Plodding Along

Grace & Lyvia

Wish I could say I've been making great progress with art projects in the last few days, but I can't.  I have lots of excuses, Easter + family visits and meals to host and it's been raining so that means headaches/migraines and you know I can't control the whether.  But the truth is, I'm feeling stuck, not sure how I want to proceed with my new canvas.  We'll call it percolating time.  Thinking about colour combinations, trying to visualize what it would look like done in certain colours using specific techniques.  Eventually I'll begin.

Grace's 

In the meantime, the girls were down and got the next step of their project done, laying in some base colours.  Next up, highlighting areas with metallic and interference paints.

Hope you're having a productive week!

Lyvia's

"Do you ever find that you are waiting for your moment, though you might not know exactly what it will look like or feel like, nevertheless you hope it’s on the way, and so you wait for it? And wait some more?" Scoutie Girl 

Multitasking Art

Thought I'd show you the beginnings of a new piece, layering in some design and texture elements right now. I love the fluid flow of the design, makes me feel unrestricted!  Funny thing, only with my art am I this messy.  Usually I work pretty neatly, maybe because I hate to clean.  But when I'm creating the last thing I want, or do worry about is mess and paint splattering everywhere. That's why I keep my art space free of decorative items, they would be ruined in short order!  On the other hand my floor might be a work of art one day.

I have also added some elements to the Joshua Tree.  I am using Golden Interference Gold (fine) paint to outline the tree, love how it's interacting with the base colours.  When I can I'll have my daughter take some photos of it and pray we can capture the shifting colours.  I've also added the words 'songline' in Hebrew text, I love the look of the Hebrew language and use it often in my art.  It adds a wonderful linear element the composition. I'm going to try some gold leafing to highlight those.

I don't know if you've been following the comment threat from this post, and this one, but my Aussie friend Kel, took one look at the collaged vintage music sheet elements I had added to the base of the tree and said this:

"Oh my - the hairs just stood up on the back of my neck...you've put a songline in there!"

This is what a songline means according to the link Kel included.

"Songlines, also called Dreaming tracks by Indigenous Australians within the animist indigenous belief system, are paths across the land, which mark the route followed by localized 'creator-beings' during the Dreaming. The Dreaming can be seen as an embodiment of Creation, which gives meaning to everything. The paths of the songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance and painting. A knowledgeable person is able to navigate across the land by repeating the words to the song, which describe the location of landmarks, waterholes and the natural phenomena. 

I love it!  Love that our art can take us places we don't fully understand as we follow our instincts.  I love the idea that my art comes from the place of Dreaming with my Creator and it spills out leaving it's impressions that can impact others.  More importantly The Creator leaves his imprint on the inside of me...

On to other things. My Grand-daughter Grace also has a new project on the go.  She is doing a piece for her teacher who loved what she had painted with me some time ago.  So she asked me to use the insolation foam and get the canvas ready for her to paint. (The foam is beyond messy so I handle that part of it)  I've laid out a couple of things, one like what she has already done and the other, well it reminds me of the milky way and a full moon in a night sky.  Could be fun!

Keeping At It

Thought I'd share with you were I've gone with my Joshua Tree canvas.  This has got to be the softest colour pallett I've ever used.  I can't adequately capture the actual tint and hues of the colours I'm using but I love the names, Australian Blue Gum, Australian Sky Blue and Southern Ocean Blue, Australian Red Violet all by Australian based Matisse products.

My plans are to paint the tree like limbs in a metallic yet to be determined and who knows what else will happen with this one before I call it done.  I've also added some vintage music sheet notes along it's roots, the Joshua Tree got it's name because it reminded Mormon settlers of the Biblical Joshua raising his arms in prayer.

Because of the challenge this has been for me, I thought I'd find out a little more about the Joshua Tree, some things really popped out at me.

"deep and extensive" root system. If it survives the rigors of the desert it can live for hundreds of years with some specimens surviving up to a thousand years.

Joshua trees usually do not branch until after they bloom.. " 


He's a resilient fellow, going down deep in order to find the nourishment he needs to survive and thrive.  I love that first he blooms then he branches out.  Kind of reminds me that I need to let my art bloom from within me fully before worrying about the branching out that comes with wanting to share your creations with others.  All in all, I'm finding the Joshua Tree pretty inspiring.

"Closet Art" Anyone?

Would be Joshua Tree?

