Carla Sonheim class

At the Art and Soul Retreat, I took a class with Carla Sonheim on the last day. She taught some really great techniques, some that I have yet to develop, but I particularly loved the result of her background techniques. 

All you do is cover the background with gesso, then apply a wash of watercolor. The colors come out really subtle and I love them. 

Now what to do with those marvelous colors. So I got the idea to  make a whole series of panels with hearts, based on the sewing techniques I was picking up from the Ruth Rae book: Layered, tattered and stitched. 

Huh, it is rather addictive, and I made a dozen.... All these are small panels, 4 x 6.

This last one is a larger panel, 8.5 x 7.5. I love the catching of a little heart or a rose behind the gauze. It's a bit hard to render on the screen, you'll just have to take my word for it. All in all, immense fun. I look forward to your feedback. It's obviously not my usual style, and I wonder if they're just too sweet.

The whole Vegas retreat was a bit of overwhelm for me, some of it having to do with the town itself. There was also so  much sensory overload, walking through casinos with lights, fake sounds of fake winnings of fake money. The stores were full of amazing products, colors. I got home and fears I'd never produce a piece of art again.