Yet another layer......

This is a picture of a folk-art rose that I painted Tuesday.  I had the background painted black already waiting, when the piece I was working on needed drying time I worked on it.  It was a relatively simple painting and didn't take that long.

I love doing paintings on black backgrounds--it makes them "pop".  You first have to undercoat your picture with white.  Paint you image all white first, then come back and add layers of color. 

 

 

this is the second layer of the bird.  I had covered the entire piece with Golden Tar Gel and let it dry.

After the tar gel dried I came back and added more stamping and more flowers.

 

I wrote on the bottome of it with a sharpie...

Now I can build on it some more...

This picture is a little hard to see, but you can see enough to know where it's going......

Hope you all have a great, creative week!
F.

It is Monday morning and just getting in after helping my son's girlfriend take the critters to the vet--after one escape and one bitten-in-half leash.  Whew!! also went out looking for leather belts for my pursese, but was unsuccessful in finding what I wanted.  Another trip, I guess.
The picture above is one that I have been working on.  I painted the bird and birch limbs onto a board that had been covered with sheetrock mud, paint, and medium.  I plan on adding a layer of self-leveling gel (golden) and the adding more flowers.  The flowers are not painted on, they are decoupaged.  The outside border was drawn with a sharpie and filled in with acrylic paint.  I also added some text with a text stamp.

A close up.....

 

Really, that is all that I have completed this weekend.  I have about 5 pieces in the works and need to do some finishing up.  I hope to get out there some this week and at least finish 3 pieces.  I am at the varnishing stage on one piece.  One piece I want to do some beading on and this one.  I have 2 more pieces in progress and a Janis Joplin drawn out, but not begun painting yet.  I have so many plans and so little time..............

Hope you all have a great week!!
F.

I have been working in the studio, trying to build up inventory for a few upcoming shows that I have.  I have two in April--The Makers Fair and Melrose Plantation and one in May.  My inventory is low and the pressure is on!! The piece above is one that I have been working on.  It isn't quite finished yet but it is close.

This is another piece that is in the works.  It isn't finished yet, either!!

The piece above is a picture that I cut from a horse food bag and used a gel medium to transfer the picture.  I haven't even really begun on this one yet--

And, these pieces are two that I put sheetrock mud on a board and textured it.  After that was dry, I sanded it and painted it and then, resanded it and added a gel medium to the top of it.  I then painted it again...........now, I have to decide what I am goimg to do with them. 

I have also been working on Jewelry but in the in-between-times.  It seems like I can never get the inventory built up and when you work so hard to build it up it begins to feel like a job!
Hope you all have a blessed week.
F.

Hold One Still, Silent Place..........

Neatness is not one of my strongest points, so please disregard the background.  This is my work table and it gets pretty rough treatment..........
In my blog post several days ago, I had mentioned some leather that my son had given me. Here are two of the purses that I am making with it.  The photo above is the sewn purse from the inside.  All of the seams that you see along the front of the bag, running horizontally, are the leather pieces that will be cut into fringe.

This is what the front of the bag looks like so far...........

The picture above is the "fringe" flaps, folded back so you can see where the leather will be cut for the fringes.

This is another bag that I am making.  It is a little difficult to see.  The bottom part of the bag is upholstery  fabric, the top part of the bag is leather.

This is one of the pieces that I am working on now.  I call it "A Still, Secret Place".

The heart is made from copper sheeting that I embossed, and then put liver of sulfer on it to darken it.  After it was darkened, I put metal dye on the heart......

The background is made with scrap book paper that I stiched, a rub on butterfly, dictionary text, ink.......

What ever I could find to build depth...........

I have a shadow box frame that I am going to stick this in and a clay heart that I am going to put in the shadow box with it in the post below.

This is my heart, Zoey.  She is my girl.  She has been with me since she was 3 and she has come a long way with me.

This is Ringo (front) and Lacy (behind).  Ringo is the "baby", although she doesn't look like one.  She is my youngest.  Lacy is a rescue horse and my oldest.  She is so sweet and has come so far since she came to live with me.

this is a tray of clay flowers, hearts, and even a set of lips (deco for my hubby's Valentine's Day wrapping) I like to make a sheet full of clay to bake, instead of doing it one piece at a time.  I will have them for when I need them.

Saturday we took the  (kids) out walking to the  Bayou.  The little one above is named Shay.  She is the real baby of the family.  A rescue dog, she is such a sweetie.

John (big white dog) and Archie enjoying their walk.  Both of these are also rescues.

And, last but not least--Lenore.  She is my shadow. I can't make a step without her.  She is also a rescue.

This is a heart that I made from polymer clay.  It is red clay with pearl ex brushed on.....It will be added to the shadow box that is in the blog post above.

Leather and New Mixed Media

When I went home last summer my son gave me some beautiful leather.  I have given alot of thought to what I would make with it, and have decided to make two purses.

I have made a fringe purse and a U-bag.  I haven't finished them yet, but have got a good start on them.  My sewing machine was having a very difficult time sewing through the leather and I had to sew alot of it by hand with an Awl.  I have sewn the leather around the perimeter of the purses, but still have to make the linings, cut the fringes and decide on  handles.

This is an acrylic painting that I did several weeks ago, but wasn't happy with it.  I have turned it into a mixed media and am much happier with the results.

I added paints, inks, gesso, charcoal, butterflies and covered with a thick coat of Golden Tar Gel.  After that dried I added the rhinestones.

Here is the finished piece.

Hope you all have a great Thursday.
Faye

Starting Again..........

I have finally finished my Poe piece and am happy with it.  Took alot  longer than I anticipated.  I have entered it in "Quoth the Ravens" blog challenge.  This will e the first piece that I have ever submitted and am not even sure that I have done it correctly.  Live and learn--right??  The piece should be "dark" or "Halloweenish" and be based on Poe's life or works.......so, here I go. 

I have to admit, it has taken me a while to get back in the swing of things but I am back now to full-speed ahead.  I have so many ideas and so many projects started--Where to begin?  My son gave me some beautiful leather when I went home last fall and I have been really racking my brain trying to decide what to make with it.  I have finally figured it out.  I am going to attemp a fringe purse and a messenger bag.Sewing is not really my forte, but I am going to give it a shot. Here are the finished photos of the "Poe" piece.  I have also finished a mixed media and another one almost complete.  I will add photos of those.

This piece took me longer to do because it was actually "of" someone. Usually I just let my brush take me as it will.............

I have ideas and drawings for about 5 other pieces.  One is of Boudica--a warrior woman, one is "The Witch of November".  If you ever heard the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgeral", "it was the witch of November came early", and I want to do a Marie Laveau  piece, and one that I am really excited about is a Janice Joplin piece--Bobby McGee.  I love this line "I'll trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday--................Don't you love it.  I have all kinds of jewelry planned! Oh, where is the time???????

The weather here is finally breaking off and we are getting some gorgous days.  I am thinking that that is the reason for my inspiration.  No matter I guess.  I am just glad it's back.

Keep Creating..................
F.