Wordless Wednesday . . . Sort Of

Happily Back To Black And White!

Angels Bring Love
mixed media on 6x8 flat canvas board

Hi my lovely friends! Thought you would enjoy seeing some new black and white work! I hadn't done one of these pieces in a long time so it felt good to get back to it! I was inspired by my angel photo. This time I added a new love stamp over the photo after I sanded and inked it up! I also bought my first box of crayola's since childhood and broke those out to use for shading! They worked well on the matte photo paper.

The words popped into my head as I was working on the background. I quickly wrote it down on whatever paper I could find because in the past I have had moments like that lost thinking I would remember the words later.

Now I have to get back to another one I am working on today with my farmhouse photo! The photo is altered, glued, and now ready for some landscape sketching! I will share that with you all soon!

Hope you are all enjoying some creative time today! xo

Angel in the Forest . . . Revisited

"Lift Me Up . . ."

mixed media on 8x10 canvas board

Thanks to all who commented on my landscape painting! I am now mulling around ideas in my head for where I want to take it next. I still have it up on the easel where I can see it and each time I pass by I stop and think. Hope to finish it soon and will post it when it is complete.

This painting I started yesterday and finished this morning. I don't think I was in the zone when I started it which made it a bit frustrating. I printed out some photos of butterflies to alter but when I had them on the canvas I hated how they looked! So out came the black gesso! I covered that all up and grabbed this photo which had been sitting on the table for over a week. It is of one of my glazed abstract paintings I had previously posted which I digitally altered in black and white.

Initially I didn't like how it came out but as always after stepping back it all came together for me. Hope you can see the angel being lifted up in the right corner of the photo!

Wishing you all a great day! Tonite I am heading to Radio City Music Hall with hubby to see Janet Jackson in concert!! So excited! She was on my list of icons I had hoped to see live someday! That someday is now!

Embrace Me With Your Love . . .

"Embrace Me With Your Love"

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

Thanks for all your great comments on yesterday's post! I think it is my love of photography that pulls me right back to these altered photo pieces. So remember when I said I had another photo waiting in the wings? Well I got it on canvas quicker than I thought! This is an altered photo of my "Embrace" painting. You can see the original HERE.

I played around with the composition for a bit with this one. I knew I wanted to cut it in 3 pieces but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them! After moving them around alot I finally found something I liked. At first the blank space to the right scared me but then I thought I could fill it with some writing which I don't typically do. I used a palette knife again to scatter some white gesso around. I am loving that white gel pen. I find it much easier to write with than a paint pen.

I really like this piece. I am feeling less pressure to step away from the black and white palette.

Altered Angel . . . Using Photos of My Art

"Altered Angel"

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

Its rainy here today so I have been in my studio sanding photos and painting. Some of you may remember seeing this photo in its original state. . . .as thepainting "Angel in the Shadows" Click Here to see the original painting. I had been thinking about using it for one of my altered black and white pieces. I digitally altered the image to black and white, cut it out, and began scratching it up with sandpaper. I used distress ink on the edges. Then I grabbed my water soluble black crayon to do some shading and outlining of the angel image.

I glued the photo to the gessoed board and cut up another piece of the image to add at the top. I used white gesso on a palette knife to scrape onto the background. I have a new white gel pen that I added the details with around the edges.

I have a photo of another one of my glazed paintings that is waiting in the wings to be cut up and altered! I think that will be next!

Taking A Scissor To My Photos . . .

"Growing"

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

Yesterday I had planned on putting my recent sketch on canvas but got sidetracked by one of my photos. I had printed the photo out and knew I would eventually use it for a painting. Then I took a scissor to it and cut it up. Once I did that I couldn't stop.

Initially the composition was difficult. This piece went through a few stages of frustration to get to this finished version. I ended up covering up 2 of the collage pieces to open it up. That was when I saw a space where I could add the tree trunk. It is amazing how at one point it all just clicks. I had no idea how this would turn out and doubted it along the way until it surprised me!

Daydreaming . . . A New Painting!

Daydreaming

mixed media on 6x8 canvas board

You may remember this photo from a wordless Wednesday post I did a couple of weeks ago. I had it laying around cut and ready to be scratched up but didn't get back to it until yesterday morning. The canvas board I used was an old painting I did last year that I didn't like. It was covered in molding paste so I sanded it down to get rid of the peaks and applied black gesso over it.

I titled it daydreaming because that is what it looks like to me . . . a place to go sit and dream away. This photo was taken in Rhode Island at one of my favorite places. Yesterday for Valentine's Day my hubby surprised me with a planned weekend away next month in RI at our favorite beach cottage. We haven't been away anywhere in a couple of years. I can hear the ocean calling me already!

