Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

I had the awesome pleasure of visiting Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art this summer.  This Museum is located in Bentonville, Arkansas in the northwest part of the state.  The collection spans five centuries of American Art!

If you haven't been here yet, you must go!!!
As the sign says "YOU BELONG HERE."

The architecture of the building is amazing, designed by Moshe Safdie, and filled with layers and textures and yumminess, oh, my!

The inside and outside are filled with such wonderful finds, 

you won't believe that they are in the middle of the nation!  

Artful patios, walking trails, sprawling lawns, and beautiful gardens surround the building, making for an all-encompassing art experience!

You will also find a gathering space, an amazing restaurant, named Eleven, perfect for enjoying a full day of fun and a great view!

These are just two of my favorite art pieces in the recent exhibit.  Above, a Mary Cassatt piece, 1877, and below a piece by Will Barnet, 1965, showing one of my beloved pastimes!

Dina-fying it

I had the fortunate opportunity to take a class from the very talented artist
Dina Wakley this summer at My Heart's Fancy in Edmond, Oklahoma.

We learned so many techniques, my head was 
spinning after just a few hours of playing...

...stenciling... masking... portrait drawing...paint dripping...

...using Dina's face stamps...reverse masking...adding dresses and words...

...layering stencils and images, adding white for that extra finish...

...stamping on tags, scribble writing in white...

...more masking...stenciling...stamping using recycled circles...borders...

...texture stamping...positive space stencil masking...

...layers...layers...layers...

...using baby wipes to pull off color or to spread it around...

...collaging with thin stenciled papers...

.... pasteling and then collaging with Tim Holtz Found Relatives cards...
...stamping in a line to lead the eye...

...washi tape awesomeness...

These are just a few of the techniques we learned.

  I also used her book to find even more brilliant ideas for art journaling!

I would highly recommend this book and Dina's workshops too!