Paint Party Friday (Week 3)

"A Mother is Born"

8 x 10 WIP

Has this ever happened to you? You think your piece is complete, you get all ready to take brilliant shots of your new work . . . . and once you're behind the camera, you realize that your painting isn't done . . . 

Yeah, that's me today; thinking I was all finished with this when clearly, the photographs proved that I was not.  So, I hope you don't mind my sharing a tiny little WIP with you instead. At least I can now see what needs to be done. 

Speaking of which, has anyone seen my automatic pencil? I last saw it under a pile of Caran d'ache crayons and paper tape . . . .

Happily linking to The Paint Party:

And wishing you a beautiful weekend,

Kristin xo

Mind. Body. Soul. (Art Journaling)

Mind. Body. Soul. (Week 2)

Have you had the chance to check out Leslie's new e-course, Mind. Body. Soul.? Do take a peek whenever you need a shot in the arm of positivity and art journaling inspiration . . . In week one, we were asked to create journal pages focusing on the word Believe.  In week two, we were meant to focus on the word Reach. . . . 

Welllll, I guess Believe was still in my head as it popped itself right in there, even though I didn't expect it. Here is my third page then with the word Believe:

"But I feel like Giving Up"

5 x 8 Strathmore watercolor journal

Acrylic ink drips & Swarovski crystals

And here's what I did with the actual word of the week, Reach:

"Reach High"

"Reach high for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream proceeds the goal." -- Pamela Vaull Starr

Page inspired by the Stampington art-to-borrow college elements that you see here. 

The eye started it all and inspired me to follow along that color scheme and line of thought. 

Thank you for taking a look! And thank you Leslie for your continued inspiration. Now on to this week's word, Do. . ,

Kristin xo

Art. Culture. Life.

La Quinta Arts Festival, Southern California.

Lucky Me lives just a hop, skip and a jump away from one of the largest Art Festivals around. Ranked  #2 in the Nation, the La Quinta Arts Festival is really something to see. I had the opportunity to go recently, and thought I'd share some of my favorite finds with you here. Although there were hundreds of artists working the event, I've selected five whose art inspired me in a profound or unique way. Wanna see?

Artist Stacy Dynan

www.stacydynan.com

Her work is amazing, whimsical and each piece was finished with a gorgeous sheen.

Artist Marcio Diaz

www.marciodiaz.com

Beautiful abstract work with an explosion of color.

Artist Michael Madzo

www.MichaelMadzo.com

(Google Images Here)

He is known for sewing bits of his paintings together to create a unique collage.

(Gorgeous, right!?) All work is behind glass.

Artist Kathy Ross

www.kathyross3d.com

Amazing sculptures using found materials, papers and maps.

Artist Jennifer Lommers

www.jenniferlommers.com

www.jenniferlommers.blogspot.com

Her series entitled "51 Birds" painted on Bamboo Panels.

Beautiful work full of freedom, color and energy.

Impressive, right? And that was just five of hundreds artists on display. Definitely a must-see if you are ever out this way in March . . . .

Thanks for going with me,

Kristin xo

Mind. Body. Soul. (Art Journaling)

I'm happy to say that I've completed the work for week one in my beautiful friend Leslie's new E-course, Mind.Body.Soul. Our task was to create two journal pages focusing on positivity and the word Believe. Here is what I came up with:

"You Are Enough"

Elements attached with string and staples

Revealed message

"Sit with it for a While"

Torn papers and rub-ons

Stamping and a page full of decorative tape

And just as a side: I broke out a new journal for this class, the Strathmore Visual Journal, and I'm more than impressed with it. It's a Cold Press watercolor journal with a good weight (140 lb) and no matter how many layers (painting, rub-ons, stamping, gluing, image transferring, um, glittering . . . ) I put it through, it stayed with me (no balling up or wrinkling). And I loved the 5 x 8 size as it was very easy to complete in one sitting. At around $5 (I got mine at Michaels, but they are everywhere), I would recommend it in a heartbeat!

Thanks for looking! I'm now off to see what's in store for Week Two . . . please feel free to join us, it's inspiring, fun & free!

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday (Week 1!)

"Little Blue Girl"

4 x 4 Canvas Panel

I found the coolest set of canvas panels - all 4 x 4 in size - perfect for tiny moments of inspiration. This week, I'm joining Party with my first, "Little Blue Girl." She started life like this:

Panel covered in decorative paper and a rough sketch before being sanded and sealed with clear gesso.

I then added color with acrylic and Caran D'Ache watercolor crayons, crackle medium, charcoal, oil pastels, Stickles glitter and a bedazzled butterfly. 

Thanks for looking! I'll see you at the Party . . . .

Kristin xo

Life Book!

"The Universe Conspires"

9 x 12 LB Journal Page

(Lesson 6)

I know. I Know. It's been forever since I've posted a page from Life Book. Truth is, I've watched every one of the 11 week's worth of art and inspiration, but I haven't made much of a move beyond that. Until today. I started playing catch-up by doing Tam's beautiful lesson on paint overs . . . .

We were first asked to create a 9 x 12 collage using images that speak to us. Our intention was to create a page for our Life Book journal that would celebrate an accomplishment in our lives. My initial layer looked like this:

Collage made with various decorative papers, storybook images and glossy magazines.

"Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen"

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next LB stop: Tam's "Celebrating the impact you've had on others" (with photo altering) . . . 

Wish me luck,

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday (Week 52)

"A little Something"

WIP

I have no idea where this is headed (a painted paper perhaps?), but I thought I bring my lil' WIP to the Anniversary Party. . .

Congratulations to Kristin & Eva for having hosted a year's worth of beauty and inspiration. Thank you both for your time, energy and efforts in bringing us all together: my Fridays just wouldn't be the same without you! 

"It's Friday night and I'm ready to swing. Pick up my girls and hit the party scene."

- Aaliyah (Back and Forth lyrics)

See you there,

Kristin xo

A Little Lost. . . .

"But I'm Still Here"

Altered Golden Book Cover & Canvas 

Ever been in an art funk? When your Muse not only decides to take a hike, but also seems to be giving you the Bird on the way out the door? Yep. That was Me. For what felt like an eternity . . . . So I gave it a rest. For much longer than I would like. Now, I did try to create but every time I did, well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. And yes, perfectly reasonable (and normally rational) adults can have tantrums . . . . I am living proof.

So when I read Christen Olivarez' Letter from the Editor in the latest issue of Somerset Studio, I felt as if she was talking directly to me. She discussed the idea of being paralyzed by perfection (yep) and that when we over-think things (um hum), we can stop ourselves in the process. She underlined this point with a beautiful quote from Julia Cameron: "Art is not about thinking something up. It's about getting something down." 

So I did just that. Tried to get something down. I made a little collage. And put it away. I started to scrapbook (which is another subject 'cause it's been years since I've scrapped anything for my own kid). And then threw it away. And then I eventually did what I set out to do in the first place: I played. For reals. I picked up a piece of canvas fabric ('cause it was the closest thing to me), ripped it into a small square and went to town. I didn't even seal my drawing as I normally would before painting because I couldn't be bothered . . . but in the end, I broke the curse. And my Muse is back. Although she is in trouble. Leaving me all high-and-dry like that . . . .

Okay, okay. Lesson learned. 

Have fun playing,

Kristin xo