Zentangles

Hummingbird Zen

Colored Pen 4.25 X 3.25

Seahorse Zen

Colored Pen 4 X 6

I've been wanting to do some zentangles or doodle art with the many pens and markers that I have acquired over the years. I like the ones I've seen with a subject in them so I used a seahorse and a hummingbird as my beginning place. I tried to make them interesting and varied. Maybe my desire to make them artistically balanced gets in my way. I think they are colorful and fun, a great way to play with my "stuff" when I'm not working on a painting or collage. I think they will make fun note cards, too.

From Zambia

From Zambia

Collage, 8 X 8

I didn't know what to name this collage and finally settled on "From Zambia" because the stamps I put in it are from there. They have some wonderfully colorful stamps. The focal point is a stamp with a Rotary International logo on it. I thought it had an interesting shape and the orange is complimentary to the blue. The papers are hand painted tissue and deli papers, altered National Geographic pages, book pages, and decorative papers. All of them have been coated and sealed with polymer medium and heat fused to watercolor paper. 

New class, new students

Four Student Collages

These four collages were done by our new students last week. They are all 2 X 2 and were done from the scraps that my co-teacher and I save from our collages. They were embellished with little punch outs. I think they are all well done, we have some experienced artists in the group who wanted to learn the technique of collage without adhesives. It's going to be a fun class since there are only four new students and four returning students. We will have a great time making our papers and collages.

Spring Song

Spring Song

Collage 5 X 5

Often, when I begin a new collage I will do two with like papers. These papers are the same ones I used for the last collage; the music, player piano paper, gessoed and painted paper and altered magazine pages. I like the way the colors of the papers underneath show through the dashes of the player piano paper. With a little planning they can add quite a lot to the design.

Teaching, Creating, Blogging

Those Who Wish to Sing

Collage 7 X 7

It's been awhile since I've been blogging. it's amazing how much time it takes to teach a class, especially when you are new to it. Instead of making art I've been making plans for class. It was very rewarding to teach this newly learned skill to others and watch the enthusiasm for making papers and then making the collages. Eventually I just have to make something! I can't stand being around the papers and not start putting an idea together. I saw this quote on another blog, or Pinterest or somewhere and wanted to use it in a collage with music notes, player piano paper and finally a new bird stamp. Some of the other papers are altered from magazines and painted copy paper. All of it has been sealed in acrylic. 

A Great Sales Day

 One Fish, Two Fish

 Hydrangea

Message In An Aquarium

Today was the Pine Island Annual Art Show and Sale. It's our only show of the year and our big money making event. Of the many paintings that were sold today, 5 of mine went out the door! I am so humbled and elated at the same time; and very grateful. These are 3 that were sold and the painting that is the heading to my blog was also sold. The show is open until Sunday, 4 P M. 

Class Collages- week 1

The Collage class started last week and I asked the students to bring in the mini-collage that they made last week and the practice collages that they made with magazine pages. I think they have done a remarkable job for the first week and here are the ones that were brought in today which I photographed. Next week I'll try to get some pictures of the class at work. Everyone seems to be having a great time making their papers and getting ready to do a larger collage.

Old Marina

Watercolor 15 X 22

This is the painting I would have posted for day 30 if the weather had cooperated. We finally have some nice sunny days so I could take it outside and get a good photo of it. It was one of the paintings we started in the Jack Nolan workshop and it took me several painting sessions to complete it and put on the finishing touches. We started with a light wash of the 3 primaries over the whole painting and then decided, from the way that the wash dried which way the light would hit our subject. Of course mine was opposite the way that the painting was demonstrated so it took me some extra thinking to determine how my shadows would fall with the light coming from the left side. I'm happy with the way it turned out, it was a good learning experience.

Collage of paintings

Collage of paintings

I was able to figure out how to get 25 paintings in a collage but that was it. If I fooled around it became a disaster so I just left it as it filled in automatically. It's interesting. It's from a web site called www.picmonkey.com

It was a good month, a lot of good practice and keeping on top of the artwork everyday. I probably wouldn't have done all the collage work if I hadn't taken on the 30 day challenge. It's so easy to put things off until "tomorrow". Having a goal of 30 pieces in 30 days is a great way to get into the studio every day. I thank Leslie Saeta http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com for the challenge and I thank all the other artists that participated because that just made me want to keep at it. Check out all the neat collages of artwork on her page from a lot of the artists who participated.

DAY 3O- BE FREE

Be Free

Acrylic, 15 x 22

It's cold, rainy and dark today in SW Florida. Unusual for January but we can use the rain. As a result, the painting I did today can't be photographed, it's too big for the scanner, so I have to use the reserve painting I had for just this kind of day. It's an acrylic that I did earlier.  The idea for it came from a painting that was published in the Palette magazine from many years ago. I liked the softness of the lines and the ethereal look to it. 

Thanks for coming with me on this 30 day journey into daily creativity; it's been good to push myself to make art, even if it's small, everyday. It's been great to practice my collage making, I feel much more prepared to help teach the collage class which starts next week. 

