Melanie Testa's Blog, page 7

Thanks to You.

David and I raised a collective, $9,191.81.

This has been one heck of a year. You guys have helped me through it in more ways than you know. My world and the love in it has expanded and without measure. I continue to heal, David and I both continue to heal, it is not easy to be a care taker. Thank you for the cards, artwork, hats, letters, thank you for the love.

If you want to donate money and have not yet done so, please do! David's workplace will match all funds up to a specified amount and I would love it if we topped the $10,000.00 mark! Here is David's page and here is mine.

It was an emotional thing to walk. Tears were just under the surface for me, sometimes popping right out. And if you follow me on facebook you will know that I wondered if I could handle wearing the t-shirt that indicates I am a survivor. I wore it, no biggie. The best part was looking straight into a fellow short haired survivors eyes and smiling. Her smile in return was tentative at first, then broad.

It took us 1 hour, 23 minutes and 23 seconds to reach the finish line. If you know me, I was expecting the walk to be more like exercise and less like a saunter. My walking pace is fast, David can't often keep up and needs to remind me to slow down. We sauntered. I kept my eyes peeled and checked the other survivors out. It was fun.

Thank you for supporting us.

Finish is the key word of the day.

I have received a lot of postcards, cards and notes. So many that I have begun to keep them in a propped pile that I can change and sort through each day. I love little tableaux's, altars with magical items, colorful plastic rings, jewelry, coins.

Arrow responds to finger with many a face. He has some great expressions.

Silly little eggs cups of encouragement.

I am working on more hankies and have an exciting one coming through. I will post sometime this soon.

Subtle Hankies

First, I apologize. I want to work more on printing subtle hankies this week but I am again on deadline for another project. More will come with this softer and gentler hankie style.

These are silk hankies and the idea to create a softer and gentler more subtle hankie came from a mess up. Thinking I would need to work with a dye like paint, I tried using Pebeo Setacolor transparent paints to stamp with. It didn't work, the color soaked into the fibers of the silk and splotched.

Not wanting to waste a hankie I quickly painted all four edges of the hankie to create a colored border. Then I took out my opaque acrylic paints and stamped some borders around a few of the hankies.

I want to carve some tiny rose bouquets but it will have to wait until I finish the project on my desk.

I have also been taking photos of the Ever Gorgeous Arrow.

I am embracing the photos Arrow will allow me to take. He doesn't like busy flashes in his eyes, he doesn't like to stop doing what he is up to. He just wants admiration and strokes.

A friend of Arrows' has passed into the Fields of Plenty, safe passage, Nelson.

Destination Creativity

I met Ricë Freeman-Zachery a few years ago at Art Unraveled and I was immediately drawn to her. She can be found sitting in the lobby at retreats stitching on clothing. Much of the clothing she wears is hand dyed, overdyed, stitched and beaded by herself. She has orange hair and is a free spirit. Her husband is as glowing and vibrant as she is and is easy to enjoy a good laugh with.

Ricë's latest book is called Destination Creativity: The Life-Altering Journey of the Art Retreat and it is as raucous, fun filled and amazing as the art retreats that it talks about. This book has features on particular artists, like Carla Sonheim and Jessie Reno as well as some how-to projects (Just go watch Jesse paint). I contributed a little bit too!

Watch this video carefully and you will see me!

If you have always wanted to experience an art retreat, are getting the gumption up to sign up, or if you have been on a retreat and would like to capture the vibe again, go get a copy of this book, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hankie-liscious!

Hankie blanks arrived at Casa Melly this week. I have been anxious to start printing and playing with them.

You can see a bit of a rose that has been popping up in my work in the lower left side of this painting. And the rose was just sitting there, looking pretty and asking me to print it in a multicolored stamp.

So I cut the stamp, mixed the paints and tried it out on scrap. I made slight adjustments to the colors before proceeding. I used to just start printing right on the good stuff and I have learned the hard way that using scrap is a great help.

Then I went for the gusto and printed the stamp on a cotton hankie. This rose stamp measures about 4 inches and I have to say, I love the size! It is incongruous to what you might think of as 'hankie size' and that makes it work for me.

I may do a tutorial later in the month but for now perhaps you might be inspired by this incised stamp making video.

Or perhaps you might like to purchase a back issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors that explains the multicolored stamp making process in detail, Patricia Gaignat taught me all I know about it and she wrote an article to boot!

Tango in the Nighttime.

Ang came to New York yesterday and we had a spectacular day. I would even say it was magical. First off, I love this woman. She is going through a growing spurt and is fulfilling a dream and I admire her for it. She has been a thick and thin friend, I have known her for a long time.

We rambled through the Met and saw a few shows. We talked and looked at things casually. It was great fun.

Then we went to the roof. We weren't taken by the sculpture but the drinks were great and the view?

Then we walked through the park, listened to a man play saxophone.

