Happy Accidents
Today was another gorgeous, wonderful day here in northern California!
Today, I prepped a couple of sheets of watercolor paper for tomorrow and did this painting in the afternoon. It was one of those happy accidents.
I accidentally spilled some watercolor paint on the paper and as I was trying to clean it off, this winged figure started to appear. I then began developing the painting with acrylics, colored pencils, inks, and pastel pencils.
This was way to much fun!
Threshold – Acrylic Art – Mixed Media Collage – 5 x 7 inches on paper
“Where the water whispers mid the shadowy rowan trees I have heard the Hidden People like the hum of swarming bees: And when the moon has risen and the brown burn glisters grey I have seen the Green Host marching in laughing disarray. – Fiona MacLeod
Continuing With Treescapes
Here is a new painting that I finished today. It was inspired by all the rain storms we have been having over the past couple of weeks.
The view from my studio window has been very dramatic with sheets of rain pouring down and thunder rumbling overhead. It was all rather exciting to watch Mother Nature at work. I love it!
March certainly roared in like the proverbial lion!
March Storm – Acrylic Art – Mixed Media Collage – 9 x 12 inches on paper.
“March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in.”
– Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning
When Trees Walked The Earth
Last night I had the strangest dream!
I dreamed that I was watching trees walk out of the ocean onto land. They walked in small groups, communicating with each other by waving their branches back and forth. The sky was orange with red and gold light playing across he landscape. The dream was very magical and I felt so happy and free. It was at that moment I realized I was a tree too.
After writing my dream down I got up and grabbed a cup of coffee. Then I decided to make a painting of my dream.
Even as a child I have always had unusual dreams, which include a great deal of detail, and I always dream in full technicolor, with all five senses engaged.
For more info on dreams and dream cards go here.
When Trees Walked the Earth – Acrylic Art – Mixed Media Collage – 9 x 12 inches on paper.
Monday
I finished this abstract painting over the weekend and now it is packaged and ready to be mailed out. It is an acrylic art -mixed media collage on watercolor paper with deckled edges.
Deep In The Woods – Acrylic Art-Mixed Media Collage – 5 x 7 inches on paper.
Detail of “Deep in the Woods”.
Here it rained all weekend and is still raining. According to the Celtic calendar, March is the second month of Spring, and for us it seems it has started out as a wet blustery month.
The wind was blowing strong last night and this morning we found that there were dead branches and leaves strewn all over our yard. It was as if Mother Nature decided to sweep and clean out the old to make way for the new.
I love Spring with all the daffodils bursting from the soil, with their vibrant yellow heads stretching towards the sun and the cherry tree blossoms floating through the air. For me, this time of the year is like a living breathing poem.
” An optimist is the human personification of spring.” – Susan Bissonette
Kuan Yin Collage
Here’s my latest creation.
I created the digital collage above using Photoshop and Painter IX.
I started by taking a photo of one of my Kuan Yin statues with a digital camera. Then I loaded it into Photoshop and tweaked it a bit.
Next I created the background using Painter IX. I played around with color and texture until I came up with the image above, then I merged all the layers together, and added text to the image in Photoshop.
Kuan Yin is not generally regarded as a goddess, but rather a Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva, is a being destined for full enlightenment and nirvana who, out of compassion for the suffering of other beings, has taken a vow to postpone his or her entry into nirvana in order to remain in the world to help other beings. She who hears the cries of the world represents the virtues of compassion, mercy, forgiveness and faith.
“True compassion is not forged at a distance from pain but in its fires. We do not always have a solution for suffering. We cannot always fix pain. However, we can find the commitment to stay connected and to listen deeply. Compassion does not always demand heroic acts or great words. In the times of darkest distress, what is most deeply needed is the fearless presence of a person who can be wholeheartedly receptive.” She Who Hears the Cries of the World, by Christina Feldman,.
Thursday
Beatriz Mihazes – Video portrait of artist Beatriz Milhazes
Work In Progress
Visions – Mixed Media/Collage – 10 x 12 inches
I spent most of the day working on the collage/painting above, and I will post my progress in the coming weeks.
The woman represents the visionary, the healer, the medicine woman, the shaman…
She is the one who interacts directly with helping spirits to address the spiritual aspects of illness, perform soul retrievals, help the spirits of the deceased cross over and performs a variety of ceremonies for her community.
Acrylic Warm Up Exercises
I started out this beautiful sunny morning with some warm up exercises using acrylic alcohol resist techniques and metallic watercolor paint.
The beauty of these is that they can be used as a start for a painting or you can tear them up into interesting shapes and use them as collage material for other paintings. You can also leave them as is and frame them.
Sorry, the photo is a little crooked (not the painting).
Acrylic/Watercolor – 11 x14 inches on Watercolor Paper
“A painting is never finished – it simply stops in interesting places.” – Paul Gardner
Another Journal
I spent most of the day finishing yesterdays journal and then started a new one. I was having so much fun that before I knew it, the sun was setting.
Now, I have just enough time to take a nice warm bath, slip into my pajamas and watch a movie with my husband. Sounds like a perfect ending for a busy Friday.
Minoan Journal – Work in Progress – Collage, Acrylic, watercolor, Mixed Media
I also baked a Chocolate Truffle dessert for later. Yum!
Chocolate Truffle Brownies
“There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.” –
Anonymous
Stacks of Magazines
Today, I took one look at the stack of magazines on the floor by our sofa and said enough is enough … I started ripping out quotes, meaningful words, slogans, images and tossed these into a clear plastic container.
Afterwards, I remembered purchasing a couple of blank journals a while back, so I decided to collage the covers with the magazine scraps, tissue paper, acrylics, watercolors, ink, etc.
It’s a creative way to reuse old magazines and it’s fun! I love giving journals as Christmas gifts to friends and family.
The Mermaid Journal – Tomorrow I will be adding sea shells, ribbons, metallic watercolors, etc.
“Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. And the faith to trust our own admission. The admitting is often very difficult.”
Julia Cameron