Mixed Media Experiments

tried some conte crayons over acrylic......

......& pieces of dry acrylic peeled from the palette glued onto cardboard........just to see what happens......maybe something, maybe not?

maybe it's just for the birds!
(raylee).

Buried Treasure - Re-Posting a Mixed Media Painting

 this painting was entirely experimental........i have never seen an encaustic painting, only on tv & artist's blogs.
so when i came to a tutorial in the book - "Surface Treatment Workshop", explore 45 Mixed Media Techniques, by Darlene Olivia McElroy & Sandra Duran Wilson, queen of glue, & princess of paint for *faux encaustic* i gave it a try.

 first step: collage with torn green magazine paper on canvas......

added more collage & the image of the child......pressed bubble wrap into wet gel medium to create some texture & interest.....

 when it had dried added some crayon & acrylic paint........more floral collage.....then more paint glazes.....

 i didn't always like some of the colours when the paint had dried, so i just added a different colour until i was happy with it.
 i used transparent colours mixed with clear painting medium to make glazes as i didn't want to lose the layers.
as it was an experiment i didn't stress about it, in the end it all kinda blended together.

 pressed a rose stamp into more wet gel medium......then did the same with a leaf shape, added more layers of paint......

 each layer of collage, crayon & paint was covered with a mix of watered down gel medium, you can see it is still wet in this photo below......

 as each layer dried i continued to add more layers of  each medium until i thought it looked ok.

 i am not sure if it looks like * faux encaustic*, but i was happy with my first try.

 i can see layers going back to some of the collage,.....

& i like the texture created by this method.

so this is my contribution to "buried treasure" organized by Seth Apter, thealteredpage.
to see more please visit Seth's blog.
(raylee).

Crochet for Babies......

 "blossom top beanie & slippers" pattern from "family circle magazine - winter 2012".....

 ....& a baby bonnet & bootees pattern from "mollie makes magazine issue 36".molliemakes.com

this week has just disappeared,  tried to think what i have done besides housework, cooking etc.
visiting family, shopping, visit to the vet, spent two days sorting out my collage paper stash, re-organized my shelves to "organized clutter", tidied up my desk.....i can actually see some of it now!  watched a movie, finished these baby presents, no painting time this week, but did go out for lunch one day....& the sun still shines so all is well.
(raylee).

Zigzag Quilt

one of my latest creations...

from a distance the blended colours seem to zigzag...

 

 

sample bits saved for many years have been finally put together...

Mum embroidered some of the names of the colours...

including tea, cinnamon, arabesque...

can you tell what colour range arabesque would be??...

 

I'm pleased it's finished...

not so sure of liking the colours...

had to do the usual and search for more colours to extend the size...

but its done...something else finished...yay!!

Oh.....to be a Cat!

distressed chair looks good too!
(raylee).

"Is This Painting Finished?"

 what do you think?
i would love your opinion, suggestions,  thoughts......please.
don't be shy..... i will listen to every thing you have to say!

 why am i asking you this question?......well because, when i began i thought there would be a lot more involved. like layers & more layers of paint to cover my original  blue painted drawing lines. as you can see in the yellow flower this is what i started to do.

then i went to the vase & the onions, which were brown, i think red looks better here.

 maybe i am getting ahead of myself here......yesterday's art class subject was "still life".
the tutor set up little arrangements on a long table in the middle of the room.
 we could then choose what we wanted to paint.
so i chose the vase with the yellow flower, added the onions from a different set up, made up the blue bowl, (you could tell i did that couldn't you?) there was a white cloth on the table, & an aqua cloth, i just moved the aqua one  to where i thought it looked better in the painting & made it blue.

 i painted the blue cloth, draped it over the end of the table & around behind the vase.
 then i painted the lighter coloured tablecloth.....
started to make the leaves darker.....didn't even finish one .....see the red bit?
 put in some dabs of paint for the light areas.
you can  still see most of the drawing lines, which i thought would disappear eventually with more paint.
the tutor walks around the class to help & give advice...... her advice to me was "put in a few more drawing lines!.....then ..... don't touch it!......sign it."

so......my questions to myself  "have i been over painting?"
"is less really more?"
if this is the case i will be able to churn them out  a whole lot faster!
i took the tutor's advice.....i stopped & signed!
what do you think?
(raylee).

Family & The Ties That Bind

 there are paintings around my place in different stages that no-one notices.......i thought it interesting that both my children commented on this piece on  separate visits.

it is made from an old vent from a house my family  lived in when i was a child.

 the dark frame surrounding the vent is a found one & the outside one i bought at an auction shop. the photo is of my two younger sisters taken in front of the house early 1960's.(they are both wearing aprons).

 each piece fitted inside the other, i tied some old crochet cotton through the holes in the vent & around the frame just to hold it in place. i didn't put anything on the back as i wanted the light to create shadows when i hung it on the wall, which you can see in the first photo (click on photo ).

 the pen marks the spot on the map of the location of "bobundara" near cooma nsw, where we lived.

 my school photo which was taken around the same time as the one of my sisters.
& the same photo i altered for the "365 creative challenge 2013" journal.

(raylee).

"For Janette" - Collage/Acrylic on Canvas

 almost there.....

 some detail.....

after almost 365 collages on old office diary pages last year , measuring about 17x23cm, i was missing it.
so i began a much larger one around the end of january, 2014, measuring 101x76cm.
to begin i stuck old book pages, magazine pictures, painted papers, paper doilies, scrapbook papers, a copy of a hand written recipe from my great grandmothers recipe book, & torn dress pattern tissue randomly over the canvas.
i have worked on it slowly as i found bits & pieces of papers & ideas.
i wanted to try painting something old & rusty, but pretty too, & just add collage & see where it all went.
 a lot of the original papers have been covered with acrylic as my thought process changed along the way.
if you look closely you will find the title of the painting in the collage.
(raylee).

Blanket Jazz

 

I found this old blanket in the cupboard...

don't know where it came from...

had it floating around for many years...

nearly went to the shed for use as whatever the shed may have needed it for...

 

as you can see here it was very moth eaten...

so not very pretty to use on the bed...

and mine always complained of the scratchy wool...

so..

 

 

I got out an old doily tablecloth which was too small for my table...

and an old doona cover for the backing...

sewed them about a bit...

and ta-da!!...holes hidden...

Things I Like To Do......

autumn is really here now & the crochet hook is out again.

trying some baby bonnets & attempting some new stitches.

 also trying to paint clouds for art class......have decided "i really don't know clouds at all"

this weeks lesson is "landscape", not so keen on those either.

the days just seem to fly.....spend most of my time outside painting while the weather is warm.

 nights are down to single figures,

been cooking warming  foods at night, casseroles & soup.

 i baked bread.....gluten free that is. tasted better than i expected.

have had to get the jumpers & cardigans out, & the boots. the scarves will be next. i don't like to have to wear lots of layers, can't really complain about our climate compared to the southern states, that's why we live up here, much warmer.
how is the weather at your place? are you doing wintry things? or maybe spring things?
whatever it is i hope you are doing things you like to do too.
(raylee).