Potted Plant #2

This too was based on one of the painting from the January 30 x 30 challenge, #26. This time I made the leaves and pot from newsprint and the background oil paint. I am really enjoying the process, painting with newsprint. I will continue with this technique... it sort of got me hooked.

40 x 30 

Wrapped Canvas

Newsprint and Oils

Snake Plant #2

Continueing with oils and collage work. This snake plant was based on #27, one of the paintings I did for the January 30 x 30 challenge, larger with a new twist... I really had to sit on my hands and not add any coloring, at Heleni's suggestion. Really don't know where orange came from. Maybe from the other side of the newsprint that I peeled away

40 x 30 cm

Wrapped Canvas

Newsprint Collage with charcoal sketch

Before I peeled the sketch

Snake Plant Collage

I really enjoyed doing the collage for workshop project. I love collages but never really thought of it as a media that I could connect to. During the challenge I met a great collage artist Hannah Klaus Hunter and was so inspired by her work I felt I had to give it a try. I don't have collections of fabrics, papers and other stuff, just plain newspint,so off I go. I  thought that the snake plant would be a good subject because of its simple shapes.This was done directly on the grey cardboard. I taped all the edges because the cardboard tends to fray. Background oils , leaves and planter newsprint  with caran d'ache crayon and some oil pastel drawings.

Snake Plant Collage

37 x 37 cm

Newsprint with crayons and oils

Here are some of the stages of this painting.

Rough Graphite Sketch

Chico likes my painting

or maybe just

the chair

Painted background with 

leaves pasted

Metamorphosis

Strange name and strange painting. I can't count the many stages and layers did. It changed so many times.  I find myself really struggling with oils and cold wax..... and abstracts not related to any reference material.  Heleni feels that my best works have some basis in a reference even when I do them abstractly. She may be right, but I am not going to give up so quickly.

This was done on a gessoed cardboard.  Oils and cold wax scratching etc.  Really don't know if its finished so I am posting.  Welcome any suggestions or critique.

35 x 35 cm 

Oils and Cold Wax

Gessoed Cardboard.

My Postcards On Their Way

This January through the challenge I met some wonderful artists and work. On Shiela's blog, I learned about a postcard swap run by Kat Sloma and got hooked on the idea. Ok, my daughter works for a professional printer and decided to get an estimate.  I knew I would need to print more than just the 5 needed for the swap but wasn't quite ready to print 100. So I decided to print them myself at a photo printer and paste the backs with card stock.

Postcards Ready to Go

First printing didn't come out so well because of the different proportions here. I thought they could print my 11 x 15 cm files on the 13 x 18 cm size and I would trim them to size.  Didn't quite work out that way and they printed up to large without margins... Rechecked my files to see that they were indeed 11 x 15 and they were.  Back to another printer and the same thing happened, saw on the monitor without printing. They suggested that I try to paste my file on the larger file in photoshop.  In the end used the "canvas size" option to get the results.  Had them trimmed at the printers and was ready to make the backings since I couldn't order stick on backs and no printer prints both sides like my first estimate.  Looked over the tutorial and found the best way for me was 3 strips of double sided tape and UHU stick. Pasted on one edge and trimmed the other 3 sides. My daughter didn't like the backs because they were hand made.

Well, maybe next year I will print professionally... What will I do with 100 postcards?  The price was good about 40 cents a card. Any suggestions!!!!

Rock Face Abstract

I am missing the dynamics of the January 30 x 30. Not jut the painting but also all the work in the background. Photography and post editing, posting the blog and linking up. Anyone else feeling this vacuum?

This has been on the burner for quite awhile, mainly for 2 reasons. The first Heleni thought that it worked in its current stage, and two I was busy with the January 30 x 30 challenge to really tackle it. I felt it was just the beginning and needed more definition.

I finally decided to use a dry media on this work. Oil pastels with medium and without in order to retain the free and spontaneous feel but with not too much overwork. I was pleased with the result and Heleni was as well!

Second Stage

Thinned oils  and Oil Pastel

on gessoed cardboard

35 x 35 Cm

Stage I

Thinned oils on gessoed cardboard

35 x 35 Cm