And the beat goes on...

...with some more layers added to the large panel.  By the weekend things were getting pretty dense.

And the layers were starting to thicken in some areas.

By now the initial quote is starting to disappear.

The edges are getting just as colourful as the front of the panel, and those hand-cut stencils are looking pretty yummy, too.

I've got a massive pile of stencils from which to choose,

and I'm interested to see which ones are calling to me now.

There's a definite organic feel arising.

And another quote from Ram Dass - Be Here Now - has been added to the mix.

I have a sense now of where this panel may be going, but sometimes the muse can play tricks, so we'll just wait and see, shall we?!

Artist madness...

strikes frequently in this house, giving rise to crazy projects like a pink horse, dryer sheet curtains, a crazy head, and more.  My most recent madness centred around some patio furniture...the cushions (red and turquoise) didn't match the chairs (dark brown and gold tones), the walls (peach) or the floors (rusty).  In fact nothing matched at all.

It was time to get out a  hand cut house wrap stencil and get to play.

It seemed like it would be relatively simple to pounce some paint through the stencil onto the cushions,

but by the time I did a couple of test pieces,

pinned and pounced a variety of colours,

on soft, squishy cushions six times over,

I was beyond crazed.  Did I say squishy?  They were slippery, elusive, recalcitrant, difficult and downright sneaky.

Four days, six cushions, seven colours, and a tortuously bent back later, the patio is looking pretty Boho.  I can only hope I will be able to find a tablecloth for the table that matches at least one of the colours.

And me?  I can be found muttering to myself in the back corner of the studio, multi-coloured sponges in hand, and a paint-thickened stencil standing on its own next to me as I cower from the paint tubes that seem to be on the attack.  I'm afraid of what might come next.

How about you?  What did your Muse get you up to this week?  I'd love to hear in the comments below!

It's playtime...

...in the studio again, as I experiment with Gelli plates, hand-cut stencils, and subdued colour.  Yup - you heard me right.  I did say subdued.  It's OK, though - we've checked and the world is not coming to an end.  It's just that I'm working towards a couple of projects, both of which will require me to tone down my usual riotous colour to a dull roar.

I've been printing with soft, thin layers on the Gelli plate.  I love the way my hand-burnt stencils give such a textured look to the prints.

I've added layer upon layer of muted colour,

with additions of tiny amounts of metallic paints,

until I have a raft of them.  As always, I'll never know whether what I see in my mind will work in reality.

The stencils are a delight to play with, whether underlying the heavier commercial stencils or used on their own.

In fact, if you're in our neighbourhood, you can learn how to make your own this next week.  My stencil class, (called Burn, Baby, Burn) is happening on Thursday morning, February 18 from 9 am to noon. You'll learn how to burn your own stencils and even how to design them in this playshop.  It's at Puffin Design, and pre-registration is a requirement.  For more information about this and some other fabulous workshops, you can pop over here.  Please come and play - you KNOW it's going to be a blast!