Day 15 - the evolution of a painting

I spoke in an earlier post of taking progression photos of my art. I love to capture each stage and I love looking back to see how it all came to be. I love to see the way a painting evolves, changing with each layer, becoming more unique with each brush stroke, each splash of ink or paint, each wash of colour, each highlight and shadow. 

I particularly love this style of painting, which I learned from the amazing Tracy Verdugo, and I would recommend that if you ever have a chance to paint with Tracy you do it. 

I love the whole process. For me, these paintings are totally intuitive and, while I may have an idea of the colours I would like to use or if have inspiration from a photo I have taken, I still never know exactly what the finished painting will look like till the end. I don't have a recipe for mixing colours that I use. Most of the time they are mixed on the canvas as I use them.

This is a 1.5m x 0.6m painting that I have just finished this week for a dear friend.

 

the first layers

  some serious drippage

 

  

 

 

 The finished painting

All it needs is a few coats of varnish and it's ready to hang.

Namaste

Lee

Day 14 - embracing the season

Embracing each season is my wish today. My quest is to find the beauty in winter and embrace it.

This seasonal 'down-ness' every year cannot continue, I've decided so time to do something about it. 

Hopefully doing this will get me out of my 'stuckness'.

To that end, I took these photos today just outside my office at work and made a decision to be conscious of finding the light in the dark of this time of year. You know what else I noticed, the birds are singing. Now that is a sure sign spring is on it's way.

Look at all the texture and patterns in those leaves, the bright happy yellow of the wattle flowers, the combination of the cycle of the seasons

Still a bit of time till the end of winter but this just popped into my head. I'm no poet, just random thoughts about this season and reframing what it means to me.

Winter's end

wind and rain

washing clean

mind and soul

ready for renewal

ready for new growth

ready for living outside

ready for life

Namaste

Lee

Day 13 - busy means you're alive, right?

Are you busy all the time or do you have spare time to just sit and 'be'?

Do you multi task or do you do one task at a time?

Me? I seem to be busy all the time, I often multi-task. Often words like 'not enough hours in the day' fall from my lips, run around in my head and invade my quiet time. It's not that I don't enjoy sitting and just relaxing, I just can't seem to say no to adding things to my to-do list or finding something to occupy my time. I like my art time, although I never seem to get to my studio as often as I would like. I like my time to read although the list of books in my tbr list is growing by the day. I enjoy my meditation time but always seem to be squeezing it in to my day. I like being busy, it makes me feel alive, useful and like I'm not wasting time, because you only live once, right?

 We all search for that elusive 'balance' , the work-life, social balance, the productive time vs relaxation time balance. We spend so much time working out how to get the balance that we are back at square one with no time to spare. The mind gets overloaded and you end up doing nothing.

When did you just do one thing at a time? My mornings before work involve reading while eating my breakfast, planning my shopping list, reviewing my diary for the week ahead. The other night I was having my nightly cuppa while catching up on my art video watching, reading a novel, watching tv. Now how can you really take all that in the way it is supposed to be experienced? Not very well, let me tell you. 

Time to choose consciously how I spend my time.

Speaking of time; it is time, in my mind, for this winter to end. I've had enough of the cold, the rain and the wind keeping me awake at night. Bring on spring, the renewal season, the season of growth, the glorious colours of flowers blooming and the sounds of life all around us.

Namaste

Lee

Day 12 - Find Your Voice

A few days behind, but better late than never, I say..

So my voice came back last week, finally. It's all about listening to your body and doing what it is asking, isn't it. All week I have been mediating daily, and concentrating on relaxing my throat, speaking my true voice and being present. When you lose your voice in a literal sense, and then get it back again, you also work out what you really need to say and what is just unnecessary gap-filling chatter. Better to try to be present in all that you say.

On Saturday I taught my art journal class and we were playing with gel medium transfers, and using gel medium as a resist. For the resist layer, I doodled on a background layer with the gel medium in a little squeeze bottle that has a tip on it to write with. The transferred image was the second or third to last layer.

I have the original sample page and the two pages I taught in each class, hence the 3 variations here of the same class. Here is the original sample page.

 I must say that I've had mixed results with this in the past so I was prepared for unpredictable and varying results. I don't have a laser printer at hand so have really wanted to find a way to use ink jet prints in this technique and I think I've found a way that works for me. This is not a new technique, it has been all over the internet for a while now, but it takes a bit of practice.  Of course, everyone still has different outcomes depending on the brand medium you use, the amount of medium you use, how much water you use and the amount of pressure you use when rubbing off the paper. 

This is the result from the morning class..

I'm happy to say that it worked really well and particularly for first timers, my students came away with really lovely results. I found that the balance between the amount of water you use when soaking the dried image, preparing for the removal of the paper; and the amount of pressure you use when rubbing the paper, was the key. Too much water and you end up rubbing off the whole image, too little and it doesn't rub off the white layer of paper. Too much pressure and you rub holes in the image, too little and it will take ages. 

 This is the page from the afternoon class.

