My Art Process

 Hey I'm back!  It only took about 8 months but I knew eventually I would be coming around.  I thought in this post I would show you how I go about making an art piece (in most cases).

I'm not an intuitive type artist--I've tried, but it will get too frustrating for me--I need to have a plan.  So in this one that I made I knew that I wanted to have paper collage in it.  And the first thing I did is think of my color palette and once I decide on what colors I want I get out my cardstock (110lb), paints, stencils, mark-making tools,etc and have fun with them--

I experimented with a new color choice--tangerine, gray , sage, and cream--and I stuck to those colors.  Next I knew this was going to be a dimensional piece so I took my 6 x 12 wood cradle board and flipped it around. I like these wood boards from Blick--they have deep 1  1/2" sides which makes it perfect for what I like to do.

Then I gathered--my studio and house for that matter is filled with all of my findings, so I never have a problem bringing a little story together--

This is what I initially found--but as I go into making it--I change my mind on some of the items and add some more--this is where I let the piece tell me what it needs--I just need to get out of my way and listen.

My finished piece--

really happy how it brought itself together

Next a different idea using the same paper (with some book pages) as my pallette--

paper flower collage--I like to tear the paper for the petals for a more organic look

and the finishing touch includes water soluble crayons and these Faber Castell watercolor markers which are awesome!

Lots more paper left, so continuing on--

.....my latest box--I never get tired of making these and this one has already found a new home in North Carolina!  You can find the other 2 in my Etsy shop

In other news--I signed up for Lifebook this year--such a great deal with all of the teachers and weekly lessons--hard to fit in with everything else but you have the videos forever and can take advantage of them at your own convenience 

I love Tamara's art and her classes--very detailed --these are from my classes with her--

These were both done in mostly watercolor--a bit scary for me, but with Tamara's instruction it's not so bad--she takes you step by step.  And what I love to do most is to add to the watercolor painting with crayons, posca pens (another awesome product), pencil, etc to bring it all together.

So I've been trying out new art supplies lately and I'm going to try to get a post together with my favorite supplies--hope to see you soon...

October--All About Etsy

 So  in  October  I  was  able  to  participate  in  one  show,  which  has  always  been  my  favorite.   It's  outdoors  in  a  wooded  setting.   This  year,  of  course,  there  were  many  restrictions  due  to  the  pandemic,  and  I'm  happy  to  say  that  everyone  was  compliant--crafters  and  customers.  We  were  just  happy  to  be  out  and celebrate  Christmas  in  the  Woods (the name  of  the  show).  I  was  happy  to  see old  friends  and  make  new  ones  as  well.

I  actually  did  quite  well,  but  I  had  a  LOT,  considering  that  all  I  did  was  make  art  and  not  go  anywhere  for  most  of  the  year,  so  I  took  some  of  what  I  had  left  and  put  it  in  my  Etsy  shop.

Here's  some  of  what  you  can  find  there--

....some  assemblage

...paintings, a box, and some  6 x 6 art  squares--

and  there's  also  Christmas  in  my  Etsy--

And  new  this  year,  I  have  Christmas  cards--all new  6  designs  that  I  made--

And  today  I  just  added  some  more  fun  art--

Yes,  I  never  stop  making  art,  so  there  will be more  coming,  including  Christmas.   I  hope  this  holiday  season  that  you  all  can  help  support  small  businesses  that  are  having  a  tough  time  this  year.   Some  artist  friends  that  I  know  depend  mostly  on  art shows,  which  were  pretty  much  all canceled  this  year.   By  supporting  us  it  helps  us  continue  to  do  what  we  love  to  do  the  most.

You  can  find  my  Etsy  shop  HERE

And  I  thank  everyone  that  has  supported  me  in  the  past--I'm  so  happy  when  my  art  makes  you  happy!

July Art --Plus Summer

This  year  summer  has  been  a  bit  different  than usual--goes  without  saying,  but  I  have  to  say  I  have  been  enjoying  it.  I'm  always so  busy  and  not  taking  advantage  of   this  great  time  of  year  to  just  relax,  so  I  am  appreciating  that.   First  off,  I  went  blueberry  picking  with  my  daughter  and  grandson--something  I've never  had  time  to do  before,  and  this  is  now  a  weekly  thing-

  -

Beautiful  and  delicious!