Eyes Speak Truth . . . New Painting

"Eyes Speak Truth"

mixed media on 8x10 canvas board

I had some studio time this afternoon so I was able to get my eye on canvas! I added some paper collage this time which I typically shy away from but I like what it does for this piece. The words came to me as I was painting. Wish my handwriting was better though! The butterflies made another appearance. I just felt they completed the piece.

Thanks for the comments on the eye photo I posted yesterday! I hope you like it as much in this painting!

WIP . . . The Altered Eye

The image above is an altered photo of an eye I sketched back in December which I shared in this post. I printed it out on matte photo paper and scratched it up with sandpaper. I ripped the right edge off to see if I liked the torn paper effect. I used my caran d'ache water crayon in black to altered and grunge up the eye. White paint pen was used to highlight. Then I used a black sharpie for the lashes. I like the drip effect I was able to get with the crayon.

So this is where I am at for now. I am still figuring out the composition for the canvas which of course will be black. Not much studio time today as I needed to catch up on some errands. Hopefully will get back to it tomorrow. Then again, I may leave this be for something else that may pop into my head. Sometimes I feel scattered like that!

Bloom in the Shadows . . . Mixed Media Painting

Blooming in the Shadows

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

As you can see I am still on the black and white kick. I had fun with this one although I did obsess too much over my drawn in flowers. I sanded and inked a photo of some flowers that I shot near the rocking chair photo I posted last week. This time I tried something different with the composition. I had a extra piece laying around that I cut from the photo and collaged it on the top. I like what it does for this piece. I knew I wanted to draw in some flowers and use some stamping around the edge. I must have changed the flowers 3 times (thanks to black gesso!) and am finally pleased with the results.

I really do feel at home with my photography. And for now am enjoying creating these pieces. This original is available in my etsy shop.

Thanks to all who commented on my photo yesterday! Oh how I wish I could throw in a coin for each of you but it is buried in snow! I will have to do it in my mind for now!

Scratching Up More Photos . . . And A Blog Award!

mixed media on 6x6 inch birch wood

Thanks for all the great comments on yesterday's photo! I wish I were there now instead of being buried in more snow! It has been a record setting winter so far here in NY and I am looking forward to spring!

First I would like to thank the lovely Kelly over at KellyBerkeyDesigns for awarding me the Dearest Blog Award!! It was quite a surprise and I am very thankful! Kelly is an amazing artist and jewelry designer with a sweet soul. She is someone who inspires others with her love of life and of art! Do stop by her blog (via the link above) if you haven't already!

As for this new piece I am finding that I like scratching up and distressing my photos. I had pictured this painting in my head the other day. I knew which photo I wanted to use and that I wanted to extend the landscape especially the sun and water reflection. I used black gesso for the background and added the landscape details in white marker and grey water color crayon that I just smudged.

I am definitely liking the black and white contrast with these latest pieces I have done. I am hoping I don't get stuck in this color palette but then again why not?! I always think to much and limit myself to what I think I "should" create. For now I am vibing to the black and white and we will see where it goes!

Grungy Love . . .

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday! Last night I finished this piece. I used a photo of a heart I drew in the sand at the beach. I sanded the photo and added some distress ink the details of which are lost under a layer of white gesso but I do like how it came out. So I used black crayon to bring the heart shape back out.

The layer of paint I started with was a wash of crimson. I hated it. I didn't think it went with the sepia tone of my photo. So I went with my old standby . . . payne's gray. And it felt better to me. The stamping I added after staring at it for a couple of hours wondering what was missing. It is actually white gesso I put on my stamp because of the dark background. The stamp was what I needed to complete the piece.

It looks kind of grungy to me and I like it! I went to bed last night with visions of my photos scrolling through my head. I am wondering which one I will try next!

Tomorrow I begin a new online class with Traci Bautista. Its called "Fashionista" and incorporates faces, collage, digital photos, and graffiti backgrounds. I will be sure to share some of my creations from the class with you!

Finding Comfort In Photography . . . New Mixed Media Piece

untitled

mixed media on 6x8 inch canvas board

So not long after my whining rant yesterday I started flipping through Mixed Emulsions by Angela Cartwright and was inspired. I bought this book way before I ever picked up a paint brush. I think I was drawn to it because of my photography. And then I never tried any of the techniques as I really wasn't into art yet. If you are looking to incorporate your photos into your art this is a great book.

I ventured into my studio to try and create by late afternoon. I knew which photo I wanted to alter and could see the background. I actually gessoed over my failed attempt at painting from last week! I already had molding paste on the canvas board and used carbon black for the background with some micaceous iron oxide along the side over the paste. I altered my photo with sandpaper and distress ink. I completed the piece using a white paint pen to draw the extension of the image into the painting.

I really love how it turned out! I do find that what I am loving the most is using my photography in a mixed media piece. There is something comfortable about that for me.

And to those of you who commented on yesterday's post thank you for your kind words! By last night I was feeling better. I just hope it lasts!