Recent shows and awards!

Hello everyone! Its been a busy winter season for me so far , have been shown in 2 artshows in Dec ,which are still up if you want to go check it out!

First was a Juried group show theme of memory /dreams called "DeJaVu" which opened ealrier this month at the Off The Wall Gallery. Which is housed inside a local bar - Dirty Franks located at 13th and pine st.
My painting "Remnants" (shown right) was the first to be sold in the show and won the Top Honor - "Mary-Rowe memorial Master's Award" It was a very exciting night for me. I felt so appreciated and special! I was literally beaming!!!
Left is the postcard with the names of all the artists who participated.(note the detail of "Remnants")

Also have work on dislay at the annual members show at the Main Line Art Center located in Bryn Mawr, PA. A local art center I belong to, where I sometime do my pottery and show work occasionally, it's conviently located only a few blocks from where I live so I can roll out of bed and go throw some clay which is nice. I love wheel throwing I find it very relaxing and fun!

The members show will be up until Jan 15th - for more info-go to : http://www.mainlineart.org/event_detail.php?id=65

Upcoming shows include Textile FIber art show in NYC, in Jan, and the beginning of "Fun-a-day" projects- I will be creating one art piece for the entire month of jan, and opening will be be somtime in Feb, this will be 3 year in a row participating.

more details to follow

Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) !!!!

I am very excited to announce a new addition to the energy work I will be doing.
IET- Integrated Energy Therapy- very powerful, high frequency healing that has extreme results
The focus of this energy healing process is on "letting go" - getting to the root of emotional baggage and getting rid of it so it no longer weighs you down! As a result the receiver feels lighter and more free after a session. The energy keeps on working and making changes for weeks after the actual session! I definitely recommend this for anyone who is SERIOUS about making some major life changes and wanting more out of their life! words are not enough to describe the intense wonderful energy that this modality has to offer! Give yourself the gift of healing and give IET a try! One session is enough to knock your socks OFF!!!!

Expressive Energy Healing -- What is that??

SO, What is Expressive Energy healing?

Expressive = art therapy
Energy = Reiki

Simply put, I am combining the practice of Art Therapy with Reiki energy healing work. The two systems compliment each other VERY well. First of all, Reiki is a very visual experience to those receiving it, most often the person receiving a reiki treatment drifts off into a dream-like state during which they are deeply relaxed. In this state the mind wanders and they see and experience variety of images , memories, colors, etc. Each person's experience is completely different and unique. Being able to express and rely this intense and unique healing experience and put it into/ manifest it in some form will work to make it more integrated, more powerful.

As far back as when C.G. Jung was alive and practicing psychology he utilized art to assist his clients in expressing most fully what they experienced in their dreams. Since dreams are sensory, visual experiences it is best captured not by using words to describe but images of course. His patients created magificant drawings that capture intense symbolism and deep psychological themes that Jung then used to study and write about throughout his lifetime.

I combining the use of art therapy with Reiki, it is my strong belief that the two modalities will be strengthen by the other. Art taps into the unconscious and helps bring about insights and clarifies situations, bringing about personal growth and wholeness. Reiki taps into the person's own energy helping restore balance and remove any blockages that are hindering growth and healing, including any emotional, spiritual and physical things. Both are powerful tools to be used for healing.

For more information and If interested in trying Expressive Energy Healing, please visit my website : http://katjohnston.yolasite.com/

Mail art series - 4 weeks!

I signed up to participate in a 4 week long Mail-art exchange through artclash (same group who I did the "fun-a-day" show with)

I really enjoyed making these small collages and sharing them with others. I only wish that people who received them acknowledged in some way that they got it, and that they liked it. In each packaged I mailed out I included my info, website and email for them to be in touch with me along with a friendly note. But not 1 out of 4 people responded which was definitely a bit of a disappointment for me. I still enjoyed doing this mail- exchange, if anything it taught me a thing or two in the art of letting go--- I often have difficulty seeing my work walk off in someone elses hands. I'm growing as an artist- by able to be more excited about seeing it being sold and enjoyed by someone else, rather then hording it all for myself.

Week 1: went to a lucky lady in Santa Cruz, CA




Week 2: went to a lucky gent in Philadelphia, PA




Week 3 : went to a lucky lady in Bloomington, IN




Week 4: went to a lucky lady in Philadelphia, PA

New recent work- artist made album!

Here's the latest newest addition to the wedding album collection! Summer colors, themes of nature, growth, beauty!


back view

Wedding Wire

Review Artist Made Albums at WeddingWire

Working on new artwork

Been busy working on new artwork, in addition to selling some at the "outdoor" art sale. It was so much fun, I decided to do it twice already and will probably do it throughout the summer!
Heres some mini-canvas mixed media I did last weekend- they are all 4" by 4" I can paint while I have everything set up outside, work on new stuff while doing to art sale. It's the BEST!!! that is as long as the weather cooperates!

