Beelieve

Mixed Media Monday~Romance

I have been saving this for a few days for a great MMM topic... "Romance" .  I am still working with words based on the theme of the month at Creative Every Day. A word that should often be spoken with Romance is "Revive".

 

This chunky 12x12" canvas stared with book pages and an inspiration postcard of Antonio Canova's "Psyche Revived by Love's Kiss" sculpture in marble at the Louvre.  Is there anything more romantic?  To think it was carved out of marble, that is romantic alone.  It is also known as "Psyche revived by Cupid's Kiss".  Perfect for "heart" month!

  

I experimented more with sculpting myself on this one.  The heart was sculpted out of layers of ripped book pages.

 

But it was too harsh to me.  I doodled on it a bit then did a few more top secret things and a final coat of bees wax to get a brilliant softness and a touch as smooth as carved marble.

 

 

 

I wanted to include many shots.  It is another one that has so much texture and smoothness, depth and sheen.  All elements I have a hard time capturing with a camera. 

May all you have a bit of romantic revival this month!

I am the guest host!

Remember this picture from a few weeks ago?  Well the time to show it is now.  I have been waiting to show the world my "HARMONY"

This week starting September 29, 2008 am honored to be selected by Diane at Mixed Media Monday as the guest host for the theme of the week.  My inspiration for "HARMONY" comes from...nothing fancy, just life, the desire for balance and to bee happy with my choices of what I do and when.

I will let you in on the secret of how I ended up with the look of "Harmony".   I was flipping through a hip athletic clothing catalog for some comfy pants that do not feature paint as the sole embellishment.  My new role as parent of "kindergarten Pajama Girl" mandates public appearance at a time a day we should not even have a shower yet, let alone undergarments and full makeup. I was praying that Stacy and Clinton from TLC's "What not to Wear" would not show up before I had something that resembles clothing for my morning coffee toting drives to school.  There, in the catalog was "miss yoga" of the world.  This chic was who I wanted to be.  If I buy the pants will I be as balanced as she...not for that price... but I can don my paint splatted pants and paint a picture as pretty as she was. So that is exactly what I did.

It has been crazy around here since kindergarten started.  I needed to find balance, or more eloquently... "HARMONY".  The day I started this piece I had such a feeling I was going to release who I am becoming.  Who any mother has become and who any women has become.  "Multi-task" is nothing if you have that "XX" chromosome thing going on.  I was beginning to surface again and prioritizing.  I realized there is the weight of the world some days but there is the lightness of my loved ones which fuels me. "Harmony" began with ease as I found the perfect papers again for the background and an interesting one to position just so for the shirt.  There is even and old perscription in there for the fun of it.

I even tried a new technique I learned from Kelly Rae's new book "Taking Flight". The glopping on heavy gel or molding paste and stamping bubble wrap in to it for texture to bee exact.  I like to wrap my bubble wrap around a stamp when I use it.  It pushed the bubbles out more for better effect.

There is even a blue bee sealed in bees wax in the lower right corner with my signature.  This is another 12x12" extra deep canvas.  That really is a size and depth I enjoy working with.

I submitted to Mixed Media Monday because I know there will be amazing art to follow with the wide range of definitions.

Here is what I wrote to Diane.

Harmony can be translated many different ways, musically, spiritually, or just in harmony with the new art piece calling from the inside to come out. Harmony can be how objects, and colors relate.  I found it looking in thesaurus for another word for “balance” but look at all the definitions of the word

har·mo·ny

*har·mo·ny *[hrmənee]
(/plural/ *har·mo·nies*)
/n/
*1. *     *friendly agreement: *a situation in which there is friendly agreement or accord
*2. *     *pleasing combination of sounds: *a pleasing combination of musical sounds
*3. *     *notes sung or played together: *a combination of notes that are sung or played at the same time.
Changing harmony is one of the most characteristic features of Western music, providing momentum and richness to the melody.
*4. *     *study of chords in music: *the study of the way in which musical chords are constructed and function in relation to one another
*5. *     *pleasantness in arrangement: *a pleasing effect produced by an arrangement of things, parts, or colors
*6. *     *study of texts: *a study or collation of the similarities in parallel texts, especially the four Gospels
*7. *
*parallel text: *a book or manuscript in which several versions of the same text, often a biblical text, are laid out in parallel columns

Ok, since it is Monday "across the pond" already I am sending this in now and then going to go sit for a while...and do nothing.  I can because the world and it's demands have reached an agreement with the lightness of bee-ing!

