She is finished!

That could mean a lot of things, lol, but in this case it means I finished a project dear to my heart, my STARGIRL.  I had wanted to offer a free tutorial for some time to help build my email list, so that I can stay in better contact with those who love my art.  Mixed media is something everyone can do and enjoy with wild abandon!  I think the whole thing about being in artist is to inspire others to develop their own creativity.  There is an artist in everyone, naysayers included.
Here she is.  What do you think?

I also finished another mixed media project, so different in style.  This one has a more meditative feel.

Which style do you prefer?  Anyway, go download your tutorial and post some pictures in the comments, or on my FB page: HERE

Working on a freebie mixed media ebook...

I get so involved in the art making that I keep forgetting to take pictures of the process.  To make an ebook, you have to take loads of pictures.  I'm really happy with the outcome of the art piece in question.  Staying true to creating intuitively I had some funny things come up on the canvas that could not stay.  At one point I saw a face and I had to outline it.  Came out looking like a cross between the Jester and Michael Jackson.  I had used some alcohol inks and you can't really get rid of the splotches on his forehead and eye.  They bleed through everything, so I had to glue more paper over the ink to make sure they would be covered up.  Here is a teaser!

You see what I mean?  He ended up with sunglasses to cover up the creepy eyes. Lol...he will languish under all the other layers and maybe add a vibe or two to the finished piece.  Having lots of fun with this project!  What are you working on?

Spirit Box

I think it's a "crime" to throw out tin boxes.  Well, you can recycle them today, but I have saved some Altoids boxes that I didn't know what to do with until I saw this article in the September/October issue of Cloth Paper Scissors on making spirit boxes using old tins.  The article is by Lyn Belisle and you can order the ceramic faces in her etsy shop.  Being a polymer clay "fiend" I made my own faces out of polymer clay and a mold, then painted them.  Here is my first attempt at a spirit box and it was so much fun.

The front which is embellished with various paper scraps, beads, fabric trim, copper wire, twig, and the painted polymer clay face.

I left the Altoids tin plain inside except for a sticker that says gratitude.

The back of the tin I collaged with paper and the white is gesso.  I painted the edges with acrylic paint and varnished them.

The back of the piece with the tin attached.   

The glue has to be tough so that the box can be opened without tearing off the art work.  E6000 jewelry glue is great. 

So, if you have a secret wish or prayer, write it down and put in the box and hang it on the wall!  The spirit will guard it and no one will know.  :)

I also got busy making more polymer clay mosaic tiles for my picture frames and boxes.  I took a long hiatus from that since it's pretty repetitive.  Here's a picture of some partially painted tiles.  It takes three coats and I usually use some Perfect Pearls metallics to swipe on at the end.  They give that magical shimmer to the paint, and add depth.  Hopefully I'll have some pictures for finished pieces soon.

Have a creative day and thanks for stopping by!  

Nature's Bounty... painting/collage

This is a commission I just finished, and the lady is very happy with it.  Yay!  Commissions are not easy because you tread a fine line between what you want to paint, and what they want.  But, all you can do is your best and hope they like it.  It's always a challenge, and as far as I know, challenges are good! :)

Nature's Bounty:

 

Then there's the real nature's bounty, a frangipani I snapped in the back yard.  So pretty! 

 

Enjoying the summer and her bounty of flowers and other gorgeous expressions....

More showings locally...

Hung some of my art at Easy Street Home Decor here in town.   I hadn't planned on it, but the artist whose month it was had another obligation, so voila, I spent an evening putting wire on some of my art, and then took it into town the following day!  There's a mixture of old and new, very different styles.  It's interesting to see the progress of  HAVING FUN, which art is to me.

Wild and wacky colors...

A friend of mine came in as I was hanging the art and saw my moon painting.  There wasn't really room for it, so I gave it to him as a belated Christmas present!  All of these are pretty much mixed media.

My latest painting: Joyous Birds

"Inchies"  Embroidered puffy fabric squares on mixed media canvas.  I made a very rustic narrow white frame for it.  Now it stands out from the wall.  

