Day 29- We're Almost Finished

Valentine Triptych 3

Collage, 3 X 3

Finally the relationship blossoms into LOVE; the stony places of life are shared and because of that, they decrease. The walls are pushed aside, the lace is still there but on the sidelines. The love is in a field of gold because it's solid and true. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Ha! It was fun to imagine a meaning behind the composition, they all look splendid together since they were all made from the same papers. They are framed vertically in black and have a white mat . I'll try to get a good picture of them all together but it's pretty hard with the glass covering them.

I have just completed my grand finale piece for tomorrow. I hope to get it posted much earlier in the day. 

Day 28- Second Installment

Valentine Triptych 2

Collage, 3 X 3

By second installment I mean the second in a series of three in my Valentine Triptych. The colored papers are the same but arranged in a different composition. I have placed a little gold heart on this one. 

The first one in the triptych symbolized the beginnings of a relationship. The lace shows that we are trying to make an impression. The red strip going down the whole piece is the way we block the other person from seeing the stony places in our lives. In all the pieces there are words because words communicate our thoughts and feelings. In this second piece there is still some blocking of the stony places but our hearts are receptive. Tomorrow you'll get the rest of the story.

Day 27 Counting Down the Days

Valentine Triptych 1

Collage 3 X 3

I'm putting together another triptych for a little frame I bought. It  is black and has a mat with 3 openings that are 3 X 3. I thought it might be a good item for our local up coming art show and sale. This is the first one which is to be in the top opening. I used altered N. G. pages and printed art papers all coated with gloss acrylic medium and heat fused to watercolor paper.

Day 26-We're on the home stretch

Lend Me A Hand

Collage/Mixed Media

5.5 X 7.5

Well, we're almost finished with the 30 day challenge, only 4 more days left. Whew! I thought at the beginning that I'd miss a few days and feel OK with it but I just had to keep pushing. As it is, it's 9 PM and I've just finished this collage for today. Knowing there are only 4 days left just makes me more determined than ever to get something accomplished each remaining day. Thanks for all the great comments, I know how hard that can be, too. It really encouraged me to keep going. 

This collage is made from altered magazine pages, hand painted tissue, book pages, and acrylic on 140 # watercolor paper.

Day 25- I'm Underwater

 

Underwater Seahorse

Acrylic Ink on Yupo, 4.5 X 5.5

I'm feeling a bit underwater and swimming hard! I'm trying to stay caught up so that I can post everyday. Life has a way of getting in the way, my week-end has not been a relaxing one. But here we are! In turning this piece around after the ink had dried from it's wandering and doing it's thing I saw a seahorse hiding in the sea weeds. That is what is so much fun about doing these, you never know what is going to come of it. You may see something else, let me know if you do. 

Day 24-Time March On

Time Marches On

Acrylic on Masonite 8 X 10

This is another experimental piece. I put gesso on a Masonite board. Then I used molding paste smoothed over a stencil to make the raised texture areas. After that I began layering acrylic paint. The final layer was a gold acrylic that was thinly applied with cloth over the clock faces and different areas around the painting. Then I put the line work in with Caran D'arche which is then sprayed with fixative since it is water soluble.

Day 23- The End Is In Sight

Landscape Tile

Alcohol Ink on tile, 6 X 6

Putting the alcohol ink on white ceramic tile that you can buy at a home improvement store is a good way to experiment. It is easy to manipulate the inks and to completely wipe them off with alcohol if you want to do something different. When you get a design that you like, you let it dry and then coat it with epoxy to make it permanent. This tile has 3 shades of brown ink and silver. The silver tends to float on top of the other ink and makes interesting patterns.

Day 22- Squeaking By

Gold Arch

Collage, 5.5 X 4.25

It was a rough day with nothing working out as I had hoped it would. I was ready to give up on a posting for today and went into my studio to tidy up. I came across an unfinished collage that I started for an entry into an up coming art show. All it needed was a recognizable object in it to qualify for the Small World category.  I decided to find a bird to fly into my strange little composition. So here it is. I guess, when in doubt, put a bird in it! I hope things go better for the rest of the Challenge; 8 days and 8 paintings left!

Day 21- Many Layers

Finding Joy

Mixed Media on gallery wrap canvas

12 X 12

I was so inspired by all the great abstract art on the Challenge web page that I decided to go all out and have some fun. This canvas has been painted over so many times, it must have at least 3 maybe 4 layers on it. The last layer was a collage with a tissue paper background. I covered it with gesso and made texture marks in it. I knew I wanted to put some corrugated cardboard on it and words. I chose "Finding joy" in my word collection and went from there to the finished painting. This took me 3 days so I'm needing to do catch up for tomorrow but this was so much fun, it was worth it.

