Sunday, November 29, 2015

uP cLoSe AnD pErSoNaL - A Selfie Bullet Journal

Happy Sunday
I'm so excited to show you a new journal I started.
I'm hoping I can keep it up on either a daily or weekly basis.
I called it "Currently".



I do a lot of writing in a journal before I go to bed.
It helps get everything out of my head so I can sleep.
It doesn't always work.

This one is a selfie, bullet kind of journal.
I wanted to write down thoughts of the day.
I always loved reading my mother's letters and notes.
I thought this would be a good thing for my daughter some day.

The prompt "Currently" is perfect for me.
It gets me writing immediately.

Here is what I'm going to use.
I'm doing it simple so I can keep it up and take it with me on my travels.

My cell.
Date Stamp
Tiny Tags
Ranger's Archival Ink Pad in Jet Black
Black Pen


It was fun doing the first page.
I just wrote about why I started it.


Do you have a selfie journal?
Or a journal you're hoping your kids will read?
My inquiring mind would like to know.

Thanks so much for stopping by!



Thursday, November 26, 2015

Pathways

Hi Everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I will be celebrating with my daughter.
I'm so excited.
It's also my birthday so enjoying the day with my daughter is a special birthday gift to me since she lives so far away.

Today I have a Yupo painting titled Pathways to show you.
I've been hooked on the Squared Scrolls stencil from The Crafter's Workshop.


Here is a close up of all the layers



Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have a great day!



Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Do Over Time! Purple Haze

It's time to show you another do over.
It just wasn't working for me.
I didn't like it and threw it in the closet.
It was sitting there since 2014.

Sorry it's blurry.
Even the camera didn't like it.


So I pulled it from the closet and added some white, black and shades of blue



It's amazing what adding more color can do to a painting.
Now I love it.


Here is a side by side comparison.

  

Although I love the final result, did anyone like the original?

Thanks so much for stopping by!









Saturday, November 21, 2015

uP cLoSe AnD pErSoNaL

For me, as an artist, the hardest part of creating art is letting someone have or buy one of my paintings.

My art are like children each created differently.
Can't be duplicated.
So it's hard to let them go.

I love looking at close-ups of my paintings.
The layers and brush strokes or in this case brayer strokes give me more inspiration.



Most of the time I paint intuitively.
I lose complete track and time.


This year I let four paintings go for a good cause.
They were put in a raffle.
It felt good.
It felt even better that those who won my paintings actually loved them.
Yes, I was afraid no one would like them.
I may let more go to new homes.


My mother was an artist.
Although she's no longer with us, she's my biggest fan along with my daughter, of course.
Sometimes she had a hard time letting her art go.

This is one of her paintings called The Ugly Duckling.
She painted this piece by a photograph she took.
She worked full time and during her lunch time she took pictures for inspiration.



This was damaged during an art show.
It started to rain and she didn't get it out of the rain fast enough so it's a little water damaged.

These small paintings I have in my house.


This one was painted on black paper with only white paint.
She loved painting animals.


When she started selling her art again, she wanted to find something different that she can sell but didn't take a lot of time to create.

She started painting on milk bottle caps.


My father would wash the caps, sand the inside of the cap, and glue the magnet in place before she started to paint each one.
She started selling them at the church's craft show.
People loved them so much they would come to church on Sunday giving her baggies full of caps.
She even painted special orders.
Customers would give her photographs of their pets.
This was the first one she tried.
This was my dog, Heidi, as a puppy.


As you can see her art work was amazing.

Have you sold your art?
Was it hard to let it go?
Where do you sell your art?

Inquiring minds want to know!
Me too!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
I can't wait to read your comments!

















Thursday, November 19, 2015

Key To My Heart


Key To My Heart

I had closed the door upon my heart
And wouldn't let anyone in,
I had trusted and loved only to be hurt
But, that would never happen again.

I had locked the door and tossed the key
As hard, and as far as I could,
Love would never enter there again, 
My heart was closed for good.

