Two More Water Lily Paintings!

Hiya!  

In the last post I told you I started an "accidental" series of water lilies/lotuses.  I wasn't kidding!  Here's 2 more paintings that I did a few months ago.  Both of these paintings came together fairly quickly and easily.  I love when that happens. 

 I started this first one on a day when I wasn't feeling well, but I had a few hours to myself so I was bent on painting... at least for a few minutes.  So I decided that I would just "start a background" then call it a day.  I grabbed some papers and started to glue them down, and next thing I knew, I was painting over them before the glue even had a chance to dry!  

Then I glued more stuff down and painted straight over it, then painted more, scraped, drew with charcoal, dripped, painted some more...etc....  Then once I stopped and took a step back, the day was almost gone and I had a mostly finished painting (I finished it a few days later) AND I was feeling much better too.  Art therapy!! 

A bit of a different style and different colors for me, and that's I love about it... I was more loose and free with it.  That's one of the things I've been trying to work on with my art is to loosen up more and get more messy and free.  That's hard for a perfectionist, but I'm working on it!

My next painting was started soon after.  This one was modeled after my art journal cover that I showed you a few posts back... right HERE.

For this one I used my beloved Heavy Gel Medium to create all the texture, then added layers of paint and glazes, and gold-leafed the outside edges.

Hopefully you're not sick of waterlilies yet, because more are coming!   I do also have a door painting to finish up, among others too, if I feel a need to change things up, BUT I really am enjoying exploring the beauty and peacefulness of waterlilies.  Heck, if it was good enough for Monet... then why not?

So what subjects are you exploring lately?  Do tell!

One Lotus Painting

After doing the front of my art journal with a lotus (in previous post), I HAD to do more like it, so I did two 8"x10" paintings inspired by it.  This is one, and I'll show the other one in another post.  

This photo above shows the beginning stage of it.  First I painted the base colors, then I smeared on a thick coat of Heavy Gel Medium and drew into it while wet.  After letting that dry overnight I started to paint it.

As you can see it looked quite different at this stage.  I liked it but it didn't feel quite right to me, so I put it aside for a week or so.  When I went back to it, I just kept adding layer after layer of paints and glazes until I finally liked it.  

To finish it off I gold-leafed and antiqued the sides of the canvas, then put a few coats of sealer over the whole thing.

So now I think I'm addicted to painting water lilies/lotuses!  I'm planning on doing some bigger ones like this too.  I think it'll be fun!  And I still have a couple more finished ones to share with you.  

For a while now I had been wanting to do a series of some kind, and realized that's what this is... my accidental waterlily series!  There's nothing like a good "Happy Accident" is there?

"Be Still" Textured Journal Cover

Hi there!

Here's my art journal cover that I showed you a quick peek of in the last post.  It kept bugging me that the inside of my journal was filled with lots of purdy art, but that the front of it was so drab.  So I decided to give it a nice facelift one day while another waterlily painting was drying.  

I started by gluing down a vintage dictionary page, then painted it with a coral color.  Next I cut and glued down various scrapbook papers in a waterlily shape.  Yes, I know that you can BARELY see any of that in the finished piece, but I think that every little layer gives it just that much more "something" when it's done... even if you hardly notice that it's there.  Art is kind of like us in that respect... all of our past experiences, no matter how slight, can influence who we are and the beautiful creatures that we can become.  

Wow, ok back to the process... I did think that all the base layers would be showing through more, but that's not what happened.  I try to let the art go where it wants to... sometimes I'm just along for the ride!

  So after the initial layers, I put a heavy coat of Golden's Heavy Gel Medium on, and drew into it while it was still wet.  I also added a painted crocheted 1/2 circle to the top and a ribbon across the bottom.

After letting it dry overnight, I painted it, then antiqued it with a raw umber glaze to get the grooves and  ridges to really stand out.  When it was finished I sealed it good since it's on the front of my art journal... which means it has to stand up to plenty of abuse as I drag it around with me most of the time.















There... so much better than a plain, drab, brown cover.  Now it represents what the journal is all about... artwork, creativity, becoming.  And layers... lots of layers.

And "Be Still"?  A reminder I need often in our busy hectic world.  You too I'm sure.  Be still, close your eyes, and just breathe, you beautiful creature you.

Sneak Peak of Journal Cover

Hi there!

Here's a little sneak peak of what I'll be sharing in my next blog post.  It's the front of my small art journal, and I can't wait to share more photos of it with you!  

I hope you're all having a lovely week. 

See you soon!

"Waterlily" Texture Painting

Hi!  Since I keep disappearing from these parts and have tons to catch up on, I'll just jump right in...

I'm going to start sharing some of my art that you haven't seen  yet out there in Blogland.  This piece was finished last May and I'm completely in love with it!  So much so in fact that it's recently sparked a whole waterlily/lotus series that I'll share with you later.















I started by printing out one of my photos in black and white onto paper, sealing it, and gluing it down onto a canvas.  I then used heavy gel medium to create texture, and painted over it all when it was dry.















