Just Be

I had a heck of a time adding images over the blended background!  I literally had to take the paintings advice and "Just let it be what it is".  Sometimes when you strive for perfection, you don't enjoy the dance (the process).  This painting has special meaning to me because of the both the struggle and affirmation.  :0)

Falling

In this piece, I used modeling paste to create the textured layers.  I loved it!  It went on like frosting on a cake only without the calories!  I really like how more dimensional you can get with this stuff!

Legacies of My Beloved

 

I started this painting this July and just now finished.  It is the first one I have done for my children, Morgan and Parker.  The process just took a while, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.  The blue dragonfly is for Morgan and has the kanji symbol, "ontoku", which means compassion and blessing.  The Green dragonfly is Parker's and has the kanji symbol, "warai", which means laughter and smile.  My boys have forever instilled these amazing qualiies in me and I promise to carry them forward.

Stepping Stones

I'm taking an on-line class called Chaos and Calm.  The instructors are teaching me a lot about painting with acylics.  This particular assignment taught us how to blend the paints.  I am really happy with my results!

9.2.10

I LOVE the results I got from carving my own stamp of "Aspen"!!  So this photo shows the carved stamp at the bottom and the printed image at top.  I LOVE it the way it is!!

8.12.10

PRETTY MESS

My version on encaustic painting!  I layered pieces of deli paper, that I had already painted, with melted beeswax.  I love how the under layers show through!  I'll be experimenting more with this!

8.2.10

Lovin' working with a black background!  I had fun using star stencils I cut out.  After a second coat of watered down blue paint, I used Portfolio pastels to smear around.

7.30.10

Check out my story on Crescendoh.com:
http://blog.crescendoh.com/readers_share/

7.11.10

 

From a workshop I'm taking called "Journal 365", Pam Carriker has taught us to reuse our artwork into our art journals as collage elements.  Here, I used a water color painting I did of the sun and an dragonfly image from an acrylic painting of mine.  With some embellishing and blending, I'm really happy with how this piece turned out.  :0)

Crunchy the Cow

My friend, Michelle, commissioned me to paint her daughter a piece that represented all the things important to her girl.  This includes Sarah Grace's favorite stuffed animal, Crunchy!  The young tree represents Sarah Grace with the love of her parents that grounds her (notice the upside down heart).  This painting is similar to my "Springtime" one.  Michelle and her daughter were very happy with it!  Phew!

Taking Flight

6.30.10
This piece represents me uncovering layers of my heart to find an artist hidden deep below.  I have come to realize my art is for me, and that is rewarding enough.  I don't make art to impress anyone, I make art to express myself.

The background was created with a lot of collage elements.  I drew the wings onto a sheet of music (hard to see in pic).  Oil pastels were used to create the heart.  The heart is hung by fishing wire and floats in the shadowbox.  The best part is the crystal hanging from the heart was Morgan's, my son.  :0)

6.23.10

6.22.10

6.1.10

Barn owl
For our nephew's high school graduation, I drew Kyle this barn owl knowing how much he has an affinity for these beautiful creatures.  They seem like human beings inside a bird's body, very intriguing!!

5.18.10

SPRINGTIME

This is my attempt at pointillism and let me tell you, it takes a lot of patience!  I guess that is the advantage of the oil paint, it takes longer to dry.  The clouds are of vintage sheet music with a wash of acrylic white and the rest was painted with acrylics.

5.5.10 journal

Playing with the conte crayon, I realized my page needed some color! 

5.4.10

I belong to a group called, "A Year In The Life Of An Art Journal". Twice a month, they post a prompt. The latest one is called, "Tears"

5.2.10

INTUITION

This is my first try with conte crayons and LOVE them! Probably my best self-portrait to date! This was the 2nd lesson in Pam Carriker's art journaling workshop. Havin' fun!

4.30.10

This piece was inspired by my grandparents collection of kokeshi dolls (Japanese wooden dolls) that has now been handed down to my sisters and me.

I collaged the foreground with newspaper clippings from Japan and used fluid acrylics to paint the rest. I cut out the kokeshi doll from illustration and when I was done painting her, I covered her with a thick layer of tar gel to really make her stand out. Its hard to tell in the pic, but she definitely looks more dimensional.

I'm loving the whole creating process with my pieces!

4.22.10

Savor
This piece was inspired by the artist/instructor Pam Carriker. I'm currently taking an online art journaling workshop with her. Rendering in acrylics is kinda new to me, so I'm really pleased with how the pear turned out.

4.11.10

There a internet group called "Creative Therapy". Once a week, they put out a catalyst and encourage people to play along with the theme. I deeply believe that creating art is incredibly therapeutic. It has done wonders for me, and I feel like I'm just getting started! So, anyway, this week's catalyst is "Are you proud of who you are?" My creation is what follows. I like it so much, I might use the theme in Mother's Day cards!

4.8.10

SEASONS
I struggled with this four panel piece! I love how the leaf turned out with the vibrant colors, just not keen on the burnt sienna border. It looks too country-ish to me even though I love the color. I'm finding I could work on a piece until the cows come home (again, country!) but I want to be content and move on. So, onward to the next art piece!

3.30.10

So glad that spring is upon us!

3.29.10

3.19.10

You will be seeing a lot of dragonfly paintings due to my affinity for them! I love the symbolism behind these beautiful creatures: Love, Hope and Change.

3.13.10

HOME

I really liked how this piece turned out. I believe its important to grow roots at home. From there, you can thrive! Watching over our house is Wiley, Morgan, Parker and Steve's dad, John.

3.6.10

My first commissioned piece! Betsy wanted me to paint her daughter, Alex a piece that had to do with the song she always sang to Alex as a baby...and here it is. I'm REALLY happy with it. Alex gets to open her present on the 9th, I hope she likes it too! Happy Birthday sweet Alex!

3.2.10

I'm taking an on-line art journaling workshop with Dina Wakley. LOVE her style and I've learned a bunch of new techniques to try out like using negative space. I lOVE it's effect! http://dinastamps.typepad.com/ponderings/

2.27.10

Blessings Journal

New project is a blessings journal. I have so much to be thankful for, that it needs to be put in a book! Here's the 1st page:

Here is a watercolor painting I just finished for Steve for his birthday! Its of his family's cabin on Neebish Island, Michigan. One of Steve's favorite places to be. Happy Birthday Stevie! :0)

Quote Art Jornal