Thursday, September 30, 2010

New Pages


A new page in the Green Journal.
The original page is shown below.
I painted the envelope with watercolor,
painted the margin nearest the spine
with acrylic, and added scraps of
painted papers, collage images,
fabric, scrapbook papers, and 
handwritten text.
(click on the image to enlarge)
 

The tag inside the envelope
shows a poem through the window,
also handwritten text:
November Night
by Adelaide Crapsey

Listen...
with faint dry sound,
like steps of passing ghosts,
the leaves, frost crisp'd,
break from the trees
and fall.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Art Community




Mixed media Art Journal,(which I have dubbed 'The Green Journal') created by Elizabeth of the Altered Book Lover blog.  I continue to be inspired  by her quirky and creative combinations of paper, fabric and images.  This is another set of pages from that journal.  (Click on any image for a closer look.)

After a wonderful day spent with Art friends in Ohio,  I felt the need to count my blessings: for the people who 'get' my art, who encourage me, who help me grow, and provide much needed support.  Thank you to all, both 'face to face' friends, and the on-line community! 

The Green Journal continues:  the tan page (above) with border added and hand-written text, top.  Bottom, the page as it was before altering. E had applied subtle color, and there is a wonderful sparkle to the page that doesn't come through on the scan.



E created the lovely red flowered page (above) with a white envelope protruding from the back side...and the little red bird cut-out.  I added some old wallpaper images before I realized I needed a 'before' picture.  After scanning, I then added fabric and hand-written text. I decided to stop here, as I feel the richly patterned surface is complete.

As I enjoyed laughter, artwork, and techniques with my art friends, we discussed something that you may have discovered yourself, or may be surprised to know.
"What do you do with it?"  people may ask--referring to your art.  It is my belief that the finished product is not necessarily the most important thing.  The process of learning, creating, and enjoying that process can be very therapeutic. Recent research shows that people need to play, even when they are adults. It is a way to relieve stress, have fun, and actually helps us focus and problem solve in other areas of life as a result.  Artists probably didn't need research to tell us this. I think we have always known.  Have some fun with art today!


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Various Inspirations


Here is a partial view of a 
mixed media & watercolor
that I've done for a private swap...
some of the cottonwoods 
in our yard.


Mixed media art journal page
in my watercolor journal. 
Scraps of leftover paper & fabric,
craft acrylic paint, and marker.
5 3/4 inches wide by 9 inches high.

Problem Corrected, Hopefully

YAY!!!
After much fiddling, downloading of programs,
and generally trying everything he could think of,
my dear husband thinks he has 
corrected my Blogger problem.
At least. We think so. Only time will tell.
He's not even sure which thing he tried
was the actual fix...
Very glad to be back--
I really missed being able to stay
in touch with the blogging community!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Technical Problems

My computer has been infected with spyware
 and is not letting me log into Blogger.
 I keep getting a "connection interrupted" message... 
I am posting this from another machine to let you know
 I may be away from "blogland" for a bit...
DH has purchased some software to 
take care of the problem, but it may
take a bit of time and effort to 
get back to normal.
Still making art and looking forward
to sharing it with you.
Thanks for your comments
and encouragement. 
later...

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Warhol Soup


The Green Journal had a great line drawing
of a Campbell's soup can, just begging
to be colored in...a la Warhol style...
quotes from Andy Warhol surround 
the completed image...



Here is the page before I 
attacked it with fluorescent 
highlighters and my trusty
Extra Fine Point Sharpie marker.
The stitching makes 
great additional texture.

More pages of the Green Journal
to come in the future...

"I am a deeply superficial person."  - Andy Warhol