MMM: Shape Up

"By Any Other Name"

10 inch round canvas

This is a special day: It is the final post for one of my favorite sites, Mixed Media Monday. Unfortunately, MMM has come to an end and this month's prompt, Shape Up is it's final challenge. I have a strong affinity for Diane and her beautiful site which has been the source of much inspiration for me in the last year-and-a-half.

As you may know, I started Twinkle, Twinkle in an effort to spread the word about our family's hope to adopt again. But I had no idea what to do with a blog once I got it. So I looked to challenge sites to provide an audience and a focus. MMM became a place to hang my hat, and for a while there, I posted just once a week and for those challenges alone. They taught me to grow as an artist, to learn new techniques and of course meet amazing, talented, beautiful people along the way. As a matter of fact, I'll never forget my first post for MMM - I stayed up all night to complete the artwork and found out the next morning that I was too late! The results for the challenge had already been posted and I learned there and then when (and when not to) submit my work. Diane was so sweet as she greeted the "newbie" and told me to post it anyway. And I (almost) never missed a challenge since . . .

And here we are, all this time later and I find myself posting to Mixed Media Monday once more. I've selected round for the Shape Up prompt and was completely and totally inspired by the new Lilly Pulitzer Spring catalogue (which, btw, is so fab and would be great for art journals ;). I wanted a bold color palette with a lot of texture and chose this rose to end our ride with . . . 

Detail of sides

Detail of texture

So much love and thanks go out to Diane for all of her efforts in making us all feel at home with MMM. It has been my total honor and pleasure to work with you all and I look forward to seeing you on other challenge sites out there. Until we meet again . . . 

Kristin xo 

Expect A Miracle

"The vision must be followed by the venture. 

It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs."

- Vance Havner

SPA: Faces

"Baby Face"

6 x 4

When I read this week's prompt at Sunday Postcard Art, I knew that I wanted to create a Face that was large and sweet. I pictured big eyes and a pouty mouth and got to work creating this little one with watercolor paper, Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons, acrylic and ink. Once she was done, I adhered her to a piece of 6 x 4 decorative cardstock that was doodled with a silver metallic pen and dotted with Stickles glitter. Tiny freckles served as the final touch.

Thank you for looking! I look forward to seeing all of your Faces this week . . .

Kristin xo

A Smile for the Winner!

"Smile"

Wow! What an experience One World One Heart was this year! I'm honored to have had so much interest in my giveaway and am thrilled to have made so many new acquaintances throughout the course of the event. I sincerely look forward to getting to know you better - and for those who have been kind enough to follow me - thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been blushing for weeks now ;)  

So, remember this?

Well, the Random Number Generator has been hard at work and . . .

The Winner is . . . YOU!

Many thanks to Lisa Swifka for putting on such an amazing party! I'll meet you back there next year . . .

Kristin xo

So Does Art Color Life

"Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life"

- John Lubbock

Happy Valentine's Day!

May it be filled with lotsa love - & chocolate kisses!

xoxo

SPA: Hearts

"Take It"

6 x 4 

"Take It" was created on a piece of decorative cardstock that was washed with white acrylic (applied with a brayer) and enhanced with ink to create a B & W border. The little girl was made separately on cold press watercolor paper using acrylics, gel pens, a wash of silver Stickles glitter and Caran d'Ache crayons before being cut out and added to the background. Once adhered, she was further highlighted with a border of black ink and iridescent glitter paint. Finally, a single Swarovski crystal was added to the top of her crown. 

"Take It" is my Valentine's contribution and entry for this week's Heart theme at Sunday Postcard Art.

Kristin xo

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

Altered 5 x 7 canvas panels

"Conceiving"

"It was True"

I've had a hankering to do a piece on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath for a while now. It was a memorable high school prerequisite for me - the story of the Joad family who were forced to travel great distances in order to make a better life for themselves in the midst of the great depression - and I've found myself referring to it's message of humanity and survival quite a lot in the last couple of years. I think it's concepts are as timeless today as they were when the American classic was first published in 1939. 

So I started by picking out a few quotes that really spoke to me. I found two that inspired me and based the 5 x 7 canvas panels that you see here around them. . . 

These were created by first adhering a page from the book (which contained the quote I wanted to use) with matte gel to the canvas panel. I wanted a worn, messy look, so I set the page slightly off center and then sealed it with more gel. When dry, I used petroleum jelly on the bits I wanted to highlight and then covered the rest of the panel in a light wash of copper acrylic (to represent the Oklahoma "red country"). When that layer had dried, I wiped off the jelly to reveal the text I was after. Charcoal (both white and black) and sandpaper were then used to further distress the piece before stamping the sides with foliage and swirls meant to represent grape leaves. I then pulled out some period pieces, ephemera and photos in an effort to describe the passage. Final touches included "painting" the leaves with two colors of fine glitter and highlighting the vines with a gold gel pen.

"Conceiving" features a piece of broken tape measure, chunks of mica and wire, a photograph from the 1930's and the following quote: "For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments."

"It is True" incorporates some of the same elements in addition to a vintage photograph of a man (meant to represent the character who spoke), a piece of a vintage receipt book and several vintage glass tubes tied with wire. The quote here reads: "Maybe,' I figgered, 'maybe it's all men an' all women we love; maybe that's the Holy Sperit - the human sperit - the whole shebang. Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of."

Thanks for looking! I'm now on to painting again - I need to get my "girlie" fix . . . 

Kristin xo