Thursday, December 29, 2011

Digital Collage Play . . . She Dreams of Being Free

"She Dreams of Being Free"

Ok so late last night I opened up photoshop and started to play. And man was it cool! I took an image of one of my butterfly mixed media paintings, a textured photo, a favorite sketch of mine and layered them. I played with blending modes, opacity, saturation, and the eraser for the push/pull of bringing different aspects of each piece through.

I was so in a moment and felt as though I was working on a painting. I have always admired digital collage and months ago made a few attempts but nothing I really was that happy with. This was the first one in which I decided to utilize a painting along with one of my sketches. I LOVE how this turned out! I may have discovered a new way to incorporate my sketches into my art! You know how I always say I am afraid to paint my faces? Well to me this sketch now looks as though it is in a painting!

I am hoping to spend more time trying a few others like this. I will be sure to share with you!
Wishing you all a creative night!
xo

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Rocky's First Christmas

Hope you all had a lovely holiday!
Hard to believe its over already! I had a wonderful weekend with my boys. Lou had 4 days off from work which were much needed for him. Rocky was pretty happy to have his buddy around everyday! He is stuck like glue to Lou. Follows him everywhere. I can see they already have a special bond.

Rocky's first Christmas was a good one. Here he is laying in the sun. All the fun must have been too much for him as you can see!

He just loves his bed and is content as long as he is near us. (well, mostly Lou) ;)


Despite the fact that Rocky and I were off to a rocky start (he was very appropriately named wasn't he?) we are getting along better these days. I have to say he did melt my heart just a wee bit when he came over and hopped in my lap last night. Maybe it was the heat from the wood stove or maybe it was just me . . .

Our holiday was quiet, just the three of us, a staycation of sorts. And for that I am grateful.
xo

Friday, December 23, 2011

Always Time For Photography

"A Peaceful Winter"

I didn't have time this week for painting or rather I never made the time but somehow I always have time to play in photoshop. It feeds my creativity when I cannot find the motivation to get out the paints.

I shot this image last year at the trail near my house after a snowstorm. I used a fab new texture from Kim Klassen and love it! Its called "more magic" and the texture is actually black! Very cool when you use it to layer over an image! I love the words and the distressed look it gives. You can read more about that HERE and even download the texture for free. Kim is very generous with sharing her talent.

I thought this image would make a lovely holiday card so that is what I spent time last night creating. It was alot more fun making my own cards. What a great way to share my inspiration with friends and family.

Hope you are finding time to create, dream, and fill your soul . . .
xo

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Remembering Gram . . .


Thinking of my Grandma today on her 10th anniversary in heaven . . .
remembering fun times at the bronx zoo,
grilled cheese sandwiches at the counter in Woolworth's,
the secret candy stash in her cabinet,
sharing stories of her growing up years which I could listen to forever,
but most of all I always felt oh so loved,
showered with hugs and kisses . . .
she is forever missed . . .

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Messy Flowers . . .

Ok, so these are some messy flowers, but I am really liking being loose and messy with watercolors and sketching! Sometimes the sketching comes first but this time I sketched in the details and shapes after laying down the color.

And of course I had to add butterflies cause I love them. I thought they would go well with the flowers! Then there is the dripping fun!

"Dare to Bloom"

I am sharing this piece for Sunday Sketches today hosted by the lovely Sophia.
Click HERE to join us and see the lovely work being shared!
xo

Friday, December 16, 2011

Messy Watercolor Play

Being the online class junkie that I am I recently signed up for another class with Alisa Burke. I have been enjoying her "Sketchbook Delight" which sparked an interest in watercolor so much so that when I found out she had a class focused solely on watercolors I knew I was in! Its called "Watercolor Bliss".

Yesterday I tried some of the lessons and here are the results. I got messy with my cheapie pan of crayola watercolors in my journal. In the above image I was playing with some neutral colors and added some stamping which as you know I LOVE!

On this next page I went pretty bold with the colors, fought that intially but in the end the colors won! Its a bit bright for me but I do like how it all came together. It helped me to begin to get over my fear of bright color!

As you can see I am enjoying learning watercolors with Alisa. Watercolors are really fun, loose, and alot more immediate than acrylic for me. Now I am anticipating difficulty when I attempt something more structured as I am finding that its harder to cover up mistakes in this medium but just being free and loose is great for now!

