Tag Archives: Mixed Media

Finding My Creative Stride!

Good evening!

I have been busy in my art studio, practicing various mixed media techniques, trying to figure out what my art style looks like. I am very happy to be sharing with you my latest two pieces.

Art #1:

I love incorporating positive thoughts into my pieces. I feel like in some small way, I am able to help encourage other women, possibly, just like myself.

There is something in the way that these womens’ eyes have turned out, thoughtful, withholding some secret, and just a hint of sadness. I didn’t realize that would show up in these paintings.

Art #2:

I just LOVE the texture that the joint compound created when I used it with my doily stencil.

This is a thought that I am learning is really true. Miracles really do happen everyday!

Both of these pieces were adapted from a couple of doodles that I had drawn a few weeks ago. I was playing with the idea of learning how to draw women’s faces. I figured if I could doodle it small, maybe I can doodle it larger as well. They turned out just like my doodles! I used book pages, acrylic paints, markers, stamps, ink, joint compound, gel medium, and a stampinella, and doily stencil to accomplish both of these pieces. I also incorporated a lot of smaller doodles in these pieces. I am finding that doodling has really helped me stay loose, and relaxed when trying to come up with something to fill my blank white canvas.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these two pieces, I know I have really enjoyed creating these and hope to have a lot of art studio time in the next few days to create some more! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. 😉

Here’s to a FABULOUS evening!

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently

Back in the Art Studio!

Good evening!

I have been busily and happily arting away in my little art studio, and am very happy to finally be able to share something that I have finished with you! 😉

This piece is made on a square of plywood, my sweetie cut for me, and the materials I used were: acrylic paints, tissue paper, stamps, ink, gel medium, and fine tip marker.

This saying is something that I have been really focusing on while taking my Brave Girls Club class, “The real you is still in there you just need to give yourself permission to come out and play”. It is something that I really needed to hear, and something that I have always known, but had somehow forgotten along the way. It was a message that I am so thankful that I have stumbled upon again, and am actively working on putting it to good use in my life!

This piece came about because I wanted to paint something happy! I also wanted to play with some new techniques I have been learning, and one of those that I am really, very glad with the way that it turned out, and that is the little doodles that are all over the piece. I think the doodling really adds a little more of me into my art.

I actually started this piece over many times, remembering that I could always change something that I didn’t like about it at any given time. This was something really hard for me to do, because I am such a perfectionist and always want to have everything done perfectly the first time. I think, in doing that, this piece has really helped me give myself permission to love the imperfections that may come out, they may add so much interest that they become your favorite parts!

After this piece was finished, I was so excited about it, I put my bravery muscles on and took it to display at work, and I am so glad I did! It is really exciting to look up from a very technical job, and see something that you were able to come up with in a 100% creative way!

Life is good!!

I would love to hear your thoughts about this in the comments section! I am hoping to have more to share in the next few days!

Here’s to a FABULOUS evening!

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently

A Weekend of Artist Mentality!

Good evening!
I have literally spent ALL weekend, in artist mode!!! I am sure my husband must be thinking that I am MIA or something!! This weekend has been such an inspiring weekend, and I am feeling WILDLY validated by my new artist community friends that have been commenting like crazy and cheering me on from all over the world!

I FINALLY feel like…

I have found my calling.
I have found my artist medium.
I am finding  my courage.
I am finding my voice.
I might even have found ME!

Before I spend the rest of my weekend totally and completely focused on spending some quality time with my sweetie (I really am married to the GREATEST MAN – Thank you, Love!!!), I really wanted to show you a few of the projects I have been working on this afternoon!

This one is the only project I have actually finished this evening. I used decorative papers, ink, acrylic, and polymer clay to make this piece. I am calling this one, “Mamma’s Lessons for a Happy Life”.

These next two projects are still works in process. This first one, so far is acrylic paint and ink. I am not sure where I am going with this one yet, but this is a much different color palette than I am used to, but I am playing with textures on this piece.

