More Gelli Prints!

My new gelli plate has turned out fine. I have made some more prints and thought I would show you some of them.

I have actually considered making them into a book of some sort - maybe folding over the pages and binding it that way. Then I think....what for? I don't really journal and the colors on the prints might not show up any writing I might do. So...I don't know...it's still up in the air. BTW, I have used bristol for the prints - it's pretty heavy so that I suppose will limit their use somewhat. I think they would cool collaged into a painting though...

At this point, I don't really care what they are going to be for - they are just fun to make! And I really like taking colors that don't seem to go together well or that somehow seem...ugly...and seeing what comes it.

I am up a little early today for a change. I am hoping to get a few things done in the studio here - not sure what yet, as I am still shaking off sleep....really need to go to bed earlier...

I was doing a few prints yesterday and my husband came into the room and watched me for a minute and after I pulled a print he looked at it and said, 'well, that's kind of boring!' and I told him that it was boring now but just wait! that was only the first layer!!

I can see why people end up with hundreds and hundreds of these - it's very addicting and so much fun to see what they turn out like. It's like a mystery!

OK - off to work some!

Gelli Plate Experiment!

Wow! Two posts in a week! What's up with that?

Ah...but seriously, it all good. Right? Right!!

I have recently become interested in gelli plates. I know you can buy them already made and I am sure they are cool. But I haven't had the chance to go anywhere to buy one. So I decided I would make my own. I used the recipe given out by The Frugal Crafter - the updated one where you use only glycerine and no alcohol.

I bought a glass cake pan to put it in, not really thinking that the pan was too big for my micorwave. Well, it wouldn't be, except for the handles on it - but that was what they had at the store and because I am an impatient soul...well. But I can use that pan as a pallet if I can find something else that will fit in the micro.

UPDATE: I went to the dollar and thrift store and found a pyrex bowl to melt my gelatine in and a cookies sheet and cake pan (metal) to pour the mixture in. As a side note, CHEAP bakeware like what I got at the dollar store is not ideal because it is flimsy and will twist and bend - which leads to spilling!  Oh, and don't put this gelatine down your drain! it will clog it up and you will have a huge mess on your hands!

ANYWAY...

Things to note: stir your gelatine etc. in something else, not the pan or whatever you decide to use for the mold. I didn't do this and ended up with what I think was undisolved gelatine in the bottom which made a pattern on my plate. Which is not really what you want, because then that pattern ends up on every print.  Oh and skim the bubbles off the top when you pour it into the pan. I didn't do this either.

My plate fell apart due to perhaps rough handling on my part or perhpas due to insufficient mixing. Not sure. I will see if remelting it helps that aspect of it. Nevertheless, before that happened, I did get some prints. I will likely put more layers on them.

I have NO IDEA what I will do do with these at this point. Perhaps as collage material in paintings. Lots of people use them as backgrounds for journal pages, but I don't really journal much and so doubt I would do this.

Still, it's fun stuff and you can pull a lot of prints in a very short amount of time. I am looking forward to more experiments.

I know Carla Sonheim does some stuff with gelli plates and I must go back and look again and what she does...Carla is such a nice lady and I encourage you to take a class from her if you have the chance.

So, here are a few pictures I took of my prints so far - nothing earth shattering of course, but it was fun!

Here is my actual gelli plate:

And here are some of the prints I did:

So...FUN STUFF!

Oh and for those of you who want the recipe I used:

7 T of gelatine
1.5 cups boiling water
1.5 cups glycerine
capfull of alcohol (which I added when I melted my misshapen and torn first gelli plate)

I should mention that the recipe I had said 6 T, not 7 of gelatine, but I misread it (it said 6T - which is supposedly equal to 7 PACKETS. ) Ultimately it didn't seem to matter much. I think there is wiggle room in this recipe.

I am also trying very hard to keep my work space relatively clean and uncluttered - especially after I work. During work, I don't have time to think about that stuff! but if I can remember to clean up after myself, well...maybe I can keep the studio relatively neat and organized! Cross your fingers people! I am working against my natural tendencies!!!

Studio Clean Out 2014

It's been a while since I posted here. It's not so much that I haven't been doing anything, but more that my environment was so non-conducive to creativity that I finally had to DO something about IT.

Getting rid of things is hard. I bought an organizing book. It was OK, but perhaps not really what I needed. However, it did tell me that whatever I did to my space, ultimatley it had to work for ME.

Will my studio ever show up in the pages of Where Women Create? Probably not. I'm ok with that. Although I would be a liar if I said I didn't dream of having a studio a bit like those in the pages of that magazine.