I am sharing these today over at Paint Party Friday.
If you want to join us just Click HERE!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Love And Rain . . . Sunday Sketches

"you can see the love even through the rain . . ."
graphite and pitt pen on 5x8 journal page

I stepped away from the watercolors for a bit with this sketch I worked up this afternoon. I traded them for my trusty graphite adding a bit of pitt pen for outlining. I am beginning to not mind my own script so I added it to this sketch. I do like the combo of graphite and pen. I wanted to add color but I think I like it this way for now. You all know how sometimes color scares me! lol

I am sharing this girl today over at Sunday Sketches. Click HERE to stop by Sophia's blog and check out the lovely sketching being shared!
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
xo

Friday, December 9, 2011

You Never Know . . . New Journal Page

I was up late last night working on this page and am really happy how it turned out. I saw this image a few nights ago in my head. Weird how that happens.

I am taking Sketchbook Delight with Alisa Burke. Its a great class! So fun and Alisa is a great instructor! I am really having fun with watercolors which I used on this page along with pitt pens and a bit of graphite. For the words I debated on using more fancy lettering like I am learning in letterLab with Lori Vliegen but as you can see I just ended up quickly writing the words in script. Actually I didn't think I had enough room. But I felt the sky needed something so I thought the words would be a good fit there.

I am sharing this page today over at Paint Party Friday. Click HERE to join us!

Wishing you all a great weekend!!
xo

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Painting The Sunrise Every Day . . . Inspiring Artist Story to Share!

I recently saw this video about about an artist who paints sunrises in pastel.
It was so inspiring
I just had to share it with all of you!

Take a look! It gave me goosies! :)

xo

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sunday Sketches . . . NYC Skyline

I spent some time playing in my journal this weekend. I was inspired by a photo a took of the NYC skyline and wanted to try a sketch. I loosely sketched it out and added gray and pink watercolors with a bit of yellow for lit windows on the buildings. I am really loving watercolors when I sketch.

I took a pic after I first laid down the colors over the sketch and I also like it this way. It was fun though to go back in with my black pitt pen and outline, scribble and sketch it back in. Although I am not happy with the bold letters at at the bottom it was how I was initially inspired to write them so I just went with it.

I am sharing this today over at Sunday Sketches hosted by the lovely Sophia.
Hope you will join us!
xo

Friday, December 2, 2011

Fun With Letters And Watercolors! (And New Classes!)

As you know I have a bit of an addiction to online classes. The most recent one I am currently taking is letterLAB with Lori Vliegen. I have one thing to say about it (well actually I have lots to say but will keep it short and sweet for this post) FUN!!! I have long admired Lori's artwork through following her blog. Her lettering combined with amazing illustrations are inspiring. So when I found out she was offering a class I knew I wanted to join! I have been wanting to improve my lettering skills so I could feel more comfortable incorporating my own writing into my art. And I am loving learning from Lori!

The two pieces I am sharing today were both journal pages done in Lori's class. I used watercolor crayons and my pitt pen. I purchased a Strathmore spiral visual journal for mixed media and really love the paper. I am not big on art journaling but this class has sparked that in me.

This was my first time using watercolors in this manner and I have to say I am loving it! I like the sheerness of the colors and the ease with which they lay down on the paper. I really enjoyed using the watercolors for the landscape in the first image. I also felt very at home combining my own words with images. I think this may be a new avenue for me to explore!

I was so inspired in this class that I decided to take sign up for Sketchbook Delight with Alisa Burke. I have long admired her work as well and been wanting to take a class with her. I love to sketch so I thought it would be a good place to start. More on that class later!

I am sharing these pieces today over at Paint Party Friday this week.
Click HERE to join us!!
xo

Monday, November 28, 2011

Meet Rocky

Most of you know by now that we have a new addition to our family. We lost our sweet Bosco back in September and Rocky joined us in late October. He was a surprise from my husband that I felt I was not ready for. My heart was too broken and still is. Truth be told if it were up to me I am not sure how long it would have taken me to feel "ready" for another pup.

So after 5 weeks I am now finally ready to introduce him to all of you! The adjustment has been very difficult, there have been many nights of no sleep, crate training trouble, and lack of patience on our part. But now we are getting into somewhat of a groove, getting to know each other better, and settling in with each other.

My husband bonded with Rocky right away while I was trying my hardest to resist even liking him. I am still finding it hard to risk another broken heart. Slowly though I am feeling better about it all and am letting myself get to know him, hold him, and hopefully love him one day.

