The Versatile Blogger Award

Several days ago my good friend and very, very talented artist Sonya Johnson received this Versatile Blogger award - most deserved I might add. Check out her Blog! She is a prolific artist and posts regularly. As a recipient, she was asked to list seven random things about herself and then list other blogs to receive this award. She listed me as one of the recipients! Thank you, Sonya. I appreciate it!

Anyway to follow along with the program, here are 7 random (little known facts) about myself:

1. As a little girl, I insisted my mother call me Rapunzel.
2. I was a fairly accomplished figure skater around 4th-6th grades.
3. I got into gymnastics in high school, mainly the uneven parallel bars.
4. My passion for art developed in1973 when I spent a summer in Italy. I took some art and art history classes there, but mostly skipped classes, hitch-hiked around Italy and saw all the awe-inspiring, incredible art and architecture there. I went back to Tulane and changed my major to art history from nursing. (BTW- I would have been a TERRIBLE nurse!!!  It was not my thing!!!)
5. I got in to photography in 1979 after receiving a camera as a Christmas gift from my father.
6. And then came the wax! Encaustic, that is. That was in 2009. My first class was with artist Karon Leigh. Check out her blog.
7. Helen is my first name. I was named after my great-aunt Helen Johnson. But, I've always been called "Liz" from my middle name, Elizabeth.

Ten Bloggers I think are Versatile Bloggers - some friends, some new found friends, via blogging, and some blogs I just like to follow - artists whom I'm not personally acquainted with in-person, or online.  All art blogs that I love. They are listed by order of bloggers with most current post at time of this writing:

1. http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/  Seth Apter is a great artist, blogger, promoter of other artists on his blog and through his publications such as The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets & Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. (I'm included in the book btw:)
2. http://teresanfischer.blogspot.com/  Teresa N. Fischer's contemporary realism still-life paintings are incredible.
   http://lorraineglessner.blogspot.com/  Lorraine Glessner is a a mixed media/fiber & encaustic artist, workshop instructor and adjunct professor of art. A great blog for learning about new (to me, anyway) contemporary artists and their work, and Lorraine's work and workshops. 
3. http://soewnearth.blogspot.com/  Soewn Earth does beautiful "earthy" work. The letters a week project (her Feb. 13 post) she's working on reminded me of my friend, Barbara, who is doing letter blocks now. (Barb doesn't have a blog...I would've included if she did:)
4. http://bgmartjournal.blogspot.com/  Bridgette Guerzon Mills is one of the first encaustic artists whose work I became familiar with and admired/loved (and still do). She makes beautiful journals too!
5. http://jazzgoil.blogspot.com/  Jazzgoil does great art journals/mixed media art. She posted some work she did last year from the book, Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists by Carla Sonheim. This is the book that brought about our weekly Sunday drawing group. A few of us started doing the assignments from this book. We started as a "group" of two, and now are eleven artists strong doing various assignments and explorations in art.
6. http://judywise.blogspot.com/  Judy Wise, just love her art. I've corresponded with her a few times and feel as if I know her...I plan on visiting her blog more frequently and leaving comments.
7. http://acollageaday.blogspot.com/  Randel Plowman - A Collage a Day - almost everyday, anyway. I admire  that dedication!
8. http://www.papermakingresources.blogspot.com/  Catherine Nash is a Tucson-based artist. I recently took a workshop from her on encaustic and the handmade artist book. Catherine is a great, versatile artist/teacher... warm, sincere, and very giving of her time and knowledge.
9. http://susantuttlephotography.com/  Susan Tuttle - my most favorite photographer, what can I say...
10. http://numinositybeads.blogspot.com/  Kim Rogers- Bisbee friend, great mixed-media art and jewelry.

Wow! So many more blogs I love and would like to include! But, I'll stop here and get this posted!!!  I'm running out of words now, too!!! Now, off to my studio...