It is finished, and woven artwork

I LOVE to write! And, to be in my studio working on artwork has got to be something akin to what's it's going to be like in Heaven. Then there's the 'take a product, see what I can do with it, and then write a Review about it' adventure. Sometimes when I am finished doing one or the other, or both together, my brain feels like it's been through a triathalon (Spelling 101: this word is NOT in my Webster's 33,000 most used words book here so am not sure I spelled it right. Maybe it's not a 'much used' word???)

Anyways, my brain felt like that TOTALLY when I finished the "Motion Six-ness" piece currently hanging at the Tannery Row Artist Colony/Gallery in Historic Buford, Ga. What a ride that was, exhausting but exhilarating when it was over. I turned around and wanted to do it again like any self-respecting person would. LOL

I'm kind of there again at the moment. I've played and played with the Tim Holtz Grungepaper, designed a number of Art projects with it, have more ideas swimming in my head, written a Review and submitted it and the projects to the editor/owner of www.papercrafterscorner.com for publication. No monetary gain from this one, however, it pushed me once more Artistically, AND one never knows what might be around the next corner. So I do for now what I can do.

In the meantime, I was at http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.com/2010/04/start.html "Creativity Journey" last week reading one of Myrna's posts. She is a fabulous artist and I am inspired by her work and her ability and willingness to experiment outside the box on a regular basis. In one of her posts followed by comments from several of us, the issue came up about what to do with paintings you do and then hate. I mentioned a technique I learned from some of my Artist friends at Tannery Row Artist Colony. You simply cut it up into strips, then use those strips to weave a painting.

Today, since I can't show my grungepaper artwork until it's been published, I thought I would share a different piece of artwork. Upon completion I took it up to show my Artist friends, and they loved it. There was no "I hate this" canvas in the studio here to cut up, so I used a wallpaper border piece, along with other papers, and cut them all up. And being the "I wanna try something a little bit different" person that I am, the strips were cut in different patterns and widths. Of course then I found that made the weaving a bit more challenging, LOL yeah more like a LOT more challenging, but I ended up liking the result. The choice of the dark blue mat really punches out the sunflowers. This is in a white 12x12 frame and looks lovely on my dining room wall.

Until next time, go find something creative to do. Doing so brings an tranquil peace to your soul, and joy to your heart.

Lost and Found Leads to ART

OK, so this week I'm playing around with Tim Holtz's Grungepaper, putting it through various paces and designing with it in preparation for writing a Product Review for www.papercrafterscorner.com. I had this awesome idea for using it on a scrapbook layout and went to pull the TOOL out that I had in mind as part of the design.

I admit it, right here right now; PAPER is my nemesis! After 12+ years of scrapbook and card designing, there's tons in this little studio. And even though I've been actively giving more quality clean up/re-organizing time to change that, it still abounds. HOWEVER, when it comes to my tools, I'm very, very particular in obeying the rule my mother ingrained in us kids growing up; "a place for everything and everything in it's place". No Exceptions!

Imagine the horror then, when I went to pull out my set of these and they weren't where they were supposed to be!
Back in the day (late 1990s) when I first started scrapbooking, I bought and greatly used these Creative Memories decorative edge rulers. We didn't have all the "toys" with their bells and whistles that scrapbookers and paper artists have available today, and though I don't use these particular tools like I used to, when I want one of them, they need to be In Their Place! Fortunately I found them early yesterday afternoon, and the funny part was that they WERE where they were supposed to be. Rather than standing up in the storage case, they had fallen over and were laying in the bottom under other art making supplies. That discovery, made after hours of purging/re-organizing in here, made me want to sit back down to art making. So back to the Grungepaper.

I had a piece of this heavy grungepaper already torn and laying on my workstation. I decided to work it into a card since a longtime friend's birthday is coming up and I wanted to do something special in designing his card. My artist mind started whirling, and excitedly I pulled out watercolor paper, a fine ink drawing pen, water color pencils, artist paint brush, and a couple Tim Holtz Distress Ink pads. The torn GP would be inked and act as the Foreground of my painting. This is what I came up with. After drawing the picture with ink I laid colors in with the watercolor pencils and a wet brush. I'm very excited about this little painting which is the base for the Birthday Card. Another friend from our growing up in South Miami days sent us this old pic weeks ago that we all had fun reminiscing about. It's the old Lighthouse off Biscayne Bay, Miami, Fl.
I want to do a big drawing/painting of it, but for now it helped in doing this little picture as it's been way too long since I saw our beloved palm trees on the beach up close and in person. I will post the link when the finished card, other grungepaper art, and the review article are published. I'm on my way back to the grungepaper scrapbook layout now, however, I just couldn't keep from sharing my latest painting, even though this one is small.

Remember, do something creative every day. For sure, it is food for the soul, and brings joy to your heart.
bj