He is starting to break the ice around my heart with his funny ways, cute face, and mischievous behavior like when he hopped up on the laundry bag and started chewing the strap! I just had to get a photo of this moment. Look at that face. He knows he is busted! lol

These are the moments when I enjoy him the most, like in this shot where he is just laying in his bed quietly enjoying the sun like Bosco did. Sometimes I see Rocky looking at something in the room that I don't see and I can't help but wonder if it is Bosco stopping by to show him the ropes . . .

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday/Cyber Monday 30% off Sale!

Hoping all of my American friends enjoyed a lovely holiday yesterday! Although I don't partake in black friday madness this year I am having a sale in my etsy shop starting today through monday.

Just use this coupon code for 30% off your order!

CHRISTMAS11

To those of you venturing out this weekend to shop be safe and Happy Shopping!

xo

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Finding Beauty . . .

“On a day
when the wind is perfect,
the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.
Today is such a
day.”

~ Rumi

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Texture Tuesday . . . NYC

click image to view larger

I am sharing this image today for Kim Klassen's texture challenge. I shot this in NYC and I had fun processing it with Kim's "the ladder" texture. This one gives a great grungy distressed look and I thought it worked well with this urban photo. I used one layer of "the ladder" at multiply 80%. Initially it looked like too much texture but I do love it!

Here is the original image. . .


Come on over to Kim's blog and see all the texture loving being shared today!

Click HERE!
xo

Sunday, November 20, 2011

She Dreams of Love . . .

I am so hooked on graphite and despite the fact that I long to paint my sketches I don't want to add color. I think I am just afraid of it. Maybe I hide behind the monochrome because it is more comfortable for me. Ok, way too much analyzing here! lol

Anyway, I really enjoyed sketching her especially with closed eyes. I am crazy with eyelashes no matter if the eyes are opened or closed. After I drew the heart wings those words came to mind "she dreams of love" and I thought the perfect place for them was in her hair.

Someday maybe I will try to paint her. In the meanwhile I am sharing her over at Sunday Sketches this week. Check out Sophia's blog for all the details!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Paint Party Friday . . . Be Free


I found a window of time last night when hubby and puppy were both asleep. So I crept back to my art space and started collaging some paper on an 8x8 flat canvas board. I was so happy to be back to smearing my mod podge around to glue all the paper. I could hardly wait for it to dry before I added the paint. I actually spilled a ton of my golden fluid raw umber (ugh!) because I poured it out and then ooops too much! Oh well! Anyway, I decided to just use raw umber, white and blue. I really like the light blue with the brown.

I smeared the paint around for a bit and it didn't feel complete to me without stamps. I so love adding stamps to my work. My favorites are butterflies, numbers, and words. Oh, and my dogwood tree stamp is cool too!

I wish I had taken images to share the progress of this piece but I guess I was too in a zone to stop for that. So the finished piece will just have to do. I am slowly finding my way back to my art and although I still feel disconnected to it I am happy with this piece.

I am sharing this today over at Paint Party Friday. Come on over and check out all the great work! Thanks once again to Kristin and Eva for hosting!
xo

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Beach Love

click image to view larger

I miss the beach. I have a need to be near the ocean. I only wish I lived there. I do live near a lake so that will have to feed my need for now.

I am sharing this image over at Texture Tuesday this week. The challenge was to use one layer of her texture 'phoebe'. I like this texture because it has a subtle border around it that reminds me of old photos.

Here is the original image . . .

Come on over to Kim Klassen's blog and see what's new this week! There will be lots of cool photography to check out!

Friday, November 11, 2011

New Black and White Altered Photo Art :)

"Love Today"
mixed media on 8x8 canvas board

Somehow this morning I managed to get in some art time for the first time in a few weeks since we got the new puppy. I took the opportunity while he was sleeping to sneak back to my art space and work on this piece. Actually I started out playing around with an image in photoshop which was fun and then was inspired to try it on a black canvas. I think these are my favorite pieces to do. They are quick, creative, and allow me to combine my photography and painting. Most of all they feed my need for instant gratification. lol

Here is the original image that I digitally altered to the image you see in the above piece.

This is a heart shape I found embedded in the blacktop along the walktrail I frequent. I thought it looked so cool. This morning I added some texture to the image and played around with some digital collage. I really like the end result. I decided to add a pink tone to the altered version because I thought it would be nice with the black.

