with a willingness to be changed by what we hear”-Mark Nepo. This is a page from my altered map book journal. The page started with a black and white copy of a map I made of my hand, then collage elements and a rough border were laid in on top of the illustration. Watercolor provides a unifying burnt yellow and the quote, shrine and bird pictures are all from magazines or junk mail. This is the first page in this book and I covered it for protection with an old piece of brown wax paper which was pulled back for the photo. I like using evocative quotes culled from reading material and already printed, ready to glue into the page. I also rubber stamp and hand write quotes that seem appropriate for the day that aren’t pre-printed. I believe this is the second page I’ve shared from this altered map journal, I continue to work into it frequently but it takes time to move through it because everything has to dry properly before moving on.
Posts Tagged ‘mixed media’
“To listen is to lean in, softly…
Posted: February 23, 2012 in art journalTags: altered book, art journaling, found images, journaling, mapmaking, maps, mixed media
Lotus flower mandala
Posted: February 20, 2012 in expressive paintingTags: mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting
Another expressive painting, this time in the form of a mandala with a lotus flower as the central image. Charcoal was used to define outlines and make marks and pointilism was used to add some interest. I dipped the end of my paint brush into white paint to make the dots. I like this strong image and the colors that emerged as the work was layered. All these expressive paintings look good with a simple black frame, which I am working on finding at the thrifts. My absence in the past week from my blog was due to a nasty cold and fever I had which has thankfully gotten better in the last couple of days.
Pretty birds
Posted: February 6, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: dina wakley, journaling, mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting, stencils, terry lee getz
The design for this pretty picture was not mine but Dina Wakley’s, whose class I took on Saturday. In three hours I made this painting and another on stretched canvas. Dina is a good teacher and we used very good supplies which made the project even more enjoyable. This image is on watercolor paper, gesso’d, birds were traced, then overdrawn with Stabilo ALL water soluble pencil (which I LOVE–new go-to tool), painted, stenciled and journaled on. I don’t take very many classes, this was my first art class in many years. Definitely worth the time and funds. Check to see if Dina might be coming to a venue near you.
Firefly Twilight
Posted: February 1, 2012 in expressive paintingTags: mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting, terry lee getz
The last thing I expected to see after working on this expressive painting was a beetle, but there was the definite body shape and plates, wings, little pointy head. When i charcoaled in the legs I knew she was a lightning bug, as we call them in the south, so I dotted the orange-y yellow paint around the body to represent the etheric light. Many an evening was spent with my sister chasing, catching, admiring and releasing (unharmed) some of the hundreds of fireflies alive in the 1960’s summer evenings. Sadly, it is a commentary on the decline in the natural environment that many previously lightning bug laden locales no longer support these insects and they have become a rarity to spot. A real shame and frightening on many levels. The simple joys of lightning bug spotting should be a birthright to earth’s children everywhere. This painting was worked entirely with my fingers with paint, mixing it directly on the canvas in many layers and then drawing in legs with charcoal. The pleasure of making an expressive drawing is to allow that which is there to move forward and to accept it and cherish it for what it is.
Soul and Spirit Mehndi Hand
Posted: January 31, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting, stencils
Another in my Mehndi Hand series, this one done a bit differently. First I stenciled the hand in purple Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint, then when that dried, I re-stenciled with Golden Light Modeling Paste, using the stencil a smidge off register. This allowed the previous purple image to show instead of covering it up. Then I rubber stamped on the message and used the Sew Stamper tool to put in the crazy quilt inspired zig zag stitch line. Lumiere paint in green provides the background around the hand and I may have used a Distress dauber in chartreuse over top of the modeling paste. On 6″x8″ canvas board, the first background is paper.
Eye of the Hand
Posted: January 27, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: art journaling, mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting, stencils
Another mehndi hand, this one the classic eye in the palm. Stencil is from Balzar Designs by The Crafter’s Workshop. The stencil has six hand designs on it in this size, and the same designs are available reduced on a separate stencil. Paper foundation to canvas board, Golden Light Modeling Paste thru the stencil to give the image height and texture, then painted with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints. The stitching lines are these awesome little pre-inked stamps called Sew Stamper from We R Memory Keepers that you run along the image where you want the line to appear. They have about half a dozen stitch styles, are easy to use and really give this project a “crazy quilt” vibe. Words were rubber stamped with Staz-On ink, my favorite. I am not affiliated with any of these companies, these are my “go-to” supplies at the moment and I just want to share the info.
