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?" 

Days 18 and 19, Seaside Minis

 Seaside Mini 1

Watermedia 5 X 4

Seaside Mini 2

Watermedia 5 X 4

I'm getting caught up with postings for the 30 day Challenge. Saturday and Sunday were busy days for me so I got a little behind. These minis are done for the Pine Island Art Show and Sale. Every year each artist donates 6 of these minis to sell as a fund raiser for the Art Association. They are matted and bagged in a clear bag and sold for $10 each. Quite a bargain for a piece of original art. None of them can be reproductions. There is a scramble at the beginning of the show for the works done by favorite artists who contribute. 

Day 17 Fish Out of Water

Fish Out of Water

Collage on paper 4 X 6

At first you see the fish shape on top, which I emphasized with acrylic then you see the  stamped fish that I placed below it. The top fish just "showed up" in the altered paper that I used, the bottom fish was a stamp I made from Styrofoam, stamped on tissue and coated with gloss medium. Then I heat sealed it to the collage like I do all the other pieces. Usually I don't know how a collage is going to turn out, I just keep playing with the possibilities until I like what I have. 

Day 16, Hoot, Hoot

Hoot, Hoot

Collage on paper, 8 X 8

I started this one yesterday but I had to wait until today to finish it. Sometimes you set aside your goals in order to just listen to someone who needs to talk. 

It's nesting season again for the Burrowing Owls who make their home here. They sit peeking out of the weeds beside their dens and watch the world go by and keep a sharp eye out for dogs, cats, and preying birds. With all the dangers it's a wonder that they survive, but they do. Soon the eggs will hatch and there will be three or four more pairs of eyes watching me as I walk by.

Day 15 Tony's Market

Tony's Market

Watercolor 11 X 15

Day 15! Hooray, we're half way to the finish! 

This is the last painting we did at the Jack Nolan Workshop. When I saw the sketch and all the detail I was a bit overwhelmed. It's a lot in a small format but Jack took us through it step by step until we came to the finishing details. All of the subjects in this workshop were out of my comfort zone but sometimes it's good to stretch yourself and grow in what you love to do. I learned that even pictures that look impossibly full of detail can be broken down into bite sized pieces, like eating an elephant one bite at a time.

Day 14 Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Collage 7 3/4 X 6

Dragonflies are such cool creatures. They can fly, dart and hover. They are the sky's vacuum cleaners of other bugs. I'm so grateful for their appetite for mosquitos. They come in every color of the rainbow and in all sizes. Of all the insect world they rate right up there with butterflies in my book.  How could I not feature one that is between earth and sky with wings outstretched in flight?

I'm almost halfway through the 30 day challenge. It's a good thing that I had a few done ahead of time for today was a day for laundry, cleaning and shopping and not much time for being creative. Now that I'm caught up with the necessary stuff of life I can hole up in the studio and make art.





Day 13, Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

Collage on canvas board 4 X %

For day 13 of the 30 day challenge I decided to post a little collage I did for a mini artwork donation that is required by the Pine Island Art League every year. This is my first attempt to collage on a canvas board and it was not hard at all. I just coated the board with gloss medium like I do any substrate and then fused my chosen papers to it. If you look out at the Gulf from just about any beach in the Fort Myers area you see some barrier islands that are off the coast. The little black protrusion on the end of my island is a light house, maybe the Sanibel Lighthouse. Anyway, I think it will make a nice souvenir for someone.

Day 12 Boca Grande Lighthouse

Boca Grande Lighthouse

Watercolor 15 X 22

This is the second day's painting in the Jack Nolan workshop that I have been attending. We used the lesson on shadows in this painting with the dark shadows under the lighthouse and the cast shadows on the side of the building. It could still use a little tweaking but all in all I think it turned out well for a workshop painting. 

Day 11 Shadow Exercise

Shadow Exercise

Watercolor

This is the first painting we did yesterday for the Jack Nolan Workshop that I'm taking at the Cape Coral Art League this weekend. It was an exercise in light and shadow. We chose the direction of our light source and placement of shadows. Each painting was different, even though we all painted the same subject, depending on what time of day we were depicting. I like the long shadows of early morning and late afternoon. I'm enjoying the switch back to watercolor for the time being. It's been awhile, and I needed this simple exercise to get back to familiarizing myself with the paint to water ratio that is needed for this medium. Things improved as the day went on, thankfully!

Day 10 Life Is Better When It's Fun

Life Is Better When It's Fun

Mixed Media Collage 4 X 6

I love this photo of the laughing girls; I knew I had to incorporate it in one of my collages. I used various blue shades of papers with one orange pop behind the photo. I added some fun stamping and the "Life is better" stamp. I think this one is just fun to look at and it will make a wonderful note card some day.

The first 10 days has gone really quickly and now I'm in a watercolor workshop so I will have some workshop paintings to share for the next few days.

Day 9, Funky Bird

Funky Bird

Collage on paper, 4 X 6

I took all my scraps of collage paper and arranged them on my substrate. I fused them together with the iron and let them cool. Then I came in with acrylic and painted around a bird shape free hand. When that dried I added the  stamping and a little ink. The legs are a little off, that's why I named it Funky Bird. It's fun to do something off beat now and then. 