An ART garage sale !!!

This weekend I decided to host an art garage sale, right in my back yard!
I put up tons of my paintings, collages, felts up on display as well as pottery, knit bags, etc.
I'm very excited to sell some work !! Plus I think having garage sales are FUN!
It's been a long time since I did one, (like I'm talking 15 yrs or so)
It suppose to be a gorgous weekend too! Lots of sun!

Wish me luck!!! :)

Spring time is HERE!!

Inspired by the recent uplifting change of weather, I have created a"Spring time" wedding album-- with birds, eggs, and of course brides!!!

Check out the lastest recent work on http://www.artistmadealbums.com/recentwork.html

Book binding is fun!

I did some book binding back when I was undergrad, taking all different art studio classes. In fact, fibers was one of my favorite courses while earning my Fine Arts degree. Thats when I learned how to hand felt things, and make handmade paper, and some book binding. (oh, man that was over 13 years ago!!!! ) Doesnt feel that long ago.

Now I have my own business, designing and hand making all my own books for the wedding photo albums featured in http://artistmadealbums.com/ and I really enjoy making them. There are many different stages to making a book, the first part is cutting the book board, measuring is extremely important so that everything lines up right. If the parts and pieces don't fit together, then you can't make the book. After measuring and cutting everything, you piece it together using linen tape, next you drill the hole where the screw posts go on both the front and back sides of the book. Next measure and cut the book cloth to cover the board, this not only gives it the main color and texture but makes it more endurable. Glue the book cloth down, and make sure everything lines up right. Lastly measure and glue your choice of decorative paper on the inside cover of front and back. And you are done!!!!

The thing I like the most about the screw post way of book binding, is that you can take it apart, by undoing the screws if you need to add more pages to the photo album. I think this is extremely valuable since alot of times you can always find more pictures to include, that way your album can continue growing and evolving!

Pottery and such...

Just got back from the pottery open studio, I wish they had more hours, this time they cut back to like only 3 days a week and they are all back to back, Tues, Wed, Thrusday, which is kind of unhelpful if you have projects that need to dry or you don't want to get too dry. If they are too dry then you can't trim them and you're screwed. Timing is a very large part of pottery and with such inflexible hours, it makes it very annoying and extremely challenging.

So today for example, I had plates that I made thrown on the wheel, four of them from my class on monday and two from last week that we're drying... well, the two I had thrown last week were too wet to trim on Monday (in class) but TOO dry today!! urghhh... I trimmed them the best I could. Then I'm faced with the dimlemna of do I trim the ones from Monday -today or wait till next Monday (since there's no open studio b/w today and MOnday) so those are my only options, luckly almost all of the plates were ready to be trimmed except for one-- I just waited till the last min for the wet plate and carefully trimmed it up anyways.

I am trying to make a set of plates to replace ones that my boyfriend still has , and that we both use all the time , that were from his previous marriage , that he got as wedding presents. I don't have much against them except for the association of his former life and they aren't much to look at... brown with dark blue flowers painted on in the middle. I know I can do MUCH better then that! AND how cool will it be to eat off my very own plates EVERYday!!! SO much fun!!

I will post some pictures of the plates when I get done with them. Plates are very tricky, because there are some many steps and stages where things can go wrong, and I have broken and/or had cracks happen right up to the very last final stages. As it stands right now I have 6 that are trimmed up and drying, hopefully they will all survive .. [fingers crossed]

New work to check out!!

This is my lastest update to recent work!!!

I've added more photos to recent work on Artist made albums. Check out this very unique photo album, with original mixed media collage artwork on the front and back of it. Each photo album is custom made with YOU in mind! Once you send me your info, email and best time to reach you, your free consultation will help me get an idea of the size, color of your album as well as some themes for the artwork that you'd like included, or maybe you want me to just create something for you and be surprised!!! I feel that you are well deserving of something as unique and as special as you for your wedding day photos! After all that time and energy spent into making the wedding perfect and exactly how you want it down to the very last detail, why not get the perfect wedding album to show off those photos of your wedding pictures to your friends and family! No one album is the same, no replications, each one is original, handcrafted and completely one of a kind!

http://www.artistmadealbums.com/

ARTIST made ALBUMS

Hello everyone! check out this website, featuring my line of customized wedding albums, I use mixed media /collage to create a one-of-a-kind work of art on the cover of a beautiful album to display all your wedding day photos- why use a pre-fabricated, boring album when you could have you very own original artwork created in the form of a functional photo book!! I work with you to come up with the colors and themes you want in your artwork to go along with the feel you want to display your wedding pictures! What could be more perfect!?