Not sure how I get myself backed into these messes lately, but I've got another piece on the go that is giving me grief!  I have to admit it is a case of a design element gone bad.  I used my Gorilla glue to map out a design but there was too much moisture surrounding the glue and it swelled up and expanded totally obliterating the more delicate design I was going for.  Now, I'm fighting the design and trying to find a way to, well make it work. I've included a picture just to show you the crazy design I've got going on, right now I'm playing with ideas for texturing and deciding on colours.  It will all change radically if I stick with it.

Makes me wonder what is going on under the surface of my life that I keep coming up with these design challenged pieces and me without the knowhow of what to do with them.  If it wasn't for the fact that it's on a more expensive gallery wrapped canvas, I think I'd just call it 'closest art' and begin anew!  I laughed when my artistic, sister-in-law, Patricia talked about having canvases tucked away in the closet because they were duds she gave up on, 'closet art.'

So anyone out there practicing 'Closet Art' too?

Art On The Go

Grace (middle) Lyvia (on top)

Finally finished my Boxed In piece, I don't have a picture of the completed piece right now, the only camera we have is a Video Camera my hubby uses for videoing wild life and our Grand-daughters.  In fact I've spent the last couple of days editing video and creating DVD's with special effects for my Grand-daughter Grace who took some metals home at the Provincial Gymnastics Competition.  She was chosen to help represent our provence at the Atlantic & Eastern Competitions at the end of April. Yeah Grace! and Yeah! Team New Brunswick.

Also been playing with a small canvas that had been textured some time ago as an experiment, it's now looking a little like an abstract forest.  It's been fun to just play with this, I also have a canvas ready for paint, that I'm calling my Joshua Tree.  It was a case of Gorilla glue gone wild, it soaked up too much moisture and so instead of a wispy design I had this overpowering completely different look.  Thank God for my sister Kel, fresh back from her missions trip to Mexico, she took one look at it and said, "it looks like a Joshua tree."  You just never know what you're going to wind up with!

Boxed In

"The ending of a painting is a very delicate time, because if the painting is left unfinished, enthusiasm and intuition will decrease for the following painting, and the momentum and the sense of adventure will dramatically fade away..."  Michele Cassou, Kids Play

This statement rang true to me for I was experiencing it when I read what Michele had to say in her book on Igniting Children's Creativity, Kids Play.  If you follow my blog you know I've been in a battle with my latest canvas.  For me it was the perfect storm, a colour palette that I don't work in and a boxie, geometric design that I don't enjoy working with.  Long story short, I finally took it one step too far and there was no way back but to break out and change it up completely.  I couldn't do anything about the design but I could change out the colour palette and did as this picture shows.  This was just the beginning, (macro shot shows a little) it's come a long way since and I am no longer fighting the canvas, I'm going to be able to 'finish.'  I'll use the fist colour palette on a piece that is open and free flowing in the future.

"when a painting is well completed, a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction arises and with it the inspiration for the next painting."  Michele Cassou, Kids Play


There is a huge difference between setting a piece aside, knowing you need to let it simmer until you figure out the next step and knowing you are completely hung up, blocked and you're ready to quit.  The latter leaves you stuck just as Michele writes.  I was certainly there and knew it.

It makes me wonder how many other things we abandoned, or given up on,  that leave us mired, stuck, unable to move on?  There's something to be said for doing your all to make it work, or work it out before we walk away and not have it's entrails following us for the rest of our days.

You never stop learning about yourself when you work creatively.  I realize that geometers leave me feeling so boxed in and hampered a throw back to my inner resistance to being hemmed in by expectations, restrictions and short comings.  Amazing what your art reveals about you and to you.

Review Friday- Paint Anyone?

Thought I would share with you one of my favourite acrylic paint and medium manufacturing companies, Nova Color.  Golden fluid and heavy bodied make up the majority of my paints but Nova Color has some amazing choices and when it comes to mediums I use theirs almost exclusively.  When you see their prices you will understand why, not to mention that they preform extremely well.

I first heard about this little company through Kelly Kilmer, when I first began Art Journaling a few years back.  Unlike Kelly, I use their paints full strength for my work unless glazing.  Oh and don't overlook some of their funky 'Fluorescent' paints.  I just got their Fluorescent Blue (transparent) and oh my gosh it is a new favourite, it's such a light yummy blue and blends so beautifully over other colours.  Also love their 'F' pink and can see I will be adding more of the fluorescents to my stash.  Their Quinacridone Violet (transparent), Alizarin Crimson Hue, Transparent Red Oxide, Antique Copper are among those I use constantly.  I have a colour sample page (upon request) in which they have actually painted a small amount of each colour onto the sheet so you really get a feel for what you are ordering.  Don't overlook their Iridescence, Metallics and Interference Peal lines either.

