6:365:2011

I am not a horrifically politically oriented person, although once upon a time I did participate in a march on White House grounds... and talk before the Senate.

I am not a horrifically religious person... although I am very spiritually oriented, and have a strong belief system.

I am not prone to rants and raves... and yet... something has got to be done. Perhaps it is too late.
I am distressed beyond measure about the bees... the manatees... the fish... the crab... and the massive flocks of birds that have been dying in record number across the world. More so in the past few years.

It could be pollution, HAARP theories, radiation, sonic waves, some kind of weird experimentation or testing... who knows. It may just be as "simple" as man being so egotistical as a species ... that everything else is just running out of room and life by our own greed and consumption.
Who knows.
The point is... it's gotta stop. We must all be motivated to do what we can to limit our degradation of the world. We must take to heart, the re-use... re-purpose... recycle... mindset. To change our way of thinking... to change our way of living... to accomodate ALL living things.


Light a candle... say a prayer... do something pro-active.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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One of the things that I think held me back artistically for a long time... was this preconceived notion I had, that to be an artist you had to specialize in something. ONE thing.

As in... I make jewelry. Or... I carve walking sticks. Or... I am a photographer.

Well... that is not me. Perhaps I have schizophrenic tendencies... but I feel like I wear alot of different hats. I am a photographer. Yes, I also draw. Oh... and I have been making jewelry since 1995. And... well... I have quilted and done embroidery of all kinds since the 70's. Plus.. wait... I have studied herbology and know how to make all kinds of potions and lotions that would make my Irish gypsy ancestors proud (I hope). I believe in recycling and re-purposing items... and incorporate them into all kinds of paper goods, mixed media, collage and more.

So where did that leave me?! Be it good or bad... this notion was also supported by several other artists I knew ... and it sort of re-enforced this idea ... which meant in my little brain... that I must not really be an artist. I was simply someone who liked to do alot of different stuff... but didn't really excel at much of anything.

Well. For those of you who may be reading this and wondering... yes, you can be an artist... and STILL do alot of different kinds of art/ craft.

And so... I bring you... samples of some of my "stuff"...


...jewelry (beading, wire-wrapping, metal fabrication, resin, altered and more)... and prayer beads of all faiths...


... all kinds of recycled paper goods such as envelopes, collage, mixed media, and more...


...making birdhouses, birdfeeders, and carved walking sticks...


...crochet... needlework... and quilting...
OH! ... and I like to take pictures :)


((all photos by Elaine A. Russell -- except the last one... which was taken by BAJ))

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--->photos by Elaine A. Russell


When I was back in PA... I was hard pressed to find time to take my photo for the day sometimes. One afternoon... I had about 15 minutes... and decided to walk up some of the alleyways behind the stores in town. This vintage fusball table, was amongst the rubble in one alley.

I loved it... and tried to take a quick photo or two that I could work on later. Today... I played around a little with them in Picnik... and I like the way they turned out.

I have always been drawn to the used and the discarded... perhaps it is the recylcer in me... or perhaps some weird quirk related to my gypsy heritage... but I love to work with materials that have been cast off. It is invigorating to try and make something out of an object that someone no longer wanted.

I find that as I am going thru my stuff in the garage... that the bulk of it is recycled material.

And it is good.

~~~

Recycle Show: Part 3

The journey home to ABQ from Santa Fe was a joy. The Railrunner is a wonderful experience ...comfy, fun, and with stunning scenery. I have always loved trains. As a kid, the C & PA railroad went thru my hometown... the tracks ran right near my house ... so I got to see it everyday. In fact, my husband's grandfather was a conductor...waving to us kids at lunchtime as the train rolled through...

So-- the photos for today's post hopefully bespeak of the coolness and grandeur that is the Railrunner Station here in ABQ.

"The station reflects the architecture of the Transportation Center’s main building, which itself is reminiscent of the last big heyday of rail travel in Albuquerque. In the early 1900’s, the Alvarado Hotel, a showpiece in its day, stood right where the Transportation Center stands today. The Alvarado served as the hub of the main mode of transportation in the era – the passenger train. Today, the Alvarado Transportation Center is at the crossroads of some dramatic downtown redevelopment, ushering in a new system of passenger rail service." (http://www.nmrailrunner.com/albuquerque.asp)

coming back into ABQ

part of the old Alvarado Station section

the front facade

... and one of the archways.... looking towards a NM sunset....

* all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Recycle Show -- Part 2

a portion of a mixed media work by Leighanna Light

jewelry by Darlene Fortier

Silverware Creations by "The Cat and the Fiddle"

I fell in love with these ... paintings by a co-op group called "Humble Works"

fantastical works by S. D. Meadows

Jewelry art by Kristin Deiner



The show was incredible. I can hardly stand it. So many things to look at.. so many things to be inspired by. And so many artists not represented here :( , as recorded by my trusty little camera.

But there will be other shows, and other chances....

And in the meantime... go make something !

**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Recycle Show -- Part 1

So-- I am going to try to show you some of the deliciousness that was the Annual Santa Fe Recycle Show, which was last weekend.

When I started making art from recycled materials about 15yrs ago... I thought I was a freak of nature. And frankly, so did a lot of my friends (artsy ones included). I persevered anyway... cuz that's the way I am. I made birdhouses, bird feeders, carved walking sticks with embellishments, collaged objects and pieces on wood, mixed media pieces, jewelry from found objects and re-purposed items, and recycled paper envelopes. But I still figured I was out of the loop in the art world.... until I went to this show.

Walking into this show was like finding OZ....... No need to click my heels... I was home.

This lady made fashion bags, totes and wallets from recycled plastic bags, vinyl pieces and more.

Lane Patterson's lamps... made from recycled parts, tin cans, metal pieces.....

Bates Wilson.... art from recycled car and motorcycle parts, signs.. etc

paper mache and paper art... not sure who made them... but I love them....

These night lights and incandescent lights are made from pieces of slag glass. They were brought by a husband-wife team.. and the wife also made jewelry from wire-wrapping broken glass shards into lovely necklaces and earrings.

just a snippet of the stash from Laura E. Stanziola....a wonderful artist's resource for all kinds of recycled materials....

More tomorrow !!
and see even more at http://www.recyclesantafe.org/

**all photos by Elaine A. Russell

craftiness

------------------photos by Elaine A. Russell

so... I don't know if you know this about me... but I do a little bit of everything when it comes to crafts. I can crochet, sew, do needlework, collage, woodworking, wood carving, sketching, quilting, pressing flowers, assemblage, tile mosaics, ... whatever. None of it extremely well, mind you. Just well enough to have fun with it and make things on occasion.

Lately, I have been on a quest of sorts to use up alot of the stuff I have lying about. First of all... to (hopefully) make some money... but also for the shear benefit of using up stuff and cleaning out. I love working with materials that have been recycled... in fact, that seems to be the running thread throughout most all of my work.

I have alot of magazines. I mean ALOT. Like a 48 gallon tub full of vintage National Geographic magazines, etc. Now.. I love collage. And I do quite a bit of collage. But you can only use so much before it begins to take over the house.

The past couple of days, I have been taking some of the more interesting magazines and making envelopes. I have made envelopes from a wonderful FRENCH photography magazine, envelopes from an awesome JAPANESE model/ animation magazine, a whole bunch of envelopes from a quilting magazine, and a whole bunch of envelopes from vintage 1960's photo magazines.

The photo above is a sample of some of the Japanese envelopes.