Serenity

God, grant me the Serenity

to accept the things I cannot change...

Courage to change the things I can

and Wisdom to 

know the difference.....

They say art reflects our life.  Without going into detail, this stands true with me.

9x12" oil and acrylic on stretched canvas.

Wicked

'Its's just life, so keep dancing through."
-Wicked

  

This piece was inspired by Wicked the musical, the witch offering Snow White the poisoned apple in Snow White and the seven dwarfs.......and life experiences.

Acrylic, distress ink, spraypaint and panpastels on a 16x20"  birch cradled panel. 

Lindsey

This little piece was made as a graduation present for a dear girl named Lindsey.  Tomorow it will be printed and placed on mixed media craddled birch.
Imagery from ItKuPulli, Pinklotti and TumbleFish, all on deviantscrap.
Young lady and cat from Lindsey.

WIP Izannah Walker inspired dolls

Recently I have grown to love Izannah Walker dolls so I purchased this awesome PDF book by Dixie Redmond  HERE.  Dixie Redmond has put together this beautifully detailed book of how to make your own Izannah Walker inspired doll (emphasizing "inspired" for me).   She takes the doll step-by-step and even includes patterns!  

This is my first attempt at actually making my own doll and let me tell you....this is alot of work but very gratifying.  Because I do not sew....at all....I am improvising...alot.  The head is made of paperclay.  She is not perfect, but I think she is almost ready to cover with cotton stockinette/material. Before I cover her, I will make a mold of her face and bust therefore speeding up the process considerably.

Have a good one!!

Alma

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

The beat of her drum

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away."

                                                                                                     -Henry David Thoreau

9x13" framed canvas.  Mixed media including acrylic, empherma, various markers and paper clay. Inspiration Tims Sally Free Spirit.

WIP - playing with paper clay

WIP

Have been playing with paper clay this week.   Of course the little girl on the bottom is inspired by the Tims Sally class I am taking.  Wanted to take the girl a step further and make her out of paperclay.  Now to finish painting the background for these guys and assemble.

Dance Me//The Civil Wars

To thine own self be true

This has always been one of my favorite sayings and come good or bad I  stand by it. 

This is an 8"x10" oil on canvas with encaustic wax added for a dreamy effect.  In reading posts this morning, I ran across these awesome textured overlays http://www.flickr.com/photos/texturetime/8525649012/in/photostream/

and added a few for a textured/dimensional effect.

  

Have an awesome weekend and beautiful Easter!



Eccentric

ec·cen·tric:  adjective  \ik-ˈsen-trik, ek-\  deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct especially in odd or whimsical ways.



http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eccentric
9"x12" canvas mixed media

Cheaper than therapy

I use art of relieve the stress.  I was at the art supply store the other day and the girl at the counter said "Its cheaper than therapy".  She didnt know how true this was for me.    Its acrylic, etc. (mixed media) on 9"x12" Canson 185 lb paper.  




Silence

“In Silence there is eloquence.”

― Rumi

This is my original 8"x10" oil on canvas.  The eyes are alittle wonky, and its definately not perfect, but it is progress today not perfection. 



Then I used Pixlr to get these effects.





Then used Photoshop to add this frame montage by Eenas Creations PS I Love U from Deviant Scrap.



I applied the beautiful frame by CRenee/PhotoMontage Grandeur3 from Deviant Scrap to produce this.  Love painting these little girls and then working with them in Photoshop and Pixlr for different effects.  Two more on the way, waiting for them to dry.



13 min of true inspiration

 

 

 

Jane DesRosier/Gritty Jane posted this video on her site http://thetroddenpath.ning.com/ and I just had to repost.  13 minutes of true inspiration.

Nun

Here is the my original, 8"x10" oil on canvas.

Manipulated 8"x10" oil on canvas using http://pixlr.com/express/. Love this program for adding cool effects and adjusting color. Too much fun!





TrueFreeSpiritII

8"x10" mixed media journal page

Second painting with Mindy Lacefields True Free Spirit Class.
http://timssally.ning.com/group/true-free-spirit





Frida

In my quest to find my perfect medium, finally I tried oils.  I think I am in love, love, LOVE!  Oils are so much easier for me to blend and shade than acrylics.  I love the fact that they stay wet for so much longer enabling me to change things if not satisfied.....even the next day.  Yeah! I have two more portraits to post when dry.
8"x10" oil on canvas

True Free Spirit 1

So happy to be taking Mindy Lacefields class "True Free Spirit".  This is January's project (I just joined).  Just love her work!!!!

For details on her class, just click on "True Free Spirit" to the right.

Mixed media on board.

An artist vocation

An artist vocation is to send light into the human heart.

George Sand

First drawing with a Wacom.  Love the simplicity.

Credit: heart http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/

Tread softly please.

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.

T. S. Eliot

Three panels 5 1/2"x18"x2"

Acrylic/Mixed Media on wood



Sweet revenge

Mixed media and encaustic

18"x5 1/2"x1" wood

Ode to Valentines Day. 

Credits:
http://xxmortanixx.deviantart.com/art/Poisoned-ink-brushes-91693034
 http://brittany-xss.deviantart.com/art/Brushes-01-Handwritten-Revenge-101846679

http://henda-stock.deviantart.com/art/Barbed-Brushes-34951894
http://coffinkittie.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Brushes-Dead-Trees-112534468
http://red--roses.deviantart.com/art/Stick-Men-Brushes-124546302
http://xxmortanixx.deviantart.com/art/Poisoned-ink-brushes-91693034
http://invisiblesnow.deviantart.com/gallery/11858576#/doqh19

Blustery Day

 

 

Blustery Day

 

 

Encaustic and mixed media on 12"x12"x2" wood.

