Slow Days of Summer Have Begun

Garrison Keller sang a song called "Slow Days of Summer" in his A Prairie Home Companion movie many years ago. If none of that makes sense, you can go to YouTube and listen to the old-time country song on your own.

In any case, as I thought about how I'm moving in rhythm slower because of the warmth the sun provides, I thought also about this song. So that's my reason for the title of this blog. 😁

As always, even on slow, uninspired kind of days, I am at the art table(s) doing something. I really did think it would be a week to work on the mosaic vase but it didn't happen partly due to the warmth in the Purple Palace. It's next to our deck outside but has no windows, however it picks up the heat from the laundry room on one side and the noon day sun on another. Most appreciated in the winter, for sure!

Side A of a birthday card I made and sent to my Step-Mom

Side B

Art Journal page using a doodle I made after staining the paper with a tea bag

Sometimes the books I use have some words or phrases I want to keep. This is one of those pages. The butterfly represents my Dad.

Playing with watercolor and stencils. Love this a LOT!

The beginning of a card that ended up only getting a simple flower doodle in the corner. The colors and the way the stencil came through was really cool and I didn't want to cover it.

Starting a layered collage using paper that didn't work well on the Gelli plate. This is a good way to keep from throwing out the rejects but instead finding a way to use them.

Voorhees in watercolor.

Here, I added doodles and really am pleased with how he looks. I call him "Mister Pink Nose", so obviously the nose HAD to be pink.

The pink collage above was covered with blue and sanded. Then a mixture of black glaze I make was added and wiped off quickly.

The glaze hangs around the sanded pieces a bit and sometimes changes the color of the painted paper a little but it's all good and I LOVE the grungy look. As I mentioned on social media, someone compared this technique to the posters from NYC that get pulled down before a new one is added over it, giving it layers. That's exactly how this is done!

The grid work journal this week was supposed to have a layer of blues and then something else on top of it but after gluing down the blues ↓

I love this so much and felt the different painted papers were perfect without adding anything. Just a small section of the papers used shows an impact I hadn't anticipated.

Voorhees in collage. His face disappeared (I used the same photo as the watercolor painting above) and so I decided it was his back because cats have been known to dismiss you when they aren't interested. The cool white shadow look on this happened when I added charcoal around the shape and wiped it off. The matte medium I used to hold down the papers did the actual work on the shadow and the charcoal stick did the rest.

When I don't know what I want to do, I grab stencils and markers or paint pens and do this kind of thing on pieces of painted papers I've made that are just kind of okay looking. Now I can add them to journals or just hold onto them for a bit for some project I've yet to begin.

I'm very much into houses at the moment. After doing this journal page I realized I didn't add any trees, therefore "take a walk on the shady side" must mean to go across the street where trees probably are!

One of my favorite mentors says "just play" and so I did. No real thoughts about the collage or shapes here. Under them is a small bit of journaling just for me and eventually gets completely covered. That's okay because it wasn't necessary for anyone else to read it.

After getting to here, I knew I had to do something with the stems and flowers coming out of the vases. I painted the background completely with a water wash of parchment paper acrylic color but wiped it off in most spots because I actually like the weird looking collage doodles under the vases. Then added charcoal around the outer edge. Love doing that and I do believe it'll be my new "go-to" instead of using an ink pad.

Coloring in the stems and flowers and doodled. The quote is longer than this one sentence but I liked how it worked well with this page and so I cut it to use in this way.

My big book for art is 9 x 12 inches made from cardboard packaging. This page has scrapbook paper, stamps, doodles (again houses!), die cuts, paint and a magazine cut out word. FANCY.

This isn't finished but I kinda love it already. Our 1960's lady has a toolbox and screwdriver in her hand. What a rebel to know she can do it herself even when "life's not perfect". This is how we learn how very strong we are.

 

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey

Creating Small Art When The Muse is Sleepy

I hope everyone has had a safe and sunburn-free summer so far. We've had horrible heat and humidity here in Bucks County, PA and I've stayed inside in a room cool enough for a sweater. I know I'm blessed and lucky about that! For those of you who have known me for years, remember I used to live in an attic not so long ago where heat was a part of life even with an air conditioner. In other words, no sweater was needed there in the summer but in winter a few sweaters came in handy. And I survived it which is probably the most important part of this little story. I was grateful for the space and created a lot of really beautiful art; mosaic and doodles, paintings and other fun things I experimented with in that room. And so the lesson I learned was that no matter the conditions, if the muse is willing, you can create something. I'm also grateful for that lesson because now that life is different and I'm still creating, I know for certain artists can adapt to their surroundings and still be happy making art.

Right now, this past week, it hasn't been very productive as far as art making. I did a lot of things around the house helping my daughter and doing small projects in between. More productive in that way and what I often call "prep work". It makes it possible to go smoothly when art wants to happen.

Still doing the daily squares and am up to #30 of 100 days (actually 200 days - I realized I should add the number correctly in this second book - I'll do that as soon as this is scheduled for publishing). I feel I'm heading in a new direction with my collage and I do believe I have this daily practice to thank.

