New art - Courses Update

I have been busy in the studio working away on a variety of courses.  What I realized early this year was that I signed up for too many courses.  It is so important to keep moving forward and learning new things, but if you don't give yourself enough time to process what you are learning it can become stressful, falling behind and getting yourself in a stressful state. 

What I found happened to me was that I just stopped.  I had lost sight of why I was doing the courses as I just tried to churn out images in an attempt to keep up, and also keep up with the events happening around me in my life.  

I decided to change my mindset, I have slowed down and have been taking my time, having given myself a breather and got on with things like moving my mum into a new home, I have come out the other end excited about the new work that I will produce over the course of the next year.

I am very pleased to share with you some of the pieces that I have done over the last couple of weeks from Soul Food and Life Book courses, I will also be sharing over the coming months some larger paintings that I will be working on for the Bloom True - Flora Bowley Course  It is a 5 week course, with access after the course for 6 months, the next course starts May 12th – June 14th, 2014, so go on the waiting list to get more information. 

Here are a glimpse of 3 pieces that I recently finished....

Going to the party

Palette Love

Sweety Pie

If you would like to see the complete image you can check them out here at my mixed media art site

Soul Food....Surprise package!

I got a surprise package in the mail a couple of weeks ago, I was blessed to win the February prize draw which consisted of a set of stencils from Artist Cellar

The stencils are from the Cathedral Plans series and Old World Map series, can be used as a mask or as a stencil and are made from quite a hard wearing plastic.  I have been playing around a bit using gesso, a fairly thick modelling paste and working on fabric.

Here is a sneak preview of a few books that I have been altering.

Stencils used from the Old World map series by Artist Cellar

On this book, which was from my local pound store I used fine poly-filler.  After it had dried I had to sand it down slightly before painting.

I haven't finished with them, but I like how they turned out so far.  I also used the same stencil on some fabric to see how it would look.  I decided that I will be using it for a lesson with Susana Tavares who is showing us how to make a fabric Art Doll

Stencils used on Fabric

There are so many more techniques that you can try out with the stencils, they are very durable and wash out with warm soapy water, can be used on their own, or with other mixed media tools. I am looking forward to sharing some of the ways I get to use mine.  What new techniques have you been trying out?  

Memories of Home - Reflections

 
Last week saw the last of my series 'Memories of Home'  I had made a series of houses, some made from card and others created on wood.  It was a great way to look back at childhood memories and share some of them.  My son also got to see another side of the child I used to be.  

Each week I took a word which would be the starting point to launch from and I shared a memory, some of them had been long forgotten.  

I enjoyed sharing the memories, some of which were of times me and my brother had spent on our adventures as children, thinking about him and the good times though still difficult at times seem to lessen the sting of his passing.  Speaking about him some how keeps his memory alive and feels right, I can't believe at times that he is gone.

When my dad died mum would speak of how they met and how she secretly liked him all along, I found that even after 20 years of him not being with us I still felt the emotional pain.  
The more she talked about him the more I remembered and it didn't hurt so much.  I still wish he could have seen his grand children and that they could have had more time together.

Now I have finished the series I have been thinking what to do with the houses and want to turn the into some form of book, along with the memories shared and can be passed down to grandchildren and be the stories that are shared and not forgotten -  I will let you know how I get on.

I encourage you to take the time to reflect back on your own memories, you might find that they might hold the key to moving forward. 

Wooden house collage

One of the wooden houses that I made inspired by a class on Soul food opened up a whole new set of possibilities, I didn't realized how much I liked working with wood and hope to do more pieces.

As I made the houses I found I related to them more, and each began to mean more to me and became more a part of me and my stories.

I have found Memories of home has been a way to capture some of my stories, the ones that had been forgotten, and as we get older and family get together's fall to the wayside it has also been extremely important to me as my mothers memory diminishes.  What experiences and memories have you been capturing and what special ways have you been able to share them?

Soul Food - New work and Zen Doodles

I thought I would share some of the work I have been producing from the Soul Food course I have been doing....

In the session led by Heather Santos - 'letting go of perfect', I used a piece of art that just didn't seem to be working and creating a new painting.  I drew an outline of a figure I wanted to use and then went about adding the necessary paint.

I was pleased with how she eventually turned out.

Sarah Hand showed us how to make paper mache shadow boxes

Shadow Box

It has been great so far to be able to work with such a vast array of creatives, in a supportive and encouraging environment.  I would definitely do both of these again and have collected a few boxes that I would love to alter.  I am finding my pace and looking forward to sharing more as the weeks go on.

Finally, do you doodle?

I was fortunate to have one of my Doodles featured in the book Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles.  Well, North Light Books are producing another book called Oodles of Doodles and they want you to submit your doodles or tangles to the Zen Doodle competition by March 14th, there is no entry fee so get a move on!  Check out Create Mixed Media 

You can also enter in the following ways:

email them at info@createmixedmedia.com
Instagram — email them at info@createmixedmedia.com via your Instagram account
Pinterest — tag them in the comment @CreateMixedMedia
Twitter – tag them in the comment @CMixedMedia

I love you today because.....

