Watercolour Play

Well it has been a number of months since I last did a post, not that I haven’t been doing some art here and there but nothing I felt like posting. Decided that I need to get back to a regular blogging routine again and hopefully that will also inspire me to create more. I am sure that I am not alone where inspiration just doesn’t seem to come for a while but I am hopeful that now that the summer has passed that I will feel more inclined to create.

Girl on Beach

I have been doing a number of watercolour paintings. trying different subjects and the majority seem to be a beach theme, guess it might be my anticipation of a nice long vacation in Mexico in the New Year. I have even started to experiment with working on canvas with watercolour and in the past I have stayed with watercolour paper. I have a couple that are almost finished and will post soon.
Here is one of the watercolour paintings I did in the past month.

Until next time happy creating…..

Michelle

A Toast to 2014

I created this collage for a special friend who is a ‘Sommelier’ (one who has studied areas of wine procurement, wine storage, wine cellar rotation, and expert service to wine)
Taking what I learned when I took Sandra Duran Wilson’s – No Fail Fescoes class at the Art and Soul Retreat in Portland I applied these techniques to the collage. You can find Sandra on Facebook or at her website http://www.sandraduranwilson.com/Artist

To begin with I covered the canvas with some collage papers and then thinly applied Venetian plaster and pressed a stamp into the plaster to create a textured aged look. I drew some wine glasses on ‘Rice Paper’ because of it’s transparency and used a gold pen to write positive words within the glasses and then cut them out and attached them to the canvas. I added more layers of Venetian plaster here and there and then started using oil pastels, rubbing it into the crevices to add colour and more depth to the overall collage and this is what I ended up with.

My friend loved the collage and has hung it in a special spot by her wine collection.

If you want to try using Venetian plaster in your collages you can get it from Home Depot.

Happy New Year and Happy Creating
Michelle

Art Outside the Box

I was looking for ways to prop my art canvases up for a display I am going to do and thought why not use some old boxes as substrates and collage them to lean the canvases against…..kind of art on art. I took a contact solution box and covered it with some recycled paper and tissue, using gel medium and then added some clear gesso.

I used one of my face drawings and traced it onto artist tissue and adhered it to the box as well and then proceeded to paint the box with acrylics and oil pastels, add stamps, etc. and this is what I ended up with.

It was interesting using a 4 sided substrate and to see what I could come up with – this works great for leaning a canvas against as well.

Think art outside the box using recycled materials and voila.

Michelle

Creative fun

We create our tomorrows by what we dream today…

“We create our tomorrows by what we dream today.”

I took a couple of my water-colour paintings from my art journal and a pencil drawing and scanned them. Next I created a new digital collage combining the three separate pieces adding layers and various filters using Photoshop Elements 10 and this is what I ended up with.

Happy creating
Michelle

Embrace Your Journey

I have been AOL from my blog posts – April was a very sad month, my brother was very ill and passed away mid-April so I haven’t been very focused on my art or blogging.  But I am now ready to get creative once again.

Today I started playing around with a watercolour painting that I did while in Mexico which I scanned and then added some digital enhancement to it using Photoshop Elements 10.

Love. Focus your thoughts. Embrace your journey.

I included some background papers with various filters and then added some grass at the bottom using a Photoshop brush and then painted some grass background.  I added a handwritten quote that I had scanned as well.  I like how it all turned out and most of all it felt so good to be creative after such a long time…art helps your heart heal and feel so much lighter.

Until next time

Be gentle with yourself

Michelle

 

Artist in Lo de Marcos

Beach Sculpture

Only a few more days of my extended stay in Mexico left and I have to say that I have met some very talented artists while here.  There are many musicians that come together and form bands for the duration of their winter stay or have jam sessions where we can go and listen and enjoy some really great music.  Besides musicians there are painters of all mediums and I am inspired by their many talents.  A week ago a few of us got together to paint on the patio facing the beach

The artista table

and it was wonderful to see all their different techniques and learn some new ones myself.  Being a self-taught mixed-media artist I am always watching for new techniques to help improve my skills especially in water-colour and acrylics.

