Illustration Friday -- The Blues

Although not new paintings, here are a couple of pieces I created with shades of blue. One of beachstones and the other of a beautiful, old house in the middle of town during Christmas.

Before I started working in mixed media I worked almost exclusively with watercolor. As well, I enjoyed drawing faces in graphite. Sometimes I feel I should be focusing more on these mediums and less on mixed media. People really liked this work and I sold many pieces. The problem is that I LOVE doing mixed media/collage work! It is so much fun and I feel more like an artist when I am doing it. I also produce alot more of this type of work. With the exception of one friend, all my other friends think I am more suited to mixed media/collage. Anyway, here are some of my favorite watercolors that I have done:

I have a huge collection of beachstones that I have accumulated over the years. Some are so pretty that I wanted to find a use for them other than sitting in a glass jar in my studio. I had an idea to wrap the stones in polymer clay and hang them as pendants. After a lot of trial and error this is what I came up with. I varnished the finished piece to protect it and to give it a lovely shine. The jump ring is made of polished steel wire and hammered to give it strength. I wear mine on a leather cord.

Inspire Me Thursday -- Square

Inspired by and in honor of Autumn, I chose reds, oranges and golds for my colors.

I created this mixed media/collage on a binder to use as a journal. I was going to make one every year in January as I'm consistant in keeping a journal of my life. It was a good idea because I could add pages as I needed them but not very practical. In order to get comfortable writing in it I had to take out the page I was writing on and turn it. I lasted about a month before I put it aside and used a paper journal as before.

Inspire Me Thursday -- ATCs

Here's another ATC using the same method.

Random Passage II

Here are some photos from the set of the mini-series Random Passage.

Random Passage

Today John and I and his family who are visiting from Wales, had a tour of the set where Random Passage was filmed. It was something I have wanted to do ever since I read the book and saw the movie. I was not disappointed. It was sunny when we arrived but quickly turned overcast and cold which added to the whole experience. Our tour guide was an interesting character with a gravelly voice, a salt and pepper cap and a long gray beard. That's me wearing the cloak of Mary Bundle, one of the main characters in the movie.

Inspire Me Thursday -- ATCs

I love crows and this image that I took of a crow outside my bedroom window has been a constant in my work for months. I used the tape transfer method to create a transparent image which I then adhered to the surface using a matte medium.

My Favorite Place

Here are some images from inside my studio. This is the place where I can be the most myself doing what I love to do. Inside this little space I find solitude. Surrounded by the tools I use to create my work I am happy. Not enough time in the day prevents me from being in here as much as I would like though. Boo hoo... The stones at the top of the page are something that I'm currently working on.

Mixed Media Collage Painting

Above is a photo of a crow I took that was sitting atop a tree outside my window. I transferred the image to the surface of this piece using a tape transfer method.
This is a photo of a tower of an old abandoned hospital that is right in the middle of town. Inside the hospital it is dark, cold and incredibly creepy. The wind howls through the open doorways and windows and it is filled with pigeons. I tranferred the image to the surface using the same method as above. Both details are from the same piece of work.

Illustration Friday -- Wedding

Some people wed in churches others do not.

Assemblage

Above is an assemblage I created along with some closeup shots.

Inspire Me Thursday -- Limited Palette

Detail from a mixed media/collage piece on watercolor paper

Mixed Media Collage Painting

Mixed media/collage on watercolor paper

Altered Tin Can

It's really starting to feel like Autumn now. Evening falls more quickly and it's cold. It's time to put the heavy blankets back on the bed and shut the windows at night. Above images show an old cigarette can I found among my husbands things, unrecognizable after I finished with it. When opened you see an image transfer of a photo I took and some varnished beach stones.

Scenes From Our Vacation

A ten hour drive from our home are the most amazing beaches to be found in Newfoundland. With only twenty five campsites available and many empty during the weekdays, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Except for the near hurricane and torrential rains one night, we had a good time. We took tons of photos and I collected some very beautiful beach stones. Now it is back to school for the kids and back into the studio for me. It has been a hectic and eventful summer and I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet. I long for cool Autumn evenings, the smell of woodsmoke, hot tea by the fire and a good book to read...