Failure Is An Option

Now that I am overcoming the concern for certain results, my art journal is a playground for mistakes and experiments.

This one is a failure in a good way:

Ink, Copic markers, Sharpie pens

I like the flower head technique but the colors do not work well together.  However, the patterns derived from the technique are nice and I will create other interesting patterns in future work.  Out of my failure comes something positive :-)

This next one is an experiment in smearing:

Oil pastels, Inktense pencil

The flower heads are sort of likable and I believe these colors better are better coordinated.

Swimming against the current, in my world:

Ink, gel pen

Time for some COLOR :-)

The other day I was out for a brief walk with Remy.  It was a blustery day, a bit chilly, with dried leaves and bare branches in gray and taupe.

Undoubtedly this is why, when I returned to my studio,  I was in the mood for colorful flowers and fruit (an apple and a couple of pears).  I brought out some Copic markers and ink pads to spread some color :-)

Copic markers and ink.

Ink.

I feel better now :-)

From my art journal

more imaginary flowers:

Copic markers and ink

 I am thinking crazy-happy red violet flowers Yes!

Blooms and Tweets and Remy

Today - cold and sunny changing over to grayness and snow.  But the flowers are blooming and the birds are tweeting in my studio:

I call this "Blooms and Tweets".

Remy was laying on the foyer rug while I put on my cold weather clobber for "walkies" this afternoon.

Doesn't it look like he's sniffing the flower?

I am so fortunate that he is a patient boy <3

Winter white

Single-digit temperatures for quite a few days now.  Looking out the window... snow caps on the leaf-less shrubs.  Are the birds okay?  I hope they are keeping warm.

Perhaps these thoughts prompted me to paint a warm-weather scene with plenty of color :-)

"Journey"

A Perk of Flower Crazy and a Thank You

I love doing class assignments as they provide specific focus and prescribed boundaries.  Each assignment is an opportunity to use new materials and techniques or to further explore seemingly familiar ones.  I have taken away something positive every time.

"Flower Crazy" (online class from Carla) was fun and full of play and color.  I loved making several mixed media canvases and boards.  One of the assignments yielded this:

"Flower Swirls in Pink and Yellow"

And the perk?  Recently someone liked it and purchased it :-)  I appreciate everyone who supports art and artists by attending events, spreading the word and buying art.

I am fortunate to have some paintings and prints at Studio Three in Fort Collins, CO.  Meeting and chatting with people at the Holiday Open House a few weeks ago was a pleasure.  Thank you so much Evelina - Studio Three owner and incredibly supportive friend.

Yupo calling :-)

I found myself wanting to experiment more with Yupo “paper” and also adding some texturing techniques from Diane Culhane's online class, "Paint Your Garden".
 

I used watercolors with frottage and blown blots techniques to create the background layers.  More texture was created with sgraffito  -Yupo is rugged and holds up nicely to this technique.  Next, even more watercolor and added definition using colored pencil and graphite:

I call this "Wild...Flowers" :-)

Playing

and doodling words, just for fun:

Doodling.

Birds, flowers and sheep

Beginning with a surface covered in random colors of paint, I found imaginary flowers – next came birds (a favorite subject) and then, out of the blue, little sheep:

I think it's a happy painting :-)

 Masking, sgraffito, stippling, blown blots techniques, again, from "Paint Your Garden", an online workshop by Diane Culhane.