In The Studio - Part 1

In the studio means many places around here. Right now there are things going on in the Purple Palace Art Space, The Garage Art Studio and an area in my room (a large folding table and a laptop table) that are all used often to create art and hold WIP's.

Ever wonder what it takes to make a mosaic? Besides a little knowledge, it takes tools. They are scattered here but basically I've got glass cutters, glue and grout. Throughout the years I've found what I like to use. I have picks and tweezers in there too. Alcohol swabs can be use for cuts on my fingers but they also can be used to clean glue off of glass and mirror. A few tools are missing (like a pumice stone, diamond head hand tool grinders and the electric grinder in the garage) but they are all important to me. I'm grateful for these tools and thank them each time I use them. For real. They help me create what I see in my head. Why wouldn't I thank them?!

 

I've got a lot of photos to share, so instead of writing about them, I'll share them with descriptions underneath each in two posts this week, breaking it up to make it easier to read.

The latest doodle, now has a lot of color added to it. I actually think I liked it better with no color as shown here. I put it aside and now can't find it ... subtle reminder to myself that not all things come through as I planned, I promptly put it "away" safely, I'm sure. No photo was taken after I finished coloring it in.

I shared this on Facebook before it was finished. I really love it. The white streak along the left side was an accident with my hair and white paint -- true story. I left it and will always remember how it appeared. Meanwhile, I love the blue background as much if not equal to the dot painting itself. I mixed colors together to get this blue which is another reason I left the white streak. I probably would only end up ruining it if I tried to duplicate the color. It's been sprayed with a sealant and is now sitting in the garage waiting for fumes to dissipate. It'll take about 3-5 days.

Here is step one of the water color pieces I just did. I'm going to add doodles with black ink. That should be fun.

I ordered these beauties from mosaicsbymaria.com a favorite place to shop. I'm planning to use them on canvas with dot paintings. So far it's just a plan, but I'm positive they will eventually make their way into at least one mosaic.

When I made this moon, I hadn't any D-rings for attaching before making it. I successfully glued one to the back long after it was finished and it stayed for a few years but didn't last. I studied my alternatives now that I have a little more around to use and came up with what I'll share below.

This piece of wood is beautiful. It came from a box of scraps I purchased on eBay months ago. I believe after I sand around the edges a bit, it will be exactly what I need to fix this mosaic.

Once I get a hanger on the back of the wood, I'll attach the moon to the board. I really like this moon, so it'll be a welcome addition to the Celestial Wall! I can't wait to share it!

 Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

From The Purple Palace Art Space

The Purple Palace is buzzing right now. That's a really good thing because my routine, normally in the past, was to take the first 3 months off in the new year before getting back to work.

This year, although it's a bit slow going, I find myself being pulled in a few different directions. Today's post will be dedicated to the mosaic world I live in.

Don't you love when signs from the Universe appear? I was getting ready to clean out the dried glue from the bottle and saw this heart. Awww ... I am loved.

From a doodle I made, I cut out the paper and glued it onto this plain white plate. From there, I added stained glass, iridescent glass and mirror.

It's ready for the "to be grouted" pile! Yay!

Keep watch as I do some grouting, doodling and painting too as well as more mosaics in the weeks and months to come. I did not yet grout as I thought I would yet. That's okay. My mosaics wait patiently until I am ready.

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Wintery Mix

We had a snowstorm Monday evening into Tuesday morning and it was wonderful.

Taken through our dining room window showing a bit of the creek that runs along the end of the property. It was so peaceful and quiet for a while. I love when that happens. Everything stops. Noise pollution is halted because it has to, even if it's only for a few hours. Thank you Universe!

When I was in the garage shortly before the storm, I glanced at the doll I did a mosaic on.

There's one spot at the top of her head that requires a replacement piece of glass but otherwise, she's protecting the garage as best as she can. I found the photo I shared on FB describing her and sharing a collage of photos as to how I made her in 2014.

 

 

I wrote: "This is a project I did taking a 'meh' porcelain doll and turning her into a Super Galactic Space Goddess with moon boots and funky glitter gloves!"

 

Actually she was super cute in her bobby socks and ponytail, dressed like a teen from the early 60's. I had wanted to do this mosaic technique for a long time and finally had the idea as to what to do and how. This photo collage shows her as she was. I covered her body in thinset, putting plastic around her arms and legs and face. While it sort of looked morbid it did protect them from thinset as I am really messy when it comes to things like that. Her arms and legs were done using tempered glass, ball chain and white grout. I painted her hands and feet in silver and glitter giving her the "space goddess" look. Galaxies swirl around her body and stars. I'm actually impressed with how she turned out, using plastic beads around the ball chain. I remember I got a lot of cuts from grouting her; 3D is always a challenge in mosaic but legs and arms were a real struggle. Not sure I'd have the patience or the finger dexterity to do one of these now, ten years later.

