Sunday, November 11, 2012

{a tiny little painting}...

Finally had sometime to do a little painting.  And considering I am painting
entire rooms in my house this really is tiny.
This is the original painting and below
 is another after being altered in PSE.
I'm experimenting a bit with a different style in hair.   She's a little 5X6. 
 I have a large canvas and I'm thinking
perhaps I could do a really large painting
as I am feeling a bit more convenient in my painting abilities.
And seeing how I got the canvas at the Goodwill and learning that
you just keep painting over and over, layer after layer  until you get something you like.
What do I have to lose?
 
Until later.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

{give it a go}...

A Sundance catalog painting by artist Rebecca Puig, inspired my painting.
I really found the painting unique so I thought "just give it a go and try
it yourself".
She's titled expressing thanks.
My painting is a personal reflection of me . 
 And when I display it in my home it speaks directly
to, or perhaps is speaking to me from my soul. 
Jeanne Carbonetti said "that when we create from the unity of
body, mind, and spirit, we are one with our muse, and our work
is always original, and always powerful".
I think she's correct.
the inspiration

Sunday, September 23, 2012

{continuing pages for Christmas Art jOURNaL}...

A few page options for my Christmas Journal.
I've included a couple of magazine pictures I have been saving to use in the journal
along with a couple of altered photos.
 
 The page below includes more personal Christmas items.  Along with one
of the same magazine photos.
I plan to use one of these 1st two photo layouts as the first page in the journal. Then beginning with page 2 I will
begin the family photo pages interspersed with all sorts of non tradition page sizes and items.
 
The 2 photos below are from the box I packed these ornaments in last year.
 I'm not sure which of these photos I perfer.
But I think they will be on the inside back cover.
Before I can assemble the pages I will need to decide what will be on the outside back cover and page 2.  I have begun the first of the family photos from 1972.  But haven't any idea about the back cover yet.
But enough time has been spent on this for now.
 
I didn't get enough takers for my photo challenge to do a post.  But if Eden still wants to send hers I will post it.  Thanks Eden, maybe next time more will join it.  I think maybe you have to have hundreds of viewers for a challege to work.

Friday, September 7, 2012

{from photograph to faux painting and challenge}...

I set out to create a piece of art in red and yellows.  Not colors I usually work with.
Using only PSE, and a bit of luck with my layering I came up with this.
I am really pleased with the results.

Once I created the photo I attached it to a 3" wide styoform block that I had prepared with a
plaster texture.  This allows it to sit on a table or hang on a wall.  It's now at the Raven Cafe
Collage Show.

Below is the original photo from moguefile.com  
I don't have all of the layers available to show as I work with so many combinations
it's difficult to remember which one's I keep. 
But after doing a bit of cropping, and a hue/saturation to tone down the colors
I tried a Gaussian blur, which I often try, but rarely keep as the results seem to just create an out of focus photo.  And not in a pleasing way.  But this time it looked really great and showed real promise.  I then add a greenish yellow layer a couple of times and grunged it up a bit with some brushes.
 
It's just amazing how this nice photo can become so much more.
If you took a dozen people, even a hundred people they would all come up with just as many
other amazing results.
 
Which suggests.
 Why not offer a challenge.  Is anyone game?  What can you do with this photo?
Here' the link to the original photo.  http://morguefile.com/archive/display/690489
As these photos are free to use I don't think this is a problem.
 
If you leave a comment to let me know you'd like to participate I'll know who to wait for
and collect everyone's
photo for a later post.
 
Just email me your photo and I will post all the results here.
My email is at the top right column.
 
No rules.  Just do your own thing.
 
I hope you will join in.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

{last hurrah for summer flowers}...

" they" say Summertime is coming to it's  official end this weekend.
But our temps are still well into the 80's  (which is a very summertime heat) and yes the wild sunflowers are in full bloom.  But I'm not quite ready to bring in the yellow sunflowers.
 Yet.
So after bring in some fresh cut Echinacea flowers.  I shot a few photos of the old dried
Echinaceas.  Then spent too much time playing with them in PSE.  But I enjoyed every moment
of it.  I haven't been in PSE much this summer so it was time well enjoyed.
 
