Work In Progress

Today I was able to work some more on the Tui collage/Mixed Media piece. I added some more collage components and painted in some leaves along her neck area.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some extra time to work on it.

Tui – Mixed Media – 8 X 10 inches on canvas

“Creativity comes from awakening and directing men’s higher natures, which originate in the primal depths of the uni- verse and are appointed by Heaven.” – I Ching quote

“He who possesses the source of enthusiasm will achieve great things. Doubt not. You will gather friends around you as a hair clasp gathers the hair.” I Ching quote

Work In Progress – Book Cover

Today I was able to work on the altered book cover from a previous post. I started by painting and collaging some art paper, tree bark, and attached a porcelain head to the book cover.

One thing led to another and the piece started taking on a life of it’s own. Although it is not as I first envisioned it, I sort of like the direction the work is taking. The woman’s dress color will likely be altered, and some mysterious creatures added to the mix.

My overactive imagination has swept me into the magical realms of the deep forest where all sorts of mythical creatures dwell. Where will it all lead?

It’s Friday!

After a full day of painting, I decided to clean my studio, and get ready for the month of June. So here’s to a new month of new beginnings, inspiration, and creativity.

Have a Great Weekend!

Angel Of Love by Rose Arizmendi (c) 2008- Collage/Combined Media

“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
–Joseph Addison

“Most of a woman’s depressions, ennuis, and wandering confusions are caused by a severely restricted soul-life in which innovation, impulse, and creation are restricted or forbidden. Women receive enormous impulse to act from the creative force.”
–Clarissa Pinkola Estes

“We don’t remember the dream,
but the dream remembers us.”
–Linda Pastan

Old Friends

My paint brushes are like old friends, and I hardly ever retire them. After each painting session I clean them thoroughly, gently shape the hairs back into place, and set them out to dry.

There are some which have lost their elasticity and frayed out from their metal ferrule. These are ideal for dry brush work.

Yesterday our favorite art store had a two-for-one sale on brushes and I replaced a couple of my older brushes with new ones. The brushes I replaced were over 25 years old. They are oldies but goldies, and they still have some life left in them before I move them into the dry brush bucket.

I just love these old brushes!

My Old Friends

Acrylics & Foil

I spent most of the day working with Golden acrylics and aluminum foil. The painting I am working on is a mask sculpture, three dimensional, mixed media on canvas. I tried to photograph a portion of the butterfly wing to show how I embossed designs, symbols, lines, and such on the foil.

After finishing the embossing, I mixed the golden fluid acrylics right on the foil surface, and using enough water to keep the paint thin, I brushed them lightly over the surface patterns.

The next photo shows a detailed image of the textured portion of the canvas. I used Gesso and heavy weight Golden Gel medium, along with tissue paper to achieve this look.

The Butterfly Maiden – photo of foil detail

The Butterfly Maiden -photo of texture detail

Monday

The day was beautiful and sunny, but somehow I just couldn’t seem to get started. I felt totally uninspired to do anything constructive.

I made some coffee and decided to try my hand at drawing a cartoon character or something. I had fun playing around with some ideas.

Later, I finally gave up and decided to work in the garden for awhile. This is the image I came up with, but all in all I think it sums the day up pretty well.

More Coffee Please! – Combined Media – 5 X 7 inches

Just Showing Up

When the weather is as beautiful as it was today, I wanted to be anywhere but in the studio. Then I reminded myself what Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is just showing up.” With that in mind, I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed towards the studio.

Once I got started, I couldn’t stop. I put in at least 6 hours of work today, and loved every minute of it. Later on, I did manage to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some sunshine on my lunch break. Afterwards, I worked on the painting below.

Hope Springs Eternal – Acrylic, Mixed Media on canvas – 11 X 14 inches

Dragonflies in the Garden

I went out to water the garden this morning, and was greeted by lots of dragonflies in our backyard. It was so magical watching the dragonflies darting here and there. What a wonderful experience!

Later back in my studio I began working on a painting, which is almost finished. There are still a few areas which need work, but it needs to dry before I can continue.

One might ask oneself, “Is a painting ever finished?” This is a question artists have been asking themselves for eons, and it seems as if everybody has an opinion on the subject. Personally, I agree wholeheartedly with Rembrandt, “A painting is finished when the artist says it is finished.”

I also worked on the painting Unity, and started another canvas. I felt inspired to paint a likeness of my aunt Dorothy. All in all it was a pretty busy day.

Aunt Dorothy – Acrylic, Mixed Media- 16 X 20 inches

Unity – Acrylic, Mixed Medium – 16 X 20 inches

Thoughts For The Day

“If modern man would use it, he could find old wisdom in his heart and clear his vision enough to see from start to finish and finish to start, the circle rounding perfectly.” – Tao-te Ching

Garden Roses – Photograph – 8 X 10 inches

Gratitude

Grow.
Remember.
Accept.
Trade.
Invoke.
Treasure.
Understand.
Delight.
Explore. – Unknown

Figurative Abstract

I had some extra time today to work on my painting, so I began adding three abstract figures and collage elements to the background.

The inspiration for this piece came from some reoccurring dreams I’ve had over the past year, in which these very elongated tall abstract figures float over the landscape. They usually travel together in family groups.

Unity – Acrylic, Mixed Media – 16 X 20 inches

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”
-John Muir

“I am the country, my eyes the sky, my limbs the trees,
I am the rock, the depth of water.
I am not here, in order to control nature or exploit her.
I am even nature.”
– Hopi