More Beeswax art

I am certainly enjoying working with beeswax! There is something about its qualities…it’s warm, golden hued, and smells pretty nice too! I love how it turns things transparent, like the old German dictionary page (with the word Frauen = ladies in German) showing part of the back page…how the fiber paper almost becomes so transparent, that all you can see are the threads…they almost float off the canvas. It gives it an almost ethereal quality. I love how you can buff the wax with a soft cloth and make it glow. And there is something about picking up a piece of beeswax art…I love the way it feels, solid yet fragile…a very vintage feel to it.

If you haven’t tried working with beeswax yet, I would recommend it highly. Here is an online lesson from Artchix Studio on how to make a beeswax collage. It is super easy and fun…I promise!

Assemblage in miniature

 I am really enjoying these small drawers that I purchased a few weeks ago at Michaels. They are just the right size for little assemblages…a fun size, and not too overwhelming!

The purple one, entitled Greyhounds, was made for a friend who loves those dogs. She is also my antiquing partner…she understands my love for all things vintage! I added an old flash bulb from a camera, an ink bottle that I found in Italy in November, and a glass bottle that I filled with dried lavender (she loves purple too!). I love the size of these drawers…perfect for making a small personal assemblage for someone.

The other assemblage, called Hope, was made for my husband, and it was made with something that reminds him of his job, as he works for an electric company. There is a small bulb in there, attached to a key (which you can’t see, but it’s attached to the inside top of the assemblage) along with a push button thingie. I am not sure what it’s for, but I knew when I saw it, I had to use it  I also used a piece from his broken camera, the lens…and inside is a tiny word…Time. The whole piece is resting on a base…which is an electrical outlet cover.

My friend and art guru, Mary, lent me her copy of The Altered Object by Terry Taylor and I am loving it! Such great ideas…so creative. Someone’s junk, or discards, can be transformed into beautiful art! It is really inspiring me to keep on creating in 3D.

I am working on my fourth miniature assemblage, so stay tuned for details!

Chiropractic Cabinet of Curiosities

This is my most ambitious project this year…and the most agonizing! The things I make just for fun, seem to come together relatively easy. But if I have a piece in mind as a gift, it is SO much more difficult! Here is my second attempt at an altered cigar box. This one was in pretty worn shape to begin with, but it was just perfect for that vintage feel I was looking for. When I found a drawing kit on clearance at Michaels a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted to use the mannequin for this assemblage. I used so many elements in this piece, from a used dryer sheet, to a curtain rod part, to an old book cover, a tiny bottle, light bulb, marbled papers, and wax…and much more. I like this “crowded” box, because the more you look into it, the more you find.  I made this as a gift for my chiropractor, who I have known for 25 years. He was my employer for a while, and I consider him a friend. He has helped me in so many ways, with so many aches and pains of mine! I could never thank him enough for all that he has done. So, what better way to show thankfulness, than by giving someone a gift made especially for them…with my own hands.  In fact, you will notice the word “Hands” as a theme in this piece.  

A chiropractor’s hands are the tools of his trade. On the back of the tags I have made, are words to describe some traits that stand out in a doctor that cares for people…dependable, patient, trust, strength, comfort…to name a few. Those traits are rare these days, and I want him to know how much his kindness and caring has meant to me over the years.  

I am a bit nervous, I have to admit. But he will know that not only did I make this gift for him with my hands, but also with my heart  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ***update***  I gave this piece to my friend, the chiropractor, yesterday… and he loved it

 