I have been binge watching "The Sopranos" on HBO/MAX. I had never seen it and am truly enjoying it and of course doing some doodling along the way.

So far, no mosaics have been worked on this week but I do think I might grout this weekend. Fingers crossed because I do have some things I want to list in the shop. Energy and time will tell.

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Keeping Up With The Muses

 Keeping up with the muses isn't always easy. Over the course of a week I've had thoughts about improvements for the garage space/art studio, mosaics, doodles and painting. It's hard to know where to start some weeks.

This week I picked starting small with a few mosaics.

The plan for this one is to get it listed on my GoImagine Shop before Valentine's Day. Also some pendants I've made over the years will probably make their way into the shop. We shall see.

A favorite design, you may have noticed, done on a small ceramic plate like the heart above. These little plates are the perfect size to add a little color or interest in any room in your home. I hope to get this one listed as well. That's the plan, anyway.

I did move on to doodles. A few were painted in watercolor, some using alcohol ink and others using Sharpie markers along with black ink.

I shared the bottom right last time. Top right isn't finished with adding doodles. I started to work on it but thought it looked pretty good as it was and I may have ruined it. I will go back to doodling on it with ink because I started it. It's been put aside for now.

Out of the ones I shared in the above photo, this is the winner in my eyes.

It became a window. The bohemian curtain draped along the left side, the couch peeking up from the bottom. Then the flowers which could be wall paper, a painting, a stained glass window or even a funky garden. This became something. That's the thing about intuitive art. You never know where it will lead!

I also took some time to paint a few canvases. It's unclear if they will be for mosaics or for painting. Possibly dot painting. I'll share them as I create them.

 

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Bits of This and That

 Bits of this and that are happening in the Purple Palace right now.

I got a nice wooden tray last week and have plans to gift it to my daughter and son-in-law who live in Norway. Their color scheme is all neutral and mostly grey. It's clean and functional, easy on the eyes and I suppose very soothing for those who need to relax when not active.

Here's the tray after I used a little sand paper on the inside to help grip the tesserae I'll be using.

I like the way it's made; sturdy enough to hold a mosaic and solid as wood pieces should be.

I thought I had enough tiles and glass to cover it in a neutral color but the actual color of the wood took over and I ended up with something very pretty but not "right".

After trying a few different combinations of tiles and glass, I thought this was really pretty but not at all grey or neutral enough for them. I want them to use it or at least display it once it's gifted. That means a trip to the online mosaic supply shops I like to go to. I'm still hunting for the perfect colors and have narrowed it down a bit. Within the next few weeks I should be able to order what I need and try again.

Meanwhile, I have done a few doodles and some painting. I'm using big canvases (12 x 15 inches) for painting practice at the moment. I need to hone my dot painting skills a little more. I did the background on this canvas using acrylics and a large brush. There emerged, intuitively, Sedona type rocks maybe at sunrise and in the foreground some trees still in the darkness. If you're able to enlarge this photo, look at the painting closely. This was not planned and as I studied it after doing the practice pieces on it, I realized it makes a really nice painting all on its own. I think I've got the hang of acrylics on canvas more now. I'm entitling this "Sedona at Sunrise" because that's how it started.

The heart is from a piece of a doodle that I decided to cut into shapes (I shared that in a previous post), there's a tarot card, "The Moon" with wonky dots around it ... my eyes and brain fought at the angle on this and neither won so it is crooked. I like the idea of using the old tarot cards. I lost quite a few of them over the years as they got shuffled from box to box while moving more than a few times. What I have left will be used in my art. A few dots using stencils as the original design and then filling them in weren't all that wonderful. Still not 100% sure I have that technique. More practice is needed for sure. And then I grabbed the letter stamps I have for clay and stuck them in paint. "Peace" was born.

I also found some old clay pieces I did about 10 years ago and pulled one out that works well on this dot painting on 5 x 7 inch canvas.

The background has about 15 layers of paint on it, well maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but it started as one thing and ended as a pretty background. There were clouds on the left side and a few are still visible. I think the white is great for doing dots. I will get more adventurous with other colors as I learn what tools I like to use. Meanwhile, this is a friendly reminder to "DO YOGA".

Here are a few doodles using water color, markers and ink. The top photo isn't finished yet.

