Stencil Me In

This spread from my journal shows a much used stencil that finally fell apart so I just glued what was left into my journal.  How did I do it?  Well, I roamed through pictures of myself and found one I thought I could work with to make a stencil.  Okay, now what?  How do I do this?  I surfed to find tutorials on stencil making.  I like what Gary Reef is doing.  I used PhotoShop to get the picture "stencil ready".  Once I printed on card stock and used that as the stencil.  Another time, I printed on plain paper, stuck it under glass, put the acetate film on top of the glass and used an exacto knife to cut into the film using the printed drawing under the glass as a guide. 

These are some that worked out quite well.  Going clockwise:  acetate film, card stock, acetate film.  (The bottom one is very well used.  I got paper stuck to it.)

Here's To Golden

"Pink" re-do in my journal

After seeing that Golden has developed digital grounds, I got very excited, so when they first came out I bought white (matte) then had to tried clear (gloss).  There are caveats to these products.  One being to allow it to thoroughly dry after application to your chosen paper as to not mess up your printer.  I read the literature and really wanted to give it a go.  I experimented with an older drawing with strong lines.  The paper I put through the printer was slightly shiny with pictures and text.  I brushed on the clear (gloss) ground like the bottle says, held my breath while it went through my printer.  Naturally, I didn't leave it as is.  Once glued in the the journal, I decided to paint the face so it would stand out a bit and then paint around the print.  I like the idea of these digital grounds and plan to do a lot more playing around.

Nature's Guidance

Nature's Guidance

When I allow myself a time of silence ideas flow freely.  Sometimes it's hard to contain them and other times the rush can be paralyzing.  I then think: where do I start?  What to do done first?  But when I start, it's magic.  I grab a pencil, a color, a brush and began as if called to.  It's interesting when I move myself out of the way what comes through.  The hard part is to get myself out of the way, to shut off that critical mind, to quell the chatter.  Painting has become a form of meditation.  It's my practice of letting go.

Back Form Martha's Vineyard

I had a fantastic few days off on Martha's Vineyard.  I love this island.  I took the Fast Ferry over from Providence, R.I.

My mom's in there somewhere as a member of the Polar Bears, a group of ladies who meet at the beach and exercise way too early in the day.

       

The weather was perfect.  Lots of fun and sun.  Some shopping and eating.  Yum!!

"Be yourself: Everyone else is already taken."

Self-Portrait

This portrait is painted on 8x8 patterned scrapbook paper using Shiva oil paintstiks.

The above title is a quote by Oscar Wilde.  An Irish dramatist, novelist and poet (and an interesting character), living in the latter part of the 19th century.  Anywho, I am adding some quotes on the blog, to which I've included this one.  Right over there on the lower left side.
If you come across anything moving, inspiring let me know.
Here's another from Mr. Wilde.  "Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."

Postcards From My Heart

Shhh

My postcards arrived!  I love the way they turned out.  I went to Vistaprint to order 100 of these babies.  And they came in no time.  I feel good about them.  The image is from my sketchbook, where I used acrylic paint, ink pencils and a white gel pen.
Tell me what you think?
When you look at her, what one word comes to mind?

Fear vs. Dream

from my sketchbook

Last week my momentum took a dive.  I was on my way toward establishing incremental movements forward and I hit the wall.  Fear entered my thoughts and took over.  It gave me tons of excuses.  I am so tired.  I can't think straight.  Nothing I do is any good anyway.  Boy, oh, boy did I complain.  Yet, somehow I did manage to read a book and near the end this line jumped out at me: "You must not die with the dreadful feeling that your fears were greater than your dreams..."  Okay, I get it.  I need to saddle up and take the reins.  And ignore my monkey mind.  It'll take me in directions I don't want to go and waste my time and zap my energy and well, you get the picture.
This week I am working on some good stuff.  Yep, the ideas are flowing again.  And I am feeling good about what's next.

Moving Forward

Pretty In Pink

Today, I listed my first piece on Etsy.  I've had the banner up of my shop for awhile, but today I made a move forward.  I listed a painting, yes, just one.  I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it was for me to move past self imposed obstacles.  The mind chatter was relentless:  what are you going to charge for shipping, are you going to consider shipping internationally (why am I obsessing about shipping), you can't post just one piece, what are you doing, you don't have any shipping materials, again-what are you doing, your profile doesn't seem finished and on and on.  Okay, so my profile is not finished.  I can always add to it.  I decided to not let that stop me, to not let that and some others things postpone my move forward.  Waiting for everything to be perfect, is a great excuse for me not to do anything at all.  I was leaning on that one a little too long.
So, today, I released her name, wrote a bit of a description and let go.  She's on Etsy now.  Today, I am breathing easier because I am not holding on to "what if".  Today, I took a step toward how I envision myself: a working artist.