An Experiment in Beeswax

For the last six months, I have been wanting to try this…beeswax collage! I have seen it, in books, magazines, websites. I even bought a block of beeswax about 4 months ago, and a tiny crockpot to heat it up in…even a slew of 4 x 4 chunky canvasses to try it on. Well, the months came and went, the crockpot box went unopened…the block of beeswax, lost…well, somewhere in my mess of an art room, I am sure. Then surgery came and went…but still, in the back of my mind, I wanted to try this…this “new” way of adhering ephemera to canvas, without glue…just all natural beeswax.  And so, on Wednesday, while hiding from the smoke of Northern California, I found myself in my art room, staring at the crockpot. I bought another block of beeswax, used brute force to chop it into one inch chunks, broke open the package of canvasses, and started grabbing papers, images, book pages, buttons, oil pastel sticks, and crayons. What you see here, is a beginner’s attempt at beeswax…which I found a lot less intimidating than I had imagined. A heat gun worked wonders, in spreading around the beeswax, once I had brushed it on the canvas, and layers of papers…because the wax cools down SO fast! I love the way paper reacts to wax, especially old dictionary pages, and music sheets. They almost become transparent. Tissue paper really works well too, and for the base, I used clothing pattern tissue paper, to give it that overall warmth. I am sure I will try this technique again. It was fun, the beeswax smelled nice, and if I kept my fingers out of the beeswax and the path of the heat gun…it was a pretty safe project I attached the first canvas to a piece of scrap wood that I put a dictionary page on, with wax. On the second, I attached it to a vintage book cover, attached to a flat stone for stability. After I let the collages sit overnight, I took a microfiber cloth, and buffed out the wax, till it had a nice shiny glow.

I just have to remember, wherever I put these can’t be in a warm place, or under a lamp…I don’t want to wake up in the morning, with a pool of wax and paper on my furniture

 

Under the Paris Moon

Something new…something romantic…something Parisian. This is how I spent the better part of my afternoon. Pretending to be a Parisian Painter. I had just worked on some Marc Chagall ATCs a few days ago, and he had a habit of adding the Eiffel Tower to many of his works…and also a big bright sun or moon in the sky. So, inspired by Mr. Chagall, and armed with a slew of new blank canvasses (Aaron Brothers is having their Buy One, Get One for a PENNY! sale) I was ready to get messy with acrylic paints! For those who know my usual kind of art…this is nothing like it. Seldom do I paint on canvas…unless it is for a background. Seldom do I use primary colors. Seldom do I do a completely contemporary piece…no use of vintage images, eh???  I used a 9 x 12 canvas…anything larger, I think I would have been intimidated. I mean, who do I think I am, a painter? After looking at some of my photos from our trip to Paris two years ago, I sat down with an idea in my head…and decided to jump in. I am surprised happy with how it turned out though…even though I may go back and add a few details in the next couple days. But for this non-painter, I must say, this was a great way to spend an afternoon…with brushes immersed in pools of Payne’s Gray, Hansa Yellow, and Quinacridone Crimson…and me, with paint all over hands, my clothes, my desk…Like I said, what a way to spend an afternoon :-)       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ATC fit for a Queen

Inspired by Patty’s blog, I decided to take on the challenge…an ATC challenge, that is. Think Monday - Think ATC provides a challenge every week, and this week’s intrigued me. Since I am an avid collector of all things ephemera, from days past, and from my present, I thought the challenge to use a ticket in this week’s ATC was GREAT. I found the ticket first, then found the image…and there is a bonus ticket, altered just a bit. I used an old book cover as the substrate, and added a bit of antique gold Rub and Buff to the edges…to make it seem a bit more “royal”.

It feels good to get back into the habit of ATCs. This is what started my love for mixed media almost three years ago. And sometimes I get so caught up with collage, and most recently, assemblage, that I forget how fun, and satisfying, making ATCs can be. They are “instant art”, small, portable, quick, fun…and they are fun to trade, or to give as a gift. They don’t take alot of thought or time (well, unless you do the Seurat technique…see below…”not so instant art”). Really all you need is three or four things…a background, a focal image, an embellishment of some sort, and a word or two.

This is one of the first pages I came across when I Googled the word “ATC” those three years ago. And go here, for some ATC eye candy. You can see the evolution of my ATC art here. If you have an art blog with ATCs…please feel free to leave a comment with your blog address. I love to see ATCs that other artists create.

