Project Motherhood

“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.”   Donna Ball, At Home on Ladybug Farm

Last weekly workshop for the season. Crit on last project "motherhood" a subject that has been used for creativity since the beginning of human existence. After doing some basic research of how others dealt with this subject and collecting images from the Renaissance and more modern painters such as Chagall and Cecily Brown, statues and photographs as well, especially Dorothy Lange's famous photo journal of the migrant workers in the 30's I decided on two icon images. Matteo Giovanni Madona and Migrant Mother photograph by Dorothy Lange.

Matteo Giovanni

Dorothy Lange

Migrant Mother

Photo Montage 

In photoshop I was amazed by how the two faces merged together and I used this as my "inspiration"
A play of negative and positive. Went a bit over on the metallic gold!

Migrant Madonna

17.5" x 20.5"

Graphite and acrylic on heavy beige paper

What is more interesting was the discarded piece on the back that I am thinking of pulling out.

       Inspired by Cecily Brown and a bit of Chagall. Think it will be a good push and pull exercise!

Mothers WIP

20.5" x 17.5"

Day 19 30 in 30

Off to a Party Downtown

8" x 8"

watercolor paper

Collage  Gelli Prints  Painting

Started with a simple collage

Addition of Gelli printing before painting

Differences of coloring due to different cameras and time of shooting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 18 30 in 30

I See You Lurking in the Shadows

10" x 7"

Watercolor Paper

Collage  Gelli Prints  Painting

Acrylic

This is how it all started

Simple Collage 

Over the collage I added a few layers of 

Gelli printing using texture and masks before painting

Differences of coloring due to different cameras and time of shooting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 17 30 in 30

Sometimes the Exception Makes the Rules

10 x 7"

Gelli Prints  Collage  Masking Editing

Watercolor Paper

$45 at Artfinder

First Printing

Addition of Collage Pieces

Gelli Print with Masks

Before Editing with Paint

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 16 30 in 30

Sometimes the Ordinary Takes over Our Thoughts

8 x 8"

Gelli Prints  Collage  Masking Editing

Watercolor Paper

Prints + Collage

Masked Print Unedited

Differences of coloring due to different cameras and time of shooting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 15 30 in 30

I am finally getting a grip on painting in acrylics. I was in the habit of smearing the paint around on the palette like I do in oils, bad habit. They dry and form a film. Now I put each color in a small plastic cosmetic container (1" wide and 1/2+ deep) add a touch of retarder. Keeps them moist. 

Hey What's in That Bright Bag

7 x 10 "

Watercolor Paper

Gelli Prints

Collage

Acrylic Paints

3 layers Gelli Print

Added Collage

Gelli Print with Masks

Before final edit

Sorry about the color differences

2 cameras and different time frames

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 14 30 in 30

Walking Through Fields of Sunflowers

11" x 7"

Gelli Prints  Collage  Masking Editing

Watercolor Paper

45$ on ArtFinder

First layers of Gelli Prints

Added collage pieces

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 13 30 in 30

Windows Through the Exhibition

Heavy Paper

Gelli Print + collage

Acrylic painting

45$ at Artfinder

Collage pieces added to the layers of Gelli printing. This print was really ugly! What will this turn out to be? Now the hard part to choose the masks and try to imagine the negative spaces. Also placing them in the right place on the plate, If not surprise surprise. 

After the mask printing and before editing the image with paint, Better than that ugly above!

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 12 30 in 30

Use Leftover Paint 2

7" x  5"

Heavy Paper

Gelli Print + collage

Acrylic painting

Stage I

Green and Yellow Ghost Prints

Stage II

Collage pieces added

Stage III 

First masking

Stage IV

Second applications of masks

This print was then painted in acrylics to the finished piece as part of the process.

The difference of coloring is due to the different times of photography and different cameras. 

I have come to the conclusion the using my Canon G11 is better, even though it requires more processing than my smartphone.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 11 30 in 30

Use Leftover Paint 1

7" x  5"

Heavy Paper

Gelli Print + collage

Acrylic painting

After a session of painting, I had these real garish paints leftover, Hansa yellow deep and turquoise green. I hate throwing away good paint, so at 9PM  took out my 5 x 7 Gelli plate and with this result. I used a palette knife to spread the paint. Made 2 prints of turquoise and then spread the yellow and put that over the green. 

Gelli Prints

Yellow on Green

Stage I

Stage II

Added some collage pieces. 

Stage III

Mask I

Stage IV

Masks II

These masks were painted with acrylics to clean edges and fix mottled areas, which is part of the process, the final piece was finished.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 10 30 in 30

Anyone for a Sweet Lollipop

21 x 20

Heavy Paper

Collage Gelli Print

Painting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 9 30 in 30

Cluck Cluck Cluck Music to My Ears

11.5 " x 8"

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

click to enlarge

Among the yard cats and a rabbit that visit us is Chicken Bella that lets us know she wants her meal.
We buy her mixed seeds. 

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 8 30 in 30

Peek A Boo I See You

11.5 " x 8"

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

Collage  Gelli Prints Painting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 7 30 in 30

X Marks the Spot

11.5 " x 8"

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

Collage  Gelli Prints  Painting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 6 30 in 30

You Either See It or You Don't

 8" x 11.5 "

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

Gifted

Collage  Gelli Prints  Painting

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 5 30 in 30

Trying to Find My Way

11.5 " x 8"

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

This piece was made first by putting on collage pieces and then doing Gelli Prints. Sort of messed up with this one because I covered too much of the pieces. This was edited by painting.  

The quote free translation:

It is impossible to love life when you always refer to sorry as garbage that you have to get rid of.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!

Day 4 30 in 30

Cutting it pretty close. 9:20 AM 

Morroco Morroco I Miss You So

11.5 " x 8"

Beige Striped Paper

Gelli Print Collage

Painting

Acrylic

Last evening I, at last, started editing 5 Gelli Prints that I had put aside as failures. Don't know why I put this stage off but as soon as I put the paints out and started got in the mode. I thought of cutting them up but in the morning changed my mind. 

This print makes me long for my trip to Morroco which I took with my daughter fall of 2015. She was the yoga teacher for the group and I tagged along. I blogged with some of the photos but on our first day in Marrakesh, I lost my group  .  I really enjoyed looking back at the post with its composite photos. 

Don't forget to check out Leslie's challenge page!