Looking for Inspiration

Ugh. Snowing again. I had really hoped we were done with that. The gray weather was really effecting my mood today, so I went searching for some color on the 'net. Came across this video on YouTube. No idea what she is saying, something about painting intuitively? Watching her paint with these luscious colors was just what I needed. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Sometimes The Paint Takes You By Surprise

You know how sometimes you start out to create something, and end up with something else entirely? That happened to me this week when I was journaling. I sat down thinking I would paint a funky girl with polka dot tights. The paintbrush had other plans. I got dots alright, but on a cheetah!

Now, I love cats, big and small. If family members weren't highly allergic, I would have a cat. Don't tell Jensen and Buttercup that. But of the cat family, male lions, and cheetahs have never really drawn me in. And yet, here was this big cat showing up in my journal.

On doing some research, I found that cheetahs are about focus, and goal achievement. Since this is exactly where I want my attention to be this year, this spotted beauty is perfect. Turns out the paintbrush knows me better than I know myself!

The subconscious is amazing, isn't it? Did anything surprising turn up in your creative work this week?  If it did, I hope you were as happy with it  as I was with my cat.

There is lots more to see at Paint Party Friday. Have fun!

Left Over Paint

I hate to waste paint, but I often find that I have put too much on my palette for what I'm working on. Frequently, I will smear the leftovers on a journal page, usually a page much farther along in the book than I am currently working. That is how my hat lady got started. She's very orange, not because of too much "tan in a bottle", but because that's the color paint that was on the page.

 

I'm the kind of person who buys hats, but never wears them except in front of the bathroom mirror. Since I'm working on not letting fear run my life, maybe this will be the year that I actually leave the house with one on. What about you? Do you wear your hat out in public? If you do, what does your hat say about you?  Does it give you confidence, make you feel beautiful, or show off your creativity or sense of humor?   

 

To see more paintings, check out the goings on over at Paint Party Friday. And, have a great weekend!

Making Messes

Hi, everybun! We have noticed an unfortunate turn of events on the interwebs lately, with Human Beans trying to embarrass their Bunny Overlords, this page being a prime example.  Clearly, you have all taken leave of what little sense you Beans have. Perhaps you should spend some time reacquainting yourself with the True Order of the Universe over at Disapproving Rabbits.

 

Which isn't to say that we can't make a mess if we want to, but around here, the biggest mess-maker is Mom! But maybe she can tell you about her latest adventure. I'll be back later. 

           -Jensen

 

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OK. First, welcome to Thumper S. Thompson. It is an honor to have a journalist of your stature reading our humble blog! Second, from the comments on my last post, it sounds like a lot of you have the tickle of the beginnings of an art journaling bug. I hope you jump in, and give it a try. It's always fun to be a kid again.

 

Which brings us back to mess-making! Yesterday I had my Gelli Arts printing plate out again.  I love this thing! I only needed one print, but by the end of the afternoon, I had this.

 

 

Some of these were printed more than once, and some still need some additional color. About 1/3 are wonderful. Here are a few that I like.  This first one has a print from the "wrong" side of a stencil across it.

 

On this one, I stamped and stenciled on top of left-over color on the plate.

 

The Curly One and I both like this one best.

 

By adding color on top of white, I even managed to get some pastels. I have a secret love of pastels, even though most of my artwork and quilts end up in deep colors.

 

Now, to choose one to do a LifeBook project on. This could take a while....

 

 

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I'm back, but not for long. While Mom is lost in her paint daydreams, I think I'm going to head on over to Harrington's place. I feel like a party, and he's always ready to party!

 

 

 

 See you all later, Buns and Beans.

          -Jensen the WonderDog (that's what Mom calls me, I have no idea why.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Class

I had the second night of the class that my girls gave me at the Worcester Art Museum last night. We had to hang up the papers we made during the week, and then explain the techniques we used. It was interesting to see how individual all the work was, when we pretty much all started with the same supplies. This afternoon, I got started on my homework for next week. Since it is finally a reasonable temperature around here, I was able to work outside. 

  

Here's a closer view of some of the papers I created. I actually painted this one in class last week, with leftover paint. It ended up very gray. I masked off some of those areas, and then painted over the whole thing. It's better now, but I think it may still need something.



This one was done this afternoon, again using leftover paint. It was really dark. First I drew into it with a paintbrush handle, then blotted it with a paper towel to lighten some areas. When I decided it needed stars, I went looking for metallic paint. All I had was fabric paint, so I used that. Then I put drips of white on, and dragged the paintbrush handle through them to make asterisks, and finished up by stippling on some white with a toothbrush. I also stippled my neck and shoulder at the same time!

This next one started with an all over pink glaze, and then I added some of everything. I really, really, really wish this were a piece of fabric! 

And here we have this week's main course. Last night in class, we covered boards in molding paste, which is sort of like spackle. Then we used all sorts of tools to create texture, including putty knives, brush handles, stamps, cardboard, etc. You can see the texture in the photo. Then we had to wait for them to dry. Even as hot as it was yesterday, they didn't dry in class, so we are painting them at home.  

I still want to give this one another wash, but I'm pretty pleased with it. And, it was a lot of fun to do. I'm definitely going to try this again.

Right about the time I started to get tired, help arrived.

Thankfully, the paint was mostly dry by the time the Neighborhood Lion jumped up on the table, although he may have gone home with a little bit of green on his tail. My hands were not so lucky!

One of these days, I may remember to wear gloves....Probably not, though.

So, I'm curious. Which piece of paper is your favorite, and why? 

Yesterday We Played

It has been really nice having the Younger Daughter home from school this week. She has been working hard on changing her room around, homework, and a blanket that she is crocheting for a friend. But in between we have been sharing books, trying new recipes, throwing the Frisbee around, and having some really good talks. And then yesterday afternoon, we decided to do something that we haven't done in a long time. Something we used to spend a lot of time doing together when she was little, especially on snow days and school vacations. We got out the paints.

 

Hers are the pretty ones, mine are the goofy ones. We had a blast being little kids again. Maybe we should do this more often....

Martha Munroe

I'd like to introduce you to a very talented woman named Martha Munroe. Martha is a painter, who I met through volunteering at the Leominster Art Association. Her paintings are large scale oils that have a very haunting quality to them. She currently has a one woman exhibit of her paintings on view at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell, Ma..

The library is a gorgeous old library, that feels just about as "Library-ish" as any space could. Upstairs they have a grand room, with very high ceilings, that they use as an art gallery. It is a perfect space to show off Martha's large paintings. As I walked into the gallery, this was the view.

Doesn't that entry make a nice frame for these paintings? This next one left me feeling quite sad.

I love the light and shadows in this Playhouse painting. It almost felt like you should be able to put your hand into that ray of light coming across the building.

And, this next piece was my favorite. She calls it Camouflage, which I didn't understand, so I had to ask. She views this tent as a place to hide from view. I get that now, but I think if you are hiding here, you really want to be seen.

There are quite a few more paintings to see, so if you are in the area, I hope you will stop by and see the show. It runs through October 17th.

Also on view is a collection of smaller works that Martha does, including framed white boards and mirrors, and some bas relief work. You can see this work, and more paintings, at her website, studiomvm.