My most special art moment of the Week
This week I enjoyed spending time with my daughter, Madolyn, who was visiting from New York city where she is in-between off-Broadway shows. One of our favorite things to do together is art, of course!
Steve, Gwen, Madolyn and I spent a few hours indulging in chocolate mousse cake and coffees while each of us did our own thing.
Gwen was making a drawing for Madolyn in honor of Madolyn's girlfriend, Katie. Madolyn hand-stitched a beautiful and meaningful scene of her and Katie on the beach watching the sunset (or sunrise?) arm in arm. And Steve was working on his Thursday blog for his website www.BeyondIntroversion.com. Be sure to check it out!
I had created a watercolor drawing and was doing the embellishing, which is my favorite part! It is made up of so many layers of paint. The hardest part was waiting for it to dry before adding on.
What's on my "easel" today
Now that my art room has been reorganized I have a fantastic setup for mixed media collage-making. All the drawers on the right hold magazine images, hand-painted papers, memorabilia, and other "found" items, all sorted by color and ready for the picking. I raised the folding table table to its highest setting so that I could comfortably stand at my new work station. Plus I incorporated my chef's floor mat from the kitchen as it serves as amazing support for my aching feet!
This is an image of one of the water canals in Bruges, Belgium. We used to live in England back in 2005-2008 and one of our trips we spent touring the Netherlands, including the cities of Bruges, Brussels, Delft, Amsterdam, Keukenhof, and more. I thought this would be a fun collage to make. I am including a few short time-lapse videos so you can see some of the process I go through. I have to say I love each and every part of the process!
This first time-lapse video (27 sec.) shows how I transfer and enlarge the printed image onto my canvas using the grid method of drawing.
This second time-lapse video (21 sec.) shows how I am selecting different textures and patterns from my browns collection of magazine images.
This third time-lapse video (31 sec.) is of me laying down the foundation layer for each of the buildings.
Creating digital art... my newest hobby!
(L to R:)
- I take advantage of every minute I can to do art, including secretly drawing my nail lady a she gives me a long-awaited and well-deserved pedicure! It was part of my girls day with Madolyn.
- I downloaded some new brushes called "Flora" by artist MattyB and played around with them. One of the brushes at the bottom was of tree trunks, but I thought they looked more like an old grave stones. I know, how depressing! I found it to be quite peaceful and I did it rather quickly while the family was watching "American Ninja Warrior" on the TV.
- Working on a background for a judaic piece. Not sure what I will use it for, but I'm sure I will figure something out!
I imported this first photo into Procreate for iPad of Madolyn relaxing in the pool. For the second photo, each area was hand selected and colorized into basic shapes. So, NO, this is NOT a FILTER! This is made of up several layers, including water (dark, mid-tones, highlights, bikini, skin (dark, mid-tones, highlights. The original image is not part of this layer. I thought that this would be a fun way for me to take an image and create a pattern for me to make a collage with. It's more simplified than looking at the original image. So with that in mind, I have started another one!
Although this is the one I am currently working on (see above videos), I thought this would be an easier way to isolate each of the shapes. What do you think?
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With collage, from afar you see the big picture, and as you move closer you find yourself immersed in observing all the thought-provokingdetails – colors, patterns, and textures. I truly appreciate each image I select as I know it will serve a greater purpose.
The Shabbat candlestick holders and Kiddush cup were inherited from my in-laws after they passed. It’s wonderful feeling their connection, especially while thinking about my daughter who lives in NYC.
Original (11x14 canvas)
$300 plus shipping
Giclee Prints (order from me)
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11x14 - $50
Art Quote of the Week:
“Life is like a collage.
Its individual pieces are arranged to create harmony.
Appreciate the artwork of your life.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree, Joyful Living: 101 Ways to Transform Your Spirit and Revitalize Your Life
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