Tuesday, March 31, 2009

WIP 8 x 24 Landscape


This painting has not gone the way I envisioned it almost from the start. I thought I had a clear vision for what I want to produce, but there seems to have been some type of disconnect.
I'm leaving this open to your comments. I'm feeling a bit blind right now and some fresh eyes on the piece might help. Thanks!

GPP Crusade No. 29 Brushstrokes: Take 5





A recent post published by Brandie at Little Pieces of Art inspired me to make my own "paste paper". Please check out her gorgeous artwork and instructions here. This is not the typical method that I've read about in the past. I just mixed acrylic paint into light acrylic molding paste. Then I lay textured objects under paper, spread the paste and voila! These samples were done in a journal I'm building on the theme of "Hope".
I will be adding to these pages and will post the results after completion.

Monday, March 23, 2009

GPP Crusade No. 29 Brush Strokes: Take 4

As promised, following is some of the progression of a piece I introduced you to here.




GPP Crusade No. 29 - Brush Strokes: Take 3

Another update to brush stroke play that I did in early March:



This post is brief, but if you have questions, please ask in a comment. I hope to get another post up in the next few days.

GPP Crusade No. 29, Brush Effects Take 2

This is an update to this post.



If you are not familiar with the Green Pepper Press Crusades, this post shows just a bit of my participation in this month's challenge. It was done a couple weeks ago. In the previous post, I showed the purple circles right after I added them to the rice paper. I was inspired by other participants to use a chip brush. Then I added a twist by brushing the diluted paint onto wax paper. I took the painted waxed paper and laid it onto the painted rice paper. I would never have made the same type of brush marks on the rice paper if I had worked directly.
I hope to carve out a bit of time this week to update you on the other brush exercises I did in early March. The past couple of weeks I've spent a lot of time cutting mat, mounting and framing artwork. The group I paint with hung a show at the Somerset Gallery in Ames this past week. I delivered new works to Swinging Bridge Studio in Story City on Friday. I hope to complete at least one more work for my solo exhibit that will be held during May at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa.
As for my very last post. Nothing new to report on that project. I hope to get some painting done this week!

Friday, March 13, 2009

WIP and Book Give Away

Yesterday I read a sweet story and was inspired by a quote in it. Last night I started this piece based on that inspiration. I'll reveal more when it's complete. I'm posting this much now because my technique is based on one I learned in Susan Tuttle's book, Exhibition 36. You can buy it here.It's a wonderful book because it has a great balance of inspiration plus detailed instructions. That's my favorite kind of book. Be sure to visit Susan's blog so see how you can enter the GIVE AWAY.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Bargain Texture Tools

A trip to the local variety store, Samuel's Ben Franklin, produced these treasures for very little $$$. The shop is having an anniversary sale so EVERY item in the store is on sale.
If you follow my blog, then you know about my recent obsession with circles. This scrubber brush caught my eye because of the potential I saw for texturing and stamping. It cost 80 cents.
This is a close up of a plastic sink mat. I saw a thick stencil. Another 80 cents. I have already used this one for the GPP Crusade and hope to post on that tomorrow.
The big yellow thing under these is a thick foam bulletin board that is very textured. It was $2.50. I think I will cut it up for stamping because it's just too big for my normal pieces. I cut the sink mat down to a manageable size, too.

I'm always saving things{junk}to use for texture. Don't snicker. I know some of you do, too. Does ANYONE have any great ideas for keeping all this stuff organized?



Monday, March 9, 2009

Blog Award & Convenzione Reminder


Laura at The Tailored Line has nominated me for this blog award. I am touched that she thought of me. Laura has a really fun cowgirl cp drawing that you've got to check out.

I'd like to nominate these seven blogs in no particular order.
Andrea at Rooks Paper Scissors
Paula at Little Scraps of Magic
Kelly at The Happy Shack Lisa at Lisa's Studio Blog
Jane at Painted Heart Studio
Brandie at Little Pieces of Art

You should check out this post on Brandie's blog. She is teaching a workshop at Convenzione this year. Follow her links to get signed up. I would love to be going myself, but I have other art pursuits to follow that weekend.
Brandie has had her work featured in Susan Tuttle's "Exhibition 36" as well as Somerset's "Artful Blogging". It is because of Brandie's work that I first became enthusiastic about mixed media collage. All her work has a story and I can relate to many of her works, even if my story is not the same.
I am very blessed to call Brandie my friend. I hope that some of you will be able to attend her workshop so you can get to know her, too.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

GPP Crusade No. 29 Brush Effects: Take 1

Be sure to check out the new Green Pepper Press Crusade here for more details. This is my first installment for Crusade no. 29.
This is an experimental piece that I tested a mixture of acrylic glaze, interference powder and metallic paint. I added some glazes to bring out forms, but I wasn't satisfied.
I spread a layer of matte gel over the painting with a squeegee. Next a mixture of purple paint and matte gel was stamped onto the wet surface using circular tools. The gel is still wet on this picture. Stay tuned for the dry version.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Des Moines Women's Club 101st Art Exhibit

I am just thrilled to have 2 of my paintings on display in the historic Hoyt Sherman Place. The original mansion was built in 1877. A few years after Major Sherman passed away, the Des Moines Women's Club made the structure their home. In 1907, an addition was built to house their growing art collection.
Hoyt Sherman Place also houses a 1253 seat theatre which has been restored to its original glory. If you love old buildings, check out their web site. [Hey! Don't snicker about what we call old in Iowa. We're relatively young compared to where some of you readers live.]
The rooster is my painting that I completed last summer. It was accepted in the Iowa State Fair's Fine Art exhibit. While there, it was seen by a representative of the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa, who invited me to exhibit my paintings.
I also took the recently completed bird of paradise. It has always been a character portrait to me and the round form seems like the moon to me, so I titled it "BOP in Moonlight". Hubby was gracious to help me with the framing phase. He makes the most excellent picture wire wraps. I always end up with fraying wire ends that poke holes in my fingers. It's very frustrating because I can wrap jewelry wire very professionally. Hubby also gets credit for the shots with me in them.

You're looking into the gallery from the foyer. On the first picture, the gallery is the far left part of the building. If you were to climb the stairs and enter the building, you would end up a few feet to the left of where I was standing.
This is another shot taken inside the gallery. There are two rooms, so technically, there are two galleries, but they are fully opened to each other for this show. The walls are lined with beautiful art collected by the Des Moines Women's Club over the years. This show is open to artists from Central Iowa. There is a professional and an amateur division. There was a wide array of subjects and styles represented.
My last shot is of these remarkable doors. I LOVE them! They have just the right amount of detail to suit me. Their massive size and the repetition of the arch shape excite me.
This is a short show. Sorry I didn't post sooner. It started last weekend and it will be open through this Sunday, March 8, 2009.
FYI - I have been working on new art, but what I want in my head is not what's been happening on paper. I spent part of the afternoon drawing en plein aire in hopes of capturing what I am going for. Stayed tuned for more...