Flora

I continued to experiment with textures on this 9 X 11 mixed media collage that I made for the Created By Hand Pink and Red Challenge and the Leftovers Challenge at My Artistic Life. The silk flowers are leftovers from my wedding scrapbook, the rose cutouts from an altered lampshade I made for my studio, and the paper scraps are from various collages. The central image is courtesy of Botticelli.

Aurora

An Hymn To The Morning

Attend my lays, ye ever honour'd nine,
Assist my labours, and my strains refine;
In smoothest numbers pour the notes along,
For bright Aurora now demands my song.
Aurora hail, and all the thousand dies,
Which deck thy progress through the vaulted skies:
The morn awakes, and wide extends her rays,
On ev'ry leaf the gentle zephyr plays;
Harmonious lays the feather'd race resume,
Dart the bright eye, and shake the painted plume.
Ye shady groves, your verdant gloom display
To shield your poet from the burning day:
Calliope awake the sacred lyre,
While thy fair sisters fan the pleasing fire:
The bow'rs, the gales, the variegated skies
In all their pleasures in my bosom rise.
See in the east th' illustrious king of day!
His rising radiance drives the shades away--
But Oh! I feel his fervid beams too strong,
And scarce begun, concludes th' abortive song.

Phillis Wheatley


For My Time To Craft, Creative Therapy and Sunday Stampers I tried something new; adding texture to a a journal page. I used gesso and molding paste as a base. I then stamped over the paste and added elements such as fabric and flowers. Next I applied many layers of paint, ink, pencil, and pastels. Mostly, I used my fingers for application because it gave me more control, and it was just plain fun. Then I added a hand-colored fashion photograph and cutouts from various gardening magazines and inked the edges. Next time I'm going to apply even more texture and different colored inks. In fact, I've already got a new page covered in molding paste and drying on my art table. If any of you more experienced with textures would please leave me comments about your techniques and the materials you use, I would so appreciate it.

Love,
Alberta

Welcome To the Dollhouse

This collage began with an idea I had for a crown last Tuesday when I read Crazy Amigo's "Oh Deer" challenge, and the crown evolved into an accessory for a thoroughly modern paper doll, after seeing the new Ma Maison and Saturday Surprise challenges. When I thought I was finished, I was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming impulse to throw in a heart, thus making her a Valentine!

Chasing The Blues Away

The past few days have been the most dreary of this winter, cold, overcast, iron gray. All I've wanted to do is hibernate like a bear, so yesterday, I forced myself to crawl out from the warmth of my quilts for some Creative Therapy. I hoped that by painting these warm, citrusy hues onto my journal pages, I might energize myself, and it worked! This week the challenge at My Time To Craft is "Smile." Here's hoping these pages will make you do just that.

Love,
Alberta

Be My Zetti Valentine

I made this as a Valentine, primarily (get it Mixed Media Monday?) as a card for my dear, sweet friend, Susan but also as for Gothic Arches "Gypsy" challenge because gypsy is a slang word for showgirl and for My Artistic Life.

My son Wesley once said that, together, Susan and I had one brain. I like to think, though, that, together, we have one heart. I'm lucky like that.

IF: Pale

Mixed Media Monday, Theme Thursday, and Art Pieces: Friendship

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Into the Mystic

for Sunday Postcard Art

Several of you lately have asked about my journal pages: “Are they digital?” “Are they photographs or paintings?” So, here’s a step-by-step description of how I make these hand-colored pages. Normally, I have several pre-painted pages in my journal ready in whatever colors that are currently inspiring me. You can see that I’ve definitely been in my red phase lately. I start by painting over a page with water to make the paint go on smoothly, and then I squirt paint directly onto the paper and spread it out with my favorite big brush. I’m so impatient that I use a hair dryer to speed up this step. Next, I paint over this layer with other colors, using whatever is handy on my table as a tool: sponges, crumpled up paper towels, bubble wrap, stamps. I even finger-paint. After that’s dry I go back in with my favorite thing: watercolor crayons. I just scribble on my page in strategic places and then wet those areas with a brush, blending the paint somewhat. I often go back in with more acrylic, if I need stronger hues. For intensity, I do this until I have many layers of color. When the last background layer is dry I color around the perimeter of the page with a black watercolor crayon and blend for depth. Sometimes I then cut my page into postcard size pieces, as I did here.

Then, I look through my stash of f photos for a shot with lots of black areas (for journaling later). Once I’ve chosen an image, I color copy it because copy paper takes paint much better than slick magazine pages do. Next, I trim the picture carefully and begin to alter it with acrylic paint. For this step, I don’t add much water because water tends to make the original ink run. After I’ve done most of my painting, I allow the image to dry and glue it onto the background. I drybrush paint around the edges of the photo to make it appear to be a part of the page, and I even use watercolor crayons or Prismacolor pencils directly on the photograph and surrounding areas to add texture.

The last step is adding text. I’m still a little self-conscious about my own writing, so quotes are perfect for me, and usually I already have one in mind while I’m creating my page. Most of the time I put the lettering on the background using a white Jellyroll pen, and then I outline each letter with a black Uniball fine tip marker. If I do personal journaling, I write that in the black areas of the page, using my white gel pen.

I have really had fun with my art journal, since I started it in July. I've learned so much about color, composition, and process, and my journal has helped me solve many art and non-art problems. And, if I'm in a rare bad mood, journaling changes all that before my first layer is even dry!

If you are an aritst and don't have a journal, I hope you'll start one and enjoy it as much as I have mine.

Love,
Alberta

You May Say I'm A Dreamer

for Arty Girlz, Creative Therapy, Crazy Amigos, and Inspire Me Thursday

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Several of you have asked if this is a photograph or a painting. It's a FUSION of both art forms. I took a magazine ad and painted it and then collaged it onto my journal page. I'm working on a tutorial of the whole process to share with you, but I've been severely hampered by some evil flesh-eating spyware which has attacked my computer!

Moonstruck

for Mixed Media Monday

Celebrating My Muses

for Sunday Postcard Art

This is 4 x 6 collage using a photograph I took in Little 5 Points last spring You can see the original in my Flickr Photostream August. 16. I enhanced the color in Flickr, trimmed the mask image, pieced the border from magazine and watercolor images, and placed it all on an acrylic sponged background.

It warms the cockles of my heart to know that some of you repond to my art. When you take the time to leave a comment or a suggestion, I appreciate it more than I can tell you. You teach me; you encourage me; you get me. I know that I am part of something larger that gives purpose to what I do.

Thank you

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...
It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things
that give value to survival."
~C.S. Lewis

IF: Awakening Strength, Compassion, and Wisdom

for Theme Thursday, One Powerful Hour and Illustration Friday



May all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness,
May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow,
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless,
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.

Buddhist prayer

Love,
Alberta