Day 20- We're On A Roll

Day at the Beach

6.5 X 6.5

Acrylic Ink and Acrylic on Yupo

We are in the last 10 days of the 30 Day Challenge and rolling on to the finish line. Today I did a more controlled acrylic ink painting. It is possible to control the inks on Yupo if you allow the layers to dry. Since they are so wet and juicy, especially if you use water with them, allowing some drying time between the colors helps if you want to do a more controlled painting. In this case I put in the blue first, let it dry and then put in the beach. After that dried I painted the palm trees in layers, allowing each layer to dry. Finally, I used fluid acrylic to paint in the figure. Not quite as much fun as going with the flow. It just depends on what you want in your painting.

Day 19- An Old Love

Blue Grotto

Acrylic Ink on Yupo, 5 X 7

After working and struggling with Alcohol Ink I decided to go back to an old love of mine, Acrylic Ink on Yupo. I used to do a lot of these just for the fun of watching the ink move around on the slick Yupo. I add water to the surface first, drop in the ink, move it around, spray it, drip it, and then just let it do it's thing. After a big piece dries, I find the things I like in it and just cut that section out. Or, working on a small piece, limit the colors and watch it develop. If I'm feeling less adventurous, I allow layers to dry and then can paint one on top of the other. I think I prefer it to the alcohol inks because it dries more slowly and I can manipulate it more. 

Day 18- Tangled Woods

Tangled Woods

collage. ink, and acrylic 5.5 X 7.5

This one was a struggle. I started it as a collage on Thursday,I was not happy with the result so I covered it, partially at first, with acrylic, then I tried some stenciling and finally ended up with the negative trees stencil. At that point I needed something to focus on so I put my stand-by bird stamp in it. I still don't like the pink on the lower left but have decided to move on. I'm hoping for better results for tomorrow's post.  

Day 17- Alcohol Ink Note Card

Wish I Were Here

Alcohol Ink Notecard

It's one of those days where I wish I were somewhere warm and sunny on the beach. It's a little cool for me today but I'm sure there are plenty of tourists who are loving the beach today. 

This alcohol ink painting was done on transparent/translucent Yupo so you can see the color of the card through the painting. It's fun to try them on different colors to see which one enhances the painting the best. 

Day 16- Drama Queen

Drama Queen

Acrylic on paper, 9 X 12

I was working on a collage and I didn't like the direction it was going or the results I was having. This morning I saw a picture in the Wall Street Journal that just inspired me to get out the acrylics and see what I could do with it. This isn't even close to the detail in the original picture but I was just going for the shapes and the colors which were so dramatic. I think I'll try it again, usually that doesn't work for me but I'll do it anyway, just to see what happens. It was really fun to paint and though you can't see it there is iridescent gold in the yellows and oranges. 

Day 15-Butterfly Kisses

Butterfly Kisses

Collage, 5.5 X 7.5

Now we're half-way through the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. I think we're getting into the swing of painting everyday, but getting them posted everyday seems to be the hardest part of it. 

This collage is altered magazine pages, painted papers, printed papers, acrylic transfer and acrylic paint and medium on 140# watercolor paper.

Day 14-Balance

Balance

Collage, 3.5 X 5.5

We were at a beach in Maine last year where there were many stacked rocks. Some people do them as a type of meditation. The rocks are irregular in shape and it takes concentration to get them to balance. You need to breathe and be patient. Not unlike balancing life; breathe, be patient, put things in order, the big stuff first then add the smaller stuff. Some days the pile is short, some days it's tall. 

This collage was made from altered magazine pages, art paper, hand painted paper, acrylic paint and medium on watercolor paper.

Day 13- Upper Level Disturbance

Upper Level Disturbance

Alcohol Ink on Yupo 4 X 5.5

I think this is a weather term, or, I made it up! But on days when the weather doesn't turn out exactly as promised and it rains (or snows) on your picnic or parade, it seems like the forecasters like to use the these weather terms that sound really good. "It rained because  of an upper level disturbance over Montana." So this is my version of what an upper level disturbance would look like. What appears to be white and light gray is really a metallic silver ink that doesn't show up in a picture very well. 