After I glued the image to the board I used some of the photo scrap to punch out the butterflies and then stamped onto another scrap piece for the words up in the top right. I added the finishing touches by scraping paint (a mix of burnt sienna and titan buff) around to incorporate the collage. I added some of that same color paint to my script stamp just cause I love to use that stamp any chance I get!

I am sharing this over at Paint Party Friday which I have missed so much the past few weeks! Be sure to hop over to the party and check out all the cool artwork being shared!
Click HERE!
xo

PS . . . If you are a James Patterson fan check out my last post. I will be giving away one of his latest novels "The Christmas Wedding" !!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Calling All James Patterson Fans . . . For A Book Giveaway!


I am just feeling better from a bad bout with a crazy stomach bug that took me out yesterday afternoon. It seems to be a 24 hour thing thankfully but man it was brutal for a while last night! Must have been all the puppy stress catching up with me. 3 weeks of no sleep and getting used to a new routine with no art time has been difficult to say the least.

Anyway love to read and decided that from time to time I want to host giveaways to pass along some of the fiction novels I have enjoyed to anyone who is interested. I recently read James Patterson's latest romance novel "The Christmas Wedding" and loved it. It is a quick easy read about a woman who is getting married on Christmas Day to one of three suitors who don't find out till she walks down the aisle.

So if you are a Patterson fan and would like to win this hardcover copy all you have to do is leave a comment! That's it! And I will randomly pick a winner next Wednesday, 11/16. Feel free to spread the word if you please.
xo

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Sunday Sketches

I am glad to finally be back for Sunday sketches. This girl was done with graphite and colored pencil using techniques I learned from Jane Davenport. She shares an easy technique for
figure sketching backs.

I am not a big fan of using colored pencils, I do not really like the gritty look they give. I am partial to graphite with its smooth and easy blendability. Graphite also eliminates the color factor which is always a challenge for me. But I did try to embrace my pencils with this sketch.

I am sharing her over at Sunday Sketches today. Check out Sophia's blog for inspiration! Hope you will join us sometime!
xo

Saturday, November 5, 2011

More Somerset Studio Excitement!

I went to the bookstore the other night to pick up the new issue of Somerset Studio and as I flipped through it I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the subscription ad. The first two pages from my article in the last issue were used in the ad!

It was so amazing to see my article in print and now to see they used it in a new issue makes me smile! So exciting! With all of the puppy drama going on in my life right now I certainly could use some bright spots. And this for sure was just that!

Maybe I should take this as a nudge to finally sign up for a subscription to my favorite mixed media mag! lol

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A Snowstorm and Some Pumpkin Bread

Wow how I have missed my blog! We have been offline since Saturday when the northeast snowstorm began. We lost power early Sunday morning and thankfully had a generator to get us through the 20 hours till our power was back on. Still hard to believe that we had snow in October. I have lived in southern NY state my whole life and never have we had snow so early! Not fun. The poor trees hadn't even lost their fall leaves yet. But most importantly we made it through with only minor damage to our property due to some fallen trees.

On Sunday via generator power I baked. I wanted to share this amazing recipe for pumpkin bread that I got from my mom who found out about it from weight watchers. So EASY!! I have never taken food photos so this was the best I could get to share for this post.

There are only 2 ingredients . . . any brand of spice cake mix (18 oz) and one 15 oz can of pure pumpkin. Mix them together (it will be gooey and sticky) and spread into a 9x5 loaf pan. Bake according to the directions on the mix which for me was at 350 degrees for approximately 60 minutes or until the a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Oh my gosh it is so good!! And I am not even a big pumpkin fan. My husband is and I was baking it for him. It is super moist too! I still cannot figure out how it works by eliminating the eggs, oil and water the mix calls for but who cares when the results are WOW! lol

Hope you give it a try! If you have any good fall baking recipes to share I would love to hear them!
xo

Friday, October 28, 2011

Channeling Ferris . . .

click on image to view larger

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."
~ Ferris Bueller

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Texture Tuesday

I am sharing this today over at Kim Klassen's challenge for texture tuesday this week. For processing I used one layer of "subtly yours" in soft light/overlay and I also used "black magic" in screen mode. I adjusted the saturation as well.

Not sure how to get my images larger on blogger? Any tips?

