Plaid and Transparent Muse

                                      

Well I had fun with this Muse prompt  - Plaid.  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to pull out the few little scraps of tartans that I have….from my wedding 30 years ago.  Annnnnyway - I fashioned little kilts/skirts and drew little people  - who are suppose to have their hands behind their backs!!

This prompt for Muse30 was Transparent.  I had fun with this one!  I sprayed some metallic inks onto the background and then added printed tissue papers, napkins and washi tape.  For the lettering I stamped the letters of the word with permanent ink onto clear window sheets and punched them out; adhering them to the page with Self Leveling Gel because I know for sure they will stay stuck.  Tons of fun.

Create something everyday.

Joan

"To be an artist is to believe in life"  Henry Moore

Sunny Flowers

I had started this background a number of days ago and this past Wednesday evening I couldn't help but go outside onto the deck to start filling in the colour.  It was 8:00pm and the sun was still well above the horizon so I took my book, paints and tunes and had a very pleasant evening.

I did end up coming inside to finish things up and put the words on.  I think I need a lot of practise blending colours - some of the colour changes on these flowers are pretty "square" and abrupt.  Oh well, practise, practise, practise!

Create something everyday - even if it's something you've created before.

Joan

"Art is a natural as sunshine and a vital as nourishment."

MaryAnn F. Kohl

Journals and Canvas

 Today is Inspiration Wednesday with Donna Downey, and I haven't even posted the last page spread that we did.  We used paper napkins to cover the spread and then embellished it just a little bit so the napkins weren't covered too much.  I added a few punched butterflies with glitter bodies and a canvas tag which I stamped a sentiment on and then sewed little metal letters of my "word of the year".

I've also been taking an on line abstract flower painting class with Donna Downey.  I have probably posted the "practise" pieces I did - but this one is on canvas.  It's a wee bit lopsided, but not too bad.

With the paint that was left over from the above flowers, I covered a canvas for a background for ….something.  I haven't quite decided what yet - zentangles, a mandala, a garden.  I'm not sure.  I'll just be leaving it in view in my art room until something hits me.

Create something everyday - even if you don't finish it right away.

Joan

"Drawing is exercise for the restless mind."  Tim Burton

Funky Neighborhood

I spent this morning at a scrapbook store in Edmonton, Urban Scrapbook doing this Art Journal spread created by Lynette.  Tons of fun and I can see a lot of different "neighbourhoods" being created with this layout.  I had a great time creating it and finishing it off at home.  Look for more variations of this "house" theme in the future!  (Plus - it's a great way to use up some of your old scrapbook paper!)

Create something everyday,

Joan

"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.

Marc Chagall

Journal Work

I worked in three different journals one day over the weekend.  This page is in my Lyrics Book and is the lyrics to a song by Mercy Me called Flawless.  I didn't intend the title to be the focal point - it's just the main part of the chorus.  I do like how this page turned out especially the gold leaf on the sides of the cross.

I know that I want to put some writing on this page - but I'm not sure yet what I want to say about these ladies in relation to me.  I love how the spiral just to the right of the middle of the page came into being.  I didn't notice it until I had posted the picture and was looking at it.  There are a lot of layers on this spread - spray ink, paint and molding paste.  Lots of fun.

Create something everyday

Joan

"Art is the most intense form of individualism that the world has known.

Show Book Pages

I've been spending a bit of time lately cleaning out my ephemera/fodder box and emptied some space by doing a number of pages in my Show Book - a book where I put all the covers from musical programs we've seen, the ticket, etc.

For the Natalie Cole page I'm going back 8 years - it's hard to believe.  I remember it being a very good concert.

Matilda was a musical my husband and I saw one November break when we were in New York.  The staging was incredible- it's amazing what people can come up with!  What I generally do with these musical pages is to write the songs that were sung around the edges.

Seeing Katharine Hepburn in a production certainly was an event.  It was 1977, in Chicago.  She was a bit of a hero to me - a woman who spoke her mind and did what she felt was right despite what others thought.  I'm glad I was able to get a fairly okay picture of her on stage at the end….in the days of little instamatic cameras with flashes.

Create something (with your memories) everyday,

Joan

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others."

Jonathan Swift

Cardboard Girls

I've created two more cardboard girls for my cardboard book - I'm using the covers from off of old Reader's Digest Condensed books.  They are a perfect size for a little journal and I've enjoyed making these little angels.  My favourite part of the angel above would be, of course, her musical dress!

This background was a bit different by spray painting through a doily onto the cardboard.  And this girl's dress is made out of a paper napkin.

Create something everyday - try to repurpose the objects around you.

Joan

"Creativity takes Courage"  Henri Matisse

Yellow and Orange

I don't work with yellow or red very often - and there's a reason….I'm not very pleased with this.  The word Spring started out white, then a bright yellow - which I eventually tried to tone down with a bit of orange….which is another colour I don't use very much.   But, I guess I should work more with them because the world is not all blue and green.

The flowers are a current Stampin'Up! stamp which I made a masked string of.  The pink dots are molding paste and a stencil which I painted over in the pinks.

You're not going to like everything you create - but create something everyday.

Joan

"The world today doesn't make sense, so why should my paint pictures that do."