When it comes to mediums, as I said I buy almost everything from them and have not been disappointed.  Their Gessoes are dreamily creamy and thick, varnishes, gels, texture pastes, coarse lava, all of them are excellent and you cannot beat their prices.

Something that is not listed on the website but is available are plastic jars & bottles in various sizes.  I buy 4oz Squeeze Bottles with tops to pour their paints in for easy use, for .60 cents each, they also have 8 oz size for .85 cents. If you need to go big because you buy paint by the Quart or Gallon  they have lidded jars and pails to fit your needs.   When ordering I request these bottles using their 'special instructions' section when checking out and they add it to my order.  Check out their Q& A for a listing of their various products and other helpful comparisons and tips.

I don't know about you but I love it when I find a great product or in this case an entire line of them, and want others to know about it too.  Happy shopping!

B-Days and Canvases

My daughter Olivia turned 31 today!  My baby has grown up into a young woman I greatly admire, she's my hero in so many ways :-)

The only thing she asked for is her chocolate, extra crunch & fudge ice cream cake.  My girl has a major chocolate addition!




After a celebration meal and cake, Olivia tried to get some photos of the completed Rhapsody painting and the one I'm currently working on.  But we had lost the light and will have to try for another time.

This is the canvas I've been working on these past two weeks.  What I'm showing you is a very poor representation of the actual colours, blue grey, purples and silver.

Do you ever create something that you are just not drawn to?  I don't know what it is about this particular canvas that has me feeling so blah, but it is certainly the least favourite that I've done to date.  I don't know if I should just stop and call it done or keep nattering away at it.  Is it possible to have colours that you may love in life, but hate working with on canvas?  Darned if I know, it's a curiosity...

What a Haul!

When I went to the post office to pick up my contest winnings from Mary Beth Shaw, I was shocked at the size of the box.  I knew that she was sending me some items from her personal stash of ephemera and an autographed copy of her book as well as one of her stencils "just because."  I was not expecting the haul that awaited me inside that box!

Along with my personalized copy of her book, which I will treasure and use, was not one, not two but three of Mary Beth's unique stencils. (I've already used one of them to add effects to my current canvas remake.)  Well if that were not enough, the huge bag of ephemera put me right over the moon!  Vintage ledger pages, maps, artwork, wallpaper, game pieces, game score pads, tab tops, coupons, cocktail napkins, film strip and shorthand pages that took me straight back to high school!  Just seeing these items sparked all sorts of ideas, she truly is the queen of flea market finds.

Well my first layers of paint should be dry now so I'm off to see what needs layering in next, hope you are have a wonderfully creative week.  And if you haven't already do check out Mary Beth's website and book. You can read my review of her book here.

I wanted to share with you a little piece of wisdom from Doris McCarthy, a Canadian artist who savoured her life, she passed away last year at 100 years of age.  This is part of her Convocation Address at the University of Toronto in 2001, she was 91.

"This is the wonderful secret I want to share with you.  Life gets better and better with every year that passes.  Don't be afraid of old age.  It has the gifts that are even better than youth.  To earn those gifts, start now.  And I mean today, this minute.  Be aware of who you are, where you are, and why. Realize this moment.  Savour it.  Like every other moment in your life, past or future it is unique.   You are living now, always now!  Rejoice in it.  


Remember, it is loving your work that is important, not comfort, not security, not public acclaim, but happiness.  If every day you are aware of what you are doing and know that you have chosen it because you love it, that is a good life.  If you cannot love the path you have chosen, leave it and start again.  There is no disgrace in learning by experience.  But to merely endure your work for the sake of money or status, or peer pressure or for any other reason is to squander the most precious treasure of all, your very life."

Networking & Junked Art

I'm currently listening to a great conversation between Rice of Voodoo Cafe and Jen Cushman of Creative Mixed Media.  They are talking about using the social networking tools to promote yourself and your art.  Great conversation, with valuable information, do take the time to tune in.  Jen gives you get advice on using your blog, Facebook and Twitter to connect you to an artist community and as a marketing tool.  I know I've enjoyed the networking community with blogging and Facebook, but Twitter is a world I've not entered yet!

I've been working on a new piece all week, got it to several places of doneness, hung it up to get some perspective on it and would hate it each time.  How can a piece look so cool up close with all the wonderful marble like textures and colour then look so blah from across the room?  I'd take it down do some glazing, add more contrast, rehang and still blah.  Then I went one glaze colour too far and there just was no recovering.  Out came the gesso.  Although the colour is way off on these pictures, the real thing is just as horrid, or was, it's now sporting a fresh coat of pure white :-)  Ah the joys and frustrations of creating!