As always I wanted to share the original image. Not much time this week to do the roll over technique I learned from Kim a couple of weeks ago. lol

Hope you will join us this week! You can check out all the fabulous photography being shared for this weeks challenge over at Kim's blog HERE!
xo

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sunday Sketches

What a crazy week it has been! Today while Rocky was sleeping in his crate I quickly tried to sketch for the first time in over a week. And it felt pretty good! It has been so stressful around here with the new pup and not much sleep. I am a bit cranky and I hate feeling that way.

I enjoyed sketching this girl and loved adding all the hearts to her hair! I am so behind in my many online classes. I have no idea when I will get to catch up. I am sorry for being so out of touch and not making the rounds to catch up with all of you. I hope to get back to that soon!

Rocky is still not sleeping through the night in his crate. He wakes up in the middle of the night and cries. I hate it but I try to ignore it. So hard for me to do. That is why I have lost so much sleep. Well, enough of that! lol

I am sharing this girl for Sunday Sketches today over at Sophia's blog! Its been a few weeks since I joined in but am glad to be back there today! Be sure to check out all the lovely work for this week! Click HERE!

Hope you are all having a fabulous day. xo

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Happy Fall


It has been a rough week with the new pup. I have been neglecting this blog as well as myself. No art time at all. Boy do I miss it! But I thought I would pop in and share this fall beauty for today. I took this pic last fall at the Bronx Zoo.

Here in NY the weather is beautiful this weekend and our foliage colors look as though they are at their peak. It is my favorite time of year. Oh how I wish it lasted longer.

Hope wherever you are you enjoy a lovely weekend!!
xo

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Say Hello To Rocky !



It has taken me 3 days to put up this post! Mostly because I have been at the mercy of one little pup named Rocky. Our Newport trip was a bust unfortunately and we ended up coming home the very next day. The short of it was that we had serious issues with the cleanliness of the hotel and decided to leave. We were both so very disappointed and bummed out about it but made the best of the rest of the weekend home her in NY. And we were able to bring this little guy home earlier than planned.

We picked him up on Monday and I have hardly slept since and not from sheer excitement either. This poor pup has skin issues and has been scratching the daylights out of himself for the past 3 days. A trip to the vet and its precautionary meds, benadryl, and antibiotics to prevent an infection. It has been very overwhelming to say the least. The vet visit alone pushed me to tears and brought a flood of emotions back about losing Bosco. Lou and I are both exhausted from no sleep staying up all night with this 15 week old pup who is not sleeping.

I am feeling weird and disconnected from the new guy. I am hoping that will go away at some point.

Needless to say I have not had any time to create, no photography or painting to be seen. I miss it. But I did manage to find time to get a little video of Rocky and thought it would be fun to share it with all of you! Of course I will be posting some pics of him very soon along with some backstory as to how this all came about.

I will be sure to visit all of you soon! Can't wait to see what you have been up to!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Heading To The Water's Edge . . .


Just a quick post today to say that I will be away for the weekend. Lou and I are leaving this morning for a much needed mini vaca in Newport. After the loss of our pug I am hoping this trip will help to heal us. The ocean has always been that kind of place for me.

I am looking forward to hearing waves crashing, smelling salty air, and feeling the sun on my face. But even more than that I am excited about having time away with Lou who has been working non stop for the past few months without a day off. I get to have him all to myself!

So the blog will be quiet for a few days but when I return I have a surprise to share with all of you!

I will be missing my friends over at Paint Party Friday this week but I hope you will head over there and see what's new!
Click HERE!!

Wishing you all an amazing weekend!!
xo

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A Few Little Things About Me . . .

Ok, so even though I am late to the party, Amy over at Butterscape came up with this cool idea to interview her blog readers. I am a new reader so here is my interview!

1. what is your name and stuff? and any other good information.
like bank account details.

My name is Cathy (short for Catherine which I never liked . . . it was the name I got called when I was in trouble "Catherine Marie")

I live in Brewster, NY, was born in the Bronx, could never imagine leaving NY. I live with my husband Lou and we are currently minus one pug who we had to put to sleep last month.
I am a breast cancer survivor for 10 years now and was widowed prior to that. I am an author and now a newbie artist :)

Hmmmm . . . I think I will leave out the bank account details.

2. what is super hot about you? <--- don't you Dare skip this one. answer it.

I really would prefer to leave this one out. Can't I pretty please? Ok then, well, all of me is super hot when I am in the middle of a hot flash (thank you early onset menopause from chemo) ;)


3. don't lie or cheat: what is under your couch right now?

Dust bunnies lol

4. when was the last time you shaved your legs?