And don’t forget…they are FUN

Home ~ A Shadow Box Assemblage

    I tried something new this week…a new way to tell a story. A shadow box! I have enjoyed working with 3D elements lately, and with this kind of a box, you can have one overall theme to your project, and each cubby can be its own “chapter” in the story. I used one vintage image of a family…that was the first element I chose. The rest came easily, as I scrounged around in my little antique printer tray, as well as my art room…and my rusty bucket outside for pieces to add to each cubby. There is a mixture here…tiny dried miniature roses, rusty paper clips and safety pins, bits of lace and buttons, words torn from vintage books, old jewelry (or jewelry made to look old) twigs from my yard, tiny printer types…all kinds of little things, mixed with a little paint and matte medium…oh, and an old book cover cut to make a roof.   This little project covered two challenges, one for Mixed Media Monday …a challenge to try something new. And for my Arttechniques group…a chance to add a little lace to something this month. So there you have it…two challenges, one project, with many compartments.  I am attached to this piece of art. Maybe because there are so many little pieces of things I have collected over the years now displayed in a new way. They have made a good home here, don’t you think??? 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seurat, Pointillism, and a bunch of dots…

I love learning about artists…especially the French painters…the impressionists…oh, I have fallen in love with Monet, Cezanne, Pissarro, Degas…the list goes on and on. When my husband and I were in Paris, we went to the Musee d’Orsay and we were able to see some of the works of these artists…and to stand in front of them, looking closely at the painter’s strokes, the colors, the composition…I fell even more in love with the art of impressionism.

However, there was an area in the museum where they had beautiful works by artists of the pointillism movement, such as Georges Lemmon and Georges Seurat. The art was intriguing…you could almost lose yourself in these paintings…it was amazing!

I decided to jump in on an ATC swap this month, where we try to emulate the methods of Seurat, and his pointillism works…and here you see one of my attempts. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be…there is more to pointillism that just dabbing dots of paint. And though I came NOwhere near the beauty of the master artists, I have to say, I did have fun attempting this. Once I got into the “flow” of dot painting, instead of just making patterns of dots…I decided to see the allure of this kind of work. And I was able to add colors to the ocean, like robin’s egg blue, aqua, lavender, green, white, and wisps of yellow…it was a bit liberating, actually

I started with a large sheet of canvas type paper, putting down watercolor paint lightly, to make a landscape. Then I lightly drew an outline for the lady and her daughter, and the tree…and then came the dots! I added another lady a few inches away, then two sailboats. When I was almost finished, I cut up the piece of paper into ATC size (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches) and ended up with four ATCs. I then added a few more dots of paint, to fill in a few places, and then pronounced them finished. They can be seen here, on my ATC blog.

I really love learning about the master artists, and ATC swaps and challenges really do make me stretch my artist imagination, and try things I might never attempt otherwise. Why don’t you take a walk on the pointillism side? Try it, you just may love it. And if nothing else, you will learn to appreciate a different method of painting.

A Room of One’s Own

 

A neverending battle…

I would LOVE to get organized…someday. And I am trying, really, I am! But it is SO hard!

Little by little, I am tossing out stuff…making room for more…stuff. But I love it here, I do. I have art surrounding me, inspiring me to keep going, keep creating, keep having fun with paper, glue, paint, old things. There is Joseph Cornell’s collage print on the left of my desk…I LOVE his art boxes, his collages…he was a pioneer in collage and assemblage! There is D.J. Pettit’s print that I bought at Art and Soul last year, that I completely fell in love with! It inspires me to keep drawing…keep practicing, maybe ONE day I will get THAT good Albie Smith’s beautifully decorated paste papers are pinned up on the wall next to where I work…they add that extra elegance to a collage or assemblage. Above the desk, two flower drawings, found in an antique scrapbook that I collected, from a young girl named Alice Davies. Did Alice know her two drawings done for a school art project, would inspire me many years later in an art room of my own?