There are sooooo many choices in photo editing and I always wonder why I am so attracted to
whatever it is I see in them that is so beautiful to me.  Why this combination of layers?   Rather than another?   So when I came across the following quote from Carl Jung.  I knew I was not alone in my wondering.  And that there must be something to it.
 
Trust that which gives you meaning
 and accept it as your guide. ~ Carl Jung
 
Now if I just knew where is was guiding me!
 


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

{Raven Art Show}...

I'm excited to let all of you locals know that I will have several pieces of art
at the Raven Cafe.
I'm with a great group of Collage Artists
that will have our art displayed until Oct 7.

The Raven is a really fun cafe in downtown Prescott.
Opening reception is this Thursday, August 30th from 5-7 pm.
I may not be able to get there until 5:30.  So I hope you'll wait around for me
I love to see you.


Sunday, August 26, 2012

{What ifing}...


I wanted to have a more translucent look to painting on fabric then
just painting on fabric would normal have.  Which of course dying would do just
beautifully.  But I don't want to purchase a whole new inventory of supplies that require mixing and measuring and storing.  As well as matching certain dyes to certain kinds of fabrics and on and on.  Not to mention the expense of yet another media.
Hence, the what ifing.
So I sat down with a limited palette of paint (2 colors) and supplies, grabbed a piece of
fabric that was laying on the desk, add water and just laid down the paint in some basic shapes.
I wish my camera would capture the colors accurately.   The golds you see are actually
shades of  much prettier yellows.   Anyway...
The hand of the fabric is quite acceptable for these small pieces.
I added the white "flowers" with the paint straight out of the bottle which of course
really effects the hand but it's a limited amount.
These pieces came out well enough that I will continue experimenting  with thinner paints and larger pieces of fabric.
In the meantime I will have ready to go pieces for as yet unnamed projects.

Friday, August 3, 2012

{Echinacea and Contemplation}...

Echinaceas are growing everywhere.  And I had the perfect little vase waiting for them.
Then of course the camera had to come out and the next thing I knew PSE was opening ~ just to see
what I might come up with.

All the while contemplating the question from yesterday experience?

That if in a moment of absolute clarity, when you suddenly realize that your life was designed with perfect care for your well being. Then if even this one tiny moment of your life was perfect
would that not mean that the whole of your life has been perfect?

And if this is True for me then would it not be True for everyone?

Saturday, July 28, 2012

{local art graffiti}...

I love to catch the messages
we are receiving all the time.
It's just a matter of being present in our lives.
I could just have easily have missed this little graffiti sign
as not.  And who knows how long its been there.  I drive by this fence often.

The original ~ on the street...
Have any of you locals seen it?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

{da vinci for everyone}...

While we have all heard of and know Da Vinci's art.
I have never felt his art before.
To feel so connected to his art and perhaps even Da Vinci himself was unexpected.
But that's what happen.  I had spent several hours (it's been raining again) working in PSE
with two of my favorite images of his.  And when I had finished and stepped back
to look at the finished pieces this art felt like it was real and alive in my live.

Head of Madonna
and
Female Head
After all these centuries, his art is available to everyone.  So dare I say,
I hope he would approve.   

Sunday, July 15, 2012

{freshing up the blog banner}...

Well ~ even though I haven't been spending much time blogging lately
I felt my banner really needed a renewal.
So here it is. 

I'm still spending most of my time relaxing and gardening.  Although
after the storms this week, in which hail and wind destroyed most of the flowering plants
and trees.  (I have leaves plaster to the front of my house).  Its more like major clean up than gardening.
So while the rains have stopped, for now,  I think I will go outside and do some more clean up play some more.  Play because here in Arizona we do love the rain.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

{OMG I don't even recognize blogger}...

