"Merrily, Merrily", Mixed Media on Panel, 6"x6"

This is mixed media piece that is composed of a lot of different materials and has been well over a year in creation.  I know a year sounds like a long time but read below to give you details into my process.

The wren was drawn with Prismacolor art pencils on mixed media paper about a year and a half ago. I tend to keep a portfolio in my car with various art supplies.  I have 3 kids-17, 15 and 10 and I am driving around a lot.  I tend to be waiting for them in cars whether they are a sports practice, doctor's appointments or a music lesson.  I hated not using that time in a fulfilling way.  I was finding myself surfing social media on my iPhone or calling someone on the phone to take about nothing special.  Having my art supplies handy means that I am always creating and a few steps away from a completed painting.

This is how this piece started-in my car being drawn while waiting for my kids.  Just a single solitary wren looking for a home!

The brown background is on a wood panel.  I did something new that I am going to explore more in the future.  I used modeling paste that I colored with Liquitex gold acrylic paint and put it through a stencil.  I still had no idea what the end result was going to be.  I added the vintage sheet music and pieces of lace that I cut out.    Then I realized that this was a good surface place to put the wren that had been nesting in my studio.

This piece is available to purchase through Daily Paintworks.

Thanks for stopping by!

#30paintingsin30days-Day 12 (Painting #8)

"Symphony #9", mixed media on canvas, 8"x8"

Okay.  2 things.  I know that I should be on painting number 12 since it's the 12th of January and I know that I skipped painting number 7.

I'll scan and upload painting 7 tomorrow.  I coated it with Liquitex pouring medium and had to wait for it to dry.

I'm trying my best to not feel guilty that I haven't done 12 paintings and that I am 8 short.  After all, it's my challenge and it's not like I am going to kicked out of the challenge.  I am still accomplishing something and starting the new year off on the right foot!

The canvas for this piece I have had hanging around my studio for like FOREVER.  I just couldn't figure out what to do with it.  I loved what I did with it.  I painted it and textured it with rice paper.  I also used gold ink to highlight the music sheet pieces and the high points of the rice paper.  I also stamped fern leaves using real fern leaves from the woods in the back of my house.  This is kind of tricky if you could imagine because one slip-up and I would ruin the canvas below and I would have to fix it somehow or start all over.

The inspiration for the bird came once again from our Virginia snowstorm last week.  We had some cute yellow-rumped warblers at our feeders.  I couldn't remember what their name was since they are more or less a winter resident down here.

I woke up at 4am in the morning and couldn't sleep so I ended up drawing the bird and then applying him to the prepared canvas later.

I am really happy how it turned our.

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#30paintingsin30days Challenge-Day 9(Painting #6)

"Morning Song", Mixed Media on Wood, 8"x10"

I was happy to finally finish the painting above for the 30 day painting challenge.  The canvas has been sitting around my studio for a long time waiting for some sort of inspiration.  I had already painting it blue and added the music sheet on it named "Morning Song".  I know I wanted to put a bird on it but didn't know what kind and how it should look.

With the snowfall this weekend, I have spent a lot of time looking out of my kitchen windows watching all the birds at the feeders.  One bluebird in the yard tended to the thug of the yard and was chasing everyone off of the feeders.

The bluebird "thug" is the one on the left!  LOL!

At that point, I got inspired to draw a bluebird for the piece.  I worked on the drawing yesterday.

After I finished the drawing, I made a decision to only include one bird on the canvas although it seemed like I should have more than one.  I then decided to cut out different color lace pieces and add them over a piece of cheesecloth that I applied with Liquitex Gloss Heavy Gel.  Now that it is done, I think I am going to either use Art Resin for the top coating or Liquitex Pouring Medium.

Thank you for looking today!