Where I'm at...

Yikes...it's almost the end of my first part-time diploma year so 

I'd better get some pics up or you'll be thinking I've been sitting

 on my laurels doing nothing, which is furthest from the truth!

It took me a few days to readjust to being back home from 

the Scrapbooking Retreat in Dunedin. I worked some more 

on my pages and got the journalling done and even made a start 

on a few new pages. Sadly, the scrapbooking has been put again 

as I have so many other projects on the go and some days 

I get so flustered and confused as to what to do I end up

 wandering around feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

I've been enjoying the workshops provided at 

The Quarry Arts Centre and even taken the enormous

step of putting my name on the waiting list for a studio.

A couple of artists studio have become available

and I looked at them when I was there for Monday's

Art Journalling Workshop. I'm not top of the list, and 

there's other artist interest in the studios so I'm not

expecting to be called up and invited to lease one..

but hey, you've gotta be "in to win" and having my own

studio space might be just the ticket I need!

Here's some of the things I'm working on 

and being doing the past two weeks...

A few pages of my visit to the Hutt Valley in 2012

..and visiting my home area growing up

and a few pages of my fur babies, of course!

BTW...sorry about the poor photo quality...I'm too 

lazy to take the pages out of my album!

I have REALLY enjoyed the scrapbooking again

and VERY PLEASED to say, as a result of my TLC

Art Course I'm feeling HEAPS MORE confident about

 my personal style. This is so awesome to feel!

I've also been do a little painting exercises 

using textured surfaces to lay down paint on.

(Resource #6 in the workbook)

TEXTURED BLOCK

 The exercise called for Hi Build but as I didn't have

any of that I used Gesso. It was a fun process!

 Bubblewrap

Using the prongs of a fork

 Using a serrated knife edge

 Dabbing with screwed-up 

ball of waxed paper

 Pressing plastic netting into gesso

 and then placing netting on paper 

and brushing over with Gesso

 Crumpled handmade paper strips

 Shredded string pressed into Gesso

I chose to go the netting technique at the time

though it didn't turn out as good as I had hoped.

 My painted textured canvas

 and a close up of the texture.

I have "plans for this" 

I saw a cool idea using found objects.

Here's my inspiration...

I showed Ricky, a homeschooled student

 that is Autistic how to do paper marbling

 We mixed oil paints with a little turps and drizzle it

 over a shallow tray of water. Swirl it with a tooth pick...

...and ta-da...marbled paper!

This week I showed Ricky

 how to make paper using flax. 

 I do hope he enjoyed it! 

 One of his "couched" sheets...

After pressing them between two boards weighted down 

with a brick, I lay them out on the trampoline to dry.

Next week I'll help him make a book with the paper.

I'm also working on an applique but haven't 

taken any photos yet. Will do that...

...AND, I've been asked...no, I offered to 

complete a beach-theme tapestry

Now that I've seen it...I'm hoping I won't

 regret offering as it looks pretty fiddly!

Working again on these paintings...

 I added some strong black lines so better define the shapes

and really like how this Acrylic into Oil turned out.

 My second page using other objects to apply the acrylic

 paint (I used plastic trowel-like tool and my fingers)

I've brushed over the thinned down oil paint (using turps)

but felt it look a little too "friendly" for the stormy ocean 

I was trying to portray, so darkened it with a bit more 

black/blue hues. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, though...

 Then I splattered it with paint to give a "raining effect"

I am really wanting to add some text to this. Possibly some 

freehand cursive but scared of "wrecking it"

While I've been practicing my hand-writing I've been soaking 

clay and paper ready for my next experiment with tile-making.

This time I'm going to make some frames so I don't have to 

"cut" the edges and end up with a hairy edge!

Time 4 hours (Painting)

Update: 21st November

The Creative Process

1. This is awesome...
2. This is tricky...
3. This is shit...
4. I am shit!
5. This might be ok...
6. I'm really liking this...
7. This is awesome!

I saw this on Arlee Barr's blog and can totally relate!
I've added my little twist/tweak to it and

must remember this when I'm being creative.

I realised I hadn't posted a photo of this..

It's my pohutukawa cartoon for my tapestry

..and a cardboard template for print-making.

I've been working on this...and just started on the first flower.

Second attempt at Under-painting - using my fingers to blend
I enjoyed this technique much more than using a brush.

Adding the oil glaze - outside as the turps was pretty smelly!

My third attempt at Under-painting - this time using black and
white for my tone (like I was supposed to but to scared to try!)

I found application with a plastic "trowel" fun and loose.
Just what I needed!! Now to add the colour....

PLAYING WITH CLAY

On Tuesday I went along to the Quarry Arts Centre 

and worked on some more clay ideas.

Leaf and Letter imprints.
I was excited about seeing my leaves from last week and when I couldn't find them I got concerned the someone had mistakenly taken them....turns out they got fired and were still in the kiln.
When I went to pay my casual attendee fee I learned there was an Exhibition by The Firebirds for public viewing. I know one of the artists from The Bach and asked if it would be alright to take a few photos of the works that inspired me. I will get credit, where credit is due of course.

WORKS by MIKE MAUNDER

 

 

"Sculpture Bowl"

"Form"

 WORKS by WENDY CUNLIFFE

 "Flower bowl"

"Animal Collection"

"Astro Planter"

I think I might go along to one of the Firebird's classes one afternoon, just for a look-see.

ART INSPIRATION

Some textile work by Healy and Burke.