Pablo Piccaso

Colourful Collage

This is kinda a odd shot of a collage I completed a number of weeks ago.  It's done in my paper bag book - so each page measures 14x10.25".  I enjoyed doing this collage because I paid more attention to what was happening - it's sort of broken down into colour sections.

I love the flow of this page and especially the little paint gobs that you end up with when you open your tube of paint.  They can be so interesting that I have to keep them - and yes, I've been hoarding a bunch to be used - hopefully soon.

My collages are usually just a random collection of things in my stash box.  And it's fun to see how things can all meld together.

Be brave - create a collage of ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

Joan

"The world is but a canvas to our imagination" Henry David Thoreau

Cats and Nats

This cat was done for one of the Tuesday Artists Gang.  I can't believe, really, how well this cat turned out.  I've never really tried drawing animals before and I love the doodling I've done on it.  The numbers were part of the background and I may do it differently if I were to do it again.

This weekend I worked in my show book to catchup on pages - AND get rid of the fodder out of my box. I can't believe it was 8 years ago that we saw this concert - it was wonderful.  Especially the part where she sang with her dad via a screen.  And that is what this particular "show book" is about - remembering all the fantastic shows I've gone to.

Create something everyday.

Joan

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Inspiration Wednesdays

I'm always excited for Wednesdays to see what new things we'll be doing with Donna Downey - and to watch her very entertaining videos.

I liked the layout for this page - brown paper along the bottom, "bleeding" tissue paper on top with the colour extended into the white area.  I also got to use some of my specialty paper to and text to collage a bit.  

The stencil we were using was about perception, so I found some big eyes in my stash to add to the ephemera.

It was fun "breaking up " the stencil - separating the words onto different areas of the page.  I had to work on other things in-between applications of the molding paste - I've learned for bad past experiences that it's better to be patient than to rush.

Once the molding paste was dry I added some acrylic paint mixed with a glaze medium to cover the words and help bring out their texture.

This portion of a spread was done prior to the one above.  I was happy to use the lotus stencil because I had used it on a canvas and wanted to see how Donna worked with it.  I like the gold on these pages, but I need work on the lotus!

Create something everyday,

Joan

"Art is never finished, only abandoned"  Leonardo daVinci

Greens and Blues

I do have a hard time with NOT using this colour palette - blues and greens, especially bright green and turquoise just make me happy.

Anyway - This spread is in my lyrics book - a book I'm creating with song 

lyrics from songs I enjoy and mean something to me.  This one is by Toby Mac and all the little banners fit well with the lyrics.  Now that this part is done, I will put in an inclusion with all the song lyrics on it.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a scrapbook store, Urban Scrapbook, and took one of their art journal painting classes.  It's something I have never done before and I had a good time doing it.  I had to adjust my little vase because everyone else's books were rectangular and mine is square.  I looking forward to going back.  Making those little flowers - or the flowers in general was a bit nerve wracking - so it was good for me.

Create something everyday.

Joan

"I think that one's art is a growth inside one.  I do not think one can explain growth.  It is silent and subtle.  One does not keep doffing up a plant to see how it grows."

Emily Carr

Elephants and watercolour

This piece is inspired by one of the Artist Gang, Nika Rouss, who are working along with Inspiration Wednesday.  I had to change mine a bit because I didn't have the same stencil she used for the ear and my head was positioned so I ended up having to add a second eye and tusk along with the whole trunk….but that's what makes it my own I guess.

This watercolour page is in preparation for doing some calligraphy writing in the bubbles and boxes.  I'm doing some practising first before I start writing on this - besides.  I sort of like it the way that it is.

Create something everyday.

Joan

"There is no art without contemplation."  Robert Henri

Canvas Pieces

I honestly don't know where the time goes.  One day I'm up to date with my blog posts and the next I'm two weeks behind….but I have been busy. 

Today I'm sharing two canvases I've created.  The top one has a background created with paper napkins which I painted over in the middle in order to create a working space.  I stencilled the leaves on with coloured molding paste and added some flowers that are left over from a Stampin'Up! product we had a number of years ago.  I just loved these little flowers.  Next I cut some butterflies out of a piece of scrapbook paper that had the same colour combinations and added the quote.

I so agree with this quote!  I loved Paris when we went there a number of years ago.  The background for this piece is tissue paper with a "french" theme.  I then covered it with some pieces from a piece of scrapbook paper, added some stamps and some a french script stamp.  The words of the quote are made out of chipboard which I distressed before attaching.  I love the monochromatic look to this piece too.

Create something everyday,

Joan

"Painting transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach."  Prince Charles

Mission Inspiration

Here is another Mission Inspiration of 10 prompts.  One of the prompts was to turn the book upside down and then add paint drips - I did that, keeping the book upside down for a couple more prompts, but it wasn't' until I turned the book over again, that my treble and bass clefs were upside down - oh well - I covered them with a bit of music…..which I took artistic licence on, because the prompt was to add text from a book.  Well - I decided that the text from a music book is - music.  Tada.

Create Something Everyday,

Joan

"Painting is not a means of communication or even self-expression, but rather a process of discovering, or uncovering. "  Louis de Brocquy