Love that texture!















To finish it off I gold-leafed, antiqued, and sealed the sides.

The photo that inspired this piece was one that I  took many years ago, of a waterlily in a koi pond in my parents backyard.  I always knew I wanted to do something with it.  I'm so glad I did!  Ah... so pretty!  (Can I say that about my own art?  hee hee).















I have greeting cards available of this painting, and will get some prints made of it also.  If you're interested just let me know!

So what have you been up to out there in Artsy Blogland?  I'd love to know, it's been too long!

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish you all the very best in the New Year!

May it be as bright and shiny as this shooting star!

I also wanted to thank all of you for your support and kindness.  I know I've gone missing quite a lot this year, but I plan to be around way more and the new year is a great time for a change, right?  There's a lot to get caught up on, so I'll see you soon!

Where Do I Start?

Where do I start? 

How many times have you asked yourself this when you're faced with a daunting task at hand? Or many tasks?  Where do I start?  It's often enough to freeze us dead in our tracks.  We don't know where to begin... there's just too much to do.  Overwhelm happens and what often happens next?  Nothing.  We do nothing... and stay stuck.

Yup.  I know this well.  That's one of the many reasons that I disappeared from my blog for so long.  There was so much going on that I just didn't have the time or energy, and when I finally wanted to get back to it... I froze.  Where the heck do I start?  So what did I do?  I would piddle around for a bit, then would freeze up, overwhelmed.  Where do I start?  How do I explain my absence?  Then I finally did what I should've done months ago.  I brought out my art journal.




Now mind you, during most of this time I hadn't made any art either.  I felt rusty and out of practice, but I had to get back to it.  I told myself to just start.  So I shuffled through my art papers and my folder of collage bits, and I pulled out a few things that spoke to me and started gluing them down into the journal before I could over think it. 

He who hesitates is lost.

Proverb 

Then out came the paints... 

I had to get paint on my hands... and quick.  Oh how I missed you... paint covered hands (deja vu, I think I've said this before!).  Ahh... I could breath again.  I'm me again.  

The background was done, so now what?  OK, just journal about what's on my mind a lot lately... in many ways about many things.  "Where do I start?"  How do I write a blog post after disappearing for so long?  How do I get back to my art?  I don't even know where to begin.  So back to the art journal... the answers came easy while working in my journal.  Where do you start?  At the beginning of course! Or wherever you want, wherever you are.  Start right here, there, anywhere... JUST START.  Dive in, stop over thinking it, there's no wrong answer here.

The only wrong move is to not make one, and stay stuck (man, I need to pin that to my wall... or forehead).

Easier said than done, right?  But reminding ourselves of this really can help from time to time. 

 And for those of us who finally do get started (like I did on this post), but then get tripped up by perfectionism and get stuck again...tonight my husband reminded me to "Keep it simple".  Forget perfection, etc... just get it done!

Ok, I have a lot to share with you all, but to keep this from turning to the longest post ever (isn't it already?)... and to keep me from freezing up while trying to write this, again... I will give you a very short-hand version of what I've been up to lately and fill you in with PHOTOS and whatnot in upcoming posts.  Deal?

OK...

*Had an art show.  Yay!!

*Went camping up in Kern River 

*Went on a month long trip to South Australia to visit dearly missed family

*While we were over in Australia, my Mom wound up in the hospital over here for about a week and hasn't been the same since, so since we've been back I've been over there helping her out as much as I can.  I've also been researching non-stop... healing foods, recipes, etc..  This has been my main focus since getting back from our trip.  She is doing way better these past few weeks, but still has a long way to go.

Ok, so those are the main things that I've been up to.
Oh, and Pinterest.  Darn Pinterest sucks me in, but I love it for keeping all the wonderful recipes (and art) that I'm finding all in one place! Then there's Facebook... I have been updating my FB art page more often then my blog.  


So what did I NOT do this whole time?  Art, blogging, and yoga.  How did I feel?  Crappy.  

I do apologize for my long, unintentional blog break, but the thing is, I want my blog to be a place of inspiration, but to possibly be inspiring you have to be/feel inspired... and that's hard to do when your mind is on other things.  Its also hard to do when you're not doing the things that inspire you... like art, blogging, and yoga.  It's very much a catch 22!  So now I'm jumping in and getting started again, with all three of those.  I've been "warming up" my art by working in my art journal lately, but I can't wait for some time to work on my canvases again.  This is my 2nd blog post in the past 2 weeks... I could do better than that, but hey... it's a start!  And tomorrow I'm meeting with my amazing yoga instructor again to get me back to it... which to me is a huge inspiration in itself!  Yay!  Progress... and hopefully tons of inspiration to come!

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.

Samuel Smiles

 Is there anything that you've been stuck with lately, and you don't know where to start?  Try to remind yourself that the only wrong move is to not make one, and stay stuck!  Now get started!  You'll feel so much better when you do!