Then you came into my life
And made me change my mind,
Just when I thought that tiny key
was impossible to find.

That's when you held out your hand
And provided to me I was wrong,
Inside your palm was the key to my heart
You had it all along.

- Marsha Hoyt -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I've always loved this poem.
I was looking for a quote and found it again.
It inspired this new art piece.

I took a 6x6 stretched canvas and painted it black front, back, and sides.


While the canvas was drying I painted the heart silver.
It was red.


I used the Rock Wall stencil (TCW573) from The Crafter's Workshop and DecoArt's Crackle Paint and added it all over the canvas, front, sides and back.



I also added the DecoArt Crackle Paint to the inside of the canvas.
When it dries it gives an amazing crackle finish.



While the crackle paint was drying, I painted the key silver and added glitter.


The key hole was brown so I painted it white and added glitter.


The crackle dried I added a alpha stamp with archival ink.


I added DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics in Ultramarine Blue and Primary Cyan to the canvas.



I painted the heart with Primary Cyan and added glitter.
When it dried, I hung it from the eyelet and glued the key to the front.


It's great when inspiration strikes and it turns out perfect!

Thanks so much for stopping by!











Monday, November 16, 2015

My Autumn Forest

I found two pieces of painted deli paper that looked like trees and the color of autumn leaves.

I took those papers and with gel medium adhered them to mixed media paper.


I then added more black lines to represent trees.


As you can see above I also ripped some of the deli paper to show some of the color underneath.

After that I just went with my gut.
Added more paint and stencils to finish it.


Its not my usual style but I do love it.

I used the Squared Scrolls stencil for the leaves and all the paint is DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics.

Thanks so much for stopping by!






Thursday, November 12, 2015

More on the Art Sisters Retreat...... All the art!

Hi Everyone!
I'm happy you're here to join me in part two of the art sister's retreat in Michigan.
I'm going to show you the dolls and the Yupo art the girls created.

You can read Part 1 HERE


You can also read  +JackieP Neal posts: Episode 1 and Episode 2 and Episode 3
She was a picture taking ninja. I didn't see her take them!

Doll makers extraordinaire!
They are the best teachers!!!
Learned so much about assemblage.


Pam and her doll.


Here is a close up Pam's doll.
Isn't she beautiful.
Can you see the DecoArt Crackle Glaze on her wings?




Here are all the curls on top her head.
I would have never thought of that!

 
Here is the back of her doll.
 
 

Sherie works at the speed of light. 
She made two dolls and some fairies.

Here is her first one.
I love this one.
A garter for legs!!!


 

Here is the second one.
She used a piece of mink from an estate sale for her shawl.

 
She finds the perfect pieces of jewelry for the faces.


The back.
I love the back of the head.
"straight inside of my soul"
It's on a mirror!!!


Here are the two fairies Sherie made.
Front and Back.

 

Love this one.
The beach ball is an earring!


This is Jackie's doll but only her face.
She's in for reconstructive surgery at this time.
I love the headpiece.


I can't wait to see her when she's out of surgery.
 
Again here is mine.
 
 
Here back
 
 
 
I taught the girls about playing with Yupo. They had so much fun with The Crafter's Workshop stencils, India Inks, Alcohol Inks, and Golden High Flow Acrylics.
 
This is Sherie's amazing piece.
Love the colors.
 

 
Pam's amazing pieces of art.
I love the color combinations she used.




Here are Jackie's amazing pieces of art.
Bright and colorful just like her.




 
This one Jackie added some DecoArt Crackle Glaze.
Look at those cracks!!!!!

 

The nature that surrounded us.






















The best part of these retreats is the close sisterhood we have developed. It's amazing to create art with like minded artists that hoard, buy and share their supplies, their talents and their love.
 
 
We are spelling Art!

 
 
I hope you all get the opportunity to experience it too.
 
Thanks so much for stopping by!
 


















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