I thought I would start February off with a challenge a way to make some small changes on a daily basis and one that you are welcome to join in with.   Valentines day is a couple of weeks away, and traditionally this is the month to show those that you love how much you love them. 

As we grow and share I thought we could also do with a reminder to care for ourselves and to treat ourselves with kindness remembering that before you can love someone else you need to be able to love yourself.  For me I will be just making simple statements that can sit and encourage me in those tough times as a reminder that I am still a work in progress. 

It is very easy to take ourselves for granted, and we have to have a back pack full of encouraging words and statements that you can draw upon every now and then.  What words of encouragement can you give yourself as a reminder?

Another thing that I will be doing during the week is a daily sketch using marker pens, I wanted to experiment a bit more with the following style, and do some self portraits - I have only ever done 2 self portraits in all my time as an artist.  

Image done in Gwenn Seemel Style - Soul Food

Doing quick self portraits allows us the time to really see ourselves, looking at the imperfections that we all have and being alright with them.  While doing Soul Food  course we had a session from Gwenn Seemel, and I really like the style of using marker pens, to make the marks and not worry about rubbing out and being committed to the marks you make.  

Each day I will be spending between 15 - 20 minutes doing a sketch and will post it later during the day, it will be an exercise in observation, each one might not be complete, but I want to be consistent and show up and spend the time. You can see the images that I did as part of the Soul Food class on my Mixed Media Art site.

So if you are up for it join me Monday through to Friday during the month of February and remind yourself why 'you love you' today and every other day, and maybe even try creating a few self portraits as well! Stay Blessed!

Story Book - The Owl and the Pussycat

The idea of the story book was shared with us by Lisa Patencio as part of the Soul Food lessons and is something that I think that I will definitely be doing again.  

I started mine off with some recycled card and added stamps, and paint to it.  I then decided to add random splodges, and this is where the magic happens.  Out of the splodge you create your characters and you end up with a mini story.  

Our theme was the owl and the pussy cat and this is the story line I came up with.,,,

Pete the Pussycat started life as a splodge!

Pete the Pussycat decides to pay Orville the Owl a visit, It a Friday night and he remembers that Orville the Owl had a party to go to at Bobby Beaver's house

Owl says that they have to go by boat and follow the directions that are on the invitation he is clutching in his hands.  They take Orvilles boat the 'Sea Farer' and head off!

 When they arrive on the island Orville is a bit lost, so Pete takes a look and manages to work out how to get to Bobby Beaver's house.

 X marked the spot to Bobby the Beaver's house, they were glad that they arrived safely and were able to meet up with the rest of his friends and party till the sun went down!

As you can see with a bit of paint here and there you can create some really lovely stories.  While it came out of playing with some scrap paper and card you could go on to develop a great story out of the characters that you create.

Why don't you give it a try, take a look in your supplies and experiment.  Do let me know how you get on and leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Blessings!

Material Mondays - Sewing, Weaving, Crochet

Thought I would share one of the projects I have worked on from Soul Food.  My current one is from the session led by Jeanette House.  Whilst it is not fabric it uses sewing and crochet.

Night

Sunrise - first stage weaving

I took two separate pieces of water colour paper and applied different mediums and then cut holes in one and used the other to weave in-between the sections.

After it was weaved I added some shapes which turned out to be two ladies, and then the rest flowed, with the stitching I wanted to show the horizon line and then added some other elements.

I made some mini crocheted flowers and then got carried away with the details for the hair and the rest followed.

I really enjoyed working with the different elements and then adding the sewing and making the mini flowers, and at some point I hope to work on some larger pieces.  

What I am trying to take from each is an element of the technique that I can use to inform my own work, and also just to be able to play -

If you get a chance why don't you check out the course, do share what you are getting up to, have you used paper and materials in this way, what have you come up with.  Blessings for now!

Gratitude's and Celebrations - Week 28 - The doors are opening....

The doors are opening, are you ready to walk through?

The page before completion

One of my promises to myself for 2014 was that I would learn as much as I could and increase my knowledge and skill base. I have started the year doing that and I am in the middle of a few courses that are already stretching me and getting me out of my comfort zone.

Paying close attention means that I have to take my time, be persistent as things won't happen on their own, to see things through to the end while maybe not being in familiar territory, a different way of doing things, different outlook, but with one step in front of the other. 

I am going into the second week of Life Book and Soul Food and just finished a week of Explorations in Collage. Each of the courses have their own challenges, In Life Book and Soul Food we have been working with a number of creatives who are sharing their techniques. The main thing for me is to take what I need from each and see how it can inform the work that I do. I have been doing things I haven't done in a while, not realising how much I enjoyed them, and with Experiments in Collage III, I am coming into contact with a range of artists that I really admire and working with collage in a different way.  I will share some of the work tomorrow.

