Gray Sparrow

Key Necklaces

betony — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:38:06 +0000

I have a fun project to share with you today. I made these a couple of years ago around Christmas. It is still one of my favorite projects. I kept one for myself and it is one of my favorite go to necklaces. To get the keys, I called a local locksmith and asked if they had old keys they would be willing to give me. They literally gave me a bucket full. I used the same keys for this project. I also think this would be a great project to do with a house key to an old home you want to hang onto for sentimental reasons. I don’t normally make jewelry, so I had a fun time making these little beauties. I keep old broken necklaces and earrings. All of the beads and other pieces are from reconfigured jewelry. The circle pieces are vintage buttons from my mother. These work well with longer chains. I found some nice antique looking ones at Michaels. All of the metal pieces are attached using epoxy.

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There is Something About the Stars Right Now

betony — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:50:55 +0000

I wanted to share a couple of family posts with you. I love that we all are playing with similar themes right now. (If you haven’t watched my Bear video yet, you should!)

My Sister Katie is working on a series of Zodiac Pieces that you can read about at her Moon House Art blog. She writes about the beauty of the winter sky in Canada – where she lives and creates art with her two sweet little ones.

My Husband and Renee Swick just finished a song called “Epiphany” that is a mix of tidbits of favorite childhood songs about stars done in a beautiful “frailty” style recording. I also love Renees writing about the song over at his blog. (There is also a lovely picture from the Atlas Photo a Day project by Ryan Dougherty)

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Chores!

betony — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:26:22 +0000

I have been needing a little reorganizing/new motivation for cleaning tasks recently. It seems so impossible to get anything done with these two darlings of mine. Most of the time it is 3 steps backwards one step forward (which is not progress!). So, I whipped up this little chart to keep myself and Tim on track. These are really the bare minimun. But, I like the simplicity of it. To download, click this link - Chore Chart_download

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Sewn Valentines Tutorial

betony — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:12:01 +0000

My Valentines for this year are still in the works, but I thought you might enjoy seeing these sewn Valentines I made last year (see that old tank of a sewing machine? It is no more, sigh…). Basically I cut out cardstock hearts, traced them onto fancy paper (scrapbooking paper would work great), and then sewed the two layers together with either fun trim or a ruffled ribbon sandwiched in between using a zig-zag stitch.

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Ashes Poster

betony — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:24:44 +0000

Here is the poster design I came up with for the upcoming Atlas City event, Ashes. I was inspired by shadow puppets. I love how the black and white create such nice contrast.

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February Desktop Wallpaper

betony — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:58:33 +0000

Here is a little freebie for your February computer screen! From me to you…

Click on the image below to view the full sized picture and download from there.

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Color Inspiration

betony — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:13:03 +0000

Here is a little color inspiration for you. I took this photo a couple of days ago out in my studio. My grandmother used to have a shelf in her dining room lined with different colored glass sorted like this. I always loved how beautiful it looked when the light shone though them. I have been collecting various colored bottles from thrift stores so that I could recreate it in my art space. I love how in this photo the light creates such lovely shadows.

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“I Will Guide You Home”

betony — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:56:44 +0000

I Will Guide You Home from Betony Coons on Vimeo.

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If I had an Orchard

betony — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:12:48 +0000

I created this painting a while back, but I never had a chance to share it here. It is called “If I had an Orchard.” It was the piece I was painting right before Harriet Orchard came into the world. We were listening to the Fleet Foxes over and over again on repeat.

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see
And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me

If I had an orchard, I’d work till I’m raw
If I had an orchard, I’d work till I’m sore
And you would wait tables and soon run the store

Growing up on an apple orchard, the song had special resonance for me. It is a beautiful picture of getting our hands dirty and working the soil. I love that this piece will forever remind me of my childhood but also the special time right before Harriet was born.

FYI – I painted on raw canvas and then stitched the entire piece down to a canvas I built.

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Some Artistic Inspiration

betony — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:39:37 +0000

Last week at school was our “eweek” – a special week where teachers choose one subject to teach the entire week. Instead of having multiple classes each day, you just teach one class all week long. It is great because it gives you the opportunity to take field trips and spend longer on projects then you normally could. This year I did a special AP art eweek where we brought in lots of guest artists and did some studio tours. Not only did the kids love it and find it very inspiring, I did too. I feel like I have so many new ideas and perspectives to broaden my art with. I also picked up several great “tips” that I am excited to share with you and start incorporating into my own artwork. Thanks so much Kelly, Amanda, Tony, and Wes for sharing your stories and your art.

Here are some of the ideas/thoughts/inspiration that I have been thinking on this week:

Kelly -

“Be an artist in everything you do – in the little notes that you write, the way your packaging looks, the way you dress – if your business cards look terrible, people notice.”

Idea: Using lots of white on top of old book pages makes the images “pop”

Tony -

“What story are you telling with your artwork?”

Idea = take scrapbooking paper (like the zebra print below), cover it with clear packing tape, and then cut out the shapes to create a reusable stencil (the background of the yellow guy below was done with this technique)

Amanda -

“Use your mistakes”

Idea = Brilliant new ways to do gel medium transfers using squeegees and clear spray paint! (I will post a tutorial soon)

Wes -

“The world does not lack for wonders, only wonder – G.K. Chesterton”

“I evaluate all the artwork I create by asking if it has these 4 things – simplicity, complexity, creativity, and subtlety”

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