Paint Party Week 25

Paint Party Friday has arrived again. Today I have another work in progress called "Forest Floor" done with metallics and a couple pics of the now finished and framed "Water for Elephant".  See the post for Water for Elephant here.

Forest Floor stage 1

Forest Floor stage 2 work in progress

Forest Floor stage 2 close up work in progress

I was so inspired by one of the paint players last week that I had to go outside and pick up some leaves and create a painting with some natural stamps. I learned as I created and thoroughly enjoyed the process. I have lots more to do to this painting, it really started out as just playing but now I have more of a vision for the piece and will share it as soon as I finish it.

Water for Elephant - finished

Water for Elephant - finished and framed

Thanks for looking :) check out all the Paint Players for inspiration and fantastic eye candy!

Paint Party Week 24

Welcome to my entry for Paint Party week 24. I am later than normal and my painting isn't finished, but I've made it! I call this Water for Elephant and I've created it today as I've watched Hurricane Irene make her way up the east coast. It is in my new media craze... metallic acrylic paints and now Jacquard Pearl Ex.

I am watching Nightly News and have heard New York City is now under a hurricane warning. That is just crazy talk! This week has been a natural disaster week. The earthquake, which we felt here in Indiana and now the hurricane which looks like it will affect a lot of people, no doubt. I feel for those people, how will they all evacuate? I hope the devastation is minimal and pray for the people in it's path. Most destruction and lives lost is from flooding though, I've always heard. So as the coming hours bring fear, let's pray a miracle happens and Irene breaks away and heads east to the Atlantic. I have many blogging friends on the east coast and my prayers are with you all.

Water for elephant - India ink on gesso, work in progress

Water for elephant - adding metallic paint

close up

see the shimmer from the metallic paint?

This painting created itself pretty much. I started out thinking zetangle with my paint brush loaded up with india ink. But then it started to show me an elephant and then a waterfall and all the other hidden images. Maybe I was inspired a bit by my son's book of I Spy. Have you seen those books? I think I am addicted to them. :)

Of course the colors in the photo are not as brilliant as the original, too much sunlight on the painting when I took the picture. I am not sure about the red face in front. I've already bumped it up to a darker red and now I'm thinking it's taking the center of attention too much. It's not finished yet, so I'll post the finished piece later.

See all the fantastic work from Paint Party Friday. Have a great weekend!

Paint Party Week 23

The weeks keep passing by like "sand in the hour glass... these are the days of our lives..."
That phrase will be in my mind forever, it was my grandma's "story" as she called it. My mom's mom. I lost her too early, too. But I regress...  it's Paint Party Friday and I've got a work in progress to show today. A really long work in progress.

It's one of those projects you start and then set aside and think I'll get back to that. Well, it's time to get back to it. It's been years and it's been whispering to me in my dreams to come back to it. So I shall. Here's what I've got so far.

Skeleton and Roses - or Roses for the Dead as I like to call it.

You may recognize it as the famous Grateful Dead art of Alton Kelly. He actually got it from obscure etchings from the nineteenth century. He and his life long collaborator, Stanley Mouse.

I am drawn to the creepy or dark so often, I'm not sure where I get it but it is just the way I am. I am thinking maybe pastels to finish. I thought of colored pencil, but pastels are so bright and that's what I'm after. It needs a little tweaking before I start adding color. I'm sure I'll be sharing more of Roses for the Dead in future PPF's.

I'm watching one of my favorite movies as I write this, Practical Magic. So fun :)  It's getting me in a great little mood. Happy PPF everybody!

Ta Da - Look what I made!

I made new cushions for my old outdoor table and chairs with the help of my mother in law last weekend. I wanted to show you all because I'm pretty proud of them :)  We made a pattern out of newspaper by cutting up the original cushions. I have had this fabric for a couple years with this in mind, but kept putting it off. I'm so glad it's done now, it looks better than I imagined.

before - ick

After - Ooo la la

Thunder - the jungle cat

Lightning under glass

Have you made anything for your home lately? It's very satisfying :)

Paint Party Week 22

Hey hey hey! There's a party going on down here! A Paint Party that is. :)

One of the things I've worked on this week was my Sisterhood of the Traveling Sketchbooks project for July (a teensy bit behind). This is in Nicola's book of Nicola Toms Designs and I call it "Shimmering Nights". Sorry about the glare. This painting is a little different for me, more simple and a bit abstract. I used a gigantic bristle brush to try to get that streaky look. I used copper paint to make the shimmers. These are acrylics. The painting is of the nearby Ohio River at night on the fourth of July when we have fireworks for Independence Day in the US. The goldish, coppery shimmery ones are my favorites. I just love fireworks.

I have developed a fascination for metallic paint and went to the Blick Art Supplies store to hopefully buy a set, but was disappointed to find they didn't have many metallics to pick from. Only your usual gold, silver and copper and I am wanting metallic vibrant colors to try. I'll have to order online. No big deal but I'm a right now kinda girl, guess I'll have to wait. Plus I was hoping to use my 40% off coupon for there for a set. Dang. Michaels didn't have any either other than a few craft grade for kids which I did buy 2 to test out. Asher can always paint with them if they don't work out. Does anyone have any experience with metallics... any brand you would recommend or even stay away from?

If you want to see what is painted above it on the facing page, I have it here.

Happy Paint Party Friday. See all the creative participants here.