There are times I start with the "jewel" and build the painting around it, and then there are others where it is placed after the flow and colors are set. I have the jewel, a piece of vanaidinite, for one of the new 12 by 30's and was searching for just the right one for her sister...I only had one vanaidinite chuck. Teazer thought this fossil would be just the thing..it is now on the painting and looking pretty cool. He sat on my shoulder while I used the cheesecloth and molding paste to secure it to the canvas. It will be his last assist....I have lost my little guy as my art assistant and general jester and entertainer. He had a mind of his own about his freedom and didn't listen to my warnings.....and a car took the right away. We are sad and missing him here in our little piece of paradise.
I found some real interesting and beautiful chucks of minerals in Seattle on one of my excursions into "the big city." A friend of mine, Carolyn, and I have been learning how to use the public transit to get around...boy, what fun!! We have Orca passes now and can get to Seattle for$3.50. We found Gem Heaven at the Pike Place Market and this will be my new spot for securing just the right sparkly thing for my paintings.
Bottom line..how do I decide which jewel goes where? .....I just play around with a bunch of them until the "right" one hops into place. The more I have to pick from the better .... I have boxes of great glass and stones...and now bright sparkly mineral crystals as well. I picked that fossil up in a market in Peru....it is a well travelled hunk of stone!
On a recent trip to The Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle I came across Gem Heaven. I really was in heaven!! It was fun looking at all of the interesting stones and fossils but I had to find ones that would work..flat enough not real heavy....good color....and?? They had to have a reasonable price. You might think that big honking purple one doesn't fit the not too heavy..and you would be right. It will have to go on board...canvas is just to wimpy for that big guy!
I have two paintings in the works now and have been playing with which stones to use on them. Teazer, my assistant, has been a big help.
Helen's Originals showcases abstract acrylic mixed media, printmaking with monotypes, dry point and gyotaku, figurative collage, and informative blog entries.