So  here's  what  I  did with  some  of  them--

First  time  I've  ever  made  these--turned  out  wonderful!

So  besides  visiting  the  beach,  the  only  thing  I've  done  this  summer  are  a  few  antique  stores  and  just  one  flea  market  (which  I  miss  the  most),  but  I  found  some  great  treasures,  and  they  helped  me  make  some  fun  art.   When  I  make  these  shadowbox/assemblage  pieces  I  first  like  to  gather.....

and  then  put  it  together,  finding  even  more  to  add  to  the  story  as  I  go--

I  had  some  Shirley  Temple  books  for  at  least  a  year  now,  just  waiting....

and  then  recently  I  found  Shirley  Temple--

This  piece  basically  put  itself  together  once  I  found  Shirley  :-)

And more  fun  in  my  journal (I'm  getting  lots  of  inspiration  from  Pinterest!)--I'm  committed  now  to  fill this  entire  journal  up  and  even  make  a  cover  for  it--something  I've  never  done  before...

And  lots  of  new  art,  most  of  which  is  now  in  my  Etsy Shop.   This  year  is  definitely  different  than  any  other  year  as  far  as  selling  my  art  and  I  appreciate  all  of  the  support  I  am  getting  through  my  Etsy  sales,  but  I  sure  do  miss  getting  out  there  and  talking  to  avid  art  lovers  and  fellow  artists  at  my  different  shows.

Here is  just  some  of  my  art  you  can  find  in  my  shop--

And  back  to  Summer--we  grew  tomatoes  this  year,  and  they're  on  their  way!

What I Did in February

I'm  having  trouble  updating  this  blog   (since Facebook came  into  the  picture),  so  I'm  trying  a  new  'thing'.  I'm  going  to  post  once  a  month  of  what  I've  been  up  to  creatively.

In  the  first  week  I  had  my  paints  out  and  I  always  get  Spring  fever  this  time  of  year  (if  you  live  in  a  cold  weather  climate,  you  know  what  I'm  talking  about)--so  I  painted  Spring--

Once  I  had  the  paint  out  I  did  what  I  always  do  and  started  playing  with  it.  I  do  that  with  mostly  white  cardstock  (110lb) --I  don't  need   to  think  about  it  and  try  different  techniques--if  I  don't  like  it--it's  just  paper--no  big  deal.

So  with  those  papers and  one  of  my  favorite  surfaces to  work  on  and  repurpose--a  cabinet  door--I  made  some  new  neighborhoods--Love  making  houses--

And at the end of the month I had a request from a poppy lover for 3 different pieces--

These were all started with a layer of collage (text pages) and then I painted over them with acrylics.  I  like  the  texture  the  printed  text  gives  under  the  paint.

In  between  all  of  this,  I've  been  cleaning  and  decluttering  my  art  space  (which  in  my  case,  is  my  whole  house)  and  I  have  been  listing  in  my  Etsy  shop--my  latest  listings--

If  interested,  you  can  find  them  HERE

So  that's  my  art  month  in  a  blog  post.   This is  not  my  favorite  time  of  year--weather wise--I  hate  the cold,  and  I  become  a  hermit,  but   it's  also   in  a  way, my  favorite.   There's  not  a  lot  going  on,  so  I  spend  more  time  in  my  studio,  which  is  definitely  my  happy  place!

New Painting/ Collage--Step-by-Step

This  is  one  of  my  favorite  ways  to  make  art--a  little  painting  mixed  with  paper  play.  Here's  the  finished  piece--

...my  Paper  Mosaic  Horses

...but  I'll  start  from  the  beginning,  which  was deciding  on  my  color  palette--

these  are  the  papers  that  I  painted  for  this  project--my  color  palette

next  I  started  on  my  background--

this  is  a  20 x 20 deep  sided  birch  cradle  board--my  favorite  type  of  surface--paint  and  a  paper  mosaic  border

next  I  made  my  horse  templates--

this  makes  it  a  lot  easier  for  me  when  I  go  to  make  my  actual  subject  with  the  papers

a  close  up  view,  and  another  shot  of  the  finished  piece--

I  don't  make  many  horses,  but  I  think  I  will  now--I  love  the  way  this  came  out.  And  here's  another  one  that  I  made  in  the  same  manner  with  a  more  familiar  subject  for  me--

I  love  elephants!!