Hello My Pen Pals!

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Hello my Friends,

I've been working on a little Christmas Present for my Pen Pal Bonnie. The letter I sent her in October was delivered in the envelope that is pictured below.

I normally decorate  her envelopes and I wasn't expecting the rave review that she sent me in return.  So, I decided she needed another angel, but this time on canvas board.

So here's Bonnie Angel!...

 There's a couple of things that I noticed when I scanned it in that I may go back in a touch up, but for the most part she's done! and I Love Her, hope Bonnie Does too!!! 

I've decided that scanning for the most part is better than trying to photograph it, but you can't quite get the feel of the gold paint.  

So Long Muse fans where ever you are!

Traps, Treasures, and Secret Doors!

Pin It Now! Having watched the 2001 sequel to Secret Garden, The Return to the Secret Garden recently.  I've had floating around in the ole brain pan the thought that my current Journal, Secret Garden needs to have a secret door.  Also, being slightly addicted to Pinerest (first stage is denial, right?!) I've seen that there are a few cards being made now that use an embossing resist for the central design.  When I started this layout those two thoughts were forefront. I started out by stamping the branch and leaf pattern then embossing with clear powder.  I then took the same stamp and using Mowed Grass Distress Ink stamped again.  I used my heat tool to dry it a little bit and lightly wiped off the ink from the embossed surface. I then stamped the Lock and Key.  I had the butterflies floating on my desk so I transferred them using gel medium.  The embossed surface also resisted the transfer so the butterflies look like they are behind the branches.  Very cool!!!

That green really needed additional color and I've had these Prima flowers in my stash for quite a while so I starting gluing them down.  The larger flowers I used brads to secure and then glued to the page.  After all my elements were down I drew the framework of the door around them, which you can see in the photo below.

I took out my Prometheus Pen and Black Magic and inked in the door frame.  I couldn't help adding the tiny red bird to the foliage.  I'm currently debating on whether or not to paint the door a different color or leave it as is. hmm...

Oh My Goodness, Oh My Goodness, Oh My Goodness

Pin It Now! I've been MIA I know, but WOW what a couple of months!  Its been insanely busy.

I've been a little swamped the last two months with new car, the theater, art dates with my scrapbooking girls, inventory, inventory, inventory, and vacation. I have found time to finish my Moxie Art journal though, so here is a update as to what I've been doing.

Thanks for Watching, so long art fans...

Caught in the Matrix...

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Time seems to be running oddly in my house this week.  Last week's blog was yesterday and forever ago, maybe I'm caught in the Matrix and need either a blue pill or the red pill... Anyhoo, I've got a little "time lapse" photography of some of the things I've been working on in this ultra - dimensional time sequence of a week.  

The following is my rendition of BOD's Week 1 spread.

Week 1 PROMPT: Looking Forward

This Week's CHALLENGE: Using a tag in your journal

This prompt and something my husband said recently greatly influenced the main image in this spread.  He asked me why I did not use my background in religion in my work.  I've been stewing on that for a while now.  Way back in the good old college days I studied the philosophy and history of various religions such as: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and so on...  I was fascinated and still am to a degree by the religion's use of divination.  They've all had at some point a method to discern what the divine was trying to relay to their followers.  Priests and laymen alike would 'read' something: some watched birds in flight, the way smoke wafted from incense, abnormal lumps on animal livers, but most looked to the stars.  We still do, I'll take a wild guess and say 85% if not more of the American population knows what astrological sign they are.  So, I did some digging and found some old research that I still had stashed away on a bookshelf and pulled some images out.  Looking forward is, in a manner, to me a method of divining the future and stepping out onto a path, whether or not we take the first fork that we come to on that path is unseen, but still a viable choice.

Astrological sign:  Libra

Brief Explanation:  The Inner ring is the Path the earth takes around the sun and where the Solstices fall in that path.  The 2nd ring is astrological signs and the 3rd and 4th rings are the months and days in relation to the path of the earth and seasonal solstices. 

