day 1 of 29 faces

i often start a new piece from paper or a canvas

that was perviously used.  it feels familiar and 

friendly to add paint or watercolor to substrate that 

had a previous life.  the other side of this heavy

watercolor paper is turquoise and embossed from the

imprint of rosemary and   bougainvillea from my yard.  

when i turned the the paper around i saw a lovely, soft

bleed through of color.  i added bits and pieces of tea bag

which matched and created the darker edge of her hair.  then

sketched in a soft face with pencil.   i always like a challenge and 

look forward to 28 more faces this month.  click on the link to 

see what other artists create.

lucky me!

seth apter, mixed media artist, innovative blogger, 

author of numerous books, designer,  collaborative artist

are among many his many talents.  he recently celebrated 

8 years of blogging with a giveaway drawing.  i was one of

four winners from over 200 entries.

for hours of inspiration visit seth's blog.  

thank you, seth!

i often use stencils, both original and store bought, 

in various ways.   the piece below is an example.

indigo lady, mixed media

stencils were used in unconventional ways to make papers which

are glued to  on the left side  of this piece.   

first, i selected a  magazine page, placed a stencil 

underneath and sanded.  you can sand heavily or lightly, depending

on the effect you desise.   at the recent whidbey island 

workshop i attended, i learned to layer this technique 

by using multiple  stencils and then spraying it with dyes

so that you are literally creating your own ephemeral.   

i  hen tore pieces and adhered it to a cradle board.  

there  is really no end  to the number of layers 

one can use in a mixed media piece. 

close up

you can barely make out the little fish shapes 

swimming  in water in the  upper left corner.

i have been on an adventure.

where do i start?  first, start with a

reunion of five art friends who met 

together one afternoon on my deck for a magical

afternoon of art journaling and our sharing lives.

john from a seattle suburb, terry from minnesota,

brian from long beach and jacki from orange county.

we were quite happy to be together as you can see.

john, terry and brian team taught an art 

journaling extravaganza.

                        

with thirteen artists for three full days and even 

some of us crazy enough to come back for more 

after a  group dinner out.    there were many moments,

memories, spectacular sunrise and sunsets.   the best

was the deepening of friendships old and new.  

now back to paint paint paint.  i have added a tab 

at the top of my page which lists all of the paintings 

to be shown at the third annual gallery in the garden

hosted by my friend, diane dunn.  i hope you have time

for a virtual visit.  

a journal spread.  t's orange influenced by jacki long

a wonderful weekend to all!

it's friday and i am posting with paint party friday

mixed media on paper

morning

why do we bother with the rest of the day,

the swale of the afternoon

the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes, 

his many-pointed stars?

this is the best~

throwing off the light covers,

feet on the cold floor,

and buzzing around the house on espresso~

maybe a splash of water on the face,

a palmful of vitamins~

but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,

the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,

a cello on the radio,

and, if necessary, the windows~

trees fifty, a hundred years old

out there,

heavy clouds on the way

and the lawn steaming like a horse

in the early morning.

billy collins

sailing alone around the room

a lovely day to all

X O X O

posting with paint party friday

mixed media on board

welcome to my friends and

fellow artists. 

posting with paint party friday 

all that you are seeking is also 

seeking you.

~franz kafka

remembering, acrylic, mixed media

i joined a friend at the getty museum

to celebrate her birthday.

los angeles scape, getty succulent garden

i was thrilled that she choose the getty  as it is one of my 

absolute favorite spots in los angeles.  with each visit

i feel as if i had been to a wondrous destination.

there is a feast for the eyes from any angle.

i apologize... i thought i  took more architectural 

photos to post but when i came home i realized that

i only had a few.  hopefully you get a chance to treat yourself

when you are in los angeles.

manet's painting, spring, was a recent

acquisition on display in all of its 

splendor

in the same room was van gogh's 

iris, which i never tire of seeing.

degas' russian dancers and the art of pastel was 

yet another exhibit to view.  this painting in particular 

took my breath away as i entered the room.  the light 

degas caught in her skirt was indescribably beautiful.

it almost shimmered.

andrea del sarto: the renaissance workshop inaction displayed the artist 

renderings and  studies along with the finished paintings.

i was particularly taken with his use of  red chalk which i had never heard of.

and finally animal,  photos by various artists.

i love this sweet owl by the american photographer

hiro

i hope you enjoyed this mini tour of the getty museum.

thank you kristin and eva for continuing 

to host paint party friday.

street heart nestled in dried leaves

i appreciate your visit here.  thank you for taking your

time to comment.  i love hearing from each of you.

have  a lovely week.

my experimental art group had a swap.  we each brought

supplies, ephemerah, fabric and other materials

for a swap.  we were not to bring anything back home.

i got this painted canvas.  it's quite a nice 

start, don't you think?

i wish i took more process photos but here it is

part way through after i added more paint and 

a sketch.

and the end result is my first mermaid.  i have been surrounded

by the pacific ocean all of my life as well as taking a recent 

trip to many distant ports.   i enjoyed the  challenge of starting 

with colors i don't  normally  use  and making it mine.  

i have been away on a dream trip and i will share a few photos.  

i was busy sightseeing, eating and drinking in all of the 

sights that i did not take as many pictures as usual.  but 

i returned home with memories of destinations of places 

 that i have wanted to see and a full heart.

i travel light--one carry one for almost 3 weeks.

i had clothes that i didn't wear and will

take even less the next time.  friends call

me the packing queen....i work at it.

i share this post today with  paint party friday.

for those of you you who are visiting  today,

welcome and  thank you for taking your time.

a lovely summer weekend to all!

X   O   X   O   X  O