I've been on holiday...

...in the studio, doing nothing but playing.

I've been doodling up a storm with gel markers on black paper.

While the metallic ones photograph poorly, they're fun to use and give the original pieces a good deal of sparkle.

Even the white pencil on black has some great impact, and with the coloured ones, I've already incorporated some into a journal cover.

I can't seem to stop; I worry that my family will starve, the rivers will dry up and dust bunnies will creep out of the house and take over the world as I work my way through this current obsession.

I also spent a couple of afternoons this past week playing with Lynne Mizera in her studio...we got heavily into her supply of Pebeo products, testing the Vitrail colours (check out that intensity!!!!)

as well as the Cerne Relief, the Prisme and Moon paints.  While this test project is pretty butt-ugly, I had a lot of fun doing it and could see how one could get addicted given the possibilities.

I tested both the Vitrail and the Relief on a panel that had been sitting around waiting for action.  I first added six different sections of mediums over top of a red cheesecloth monoprint including (clockwise from top left) fibre gel, no addition, texture gel, bird seed in heavy duty medium, clear tar gel, white opaque flakes and glass beads.  I scrubbed the sun yellow Vitrail over all and added a splash of red to the bottom.  The black Cerne Relief, while adding nothing to the overall composition (what WAS I thinking?), was fun to do!

I also rolled some printed paper scraps into fake beads and will incorporate them into something sometime in the next decade.

All in all, my Meandering Muse kept me well occupied this week, even if it was doing nothing that but playful exploration.  These are the things that lead to the 'something more' that leads to the bigger and better.  I 💖💖💖  studio play.  How about you?