When I did my last post I didn't know I would be gone sooooo long.
I've been doing more home decor projects and gardening then art of late and
I've also been doing a lot of reading and contemplation this summer.  Just relaxing. 
But I've got the collage show coming up in August at
The Raven Cafe here in Prescott.  I wanted to do at least one fiber piece for the show.
So I ask by looking at the photo below what could all this mess I mean layers be?
 This is how it all starts.  Collage means layers so...  Grab a bunch of fabric for the collage layers,
rip them into strips, mix in a few thoughts and then lay them all out into some kind of
cohesive whole.
Below is the result.  This project sort of took hold of me and wouldn't let go until
I completed it.  Whenever I tried to go in another direction nothing worked.
I spent a whole day trying to go another direction and at the end of the day
I had nothing.  It felted like such a waste of time.  
But in the morning it was clear that this is what I needed to complete before
moving on.
 I kept the edges raw, a layer, which seemed a bit odd for such a large piece.
But I got over it.
I've gotten comfortable with loose threads and raw edges for my art journals
but this was different.  Or at least I thought it was thinking you "shouldn't"
have raw edges and threads.  But it would have been a very different look if I had seamed
all the edges.  I would not have liked it nearly as much.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the raw edges.
 Close ups
It reads
...and just when
you think the whole world is going to implode
from hatred, separateness, and fear
when light, liberty, and sacredness are missing
their are still  those who will see the beauty
who will act with kindness
and
who will live with hope and gratitude
these are the souls that carry
the entire planet

I've put this thought into my own words which I've adapted
from a quote I read from Tut Notes from the Universe
Like I said I've been spending time contemplating things lately
and this just took hold of me.

Now I need to keep blogging.  I feel so out of it.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

{one last blast of winter}...

While we are experiencing a winter blizzard - 18" of snow and counting.
I have been spending a little time in PSE with some photos of spring flowers
knowing full well spring will return shortly.
I'm really glad I didn't plant the peony shrub outside on Friday.


Saturday, March 3, 2012

{more fiber and poem}...

You may remember when I got this window frame last year.
Since then I have played with different ways to use and display it.
My first decision was whether or not to put glass in it.  I decided I would if I could find some "interesting" glass.
So off my sister and I went to a local glass shop.  He had some textured glass that seem perfect.
So I added glass.  The texture is subtle and difficult to see it the photo.  But it looks old.  And heavy.
Now
for my most recent use of the frame I stitched a
 Hafiz poem title using ribbon to add width to the lettering.  I want the stitching to be large so the whole poem
was out of the question for this piece.  Although the whole poem may show up at a later time.

the poem in it's entirety.

Who wrote all the music

Why is it now
that I come to you like a humble servant
willing to feed you brilliant words and love
from my own sacred mouth and hands,

willing to say, "I am sorry,
I am sorry for all your pain"?

It is because when God
fully revealed Himself in me.

I saw that it was Hafiz
who wrote all the music you have been playing.

I saw it was Hafiz
who wrote all your notes of sadness,
but also etched and gave you
every ecstatic wince of joy your face, body,
and heart has ever known.

Okay my dear,
you have stumbled enough in the earth's sweet dance,
you have paid all your dues
many times.

Now let's get down to the real reason
why we sit together and breathe

and begin the laughing, the divine laughing,
like great heroic women
and magnificent
strong men.  ~ Hafiz

Saturday, February 25, 2012

{the post that almost had no title}...

3 finished pieces. 
 I only used one of the original photo collages I started with. 
I wanted something with a bit less of a polished look.  So I chose
a couple of my first paintings.
But how to attach?  There are so many options.
 After considering encaustic.  I went with gel and matte medium instead.
I know these materials better.  My experiments using encaustic are still to unpredicatable.
More on that someday.
I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the sides.   
A solid color white or black would have been fine
but I wanted something "different".  Whatever that meant. 
I had a grunge ribbon around them for a while and I was about to
go with that when inspiration struck.
Laying on the desk top were writing scraps from
another printing experiment.