Nature~Mixed Media Monday for 9/1/8

This week's theme for Mixed Media Monday of "Nature" is fabulous and sure to be quite a hit.  I chose to do another large piece (16x20") of art...it just sort of flowed and I had no idea where it was going to take me.  It started in the usual place...old books.  I have a great plant book from the late 1800's.  I have borrowed parts of the name of the chapter for my theme and title.  I call this "Nature Allures" and it is based on the title of the chapter "Allurements of animals for the dispersion of pollen".  Through out the whole piece there are gentle swirls of pollen, symbolic of the invisible energy nature delivers.  It did not photograph very well to show it in the bright sun.  (also a bit crooked)

oh look another red bird...thought I was trying to get away from the same things.  I can't help it if you are a blue bee you need to have a red bird around to hang with in the yellow sun!  (with your pajama girl of course)

The butterfly shapes were cut out of an old Madame Butterfly playbill and love what it said about the "Moon Goddess", in fact if you look close the butterflies are actually parting in the night and the shapes around them are crescent moon shapes.

Lots of good stuff mixed in this. The canvas started with book pages, and dry wall tape.  Fun texture, that drywall tape!  I used it in the upper right and then painted blue and added the flower pattern.  The section across the bottom, with the book page "port holes" is also on the tape.  I thought about adding distressed copper tape to around the shapes to make it appear as a window, but it looked too shiny.  It felt so good to do another larger piece, painting has always been my first passion.  Next time I think I will do something a bit more structural and sculpted as I fell in love with Diane's Bird house on the header page for this topic! 

Please check out my give away, still adding to my "Mixed Media Mania" give away.  Please go there (and only there) now and comment for a chance to win...I want to win the package and am oo-ing and ah-ing as I delve through my teasures. 

Ok, she can come back for a minute

I am talking about pajama girl of course...the one I kicked off my blog a while back.  Well go figure, she is 5, she gets her own blog, posts some art and boom! She is a star!!!  Just like that.  She entered her first challenge ever with Mixed Media Monday (a great place to start)  and submitted her "Found Art" for the Recycle and Repurpose challenge.  Well  not even a full week later the very wonderful Kaz notifies her about making Lauren's entry the "Art of the Week" .  Just like that!  Well, I guess she would have my vote too.

I just have to let you know it is all her.  My Pajama Girl has the most amazing imagination, I am even jealous.  When I tried showing her "Stuff" she can use for her found art (like there is anything she can't use) she told me it was her art .  I can quote her as saying.  "You don't control me or my art, you are not suppose to control people"  I laughed so hard I had a gut ache and could not go back to the hive without laughing for a while.  So there ya have it and if I had any control over anything in life it would be a miracle!

Thanks again for all your kindness, Lauren wants me to put a comment on everyone in the whole world's blog saying thank you.  In my eyes the boost in self esteem whether she needed it or not is a wonderful way to begin a week which will also bee known as her first week of kindergarten.  I pray that all children have a chance to feel like that every now and again and again!

Mixed Media Monday~recycle/repurpose

This week on Mixed Media Monday is one of my favorites, the majority of my art has something recycled or repurposed.  It is non stop.  This week I choose to recycle something very special given to me.  Elizabeth from All Things Paper has given me a lovely award. (and Elizabeth should really submit her new assemblage doll at MMM this week, it is awesome)

The rules are standard, pass along to 7 of your favorites.  Even though 7 is one of my favorite numbers I can not stop there so I am repurposing this award and GIVING IT TO ALL OF YOU.  First to all of you wonderful, sweet artists who participate at Mixed Media Monday.  You are the most kind and supportive people around.  Your blogs are all gorgeous and welcoming and even though I may not get a chance to comment, I am looking and you are all so inspiring to me.  PLEASE COPY THIS, TAKE THIS AWARD AND FOLLOW OR NOT THE RULES.   Tell everyone I chose you and post it proudly.  You are amazing individuals.  If you came here via any other route or are amongst my loyal bee spotters, I love ya and your blog.  Please take this.  I have been wanting to post this for few days now but the links would overwhelm this page...and I really do need to get to sleep tonight.

Please leave a comment here saying you took it, promise me you will take it and I will link you up here

And thank you all so kindly for visiting Pajama girl and her fun art she is so proud of!

Numbers~Mixed Media Monday 8/18/8

I have noticed a lot of talk about numbers lately and sort of had an idea of how I would incorporate them in my art.  Mixed Media Monday really gave me a push with using "Numbers" for this weeks theme.  I wanted this to be a true beautiful art piece and took my time.  Seven has always been "my" number...my birthday is the 7th, Kev's the 17th, my mom the 27th, and Lauren is another 7.  Three is always around as well,  lots of 3's for Lauren, there are 3 humans and 3 dogs living in our house and broken down to 3 males and 3 females total.  There are 3's that are very special to me, too many to write about.  Then good old "9"...which is Kev's lucky number...has become a good one for me too! 

If you get a minute I found this in Leah's post "Signs".  It was an article called "Strength in Numbers" and really moved me to the point of chills and welling up with tears.  I beelieve in signs, mostly from nature, but there really is a connection with numbers somehow.  Maybe it is all linked... so just who? ...is telling us what?... and how?  is what I answer in:

SECRET NUMBERS

The breakdown:

First I gathered background colors, a cool old postcard for the numbers and covered a yummy deep sided 12x12" canvas.

