Who doesn't like a fancy cupcake? Had fun decorating real ones and decided I would collage a few...it was fun. This one is on a 8” by 8” cradle board and sealed with cold wax....I have several more done with hot wax.
These small pieces are done using old watercolor backgrounds mounted to cradle boards and then back painted with black to create the design. I have only done my Venus figures and pears so far. They are then sealed using cold wax and buffed.
I found this needle felting project to be addicting...just couldn’t get enough so I just kept making journal covers. My sisters birthday gifts are covered. The colors of the wool roving are just so lush...and dying the silk hankies to felt in was very fun. Don't think they will hold up like why felted wool but we will see. How are are you on a journal cover?
I recommend Joanne Sharpe's classes....she has me lettering and now felting. I made quite a few so will add some more photos.
Using acrylic paints, stencils and stamps on canvas cloth I have been creating a variety of designs for my table runners and place mats. It was addicting...worked for weeks on gifts for sisters and a stockpile for myself. The ones I use the most in my home are the African masks as they go with the look in my home. Holiday and autumn themes were used for sisters and my daughter wanted ones that went with her wine and cheese tasting parties. I have included photos of several different ones.
My artistic talents are going to be focused on finding and eating some really exquisite food while I am traveling in Morocco this May. The plan is to take photos of everything and then each evening pick the most delightful and print it out on my new Sprocket mini printer that communicates with my iPhone. Then I place the 2" by 3" photo on a tag and write what and where and all the info. When I get home I put them all together into fantastic flag book. The photos are examples of a flag book made earlier in the year. This new one will have yarns I collect and hopefully a cover I find in a souk along the way.
It is always fun to see my work going up in Laurie's. Sue always puts a lot of thought in placement to show off both the art and the clothes. I am thrilled to be able to display my work during the Studio Tour this May as I know there will be lots of art lovers prowling Stanwood and the island looking for just the right piece to go in their homes.
Laurie's is just across the street from the Guilded Gallery so drop in while in Stanwood...you will be glad you did!
This year three of us are making pop up cards to exchange . It is a challenge for me as I do not do measuring...exactly...over and over again well. Card making is detail oriented and I am not. However, I am good at breaking rules and according to my Paper Farm guru pop ups do not have words....mine do...sometimes.
My goal is to use a different mechanism on each card...gradually getting harder and more sophisticated. This is my second shot at it, and I liked the results of the frame and the background daff fields. I used catalogs from the Tulip Festival.....waiting for the right words to hit me before signing and sending off.
This is a good time to be going through all the shelves in my studio to just see what is there. Surprise surprise ...I have sooo many more of the big sheets of paper than I remember. Putting all the like kinds together so I can find big black when I need it and printmaking paper when I want that. Opening up cardboard folders I found some pastels that I finished many years ago and I guess have been sitting here just waiting to be found. When i first started back doing my art in 2005 I thought I wanted to do pastels because of the bold vibrant colors. I soon learned I really liked texture better and it is hard to get texture with pastels . That is when I started experimenting with the molding paste...pastels do not stick to molding paste.
I like these pieces but they seem a bit flat to me...tried adding yarns as that is my go to nowadays but...didn't like that either. So, I am leaving as is and saying ..yes, you are done.
Our small art group decided to make nests in March, but we had no idea just how we wanted to make them. I went to Youtube to see how others make them. There were several approaches; I combined a couple ideas and set to work. I wanted something that could be done in a few hours and was not really messy. The brown paper bag starter fit the bill. Start with several small paper bags, crumple, cut fringe and you have your base. Between the layers of brown bags I laid out my cut strips from Gelli printed papers and the photo transfer papers I had just completed. Spritz it with alcohol or inks...and these strips crumple up nicely. Photo below is the nest at this stage..oh..add yarn! I always add yarn and flick paint! Then I decided it needed o attache to something as it was just a flat bottom nest and boring..I found a branch that forked nicely and attached my nest with masking tape...after I had enlarged it a bit with newspaper crushed all up and held together with tape. It now had become a paper mache project.....covered with more of my special papers I have created ...tape, mat medium, paper.....attached to two branches. Now all it needed was more brightly colored strips from the same papers and...a dried out old tea bag..round....for the inside nesting materials to rest on....and it was done. Each layer was held down by the bag on top or the teabag! Filled it with acorn parts and put one of my acorn people on the side!! Placed it in a lovely tall vase and there you have it!
Working with paper to create cards and boxes is relatively new to me. Carol has been giving instruction now for a few years, but this is our first box. Boxes are her specialty and she is a great instructor.
There are some shots with the pieces laid out and attached to the artist tyvek and then when covered held with rubber bands to cure. The last are more finished shots showing off the cool paper and that awesome glass button that I got from Kathy...the button Queen among other notable titles.
Helen's Originals showcases abstract acrylic mixed media, printmaking with monotypes, dry point and gyotaku, figurative collage, and informative blog entries.