I do know that I am blessed to have a big space. I know lots of people who work in closets and corners and on tables. Been there and done that too. Of course, a big space means nothing if you don't work in it.

So in February, after much staring at the walls and mulling it over, and just generally freaking out about it, I decided it was time.

After much culling, donations, bags of trash, consolidation, tears, and angst, I can say that I have a space that I think will work for what I want to do in the near future. This meant that I had to make some really hard decisions about what it was I really needed to have around me. I decided that I would put away my encaustic painting supplies for now. I packed up my stamps. I packed up my toys and other extraneous and non-art related stuff. And I had a lot of that. I certainly have more to do. Much more. But I think that for now, I am at a place that will allow me to do the three things I decided to focus on: painting, quilting, and jewelry. 

We shall see if this pans out. Right now I am fighting something called de Quervain's Syndrome, which is akin to carpal tunnel syndrome, which I also have.  Basically, it's inflammation of the tendons in the thumb and wrist. Fun Stuff. Not. hopefully my appointment with a doc later this week will see the end of this soon so I can get to work!

Anyway, in order to appreciate the magnitude of what I accomplished, some before pictures are needed.  Things were so bad in here that  I could have qualified for a episode of Hoarders. OK, maybe not that bad. No garbage, no dead animals. But stuff? Oh my, yes.

So without further ado, I give you my before pics: (some of which were taken just after I began...)

And now, I give you the after pics. The layout of the studio has stayed the same, but I have designated certain areas for certain things. One end is for sewing, and one is for painting. The jewelry stuff will be happening in another room. perhaps pics of that later on...

I spent no money on anything except for a new iron and ironing board. I also hope to get some doors for the shelving that houses my fabrics. Otherwise, I didn't need to buy anything except big trash bags and a bottle of Spic-N-Span!

I am very pleased with the results. As I look at the pictures here, I can see all kinds of things that I still need to work on. Stuff I need to pitch. Stuff I need to donate. Stuff that needs a better home.  I still hate my floor, although most people seem to like it. I don't, but on the other hand that makes me not worry about spilling paint on it. And I hope that will be happening soon...very, very soon!

enjoy!

Good morning everyone! It's a big day here as I have multiple things on my to-do list.

First off, I have an art group meeting to go to. Some of you may already know about ArtistsConnect. We meet in Edmonds (WA) every fourth Saturday of the month. It's a great group of people! I have been a member since 2005 and our group has really grown! After that meeting I have another one with regarding ARTSplash - our annual summer art show that features art from our members. It's a wrap-up meeting to discuss how things went and how we can improve for next year.

Then after that, I have to take some more jewelry to Cole Gallery. I am pleased that my jewelry has done as well as it has. People are always resistant to bigger jewelry but I never can figure out WHY! lol So I am taking some smaller and lighter pieces to see how they do. I really need to get going on some new things but there just hasn't been time...

THEN I have to go run some errands - namely buy a new coffee maker for my mom. she wants a red one. It has not been that long since you could go lots of places to buy red coffee makers but these days they seem in short supply. I've already looked at two places. Sigh. There was a time when you could go look for something and actually find it. These days...not so much.  We need to buy a few pieces of furniture too and let me tell you, if you like beige or gray or ultra contemporary crap (and it IS CRAP) then you are in business. But if you want traditional, or a floral fabric, or anything pretty,  forget it. If you want that you have to order it. And really, who does that? Who orders big ticket stuff like that, sight-unseen? And the commercials for the furniture stores around here - OMG - SOUL-KILLING, SPIRIT-SUCKING UGLINESS. An endless sea of black and brown pseudo leather CRAP.  OK - off my soapbox now.

My studio clean-up is....going...but sort of on hiatus at the moment. Well, not really, but this week has been sort of busy around here. My mother's brother is not well, and so that has been a serious source of sadness and worry around here for several days. I just hope he pulls through. The state of our healthcare in this country astounds me. I won't go into it here, because this is not a blog about politics and such but sometimes I get so angry...

Anyway, I am trying to figure out a system that will work for me as far as where to store my paints and make them wholly accessible to me while I work. It's hard! And good lord,  I have a lot of paint. What I really need to do is make some hard decisions about what I really need in here that will facilitate my work. And what do I do with the stuff that I still like and MIGHT use one day...

All I know is that until I get my work table cleared off some there will be little work done.  I have managed to do a few things, but not as much as I would like. I think momentum is key here. Painting facilitates more painting. But if I stop...well, it's hard to get going again. My time is limited and I have a lot of other responsibilities (as does everyone) so I really have to prioritize things and make it so that I don't spend a lot of time searching for stuff or making space to work.  I've never been good at that, so it will be a seriously long learning curve.