Bird Totem, expressive painting
Posted: January 25, 2012 in expressive paintingTags: mixed media, new art work, painting
Bird totem is a 16×20 stretched canvas onto which I expressively painted with my fingers. The fun of this technique is laying paint down with multi-colors going and mixing them in hand and then seeing what the patterns and shapes turn out to be. This one is an owl or even parrot like bird because of the shortish beak and squat body shape. Charcoal outlining helps define the shapes once I identifiy them, and for random mark making. This technique, which began as a student request in one of my classes this past year, is rapidly becoming one of my favorite ways to work. I love the freedom and the squishy feeling of the paint. If you don’ t like what you did, or don’t see any special pattern or shape, you simply go over it again until you do. Easy peasy. Try it! Paper or canvas works great. Brown paper bags would even be cool.
A Bird and the Hand…
Posted: January 23, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: bird, folk art, mehndi, mixed media, new art work, painting, stencils
Yes, I know it’s supposed to be “a bird in the hand”. It’s Monday a.m. at Chez Getz and life continues in the new normal. There are many more locks on the door today than Saturday and by this evening a contract will be signed for bells, whistles and buttons and that will be another new normal. But all is well, all is well, all is surely well.
This piece is on a new surface for me, an 8×8 hardwood board. I picked this up at Whim So Doodle in St. Pete recently and wondered what it would be like to use, especially compared to my standby, stretched canvas. There are differences, one obvious one is the hardness and inflexibility of the wood compared to canvas, the other in surface texture. I did like the board for stenciling as there was no “give”, which can be a minor problem on stretched canvas during stenciling. Not enough to keep me from doing it but there was more stencil control and a finer image. This image is from The Crafter’s Workshop from Balzar Designs. I pushed Golden’s Light Modeling Paste through the stencil then used Claudine Hellmuth’s Studio Paints over top of the paste when it dried. The rough paisleys are Americana Writer which is an acrylic dimensional paint. The background is paper painted with Claudine’s Studio paints. I swiped white tempera paint all over the board when everything had dried, then sandpapered a lot of the white off to reveal various surfaces previously worked. Then I painted the folk art bird, which is a cross between an old German fraktur design and a more traditional Indian folk bird. I had trouble with this piece, there are about 6 previously worked designs under this one. I think it was the newness (and preciousness) of the board which is more expensive than my usual 12×12 canvas, but even with all that, I do like the surface and would definitely use this product again.
Digit-al Mehndi hand
Posted: January 20, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: crafters workshop, mixed media, new art work, painted canvas, painting, stencils
Get it, digit-al! Wow, is that bad. But this stencil from Crafters Workshop is not, it is detailed and makes a great image. Some of the lustrous quality of this canvas is lost because the scanner can’t pick up metallic well, but it was painted in part with Lumiere metallic paints on a paper background. Pointilism is also in metallic copper-y gold. If I can find something cool in the way of a 3-D object that adds to this piece I will, but for now it is finished.
Cigar box purse
Posted: January 17, 2012 in New Mixed Media artTags: ARTpool Gallery, bob getz, cigar box purse, mixed media, mixed media purse, new art work, photography
Bob and I attended ARTpool Gallery event I Love St. Pete this past Saturday and Bob took these shots of a fashion show model masquerading as Salvador Dali. I wish you could have seen her body paint that included a lobster on her back and the melted clock on her upper chest. I wanted this purse to look like an old circus broadside photo so I distressed the purse with gesso and sandpaper and the photo with matte medium and sanded it heavily as well. Ranger Old Soot Distress Ink™ was used on the sides of the photo. I love this model’s attitude. At the show, she really worked that cookie duster.
Photos by Bob Getz
Crickyn 