Gratitude's and Celebrations Journal - The doors are opening

One thing that I am mindful about is making sure that when distraction and feelings of 'what am I really doing' strike, especially in those times where you need to get past a barrier of thinking, is to have some strategies in place that will put me back on track and re-motivated. Having a page where I can say what I celebrate and am grateful for is a great reminder that often pushes me forward. I know that those thoughts will come as I learn more techniques and try and grow and develop even further.

I celebrate the lives of those fellow artists and creatives that are on the courses with me and look forward to new relationships, interactions and collaborations. I will walk through the doors knowing that I have worked hard, and been persistent to get to where I want to go and I am grateful for the ability to be able to take part in the variety of courses and to really take the time to grow as an artist.

What opportunities are coming your way that could possibly make a difference to your outlook on your work? I would love to hear from you and share what action you will be taking. As this week draws to a close have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings! 

Course Review and Insights - Life Book and Soul Food

Life Book and Soul Food are in progress and as I said a few days ago HERE the focus for Tuesdays on the blog for 3 weeks out of the 4 will change slightly as I share insights and Ahha moments from the courses that I am doing, while sharing some of the work. In an ideal world I would just be doing my work on the courses, but the reality for most of us is that life still goes on in the meantime. There is no pause button, so being realistic you can’t get everything done at once, it just isn't possible and choices have to be made.

In both courses we have already had quite a few videos to watch and techniques to try out, while we battle with the ‘Critic’, and mine tells me ‘I don’t have the time’ and that it isn’t necessary to grow or stretch myself, and by no means climb out of my comfort zone. My critic is the one who wants me compare myself to other artists as I sit up watching anything on sky tv – flicking through the channels until at least 1am rather than be in my studio space being creative, perhaps what the critic needs is a holiday with a roller coaster ride of adventure to shake it up a bit!

Within all the chatter and the noise the still small voice says ‘don’t be afraid, everything will be alright, you can do all things, I will give you the strength, step out in faith, your steps will be ordered and when you can’t stand, I will carry you, standing in the gap for you!’  

What I‘ve been doing so far on the courses is thinking about what I am learning from each contributor, what is it that is an encouragement to my own work and the processes that I use. There isn’t always going to be something, but even doing something different from the way you would normally do it will help you come back refreshed. 

A couple of things that I am trying to do is be freer with the techniques and playing with the materials, thinking about colour and how I use it in my work and whether I can be bolder experimenting more with the materials that I have. 

In Life Book Tam did some useful exercises around the colour wheel and i thought about the different ways I use it and how I can experiment with colour more within my work.

My Encourager

Be strong in heart because miracles can happen 

This image came out for me as that gentle reminder that I just need to be who I have been called to be through my work.

In Soul Food, Mystele shared with us how she uses her gelli plate, I don’t have one but have been improvising with a Perspex plate using the tools I have and I created a few backgrounds which led to this image;

Fly

The perspex is hard and it dries quite quickly, so I’ll continue to experiment and see what I come up with over the weeks.

Yesterday I spent time watching Gwen Seemels contribution

working with coloured markers and pens and working in layers. I’ve been using Promarkers pens and more recently Spectrum Noir and revisited a page I did 

Love yourself..

And thought that I would spend more time working with the pens as I quite enjoyed it. I had stopped using the Promarkers because I felt that I’d hit a wall, but again just needed to push.

I intend to do more pen based images. What also resonated with some of the things she said was about layers and self portraits. Over the course of around 20 years I have only done 2.  I guess with all the faces I have done over the years there is a little bit of me or my personality in each.

Doing self portraits really gets us to look at ourselves and we need to do this from time to time. We can be too hard on ourselves, and walk with the perception of what we think others are seeing and then depending on your frame of mind see yourself how you think others are seeing you or how you think they think you should be seeing yourself! ((Really).... – did that make sense to you?).

I only want to see myself the way God sees me...

My Heart Overflows

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings an crowned him with glory and honour...Psalm 8:3-5

I want to see the gifts and talents I have been blessed with used to bless others. My word for the year which I’ll remind myself of again is ‘attention to detail’ – what exactly can you hear, see, smell, feel, taste – and being present, all of me in every situation. I want to see the seeds that I planted and tended last year bear fruit this year. I am looking for growth, change, sometimes it will be uncomfortable and awkward, sometimes I’ll share, sometimes not, but we are going to see new opportunities, doors opening, new techniques learnt and we will be speaking of miracles. I don’t want to be the same or do the same things that I did last year and I plant to work hard to see those things come to pass.

Planted by the River

Let me encourage you as you face your own journey, to really see yourself, who you really are, the whole you, not a fragmented image. It is not an overnight transformation but a slow and steady pace, a get you up early and stay focused pace that calls on you to be here in the moment right now!

If you are talking either Soul Food or Life Book or any other course that is great, it would be lovely to hear how you have found the course so far, share your insights. If you hadn’t taken the step yet, it is still early days and you don’t need to worry about catching up. Whatever you do today do it with meaning, passion and intent. I am looking forward to sharing other insights with you along the way. Blessings!