Take a look! http://www.artistmadealbums.com/

hey, hey, its your birthday

It's my birthday today, I am 31 years old. Don't feel 31 at all, but what is 31 suppose to feel like? I imagined when I was a kid that 31 was a grown-up, you'd feel like you knew what life was about, you'd have a serious job, lots of responsiblities, married, kids, a house. I have none of things, not right now at least. 31 is nothing like what I thought it would be. And thats a good thing, because I'm making it up as I go along!

Birthdays are a time of reflection for me, I compare, look back, where was I a year ago today, how much has changed, how do I feel about it. my life so far. Its a natural checking in point, I've done this for a while, its not anything new I started as I got "older". I think I always have. Even as a kid I was very aware of myself, of life and of time passing.

Time is a funny thing, it doesn't seem to have any laws that govern it, it makes up it's own rules. Sometimes it feels like it passes by really quickly and at the same time like it's standing still. Music can transport me back to a very real, relived moment in time. Almost errie, how instant this happens, and the longer ago the music was from the more intense the effects it has. Once the music is embedded in a moment of time, it can not be reassigned. For example, Rainer Maria as soon as I put that cd on, it transports me back to my early twenties, got tormented and angry I was, how raw I felt my emotions, and memories of me blasting it in my pea-green bedroom -wishing I had had better parents. I see myself then, smile, and it's hard to even imagine that was me, the same person that's here now. How much we grow and evolve and change. Not all, not everyone grows and changes with time, it's not to be assumed or taken for granted. I worked hard to come as far as I have, a driving force still at work in me to never settle for less, to always strive to become better, stronger, happier, and be a force of change rather then letting life just happen,,, because we only have one life to live.

Unlike how I thought as a child, that when you get to be 30 something, you just have a grown-up life, I realize, we don't just know things or have things because we are a certain age, its a conscious effort, nothing is handed to us, we have to go out there and get it. Life is what you make it. We have complete and total say over what are life is and how it is turning out. Thats a wonderful and frightening thing! Means we have no one to blame and everything to gain!

New projects underway!

I have been working on a new line of products.............. NEW and UNIQUE handmade collaged customized wedding albums!!

It was an idea I had about a month ago and now we are making it a reality! I am very excited to get started!

Here are some photos of the first album I have designed so far!

It measures 12" by 12" with black pages.

Photos from the opening 2/13/2010

Here are some photos of the "fun-a-day" opening!

I had a table set up with the I-Ching book, descriptions of the symbols, the coins and scrap paper so that everyone at the show could try asking the I-Ching a questions. Alot of people were very interested in how it worked.

"Fun-a-day" art opening by Artclash coming this Friday

I am very excited and pleased to be a part of this year's Artclash's Fun-a-day show 2010!!!

This is the event where artist's create one piece per day for the whole month of Jan. It's such a great way to start off the new year on a creative foot!

I have posted some info/ pics of my projects for this year, the I-Ching feltings, and am very excited to be presenting them to the public for the first time this upcoming Friday!

If you can make it out, it's going to be a great show! Over a 100 artists! Very creative, unique things! Its Friday 12th 7pm-11pm, and Sat Jan 13th 7pm- 11pm. For more details check out:

http://www.studio34yoga.com/2010/01/art-fun-a-day-212-213/

"Putting it all together" Art opening 2010- NYC

Here are some pictures from the opening, there were 156 artists involved internationally, and over 100 people who attended the opening. Great show, lots of amazing work!

Ihad 3 pieces in the show- "ambivalence" "perched" and "chemistry"

Biggest snow storm EVER!

So the morning of my art show in NYC, (Saturday) We have a record breaking storm of the century- like 26 inches of snow, we're advised not to leave our houses, major declares Philadelphia in a state of emergency- due to the insane amount of snow! But I am determined- I have to get to the opening, I have been looking forward to it for weeks now! I can't believe out of all days, why this has to happen?!

We waited, watched the new reports on what the conditions of the roads were. I called the gallery and apparently for the first time in history despite the fact that Philadelphia got 2 feet, NYC has like nothing ( a few inches) so they are definitely still having the show.

I get dressed, ready to go and decide I'm going to check on the condition of the car, how badly it's buried in snow. I am already wearing my outfit for the show ( a dress and stockings) as I dig out the car. I'm sure all the neighbors thought I was crazy being out there shoveling snow in stockings!

Finally we get on the road, the hardest part was getting out of the drive way and onto the main roads. But once we reached the highway, it was pretty smooth sailing, the farther away from Philly we got the better the conditions. Once we arrived in NYC, I had almost completely forgotten how insane it was when we left, it seemed like a different day altogether that we had been in that crazy storm. I'm just glad we made it, I was very determined and I was glad that I had a dedicated man (my biggest number one fan) by my side to help me get there safely! I hate driving at night and especially in the snow, so he drove the whole way and the whole way back!