New Chair - Clean Studio

I saved up my Christmas and birthday money to get myself a new desk chair with upper body support.  With my chronic whiplash it is really difficult to sit in a chair that doesn't have a tall back to rest my shoulders - I had been sitting in a desk chair that had seen better days.  Without warning it would slide me down to the lowest setting - kind of funny - but also kind of jarring and offputting.  I went and picked out a deluxe chair with all kinds of adjustable settings for the seat, back, neckrest etc. 

I am in heaven!!  It is so comfortable for me!  Of course I am sure no one else would appreciate how straightback it is - no one can stand to drive a vehicle after I've set the seat for my liking.  If my chair isn't pretty much straightback then there is too much strain on my neck and I am in pain.  At any rate - it's my chair and I love it!!

Ellen and I cleaned our studio yesterday in honour of the new chair and now there is room for me to do my art and for Elle to sew her leather goods.  We also put up one of my favourite paintings - my angel.  She makes me smile each time I look at her - she is based on an angel above the Doors of the Baptistery of the Duomo in Florence, Italy - my favourite city in the world.  It is so nice to sit and work in my clean studio -

I am sure it won't be clean for long ;)

"Playing is good"

"Playing is good"

out of the mouths of babes!!  I was looking after my 3.5 yo nephew Logan last week and one of his fave things to do at my house is line up my paints.  He oohs and ahhhs over his favourite colours - dark blues and purples btw - and lines them up according to his eye.  He has always been an organizer and is most happy when items are lined up accordingly.  He was lining up my paints and he turned to me and said "Playing is good" 

oh my gosh!  could a life lesson be any simpler?!!

what a fantastic mantra - Thank you Logie!!  for showing me the way....

Journal Doodle....

Just a quick doodle on a prepped page in my small unfinished altered book journal....another fantasty flower.  One of these days I will get the urge to add colour to my flower doodles ;)

I do believe that gel transfer is of the rooftops of Siena, Italy....

Easter Cards.....

The past few days I have been doodling my Pysanka in my large moleskin and having a fabulous time of it!! I decided to use these doodles as gel transfers and make some cards to give out at Easter breakfast this morning at my parents house. 

I used my Canson mixed media paper as a base - let me tell you I am not impressed with it as a mixed media paper for my use.  I glued down ripped vintage book pages (the paper was extremely warped by this time and I had to flatten it out by bending it backwards) and then got out my M Graham watercolours and did a little wash mixing colours as I went along. 

The colours were a little bold and the text a bit too visible on the pages so I knocked it back with a glaze of glazing medium mixed with Titan Buff liquid acrylic.  I didn't want anything to compete with the egg gel transfers.

The watercolours became a beautiful pastel and I was quite pleased with the result of the glazing medium over watercolour.  I was a little hesitant - I wasn't sure how permanent some of my watercolours were and I really didn't want it to run all together.  It worked just fine. 

Now I became a little crazed at this point and forgot to take pictures of the actual gel transfer process - but I promise to document my process and do a complete post on my technique at a later time.

I applied my laser copied transfers with self levelling gel and used my heat gun to speed up the drying time.  I removed the paper from the back of the transfers and cut up into 4 cards per prepared sheet - I actually made two of the above collages - the one above and another one with purple added to the colours as well.  My cards measure 4.5"x6" - I made 8 total and should have made more!!!  As it was I have a very sore right forearm from all that transfer removal!! 

I saved my favourite one....the one below....for myself.  Is that selfish?

After cutting each collaged, painted and gel transfered sheet into quarters - each card was so warped there was no way I could give it out as finished.  So I decided to glue them onto a colourful backing paper.  yikes!!!  they were too warped to actually glue down nicely.  yikes.  I did the best I could and then put them under a layer of wax paper with weights on top to set overnight.  They flattened somewhat and I was less embarrassed to give them away.  Lesson learned....use stiffer paper for my mixed media work. 

Everyone was thrilled with their cards and I had fun and learned something too.  It was great to get out my watercolours again....it's been since last summer that I wet my palette!! 

I hope everyone had a good Easter!!

Stretch and Grow

Under this page is a heartfelt journal entry that I didn't wish to read or see again.  Setting out to obliterate my words I got out my Adirondack spray inks and stencils....spraying and flipping over the stencil to use up the juicy ink.  These inks are luscious and luminous and I just love the look of them.  BUT they are water soluable and every attempt to use them before has left me disappointed.  This page has been prepared waiting for journaling for months.

  After seeing Roben-Maries video I decided to just use Gesso in a few places to blend the inks - wow!!  I loved the look of the creamy colours after blending contrasting with the inks on their own.  I added a few cut outs from pages I made while using the inks - I used vintage book pages and did a bit of spraying through stencils and then flipping over and using the reverse side with all the runny inks.  A little bit of outlining with Sharpie Poster Paint pens (water based) and then the journaling. 

I do believe this page made me stretch and grow....

Pysanka on my mind.....

Happy Easter!!

I have had Pysanka on my mind for a couple of weeks. 

Way back in the early '90's my Aunt Mary taught me how to do Pysanka -   I became Pysanka crazed and created them obsessively for many years.  Not sure why - but my interest waned - I think I became watercolour obessed ;)

I dug out my favourites and took some pics to wish you all a Happy Easter!!

An ostrich egg - approx. 6.5"x5" - took me almost a week to create!!

Next 4 pics are regular chicken eggs....

This is a watercolour painting - approx. 11"x14" - not sure what year I painted this.

Dancing With the Stars Doodling....

I enjoyed a great doodle while watching Dancing With the Stars on Monday and Tuesday nights.....again I picked up my small journal and found a prepared page. 

A fun little page with no journaling other than the title and date - easy to do while watching TV....maybe I will fill up all the pages in this journal with doodles...

I think I need to make a pretty tag for this page....I got some gorgeous chiffon fabric yesterday with lovely pink roses on it that would look perfect as the ribbon for the tag....