To the right of the desk, beyond the photo’s borders, is a poster of Raphael’s School of Athens…where Leonardo walks in the center of things, Raphael peeks around the corner, and Michelangelo sits in the front, brooding. I just have to look at that poster, and feel like I am among the great masters…and feel that maybe, in their shadow, that I am an artist myself. Or am trying to be…

Yes, it is messy. Yes, it is crowded. Yes, it is stuffed with…STUFF! But, it is a room of my own, where I can think of nothing else, but creating. And it is filled with art, and the makings of art. What more could I ask for?

An Exercise in 3D composition

…or “how to create an assemblahhhgge, without the help of Michael deMeng”…    

 I have been wanting to create in three dimensional format again…itching to, actually. So, I bought Claudine Hellmuth’s first book yesterday…since it had ideas for creating assemblage, and lessons on composition…aka, making art pleasing to the eye Michael’s art store was having a huge sale yesterday, and I found this tiny cabinet for CHEAP, and right away, I knew what I wanted to do with it…use the drawers for miniature assemblage pieces.

This is a “temporary” assemblage…nothing is glued down, it is just positioned. I wanted to see how to assemble the pieces to tell a story. Thanks to a fellow artist for providing me some rusty bits to use (THANKS, Mary!) and a stash of papers, wire and an already collaged rock (yes, that’s right, the photo is collaged onto a piece of shale from the backyard), I was able to arrange the items to tell a story. Well, at least I see a story.

When I found the date in a book, September 1865…I started thinking about my ancestors that lived through the civil war, especially the women.  The words, Strong of Purpose, from the book page placed behind the ladies, reminds me of what they went through, without husbands, struggling to survive. The rusty bits…a solid bolt, and a spring…describe their strength and flexibility that allowed them to endure. And finally, the wire wrapped around the whole thing…showing a lack of freedom, in circumstances beyond their control. I might just keep this a “temporary” piece…since this period of their life was temporary…they survived, though the effects of war were felt for a very long time.

I love art that tells a story…and sometimes, I like to be the storyteller, with words, images and symbolism. Maybe that is why I love the idea of working with assemblage.

Wearable Art

        

My new experiment…transferring digital collages onto dominos! I used Jet Photo Print paper (now discontinued, of course!) transferred onto travel size dominos using Golden Matte Medium. I let them sit overnight, then wet the backing of the image, and rubbed off the paper. What was left, was a lighter, yet beautiful, image that looked embedded in the domino. I used about three coats of Crystal Lacquer to get a shiny and smooth finish, and added a pendant bail.

These are a lot of fun to wear! I have a feeling these, or some pendants just like them, will soon be on my Etsy site!

Altering Everything…

            

 

Shipping tags, cigar boxes, dominoes…none are safe in this house! 

I have altered shipping tags before, but these were special…special because they were made for a very special person, my niece. These were made as party favors for her and her fiance’s engagement party. I wanted them to be personal and sweet…and each had to be unique in its own way. I used the computer to digitally combine their photos as children, then added them to a slide mount decorated with scrapbook paper or vintage music pages. On the back of the painted tag, I printed out and attached a list of their important dates, when they met, decided to date, engagement, and their upcoming wedding. Twenty two altered art tags were made, and each family at the party went home with a memento of the evening.

Last week, in one of those middle of the night “aha!” moments, I decided the altered tags would need a box to hold them during the party…a perfect time to alter a cigar box in my stash! Using old book pages, from novels that my niece loves (Dicken’s Our Mutual Friend, and Bronte’s Jane Eyre) I worked quickly, adding these to the box with Matte Medium, adding touches of paint, then some used postage stamps, a bingo card with appropriate dates circled, and a decorated slide mount with their photo. I didn’t have a clasp to latch the box, so had to make my own…out of old sewing notions and some jute string, and an old key :-)  I added “feet” to it too…large dominos, using numbered ones that “spell out” the dates of their engagement and wedding.