Supplies used-

Atelier Regular Gel medium Gloss

Jo Sonja paints in Brown Madder, Permanent Alizarin, Yellow Oxide, Titanium White

Various Kaisercraft background stamps - Dictionary meaning, Flourish, Distress

It's all in the touch. 

I use my fingers a lot in my art journal pages. I like the feel of what the paint is doing and I really get a true idea of the readiness of the page for more layers or ability to keep blending and working the paint. It connects me with the page. It is me being present and fully in the process. It doesn't have to be a lot of finger painting, so try it. While it gives wonderfully different textural results, see how much more connected you feel with your page.

Namaste

Lee

Day 8 - A dare taken up

I missed yesterday but I am embracing my inner turtle and doing what I can when I can so here is day 8.

Yesterday Rene dared us to show our studios as they really are so for Day 8 that's what I'm doing. I finally have my voice back, which is a big YAY! so I thought I would do a short video. This is my first video upload so I hope it works. It's warts and all, messy, cluttered but it's all mine and mine alone. It is my little sanctuary where I can create till my heart is content.

It's blowing a gale outside today so it's a good day to stay inside. 

I'm off to play with gel transfers today. catch you tomorrow

Namaste

Lee

Day 6 - Inspiration in nature

 I see texture and patterns in everything. It inspires me.

 Apart from capturing family and friends and important life happenings, it is a big reason why I rush to get out my phone to snap another photo. I do get some weird looks when I am honing in on a pattern that no one else has noticed and I just have to commit it to memory. I am often heard saying "oooh that would look fantastic as a background" "that would make a great painting" "hang on I just have to get a photo of that to use later on"  When you express yourself visually as in art, photography, etc I think you just see the world through different eyes and my favourite place to find inspiration is the beach. 

 

 All the texture of the water, the sand, the shells and the way that it changes from minute to minute, day to day. I could walk along here every day and find something different to inspire me.

  The beach is so calming to me but also it really focuses all your attention on mother nature and how grand and beautiful she is

 To be there absorbing the energy of gaia, mother earth; to breathe in the fresh clean air; to touch and feel the earth in it's untouched state - to me there is nothing better. It is refreshing, cleansing, grounding and so, so peaceful, yet so exhilarating.  

 Luckily my relatives all live near beautiful beaches and each year we take the caravan down to Anglesea, my favourite getaway place close to home. The call of the beach has always been with me. it is my favourite place to visit.

I love the beach, plain and simple, no if's or but's. I dream of living by the beach.

What do you prefer? The beach or inland?

Namaste

Lee

Day 5 - Just relax

So the verdict on my voice - stress. My specialist said that the virus kicked the laryngitis into gear but the stress is keeping my voice at bay. So time to reintroduce my meditation practices that I had so carelessly set aside and concentrate on reducing the stress.

One of  the things that has stressed me out over the last couple of months is the fact that I cannot get to my art time as much as I would like, because of various things in my world outside art. 

Art for me is a stress release, a meditation of sorts, a grounding, centering practice and quite frankly if I don't get it on a regular basis, I become antsy, grumpy and lost. If you are not careful this can sneak up on you as it has done with me. I ignored the little nudges that the universe was giving me and then when I wouldn't listen and do something about it, the universe sucker punched me into sitting up and taking notice.

Some things should not be an option and quite time meditating, and arting on a regular basis (daily if I can) are two of those things. You realise that these things keep you going, they keep you healthy, they keep you sane. Everybody has their own activities that do this for them, the important thing is that you work out what they are and prioritise them before you health is compromised.

So in the theme of relaxation, meditation and rejuvination I am sharing a few of my paintings that make me feel serene. I love Buddhas and the peace that they represent.
These little guys have yet to find a resting place in my house.....

 these three hang in my family room.

 Namaste
Lee

Day 4 - free flowing

Day 4 - mmmm, I must admit that I didn't think I'd make it this far but this blogalong is ensuring that I am actively taking notice of what I do each day and also inspiring me to do something creative each day. I love visiting all the other bloggers that are participating, it is a smorgasboard of inspiration. Thank you too for all your lovely comments.

Today i am out in my studio early for a little bit before heading off to the MCG to watch some AFL. Yes, that is a bike you can see, my studio is half of my garage. 

Anyway, I've been playing with the new Atelier Free Flow paints. They have not been released into stores yet but i have been sent a few samples that I am using in the painting I was doing yesterday. They are lovely flowing paints and they easily drip and run without the colour diluting. They are a traditional acrylic paint with the added advantage of acting like acrylic inks if you so choose. I have been using them with a brush, my fingers, squeezing out of a bottle, spraying and running them down my canvas, swirling and drawing with them. I love them and can't wait till you can all get your hands on them.

Have a great Sunday everyone

Namaste

Lee

Day 3 Blogalong - progress

It's a blustery cold day here in Melbourne. Who wants to be outside in that when you could be tucked up in your studio, heater on, music blaring on your ipod, no-one home to disturb you, and a table full of new paints and a large canvas waiting to be finished, not me. 

