Stencilry and a Tribute

 

This week I started a stencil class with Mary Ann Moss of Dispatch from LA called PURE EXPERIMENTATION: Stencilry. Ever since I first visited Mary Ann’s blog I have been in awe of her stencil work.  So when I learned she was giving a class in using stencils to create art, I signed up.  The stencil class is an online class with…and get this…7 videos  and a 20+ page PDF for the first lesson alone. The videos show at least 6 different pages and the depth and texture of the work is simply amazing. I can’t wait to see the rest. 

These two images are some of my first experiments. They are the covers of a portfolio that will hold our fun experiments.  

Before I decide which will be the front cover, I want to see how the other sides will look.  I’ve wanted to continue to work on the them but the weather is not cooperating with me. It’s been over a hundred the last few days and the sweltering heat is not conducing to spraying painting with a mask on.  But I’m having loads of fun.  Can’t wait to do more.

 

Last week was a crazy week with the death of so many people that have been a part of our lives for so long. I can’t believe we’ve lost Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.  From the continuing news on Michael Jackson, I guess more people were affected by his death than the others. I loved MJ’s music but I loss felt the most for Farrah Fawcett.  I’d heard of her on going struggles with cancer and it always touched me how strong she really was. So her death was very sad. So on the day of her death, I created this simple tribute to her:

Rest in peace Farrah, Michael and ED.

Expired, Tired and Wired

See this page?  That’s how I felt when I was creating it.  I haven’t slept well in weeks and it’s making me expired, tired and wired.  Sad thing is I gave up my caffeine and it hasn’t helped. Where is my coffee?

Today My Guy and I were talking about what we would do if we won the lottery.  One of my hearts desires, after helping our family, is to visit Europe.  I want to spend weeks photographing Italy, in particular.  We had to laugh because in order to win the lottery, you have to play and we rarely do. 

What would you do if you won the lottery?

New Journal Pages

I really enjoyed creating this page.  However, my husband now thinks I’m a little bizarre.  I think that’s a compliment. :)

I found these new papers at a fantastic paper store in Albuquerque when I was there last.  This page could be me to a tee, if I didn’t have to cook for my husband. Lucky for me, we take turns cooking.

The last painting in the 30 Day Challenge

This is the last painting done for the 30 day challenge.  I didn’t create 30 paintings in 30 days but I was very happy with the 17 I did paint.  That is the most I’ve ever done in 30 days and I think my skills increased somewhat. (if I do say so myself, haha)  

However, the biggest lesson was to paint and not worry too much about mistakes.  Knowing that paper can be thrown away and canvas can be painted over with gesso is very freeing. It allowed me to let go knowing that I could cover all the mistakes with gesso if I wanted to get rid of  incriminating evidence of my painting ineptitude.  :-)

The second lesson was to learning to like abstract paintings, mine and others.  I learned when some are done and when they need more work.  A few of the 17 do need more work but I was working with the rules of the 30 day challenge, which was one painting a day, no going back to finish it.  OK, I admit that I broke that same rule a few times when the painting was going well but I didn’t have time to finish in one sitting.

If you ever have the opportunity to try a challenge like this, I recommend it.  I admit that it was hard trying to paint every day  especially when I wasn’t particularly inspired.  Some days I just sat there with paint brush in hand wondering where to start.  But all in all I enjoyed it and will do it again sometime.

Thanks again to Gary Reef for the 30 day challenge.  If you haven’t been to his site yet, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s now called Art from the Heart. He keeps changing the site’s name but I adore him anyway.

Feeling Exposed!

 

I joined Facebook a few years ago and didn’t do much with it until recently.  Being separated by distance, my art life is not usually shared with my family and my family life is usually not shared on my art site.   Lately the two have been converging and it feels weird. All of a sudden friends and family are seeing my art and my art friends are seeing my family conversations and I’m feeling a little exposed.  

But I do enjoy Facebook and if you’d like me to add you as a friend, I’ll do it if I know your Facebook name. 

New Art

This was a little something I worked on for the 30 day challenge.  This is 9 x 12 on Canvas board.  The background is scrapbook paper.  The girl is painted with colored pencils and acrylics.  The flower is a 3-D silk flower and brad glued on to the image.   I want to live in that castle but I’d settle for having hair that looked this good. :)  I’m easy. 