And that's about all I have to show for this week.

Next week there should be some small mosaic beauties as I pull the little white dishes out, grout the switch plate covers and ?? I never know where the muses will take me.

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Acrylics, Watercolor and Alcohol Ink - Oh My!

Acrylics, Watercolor and Alcohol Ink - Oh My! So many things to share right now! I've been busy.

Acrylics are still new for me, even though I've used them longer than any other paint medium. I used them mostly to paint the sides and backs of wood or MDF I created a mosaic on. Just recently I've decided to use them on paper and see what happens.

Below are a few I managed to be happy with and are still in the large 8 x 6 inch glue bound book I made.

Autumn leaves dedicated to my favorite tree from the past.

Spring Flowers dedicated to my favorite spot by the creek on our property.

 As you can see, many pages were ripped out. I'm going to fill this up in no time using only acrylics.

The first small book 3-3/4 x 3-1/2 inches, has been filled and I'm working on the second one.

Here's what the cover on the first book looks like. I used the small art cards I've doodled on over the past few years.

And here are 10 out of 12 pages within this book. All are dated on the back.

Now the new book is going to have black ink, marker, alcohol inks and both sides will be filled in. Some will have the doodle outlined from the previous page because it bleeds through. My Dad said he likes that the alcohol ink does that and can see a cool looking design on that side as well as the original side. So I'm taking advantage of that, getting two pieces of art for the price of one.

Here's the cover of the second book. Both front and back have an art card because I'm doing both sides of the paper within.

Front

Back

Inside there are only a few pieces of art done. Remember both sides are being drawn and/or painted.

First page.

The first page again, after page two was made.

 

Second and third pages.

Back of page three.

As you can see, it'll take a little bit of time to get the book filled but it's all in the journey and an enjoyable one at that.

I also have a few doodles to share that aren't in a book.

 

The top one, pink flowers, is done in Sharpie markers. The second is watercolor and black ink pen posing on my bistro chair.

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Doodles and Dots

 Doodles and dots are everywhere around here! I've taken the evenings to doodle most nights but the dots are once again something I really want to do. During the mid-afternoon, usually after lunch, I pick up the tools and paint. I now have quite a few art canvases in different sizes, which means I can doodle, dot and do ripped paper art on them. Yay!

I glanced at my art table when I took the above photo. Wow, what a mess. But I love it!

 

It shows that I've been busy with many different kinds of things. Yes, you DO see tea bags on there. I take the used tea out and save the paper. Tea bag art is a thing, trust me. Google it if you'd like to get inspired yourself. I like gathering up a lot of them and haven't had much pull toward doing water color on them yet. When I do, I will definitely share the result here.

 I tried Papier-mâché recently using glue paste and ripped up newsprint. The bowl came out really cool looking and although it's far from perfect, I kinda love it. It's very delicate which makes me love it even more. The bottle, however, did not make it and broke into pieces as I was trying to remove it. I will revisit this art form again soon. I think I just like getting messy.

Below are the dot painted canvases so far. The white background was first and I was disappointed in how it looked. Painting the canvas black before dotting was a game-changer. Definitely the way to go when using canvases for dots.

While doing the very last doodle for 2023, close to midnight, I created something unexpected. Normally I just doodle stuff and whatever comes out is cool but almost always very abstract. This piece came to life when I tried to get a dot off of a tool I was using and it wouldn't go, even with a paper towel. So I smeared it kind of, on paper (the spot of orange in the center). After it dried I studied it for a few minutes and thought it would be fun to doodle it. I really can't just put anything aside without some thought.

Fox in a Sled" was born. I might frame this one.

And of course there were doodle disasters that I was going to rip up but I really do have more ripped piece failures than one piece successes at the moment. I decided to do something different and drew some shapes on the back of the not so great looking doodles and will use them in future projects just like the ripped pieces.

One of the things I like to do when I doodle and have been doing this for years, is to separate the page and make little doodles of different things within the circle, square, triangle. They normally take a few evenings to complete depending on the size of the paper. This is 5.5 x 8 inches and took about 8 hours in total to complete.

It gives me a chance to practice things, like circles and spacing with lines. It's also just really fun to figure out what to put within the spaces. If you look closely, in the center (with "peace" attached to the side), you can see a house with a slanted triangle roof and a big balloon floating by. This was not planned. It just evolved. I LOVE when that happens!

I'm sure I'll have more to share next week but just in case I don't, enjoy the journey as it unfolds this year.

Enjoy the journey.

 In gratitude and blessings,

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics