Dream catcher with Rachael Rice, Lesson 5 of Lifebook 2015

By on 1-04-2015 in Life Book 2015, Mixed Media

After finishing this piece this morning I had an epiphany … I am still stuck in the era I stopped painting. I switched to quilting art quilts, mainly landscape which kept up my sketching and drawing skills along with creating my own cross stitch and embroidery patterns. I then moved on to mixed media and digital and designing scrap book kits. I created many a background but have not done any serious painting in a long long time … thus the reason I am stuck. I want to redo many of these pieces and will do, but only after I have enough lessons done to feel mature in that area. It really is a shock to me to find my brain/hand co-ordination is not up to what my mind sees…. humbling is the word. I also feel a need to be wilder and more adventurous. Here is my dream catcher. I love the lace and the feathers and bird in the middle but my background and feathers need to be bolder and wild. I wasn’t going to post this piece and then thought … “It is part of my journey” …so it is here although it feels unfinished.

dream catcher

Ballet dancer walking the tightrope of life with Patti Ballard

By on 1-04-2015 in Life Book 2015, Mixed Media

This was a fun lesson but obviously painting with acrylics is still an issue with me, always has been. I tend to make acrylics into paint book figures and that is what has happened to this little girl. She has a sweet face but there is no maturity in the piece. Practice, practice, practice with acrylics. She reminds me of one of my paper dolls.

ballet dancer

Solace Journal Page, where I like to go with my thoughts

By on 1-04-2015 in Life Book 2015, Mixed Media

Solace means quiet, respective contemplation and who better to display this but a Blue Heron sitting waiting for his dinner to swim by, so very very still. Appleton is where the photo was taken, a pretty little town in the Ottawa Valley. It is the same photo I used for the digital piece as well. This page was created for the Art For the Creative Mind yahoo group for January.

Solace

Lettering, Life Book 2015, Lesson 3 with Joanne Sharpe

By on 1-04-2015 in Life Book 2015, Mixed Media

This was such a fun lesson I made two. I love working with lettering and love to doodle the alphabet but this lesson was hard for me to do at first until I figured out that I wasn’t relaxed doing it. Once I relaxed I didn’t have any problems. For the water colours I made my own palette using waste water colour paper and applying the colour to that and picking it up from there into my brush. I will never buy another water colour palette again, this worked so well.

lettering

This page is right from the lesson. I love working with water colours. I left the letter on this one blank but I think they look bare and need work. I have to leave them for a couple of days to decide.

lettering

I wanted to do an oval piece with my chosen word “Value”, which reminds me to value myself and treat me like I treat others in my life.