So...on this Saturday morning...lots to do. Please, if you already do so, pray, light a candle, do a little dance, whatever your thing is, for my uncle.  Thanks!

Hopefully, I can report back later today with a little bit of actual art news!

So sorry - no new art for you today. :) I am cleaning my studio which is dire need of it. What a mess! Where did all this STUFF come from. Ah...I have no one to blame but myself.

I think one of the biggest challenges for me as an artist has been finding a place to settle into. I have so many interests that it can be really hard to focus. And that, coupled with my my pack-rat tendencies, often leads me to be a bit scattered in my art focus. Still, I think that part of maturing as an artist is finding your voice. Not that we don't still grow and change and all of that - we do. But eventually the extraneous stuff we like to do needs to settle into the background so that we can focus on what we really want to be doing and putting out there for the viewing (and hopefully, buying) public.

It's not much fun to think about selling art. I mean, it would be a lie to say that it's not exciting to sell something. Or that you don't get a thrill from positive feedback from others. It would be nice to say that I only create for myself and that if someone likes/buys by artwork then that's just a nice side-benefit.  I confess that I DO think about this stuff. I don't exactly work with this thought in the front of my brain, but it's there.

And yet, I am not good at the self-promotion aspect of being an artist.

Anyway...

I've decided that in order for the fall and winter months to be at all productive in here, I've got to get some of this clutter under control. I've got to purge. To weed out. To donate. To throw away. To pack up and store. It pains me in some ways. And I have to keep reminding myself that it's all for the good because I will be more productive in the near future. Right?

I am still trying to decide if I want to sell at the Puget Sound Gift show again this year. I want to - I just know that I need to do a bit of different stuff for it - more gifty type things - things that are priced well, small maybe, things that can be given as gifts.  Art is not a thing that people usually give as a gift. Art selection is rather personal. So paintings are not usually big sellers at these things. that's a shame of course. So I think that if I can come up with something I will do it. If not...well. There is always next year.

OK - I am off to do stuff. You know...stuff!

New work!

I am very pleased to have this one finished. Or mostly so...still needs painting of edges and wire for hanging...:)

It Has to Be
18x24
Mixed media on panel

I am happy with how this one turned out. After taking probably two weeks to finish - which is unheard of for me - I am ready to move on to some other things that I have also been working on. mostly small stuff though. I so love painting big - not that 18x24 is considered big at a gallery...I don't think it is.

It has lots of glazes of color, rust, pencil, charcoal, collage...probably some other things that I have long since forgotten I added!

I am hankering to try something new, as far as medium goes. not that I am going to abandon acrylic - no no no - acrylic is too wonderful for this painter whose often interrupted schedule doesn't usually allow her to work with encaustics. But I have been reading about cold wax and oil combined and really love the way it looks. I think I even have a little pot of cold wax to try it with. somewhere....

Which brings me to a hated task that must be done soon. Cleaning. ugh. But it's pure chaos in here, so...there ya go.

Wow, I think this was ... 4 posts in one month? what's come over me? :)

I'm turning a corner here, people...yes I am.

Maybe, just maybe, I am over the block I had earlier this week. Well...no...it's still there, but I am pushing forward anyway - working on something a little familiar to me, just make it so that I CAN work. I have found that if I do something I have done before, not only does it not look the same (which is good), but it gets me out of my head a little, and thus, I can be productive. I often discover something new too!

I have been trolling the internets this a.m. looking at encaustic stuff.  What fun it is to just surf around and look at great artwork. I try to let it inspire me, not intimidate me, but there is often a feeling of ... oh! I wish I had done that! :)

At any rate while surfing images I saw one of my own...uncredited of course...I know there is little you can do with websites that swipe your pics and then post them with no credit. It's not a very good piece anyway, so I am going to let it go. Just a little disturbing to find it out there...

I hope to have some new pics for you later on - or maybe early in the week next week. Wow! Look at me and all my post-i-ness! I SO need to be better about blogging here...I am trying, I swear!!!

Off for more coffee!

A Rose, Lacking Soul

6x6, mixed media on panel

I am seriously just sitting here at my computer, in my studio, completely and utterly stuck. what's up with that? It's not as if I don't have ideas in my head, or in my journal, or even projects to finish.  I just can't seem to make it happen. I feel overwhelmed, completely un-artistic, muddle-headed, and just plain devoid of...something...  god I hate that feeling. It's so hard to overcome. I am totally having these flashes of 'what if this next piece is crap' or 'what if I totally screw this up' and similar thoughts running through my head. It's maddening.

