Tuesday 24 September 2013

Take that dryer sheet....

and paint it!

I love painted dryer sheets for their huge range of uses.  I wash and dry them (twice, to remove the chemicals), and then iron them (really!).  When I have left-over paint, I spritz them with water on top of palette paper, and overpaint them with the dregs,


time and again.

They make wonderfully ethereal overlays on top of a background,


and vary in look from one


to another.

They're wonderful over book sheets, and


can be cut to shapes and utilized as mid-grounds.


It's one of the best ways to mop up leftovers I know.

Friday 20 September 2013

Bless my friends...


because those art-obsessed people are truly the best sort!

A visit this week from Alice Saltiel-Marshall (and husband Bill), and Meg Nicks (Paul) had us royally entertained including a Nelson day trip for most of us, and a full day of painting for the 'gentler sex' while the men headed for the hills (or at least over the border to antique land).

We had the studio strewn from stem to stern with Gelli prints,


 canvasses and wood panels,


and partially finished pieces



to the point where it was difficult to find our glass of wine amid the confusion (and you know that's a bad thing).



The next morning we were pj clad and at it by modern candlelight as we were so keen to fit it all in before their pre-lunch departure.  This photo was taken around 5:30 am....


Goodness knows it's imperative that we restrict our visits to a maximum of three days - we'd be hard-pressed to handle any more!


Some of the in-progress pieces included this gorgeous piece by Meg who is a master at richly layered organic beauty,


this delicious cheesecloth start by Alice whose incomparable feather-touch brush work is my whole aim in life,


another of Meg's pieces, this one experimental, featuring deli-paper additions,


and one she started that inspired

 this lovely one by Alice.



 This one by Alice had me salivating over the colour AND the keys,


 and her panel had me going as well.

This start by Alice was inspired (and uses the same techniques) as the first painting by Meg above.  I'm just itching to try this technique, but I just could not stop...


...with the Gelli plate long enough to try it.  I've been craving a Gelli Plate session all summer, but that produce canning had kept me from trying any of the new techniques on their blog - I'm delighted to have had this play day to catch up on at least one of them.


Now I'm in artist-friend withdrawal (if I could only get them to move here), and finding it a challenge to get back to my studio work.  I've promised myself that I will not start any new  paintings until I've completed at least ten of the in-progress works...watch this space for potential progress!

Tuesday 17 September 2013

S t r e t c h i n g it a bit....

One of my favourite tools in the studio came from the kitchen.  A roll of stretch wrap is invaluable in my opinion!

All this technique takes is a paintbrush, water, support, paint and plastic wrap.


 A thin wash of diox purple paint over your support,



 and a layer of plastic wrap squished over top and left to dry,


will yield you this lovely pattern when the wrap is lifted.


 It's been repeated here with a light layer of quinacridone violet,


and again with a layer of ultramarine blue.


It's important to note this can be done with thicker paint, although you will need to lift the plastic wrap before it's completely dry to avoid having the wrap become a permanent part of your painting!

The background of Garden Patterns II was done using this method - it's a lively way to start a painting!



Friday 13 September 2013

An art date getaway...

...is a wonderful way to refresh the creative mind, and yesterday Laura Leeder (left),  Eileen Gidman (right) and I (clicking) did just that in Fernie, BC.  An early start had us visiting The Arts Station


just after a wonderful coffee break at The Loaf.  This decadent latte and caramel-covered date square contained a gazillion calories, and worth every one.


Like most mountain towns, Fernie is totally bike-addicted, and I found more than one I'd love to own, 



although this one especially stuck my fancy.  I couldn't decide whether it was the baskets or the combination of pink and yellow that had me hankering after it.


Fernie is such an artsy town they've even trained their garbage cans to cast the perfect shadows.  I'm loving the sabre-toothed Pacman-style head just under that lovely crown.


Part of my personal mission while we were there was to drop 'Found Art' packages containing a piece of art and a bit of info publicizing my upcoming October workshop at The Arts Station.


We visited some wonderful galleries and shops including The Carosella Gift Shop ,


Brian Pollack Photography, The Fernie Arts Coop, Angela Morgan's Studio, and Clawhammer Press, where we found this lovely display rack created from an old weather-distressed door.


It was a lovely sun-warmed time, filled with wonderfully welcoming people, and we're primed to return sometime soon.  Thank you, Fernie, for making our day!

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Ready for a sandwich?

A paper sandwich, that is.

These pretty sandwiches make a lovely addition to paintings, whether they're filled with threads, dried flowers and leaves, or other very thin material.

You'll need some (Golden) gloss polymer medium, a paint brush/water, some thin materials and a sheet of mulberry paper folded in half.


Paint half of  your mulberry paper liberally with the gloss medium, and place your materials on top.  Notice that there is a very thin (love these accidents!) layer of phalo green paint on the butcher paper sitting below the mulberry sheet.


Coat the 'other inside' of the paper with the gloss medium (I move my brush from the fold outwards to help keep the paper straight) and carefully fold the one side over the other, patting gently, gently, GENTLY to ensure all areas adhere.  The mulberry paper is very fragile.


Paint the outside of the sandwich  and leave it to dry.  When it's dry, you can also paint the back of the sandwich if you're planning on using this as a window pane in a double-sided painting.


 When it's dry, you can place it onto another painting...you'll note the undertone of green - that accident which was waiting to happen.  This sandwich is going to make a lovely addition to a future painting!


What kind of sandwich will you have for lunch today?

Friday 6 September 2013

I'm back...

...in the studio, that is.

With a summer of canning generated by a huge excess of tomatoes and other garden produce, this week is the first I've been in the studio since June.

Happy?  Oh.  My.  Yes!

There are piles of new and in-process projects on the tables,


gessoed books ready for altering,


and a new project on the go (ssssshhhh...it's a secret).


I'm as happy as the proverbial pig in petunias to be back playing here.   Hurrah for studio time, paints and the creative flow!

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Have you got your mask on?

Even if it's not Halloween, it's a good idea!

Using masking tape (the wide one is Frog's Tape and the thin one is regular painter's tape) to create a background is fun, especially if you're not lining things up with a T-square.

I've started with a white mat board, utilizing masking tape in a criss-cross pattern and painting a quinacridone pink wash over top.  Before the wash dried, I blotted it lightly with a cloth to create some variegation in the surface.


When the tape is lifted after the paint has dried, the white of the board remains.


Another layer of wash, this time in Hansa Yellow medium goes on over new taping, - doesn't that make a difference?


And again a new look.  You'll  note that when you're pulling off the masking tape, you'll have better success if you pull it off at a 90 degree angle as below.


  We'll add another layer, this time in quinacridone gold and let it dry.


And it just gets richer and more complex the more layers are added.


The final layer is set up and left to dry,


and the 'finished' background is done.  You can, of course, layer and layer, and layer (am I repeating myself here?) as much as you wish.  I'm not fond of the intense white spots that are left, so may do another coat of very thin warm orange over all to eliminate them.  It's all about choice!


Here's to getting your mask on in the studio!
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