We sat and talked.

We walked past a group dancing the Tango. We laughed. I could have had a-gizillion-trillion additional hugs, don't worry I will get some soon.

Time to Settle Back In.

Yesterday I visited a friend and went to her studio in Chelsea. Today I post another 'Day in the City' type thing.

10th Ave and 14th? If I were the mama cow, I'd be happy to get flowers.

Peach is the new black, I lurve that color right now. This is a photo taken on the High Line, a gorgeous place to have coffee and draw in the city.

This is an abstract photo of the underside of the Highline. I love the green in the upper right but wish my camera captured the orange in the beige of the wall.

I always wonder, do graffiti artists carry a jug of paint and a brush around? How don't the get caught?

I came home to a photo shoot for the Gap down the mews. Come Christmas time we will see some photos with our building in the background.

They worked till 10 last night but were quite respectful in the noise department.

Ash Throated Flycatcher

This week I got my copy of Living Bird, and whenever a bird magazine comes into the house, I get focused. I tear through the magazine at breakneck speed and find the photograph with 'magic' in it. This time it is an Ash Throated Flycatcher by Brian E. Small (scroll down to the forth foto on his site) to see the exact one. I immediately started drawing the image onto a pine board painting I started last week.

Because I wanted to be able to share the painting and its inspiration on the blog, I emailed Brian to ask permission. He gave it for personal use, so I am covered ethically. I think this is an important point to make here in the mixed media world. Each of us as artists work hard to build a collection of images, paintings, quilts, whatever-we build a portfolio and we need to honor those people whose work we find inspirational, who help us on the journey and give them credit too.

I am having fun with this one, it hasn't totally emerged yet but I am watching it grow.

I haven't read the article related to the photo but the immediate reason I was drawn to this bird: it can adjust it's song to accommodate and sing over industrial noise. As you might imagine, living in a city, next to an aboveground subway that is being repaired, this bird and I have a lot in common.

And because I want to encourage you to join me in Hankie Havoc I am linking to it here. Beside, you might need to buy supplies, (evil grin).

Hankie Havoc!

I never expected to raise this much money for Walk for the Cure! I am amazed and feel honored, thank you.

And um? Yesterday was my last day of active treatment to rid my body of cancer. Take yourself on a date, raise a glass of something special, breath deeply and celebrate in my honor.

I also sent all of my artwork off to the publisher and although I will need to do some work and edits on it, it is one more thing to celebrate.

I know I have been comparatively quiet on this blog for the last few months and for good reason. I have been planning my return to blogging though and wonder if you might like to play along. It will require you to buy stuff, make stuff, upload photos and play with me. (I can hear you groaning!)

I have been daydreaming about designing my own hankies. These last 8 months held a lot of fits, crying jags and restorative crocodile tears. I have, for years, collected antique hankies and have been tucking them into my pockets and backpack to be on the ready, because when you are in treatment to rid your body of cancer you never know when the emotions will pop up. And to have a little square of cloth to worry, tuck, fold and use? Genius.

So. Why not design our own hankies together? We will carve stamps, use stencils, dye lil squares of cloth and maybe even embroider a lil sumthin-sunthin. I wanna have fun doing it and I want to do it with you. Now I am not saying I will blog everyday during the month of September (my energy level is not up to that yet) but lets make it Hankie Havoc Month! At least once a week, k?

You can use cloth you have it home and hem your own squares, or you can buy these or these, carving rubber, cutter thingies, some cool stencils, and some embroidery threads (have you taken my hand dyed thread class or you you own my book, Inspired to Quilt?? And you never know I just might need to break out some crack. I mean fun foam! You will also need fabric paints, dyes or paint like dye. You are in charge of that.

P.S. You don't need to purchase all this stuff, you probably have stuff in your studio already. I am just trying to prepare you to have some fun with me.

September is Hankie Havoc Month!

Raising Money

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and that I have been going through treatments for the last 8 months. I am happy to say that I have also been writing my second book, soaking up the love of my readers, (you, that means you) and living life to the fullest of my ability throughout. It has not been as easy as I may make it appear, it is what it is. Cancer. Chemotherapy. Surgery. Radiation.

So David and I have decided to Walk for the Cure (this link will bring you to my 'page' the the Komen web site). This coming September 18, we will walk 5 kilometers through New York City to bring awareness and to raise money for a good cause. I hope to raise a minimum of 250.00 for Komen for the Cure. I have used their site to educate and inform myself, and I would like to give back.

Please sponsor David and I (this link will bring you directly to a donation page linked to my participation) with as much money as you are able and willing to give. It has been a long few months and my intense treatment is almost at a close, what better way to celebrate than to walk for a great cause?

To sweeten the deal, if you make your donation public, I will draw a name from that hat and send you some Melly Made Swag.

Thank you.

P.S. Here is goes.