Day 12- Kitty's Picture Window

Kitty's Picture Window

Alcohol Ink, Acrylic, Stamping and Pen on Yupo

I ended up using a studio full of media for this little 5.5 X 4 painting. The background started out as an alcohol ink which I've been playing with to see what it does. I thought it looked like trees in the distance then decided to make a kitty looking out of a window. She needed something to look at so then came the tree and the little bird stamp. To define the window sill I used black Sharpie, and to make the kitty opaque I ended up using white acrylic and Sharpie outline. I'm learning a lot by painting and experimenting every day.

Day 11- Messages

Messages

Collage 10 X 10

This collage is made mostly from altered magazine pages with the exception of the paper with script on it. I love putting script in my collages, it's unreadable up still recognizable for what it is. It lends a human touch to an otherwise abstract piece. It is all coated with gloss acrylic medium before being adhered by heat to the paper underneath. Acrylic is added to the torn edges and there are touches of red from an Inktense pencil. If you look closely you can see some dragonflies which were added last. 

Close up of dragonflies

Day 10, Gulf Sunset

Gulf Sunset

Acrylic Ink on Yupo, 5.5 X 7

Day 10! We're 1/3 through the month already. Amazing. I love sunsets. I love painting sunsets. Sunsets down here in SW Florida are wonderful, always changing, never dull, and can be a whole variety of colors. I think it's the humid atmosphere that must make them so beautiful. I really like the way the ink moved on this piece. I'd like to say that it wasn't an accident, that it was my skill but I cannot. I don't think I could duplicate this if I tried. 

I really appreciate the comments, they are very encouraging. 

Day 9, Georgia On My Mind

Georgia On My Mind

Alcohol Ink on Yupo, 7 X 5.5

Some artists are following as theme as Leslie suggested, I am not, obviously. I guess it's because of my random personality type, I get bored easily if I do the same thing every day. This is a rather experimental alcohol ink piece. I'm trying to get the stuff to flow before it dries, which seems to happen in about 6 seconds. I put down a layer of blending solution, then the ink and got some movement. This reminds me of the close up flowers that were painted by Georgia O'Keeffe, hence the title. More experimenting with this medium ahead.

Day 8 What Cats Think 2

What Cats Think 2

Acrylic on paper 9 X 11

My cats all spent a lot of time watching birds outside so I think they must think about birds. This is a companion to the one I did for yesterday's post. It has the same colors and similar stamping in the background. It was fun getting off the serious track and painting a couple of whimsical things, I think I'll have to try some more along that line.

Day 7 -What Cats Think 1

What Cats Think 1

Acrylic on 3003 paper

9 X 11

Of course I have no idea what cats think but this may be what they think, especially when they hear the can opener. We are one week into the Challenge; I'm already having a struggle trying to think out of the box and do something different that I don't usually do. Painting on this paper was so different and difficult compared to the Yupo. Yupo was so much easier to lift paint since it lays on the surface and doesn't sink in. Even with layers of acrylic it seemed like it was sinking into the paper, drying too fast and hard to get down to the layers underneath. So, it was a good lesson for me and fun to do something whimsical.

Day 6, 30 in 30 Challenge, Bright Future

 

Bright Future

Acrylic on Yupo, 9 X 11

This gal sees a bright future ahead, she's optomistic and ready for whatever life brings her way. It's painted in the same way as yesterday's painting with acrylic over alcohol ink on Yupo. These two paintings came together pretty easily for me. The one for tomorrow is giving me some difficulty but I will be like this painting and think positively. 

Thanks to all who have made comments, I really appreciate it. 

JOY! 30 in 30 Challenge, Day 5

JOY!

Acrylic and Alcohol Ink on Yupo

9 X 10

One of my goals for this year was to put more figures in my paintings. I had to let go of the need for perfect proportion, face my fears and just do it. Letting go brings joy, fun returns to the process. I think I had more fun with this than I have had with painting for a long time. It started as an early attempt at alcohol ink on yupo that I cut in two and started layering acrylic on top. I stamped and removed paint so that the colors underneath peeked through. I put in a figure shape and painted around it. I used a stencil for the rays and for the pattern on the skirt. 

Complete Triptych, Day 4 of 30/30 Challenge

Triptych 1

Triptych 2

Triptych 3

Each Collage 4 X 6

The Triptych series is now complete. It is matted and framed at 25 X 9. I did all three at the same time so that the colors and compositions would be compatible. Each one has a visual element evoking the sea. The two on the ends with seashells, the center one with a fish. I think it was a challenging learning experience to make them similar enough but not copy cats. I'm pleased with how they turned out and I will try to do more of these in collage and in painting, too.

