Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to All!
These little Gingerbread houses were my card for my Art Critique Group card exchange. It is about 5" x 10" and with the crease in the fold it will sit on a table or shelf.  I signed on the back just in case they wanted to use it again next year.
Watercolor and Pen

Cold Wax Workshop

 My workshop buddy, Sharla and I went to another fabulous workshop to explore something new to both of us, Cold Wax Oil Painting.  This was in San Luis Obispo and was led by Jerry McLaughlin who was very knowledgable, friendly, funny, hospitable and ok, he was just plain wonderful.
Here are four of my five pieces we worked on layering and scraping over the four days of learning the cold wax techniques.

12" x 16"

The first one has more of the feel of one of my monoprints and I liked the way the colors swirl around the piece.  This next one was a happy accident that I pushed into a new direction.  I had scraped through the layers to build up textures and then put another coat of white and turquoise wax on top which I didn't like so I decided to scrape it all off….and Voilá… adding a little more strategic turquoise this one was done.  It has a watery landscape feel to me.

12" x 16"

Then somehow or other I ended up in space.  After adding layers I scraped out the circle and then rolled a veil of red over part of the circle. Then placing a circle of wax paper over the scraped area I used a palette knife to add the black wax aura.  A couple of black lines balanced out the painting.

8" x 12"

I had also scraped the circle and lines out of this one and added the same idea of a black aura around the circle.  I was just about to throw the wax paper out when I notices the wonderful black wax from the aura technique and pressed it into the piece.  Using my little sticks from Sharla I added the black lines along the path through space.

12" x 16"

Check out Jerry at jerrymclaughlinart.com
There is also a wonderful book:
Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations by Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin

Doing what I Can…..

Still trying to get in some art here and there as my broken arm heals.  This is a ghost print of a monoprint plate done last semester.  A ghost is made by pulling a second print from a plate without adding thing else to the plate.  I had used some weeds to get the plant images on the first print and this is the ink that was left under those weeds when I removed then.  I then added my black pen and color pencils to add more interest to the print.

5.5" x 14" Monoprint
Pen and Color Pencil

Another monoprint which was just a two color background with a blue string placed on the plate.    I felt this was another fun one to get out my pen and play with Zentangle.  After I was finished with the pen it was rather flat so I added some white pencil to try and give it some depth.

5" x 5" Monoprint
Pen and White Pencil

This Zentangle was another one from my 5" Handbook that I found I had not shared yet.  Starting in the center I drew single Mooka style petals and added ink to the center to make the petals pop.  I felt it could use a border and I though Quabog would fit nicely!  I also really enjoy doing Quabog with the flow of a continual line.

5" Handbook and Pen

Broken Summer

Broken as in arm complete with surgery! Don't try this at home or anywhere else for that matter! Lucky for me it was my left non dominant hand so some art is still happening but very limited.

This is a 5.5" x 14" monoprint that I had started some line work on and was able to finish with a slow but sure approach.  I used the new Tomboy Mono pens which worked very nicely on the water based inks.

My sister said it looks like jazz!


Monoprint and Ink Pen

Left behind Zentangles

Finally finished my 5 inch Handbook of "On the Go Zentangles" and realized I hadn't posted a bunch of them.

These pages were filled at airports, doctor visits, ZenFriends meetings, quiet moments at home, while the grandkids are napping and when just waiting for whatever!

Here is an example of my unconventional borders.  Not symmetrical but frames or anchors the images nicely.  Many times, I will breakup the background of page of Zentangles which really ties the images together.

This one started out with an "almost border" as part of the design.  Great fun watching this one develop.  Just kept adding fescus ( the little curls) until it said, "Done"

More to come….

Robots, Robots, Robots

 My grandson, Mason and I are pen pals, even though we live 20 minutes away from each other.  He loves snail mail! He sent me some artwork so I looked in my paper stash and found some Stonehenge print paper scraps.  Using a refillable marker I drew these two robots with High Flow Acrylic paint and mailed them to him with instructions from the robots to use his watercolors to paint them.  Because the lines are acrylic they will not smear when he adds the colors.

5" x 15"

I also posted the first two robots on face book and my niece thought they were very cool.  I asked if her son, my great nephew would like a robot…. I know silly question.  So these robots are on the Snail Mail Trail and on their way to Gavin.

 5" x 15" and 5" x 7.5"


I do have to say I really enjoyed using the refillable maker and drawing these guys.
Too much fun!

First Summer Art with Mason

Lucky me I got to play with my grandsons while mommy and daddy were out of town.  What fun and yes I was totally exhausted but ready to do it again!  While they were here Mason and I were able to get in a little art time while little brother napped.

I had drawn the black lines using a fillable maker with Golden high flow acrylic paint and then Mason and I had a great time adding all the beautiful bright watercolors.