My first altered cigar box! I loved it so much, I almost didn’t want to give it away. But I did, and my niece loved it, and the tags. It does make me happy, that my art makes other happy…

But really, I love the thrill of making things. Now…what can I alter next???

from idea…to sketch…to paint

       

Sometimes a journal comes in handy…especially lately, when my thoughts are scattered, and ideas come and go so quickly sometimes, that I can scarcely remember what brilliant technique, or substrate, or medium, that I wanted to try…ahh, the pen and paper, a wonderful invention! And so with so much time on my hands lately, and not much energy, I read…I write…I journal…and on good days, I sketch.

Here is how a Princess, became a Queen, in less than a week…it started with an idea. I must have seen something with “royalty” in it, a movie, an art piece, a book…but I decided I wanted to try a new theme, something royal, something with a crown. So, first came the idea, then the sketch. Then another sketch, a larger one onto Bristol paper…and then came out the Shiva Paintstiks that I bought earlier this year. Misty Mawn showed us how to use them at Asilomar Art and Soul in April, but I had yet to use them. They are oil paints in stick form, that are easier to use, and dry quicker than actually oil paints. My brush failed me, but the handy Q-tip and finger tip application (a tried and true technique!) worked pretty well. Her face, hair, dress and crown, are all Shiva Paintstiks, then outlined with a thin black marker.

I wondered what to do about the background, as I didn’t want it to detract from the subject…so, here is where the “mixed media” part comes in….with a little paper collage using scrapbook papers, a brilliant blue opaque marker…and a few drops of Stickles on her crown…she was almost royal.

Once she was put in a 9×12 frame …she became Queen Shiva

Making use of my collection

     

Have I mentioned recently how my photograph, tintype, cabinet card collection is growing??? I know, I don’t know when to stop. But I found a very nice place, run by a very nice man, who sells very nice photographs at outrageously wonderful prices…so, I ask you…what would you do??? I think I did well, considering there were boxes upon boxes, upon boxes of old photographs, all labeled by women, men, children, family groups. They were half price, and I was given a very nice discount…because I had a nice little collection of things (the almost 100 year old postage stamps books, cigar box full of postage stamps, and a little handful of photographs.) But I love looking at these photographs, in fact I have them displayed all over the house…and I am happy to be able to use these images in my textured collages, as well as in my digital art work. I was once asked, do I look for something specific when I am hunting for old photographs…and the answer is not that easy. Sometimes, it is an expression that catches my eye…a look of confidence, defiance, or even sorrow. Sometimes, it is writing on the back that personalizes the piece. At times, I will try to find out about a particular person, and see if I can find the living descendants (there is an experience close to my heart, regarding a photograph of a tiny boy named Oscar Demmon) or just find out a little something about them, and maybe write a story about their imagined life. I tend to like group photographs too…school photos are also a favorite. But really, there is no rhyme or reason, it just comes down to this…as my brother in law would say, “You like what you like!”

Inspired by words and art

I came across a quote today…I think it might have been written especially for me…

To create is to move into the unknown — to move into the mystery of yourself, to have feeling, to awaken buried perceptions and to be alive and free without worrying about the results.
~Michele Cassou

If I worry too much about what the result will be, the work will turn out horribly. If I work play because I am having fun, then it makes all the difference in the world. I am trying to let go of the idea that I am striving for perfection in my art. That is not my goal. My goal is to enjoy myself…to let go, to have fun. I decided to play on the computer last night, layering images over tintype images…and something wonderful happened…it turned into art.