I do look forward to Saturdays on my own so I can indulge in my creative passion. Today it was putting another layer or two on a commission that I am doing for a friend. Still a way to go but I have gotten into the habit of taking photographs along the way of my paintings to use as backgrounds or inspiration later on. Do you take progress photos of your paintings or art journal spreads?

Hope you are having a blessed weekend

Namaste

Lee

Day 2 Blogalong - Time for a new story...

So I have made it to Day 2. I'm not usually that consistent with blogging so this is a big deal for me.

This spread was in my Book Of Mirrors. What is the Book of Mirrors you say, and what is the difference between Book of Days(BOD) and Book of Mirrors(BOM)? Effy explained it perfectly in one of her videos (I'm paraphrasing here because I can't put my finger, or ear,  on the exact wording) The Book of Days is for what is happening in the world around you, memory keeping and usually has photos involved. Book of Mirrors is about what is going on in your inner world, you inner landscape, something that is affecting you deep to your soul; it is your souls' voice. It can be a representation of an epiphany or it can simply be a reflection of your inner dialogue at that time. A BOM spread can have a lot of journaling like this one I am sharing today or it may have nothing other than a title. I usually do a little meditation or centering practice first to quiet the mind and really tune in. I light a candle or burn some incense. I do some automatic writing. Armed with the prompt given and inspiration from Effy I sat down to explore what is really rocking my world at the moment. Currently I am in week 4 of viral laryngitis and I am over it. In the metaphysical world, laryngitis is associated with words unsaid, not being heard or feeling supported so this is what I explored in reframing what is the root cause of my problem. This prompt was perfect timing.

supplies used were 

Silks paints in Snap Dragon and Stargazer

Jo Sonja metalic paints in rose Gold and Pearl White

Violet Shade in Pan Pastels

Black Permapque pen,

White signo pen

What is the story/s that you are telling yourself and is it time to reframe and write a new one?

Namaste

Lee

Day 1-Feels like forever

Feels like forever since I blogged. Life has been an absolute whirlwind this year with my art journal classes that I am teaching and taking. I have decided to join in on Effy's blogalong so here I go.

I have immersed myself well and truly into art journaling your inner voice and would love to share one of the classes that I have been taking - Book Of Days Premium with the gorgeous Effy Wild.

I am using my handmade journal and we started this session with our intentions page. This was a really great way of setting the tone for the BOD session and I will be doing this for every journal I make

Week 1 and I mounted my photos on journaling cards and then used them as tip-ins, putting my thoughts about the week on the back of the photos.

Week 3 I used some of the gorgeous washi tape that has just come in at my local scrapbook shop. I really loved incorporating more photos into my BOD in this session. 

Supplies used in the above spreads are

Scrap FX stencils - link here

Jo Sonja and Atelier Interative paints

washi tape

In BOD you get a facebook group to connect with other BODer's, 2 videos a week with Effy incorporating our Book of Mirrors and our Book of Days, you also get the Hand bound journal making boot camp video so you can make your own journals.  What more incentive do you need other than that BOD is on special now till August 15. On the link below you will get your coupon code. Go, go, go what are you waiting for?

To join in on Book Of Days Premium just go here

Namaste

Lee

what's on my easel

I've been in my studio for a few weeks working on some paintings to exhibit, and hopefully sell at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. 

I am really liking the mix between the more structured, realistic style and then the intuitive, more free-flowing style. They both feed my creative spirit in different ways.

Sometimes you find the greatest treasures when you take a risk and step outside your self-imposed boundaries.

Namaste

Lee

Some exciting news

It's been a while since I posted. Life has been frantic, exciting, busy and creative and since it has been a while I've begun freshening up my blog so bear with me while all the links are gradually updated.

These days you are more likely to connect with me on Facebook. I love the instant interaction with my friends and fellow bloggers so please come and find me here so we can keep in touch.

In the past 12 months I have been teaching a monthly art journaling class at my local Scrapbook Shop and have made some wonderful new friends and have been having the time of my life.
I've also discovered the world of indie authors and have met some wonderful people, authors, book reviewers and fellow readers. Lately I have been combining the two- art journaling and reading, which brings me to my latest news.

Laura Howard is a new indie author, blogger and staunch supporter of self published authors. Laura hosts a fantastic blog which, in her own words,  "is an educational community for women on the path to becoming published authors. The site features interviews with top experts in the fields of writing, editing, marketing and publishing.I'm currently revising my first contemporary fantasy novel. Visit often for free tips, tools and more."
Laura has just announced a writing competition on her blog with prizes awarded to the winners of which, I am so honoured and thrilled to say, that a piece of my artwork will be one of them.  Here is the page that I will be sending to the winner. All that needs to be added is a quote from the winning story. Of course the watermark will not be on it.

Please visit Laura's blog to see all the details and have a go at penning your own story.

Now about my art journal classes. I must say that these are the most fun I have had teaching and can't wait for this years classes to begin. The first one is on February 28th and we are making our own journal and then will be using it throughout the year in the rest of the classes. You can go here to see more details.
Here are some photos of my workshop spreads and class shots from last year.

I leave you with a beautiful interpretation of a Rumi saying that I found on Facebook which describes my journey over the last year.

Namaste
Lee