Work in progress.

Art and life are both works in progress. i enjoy taking the journey, even with the bumps in the road.

Pocket ATC

Hello, to those of you still reading my not up-to-date blog. The holidays had me on my toes, and it seems things haven't slowed down much since. i am still regularly making art, but finding the time to post it or write about it has been difficult. Here's a little snippet for today. This was for a swap entitled "Interactive ATC: Pocket". i love how it turned out, and my partner was very happy, so it's all good.



 These are the tags i made to slide in the pocket.

i love the softness of the colors, and a French vintage theme is always fun.

i hope to update this more, but you know how these things go...

Kenilworth Castle collage

i love so many different types of arts and crafts, but probably my favorite format is mixed media. i love the layers, texture and depth i can achieve in this realm. A few months ago i played around with the following, a mixed media piece on watercolor paper. i used acrylics, matte medium, extra heavy gel medium, watercolor pencils, ink, photocopy transfers, stamps, crackle glaze...and more. i didn't have a strict idea in mind when i began, just wanted to play and see what came of it.



Have an artful day!

Chipboard Book Collaboration.

Not long ago i proposed a collaboration to my super-talented friend Barb - i had some chipboard books i picked up at Michael's for a quarter a piece and my idea was that we'd each start one, then swap books and finish what the other had begun. There were no rules aside from each of us doing 2 completed pages, 2 half-completed pages and one page left blank before sending the book to the other person. They could be done in any media and with any theme. Barb's book, in which she's already done her part and sent to me, is called The Wee Book of Big Imagination and it's awesome! Once i've done my part in that book i'll post it here, with Barb's permission.

The book i started (and have since sent to Barb for completion) is called Home Is Where the Art Is. This was a phrase i kept thinking about, and i love house imagery, so it seemed like a good theme. Following are photos of my book, pre-Barb magic.

 

 

The above page was based on a previous collage that i posted here a little while ago. Barb liked that collage, and it fit perfectly into my theme, so i did another version here. This is my favorite version yet!

This project has been a blast so far, and i look forward to working on something else with Barb in the future. 

i used lots of different supplies here and won't list them all, but mostly it was acrylic paints and mediums, watercolor pencils (Inktense by Derwent, my new favorites!), toner photocopy transfers, stamps and ink. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have an artful day!

i need your help!

Have a look at the collage below and tell me, should i add more or leave it as is? i just don't feel right with it in its current state, but i'm not sure if i should add something.

Thanks for looking! Any feedback appreciated!

Let this caged bird fly...

This is a collage i did recently. i started by painting 140 lb. watercolor paper with antique white acrylic paint. Then i masked off certain areas - the birdcage and the swirls at the bottom - using artists' masking fluid. The next step was to rub on some Distress Ink and add some stamping (flowers, dots, leaves). i then removed some of the masking fluid and stamped the birds flying out of the cage; i wanted some to remain in the cage and some outside. i next removed all the masking fluid, added more stamping, rubbed on a light coat of antique white acrylic paint, added some Stickles to the birds and called it done. Oh, and i outlined the birdcage with a Sharpie. i think that's it... :) Sounds like it all happened quickly but it was actually a process that took a few days and i stumbled a bit along the way. The flowers i was unhappy with, but after buffing a little with acrylic paint that seemed to help.

Thanks so much to anyone who stops by. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! i can accept criticism. ;)

A peek inside my current art journal.

First off, thanks to anyone who still visits my blog despite my sporadic posting habits. We're still without high speed internet at home, though apparently the phone company's working on that...ahem. i can't believe we moved from the boonies to a more populated area and still don't have high speed available, aside from satellite, and i am NOT paying those prices.

Anyway, i hope everyone's doing ok! We're good, though the economy is really hurting the tattoo business. Looks like this stay-at-home mom might be looking for work soon after many years of only working at home. That will be a big change! Wish me luck!

With my son back in school, i have more time to work in my studio, between laundry, cooking and cleaning house, ofcourse. i still make lots of cards, but have lately focused more on my lifelong passion for mixed media and collage. The blank book i got in February for art journaling is now about halfway to completion. Today i'm sharing a few snippets of it.


These pages were inspired by an issue of Somerset Studio (or maybe it was one of their other publications...?) that focused on black and white. It's not visible in the photo, but there's a lot of texture here, with embossing and paint. In the bottom photo, the top reads "art saves my life".

Thanks for stopping by, and i hope y'all have a wonderful day!