Even clumsy birds fly free....

I was thinking the other day that "freedom" means a lot to me.  Besides "love" it's up there on the scale of importance.  My business partner bought my part in the furniture store so I'm free to ponder at the crossroads, breathe free for a while.  I love spending the day without schedule or obligations.  Get up in my jammies and sit down at the computer or in my studio and do all the things I love to do.  Creativity of all kinds flow freely in an relaxed body and mind.  That's how we're meant to live--Free!

I'm the queen of my own domain so to speak, not some CEO or other boss, or a friend telling me what they think I should be doing.  When I don't have to be some place at a certain time, I can listen to my intuition and go with the flow.  People's intuition has been clouded for centuries due to schedules and obligations.  I'm not against those per se, but they only work if we love what we do.  I have given way too many years to jobs and careers that I didn't love, but I've also worked for years with things I do love, and I intend to stay that way now. Let my God-given gifts rule!  Be my own boss, create income where I can be my own boss, and continue with my two greatest passions, art and writing!

We have made it so difficult for ourselves as we struggle in this world of unceasing toil.  Do you think that was the purpose for coming here when we were given that first breath at birth?  I think we were meant to be free and follow that guidance inside.  That part was never acknowledged though.  Sadly, it gets completely covered up as we go through school.

I have been writing a lot, but I snuck in some art last week.  I made a mini book for the Cloth Paper Scissors' challenge.  The front and back covers are cardboard with lots of collage and paint. The inside covers are hand-painted fabric.  I sewed some brown paper bag pages inside, and it became an artistic goal setting journal for 2011.  I have a friend who is a fantastic artist, but she always shortchanges herself with her art.  Making money is more important than her creative expression.  I can understand the necessity of a regular paycheck, but the choice to always put that first comes from fear.  It may be an excuse not to create.  There's no real security in a regular paycheck, just as the job could be gone tomorrow.  I have friends who work regular jobs and still manage to create every day, but they are the exception.  She's getting the book for Christmas!  :)
 
What's your most cherished word?

Collage classes galore!

Well, I did another collage class in town at POP today.  It was really hot outside, and rain threatened to happen.  It happened as I loaded all of the materials into the car after the class... of course!  :)  Four sweet people made some beautiful collages, and I so enjoyed talking to them.  If it weren't for the class, who knows if I would've ever met them?  Here are some pictures from the event.

 I really enjoyed that there was a guy in the class this time!

Masterpiece underway.

Tom did a great job, don't you think?

Michelle's piece was deep and mystical.

Dawn was focusing on order and de-cluttering at home.  An insight she had during our mini meditation.  I can really relate to that.

Shannon's happy piece.  She could've been a flower child, but too young for that.  She did capture the spirit of that time, though.   I thought all of their pieces were remarkably happy, so no wonder we had such a good time!

Collage class!

Vickie and Dana took my collage class last week, and we had lots of fun!  Check out these pictures and the beautiful collages they made.

Vickie putting layers upon layers!

Isn't this gorgeous so far?

Dana really likes 3D!

More layers!

Dana's finished collage that she made for her granddaughter Vegas.

Vickie's collage has a lot of details that her mother likes.  It reminds her of her mom, which is really cool in my opinion!  Everyone finds their own theme as they work through the various layers of paper and paint.

Yesterday, I took part in the peaceful demonstration Hands Across The Sand to stop offshore oil drilling.  I went to the Dunedin causeway beach and about 300 had gathered there, and at the adjoining Honeymoon Island, 200 more had gathered.  People held hands all over the world actually, whether they had beaches or not.  Petitions were signed and will be sent to the White House.  It was great despite the 97 degree heat.  I stood with my feet in the water, wondering how long it'll stay pristine.  Hopefully, for a looooong time, if a way can be found to stem the flow of oil.
I forgot my camera, but here's the Facebook link to Hands Across The Sand, if you want to see some pictures.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/HandsAcrossTheSand?ref=ts

Blessings to all!!