Triptych, #2. Day 3, 30 in 30 Challenge

Triptych 2

Collage, 4 X 6

The second collage in the Triptych. These collages are made from various papers, a gold tissue paper, hand painted tissue, altered magazine pages, ink jet copies of an acrylic paint palette and copyright free art papers. When you begin doing collage you start to save everything. It's amazing the things you see that you might want to incorporate into a collage; packaging material, single earrings, fortunes from fortune cookies, candy wrappers, old book and music pages, bags from boutiques, and even paint palettes. Everything is altered in some way by being painted or stamped. 

I loved the range of colors on a piece of palette paper from a painting I had been doing so I let it dry and now I make copies of it on my printer to use in collage. See the bottom section on this collage. 

Triptych 1-30 in 30 Challenge Day 2

Triptych 1

Collage 4 X 6

There's nothing like a challenge to get the juices going. I enjoyed an afternoon in the studio today working on several things. No sense doing just one when you have the paints and brushes out. This series of three has been in the works for quite awhile and waiting for the final touches. The three collages will be in a vertical frame with three openings in the mat. I'll be posting one a day, adding one each day so by Sunday there will be all three. I'll post a link to the blog that has the challenge as well. It's fun to see the several hundred artist's works that are posted.

A Bright Beginning- 30 Day Challenge #1

Poppies

Alcohol Ink on Yupo 8.5 X 10

I wasn't going to take on the 30 Day Challenge again because of the loaded calendar coming up this month but if I don't do the Challenge I won't paint at all. Even if I don't paint and post every day I will still do more than if I didn't participate at all. The hard part is getting the digital copy ready to put on line. 

This is the largest alcohol ink painting that I have attempted. I started it before Christmas and finished it today (I think). Some fellow artists gave me some positive feedback on it which gave me courage to continue to develop it. The light centers are metallic gold which doesn't show up in the photo but it does seem to add a bit of sparkle to the original. 

Out With the Old

 Butterfly Card

Bird Card

I'm back from our Christmas trip to visit family in Arizona and wanted to finish up the year with a blog post. These are two more alcohol ink experiments on which I stamped. I found that it will take some practice to get the stamp done correctly on these. Since they didn't turn out too clearly I outlined them with silver pen. I think it helped but I'm not sure. Perhaps black would have been better. 

Some bloggers that I follow; Myrna Wacknov and Karen Knutson, both wonderful artists, are setting about to have goals for the new year. It got me thinking that perhaps, for growth, some goals would be a good thing. Myrna says they are not goals unless you write them down. So, with that in mind I'm going to venture forth and commit to some goals of my own. Here I will just state my artistic goals, personal goals will be a more private thing, but I will write them down, which is goal #1.

#2 is to explore of placing a figure or face in my abstract works.

#3 is to work in a larger format, beyond 12 X 12. This for me is very ambitious. I like the instant gratification of small collages and paintings.

#4 is to join and participate in the local Fine Craft Association, something I've said I would do for the last 2 years but haven't done. 

I think 3 art goals are enough for a beginner in writing down goals. Kind of scary for my personality type. 

I signed up for the 30 day Challenge again. What was I thinking?? My January is going to be crazy but if I don't challenge myself, I won't be creating my art. 

Blessings in the new year to all! May your goals all be accomplished and dreams realized.

All Buttoned Down

All Buttoned Down

Collage on gallery wrap canvas

8 X 8

This is my first attempt at making a collage on gallery wrapped canvas. It was formerly an acrylic painting that didn't make the grade so I covered it with gesso and tissue paper. There it sat for awhile until I decided to try to collage on it. I saved an envelope with the button closure because of the button and the plaid interior (see the upper right corner). Then I went looking for compatible papers and finally a similar button to the top one so that the string would have a place to go. It seemed sort of masculine in color and design to me so I used the words "because I know best" and the picture of a man on the lower right from a piece of art paper. Everything is coated with gloss medium and fused together with heat. When it's finished I coat it with UV varnish and paint the edges of the canvas.

It seems I have more time to create art than I do to post it on my blog. This time of year seems to accelerate everything and before I know it a week or more has gone by. I don't think time will slow just for me so until next time, enjoy the season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Alcohol Ink Cards

 Card 1, Moon Flower

4 X 5.5 on card stock

Card 2, Moon Flower

4 X 5.5 on card stock

Yesterday was my second class for alcohol inks. Instead of tiles we used it on Yupo, a non porous plastic "paper" and also tried a few other non porous surfaces. It was emphasized that we should try to stick to no more than 2 or 3 colors in order to avoid muddy colors especially if we were working on small surfaces. For these two cards I used slate, black and silver. There was so much silver on the first card that I made mono prints on two more cards. The slate and the black reacted to the blending medium and alcohol and separated into lovely blues and greens with black edges. I was really pleased with the results and mounted them on a light aqua card stock. I will post my other cards in a day or two.