Ummm, a few days ago.


5. what did you have for breakfast?

A chocolate drink I make with rice milk and cacao powder, super yummy!

6. if you could choose a new name, what would you name yourself?

Never really gave that much thought. . .I used to be called "Cat" and I like that as a nickname. I do realize that I am not really answering this question but I digress. . .

7. have you ever had plastic surgery?

Unfortunately yes but not by choice. I had a mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat to make a new boob. I got a free tummy tuck out of the deal so that was a plus. ;)

8. are you afraid of the dark?

Yes! Always have been, was hoping to grow out of it but alas, no dice!

9. are you a hermit?

No, although in the bad weather I stay inside alot.

10. why do you blog?

I love to write and share with others. I have made so many wonderful connections with other creative peeps that I am so thankful for who make this blogging thing so much darn fun!

The End.

So now I hope you will stop by Amy's blog and join in on the fun!!
xo

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sunday Sketches

I have been doing lots of sketching lately actually more than painting. And I seem to be very drawn to sketching pretty girl faces. This one especially I feel a connection to and I wonder what her story is. The faces always look familiar to me. Maybe they are each a part of me.

Since having learned Jane Davenport's face sketching technique I am creating even more faces. I find it an easy way to get started and I love that. Although I would like to add color to these faces for right now I am enjoying them in just graphite.

I am sharing this today for Sunday Sketches. Stop by the lovely Sophia's blog and see all the beautiful work being shared this week!
xo

Friday, October 7, 2011

Back to Black and White

"Grow"
mixed media on 8x8 canvas board

I almost didn't make it to the party today!! I am sharing this new piece over at Paint Party Friday this week hosted by the lovely Kristin and Eva. You may recognize this image from my last post. I was so inspired by that photo that I decided to try it on a black background and get back to some of my altered black and white photo art.

The only supplies I used were black gesso, white gesso, and some of my caran d'ache crayons. Something new I tried for the tree leaves was sponging and I like the effect it gives. I also added some color with my crayon to the photo as well. I worked off of the grays and pinks in the image.

For some reason whenever I am working with images of trees the word "grow" always ends up incorporated somewhere in the piece!

Hope you check out all the great work being shared this week for PPF!
Click HERE!
xo

Monday, October 3, 2011

Sketching More Faces . . .

I have been doing more sketching lately. I always miss it when we are apart! lol Here is another face I sketched with new techniques I am learning from Jane Davenport. It is actually making me less stressed with faces because it is easy and quick to get started. I do love this girl a bit more than the last one I shared a la Jane. I think I just feel more connected to her.

For class we are supposed to be sketching with colored pencil but I just cannot bring myself to let go of my erasable graphite! And of course I love the look of monochrome. Maybe its the photographer in me or the fact that I don't want to screw up my sketch with colored pencil mistakes. lol An artist friend of mine suggested using both and I may just do that next time.

There is just something so simple about picked up a pencil and paper that always appeals to me. I can be pretty lazy when it comes to setup and cleanup of painting supplies. Maybe I just need to stop analyzing and just let myself gravitate toward the type of art that appeals to me in that moment. . .

Friday, September 30, 2011

Poppies And Paint Party Friday!

"Poppies"
mixed media on 11x14 wrapped canvas

Its Friday again my friends and I can hardly believe another week got by me! I haven't done too much creating this week but I was able to finish a canvas that had been staring at me for a couple of months. This piece actually came out of a panic attack believe it or not. lol So glad I can laugh about it now. I had the background done which is a layer of collage paper and I covered it with raw umber, then some titanium white on top with some sap green along the bottom. All I was sure of was that I wanted to do an abstract landscape.

Typically I shy away from bold colors but I thought about doing red flowers against the green. Last Sunday I started to feel anxious which is happening more often since losing bosco. So I ran and grabbed the canvas and some alizarin crimson, white, and more green. I just started slapping it around not minding that it was imperfect. I wasn't even going for poppies, I didn't know what I was doing until I stopped.

I really like the pop of the crimson against the white with that raw umber peeking through and then of course against the green its very bold. I don't often take this many different shots of a painting but I wanted to try and share the texture with you. I am loving the texture from the layer of paper and the paint.


So this is what I am sharing over at Paint Party Friday this week! And in case you missed yesterday's post, my blog is looking different because of a blogger template mishap! lol I am not sure yet what I will do with it but I am satisfied for now :)
xo