Part of it, I know, is that my studio is a complete disaster area. I have no room to work, I don't know where things are, there are too many things around that I DON'T need, and the list goes on. 'Just begin' the rational part of my brain says. 'It gets easier once you begin'...yes, yes, I know...but...

BUT WHAT???!!!!

Why do I do this to myself? I think that because I can only work in fits and spurts, I lose momentum. I get distracted.  I feel like anything BUT an artist.  These just sound like excuses don't they? Perhaps because they are.

I know it will pass. This isn't my first rodeo, right? Right.

Another new piece

This is another little guy - 6x6, acrylic on panel.

Acid (rain)

I have two more in the works...I need to get off my bum though and get to work on making room in my studios so I can work on my bigger stuff.  I've decided that people like BIG paintings, but can only afford little ones! ah...such a conundrum!

A woman at the art group I belong to brought in a big painting for part of the demo last weekend and it was big and she and her husband had made some easel type things to display the piece. It was cool and I need to ask her how they made them because I forgot to look while there... Of course they need to have a wall or whatever to prop them against - they were sort of free-standing... that might be a problem in this studio...ha!

I'm just happy to be painting a little. I find that doing so in the a.m. early before I go work out or get any other part of my day under way, is the only time I really get. I always have aspirations of staying up late, but it never does seem to work out that way.

I need to update my website in the worst way too...ugh. I need more hours in the day!

new work - finally!

It's been a while folks! I have just finished a show in Edmonds, WA - one I do every summer. Let me tell you, the market does not seem good for people buying art. I understand that people are a little fearful right now. I just hope it passes and people will feel better about spending...

Anyway I have a couple of new things to show you - titles are still in the ether, because I hate coming up with titles most of the time but here they are anyway:

This is just a little guy - 6x6, mixed media on panel. It's tentatively titled Abandoned...but not sure if that is going to stick or not... However I like the way it turned out and plan to do bigger ones on a similar note.

Detail shots:

This one is also mixed media - 18x24 on panel. I don't have a title for this one. yet. sigh...

And finally:

This one is called The Closer They Came, 24x48, mixed media on panel. I like the way this one came out for the most part, but I may still do some work on it. Let me just say that it did NOT come out the way it was in my head. I need to get some detail shots of this but you'll just have to wait a bit. ha!

OK - that's it for now!

WIP Finished!

Try as I might, I can't seem to get a picture of this that satisfies me. However, I am still going to show it to you because I am excited that it is done!

36"H x 24" W

I have painted the edges, sprayed on its final protective finish...so yeah, finished! yay!

As this is just for fun, and something I would take more care with next time, in that all the shots are different angles and such...but for this time around it will have to do...

How my painting progressed:



So...what's up next? More in this series I think...at least that is my thinking this a.m....could be different by this afternoon! But really, right now this very minute, I am fighting angst about my messy studio, and trying to prepare panels for the next paintings, so they are ready to go when I am, because I really really hate that part of the painting process...

Oh...it's not so bad I guess...but you know...sanding...gesso...sanding...filling...sanding...it's just sort of mindless. And sometimes, mindless is good, I'll grant you that. And right now, given my aforementioned studio angst, it's all I can handle.

Still, I've got a show in November coming up, and two art hangings at the beginning of 2012 (!!!!). so I need to get my sh*t together.

WIP monday night

Here's what I did this afternoon/tonight:

First I felt like just a wee bit of blue was needed (it's really sort of a bluish green)




detail:



Then I put on some iron paint to rust:



The patina solution is on there but the rust hasn't developed yet...hopefully in the am it will have developed...

FEAR NO PAINT!!!!!!!

Tomorrow a.m. depending on how the rust looks, I will either add more iron or I will begin to knock back the rust a bit with some white/off white. We shall see. G'night all!

I didn't get to paint at all yesterday. which sucked. But oh well. I got up this a.m. and did what I wanted to do yesterday:


a detail:




So... you see...sometimes you really ARE rewarded when you take the plunge and set fear aside and experiment. Well, I confess that this is not exactly an experiment...I mean, I knew what I was going to do, for about two days. I know what I am going to do next. It's IS an experiment in the sense that I don't know how it is going to look exactly, when it dries. It should be more translucent than it looks here because the paint in this layer is mixed with soft gel and thus, should be more glaze like. I didn't have the heavy gel I had planned to use, so I had to use soft, which is not quite what I wanted. But then I thought...ok Amy...you can make do with what you have, or you can put it off until you get to the art store to buy what you want. I still plan to go buy some heavy gel, because I think it would give me the texture I want in the future..but...I didn't want to put off painting for yet another day.

