Sharing News......

Occasionally I treat myself to an online class. Without a doubt, the courses taught by the very talented Misty Mawn have been my favorites.  

She gives 1,000% of her time, talent and knowledge to teach in a very approachable way her form of art.

Personally, I have learned a great deal from her classes.  She shares her research, expertise, pdfs, links to further information and high quality videos. Misty is professional, and at the same time approachable and warm.

I rarely suggest classes on my blog, but with a new year approaching, I would like to

"pass along" information on great stores, teachers, and subjects you might be interested in.

I will start with Misty Mawn

 I have taken the liberty of sharing her written explanation.

Like any journey the concept of coming full circle can at times feel a bit daunting, but like most journeys it's not so much about the destination as it is the experience had along the way.  A full circle approach to creativity involves drawing from one's experiences, dreams,  and inspirations in life to add richness to the work that is to be created.   Gathering whatever we can along the way, filling our circles, and filling ourselves with feelings of great fulfillment.  That is what I hope to offer to you during this course.  A safe place to learn, create, gather, share, and expand as an artist and person.  

During the course there will be 3 new posts each week,  one on Journaling, another on iphoneography*/writing, and another on Fine Art. Each week video demonstrations, written instruction, assignments, inspiration links, a new music playlist, and other random bits will be shared to encourage and inspire you.  Being that it is a 12 week course the content will be stretched out, allowing more time to devour each lesson before the next is posted.  

*{If you do not have an iphone any digital camera will work just fine}

I will be focusing on a variety of ideas, themes, mediums, and projects for this workshop.  From Drawing, to Painting, to Sculpting, to Journaling, to Writing, to iPhoneography and more.  If you have ever taken an online course with me before you know there will be a lot to choose from on this creative voyage.   

If you would like to study with one of the best online instructors I personally have experienced  click on her link describing course below:

Misty Mawn

To visit her website:

Misty Mawn Website

Maybe we will meet up in class.

A Photo Tutorial/ Mixed Media Cherries

A few weeks ago I shared a photo tutorial on a painting,

Damask Sunflowers.

At the time I worked on D.S. I was working on Life is a Bowl of Cherries.....love that quote by Mary Englebreit.

This painting is mixed media:  paper products, acrylic, modeling paste and oil.

20x20 cradle board substrate, gessoed.

In the beginning all I knew was I would paint a bowl of cherries.  Sketching with thin oil paint, the bowl and broad shape of cherries was put in place, plus a horizon line was drawn
.  

Having worked on Damask Sunflowers with patterned paper, I decided to use the same paper on the downside edge of the table and the crescent bowl shape. The paper was applied with gel medium.

 Next a multi-colored wash of acrylic was painted over the gessoed surface. Working over this mottled background, two layers of stenciling were applied. Modeling paste was added to lavender paint, and pushed through the stencil with a palette knife.  When that was dry, modeling paste with light blue paint was stenciled, changing the direction of the stencil.

The table surface has a different stencil, using purplish-blue.  Once dry the pink pattern was lightly over-stroked in a lighter shade of the pink to give more contrast.

Using acrylic paint in shades of darker red and lighter red were brushed around to start the general shape of individual cherries.  Finally starting to look like something!!

This close up shows the amount of depth the stencil creates.

For me the best part is painting in rich, luscious oil.  Heavy shading, and bright highlights gives shape to the cherries.  

A pitcher of daisies in thick paint completes the painting.

Going back to the painting a few days later,  and taking a critical look, I decided to add a handle to the pitcher and glazed some of the shadows around the cherries one more time. You will also note that I empathized the shadow under the bowl with scribbles of graphite.  

Then it is time for THE BIG DRY!!!

Damask Sunflowers has sold and this painting is available at a show at Christ Church Art Gallery through the end of January.

If you are interested in it, you may contact me.

"WHAT ART OFFERS IS SPACE--A CERTAIN BREATHING ROOM FOR THE SPIRIT."

JOHN UPDIKE

It defies description TO EXPLAIN what an ART JOURNAL is all about.

It seems that EVERYONE is working in his/her art journal.

For some it is a keeper of inner secrets and wishes,

others, a "diary of sorts" filled with the minutia of the day or weeks events, 

 a place to explore, confront deeper fears, let loose joy 

and explore.

It is WHATEVER that person wishes it to be.

For me an  "Art Journal" is simply a 

 a  marking down,

sketching, doodling, drawing the silly and the pompous, messing around with various mediums, trying new ways of approaching a subject.

It is a BIG MISH-MASH OF UNTIDY PAPERS!

...Loose sheets, purchased journal, handmade....it matters not...

It is just good to have some decent paper around when inspiration jumps in.

Two weeks ago I joined the Faces: 101 Class given by Carla Sonheim. You patiently viewed  my little, teeny-tiny sketches....it was great fun...but ever so small.

For me I need BIGGER PAPER!

Here are a few things I have done since.

Charcoal on 300 lb. watercolor paper, heavy use of fingers!

Really big piece of paper!

Journal pages/watercolor paper, two page spread. 

Handwriting, ink, pastel, acrylic, pencil

and a HUGE DOSE OF FUN!!!

Heart Thought: did you ever keep a secret diary?  Mine was a sickly lime green with a bent latch that popped opened.  I remember writing in pure shock seeing a cousin smoking behind his home!     What did you write about? Think your diary was really a SECRET??????