Got me some journal pages to share...

The tiger is my favorite animal for sheer magnificence, and I looked at this beautiful photo and prayed that the tigers won't be gone because they add such beauty to this world. Caption: (from printed matter): One special reason to live green; to keep these cats with us! My little cat lives in the eyes of this magnificent beast. Any time is a good time to visit the land of the Tiger. But there's no time like now. India. (Would like to see that country some day.)

Buddha picture entry: Beloved Inspiration to go within. Always the same through the ages. Going within is the Only Truth! Breathe in stillness, LISTEN with the heart. The still voice is there and speaks MY language, the one I know, the one I used to know always. This is the red thread in all of my lives, and I heed it NOW.

Woman entry: Celebrate the feminine even if it won't take you anywhere that you envision. Celebrate ANYWAY! Girls rule!

Happy woman entry: If you don't live your passion every day, what kind of life do you have? Do you feel excited to get up every morning and face a day filled with passion? If not, what are you waiting for? Permission? Only you can permit yourself to be HAPPY!

Check out the ACEO that was gifted to me...

You meet all kinds of interesting and kind people in blog land. June Crawford is a new friend and fabulous artist. Check out her blog HERE. I belong to at least five networking sites, and I've met her on two of those before. I was a lucky winner on her blog. Check out this beautiful mini painting/collage: "Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments the better."
I totally agree with her (and Emerson's) sentiment in that! That message came at a good time in my life as I'm trying to decide whether to quit a partime job and go "full blast" into the somewhat unknown future. Sometimes we have to take risks to get where we're supposed to be, and that can be very scary!

Another collage...this one with oil pastels.

Was inspired to do another 12 x12' collage with paper on canvas with paint on top. I like the birds from the previous collage, so I put some in this one as well. The face is softer because I used oil pastels instead of acrylic paints. I like the effect better. For sale on etsy for anyone who is interested.

FLY FREE!

FLY FREE is the name of this collage, and I like that idea very much. :) It's a 12x12" piece on canvas, layered paper and paint.

Got another collage made...it was fun!

Here's a new collage I just made. I don't know how I felt about the finished portrait of the woman, but then it struck me: "Look Deeper" is the title because when we look behind the trends, the fashions, the looks, the attitudes, the demands of society, we encounter the mystery of our souls. That's where the true I/we live, and our connection to nature is a link that takes us into the wonder of life.
I started on a 12x12 gallery wrapped canvas with wide edges. I do love those; you can paint them in a color that enhances the artwork. Then I glued random paper snippets all over the canvas, careful to make sure the edges were glued down completely.
When dry, I went over parts of it with a wash of paint in different shades.
When that was dry I squirted some glue that gives interesting ridges and patterns when you paint over it when dry. (see picture)
I used acrylic paints to paint the woman, and I glued the glove on and a butterfly and dragonfly from some gift paper I had. A nice glossy varnish finishes off the piece. Varnish adds depth to the artwork.

Another day in paradise...

...as Tom Selleck used to say in Magnum P.I. Sometimes I watch the reruns and enjoy some the shenanigans they got into. I especially liked Higgins and the Lads. :)

I've been working on some collages, but not being very productive right now. Here's one, another inspirational "Living from the Heart." 'Tis the only way to live, isn't it? I sold the two previous collages here locally to a woman who saw one of them on Facebook. You never know where you might find potential customers. I always post photos on these online venues.

Mixed media is lots of fun, and selling them is GREAT!

xo

Maria

steampunk jewelry...

Found an old pocket watch and took out the gears inside. Then I did a collage paper/paint and put it inside with a reminder that "time flies, breathe deeply." I added some watch gear and charms for more interest, and a heavy chain. I've been on a kick to honor the woman within, so that's why there are so many women in my art right now. We've got to honor ourselves...

Friendship angel painting in the series...

In the series of Living From The Heart, I made another collage with paper and paint. This one is called Friendship. I don't know what I would do without my girlfriends who are always there for me. This is to celebrate you all!

Maria