Monday, May 31, 2010

layering it up!!

after a week in
susan tuttle on-line class
the first three lessons have been
all about layers and blending modes
above i used the texture i created
in my encaustic class last week
a photo of a tree, some text and a
grunge frame i found online


i added the tree photo on top of the texture
used the "screen" blending mode
the text was next
using the "multiple" blending mode
at 21% opacity
and finally the grunge frame
set to "hard light" blending mode
after i flattened it
i felt it was a bit too dark so
i duplicated it and
used the "screen" blending mode
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i like taking on-line classes
it forces me to sit and focus
and play!!!!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

heatwave

with temperatures reaching a springtime high
and today it's 30c
i'm so happy to have a shade garden

with all this heat things are blooming weeks early

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

encaustic class

i just love how i start with one idea or intention
and then, with the magic of an iron or heat gun
the wax moves you in a whole other direction
happy accidents
i started out with several shades of caramel
rubbed in some green and umber oil paint
using waxed paper and an iron
i smoothed, moved, created bubbles
added more wax and oil paint
and then used the heat gun
finally a little more oil paint
-------
i haven't decide if i'll add a photo
but definitely i will use this texture
for my photoshop class

this time i added some square pasta
flattened it with wax paper and the iron
the gaps with the pasta created a lot more bubbles
the red oil paint really shows them off

here i was tried to re-created a "rust" effect
i used loose leaf tea and brown wax to create some texture
layers of several shades of blue
and finally a little copper powder

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

enjoyable weekend


now that all the work is done
i had a chance to really enjoy
the fruits of labour
just a little bit of maintenance
for the rest of the season

i even got to sit on the deck
with my new laptop and get some
work done for susan tuttles
online class

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above, a photo taken at the
paris antique market
for the texture
i used a scan of
some scratched paper
i found at the scrap booking store
years ago

i turned it into a black and white photo

i thought it would be too subtle but it worked

you can see more of our class work on flickr

Sunday, May 23, 2010

the difference a fence makes

three years ago we put up this back fence
it gave us a chance to use the last 30 feet of our yard
i've been so busy planting
laying flagstone and enjoying the peacefulness
i haven't notice my neighbours yard
until yesterday!!!
i just hope when the wind does blows
it's moving north!!!

my side has been growing beautifully
every morning after an hour or two of working

i just sit with my tea and enjoy!

what a way to start my day

Friday, May 21, 2010

in the garden

it's our first long weekend of the garden season
time to relax , bbq, get the annuals planted
and celebrate
the queens birthday
happy victoria day weekend
to all my canadian friends
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above, one of many cornflowers in my garden
and wonderful layer mask from
and some text from and old letter

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

encaustic class

some days you just have to let go
which is hard for me
i always have to have a plan
be in control
know exactly what i want to do
and how to get it done
today i was drawing a blank
a big blank
i dreamt of this great idea
it work out perfect in my dreams
and then when i got to class
nothing
which was frustrating a first
but i did let go and thought
i would just spend the class practicing
or try new color schemes
which lead to the 2 long boards above
this one was created with lots of wax
crisscrossing back and forth
to create lots of texture
but it looked boring so i stared adding
splashes and drops
and then came the drips!!!!
finally oil paint and scraping
back and forth until i liked the results


in between layers on the first board
i worked on the second
this time
a thick layer of wax and then covered
with parchment paper
out came it iron and with the help
of my class mate ron
we created some really cool bubbles
using the same technique
with the oil paint and mineral spirits
added more color
which enhanced the texture
i think next week i will
add a third board and maybe a
photo transfer

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

sneak peak

yesterday, my friend ron and i
made our way to the palais royale
to see the press announcement
for the musical
priscilla
queen of the desert
making it north american debut
this fall
we were greeted with a class of sparking wine
and a hot pink feather boa

several members of the london cast were there
to preform a few of the numbers
and available for photos afterwards



the costumes and make up where amazing
i can't wait to see it live
i've watched the movie a least once a year
it's alot of laughs and tears







Sunday, May 16, 2010

cool, green and shady

after a week of rain and cool temperatures
things are really looking lush in my garden

the huge siberian elm
has bloomed early
casting a lovely shadow on the back lawn


my woodland garden at the back
is getting lots more sun
now that the cherry tree is gone
hopefully the shade plants won't mind
the extra sun



even "beanie" seems to "fit" in
trying to hide under the bird bath




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

encaustic class

today was all about trying a new color palette
and then applying them in a different order
above three boards
using taupe, sage green, blue and gold

using the heat gun and a palette knife
at the same time
to move the wax and mix the colors
sort of like frosting a on a cake
i use crumpled up wax paper on parts
of the warm wax to texture it
and rubbed in oil paint in other parts
i also added chunks of the gold oil stick

this canvas i painted blue first and then
completely covered it with gold
and tried the same technique


this canvas was gold first
then the blue and green on top
and finally gold powder mixed with oil paint
when heated
it created
an interesting
crackle/marbling effect

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

paris statue

on our first day in paris
( it seem like a long time ago )
we wondered around our neighbourhood
( for eight hours)
going through my photos i found several of
a statue we found that day
it is two bronze statues
that have been sliced into several pieces and
then rejoined together
i'm sure carmi told me the name but
for the life of me i can not remember
i tried googling it and nothing
right now i wish i could split myself into 2 or 4
so i could get to all the things i want to get done
a second brain would be nice too!!!

the back was just as interesting
this large bass was just one of the items


the base

the side

Saturday, May 8, 2010

springtime


no matter what
i'm up by 6am and in the garden
i have a lot to catching up to do
i got way behind while in paris

it's really starting to look good
most of the weeds are out
and i've done some rearranging
splitting and new plantings
all i need is some cedar mulch

since i have lots of shade plants
they bloom early
may is the best month in my garden

hopefully it will warm up so
i can get more work done later today

--------
some of my shade loving plants
bleeding hearts, ferns, solomon's seal,
corydalis, hostas, clematis, rhododendron,
lady's mantle, lungwort, periwinkle and hydrangea


Wednesday, May 5, 2010

encaustic class

it's been 2 months since my last class
it was good to be back
i really wasn't sure what to do today
so my teacher suggested working with
the heat gun and a palette knife
to create texture
it was fun just playing
with no real goal in mind
other than to see what can happen!!
two detail areas
on the left i added white oil paint right out
of the tube and then heated it up
cool crackle effect
on the right i got more of a marbling effect

on the second board
i practiced the same technique
adding a few more colours

i can't wait 'til next week to experiment some more!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

paris street grunge or art?

as i wondered the streets of paris
i managed to use my little camera
for my favorite -- grunge shots
there was tons of stuff to shoot
above are a few of my favorite
several stencils, funny plaster faces ,
rusted and painted doors and
paper covered drain pipes everywhere!
in french so they will make great overlays in ps

a peeling billboard in the subway

and my reflection in a window covered in graffiti

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i still haven't gone throught all of my photos
but i know i will have months of fun
playing with them in ps


Saturday, May 1, 2010

artist spotlight

i'm so honoured to have been chosen
for her "artist spotlight interview" series
lorrie found me through
i love the blog world!!
it has been a wonderful source of inspiration
and i have met so many creative and generous people
thanks lorrie
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above
one of the many postcards i found in paris
 
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