She Brews

Finally, Art /Craft Show Weather....

I just had to take a picture of the sky. It was such a welcome after two weekends in a row of doing shows in the rain.....argh!

Of course, my friends thought I was crazy taking pictures of the sky and were wondering about me....but they don't blog and don't know that I have to think of interesting things to post......now, aren't you impressed? LOL.

I did two more collages for my northern art shows. This one sold last week. I was really pleased with it, as I got to start actually painting with acrylics again. I copied another postcard from Ely, Minnesota to complete this collage.

This is the last one I have painted. I really, really wanted to paint this week, but we just didn't get time to. I made a lot of postcard collages because I have six shows in eight days, and I don't come home the whole time, so I have to be really, really prepared......I spent today just preparing things to work on for the two days I am gone that I don't have a show. It's a lot of planning ahead, but it pays off. This will be the busiest week of my season, with the most demand on me. I hope the weather is art/craft show weather, and not one to please the geese.......

I cannot believe it is August already.......Some times it seems fast, and other times it seems slow. I cannot get done all that I want, lately.

Well, look on my schedule if you want to see where I will be this week, but it is a long stretch, so you won't here from me for over a week. Please check back in, and if you like, leave a comment about my last collages. I have been getting really good feedback at the shows, and have sold half of the ones I have done so far. I really want time to "break out", though. I have some plans..........be good. *smile*

Painting on Canvas Fun

 

My painting is developing into something other than I expected. I started out with this collage-y background that I learned from Paulette Insall's online class. But you will see as I progress these images to you, that they are taking on a life of their own. Perhaps that is what art is......letting what is, become.....

 

Picking out what images would be desirable enough to purchase is a problem for me, so I just go with what I think I can make interesting. I am distressed with how little time I have for this---or, how long it actually takes. At any rate, so many ideas are bumping into each other and crashing in a heap, while waiting to be expressed......

 

Another issue I am currently working on is color. Even though someone might like a piece, they are always slaves to it "matching" their decor......."oh, bother" as Winnie the Pooh expressed.......The above picture is still displaying my "lost in the forest" of technique........but, now you will see a transformation of idea.......

 

I was very excited to actually paint a scene for the subject of the piece. This was a real sign and entrance to the Rismon Lodge at one point. I do not know whether the sign is still there. I try to visit these places and take photos, but I have never even been to Star Lake Wisconsin-----something I intend to do, eventually.

 

 

Here, I have taken the road sign, (it is there today) and painted it in the background of my collage. I am real excited about this possibility of mixing a small painting amongst the collage work. I still prepare a background of collaged paint, but, at this idea, I usually end up covering most of it up. I really let it do what it wants to do...merely making suggestions to it as I go along...but it lets me know if something doesn't work, or it jumps up and down telling me what to add.

I hope this weekend to get good feedback on this new collage work. I had planned on doing a few fabric collages, but, this seemed to jump out at me, so I hope I have not make the wrong decision. On Flickr, I do not get any response from these paintings, however, whenever I post the fabric collages, I get a lot of response. Maybe its' because I belong to a lot of quilting groups......*shrug*

Well, that is what I have been up to....can you give me any feedback of your own thoughts? I would love to hear from you, my friends.....thanks.

You Win Some......you lose some.....

AND SOME GET RAINED OUT...

 

Packing up at the Phillips show on Sunday. The shower curtains worked for a little while, but the rain just kept coming and coming. Monday it began raining around noon. It really affected sales, and so......disappointed once again.

Collage In Another Medium

 

This is probably my favorite, so far. Something about the mood of it. I saw the huge pine trees right away, when I put the pictures down. I had such a nice background and covered it almost completely with the sky and clouds, but I think that green in the background still has an effect on how the sky looks.

 

This one is indeed a little bright, but I have another with a much oranger background. I was having so much fun with this, I didn't want to stop. I don't know how they will market, though, so I don't know if I should keep going. If I don't present enough of them, they won't make an impact, and I need that. So I wanted to take at least 6. I will let you know how they are received.

 

This one I had done the background almost over a year ago, and I covered up my original idea, and added more details. It has a little different look from the others I did. I am experimenting with colors at this point. You have to be careful not to end up with mud.

 

Here is the orange one I mentioned. I think someone will like it, especially if their cabin is dark and needs lighting. Sometimes cabins get too dark to display artwork properly, and this would just jump off the wall.

 

Although the glare spoils the beauty of this one, I tried a light blue and I liked the lightness of it. I would like to figure out how to decoupage better, I seem to have problems with the bubbling. It happens when I put the glaze on it after I am all done. Maybe I don't wait long enough to let it dry properly? Or maybe, I should be doing it right away? I don't like to glaze the top of the pieces in case I want to paint on them, and the glaze would act as a resist.

Anyway, that's what I have been doing the last couple of days. I am off for the weekend to Phillips and St. Germain. Hope to see you at one of the shows.

too bad......I'm on a roll.....

You know when the creative juices are running freely? *argh* I have to go to my "real" job in an hour, and I am really pumped about what happened in the studio yesterday. I finished the farm fabric collages, and it gave me such release, that I have been able to start a new project for this summer's shows. Here is what I managed yesterday:

 

I took Paulette Insall's online classes about two winters ago, and I played with it a little, but never finished anything. For some reason, two years later, it all started to "click". 

 

I don't have the same acrylics that she uses, and I can tell the difference---no one sells them around me, so I will have to purchase some of them on-line. Check out Paulette's blog for when she offers the classes again---it's well worth the take.

Here is the beginning of another:

 

I did take pictures of the process....if you want to see them, let me know and I will post them later tonite.