This week in the studio, Liz and I used scraps, pencils, and scissors to create our own stencils and masks. The inspiration for this experimentation came from Michelle Ward and her GPP Street Team Crusades.
We had so much fun, enjoy all of the laughter in the video.
Thanks Michelle!
When I started working on this piece (last week in Jackie's studio), I really had no idea where I was going with it, in terms of story (which is a little unusual for me). I just knew that I wanted to play with molding paste (e.g., Golden Gel Mediums & Molding Pastes Set
Wikipedia reminded me that she is from The Snow Queen (or Sneedronningen -- love that) by Hans Christian Anderson (a favorite author for me when I was a kid). It, also, reminded me of specific details from the story that I'd forgotten; details that made for good collage (as in the words winter, eternal, eternity, etc.). I really love how the story formed around the art this time. Such a different experience!
Thank goodness, too, for happy accidents. For as I was applying the molding paste with my knife, I accidentally pulled. This resulted in a pattern that looked a lot like ice (or frost) as it creeps along windows and other glossy surfaces. (Side note: You know, it's in moments like these, in the face of absolute surprise and delight, I feel like I've stepped aside and let something greater than me take hold and intervene! It's pretty cool!) Anyway, the effect made for a great addition to the piece:
As my take on The Snow Queen dries (and I think about what else to add), I am contemplating other creative projects (and, this is where the arty goodness part of the post comes into play). I have a few pots in the air at the moment which is awesome -- I just love options (maybe you'll play or are playing, too?):
I have been dragging my feet over the past couple of months on a collage piece that I knew would be emotionally hard to walk through. The idea for the collage came as I sat with family in the days following the death of my grandmother. I wanted to create a piece that was a blend of the two of us.
For weeks, I collected items and wrote down notes on all of the ideas that would pop into my head. As time passed the focus of the canvas changed. It grew from two to three. I realized that I wanted to capture the joy of grandma and grandpa together again, with a little bit of me in the background.
My first thought was to use photos of both grandparents, but then I remembered the stories that we had shared that last weekend I had with my grandmother. The stories about how my aunt had an eagle visiting her backyard everyday once grandma had gotten so frail and how the raven had come to my grandfather even before he knew he was ill.
The images here show you a work in progress. The first one is simply the words that I wanted as the base of this collage. They are from both my grandparent's memorials. Words written and spoken about them. My favorite is a post-it that my daughter wrote in her sweet little handwriting of the words she got up and spoke at my grandmother's funeral.
The second image has about four layers on the background. I also temporarily put the eagle and raven masks in place to show where they will rest on the piece when it is complete. Right now the plan is to add several more layers on the background before I draw the tree that will give a place for the birds to perch.
I enjoy adding a little something everyday and even at this stage it makes me smile every time I see it. I am excited to have it take its place over the mantle and bless our days with the celebration of two amazing people together forever.
Here is our last video in a series of three videos using techniques from Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts.
Liz and I had a great time exploring and discovering in the studio over the past three weeks. We had many moments of doubt along the way, but even in doubt we had fun and enjoyed the journey. Now that our pieces are complete, we are both very happy with how they turned out and also appreciate the times when we didn't like them and needed to take a step back.
To really discover your true artistic self you need to give yourself time to explore, to try new things. Get outside of your comfort zone and play, you may just discover something new about yourself.
Also in this video, a look at our collaborative canvas project that we shared here and here.
Last night Liz and I continued working on our projects that we started last week in this video. We are working with techniques from the book Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. In this video we start working on drawing, painting, and defining the girl on our boards.
This was a hard step for me, as faces are not something that I often do. I tend to work more abstract, but I had a great time painting and blending away to bring the face to life. I still have a few more steps to go before the piece is finished, but I really enjoyed the journey last night.
This week in the studio Liz and I experimented with techniques from the book Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts. You can read our review of the book here.
Ten years ago when my daughter was born a new tradition was born into our family as well. This tradition started because I realized that celebrating a birthday of a child is really celebrating the mother of that child and all that she went through however many years before.
Now every year when I celebrate my birthday I give a gift to my Mom. A gift to say "thank you", after all she did give birth to me in the middle of a horrible snow storm in Chicago, extremely sick with the flu not knowing if my Dad would make it.
The giving of the gift though is more than just a token, it is a connection between mother and daughter. A shared time to celebrate our relationship as fellow mothers and friends.
This has become a favorite part of my birthday celebration. I enjoy the process of finding the perfect gift, something that I know will bring a smile to her face and warm her heart. Something just for her that says, "You mean the world to me."
This year, I made her the canvas pictured in this post. I enjoyed making this collage more so than any other piece. It came together quickly as our relationship poured out onto the canvas and captured my heart. I just love traditions!
A video peak at the three canvas pieces I started in our last video Canvas & Collage. Creating these was definitely the most fun I have had in the studio in quite awhile. They came together quickly, but turned out different than I had originally planned. I learned that it is better to follow your creative muse than your left brain plans!
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