Finished my first encaustic today.  When I started this last week it was very cold here, thus "Blustery day".  This piece was done with encaustic medium and pigments of Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Raw and Burnt Umber.  Accents of black and white were also added.

 

 



 

 

I am so amazed by the way the wax blends and moves when heated. The process is much slower than painting but far more gratifying for me.  Truly love this process and the results it produces.

 

 

 



Imagine

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one"........

After taking Jane DesRosier's awesome class "The Red Scarf" at thetroddenpath.ning.com,  I managed to finally finish my first portrait.   It is a mixed media and acrylic on a 16"x20" birch cradled panel.  I really loved her online course and loved making this. 

The first painting was the female with a hat, but I didnt like it so I painted over the top portion.  Couldnt decide what kind of hair she was going to have, so I sat on it awhile.  Finally a couple of nights ago, I was watching videos on YouTube and stumbled across "Imagine" by John Lennon.  The rest is history. 



Thanks John Lennon for the inspiration!

Imagine

John Lennon



Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one


......by the way, I got all my encaustic supplies in today and have started playing with it.  Love the look and feel of this medium.  Hopefully will finish my first piece soon and can post pictures.

New beginnings with Encaustic

 

 

Tomorrow I start a new venture.  It will be my birthday and I am celebrating with a new experience with my art.  I have wanted to try encaustics for some time now.  Last week  after watching many videos and  reviewing MANY blog posts, I decided I wanted to start working with encaustics.  I have ordered all my materials, they should be arriving tomorrow for my birthday.  What better way to start my birth year but with new beginnings.  In the past year I have been searching for my artistic "niche", I am come close to finding it but something is still missing.   I am so excited about encaustics and the possibilities.  I love the simplist yet deep look that can be achieved with this technique.  The above video is my encaustic muse.....her work is beyond fabulous!

Jenn's girls

 

 

 

Jenn's girls

 

These pieces were made for Jennifer for Christmas.  They are acrylic mixed media on wood.  When deciding on what to make Jennifer for Christmas, these two girls kept coming up for some reason.  Jennifer has no children, when I gave them to her I said "I see girls in your future Jennifer".  Jennifer then told me she had just found out she was pregnant.   Everything happens for a reason.

Recent paintings

 

 

These girls are my most recent acrylic creations.  Last week I joined Heather Murrays group at http://thetroddenpath.ning.com/group/mixed-media-portrait-class.  Love, love love her work.  I was so inspired by her Tall Girl series I thought I would try some of my own. 

The first was Gabby which is a beautiful young girl I cropped from a group photo from Flckr. 

The second was Story.  I also found her on Flckr.  Somehow she just started looking alittle goth, so I just let her go there.

 The third was Destiny and her dog.  A friend at work wanted me to paint her daughter and her beloved dog.  This is what I came up with.  Destiny has been busy lately getting into mischief....because I couldnt place little horns on her head, I placed a crown on her little head.  Destiny is always the Queen of her domain.

Last, but not least came little Annie.  She is a work in progress.....almost finished with her. Just a few more details and she will be done.

Then along came Hope.  She is acrylic on canvas.  I think she is actually my favorite.  I just love the look on her face....definately an old soul. This image was obtained from http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageShowcase?ref=seller_info .

I have so enjoyed painting this week.  Finally I think I am getting the hang of it.  I was having a problem with the acrylics drying sooooo fast I couldnt blend.  After purchasing alottttt of products, I am able to blend my colors and am having a blast painting!!
Tomorrow, another project for a coworker/friend.

Emma

Recently I took an online class with Heather Murray on http://thetroddenpath.ning.com/. I so enjoyed painting this this morning. I still have alot to learn but am definately enjoying the process. This is an 8x10 acrylic on canvas.

James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend" by S. Wigley

 

 

You've got a Friend

by Scott Wigley

 

 

A fellow nurse made this awesome video. Based on James Taylor's version of "You've Got A Friend" (Carol King) from James's "Mud Slide Slim" record (1971). This is an instrumental version by Scott Wigley from Wilcox Road, Alabama multitracking a McPherson Acoustic Guitar with a Redwood top and Indian Rosewood back into a Roland VS880. The soundtrack is set to scenes of a beautiful afternoon on Wolf Bay in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Fabulous job Scott!!

Snail Mail



This is made for a Take a Word Challenge.  This particular challenge doesnt start till next week, but decided to go ahead and make.  Next weeks word is "Mail".  Heres my interpretation of todays mail.  Although I still use the mail for some things...to me it definately seems to be "snail mail". 

Challenge:  http://takeaword.blogspot.com/





Christmas Freebie

  

Now that Thanksgiving is over we can get ready for Santa!!!  I thought I would pass on this free Christmas vintage card.  This is part of a collage of beautiful vintage cards.  Thanks http://magicmoonlightfreeimages.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-collages-for-you.html for the beautiful cards!!  Check out her beautiful site! 



Lost

 

 

Lost soul

 

This piece was created for a challenge.  Loving goth and dark, I especially loved making this. Used stock provided background and the following:

girl:  http://steamed-pepsi-stock.deviantart.com/art/Ethereal-Stock-81809513

teddy bear brush:  http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/?q=teddy+bear#/dlbtn4 - dawn-at-the-lake brush

moon: http://wyldraven.deviantart.com/art/Moon-STOCK-147754760