flight plan

12 x 12 canvas with a cool shell threaded to hand off of the left edge that did not photograph well.

brand new day

"brand new day"

i don't think i ever showed you the finished version...

Art Doll ATCs

oh my gosh! This is an addicting activity. ATC art dolls. The add-ons have to fold into the card somehow so you still maintain the card size and your card will still fit into the sleeve. I love dolls and figurative things anyway, so this is just too, too fun to do - and much faster than an assemblage piece. I really liked figuring out how to get the pieces to fold into each other

Plaid Fairy
Stars in the Sky
Kindness

All for a new ATC Swap I joined. Mailed out today.

Art Guild Piece Finished

Beneath the snowfall

Winter quietly conceals

secrets of new birth.

- Jackson H. Day

Yay. Finished my piece for the art guild. The theme is nature. On the left is a pencil drawing of a winter sleeping tree and on the bottom right a single fallen leaf. It is (as usual) hard to see in the photograph.

There are many layers here starting with pages ripped from a copy of Jack London's "The Call of the Wild". Some of the lines can be read through the paint. Then a layer of gesso rubbed with 3 colors of paint and stenciled with crow outlines. Dabbed with some gold metalic here and there, and also some oil pastels.

After the wood, beads, fabric, feathers, button and metal piece were in place, I covered the linen and spattered everything with white and red paint. It is 16 x 20. Very warm and texture filled in person. I like to walk by and touch it, so I figure that's a good sign.

Watercolor Home

Sarah and our group of artists continues to be such a great source of inspiration. This page is Day 12 of our Soul Journal journey together. Sarah has been kind enough to link the other artists who are working on this to her site, so we can visit with each other.

The top page is a simple representation of a home where you felt safe and secure with the rest being the outside world. The neutral tone paper with the floral print is actually a pocket. Then collage and watercolor. I added some pearl paint to the clouds which is hard to see in the photo. More to add today. Join in the fun if you like at Soul Journal.

It is so fun to see what everyone is doing and to feel the kindered spirits at work. I will continue for ever and ever to be amazed at how each person approaches each task differently. And how much I can learn everyday even though I know how paint works.

Bird ATC's for Swap

ATC's are done for the swap.


The theme was birds. I will mail them out today. This top one is my favorite. There is a clear glitter top coat all over the top if this one. It looks really cool, but does not translate well in the photo here.

This is an illustration from an old beat up "second reader".

These are swirls and paper flowers with glitter in the center.

This one is a rubber stamp and some chip board letters, with a partial page from my "second reader book".

It will be fun to see what I get in return.

Blue

My blue is relaxing. I love birds, eggs and wings. Children. Faces, and eyes. Skies with moons. Strong horizontal lines and strong vertical lines. Fabric with weird texture in it. I'm noticing these in all my color collages.

Anahata Katkin (at bottom of page) calls this a "symbolic alphabet". A visual signature that you are drawn to and use regularly as an artist, and thus it defines you and your style. This is really interesting to me while I revisit some of the things I'm doing in my artwork, what I like, what I'm using, what skills I want to improve on.

Yellow

I'm working in my journal on a color lesson.

I've culled through a bunch of magazines I have and ripped out the photos/words I like. Now I'm going to make full spread pages of color, to see where my heart takes me. I use this lesson a lot with adults who tell me they can't collage. It's time to revisit it for myself. The important part of this lesson is to use only what you really like, don't settle for something because it is in front of you. Images by someone else release your fear of creating something and allow you to just look and say "hey, I like that".

Rules:

1. Don't "settle". If you don't like it, don't use it.

2. No sissors, rip only.

3. Glue it to the page. It's your page, place it how you want. Over lap, rip to fit, cover up what bugs you.

4. Work with one color at a time. This helps you to "see and focus".

(you can click on the photo to see better detail)

Journal Page

I am afraid of drawing.

I never used to be. I use simple drawing everyday for teaching. But, I'm talking details, and taking time. Composing a picture in and of itself for the presentation of a drawing.

So that seemed a good place to start in my journal. Of course, I could never not collage in some way. So I use a bit from the Signals catalog and some words from an old school reader, plus plenty of masking tape. Sorry about the scan lines.

Connie mentioned a book to me. "Art and Fear" She said that it changed a lot of things for her. My husband carries it around and leaves it at his bedside. He said it changed a lot of things for him, and he likes to look at it to remind him of the important parts. I will have to sneak a peek at this book, since there seems to be some connections going on here with it.

And I am working on being brave. :)

create peace

Created for the ATC's for all Creative Life Chunky Book Swap. So fun to do. Feathers are magical - don't you think?

ATC's made for ATC's for all

Finished my ATC's and ready to send out for the swap. Theme is House and must be flat collage.