New Works In Process

 

It's been awhile since I started some new work.  These two are 8x8" and totally different from the way I normally start new work.  My normal starts on mixed media pieces are some collage papers and mark making, no color, just black and white or cream.  I decided I needed some color so -- these are the starts. 

I'm seeing flowers right off but I want to live with these for a bit before deciding on the next layer.

Meanwhile, the paper that I cover my table with when I'm working got replaced when I started these.  The old paper is too good to throw away but has a lot of interesting stuff on it. Spilled paint, testing a color, trying a stamp and over spraying are just a few of the marks.  I use it to make envelope journals.  On sheet makes two journals.  So far I've only finished one with this sheet.

Closed it can fit nicely in my purse or in a travel bag.  And below you see its contents.  A few pages for notes or sketching and some papers to use for collage or the pockets can hold ephemera that I pick up when traveling.  I got the inspiration from Robyn McClendon.  These also make nice little gifts for artist friends.

It's also a way to get rid of some of the many scraps of paper I have cluttering up my space.

Back To The Challenge But First

 My new travel journal.

We headed south for a short break from the cold and I took along a small concertina sketchbook.  Normally I do postcards and/or take lots of photos with the intention of putting them in separate travel journal once home.  The last part rarely happens.  

This year I had intended to do some collage with ephemera collected along the way.  That didn't happen.  Instead I ended up doing what I normally do on postcards but the sketches are already in the sketchbook. I believe this will be my new form of travel sketchbook.  I can make it with a page a day for however many days we will be away.  Perfect. Here are a few more pages. Some still need color but I've made color notes or taken photos so that can be added.

I've already added the color to the fish that were everywhere at the Thirsty Turtle, an excellent place for seafood in Port St. Lucie, FL

And now, back home and back to the #100daychallenge -- this is a new old piece that got put away because I had no clue what to do with it.  It now has three new layers.  The last one being some collage, papers that I unwrapped yesterday.  More on that after the challenge piece.

The black scribble was the first new layer followed by the graphite scribbles.  The graphite scribbles were done with my new carpenter's mechanical pencil.  Love it, the pencil that is.  And today I added collage in the lower right corner.  That's some of the paper I unwrapped yesterday from the bundles I had put out behind our garage last December.  Here are the bundles unwrapped...

And now I think I'm caught up and hopefully will get back on track.  I've been trying to post every week but traveling got in the way.

My Word for 2016 -- Sketch

 

I started the year with a word instead of a resolution.  My word is SKETCH.  I do it a lot but this past year it hasn’t been daily.  I need to get back to that and so far I’m doing fine. 

BUT… it’s only week 1.  However, I am thinking positive.  I will keep up with it no matter what.  In fact the page above is an example of commitment.  It was bedtime and all I had done was a few quick pen sketches while we waited for our dinner at a favorite restaurant.  You’ll see those later in this post.  I did the top sketches before bed.

And this is what I did while we waited for dinner last evening….

Each of these is in a different sketchbook.  I know I’m going to want to do a bit of painting/sketching when we go on our next trip; more than just a few sketches in the one journal I take along when we go anywhere. 

So I’m trying a few out to see which works best for me.  The one that I did all of the little ones in has been eliminated.  It’s great for watercolor but not good for pen.  Since most of my sketches are pen and ink with watercolor and I frequently do a bit of journaling along with it the paper has to take both.

 

Summer travels

It’s been awhile but I have an excuse, I’ve been away.

Earlier this month I was at Bay Harbor with my summer art travel companion and dear friend Terry.

She and I have been getting away to make art a couple times a summer for several years. This was the first of two annual trips,     next month we go to Traverse City for a week.

Bay Harbor was a new spot for us and a great experience. We had a cottage and the view out my bedroom window was to die for….

Little Traverse Bay … but a bit cold for swimming. However, there was a pool and we took advantage of that every morning.

You can see there was also a bit of fog too.

I seem to be mixing things up a bit in my art right now….

I did some sketching….

And some stitching…

Even some knitting….

It was a good week and I came home refreshed and ready for the next trip….

This time with my dear spouse…

to Baltimore to explore the waterfront and spend time with good friends.

When Ed and I travel together I sketch while we wait at the airport,

or for lunch or dinner. Sometimes it’s the interior of the restaurant….

Sometimes it’s the view….

And now, back home for awhile before my July trip to Traverse City. I have to get more stitching done for an exhibit that happens before I leave.