Who is creative lenna?
Lenna Young Andrews describes herself as a passionate and creative mixed-media artist and instructor. Lenna lives in Florida with her husband Steven Deming and their two dogs, Asia & Chloe. In 2009, Steve and Lenna moved 1500 miles from Avon, Connecticut to Bradenton, Florida. They both have come to love living in Florida!
Lenna Andrews loves being creative and teaching mixed media art, online or in-person. She enjoys sharing her process of creating; current artwork can be found on the her blog. Lenna also hosts creative art swaps where she organizes the exchange of art created by participants from all over the world. You can view this wonderful art or join in creative swaps here. Participating is fun, plus the shared creativity is contagious!
View a video that showcases one of Lenna's creative swaps:
View a video montage of lenna's art and photographs
created with Animoto.
This is Lenna Andrews' original website, which was developed by her son Decklin Foster in 1996, when he was just 14 years old. In 1996 the internet, email, websites and let's face it, even Decklin were just babes! The Creative Lenna website has changed over the years and now Lenna keeps it updated herself. On this website you'll find an archive of Lenna's art:
-
fabric art
-
collage
-
altered book pages
-
fabric books
-
ATCs
-
fabric stamping
-
rubber stamp art
-
published pieces
To view her current art/writing/instructions, visit any of the "other places to find Lenna Online" links in the sidebar >>>
A Little Creative Space is an additional website Lenna developed for her online teaching. There are free tutorials on fabric stamping, making small fabric quilties and more. This site holds Lenna's on-line workshops that are available for purchase. You'll find these workshops published as PDF files; easy to download and work at your own pace.
The about Lenna page is where to go to learn more about Lenna Andrews' family, plus her art & dance background. Lenna's great uncle is American artist William Glackens. Find Glackens's art in many major museums and collections. In 1892, Glackens was an influential illustrator reporter for the Philadelphia Press. In the early 1900's he was an important American Impressionist painter. Glackens was part of a group of artists called The Eight who were associated with the important 'Ashcan' realist movement in the early 20th Century. Lenna Young Andrews is very happy to be named after William's daughter, Lenna.
A note from Lenna:
My husband and I have been married since 2005, a second marriage for both of us. We are sometimes asked why we have different last names. I would have gladly taken his surname when we got married but Steven had other ideas . . . He insisted that I keep my maiden name! If you are curious about our story visit this page. For 17 years he worked with computers as the senior technical consultant and systems architect for the company Innovative Computer Systems (ICS) in Farmington, Connecticut. He left this job at the end of 2009 to move to Florida with me, as my dad had cancer. Even though making such a big move was a huge decision, Steven says it was the best thing he's ever done . . . . well, besides marrying me, of course!
I love doing art collaborations with Steven: view one here. It's a round wooden table top we created together in late 2010. Steven made the table top himself and then I stamped it with real leaves. We have collaborated on another table since then. In 2012 Steven hand built a smaller coffee table for us and this time I stamped it with foam stamps shaped like leaves.
Steven is also an artist but does not readily admit it. Just check out his award winning graphite drawings and funny cartoons. Together we've done collaborative paintings. On a smaller scale below is an ATC Steven and I worked on together, a "Jam" ATC, completed in March, 2010. On the left is how the ATC looked when it arrived from Misti Ko, the originator. The ATC on the right has the addition of a drawing of a bird that Steven added. I just love his style of drawing!
Below: I finished the ATC by adding color and rubber stamping -click on any picture for more detail:
One Christmas Steven made two beautiful etched wine glasses for me. He is also a caroonist and made a funny card for my birthday one year. It features a very funny cartoon of the 2 cats we had at the time, Star & Farfel.
Since moving to Florida, Steven spends his days restoring old boats, making paddles, working with my father's treasured collection of hardwoods and putting Dad's tools to good use. Steve learned many skills from my dad during the time we spent with him here. View one of the amazing projects they did together in 2010 - a sailboat rebuild. My father built nine beautiful, brightly finished beautiful wooden strip boats over the years and many gorgeous pieces of furniture, including a fabulous dining room table. Sadly, my dad passed away on October 1, 2011 from colon cancer, metastasis to his liver. He is dearly missed. I've put together a photo montage remembering my dad here.