I started another abstract but it's still sitting on my studio easel half finished. Maybe tomorrow night. 

More for the 30 day Challenge

 

 

The above are two ATC’s I made for both the 30 day challenge and a swap at ATC’s for all.

 

I think this is a unfinished.  I may come back to it later.

How to survive a bad news

 

These past 2 weeks have been very hard to deal with.  First we find out that my mother’s breast cancer may have returned and that it might include skin cancer from the radiation treatment from the last time she had it.  I don’t yet know the extent of the treatment she will go though because she has limited mobility and she doesn’t want radiation again.  I don’t blame her.  Unfortunately, she lives in New Mexico while I’m in California and, for reasons you’ll read in the next paragraph, I won’t be able to be with her as much as I should be and I feel terrible about that.

Now if that wasn’t bad enough, I learned today that due to the economy my husband will probably be taking a 20% pay cut to help cut costs and keep the company running.  He asked me what I thought about that and what can you say and stay supportive except that 80 %  is better than nothing.  To myself I say, that pay cut is going to put a real crimp in my being able to visit my mom.  This just couldn’t come at a worse time.  And yes I still blame Bush !!

So how have I been coping? Thanks to Gary Reef’s 30 day challenge, creating art has really helped me maintain some semblance of  calm.  I lose myself in painting for a few hours at a time. It’s helped tremendously. 

May 11 th

May 12th (and 13th and 14th actually)

May 13 th

May 14 th

This painting started out as some thing entirely different and morphed into some thing that helped me deal with my own sense of mortality.  It has a lonely, sad feel to me.

I wish I could post these more often but since my scanner has been on the fritz, I have to photograph them and then edit them and it’s taking more time than I have right now.   I need a scanner and I better get it before that pay cut goes into effect. I cheap one is all I need for now. 

Thanks for reading.

More from the 30 Day Challenge

Continuing on in the 30 day challenge:

May 5th: Copper Swirls 12 x 12 on wood

There is something about copper that calls to me.  Aged copper especially. There is a gorgeous building in Sacramento that has a copper roof with a verdigris patina that I love to look at every time I drive by.  This painting reminds me of that roof. OK so the roof doesn’t have swirls….. what can I say? :)

 

May 6th:  Silver Love (for lack of a better name) 6 X6 canvas

The silver paint bubbled when I tried to blow dry it and I loved how it looked.

 

May 7th – In My Happy Place  12 X 9 Canvas Board.

The flower is 3-D paper flower that is replica of the one directly behind it on the canvas board.  My husband really loves this one.  He’s directed me to frame it!! He’s such a sweetie.

Trying to get out of my funk

I’m back to blogging after two weeks away.  As you know from my last post, I went to NM two weeks ago to visit my girl and her husband.  We had a really fun time and I really hated to leave.  If I hadn’t also missed my husband while I was gone, I might have extended my stay.  But since I’ve been back, I’ve been in a funk.  I felt like my heart is split in two, one part here in Cali with my husband and the other in NM with my girl.  sigh…..

It’s helped that we have spent our weekends working on the bedroom/bathroom remodel.  We now have two walls up, complete with sheetrock and another is almost stripped away so we can add the third.  (I meant to add some pictures today but they are still in the camera.) And yesterday we bought the most beautiful frosted glass door for the bathroom.  It’s gorgeous!!

I also signed up for the 30 Day Art Challenge on Gary Reef’s Mixed Media Arts site.  It started May 1st and the idea is to complete one piece per day. and we are not supposed to go back to the piece another day to finish it.

I’ve decided that the main focus for the 30 days will on abstract art.  I may need to vary from that sometime in the 30 days, as I have to make 3 ATCs before the end of the month, but so far I’m staying on track.   Now I’ve never created abstract art before but  I thought I’d give it a shot. As you’ll see in a bit, it’s quite a stretch for me.  Not sure I’ll get the hand of it but if  one turns out good I’ll be happy.  …..OK don’t laugh ( well at least not so loud that I’ll hear you), here is

May 1st:

May 2nd:  Falling into place

May 3rd: Going in Circles

 

How do you stay inspired?