Very short Disclaimer:

*I do not profess to be able to accurately read this chart as I am by no means an Astrologer, just a mere dabbler at this point in time.*

My best-est bud in the whole world told me about gouache.  I know what you're thinking, where is she going now, but bare with me.  Gouache is an opaque watercolor.  He convinced me that I should try them, so I got me a little set and its what I used for my background color.  I've been playing with them and I so prefer it and watercolor over the apple barrel paint I also have.  I can manipulate it with much more ease.  And the color comes out very intense with or without water.

Background and tag added to right side.

The image of the Key hole and key is very symbolic for me and just had to add it.  The added tag acts like a door and to look forward into the milky mists of 2012 you must unlock that door and open it.

Full background with tag open.

The central image is a map of the heavens so to speak, so it seemed natural to place map imagery on the tag as well.

Looking Forward 2012

I've been scanning in my journal pages as I can't seem to get the photographs to come out worth a darn.  I'm recruiting my hubby to help me, but I have to move our vacation pictures off of the camera's SD card first.  For some reason that seems like a chore.  *sigh*  BUTTTT... this particular picture was from the digital camera and I've included it because you can kinda see the texture on the right hand side of the page.  I love the way that tissue paper melts into the background when applied with Medium, matte or glossy.  I happened to be doing laundry and was throwing out the dryer sheet, when it occurred to me to use it like tissue and too my surprise it worked awesomely.  It gives some fantastic texture, which you can sort of see.

The following is my rendition of BOD's this week's spread.

Week 4 PROMPT: Surrender

This Week's CHALLENGE: Painted Text

Surrender - taken with my phone :(

I hated this as I was working on it.  I really surrendered to the mess.  I had tattered angels spray coated on my hands.  Wasn't happy, but kept at it.  I used a page torn from an old dictionary and to the left added graph paper on top of that.  *I love graph paper*  Then I added the painted text and thought WOW what an S and then wasn't happy with the rest of the word.  It really wasn't working for me.  I went to bed.  Got up Tuesday Morning, did yoga and finished it.  I love it!  Weird...

I Surrender ~ Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Its past my bed time, sees you later!!! Hope you enjoyed.  There are more pictures on Flickr, follow the link at the top of the page.

So long art fans, where ever you are

~redbirdmuse

A Gauntleted Creative

Pin It Now!   The Gauntlet was thrown in the middle of the KaPow Art Gallery, go figure, in Asheville, NC. The dialogue went something like this...

"I really should sell some art." Neverness said with a sigh.

I replied, "I will if you will."

  Sometimes I can be a cheeky little sh*t and get myself in trouble, especially when there are rather giant-like smart butted witnesses around.  That said I was only trying to prod my best-est compatriot into actually doing some art instead of doing some talking about doing some art. 

  The first part of this Thrown Gauntlet was for me to create this blog and post pictures of my STUFF as a way of documenting my transition into the world of ART.  A chronicle to discover my style and to take myself seriously (maybe) and have accountability.  A learning tool in mastering techniques and finding my favorite mediums. *YIKES* 

  I was reading the article, Nests & Eggs by Michelle Ward in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Somerset Studio.  Michelle talks briefly about how making pretty things will give the maker the designation of being creative, but that in some circles Creative is used as a noun. That resonated with me, as I knew exactly what she meant. I am a CREATIVE! I've always dabbled in various things: cross-stitch, crochet, fiber arts, sewing, & miniature painting just to name a few.

  I began my very first Art Journal shortly after the beginning of 2011 and have been painting, bookbinding, stamping and creating ever since.  I've even started learning how to draw faces and sketch, which for me was something totally right brain and alien.  

  I have pulled on my gauntlets preparing for battle.  "So, Enough talk!" 

  Enjoy the following fruits of my early 2011 labors.

ENJOY!

Secret Dream

This was my fourth journal entry and the one that hooked me.  I wasn't expecting the results I got and was thrilled at its outcome.

Summer Solstice 2011

I completed this spread right after the Secret Dream Spread.  This was a successful watercolor tape transfer of the rose and butterfly.

Vintage Blue Rose

Vintage Rose was a further development of the Summer Solstice spread.  It is one of my favorites. 

So long art fans, where ever you are

~redbirdmuse