Monthly Archives: April 2009

Random Thoughts

I have been playing with paint in my moleskine and much to my delight the lovely journal holds up to this medium well with a little care. I tried it first prepping the page with gesso. This works well but results in a bit of a thicker page. Then I tried it straight to the page and if your paint is too watery it soaks in and doesn’t allow for much movement of the paint. My best attempts were achieved with a mix of paint and Golden’s Fluid Acrylic Medium in Satin. It allows for movement of the paint, keeps it from soaking into the page too quickly and doesn’t add to the page thickness too much. Gluing collage items down with gel medium as a base will also allow for paint movement. Now I can play with all of my favorite art supplies in my moleskine.

For anyone interested, my online Journal Workshops are now ‘open’ for ongoing enrollment. There will be no starting/stopping dates so you can work at your own pace with unlimited access to class materials.


Just Out

We made a little impromptu visit to our boat yesterday because the kids were out of school and it was 80 degrees, and how could we not? It was our first overnight of the season and my brother and sister-in-law went with their kids too. Very fun and relaxing little getaway.

I came home and found this waiting for me in the mailbox! The latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors featuring an article I wrote. Also featured in this issue are two other Melange Team members, Nancy Lefko, and Sue Pelletier.

Here are some little snippets from my article and a peek at the Homework section featuring some additional tips and one of my journal pages that those who are taking my Visual Journalism 101 online class will recognize.

Included in this article are step out pictures/instructions for the process I use in some of my mixed media portraits.

With Mother’s Day soon approaching, you will find the inspiration behind my portraits and why I find them so much a part of my art life.

This issue has some wonderful articles and I hope you will be able to pick up a copy. Let me know if you do, I’d love to hear from you!
A little insider info, the dress in this portrait, ‘Letting Go’ was inspired by my living room drapes. You just never know what your muse will lead you!


Melange Team Weekly Challenge

The Melange Team artists are ‘Mixing It Up’ with mixed media in the form of a weekly challenge! Anyone can play, you don’t have to be a team member, (but we’ll take ya if you’re interested:-)

This weeks challenge is ‘TICKET’ and I decided that since I journal almost daily, I would just incorporate the weekly prompt into my journals. That makes it very doable for me.

With my middle sons graduation just weeks away, this page is dedicated to the class of 2009. It is one of those ‘accident’ pages that basically made itself.

It started out a few days ago with a scrap of paper that I’d done a transfer of a bird image for practice. I glued it into my journal for future use. Then to go with the ‘Ticket’ prompt I also glued in an airplane ticket stub from hubby, and added a couple of other ticket images I had. Layers of leftover paint from this mornings project tied the whole thing together. To this I added the perfect quotes. Love it when a page just evolves, capturing a moment of life to perfection.


Barb’s Angel

I tried to stay away from Facebook for a looong time, but finally one of my arty friends got me over there and I have been ever so thankful.

One of the reasons is because I have found some long lost friends that I haven’t seen for years and years. One of these friends is Barb. We were friends in my senior year of high school. We went to church camp together, took art class together, and were even in a parade together-lol!
Then after high school I moved and life went on. I am so glad we found each other again and so touched that she asked me to do a custom piece for her with an angel.
It was a joy to do, and I savored each moment, starting with a journal page awhile back. I love the quote I found as it is perfect for the love of art we shared so long ago, along with a love of angels that we still share today. This one’s for you Barb:-)


Timeworn and heartfelt

Gesso and paint finally made their way into my Moleskine journal. I knew it would happen one day and yesterday was it! I prepped several pages and used up some leftover paint to start a section of painted pages. The Moleskine held up beautifully. It works especially well if both the front and back of a page are coated with gesso.
I am trying to get back to posting journal pages more frequently, but just because I don’t post them daily, doesn’t mean I don’t do something in my journal almost every day.
I was told by my father in law that my work has a Byzantine feel to it, so these pages were inspired by that comment and some of the glorious work I saw at the art gallery in D.C.
I like to play ‘rough’ in my journal sometimes, creating edgier, more distressed pages. It just feels good! Playing without worrying about perfection.
Just the process of adding layer after luscious layer of whatever is on hand.
I like to just use things I already have out, whatever
is in reach. Try using old tools in new ways.
I get my fingers messy when I work like this and have
been known to ruin good clothes, so I do try to remember to wear an apron. I said, try…
I loved the posture of his hand, I need to try one like this on a canvas.
My favorite thing about this page is her halo. I love that it is imperfect, looking like it is aged and worn away.


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