  

I managed a few art pages but honestly, they were hard to work on which means I needed a small break. But, I painted a few pages using light magenta and some blue shimmer watercolor spray I made. Wow, I have to say this is really a beautiful combination.

 

Using some old fuzzy, faded photos from one of children's birthday parties in the 90's, I did a summer themed page. I love the umbrella probably the most. It's hard to see the colors used but they were a ultramarine blue watercolor and parchment paper acrylic paint. Makes a great ocean inspired page!

Recently I purchased 4 x 4 wooden panels again for collage and painting. When I put them in the Purple Palace where all wood pieces similar are kept, I found a few coasters to use for collage. I grabbed them and did one that same day. You can see samples in the header of this blog as to how I use them for collage. The beautiful blue table perpetually changes with art pieces but this is where they almost always go for a while on display.

A less than beloved piece of a painted paper in green and black, with a most loved piece of medical exam paper with watercolor sprays. A little gold paint pen and a few simple words were added.

 

Here's a peak at the "Groovy" wall. Still filled with lots of art. It's a vibe I like. How about you?

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey

At the Art Table

Another great week although not quite as prolific. I had an eye doctor appointment checking in for my Glaucoma. Everything is good so far and I won't have to go back until the end of the year. Yay.

Meanwhile, I did do some art. I like to work in a few different art journals each week and when I feel the pull, I like to work on small cards too using my painted papers mostly but also once in a while a piece from a magazine and almost always words are added.

Art journal page with many layers in paper and paint: "if you're lucky enough to be different, never change"

 

Large grid work this week. The left one is hard to see but I've cut out shapes in similar colored paper and didn't mark on it at all although I was tempted. I wanted the colors to blend along with the shapes. The one on the right is a mess but all of this is a learning process. I took a small card and glued it down because under it was a big paint splotch (I dropped the paint brush LOL).

 

Side A of some recently created art cards. These measure 5-1/2 x 3 inches. 

Side B

Doodling still happens.

Art journal using my cut out doodles, painted papers and stickers

Continuation - second page of the journal above

Still doing the 100 days journaling (2nd 100 days journal) using small squares for collage work. This shows #19-22.

Using the printout shown in a larger size, I glued it down to the page and did a collage over it. I love using my handmade ink shimmer sprays and paint sprays I mixed recently. They're used here on medical exam paper (my new all-time favorite paper to use for collage).

 

I think my only criticism is I still don't have his eyes quite right. That only means more practice which I'm fine with. I love to practice!

The same photo as the one I used above. This time I used carbon paper for the outlines. Done in watercolor and ink.

Even on less than enthusiastic days due to physical pain, I will do something. I have been working a lot with magazines, cutting out things I will use in collage. That's a more relaxing thing to do in the evening but there are days when I just want to find fodder without too much effort. Magazines provide that.

Magazine pieces sorted by patterns, illustrations, foods and words. I've started gathering magazine pieces in colors as well for collage.

 Every so often I stop and admire the view around here. There are still lots of mosaics to appreciate.

The bathroom window on a cloudy day.

 

 

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey

Another Creative Week

Some weeks are so prolific at the art tables, I am just blown away by the end of the week.

No mosaic work this past week but other than that, there was a lot going on at the art table. Take a look!

Watercolor taken from a photo I took years ago.

I've been looking through my plethora of photos I've taken over the years because I have a lot of landscape, still-life, animal and people photos and many can be used for art practice with painting and collage.

I worked in my biggest sketch book I have, 9 x 12 inches, making neurographica, but not really loving either the flower I started with in the bottom right corner (colors aren't my favorite - for reference I used colored pens and markers) or the mark-making embellishments I did within it. My decision to cover it with big and beautiful designs was a no-brainer. And eventually I knew I had to paint the space around these designs in black. I love it now! 

💖

A still-life from a photo

Art journal pages are becoming a habit and I am so very happy about that!

This side of the page, the blue heart, holds a printed photo of my great grandmother and my Dad as a baby. My printer was printing only blue color before it stopped working altogether and of course I kept all these pages knowing I'd find a use for them.

Using a grid is something I find quite helpful. These are painted papers of mine.

Finding shapes and midcentury modern vibes is easy but it's also hard!

Not sure the artist Rex Ray (check out his artwork!) would find these interesting but it was a great exercise to try his style (sort of) and I'll be continuing to do this.

This is a cardboard journal I made recently. The size is 9 x 11 inches. The new stamps and stencils I got are really pretty cool. Love these colors too!

Doodling has continued for a bit. My left eye gives me trouble at the end of an artful day but I find I still need to doodle a little for special Zen time. It takes longer but it's not impossible and that is a wonderful thing.

Another few pages in an art journal. These pages have a few layers of paint on them, then painted papers and magazine pieces before yet another layer of paint in parchment and yellow blend (my own). After doodles shown are glued down, if I use them all, I'll also do some mark-making.

It's been a great week at the art table! Let the fun continue!!

 

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey