Thursday, May 31, 2012

I think I'm starting to get this
Art Journaling thing.
Lately, I've had 
no muse
to speak of
and
have been rethinking 
why I am doing "this".
"This" means art related
marketing, etc.
My wheels are really turning
these days as I approach 50.
Thanks to an incredible therapist
and the timing just being right
to receive, hear, whatever
you want to call it,
I am figuring things out.
Love.
The short is answer is 
I make art
because I love it.
End of story.
No going into the studio 
if I'm not feeling the love.
Do something else I love that day.
Here are several 
art journal pages in process.
NOW
I am finding the process
cathartic and highly valuable.
I'm using random stuff 
that's laying all
over my floor and table.
The page is driven by my emotion,
not by technique or 
trying to be pretty.
Altho, as I become 
more practised 
at collage composition,
they can't help but
be pretty 
every once in awhile.
teehee.
This one has some added
pen work.
Not quite finished yet.
 Using random shizz
laying everywhere.
I am such a slob in here.






I sanded the game card.
There's a few rub ons there,
a cut up stamp,
handmade papers
and a Blues Guitar!!
I had so much fun!!!
I will leave you with
my new mantra:
I Love You
I'm sorry
Please Forgive Me
Thank you.
Because I deserve it.
Because I deserve to be happy.
And so do you.
 xoS

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Art Journal day

I tried.
But for various reasons
I have not continued to follow 
Book Of Days 
art journaling fb group.
I got startled by comments.
I get lazy.
I am re-evaluating everything.
I have menopause.
ok, that last one is 
definitely the culprit for just
about everything right now. 
Anyhoo
I was compelled to journal today.
I am using this journal:

 I still love the journal I was 
up-cycling for BOD.
But that journal is gesso'd and painty and embellished.
This journal is going to be one of those quickie 
paper and glue
only ones 
that get the real dirt
of my feelings 
when they need 
to go down fast and ugly 
not slow and arty.
Feel me?
I knew that you could. 
This is the first spread.
OK maybe it is a little arty, 
you will recognize the cover photo for my fb page is taken from this spread. I needed a place to
 gather and ponder 
on my inchies 
and this is the perfect size 
page spread.
 The second spread is mostly
ripped up paint palette paper, random papers and junk mail, Philadelphia art museum was
advertising a Frida exhibit, yes, I went.

This page has a transparent insert I journaled on but removed from the photo here.
I was going thru a health scare.
I puked my emotions all over Frida.
She would approve.


 Which brings me to today.
I am using junk mail
that I thought was quite ironic
given my state of mind.

 I sanded the shiny a little and cut and glued 
and picked up random paper to glue down as journal block.
I went to the library today and picked up a $1 book. 
It was meant to be because I found that quote in it that pertained exactly to my feelings today.
The last photo has tissue on top of the specifics.
In general, I've written about
Living Now In The Present Moment
Mindfully.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
You know you have it bad 
when you even keep junk mail. 
Hoarding is the next step.
teehee.
xoS

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Spray Play

I had the best time playing 
in my studio last week. 
Altho I was inspired by the mono-print workshop I attended last month, it got me to thinking about where my strengths and skills are, 
and what exactly do
 I Love to create. 
Along those always present lines of "what is my style, do I have one, what am I trying to say, why do I do this etc" .
Scroll back to re-visit my post about the workshop and
the soul searching comment I received from Stewart Gill Paints
on facebook. 
So, I've gone back to LOVE. 
What do I love to do?
Make Backgrounds.
Messy painty textury Backgrounds.
What else do I Love to do?
Collage on wood. 
And most of all?
I Love to make 
 Artist Trading Cards.
Every one of my prints that I have for sale on etsy, began with 
the humble ATC beginning.
So maybe all my soul searching
is a no-brainer.
I Love to make messy backgrounds 
and turn them into collages on wood or ATC's.
Done. 
The technique:
I began with some vintage 
ladies crafts/recipe/ magazines
called The Workbasket.
I started with dripping some
alcohol ink randomly.
I like the intensity of the ink.
It does not get diluted with
water or paint that is added next.
Keep that in mind, cuz, it aint goin nowhere!!!
I then added some Glimmer sprays, home made sprays, Ranger sprays.
I am not thrilled with any of the commercial sprays due to the nozzles clogging.I adore the colors but the clogging is 
frustrating. I use cheap body sprays I get at Walmart.I just dump the "perfume" gag, down the sink and add my ink with water, 
or paint with glazing medium and water. 
I love the look of the oxidized copper and think I got it good this time. I also scored some cross stitch patterns in the magazine and decided to cover some baseball cards to turn into ATC's at a future date. 
By the way, I lightly dry brushed the vintage papers with gesso before spraying. To toughen up the delicate papers and push some of the writing to the back.
I used some scrapbook paper as stencils for spraying and then glued the actual papers down on some of the vintage papers.I love the texture!
I only stamp occasionally now, but I wanted to add some curvy fonts and organic shapes, thus the Italian font and the thorns.
I gesso'd thru scrapbook paper onto some old calendar pages.I also laid a light layer of gesso down and wrote into it with a stick. 
Then after drying, I cut and glued the papers onto illustration board for ATC's and adhered the calendar page onto a wooden shadow box.































So there you have it!
Spray Studio Play! This week I had the mother lode of all hauls!!
Work was getting rid of over 100 solid wood 5x7 plaques.
I was able to take them!!! 
I am sooooo tired of paying $$$
for wooden shadow boxes!



This is the perfect size for me.
So maybe it was a good thing I figured out 
what I LOVE.
teehee. 
Thanks for visiting!!
xoS