Day 8, Sun Rising

Sun Rising

Collage on paper, 3.5 X 4.75

I'm scrambling but still on top of the 30 day challenge. I'm having fun doing these little collages, it's such good practice. It's harder to put in the time getting them on the blog and the website but good for me to learn not to procrastinate over coffee in the morning.

This collage was done with altered magazine pages, painted tissue paper and acrylic paint. The gold dot is made from hot glue which has been painted with gold acrylic. 

Day 7, Floral

Floral, Not an Abstract

Collage, 4 X 6

This is day seven's collage piece. I have to work in advance because they have to be dry to scan and upload. I thought to myself, "It doesn't have to be an abstract", and decided to try to try some simple flowers. The blue, green and flower papers are all tissue that has been painted and coated with gloss, the center strip is a digital copy of a manufactured paper that has been coated.  They were all heat sealed together.  

Day 6 Lace

Lace

Collage, 6 X 6

I found the word Lace in my packet of small pieces so I decided to try to incorporate that plus some of the lacy papers that I had prepared. I also wanted to try an substrate that was not white but painted a tan color. It wasn't until I got the photo on my computer that realized that I had a big Z. Oh well, not every attempt is going to be a winner! It's a learning experience. I was going for a cruciform with the red lace but the black just takes over. I may have to play with some acrylics to modify that. If I come up with something I like, I'll re-post it. 

P.S. After fooling around with it I decided the best solution was to crop off the offending black on the top and bottom. I like the image below better.

Lace

Collage, 3 X 4

Day 5 Checkered Past

Checkered Past 

Collage 4.5 X 4.5

This is the collage for Day 5 of the 30 day challenge, which was yesterday. I wasn't happy with this collage yesterday so I delayed posting it until I could decide what to do with it. Today I thought that I would add the circles (when in doubt add circles?)and I do like the way the circles sort of bring it together. Most of the papers I have made myself except for the upper left corner, the checkers and the text which are printed. The rest are painted tissue paper or papers that have been altered in some way. They are fused together by being heat set. 

Day 4, Hope of Spring

Hope of Spring

Collage, 5 X 5

It's a cool, cloudy and rainy day in SW Florida today. It's the kind of cool that would feel balmy to the rest of the country but to those of us who live with day after day of 90's for months it feels bone chilling. Our houses, clothing and bodies aren't ready for this damp chill. So, even we hope for a short winter season and an early spring. We listen for the mockingbird to start marking their territory with the unending litany of song and for all the other signs of spring. 

Day 3, Memories

Memories

Collage, 4.5 X 3

I named this collage Memories because it was one I started 3 weeks ago when I was visiting a friend in another city. She had read my blog about doing collage without adhesives and wanted to learn the process. We only had a few hours to work so we used the prepared papers that I had brought along with me. We had such a good time designing our little abstract landscapes. Then it was time for me to drive the 2 hours home. A week later my friend died unexpectedly, two days before Christmas. All who knew her will miss her great attitude, cheerful personality, and artistic talent. So, in memory of Marilyn, I finished the collage that I started with her for day 3 of the 30 day challenge.

Day 2 Tall and Dark

Tall and Dark

Acrylic on paper 12X18

Here we are in day 2 and I'm already behind. Oh well, computer problems have a way of putting a kink in your plans. I've got the paintings, just getting them posted the appropriate day is the hard part. At least there is an extra time allowance for things like that. This painting was a quick one done in an abstract style that shows the subject taking up the full length of the painting. One of the choices an artist makes is how big the subject will be; another is placement of the subject. When you think about it, an artist has to make a lot of decisions before even putting brush to paint. 

Day 1, Brilliant Sunset

Brilliant Sunset

Watercolor on yupo, 10 X 12

I am going to be participating in the 30 day daily painting challenge again this year. It's a good way to get back into a painting routine after the holidays. The big challenge for me right now is learning to do my post on a new tablet. My laptop got a bug and is in for repairs so it has made me learn how to take pictures, download an app for editing, edit, post it on the blog and write the blog on a touch screen.  Yikes! That's a lot for a lady my age. But, I did it! 

The painting is my memory of the wonderful sunsets we see here in Florida, with water reflections and, of course, a palm tree. Watery reflections are fun to do on yupo since it's such a slick synthetic paper the juiciness of the water doesn't soak in, it just dries on top.

Greetings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
30 paintings in 30 days starts January 1.
Happy painting everybody.

Almost Christmas!

Christmas Painting for 2013

5X7 Watercolor

At our house, we celebrate Jesus' birthday on December 25th. I know that his real birthday is not known for sure, but going with hundreds of years of tradition is OK with me. We have some eye witness accounts of his birthday, though, and it's pretty incredible. Angels appeared in the sky and sang! Not to the upper class people of the day but the lowest on the list, the shepherds. Then they went to see the baby in a cow shed and spread the news to all their friends and neighbors. I guess God wanted us to know that He came for everybody, not just the big shots of the day. That's a wonderful thing and worth celebrating. May your Christmas be blessed!