Second jacqueline sullivan painting

Maybe I shouldn't blame the painting on Jacqueline Sullivan. I do have a few collages on there which is certainly not part of the course.
I had this idea of India, so gathered my pieces to be glued at some point.
I had intended for this piece to be blue, then I fell in love with the golds and oranges, and here it is, not blue at all!!!

I tried to keep it reasonably light, but it sure does look intense.

The theme is India, with its mystery, and its secrets that can be (l)earned through meditation and practicing detachment. I may add a bit more to it after I sleep on it, but it's pretty much there.



This is my first work of this size. It's 14 x 12. It's made on a piece of melamine board that I had in the garage. It weighs a ton, so it probably will never hang anywhere!!! lol

Still in the learning process, and loving it immensely.

Photoshop portrait

I've been playing with a Photoshop tutorial and of course
I love type so this was perfect for me.
It was really not too hard, and took probably 3 hours.

I'm quite thrilled with the results and with myself. ;-))

Now what can I go play at?

An amazing video

OK, so I'm all into altered books. But this short video is beyond anything I could have dreamed. Only 2.11 minutes.

The Kiwis' got it. Enjoy!

Work space

Or is that a play room? I certainly love spending time here. I used to work only in the downstairs kitchen, over a tiny counter and standing up. My back decided pretty quickly that it was not going to do, and yesterday, I moved into the downstairs den.

It's a wonderful area, and I'm surrounded with my books. There is a woodstove, which is working overtime right now and a couch for the pooch.

I've covered the table with contact plastic to protect it so that I can still paint on it. Next, I might get myself a comfortable chair but it's OK at the moment, still I'm never leaning back anyway.

Lat night, I did a little christmas project that I had seen online this week and I think it came out ok:

That put me right in the christmas mood and I had decided that I'd start christmas early this year, so I put up the tree today. It looks mighty fine.

I had some serious help, with the black puppy visiting from across the street and giving advice.



Mr Paul was quite happy to have the company, since I was ignoring him with my christmas preparations. And yes, his chin is .... some color. He found one of the red plastic apple decoration and made short order of desintegrating it. Red paws, red mouth. Too bad it was not his nose. We could have found a job for him in a few weeks. (And his brother's name is already Rudi!!!!)

But, no, he's rolling around on his back right now, waiting for me to go play. Sooo, it's goodbye till nex time.

Calligraphy

I've been taking an online calligraphy class with the group Creative Workshops. I am a first believe that there is no better way to learn online than to watch videos.

I've owned a calligraphy set for years. Doesn't everyone? I never quite managed to get the letters right and let it sit on the shelf.

This time, I watched and was shown precisely how the letters are formed, and there is no way to make a mistake. All it takes is lots of practice. LOOOOOOOTS of practice. But the results are satisfying even at this early stage, and I'm having fun.

The satisfying part is when I can start using the letters for small poems or to compose my own. Let's be clear that the circle and the yellow pages are NOT my own, but exercises. The other two are mine, and the little poem came at the end of my pen as I was laying the letters down. I know that's an absolute NO NO, but it came easily.

Jacqueline Sullivan class

I just bought of DVD of painting techniques by Jacqueline Sullivan. I really believe that video step by step of the process is the best online learning tool. You can go back, take your time, watch it over, and it's usually more precise than just a pdf file. I'm completely sold on the process.

She teaches acrylic techniques with everything UNDER the kitchen sink incorporated in the painting. I'm reasonably satisfied with my results. I like the warmth of the colors and the amazing textures.

I have just fallen in love with Golden Quadrachrodone Nickel Azo Gold, which Jacqueline uses a lot as well. I've also used some copper, metal blue and metal green acrylic paints.

My father

On the consecrated field
where your ashes are laid
one lone rose petals red.




I should add that this photo is in fact where his ashes were spread.
It just took me 2 1/2 years to come up with the haiku...

Doodles

Ok, so I have a new addiction. Zentangles. When I can't think of any more art for the moment, I grab a pen, and doodle. I've even done a journal page with doodles.

Latest book project

This book didn't scream at all. I used an old paperback that I was not going to read. (Theocritus' Ydylls to be honest...) and made myself a little table Christmas tree. The pages are folded. Ask me if you want to know how to make it.

It's terribly sweet. I guess I'll just start the season early.

Julie Prichard painting class

Other than painting my various houses successfully, I'd say that i was pretty paint challenged.
I have been in awe of some of the gorgeous backgrounds I have seen produced by my art friends on our various yahoo homes.
So I signed myself up for an online class with Julie Prichard.

This first one is supposed to be reminiscent of the sea. I have to admit that the original is way darker than that.

