Sunrise Ablaze

Sara's inspiration image for this month's Inspiration Collaboration was the most gorgeous and fire-y sunrise. I snuck on over to her blog post and found that she'd taken a photo of the sunrise from her kitchen window on 25 different mornings.  Each photo was exactly the same... and completely different at the same time. I noticed that one of those photos took this view a little lower and showed a small cottage in the trees. I did a little cut and paste to put those two images together.

Next I did a rough painting that would act as my guide through the collage process. Then I made designed papers that would eventually make up the sky. I had some brown designed papers left over from the previous project. And, I realized later that I would also need to make some with greens for the foreground. Finally it was time to snip... glue... study... snip... glue... rearrange... snip.. glue... turn... snip glue... look again... snip... glue... squint... snip... glue... snip... glue...

If you're wondering, yes... I did stress a lot over it looking like the house was on fire instead of the sun rising behind the house.  I made a few changes to push the fire further back.  In the end, I embraced the issue by giving the piece a fire-y title.

I committed to do three of these collages before I would let myself decide whether I loved the process or whether it was fun but not something I'd do again.  

Here are some things I decided, learned, and discovered:

• Using the Gelli plate to create the designed collage papers is very freeing and expressive.
• The process requires lots of stuff out and leaves the art studio a huge mess.
• I like having a plan for what I'm going to work on then creating a palette of the colors that will be a part of that piece rather than just randomly making papers. 
• I'm challenged to think through the value of each colored snip of paper needed to show form and shape.
• Mistakes can be glued over or painted over.
• The final product is just going to be kind of funky and wonky... and that's not a bad thing.
• Yes. I will do some collage again.
• No. I don't think it will become my main art love.  I'm not throwing out the oil paints and brushes.

Original Mixed Media Collage on 9"x 12" Canvas Board

[GIFT]

Meow!

The longer I look at this funny little kitty, the more I like it.  Her attitude makes me smile. It was my first mixed media collage to do all by myself. 

What a (delightful) mess!
I think it's a requirement to get out every single artsy thing I own to make my Gelli papers... Artsy things as well as some almost-trash things... a piece of bubble wrap, straw, piece of pipe, sponge, toothpick, texture stamp, bottle lid, plastic cup... 

I knew I was going to do a Siamese cat on a blue background, so I kept that in mind as I chose my color palette for making the papers. 
They were all so pretty just like they were, it was kind of hard to know I was just going to cut them into little pieces.

Using acrylic is so different from using oils. I seem to make a different mess at every stage.

You see!  I knew shouldn't toss that little wire photo holder from the table of my son's rehearsal dinner five years ago.  It makes just the swirly stamper that I needed!

My art challenge this week was "Something Borrowed, Something Blue."  I wanted to try a second collage and wanted to do something similar to the bunny I learned on.  There aren't a lot of blue animals; however, my friend Sandra at mmmquilts has a cat with gorgeous blue eyes. She would be the star.  (Bella seems to be a cat who has refined artistic tastes. I told Sandra that she might not want to show this portrait to her unless she has a flare for some funky-feeling modern art as well.)  The only "something borrowed" I could think of was library books, so Bella got to perch on books instead of her usual quilts. 

Original Mixed Media Collage on 8"x 10: Canvas Board

Click "Meow!" if you'd like to purchase this fun little piece of art.

Good Morning, Goats!

Can you just imagine the conversation as their farmer opens the barn door?

FARMER: Good morning, goats!

GRUMPY IN THE BACK RIGHT: It's about time!

FLOPPY EARS IN THE BACK LEFT: You're late!

CUTE KID IN THE FRONT: Hurray!  A new day! Let's go!

MOMMA IN THE MIDDLE: Did you bring the food? 

OLD GOAT SMIRKING ON THE SIDE: Y'all know I go first, right?

I was scrolling along through Instagram when this image flipped by. Wait!  Go back! I love this!  I looked at it a long time... took a screenshot of it... kept going back to look at it again.  Finally I got up the courage to send a direct message to @birches_hobby_farm to ask permission to paint their fabulous goats.

Every once in a while an image does that.  It tells a story and begs to have that story put on canvas.

When I learned that my painting challenge for the week was "Something Old, Something New,"  I decided to make it work! Yippee! There's an old goat and a baby goat. It fits!

Original Oil Painting on 16"x 16" Wrapped Canvas

I'm going to love having this on my own wall while it waits for its forever home.  Click Good Morning, Goats! if you'd like to purchase this painting.

My Rooster... Bob

 Let me introduce you to Bob... my rooster.

No. We never (thought we) wanted a rooster, yet I'm finally admitting that a rooster is what we have. 

I've run out of denials: That chick, Barbie, is bigger than the others... Barbie's tail feathers are getting long... Barb stands up tall all the time... Her neck feathers are full and bright... She kind of struts around like she's the boss... 

Then one night around 2:30, I thought some terrible crime was taking place in the back yard.  I sat up and whispered, "Did you hear that? It sounded like someone being strangled! There it is again!" Ron rolled over and said, "I think it's just Bob." 

Yep. Barb, was Bob.  

He crows... all... night... long...

He crows... all... the... time... 

Errrr.... er-er.... er-errrrrrrrrrr...

Bob is gorgeous... and he knows it.  He loves (in every sense of the word) the ladies.  He has an attitude of superiority.  And, he cracks us up. We did not intend to, but we love him.

We have a rooster.

My art challenge for the week was "Coat of Many Colors." (If you haven't listened to Dolly Parton's song by that title in a few years, click HERE to be reminded of it.) Bob certainly does wear a coat of many colors.

You can't have Bob, but if you'd like to purchase the painting, click My Rooster.

Inspiration Collaboration - April 2021

April's images may take your thoughts outdoors. We hope one of them will inspire you to create some art of your own. 

Click HERE to read the thoughts behind each image.

It's easy to be a part.  Click HERE for instructions.  

We look forward to seeing what you create!