Feel the Love: Texture in Art

Hello! I'm working on some 4x6 (postcard size) pieces for the TEXTURE themed swap I am hosting on atcsforall.com. This one involves various papers, paints, stamping, buttons, a vintage photo, glitter, microbeads and beeswax. I adore beeswax! So versatile and smells divine! But the more I look at this the more I think it still needs something... I'm thinking perhaps some stitching with twine/rough string? Not necessarily a border, but some "here and there" stitching to tie it all together a bit more... Whatcha think?

I love this one, as it feels very feminine and romantic to me. And it's composed of many materials and layers, with lovely bits of shimmer and sparkle. It starts with a base of handmade paper adhered to a bristol board base, covered liberally with gesso, with additional paper and beads added while the gesso was wet. Then I used shimmery purple and gold paints, and sealed with a thick layer of diamond glaze, sprinkling with fine glitter....and finally laced the edges with organza ribbon. Such fun!

Hope you are creating (playing!) too!

Sweet Summertime

Summer sure is flying by! Hard to believe the end of August is almost here, along with the hustle bustle of families preparing for back to school. I want to slow down a little to enjoy the fleeting moments... to appreciate the long summer evenings, fresh from the garden produce, and the feeling of being warm all the way through to the middle of your bones like only the summer sun can cause. To find time to notice the tiny little joys like the swirling flurry of tiny beautiful moths lighting briefly in the grass before dancing away...gone in a twinkle but leaving a smile in their wake. Time to appreciate the changing colors of the sky as the sun sinks away and gives over to the night...a painting that changes by the minute. To make time for family and friends, BBQ's and ice cream cones, and laughing until your sides hurt, and sleeping in on Saturday morning. Waking up to the sunshine instead of an alarm clock. Time to simply enjoy.

What's your favorite little summer moment? Catch it while you can, and savor it.

Whew!

BABY IT'S HOT OUTSIDE!

This little doll I call "Tamale" agrees - in fact, it's a little TOO HOT, with 100+ temps for several days in a row. Perfect weather to take shelter in the air conditioned studio and create some fun.

You can see Tamale's funky little friends on my flickr page.... They were tons of fun to make using altered original photos of random everyday objects. (An idea inspired by Corrie04 and her "Mad Scientist" chunky page swap over on atcsforall.com)

Lots of projects in the works right now...art dolls, buttons(yep, the kind for clothes - it's a commission job), ATCs, journals and chunky pages and birds... WOOT! Fun stuff everywhere I turn!

Along with the fun of creating, we've been enjoying the bounty from my Dad's garden...fresh tomatoes, zucchini, corn, onions peppers, and lettuce...YUM! So good! The taste of summer. I need to take a trip down the valley to check out the delightful items available at the local fruit stands - there's abundance in variety and flavor to be discovered.

Hope everyone is having a super summer!! Hugs and Happiness to all!

Here's a Work-In-Progress: my daughter requested a pretty girl with a sunshine to hang in her kitchen. This one is on canvas...with lots of layers already! (scrap papers, gesso, acrylics, glitter, water soluble pastels, tissue paper, colored pencils, stamping....added some sparkling watercolor to the sky after the pic was taken...) I am thinking I will add some flowers...and she needs to be holding something....and she might get a furbaby friend or some butterflies...and maybe a special word added to the picture....anyhow I am having lots of fun working on something larger, and really feeling pretty free to pick up whatever strikes my fancy and add it. Gotta Love Mixed-Media!!

Yay! Today is "fake friday" since my office is closed tomorrow. So ready for a nice long holiday weekend. Hopefully at least one day will be spent in the studio...and family BBQ at my sis' house on the 4th, yay! I'm bringing the strawberry shortcake for dessert...yum!

Here's a little set of 4x4 pages I just made...they are all spoken for already...two will get ribbons and such added to them, and one is being made into a wall hanger with wire and beads. The middle one is my favorite...maybe just because we do each have our own "Unique Vision" of the world. And there are so many ways to express what we see through our words, work, actions, and ART. A topic worth exploring perhaps....

Stuck...at work

Lol, it's just the end of my lunch hour, and I am at the office...I feel a little mopey, 'cause I just want to be home in the studio, instead of STUCK here at work. But hey, it pays for the art supplies, right?! I have to remind myself that I am blessed to have a good job, benefits, etc...but the studio really is a lot more fun!

I'm feeling creative...made 3 altered rolo cards yesterday, have three pretty girl 4x4's in progress...hey, what's up with THREES? Seems to be my creating trend lately.
And I have at least a dozen things I would like to be working on right now! I love it when "the muse" is active - WOOT!

Okay...back to the grind!

Hugs & Giggles!

Welcome Back to Blogging

Hi! I finally decided it was time to resurrect my blog, with a more casual attitude and format. A diary of the miscellaneous bits of life...my art, thoughts, and things I enjoy and want to share.

Life has been busy, busy...but I did get to take time out for a trip to Indianapolis to attend Art For All, a super fun gathering of artists who participate in online ATC and other mailart trading. It was amazing and inspiring to spend time with other artists, create together, and learn from them.

Check out my Flickr page for event photos and some of my art images.

Hugs & Happiness!