This next one is lesson three. All these are made with many layers, and the lessons are immense fun. Julie is very precise, and she shows each step as she takes it. Can't ask for better than that for an online class.
I can't imagine these paintings as background for our journal, but that's what they're for.
Maybe.

Fish in winter

I guess you could say that I'm in my aboriginal phase. I've always wanted to try designing with the dot theme, but after 16 years in Australia, I never quite got round to it. Until last night.
Here's my winter inspired fish, drawn with a gel pen on a black ground. A pleasure to draw.

I'm amazed at the similarities between aboriginal designs and zentangles. I guess those doodles are deeply ingrained in our brain drawing centers. Or Carl Jung would say that they are part of our cosmic unconscious. Whatever.

It's certainly very restful creating it.

Photoshop in winter

I'm back with Photoshop. Now that I've added 1Gb of Ram, I'm hoping it will work faster.

This is my version of "winter" for a challenge on ABC-alteredbooks. I guess winter for me always brings images of snow and cold.

I'll have to start making pictures of fireplaces, or maybe beaches in the sun to escape to.

Sketchbook start

I've collaged the pages of the sketchbook, since I don't sketch.

I've used some of my montages from Photoshop, and combined them.
My theme is Past, Present, Future.

I hold that there is no such thing as time. It's an illusion that man has created for.... organizing workers? I'm not sure.
But time in my opinion, doesn't really exist. It's an artificial construct, and all there is is NOW. The past is an imagination, a false memory. The future... never comes, if you really think about it.

With that in mind, I started to construct my sketchbook. I've done all the pages, now I need to add text.

Emerging

I'm posting the result of the past few days' experiments. I've been having a lot of fun, integrating the various classes I've taken online.

First, the Joggles class led by Sarah Whitmire, about paint techniques.


I took advantage of what I'd learned to 'fix' the cover of the art journal I'm making for the Artists of the Round Table site.

Then, I worked in my art journal, adding text to the backgrounds.

I've also gotten quite excited with the Teesha Moore videos on Youtube and have been practicing her techniques.

She generously shared her funky lettering method, and I'd been researching on the net some examples so I could practice.

Teesha Moore

The queen of journal making, I believe, certainly the one with the most definite and personal style, Teesha Moore just uploaded a ton of videos on Youtube showing her thinking and creating process step-by-step.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1z9Y3D7j8&feature=related
Her journals can be seen here: http://www.teeshamoore.com/teeshasjournalpgs.html

It's an incredibly generous offering, and many of us are madly emulating her techniques. I am struggling between knowing that I need to copy the master step-by-step to learn the skills, and wanting to do my own, and wander away already from her instructions.

Of course, I've also just finished 2 journal classes and am taking 2 online classes, plus watched all of Teesha's videos, so of course, I'd be influenced by all of them. Maybe that's a good way to avoid becoming a copycat.

Anyway, enough talk.

And to think that I have the luxury of spending my day just experimenting with art techniques, I know that I'm truly blessed. And immensely grateful for this luxury.

More art

Someone mentioned that we're having so much fun on these Yahoo groups, learning new techniques, we may be suffering from AADS Artistic Attention Deficit Syndrome. So much to learn, so little time.
I've just completed two online classes with the marvelous Sarah Whitmire, her Soul Journal, at www.caspiana.com and a journal altering class on Joggles.com.

Here's my journal cover and the back. It's in progress and it's so glaring so far, it probably needs to be shot and put out of its misery. But it's practice, right. I'd never done anything like this before. So I'll keep trying....

I've also been doing Zentangles before I go to sleep at night:

















And I've started an online class with Julie Prichard. It's video based, and it's all about paint techniques. Each session is a full painting from start to finish. I have not had a chance to start on that, I've only watched the videos so far. It's a really exciting process, and that's what I'll be working on today. Stay tuned...

Journal page

I've started an online class with Kelly Kilmer, A prompt a day for 30 days for the month of November. Since I've been traveling to Vancouver, I got a bit behind. The prompt for day 2 is: What word did someone give you?

I post my page here.

I know.... nothing profounds like "Love", or... Meditate, or...
But this one word, "Chihuahua" was really important to me when I was a kid. I just loved pronouncing it. It rolled off the tongue and it felt so sweet, like velvet.
I must have been 4 or 5, and I certainly didn't know what a chihuahua was.
I would say that word 5000 times a day.
At least.
Until my mother grew particularly sick of it.
And forbade me to say it.

I begged and pleaded and was eventually allowed to say it out loud 20 times.
She kept count.
And I would ask her: "Can I say it? Can I say it now?"

I'd go dance in the yard, or sing in my bedroom, chihuahua, chihuahua, chihuahua...

Even today it's a sweet word. I don't have any particular interest in what the word represents, but still love the sound of it.