Next I  drew with a charcoal pencil my image, rolled paint in background areas, gessoed the image and painted.

Then I added details then mixed black and brown paint with all the other colors on my pallet paper then rolled the sides with the mosh of paint.  My roller is nothing more than a pastry roller covered with masking tape.   (not to fear, I do not make pastries-just a guilt purchase at one of those home party gigs)

   

  I also enjoyed adding a real pressed flower to my secret girl's hair.  The truth is I am not even sure who she is.  Maybe Lauren in the future, maybe  stranger I will meet someday.  Maybe it is not important who she is, she doesn't seem to mind us not knowing. 

Some of the details I love are the old butterfly stamps in the background and the pink egg.  Perhaps this is the guardian angel being assigned to the bird in the making...perhaps it's secret is the number it is sending with the soon to be new life.

More nature elements here.  If you listen close enough...see clear enough.  There is a wonder of nature trying to tell you something.  Maybe it is even in the numbers!

Fashion Relics

As promised I am posting the other fun stuff I had played with for Mixed Media Monday's fashion week starting 8/11/08.   I have such a fun box full of vintage sewing goodies and this is only the beginning.  These are done on wood blocks, slightly over 3 inch square.  They are covered with old French work book pages, just love the font.  The photo does not do them justice.  I was playing with a lamp I bought on clearance a while back that is suppose to give "natural daylight", will have to play some more.  They look a bit "bright washed" or something.  Also think I need a picture from an angle so the depth can be enjoyed.

A little less bold than the last post...but if I can't "Bee Random" while I am "Beeing Creative" I just would not "Bee Myself"

Fashion-Mixed Media Monday 8/11/08

Mary's dramatic fashion moment was a bit contrary for her time.

This is my 9x12 canvas board submission for Mixed Media Monday's theme of fashion for 8/11/08.  It is slightly cut off due to size and scanner bed.  I stumbled on this great old picture and it spoke to me.  The body was left over in my scraps from another project which I used the face for.  How fast it all collided once I threw on some paint.  Was not sure it would even make my cut, but now I am drawn to it. 

I also did a few more pieces fashion related and will post soon.

Generations~Mixed Media Monday 7/28/08

"Maggie and Jiggs just started a new generation...however Jiggs was unaware that "Mother" and her shotgun were part of the wedding package..."

This week's theme on MMM is "Generations" .  A while back I picked up an interesting photo at an antique shop.  We looked at it and came up with all sorts of stories trying to figure out who is who and what just happened. 

I used a quote from an old autograph book and fun sheet music that was very fitting.  The button centers are from a "how to fix a TV" book but looked sort of like family tree links...had to add them in my need to figure out who was who.  All coated in bees wax since it was still out.  (the middle button started to melt from the heat gun as I was smoothing it out.  I used a scanned down version of the picture since the original was too faded and large.  There is a piece of old mica over the top which made it a bit hard to capture in the photo of it.  All done on a wood around 7" square.

Below is a better glimpse of the old photo.

Let's have tea~ Mixed Media Monday 7/14/08

This week the theme for Mixed Media Monday is "Let's have Tea!  I am a coffee girl myself but "tea" is social, and it can be quite tasty.  Any guesses what goes best with tea, HONEY.  So my entry for this week is "A Taste of Honey"  so bee a honey and have some tea with me!

It stems from my sketch book of ideas (just a book of rough sketches, notes and doodles) .  I love the way tea cups are so beautiful, like flowers.

The actual art piece was done on some heavy velum, painted red, then sheet music, distress inks, bee-utiful papers and some gloopy string gel medium I mixed with a golden glaze.  My hope was to get it to look like honey, but it is one of those things you will not know the true result until it dries.  So it now looks like tea, a bit heavy on the cream.  That's ok, sounds yummy right now.  Show me the honey and pour in the cream and I will drink tea with anyone!  (could you throw in a few cute cookies as well)

A lot of the texture to the background was added by those great foam stamps that you heat with a heat gun and press anything into.  I knew it was a risk but I pressed it onto a sheet of bees wax praying it would not melt and become a mess!  It worked and was my first time trying them, they are so cool.  I thought I found out about them from Leah at Creative Every Day  but now can not remember.  Leah, can you help me out here?  Anyway I know there was a link to another artist who I beelive was also an art teacher and had a whole little "how to" on using them.  Ugh!  wish I could remember.  The tea bag tag is from an actual teabag, complete with tiny staple.  I did not put a handle on the cup yet and am not sure it needs one, it looked like a bit much with everything else going one and besides, it could be on the back side of the cup.

Need to sign off for now but remember, if life gets sour give them all ....

Update on the foam stamps:  7/17/08

Thank you Leah for posting you friend's link in the comment section about the foam stamps.  Bridget at The Matchbox  is the artist I found out about these fun stamps.  Her tutorial is a must see.  I bought them at Clearsnap.  Once there go to the "Stamps" tab and "magicstamp".  They sell at $8 for a pack of 8!