Oh and surfing around the art blogs I found out that Cy Twombly, who has recently passed away did the coolest stuff....and how come I didn't know about him???? Google him and see what you think...

The Key is...what?

So...I have been having a discussion with a good friend about art lately. I have been posting updates on my current piece and she mentioned that she would have such a hard time covering up the layers that I had done....and that my ability to do this is what leads my art to have depth, that it seems to be the key...

Well, I don't know about depth...but I certainly was flattered by her comment. :) In part, here is my response to her comment:
It *IS* key...one of the things that Jesse Reno talks about in his classes is this process of covering up and rediscovering and making things better...even if they go through these ugly phases...those are my words, not his. And it is SO hard...and you know...most people in his classes can't or won't do it. He makes it seem so easy...he keeps going when the rest of us would have stopped...but it's not easy for most of us...certainly not me...but I think that the PROCESS is almost key to really developing as an artist...getting too attached to things is not always a good thing... So I just grit my teeth and started painting over it, and collaging and so forth... I figured that initial layer was the EASY part. It really was, it was fun and effortless for me and I LIKED it. And so I forced myself to go on. I know that I can do it again on another board at another time, especially if I hate this one when I am done. Or I can paint over this one...I mean...it's just paint, right? the trick really is to balance the idea of the sacredness of the paint and the mundane aspects of it. Because really it is both mundane (if I hate it I can paint over it, it's only paint) AND sacred (oh my, I really love this, love what the painting says, the feelings I get from it, etc.)

I am a big fan of Jesse Reno's work, have taken a class with him, etc. And I remember the distinct ... discomfort in the room that day when he would encourage people to paint out sections of their work, or even when he would paint out sections of his own work! You could nearly cut it with a knife! And yet....being able to let go of something in the hopes/belief that what emerges next will be even better is so important. I don't know how he makes it look so easy...so effortless!

But of course I am not Jesse, or any other artist, for that matter. I can only work on own stuff, work through my own attachments, expand my own thought process... And it's really hard sometimes...

and you know...sometimes...a girl just wants to make a good painting...without so much THINKING! :) And SOMETIMES...you are well rewarded for setting aside your fears and doubts and just diving in and seeing what happens...

I really should know better than to paint in my good clothes. Seriously. Will I ever learn? maybe. Maybe not.

anyway - here's a progress shot of a painting I am working on tonight...It's got to dry over night before I can do more. And really I have to clean up this studio so I can work on more than one thing at a time. Sheesh. Oh how I'd like to rent a warehouse and paint there! yeah...that's not gonna happen any time soon...

Greetings everyone! It's been a couple of weeks since I posted last. As much as I enjoy reading other art blogs you would think that I would make more of an effort to update my own. It's all I can do to update my website! sheesh.

I do have some good news though - I sold 7 paintings to a couple that had been waiting patiently until they had the money to buy some pieces from me. isn't that amazing! So, never discount the possible client who expresses interest in your art, because you just never know! they are such a nice couple and I was happy for them to have my art too.

Of course this makes me realize that I need to get cookin' if I want to have enough stuff to hang at the salon next February... AND I plan to do the Puget Sound Gift show in Edmonds in November. I need to make some things for that too....small paintings and perhaps some more bracelets... It's the first time I have done that show, but I hope it is a success!

I did rework a painting that I had done...oh...probably 3 or 4 years ago. It was hanging on the wall in my studio...just hanging....it was ok...just not...great. So I re-worked and I think I am satisfied...for now, anyway.







I've also been doing little doodly things in my art jouranal...which is both writing and pictures...Here's a sample:


OK - that's about it for now. Hopefully more pics to follow soon!

I've been checking out other people's blogs lately....and have decided that I extremely LAME when it comes to keeping up with my art blog. Seriously LAME. Sigh. Oh well - onward and upward!

ARTSplash 2011 went very well and my jewelry did great! I am happy about that because it's been a long time since I showed any jewelry. I also managed to get a few new paintings done, 3 of which sold. woohoo!

I am considering doing some short videos for youtube...just too how they are received...that is IF I can screw up my courage to do so...nothing like a camera to make all of your self-conscious monsters some out of hiding... I'll try to keep you updated.

Here's a new painting: Ghost tree, 18x18, mixed media on panel:


Looks like I got a few reflections when I took the picture (probably because I did it at the show...)