"Next Door" Free to Download

A few weeks ago in an earlier post, I mentioned I would be posting a variety of photographs I snapped of one of my favorite subjects - doors.  Here's another - with a bit of 'oomph' added to the saturation and an alternative color just for creation's sake.  

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What isn't the turpentine paper...

My turpentine paper was a disaster.  After about five hours of nursing it along and checking it every so often, I gave up.  Two possible mistakes - not enough turpentine or the wrong 'type' of turpentine.  I used "gum spirits" which I thought would be more than potent enough.  Enough ended up being toxic fumes and I'm going to shop around for the Citra-solve.  I'll also follow different instructions, http://www.tuscanrose.com/ seems to make the most sense to me...now~!

In between times, I decided to snap a few shots of one of my favorite collections, various 'sculptures' of women I've gathered over the past 6-7 years.   I was dusting in and around them this afternoon, as my optimism for my project slowly  dissolved.  Luckily, the 'girls' cheered me up so much so that I decided to share them with you.  Some of them are just bargains I found along the way, one is from a trip to Europe, another a gift. 

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The Gypsy that Never Was

Yesterday I printed my watercolor experiment onto cloth and began to embellish 'her' with beads, machine stitching and embroidery.  If I had little bells, I'd sew them on as she is beginning to take on the life of a gypsy, to me.  Either that or a hallucination of Whistler's Mother LOL.  I realize looking at her, my affinity to these colors is no doubt a result of my recent trip to Mexico where 'color' is as much of scenery as the ocean is.

Here's a few 'macros' to showcase my progress with her so far...

Here she is with the early morning sunlight casting shadows on her as she waits patiently for me to adorn her.  She may have to wait awhile as the weather looks promising today and I will be venturing outside to experiment with applying turpentine to National Geographic pages, a technique I've been waiting for warm weather to try.

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Past lives....

Tonight after spending much of today away from any artwork,  I decided to get out a  paintbrush and muck around.  I have the weekend alone to create around the clock.

 I tried to ignore my inner critic and just follow my muse letting her guide  the brush around the paper.  I've been wanting to create some painting to print onto fabric and add beading, etc. to it.   That is,  until my Caran D'Ache crayons arrive. This may be a fun one to embellish as her 'scarf' may lend itself well to some beading?  I think part of me must have been reflecting on Avatar.... (think blue long noses)  ;0)

When I scanned it I erased the area below her scarf and added some hearts and background digitally.  Maybe this is my muse leading me in a portraiture of herself?

Past Lives - watercolor, ink  and digital - orig. watercolor 7 x 10 inches

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New Fabric Collage Page - "Mother Nature"

Another skinny page "front" completed, I think.  I'll have to 'sit with it' now for a few days.  Again, I created it digitallywith purchased and magazine scanned images,  and  then printed it onto cloth, embroidered, beaded, hand and machine stitched with pieces of doily, netting and antique lace added.  I tried  to 'restrain' the colors a bit as I tend toward  adding a LOT of contrast.  I tried to achieve an air-ey pleasing quality, by using  beads that matched the background and kept  the border light to blend with the background.  Your suggestions are more than welcome!  Thanks for reading. 

digital version next to cloth version

Thank you to everyone that left such wonderful comments!!!   Such encouragement I was  inspired  to finish the sewing and stitching for the  back of the page along with a little tag-card photographed below.  I'll be sending it on to a very special blog/art friend that I've enjoyed swapping with over the years....  P.S. the little 'twigs' aren't q-tips - although at first glance they appear to be!!! ... they are little stamens with pearlized tips used to create fabric flowers. :0)  Once again, Thank you  for the comments!  The quote is from Claude Monet  - The richness I achieve comes from Nature, my source of inspiration.

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March 22 Visual Collages - can you spot the additions?

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You can imagine my surprise this afternoon when I opened the door to my studio to find that the Good Little Witch had hopped out of her witches hat, and into a collage of a kimono I had done a couple of years ago. I had no idea how she'd managed to travel so far until I noticed she'd also found a bicycle. I suspect she rode into the collage on it. As soon as I noticed her, she froze in position, like a child playing frozen tag. But I saw her blink. :0)

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The "Good Little Witch" pages in cloth and paper

I had a riot yesterday creating this little witch...her personality just began to come to life as I went along.  She started out with a face, body and dress  from a Vogue magazine  I had on hand that I cut out and then scanned into the computer.  From there I built the rest of the page with shoes and a hat  from a clown costume, a black and white border I created myself and the scalloped edges from Sandy Kreiger along with one of my favorite butterflies  from Kate Pertiet.  

But the best imaginings were adding her pets - a bunny I pictured  she'd keep hidden under her hat as well as her loyal and friendly siamese cat rubbing up against her leg.   

After I printed the finished image onto cloth, I then attached it to felt, and machine stitched several areas, then handstitched the other  bits of lace and fiber,and the 'fishnet stockings'  (which made me laugh in combo with the saddle shoes....)

I made this  for an on-line art friend who recently had a surgery and added "Keep the Faith, Sister" as encouragement for her speedy recovery.  She's also a participant in one of the two skinny book projects I'm involved with so the page can be added to her other stack.

The second 'version' was an after thought for Betsy   who has specified she wanted a Halloween themed skinny page, focusing on lime green and purple.  The good little witch seemed like a perfect subject for Halloween and so I modified the colors, added a moon another friend Marsha sent me (thanks Marsha) and changed the caption to suit her theme.  This version is all created in paper, each image cut out and  added in layers and then a few little bits of fibre and cording added on. 

Below, as usual, several macros and snapshots of the final pages.  Don't be surprised if the 'good little witch' pops up again!

   

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Visual Journal March 17th

After I completed the beginning of another project I have on the go, I decided to add an abridged version today to my journal....a little 'good witch'....and her pets ... :0)

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Some window shopping and photo-snapping of 'OPA" - other people's art!

Mary Frances Handbag

I am always inspired by color and of course, by other people's artistic creations and perspectives.  There is an ABUNDANCE of both in Puerto Vallarta and it is one of the primary reasons I enjoy visiting this city.  Another being the doors, ...the weather helps too :0)

 As a rule, and as you no doubt know,  most galleries I visited didn't allow photos, so, what you see here is a random collection of quick snapshots - most of which are 'street shots.'   Unexpectedly, I love how some of the reflections add to them, and are inadvertently semi self-portraits!   I post them here as much for my own benefit to revisit when I need a 'boost' of color inspiration.  I am very sorry I don't have the artist names to attach to these, ...hindsight.  If you recognize the artist, could you post a comment with that information?

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