Amidst all of the packing (
I'm moving from my tiny apartment to a small house with the boy) and commissions I managed to find time to experiment with a mixed media piece. I think what helped is that I do not have a heat gun, so each layer has to sit and dry on it's own time...meaning: work for a little while, and let sit for a much longer while.
"Beauty Grows" is the result of all this procrastination and mental relief. It is
available in the online shop.
The flower petals add a little bit of a dimensional element to this piece....it also makes it harder to scan / photograph. I used tons of different art supplies...probably a little bit of everything: decorative papers, washi tape, acrylic, watercolour, PanPastels and ink just to name a few.
It was inspired by the collaborative spread that I worked on with
Amanda from Ulixis.com for our Sketchbook Project 2012 submission:
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| Left side: Amanda, Right side: myself |
The concept of something beautiful coming out of such disorder is a very comforting thought, but also very inspirational that there is always that 'light at the end of the tunnel'...and that sometimes you gotta go chaotic before you get to where you wish to be. This piece speaks for itself: when I started I had zero direction - all I knew was that I wanted to create something messy and fun as a mental break from everything else going on in life and it did look absolutely horrible at one point - almost as though there was no hope, and then it 'grew' into a thought. I finished it all off with UV-protective varnish, so it will stand the test of time!
A peak at my work station when working on this piece....what a mess! Yes, I know!
Here is this weeks discussion from the
Creative Spaces blog:
Do you break out the heavy artillery? Do you like the smell of glue? (it’s not good for you I know, but really it smells so great) What have you been making this week?
I have in fact pulled out a power drill, and used it to drill large 1-2" circles through a wooden canvas support back in my University days for an elective art course that I had taken, in order to create a dimensional collage with different planes. Unfortunately that was long before I thought to document my art stuff, and I have no idea where that piece of art went. It just felt so good to drill through that wood!
No, I do not like the smell of glue...I don't dislike it either, just sort of neutral on the subject. I love the smell of oil paint though. I don't 'sniff it' by any means, but if I'm working with oils, the smell will linger in my 'studio space' (em, living room / office / whatever room) and it's a very inspiring and gives me that 'I really am an artist' feeling.
You can see more creative spaces,
here.
