Sunday, December 29, 2013

Community Thrive December Challenge - Spirit

I obviously don't have my mixed media skills developed enough yet, but this is the piece I did for Community Thrive's December Challenge. The challenge was to create a piece of art based on the word "spirit." At least it's colorful!


Friday, December 27, 2013

Art Journal Caravan Week 52 - Journey's End


Elements from Tangie's AJC 13 parcels. Thank you for a wonderful and artful year, Tangie!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Winter Wonderland

Have I ever said I love moose? :o)


Moose from Tangie's "AJC13 Dec. Parcel Collection." Tree brushes from Jenn Maddocks.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Revisiting Word For The Year

I've been fighting a virus for a month, so I haven't done much in the way of creating art. This is week 51 in the Art Journal Caravan, though, and that means the caravan for 2013 is almost done. For week 51, we were suppose to revisit the word we selected at the beginning of the year for our "word of the year." The Port-of-Call for December has been Scandinavia, which means there is lots of red and white. The word I chose last January was hope. We can always keep on going if we don't let go of our hope.


I joined the Art Journal Caravan for 2014. It is the last year Tangie Baxter over at scrapbookgraphics.com will be hosting the caravan. Creating digital art for the themes provided each week has brought me hours of enjoyment. Here's hoping 2014 will be a creatively productive year. A much healthier one, too!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Africa


Most elements from Tangie's "Art Journal Caravan 2013 April Collection."

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013

Art Journal Caravan 2013 December Port-of-call - Scandanavia


Elements from Studio Tangie's "Art Journal Caravan 2013 December Parcel Collection."

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Happy Thoughts


Elements from Holliewood's "Down The Rabbit Hole."

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Art Journal Affirmation


Hmm. I guess this is the pros and the cons on the matter. :-)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Two


Some elements from Studio Tangie's kit "Goddess." Original "Adam and Eve" painting by Tamara de Lempicka, 1932.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Art Journal Caravan 2013 Week 48 - Philosophy


Background altered personal photo. Dancer googled.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Community Thrive November Challenge - Leaves.

I already posted a picture I created for this challenge. But I love trees and leaves so much I decided I would do a real mixed-media piece, too. I wish I could get it to photograph better. I just have the camera on my phone, though, and it never captures the colors correctly. I'm not a fan of winter, mainly because we have so many gray days here in Michigan. I wanted to create the real feeling and colors of fall. It may look like a mess to you, but it looks much better in real life. After painting and collaging the background, I added real leaves that I had let dry and then put a coat of clear gesso on. Hopefully that will keep them from falling apart. When I can get to the store, I'm going to buy some spray acrylic sealant to cover the piece with. Happy Fall!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Altered Playing Cards


Whoa! The Queen of Hearts escaped but forgot her crown. Most elements from Holliewood's new kit "Down The Rabbit Hole."

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Vintage

I'm not sure why "vintage" made me think of a day at the beach. Maybe it's because we are freezing here in Michigan and have had our first measurable amount of snow. I'd rather be at the beach!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Art Journal Caravan Week 46 - Word and Quote


Paper from Tangie's "Touch of Madness." Doll head from Holliewood's "Art Dollies."


Zetti stamps by Teesha and Tracy Moore. Original background photo Googled.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Gone With The Wind

This challenge was open to any interpretation, and due to the terrible tornadoes that hit this past weekend, that's what I immediately thought of. I started with a photo of one of those tornadoes. (No disrespect intended for those who lost so much because of the storms. We had storms and wind gusts up to 70 mph, but fortunately, no tornadoes developed in Michigan. Some 500,000 people lost power, though.)


I added Scarlett's beloved Tara, and worked from there.



They say it helps to find a little bit of humor in everything.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Feathered Friends

I thought I'd show you the before and after pictures this time to show how much altering goes into a digital collage.

Before

(Found on Google.)

After


Saturday, November 16, 2013

Light Shines


Elements from Altered Amanda's Studio kit "No Fear."

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Community Thrive November Challenge - Leaves

Community Thrive is the online community started by Mystele Kirkeeng. She teaches the popular "Gut Art" classes. The challenge for this month was to create some type of art that included leaves. Even though the classes are about mixed media, all styles of art are welcome in the challenges. Surprise - I created mine digitally. :-)


Digital elements are from Holliewood's kit "Broken."

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Alter A Footprint


Please visit The Three Muses Challenge and check the comments to find the links to other artists who have entered this challenge. It's always fun to see how others have interpreted the week's theme.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Take A Word's Balloon Challenge


Elements from Kristy's kit "Children's Book," Holliewood's "Lil Prince," R. McMeen's "Steampunk," and Lori Davison's "Greymouse Manor."

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Digital Whispers Dark Whisper Challenge - Dilapitated Buildings Part 2

This digital collage is suppose to tell more of the story I was trying to tell with Part 1. Who knows if it makes any sense, but it makes sense to me. I used pictures I found on Google.


I'll add Part 1 again in case you missed it.