Then he had a "great" idea and wanted a big butterfly cut out of the colorful paper.  The little hearts were cut out of the left over paper.  He loved the process of laying down the colors next to each other and watching the way they blended and mixed before our eyes.

Original paper 9" x 12"

Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico

My friend, Sharla and I attended The Call of the Wild Soul at the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.  It was a great time searching our souls and putting it all toward the journey of art making.  One of the workshops I took involved Eco dying which I loved!  Here is all the papers and silks I did the first day.

The eco dying was led by Elizabeth Bunsen and we were all amazed at the results of the day.  The second day was led by Orly Avineri and we put all those pieces to good use.  We were challenged to make something wearable for lunch that day and I put together this little medicine type pouch.  There is a stained tea bag over the Hibiscus tea stained paper stitched on the sides and bottom to make a little pocket.  The little heart is a copy of my grandmother's handwriting stained with paint.

Orly had us work on a flattened box.  The idea being that it would not become precious but to concentrate on the journey.  This is the beginning of one side of the cardboard with a little collage. We started with white, then watered it down and used a pipette and then mixed it a color to finished the last third.

Here is the other side started with black gesso.  It has paint, collage of paper and silk using some of the eco dyed pieces as well as one of my old wood block prints.  Very interesting and I'm liking what is happening but what do I do with it now?

Refold it into a book cover!  This is the front with a narrow flap folded over from the back on the right side.  I loved this idea as soon as I folded it into this shape. I really like the little peek a boo corners from the inside showing.

Here is the back when folded.  I am not sure how this will develop as I work more in the inside to make it richer and then what pages of who knows what will go inside but I am ready when the time come to continue the journey.


Book size  10.5" x 13.5"

Open  10.5" x 21"

Pushing the Plate

I had some time to play a little last semester in my Monoprint class because I have such awesome people in class who work away making wonderful prints.

Using torn paper I created the background of hills and mountains.  The viewing lady was cut from file folder as well as the flowery swirls which were all inked and placed on top of the inked plate.

This is the finished print pulled from that first plate but…….

there is still the original background ink left on the plate that was masked by the added stencils of the swirls and the lady.  Using that same unwashed plate I added a little more ink and then inked up more cut out stencils of the foliage and the honeycomb and yes I did cut that honeycomb.

This is the print pulled from the first plate with some manipulation of more ink and stencils.  I call this "pushing the plate".  You can only get the second print if you pull the first print and use the information left on the plate.

These prints are 8" x 10"

One of these prints will be the raffle prize at the May Tustin Art League meeting where I will be doing a Monoprint Demonstration.  I couldn't decide which one to use so I framed them both and will give the winner their choice.

Take a Day and Come out to Play

If you live in my area come out and play for a full day of fun and creativity.  This is a beginning introduction to Zentangle and the fun and relaxation you didn't even know you were looking for.  Try something new, meet some new people and most of all come for the fun!

Zentangled Monotype

It started with a monotype.  I rolled different colors of ink onto the plate in a random way.  Then I took the plate to the sink and dripping water onto the inked plate I tipped and turned the plate manipulating the inks on the surface until I was happy with the results. Next I left the plate to dry and then pulled this monotype.

After the print was dry I played with pen and ink and this is the result.  I saw trees, foliage and rocks on the monotype and so that's what I went with using a nice juicy black gel pen and a white paint pen I created this magical little forest.

Monotype

Pen and Ink

9"x 11"

Encaustic Collagraph Workshop

New fun!  I took a great workshop from Elise Wagner at David A. Clark's studio in Palm Springs.
I have worked on collagraph plates before but not with encaustic wax.  A collagrah plate is a printmaking plate that has texture in the design.  Then the plate is inked and a print is pulled, then more or different inks and more printing.
This is my plate which is a plexiglass plate that I etched some lines into and then using the wax and heating tools I built up my plate.  I took the picture on paper so you could see the design.

This is the first print I pulled from the plate.  Using a plain plexi plate I inked it up with the grey ink and manipulated the ink with a cloth and q tips making the white swirls.  The collagraph plate was inked with a dark blue ink and then wiped to leave ink in the textured areas.   The background plate is printed first and the plates are swapped and the collagraph plate is printed on top of the first prints.

This is the second print with a different color and manipulated background but using the same color on the collagraph plate.  Again using the double drop technique, printing two plates on one sheet of paper.

The plates and prints are 8" x 8"  The design at the bottom of the plate was made using a doily made by my grandma Ethel.

This print was done by using the blue ink that was left on the collagraph plate and top rolling a peachy color over the plate.  The back ground plate was also top rolled with a rosy color over the ink that was left form the first run through the press.  Again a double drop print.

Check out elisewagner.com and davidaclarkstudio.com to see some of their great works and their workshop schedule.

David does Encaustic monoprints and we are planning on a return trip to Palm Springs for another adventure in his studio.