I really appreciate those who have taken the time here and on facebook to comment about my art. Thank you! 

Day 29- Two Mini Collages

Two Mini Collages

Collage on paper each 2 X 2

This is a little exercise my co-teacher and I will be doing in the first collage class. Each student will be making a 2 X 2 collage so that they have something to take home on the first day. We have boxes of scraps for them to choose a dark, a light and an accent color. The scraps are from previous collages we have made so they are all coated and ready to fuse with a hot iron so that the class gets an idea how it all works. We have the little punches to make the interesting accents which we punch out to coated papers as well.

The class is full so we are excited to be teaching this for the first time in this area. 

Day28-Hydarangea

Hydrangea

Watercolor 8 X 8

I hope I didn't post this last year. It's one of those paintings that you keep "noodling" because it's so much fun to play around with those little individual flowers. There comes a time when you just have to stop and put it in a frame before you noodle too much. I finally did that today. It's in a nice, white 12 X 12 frame and it looks as fresh as spring. It will be offered for sale at the Annual Pine Island Art Show and Sale on Feb. 15. 

Day 27-Florida, 5 Palms

Florida, 5 Palms

Collage, acrylic on paper, 3 X 3

These little collages frame up so cute, they should sell well at our Pine Island Show and Sale on February 15 and 16. Three more days to go for our 30 day challenge. I think there may be half the artists who started out have actually have done a piece of artwork every day. I know I managed to do it last year, mostly painting in watercolor and acrylic. These collages are much more involved because they have to be coated with acrylic and then sealed with more medium and finally varnished. Fortunately, the final varnish doesn't change anything so I can scan and post them before that final step. I may finish off the challenge with a watercolor or two, just to mix it up a little. I've got one that's almost finished for tomorrow.

Day 26 Mini Collage, Bird and Heart

Mini Collage, Bird and Heart

Collage on paper with acrylic, 3 X 3

One of the exercises we will be doing in our collage class will be to do a quick collage in a small format with small scraps of paper in a timed exercise. I thought I had better practice this myself since I haven't done anything this small. The assignment in class will be 2 X 2 inches, this was 3 X 3 and I found it a challenge to keep the little pieces in place. Sometimes you have to use a little dot of medium underneath to hold them. These are fun, quick exercises. I found some small frames that will make them look really attractive.

Day 25- Anniversary Collage

Anniversary Collage

Fused paper and acrylic on canvas board 5 X 7

I put together a collage for friends who just celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary. The invitation to their party provided the pictures and cut out pieces to make it uniquely theirs. I fused a prepared paper background to a 5 X 7 canvas board and added the other collage pieces on top. It's a great way to make something for special friends. You could also commemorate birthdays and other occasions by making collage gifts for friends and relatives. 

Day 24-Paris Valentine

Paris Valentine

Collage with acrylic, 5 X 5

What could be more romantic than a Valentine with elements of Paris included? Since I had both ideas going I decided to put them together in one collage. One disadvantage of the heat set collage is that it's pretty impossible to correct something if it slips out of place like my black ribbon did. I need to take my time and secure my little pieces that I don't want to slip with a little medium underneath. I seem to get so wrapped up in seeing the finished product that I do things too quickly. Impetuousness plagues more than one art project of mine; it's a lesson to be learned.

Day 23- Paris Collage

Paris Collage

Collage, 5 X 5

Another subject I wanted to explore with collage was one with a Paris theme. I have a small collection of papers and pictures that are iconic for Paris, the Eiffel Tower and one of the famous bridges for which the city is known. Then I found the row of ladies and gentlemen in period costumes that seemed to fit a romantic idea of old Paris. It's a city that you never seem to come to the end of, there's always something new just around the corner. I'm sure it's a subject that I can come to again and again.

Day 22-Valentine 1

Valentine 1

Collage 5 X 5

I was able to get some Valentine themed papers going and put together a collage with them. I'm working on several at once. The experiment with this one was the dryer sheet that I coated with red and gloss medium. It's the solid red lacy stuff that is running vertically. I think it makes an interesting addition but found that the acrylic made it difficult to tear. I not sure I will make more but it is an unusual texture and worth exploring. The hearts and music notes were made with a punch; I punched papers that were already coated so that they would adhere with the hot iron like all the other papers. 

Day 21 Zebra Eye

Zebra Eye 

Watercolor 4 X 5

Today is a prep day for me. I want to do some collages with a Valentine theme so I have to prepare some papers that will fit that theme before I can assemble my collage. In the meantime, I'm posting a painting I did awhile ago in the mini format for our sale on Pine Island. 

Day 20 Wise Owl

Wise Owl

Collage, 7 X 7

A companion to the other owl collage, this owl is a bit more serious. Perhaps he's protecting his territory or thinking serious thoughts. This is a heat fused collage using acrylic coated papers that I have painted myself, everything is original. I used a paper with lettering on it to add to the idea of an owl being wise. I stamped the word WISE in the blue area with letter stamps and acrylic paint. I read in the Wall Street Journal that owls are a popular trend in decorating children's rooms. I wonder if this owl would say, "Have you finished your homework?"