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Fun Monday Challenge #26 - Enjoy the Subversive Qualities of Intrinsic Rewards

Lani Gerity has a challenge on Mondays on her 14 Secrets for a Happy Artist's Life blog. Yesterday's post was about creating intrinsic rewards to give ourselves joy. I created this digital collage in response to her post.


I just can't help myself. I love silly "kawaii" art!

Three Muses Challenge - Grunge


I love grunge! The elements are from steampunk kits, but unfortunately, I did not keep track of what I used so I could give proper credit.

Dark Whispers Challenge for November - Part One

Digital Whispers is having a challenge in the Dark Whispers group where we are to tell a story by creating two digital collages using dilapidated buildings. The members are suppose to try to determine the story by the digital collages only. This is my first part of the story.


Some elements from Holliewood's kits "Little Prince" and "Broken." Room and boy Googled. It was fun working with the dilapidated room. It fits my gray mood brought on already by the gray skies we will be facing here in Michigan for the next five months. Most of the beautiful leaves have fallen, and winter will be coming way too soon. Yuk!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Need To Dream


Elements from Didine's "My Fairy Tale Dream" kit.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Hearts


Elements from Studio Tangie's "Painted Tee-Pees" and "Tribalations." Portrait Googled.

No Fear

Life is so difficult anymore that I felt like digitally journaling a simple message about where we can draw our strength from.


Most of the digital elements are from Altered Amanda Studio's new kit "Fear Not." Crow from Crafty Button Studio's kit "Poe."

One interesting note about this scripture - notice that the word LORD is in all capital letters. Every place in the Old Testament where you see the word LORD written this way is where God's real name originally appeared in the Bible. God's name was removed from the scrolls later in history, because it became a superstition that God's name should not be read out loud. It is a ridiculous superstition, because even Jesus used his Father's name. In fact, he taught his followers to pray that God's name be hallowed or sanctified. His Father's name is found in the King James translation of the Bible at Psalm 83:18. It reads, "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." It's interesting how many churches fail to teach people what God's name is.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Life Book 2013 - Week 43

I haven't done a good job keeping up with the weekly Life Book lessons for this year. It's still very difficult for me to just let myself paint and experiment with mixed media. This past week's lesson was about using real leaves to stamp patterns unto a background, and using sticks or whatever other things we found in nature to add marks into the paint.

The main element in the painting was suppose to be a portrait of a woman with some journaling. I don't like the lessons with all the female portraits in them, so I decided to create a scene from nature instead. I had purchased some round pictures to put in bottle caps from The Gossamer Tearoom, and used them to create flowers with. My final design is a little wild, but I think you can see the leaf stamping I did. The ones in dark purple turned out the best. You can see them if you click on the picture to look at the larger size.


Three Muses Challenge - Black, White and a Touch of Red

Poe meets the airline body scanners -


Monday, October 28, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Green and Purple

I guess I'm feeling messy and abstract today. :O)


Elements from kits by TBD, CAH, CRenee and RMcMeen.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Art Journal Caravan Week 43 - Quotable


Elements from Tangie's "Grunge Bliss Paper" and "Spark 2 Freebie."

Happy and Free


Some elements from Didine's kit "My Fairy Tale Dreams."

Art Journal Caravan 2013 - Guardian


Elements by Studio Tangie and Lori Davison. Background photo Googled.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Just For Fun

After being laid up with a blood clot for a week and a half, I decided I needed to do something crazy and fun. On my computer, of course. Still no running around for me.


Old man from new kit by Marta Van Eck.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Child/Man


Some digital elements from Paula Kesselring's "Child Play."

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - By The Light Of The Moon


Created with "Beyond the Mist" brushes by midnightstouch.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Orange

For years I couldn't stand seeing anything the color of orange. When I had my tonsils taken out, I had to chew Aspirgum that was a bright orange. Anytime I saw anything orange after that, I could hardly bear to look at it. Many years later, that feeling is finally gone. :O)


Some elements from Rebecca McMeen's digital kit "Cordelia True."

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Monday, October 14, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Creepy

Since my family doesn't celebrate Halloween, I took creepy in a different direction. Please click on the picture so you may read the silly poem. :O)


Elements from Rebecca McMeen's digital kit "Cordelia True."

Friday, October 11, 2013

Art Journal Caravan 2013 Week 41 - Quotable


Elements from Tangie's "Oct. AJC 13 Collection."

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Rainy Night

Oh oh. I got stuck in the "rain" mode.


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Three Muses Challenge - Rain/Umbrella


Digital elements from "Purple Rain" kit by Paula Kesselring.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Take A Word Challenge - Australia

Marie from Take A Word lives in Australia. To celebrate three years of the challenge blog she started, we are creating art about Australia. Sure would love to visit there!


Please visit the Take A Word blog to find the links to other artists who are participating in this challenge.

Friday, October 4, 2013

AJC 2013 Port of Call - Mexico


Elements from Tangie's "Oct. AJC 13 Collection" and "Mercado Salvage."

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Art Journal Caravan Week 39 - Action


Some elements from Tangie Baxter's kit "You Are Wise." Thinker statue googled.