Three Tiles

Three Tiles

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted a blog. Time has a way of getting away from me this time of year. I had an opportunity on Friday to take a class using alcohol inks. We put the inks on glossy white porcelain tiles, played around with the colors, the medium and alcohol until we had a tile that we liked. Then we allowed them to dry and coated them with epoxy. It was lots of fun to just play and discover what could be done with the inks. On Monday we will continue the class and perhaps do some larger tiles. I'm not sure what I will do with them but they are fun to look at; they can be displayed on a stand or a ring can be fastened to the back so they can be hung on the wall. 

Making Collage Art Again

Memories

Collage 3 X 5

Heart

Collage 3 X 5

Dream

Collage 3 X 5

I have a long narrow frame with a mat with 3 openings in which I thought 3 collages would work well. My problem was that I didn't measure the openings before I made the collages. I needed 4 X 6 and, as you can see, I made 3 X 5's. I'll just have to consider them practice and start over. But, I do like the way they turned out so I may be able to find a frame and mat that they will fit into. They are made with printed papers, altered magazine pages, hand painted papers, and acrylic gloss medium on watercolor paper.

Watercolor on Yupo

Monet's Pond on Yupo

Watercolor 9.5 X 12.5

I painted the same scene as before but this time on Yupo. Yupo is a synthetic paper that is a slick plastic. Because it's nonporous, the watercolor sits on the surface instead of sinking into the paper. The result is a much brighter painting. The paint is hard to control if you get too much water and the colors will bleed into one another. The trick is to do an area, allow it to dry and then do another area. The fun part is to take away or add color with a damp brush after the painting is dry. With a little practice it's quite a lot of fun to work on, especially with a landscape painting. 

Inspired by Monet

Monet's Pond

Watercolor 11 X 15

If you are an artist, travel to France and go to Giverny to see Monet's Garden it seems like you are almost required to paint the pond and the famous bridge. It's such a complex scene that you can easily get caught up in the details. Photos seem to capture every one and it can be confusing. I tried to keep it simple and not too busy. I am pleased with my first attempt now that I am finished. I'm ready to try another one of a different view of the same pond.

Beach Time

Watercolor 4 X 6

I'm slowly getting back to normal and over the jet lag and other maladies that come with travel and long flights. I went to class and started a painting of Monet's garden which is not yet finished. While waiting for the first washes to dry I did a little watercolor from a photo I took at the beach. I love the bright yellow umbrellas against the blue of the water.  

I've Been in France

Nasturtium Path in Monet's Garden

We had a wonderful opportunity to be in France last week. An artist friend and her husband were renting a house for a few weeks during her show in Giverny. They invited us to share the house with them for a week. We had a perfect sunny day when we went to Monet's garden. There was this amazing bed of nasturtiums that were arranged to make a zig zag path. 

Lily Pond with Bridge in Monet's Garden

Of course we had to take dozens of pictures of the famous lily pond with the bridge. The grounds are beautifully kept and there are profusions of flowers everywhere, even in October.

 Old Gold Clock, Rouen, France

One of our side trips was to Rouen, where there is a huge monument for Joan of Arc. This is a grand cobblestone street going under a huge clock. Such an interesting city, I had no idea how amazing it was. 

Vincent Van Gogh

In Auvers Sur Oise, this is "Van Gogh-ville". The house where Vincent spent the last 3 months of his life is preserved as is the room where he died. It's just an empty room now. Nearby is his statue, grave site and the church that he painted. The little French flag was painted and left by our artist friend. She calls it "A Random Act of Art Kindness" and has her contact information on the back for whoever finds it. 

Hotel Baudy, Giverny, France

When artists would go to Giverny to visit Monet, they would stay at the Baudy Hotel. They got so tired of the artists painting in their rooms and getting paint on the sheets they built a studio behind the hotel and also made a terraced garden for them to paint in. I don't know about the rooms but the food at the hotel is wonderful and reasonably priced. It's just a short walk from Monet's Garden.

What the Fashionistas Are Wearing

I thought I'd add a little fashion tidbit (a la Paris Breadfasts blog). It's true, the French are now wearing athletic shoes, gasp, and fringe is in. Here's a link to one of my favorite blogs.  http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com