myriad of takes on the prompt, hop on over to Illustration Friday and check out all of the marvelous artwork there is to see.

© Nancy Lefko

My Art Swaps Are Done!

Art Is...You: Your Mixed Media Art Retreats is hosting an art swap and the the theme is "WEIRD, WILD, WONDERFUL." Everyone, whether or not you are attending the East or West coast retreat, is welcome to join.

Send in six equally beautiful 4"x6” pages and get back five stunning pages from other participating artists. The sixth page will be retained for two reasons. First, it will be photographed and displayed online with your name/blog/website and then it will be included as a page in one of two beautiful handmade books that will be raffled off for charity.

It's a WIN-WIN...so what are you waiting for?

Entries must be submitted by July 30, 2012. See the website for details .

© Nancy Lefko