Where we held the day of art was at Villa del Ray which is owned by an extremely talented artist Lonny Ford,

3 Amigos

he has decorated his rental suites with his art

Donkey planter

and the property and it is fun just walking around and seeing all his different sculptures – every time I went there I discovered another piece that was amazing.

Pelican Pilots

Interesting enough, he does not sell his art, it is strictly for his own enjoyment and those that stay at his house and suites.

I have included e few pictures of his amazing and often humorous art work.

 

Until next time

Michelle

Life in Lo de Marcos Mexico

Giant waves in San Pancho, Mexico

I have been in Mexico for 3 weeks now and I have not gotten around to doing any posts – time just seems to slip by and I haven’t given much thought to writing.  Life in Lo de Marcos which is about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta is really wonderful, stress free and easy-going.  Fresh veggies and fruit everyday…half a block to the beach where the waves can be massive great for boogie board enthusiasts for sure.  Just a very contented life which I could slip into very quickly.  Still have another 3 weeks to enjoy.

There are lots of talented artists and musicians that winter here which is so inspiring. I have been doing a little bit of art and experimenting with using some of the palm bark to paint and collage on as it has a very interesting texture.  My good friends are getting married here next Wednesday and are going to have a golf cart decorated to transport the wedding party so I made a quick little sign for them to hang on it  ‘Justo Casada’ (Just Married).  The picture I am posting is not the best but at least it gives an idea of what I am talking about.

Til next time

Michelle

Justo Casada

 

 

 

 

Believe in Miracles

I have been absent from blogging for a while probably because I haven’t been in a creative state of mind for a couple of months because I have been consumed with trying to get my mentally challenged brother the medical care that he requires.

One would think living in Canada that medical care was at your fingertips and easily accessible but that is not the case, wait lists to see specialists are incredibly long as well as to have special tests done such as MRIs and CT scans meanwhile the disease that you are trying to have diagnosed continues to ravage the body.   This has been the case with my brother.  By the time he finally received surgery  the cancer had spread so now his prognosis is not what we had hoped for – but I  have not lost faith and still ‘Believe in Miracles and pray that he will be able to rally and gain strength to fight off the remaining cancer and have some quality of life left.  What ever the outcome he is in God’s hands.

This piece is a 24 x 8  canvas that I was working on for some time and finally was able to put the words to it so I could call it complete.  It is by far one of my favourites and puts me in a happy place.

I used a variety of collage papers, burlap to make the hearts, watercolour, acrylics and some Iinktense blocks for colour.

Until next time

Michelle

My Art is in Uncommon Thredz Clothing Store

I am so excited that my art is for sale in a friend’s beautiful clothing store, Uncommon Thredz in Mission, BC.   Angie the owner has been so kind and encouraging and offered to display my art on consignment.  Thank you to my good friend Cyndi for introducing me to Angie and for all her encouragement.

My Art on Display

Uncommon Thredz, one of the most original shops in B.C. It’s a boutique dedicated to women, focussing on fashions that make them feel confident and beautiful.

Designer Angela Morrow knows quality and style, and offers her customers both, along with sound advice in a warm and funky atmosphere, where a jazzy tune is always playing and a warm smile is waiting. From soft winter sweaters to colourful summery dresses and all the accessories in between, Angela carries the finest products in her fashion style house.

If you are in the area please stop in for a great shopping experience and check out her website for latest fashion finds, etc. http://www.uncommonthredz.ca

Michelle

Hope

Hope

Courage is like love; it must have hope for  nourishment.
Napoleon  Bonaparte

This post is dedicated to my sweet brother, who is mentally challenged and very ill right now – I hope and pray that he will be strong enough for his surgery in the next couple of weeks and recover quickly so that he can be back  home with his family and friends.

With love and hope

Michelle