Steven and my Dad, March of 2010 after they finished restoring Windancer: a 15.3' Melonseed sailboat my dad built in 1995.
Steven, sailing that very same melonseed after they restored it below, at the Cortez, FL Traditional Small Craft Festival Race. Bob Semler took a photograph of Steven sailing in 2010 and painted it! This painting became the cover of the Ash Breeze, Summer 2012 issue. Click on the cover below for more details. It was quite a surprise for us to find Steve on the cover!
Contact Steve and Lenna via this email with any questions or comments you have. Thank you!
What you'll find on this website:
The
Photo
Gallery is where you can view ATCs, altered books, collage pieces, mixed
media art, and fabric art.
Look on the right hand side for links to specific pages. Lenna has made a page for her husband Steven to showcase his talent. << Drawing by Steven Deming: click for details
Photos celebrating the June of 2005 wedding of Steve and Lenna are also in the Photo Gallery. View the happy occasion and take a peek at all the art sent from family and on-line friends from around the world that was incorporated into their wedding.
Lenna made her wedding dress, stamped it and then stamped the back of Steven's vest at his request!
Family photos including a photo diary on how Lenna's father created a wooden strip boat are found in the Photo gallery too. Lenna's mom claims that Lenna has received all her creative talents from her dad (smile) but her mom is creative too!
The
collaborative
art page is where
you'll
find paintings done together
by Steve & Lenna. Here's Steve standing with one of those paintings. This
photo
was taken in 2007 at the
West Hartford Art League's
Juried Art Show. Steven & Lenna love this painting and both agree it was
a thrill to get into a juried art show with their piece.
ART SWAPS and
Exchanges: This page shares swap related
art from 2007 and prior. This is where you can view the results of completed
swaps Lenna hosted and the wonderful participant art. You'll find inspiration
from Lenna's art and the
art of many other creative and talented artists!
The creative lenna website is mainly an archive kept for it's history and inpiration. For current artwork, please visit lenna's blog or her flickr photo account (link below).
Visit my gallery of custom-made U.S. Postage Stamps designed from art or photographs by Lenna & Steve.
These postage stamp designs are produced through Zazzle.com. Personalize by changing the text or create your own items from your art. Custom postage stamps are truly wonderful for Mail Art.
make custom gifts at
Zazzle
Here are some of our favorite photos
from
Wolfe Island in Ontario, CANADA.
We plan to visit again in August 2012!
"Art when really understood is the province of
every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything, well. It
is not an outside, extra thing. When the artist is alive in any person, whatever
his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring,
self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs,
upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for better understanding."
Robert Henri, The Art Spirit (1923)
My great uncle,
William Glackens
was a protégé of Robert Henri
and shared a studio with him in 1894. I especially admire
Mr. Henri
as an artist and a teacher after reading more about him.
Check out my
favorite quotes page!
* * *
We were
"pirates for a day"
8/20/11 - click on the link for more photos : ) Thank you
for visiting!
Steven
and I send our very best wishes to you
and we appreciate your visit to
this website
which originally began in 1996
. . .
last updated January 7, 2013
by lenna young andrews
* * * Back to the
TOP of the page
Steven's grandmother was
born on this island! His family still owns the farmhouse she was born in and
the surrounding cottages, located on the banks of St. Lawrence
River across from Kingston, Ontario. Wolfe Island is the largest of all the Thousand Islands
but so very beautiful and peaceful.
To the right is a
photo of Steven motoring the sailboat
he named 'Nimda' after a computer virus (!) around the island.
Kingston, Ontario is in the distance. Click on the photo for a better look; we
sold this boat in 2009.
Below, I'm walking with Asia on Wolfe
Island. This rural, farming island is so very beautiful and I am extremely happy Steven
introduced me to it!
More photos of beautiful Wolfe Island, Canada are
found
here
and
here in 2009 -which was our last visit since we moved to Florida.
















_small.jpg)