Creative Chaos
Please Stand by . . . Creative Jewelry Muse on Board!
For the past week I have been in the process of designing a couple of beaded necklaces and unfortunately because of space constraints I’m using our dining room table as a temporary beading area.
The good news is I unpacked all my beading supplies and found all kinds of goodies I had forgotten about. I had purchased some beads for a pair of earrings about four years ago and stashed them away for safe keeping and completely forgot about them.
I got so excited about finding the beads I just had to sit down and make the earrings. They are made with Poppy & Maple Jasper, Carnelian, Botswana agates, turquoise beads with sterling silver spacers.
Sacred Source – Earrings by Rose
thought for the day; “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw
Eat Dessert First
Yesterday was a cold, blustery rainy day. Imagine my surprise when I found a flier neatly tucked under our front door inviting us to an ice cream social. I don’t know about you, but ice cream is the last thing on my mind when the weather is so dreary and cold.
The funny thing is, later on, we couldn’t stop thinking about ice cream! lol Hopefully by the time the event takes place in two weeks, the sun will be shining and the weather much nicer than it has been.
However, for me, there is an upside to all the rain. It gives me more time to explore and let my creative wild woman out to play. The mixed media collage below is what happens when some Japanese stamps, gesso, newsprint and one rain crazed baby boomer woman with a glint in her eye meet on a blank canvas. I had such a great time I started two more collages.
Yes, for every season there is a time to play, to create and eat dessert first!
See You There – Mixed Media Collage -8 x 10 inches on canvas
thoughts for the day; “Nourish your eye and spirit with inspiring things. They will bloom with your tending.” – SARK
“The point of art is not simply to express ourselves, but to create an external, concrete form in which the soul of our lives can be evoked and contained.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Out with the old, in with the new
For me Spring is always a good time to start new projects and today seemed like the perfect day to give my blog a new face lift. So here it is!
I am still in the process of dreaming up new things I can add to it later. Of course, there are some minor things that still need to be done.
Yesterday, I took some photographs while I was on my morning walk. Here are two that I would like to share with you. Can you guess what the second photograph is?
Photo #1
Photo #2
Happy New Year
1st January. Early in the morning, the sky is gloomy and gray with rain. As I drink my tea, I find myself trying to ignore the chaos of boxes stacked behind my chair as I write this post.
Over the holidays, I finally unpacked most of my art supplies. I’m still in the process of organizing everything and trying to figure out where some of my brushes disappeared to? … lol
Our new place is smaller so I carved out a little niche for myself in our bedroom for my art table & supplies. It’s nice and cozy!
I’m sketching and painting for the first time in ages, and feeling better for getting back into the swing of things.
Sketch of Kuan Yin Lamp – Tombow Mono 100 # 2B & #3B
Morning Warm Up – Digital using Painter 7
Art
I love this video by Andrea Dorfman, inspired by the the song “Art” by Tanya Davis.
Andrea is one of Canada’s most promising and truly gifted independent young filmmakers.
It’s all about Art!
thought for the day;
“In order for my work to continue to evolve, I become involved in playfulness and take the opportunity to look at the ‘what-ifs.’ Whatever the result, it expands my vision by letting go of who I think I am and discovering the spirit within.” – John Denver
Dancing Paint Brushes
A great video of a live painting session by Tali Farch to the music of one of Brubeck’s jazz standards.
It’s not so much the painting that attracted me as it was the idea of painting to music.
The total experience of getting lost in the rhythm, brush strokes, colors, mood and the energy expressed as the two paint brushes danced across the canvas. Wow!
I would love to try this process as one of my daily morning warm-up exercises.
thoughts for the day;
“Nourish your eye and spirit with inspiring things. They will bloom with your tending.” – Sark
“Art is the only proof we have of the existence of the soul.” – Author Unknown
Raining Blue
Here is another digital morning warm up exercise.
This time I used digital liquid ink on hot press paper. I did several 4 x 5 inch paintings, and each one turned out a little different.
I sometimes use these as a point of reference for traditional paintings. This way I can experiment with new ideas without the expense of purchasing new canvases, and if I don’t like what I ‘ve created I can hit the delete button.
This also allows me to play around with several different compositions before choosing one, and helps me to figure out what medium would work best for each new painting.
As an example, lets say I wanted to turn this one into a traditional painting. I would probably use acrylics, collage elements, gesso, crackle paste, and light modeling paste on canvas.
Raining Blue – Digital Painting – 4 x 5 inches – Digital Liquid ink on hot press paper.
thought for the day;
“if you want to get better at painting or making art, then do it everyday (passionately/religiously) as if there is no tomorrow. Let go of the judge within, and be surrounded by positive, supportive people. Be gentle on yourself and others. Give. Never hold back. ” – Nancy Davis Bilbro
Lughnasa
I started out my morning with my usual daily warm up exercises. Instead of working with traditional mediums today, I did my morning warm ups using Corel Painter IX. 5.
My inspiration for the day came from the word “Lughnasa,” which is one of the four main festivals of the Medieval Irish Calendar, celebrating the beginning of the Harvest season.
It’s that time of the year when blackberry bushes are heavy with ripened fruit, and there are subtle changes in the light, a golden haze that seems to wrap itself around everything.
I love this time of the year even though there is a lingering sadness as summer comes to an end.
Lughnasa – Digital Painting – Oils – 4 x 5 – on heavy hand made paper
quote for the day;
“Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.”
– Michelle L. Thieme, August’s Crown
Tableau Of Pears
Here is an interesting tableau of pears that I found while taking my morning walk. It felt like I had somehow stumbled upon a secret hiding place where someone had placed four pears to ripen.
There they were waiting for the return of whomever put them there for safe keeping. A pair of worker’s gloves resting on the ground nearby and the quiet solitude of the place made me feel like an intruder of sorts.
I quickly snapped a couple of pictures and moved on. I looked around but didn’t see anyone, and I wondered about the story behind the pears and the mystery person who placed them there.
thought for the day;
“Without mysteries, life would be very dull indeed. What would be left to strive for if everything were known?” – Charles de Lint
Journey Of Courage
It takes courage to try new things and explore uncharted waters. Especially when our inner critic keeps whispering in our ear . . . I wouldn’t do that if I were you! You really don’t have time for this! Remember how frustrated you can get with Photoshop!
Today, I played around with some photographs taken over the past couple of months, and tried my hand at creating a photomontage/collage using Photoshop & Painter 7.
I tried several different techniques I had read about, and ended up merging them all together in this one image. Some of the techniques worked and some didn’t, but I sure had fun!
Photoshop and I have an uneasy relationship, and one of these days I am going to take a class. I know it would make my life so much easier!
thought for the day;
“Another word for creativity is courage.” – George Prince
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” – Mary Lou Cook