Time on my hands…

                       

 

Surgery = time to read, time to watch movies, time to play digital art

Finally, not only do I have the time, but I did have a little energy to work on some digital art…especially since it only involves working on a laptop on a couch…while watching Jack Black in School of Rock…I know, life is tough

Hope to be up and around soon, to create with glue and paint on paper. You know how I love to get my hands dirty! But for now, I am happy to be working with some newly acquired images from a few antique shopping trips. Aren’t they fun? Doesn’t that beach photo just make you smile???

Between watching ALL the Jane Austen movies I can get my hands on, reading the newest Somerset Studios, and Artful Blogging, and making digital art, I have found some time to be inspired by art blogs…oh, it is a guilty pleasure to be able to look into the lives of other artists. Here are a few of my favorites…

Alexa’s Blog   Magpie’s Nest (Patty’s blog!)  and  cuzn Pat’s blog      Enjoy!

My newest obsession…

…well, ok, one of many. But if you see my post below, you will see that it is totally normal to “collect” as well, as have an addiction to create :-) I do actually think it might be called, Art ADD (attention deficit disorder) because just as quickly as I fall in love with one technique, medium, substrate, embellishment…I fall head over heels into something else I love as much…

My newest love???

Altered vintage poker chip pins. This one was made with some sea plant skeleton (sorry, don’t know the name) that my husband found in Monterey, CA on our anniversary this past year. Isn’t it cool??? Oh, and I will let you in on a little secret…those tiny “bubbles” you see, made of Crystal Lacquer? An honest to goodness piece of serendipity! Yes, I made a boo boo, got a bubble mark on the very top of my pin…I was extremely disappointed, until I realized that I could make a whole “under the sea” bubbly embellishment extravaganza :-) 

 Cool, huh? Well, I love this one too much to sell it, or give it away…but if you want to see my other creations (aka…newest art obsession) then go here

 

Eye candy and validation

Lynne Perrella does it again…she makes me feel NORMAL! Yes, yes…I am not off my rocker strange for collecting bits of books, ephemera, old photos, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, rusty things, rocks, shells, stamps…like I do, continously. NO, I am not alone…I am part of a unique group of people, called…wait for it…

Collectors

I am vindicated, validated…because here you will see, as surely as I did…that I am not alone! I collect, and love to collect…and love to LOOK at my collections, just like SO many artists do! This book has some GREAT eye candy in it…it is NOT a technique book, but it is full of glorious pages…filled with collections of old stuff! It gave me the idea to do THIS

 Thank you Lynne Perrella!

A little art, a little food, a little garden

…and so it was, last Tuesday, when Janene graciously offered her charming garden to us. We brought food, we brought art…she provided the goodies and atmosphere. What can I say? It was a perfect little spot to relax, enjoy each other’s company, talk art, and wander in her little corner of paradise.  

I brought some Spring digital art, and a poem, for the occasion. We talked about Art and Soul Asilomar…and I extolled Misty’s genius, we nibbled on cookies, cupcakes, chocolate…ahhh, what can I say? A perfect day!

Asilomar post #4 (say it ain’t so!)

It’s over? Already? How can that be? I had this planned for months, and in a matter of moments (ok, three days…but really it flew!) it was gone! Now, I look back, on the art pieces I worked on, the fresh air of the ocean breeze, the wonderful hours of instruction, getting to know other artists…all of it seems like a beautiful dream. It was just what I needed, time for myself, time to create, time to chat with other artists with the same joys and struggles I face…it was all so therapeutic, so wonderful.  These are the works I made with my own hands, thanks to Misty’s help and guidance, her being so willing to share her secrets with us! I keep looking at them, touching the textures, remembering the process, wondering if I can duplicate the results in my future artwork…wondering if I have the courage to try this on my own.

Misty, thank you for being so willing to share a glimpse of your world with us. I told you once, and I say it again…you are a wonderful teacher, and all expectations I had of this class with you were exceeded. Thank you seems so inappropriate for the confidence and skills you gave us. 

Our hands were messy, our hearts were warmed, our joy…immeasurable