It was the perfect touch.
It was just what I was wanting.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

{6X6 Canvas Art ~ paper}

A couple of little pieces of canvas art. 
Collecting paper can be as addicting
as collecting fabric.  So it was time to dive into my paper stash for
a little collage work.
I've been starting the day with this in my mind.
It's layer upon layer of paper petals or rays depending on whether
I see a sunflower or the sun

 The second piece is a quote from Walt Whitman.
Made of far fewer layers.  I could keep adding more
and more and it may be just as fun but I tend to like the simple clean layout . So I stop. 
It's bright and cheery and
the quote helps set me free.


Friday, February 10, 2012

{WIP-Finished}...

Today
poem stitching is finished and I have
submitted it for consideration to the Tis Gallery show Piece and Poem
which begins Feb 22

 Close up of additional hand stitching and flowers.
The poem that I created of the fabric strips reads:

I
want to step
beautiful
through
today.

The
truth
of existence
now.

So
sacred
is
your
Life.

~autumn

The main poem reads:

Today

I
do not
want to step so quickly
over a beautiful line on God’s palm
as I move through the earth’s
marketplace
today.

I do not want to touch any object in this world
without my eyes testifying to the truth
that everything is
my Beloved.
Something has happened
to my understanding of existence
that now makes my heart always full of wonder
and kindness.
 
I do not
want to step so quickly
over this sacred place on God’s body
that is right beneath your
own foot
As I
Dance with
Precious life
Today.

~ Hafiz 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

{WIP~Machine Stitched Poetry}...

Ever since I first saw stitched "writing" by Ruth Rae I have been
excited about trying it out for myself.
This is my first large scale attempt.
The peice measures 16x20.
The main poem is by Hafiz titled
Today
 Then  using the existing words in the poem I created an additional poem by me.
Which I distingished from the Today poem by stitching those words on strips of fabric and applying them 3 dimensionally on top of the original words.
Below a close up of those lines
 I also plan to add additional 3d "flower" elements
as shown below.
 I will enclude the words to both poems when I show the completed piece.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

{New Collage Series}...

New collage series for the Raven Cafe show.
I am using some of my paintings and collaging layering them in PSE.
I am quite pleased with the results of the first couple of attempts

I am working with a couple of series titles.
Either
 Daughters of Eve
or
Evolving Expressions

 These two collages are done using several different layers along with the same
painting.
I loved to know which one you all prefer.
That's the thing with PSE it can go on forever.
And you never know when to stop and just pick one.


Sunday, January 15, 2012

{Collage Face #2}...

Collage #2 for Raven Cafe Art Show
Continuing with my experiments in collage.
If nothing else I am learning how to make my face paintings work.  Seems with enough
layering you can make them look nice.


Friday, January 13, 2012

(Christmas Art Journal~part 2}...

The inside front cover
 I've completed all of the machince stitiching so I've attached the inside cover page to the journal's cover. Now on to the back cover pages.
Once I complete those I will be able to start the inside pages.

Below is a close up of some Star stitching


Saturday, January 7, 2012

{New Art for 2012}...

I will be apart of a collage art show at the Raven Cafe this spring.
So I am trying out some new art styles for that show.
This little painting is inspired in the style of Misty Mawn.
I am really pleased with my painting of such a small face.  It's barely an inch.
And a body for my paintings.  Both are new to me.
I wanted to do some encaustic on it but I used acrylic paint
on it ~ then learned you can't use encaustic over acrylics.
I have 2 more piece of substrate this same size so I will be doing a couple more
pieces in this series for the show. 

More on the show as it gets closer

Sunday, January 1, 2012

{2012 Word of the Year}...

My 2012 Word of the Year
I think this poem sums it up perfectly.

Faith

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have
and take that step into the darkness
of the unknown,

we must believe that one of two things will happen...

There will be something solid for us to stand on.
Or, we will be taught how to fly.

~Patrick Overton

Happy New Year to all!

Please forgive my slowness in responding to comments.  I just can't seem to catch up.