New Painted Papers=New Art

I  have  to  say  that  this  has  to  be  one  of  my  favorite  ways  to  create  art--'painting'  with  my  papers that  I  painted.   The  first  thing  I  did  this  time  was  get  out  my  Gelli  Plate--

I'm  still  a  beginner  when  it  comes  to  the  gelli  plate,  but  you  still  get  great  results.  The  scraps  that  you  see  laying  there  are  what  I  used  as  masks  on  the  plate,  and  they're  ready  to  use  as  collage  also.

Next,  I  went  for  texture--

I  got  out  my  heavy  gel  medium,  stencil,  and  texture  comb (hair  pick)  for  the  front  2  papers,  and  the  back  one  is  textured  wallpaper.

And  then  more  painting  with  all  of  my  paint  that  I  had  out--

added  with  my  printed  papers--there  ended  up  being  a  good  amount  to  play  with.   I  just  want  to  mention  that  all  of  these  papers (including  the  textured ones  in  the  photo  above)  are  a  110lb  cardstock  paper--stands  up  to  anything!  I  paint  on  these  like  I  would  on  a  canvas  or  any  surface,  for  that  matter.   I  get  it  at  Staples  (office  supply  store),  in  a  big  pack  that  lasts  a  Long  time.

I  started  with  a  6  x  18  wood  deep--edge  cradle  board--

I  really  like  this  size.....so.....I  made  another  one..

....this  time  I  used  my  textured  paper  for  the  roof..

...and  added  some  fun  embellishments..

a  knob  and  an  old  door  faceplate  that  I  painted  to  match  with  the  colors  of  the  house.

And  1  more  6 x 18--

haven't  made  an  angel  in  a  while--this  was  fun--I  added  some  ephemera  to  the  dress--really  liked  how  she  turned  out!

More  paper  fun--

using  up  those  scraps  this  time  on   8 x 8  cradle  boards..

And  1  more--probably  my  favorite--my  'upcycled'  piece--

a  cupboard  door

I'll  always  find  a  use  for  all  of  the  'stuff'  that  I've  collected  over  the  years  : )

Angels

This week The Three Muses challenge is angels.  I love  angels in artwork.  I especially love the folk art  and handpainted ones.  And of course angels are always around, no matter where or what you're doing. That's why I decided to make a garden angel.

Even though we still have 3 good months of winter here (Spring doesn't begin until April around here), I'm thinking Spring with blooming flowers and butterflies, and starting your garden.

For the background of this, I used another vintage favorite book of mine--

I found this a couple of years ago at a yard sale.  Look at that price--what a find!  And I know that book was headed for the trash if I hadn't of rescued it.  I've used it on countless numbers of artwork.  It's probably about 15" tall and the pages are aged perfectly. I also collaged again this time with scrapbook papers, and the butterflies are Dover images.

Page One

So this is the very first page of my art journal.  I’ve never made an art journal before, and I’ve never had a blog before--so this is all a new experience for me.  I could never have started this blog if it wasn’t for my son Nick. I’m very proud of Nick. He received his Doctorate degree this last summer, and is now teaching at Ramapo College in New Jersey. He lives in New York City--a dream he’s had since he was 20 years old. Which once again shows that you can make anything happen that you want to as long as you believe it and work hard for it. He didn’t learn this from me--I learned it from him.  So Thanks Nick!!   I have 5 kids altogether--all different in their own right, and they’ve all taught me something different, which has helped me become the person I am now.

I also want to mention Mystele. Mystele is an awesome lady. Not only is she an amazing artist, but she’s also an amazing teacher. I started following her blog about a year ago. I loved her art, and got to know her through her videos. Last October, she offered her first ever online class, which I immediately signed up for (another first for me). It’s called Gut Art--art from your gut--finding your authentic voice. She’s offering another one in February, and I can’t recommend this class enough for any type artist--beginner to advanced.

The first week, she wanted everyone to make their own journal--their Gut Art book. She made hers along with us with her numerous videos showing us different techniques and ideas on how to make it. At the time, I was getting ready for one of my big art fairs, and I knew that I couldn’t possibly do this. First week in--I was already the bad kid in the classroom. But after that I participated, and put my best effort in every assignment. She’s a completely committed teacher, and I also became committed as well. The class is over now, but the site is still open, because all of us have made a connection, and have become very supportive of each other. What I benefited the most from this class, aside from the many art techniques from Mystele as well as the other classmates, was self confidence--in my art and in myself. I’ve always been a good student, and have always finished my assignments, and I will this time too.

So, Mystele, here’s the start of my Gut Art Book! I hope everyone follows along--it will be a big, colorful never-ending journal!

Here is some of my past work:

I like to use texture and pattern in my art.

I like to collage.

I also make collage assemblages. More about this in my next blog.

This is my newest endeavor. I've always liked the angels and painted faces in general. I'm still learning this, but I really enjoy it and I hope to improve as I go along.