This one is also a work in process, and this one is made, so far, with decorative paper, crackle medium, cardboard, ink, and polymer clay.

and finally…

This is not a piece in itself, but more of an experiment that I tried today, that I really fell in love with, and that is creating words from metal stamps and polymer clay. I LOVE using words in my art, and this is such a fun way to do it, I am very happy with the way these turned out.

Anyway, I am back to my regular, non-creative  full-time job tomorrow, but I have to confess that I will probably have a hard time concentrating knowing that I have got so much that I still want to create back in my art studio!! I will have to be patient!!

IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 🙂

Putting it Out There!

Good afternoon!

As some of you may know, I am very HAPPILY taking a creative online course called Flying Lessons, which is a course offered by Kelly Rae Roberts.

 I am taking one small step at a time to turn my passion for creating art into my career. I have done a few things already, including updated my header for my blog, as you might have noticed from above. However, this next step might be one of the hardest for me.

I know I have shared some of my art, sporadically and somewhat hesitantly, over the course of the past six months, but tonight, I want to share all of my scribblings, doodles, and art projects, with the intention of letting the universe know, that I am an artist. 

WOW! That is incredibly hard to say, but
I am an artist.

I want to focus my energies on investing time on my talent. I want to take the necessary steps to focus, and learn more skills so that I can continue to put my art out into the world. My goal in doing this is to encourage women to live their lives authentically, with dignity, and pride, and if in some small way I can encourage and motivate someone to do something they might not have done, or try something they might not have tried, or even smile when they otherwise would not have, then I will have done what I was put on this earth to do.

So without further ado, here is my art:

Ok, so the good, the bad, the ugly,the  gorgeous, the fabulous, and even the huh’s??  have all been shared!

They have now all been OFFICIALLY sent out into the UNIVERSE!!!

Officially!!!

Whew! Ok, that wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be! Whew – again!! 😉

 I totally need a break, my bravery muscles have thoroughly been exercised for the day!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!

A New Piece of Art!

Good evening!

As most of you know, I have just recently become a new collage artist, so I am really learning about different techniques, and flexing my bravery muscles by putting some of these techniques together in a way that represents something inside of me!

Tonight I have finished my latest collage piece and I am very excited to share it with you to get your feedback!

At first glance this piece may not look like something that I might have made. There are no deep reds, vivid blues, or brilliant greens, but I am in a mental place right now that is really a lot quieter, softer, more reflective, and more embracing of my femininity than where I have been in the past. I wanted this piece of art to become an inspirational reminder to myself about the possibility of dreaming.

This particular collage started because I had found this thought in a magazine, quite a while ago. If I remember correctly I think it was part of an advertisement of some kind.

“Let yourself whisper and wander and wonder.
Let yourself anticipate the bliss.
Let yourself have all you deserve.
Let yourself remember the unforgettable.
Let yourself let it go.”

This sentiment is something that I am actively working on taking to heart, especially as I start to get more daring in my delving into my world of creativity.

I added a butterfly to this piece as a symbol of my journey of change, to metamorphosis from who I am to who I want to be. In doing this my goal is to honor my authentic self.

I was very interested in playing with textures here, and a color palate that is not my typical jewel tone fare. I did a lot of paper crumpling, sanding, scraping, rippling, painting, stamping, tearing, inking, writing, and even some hand embroidery, as you can see above, in this picture – I just LOVE how that turned out. I am sure I will be using that technique more often.

And of course, how could I create a piece of art that doesn’t have a crown in it? I love the idea that this represents:

I am blessed.

I am worthy.

I am loved.

I am good enough.

This is the third art piece that I have ever finished, and only 1 of 2 that I like enough to actually display, but I know that as I finish each piece I learn a little more about myself and what I am willing to do and what I am not willing to do in my art. Not to mention, collage/mixed media is a great way to not only lose yourself, but a great place to also find yourself as well.

Please feel free to go to the comments section, above, and let me know what you think. I am always open to your thoughts. Thank you! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening!