Girl Number Five

 This one changed immediately from the quick draw on the cello.

I totally forgot starting the flowers in the third pic above with no floral collage under it.

 Then her profile changed and I painted out the flowers.

I think I heard a voice, "you can't paint flowers".

I'm discovering flesh with my new Matisse paints. 

♥♥♥

I will share the finished canvas next.

This and That in progress

Face Places

Face Sketches

Hand Sketches

Face Painting

Confusion

Napkins were nagging at me

at 4:20 PM (now)

Thank you for watching. I am enjoying all of your comments. This is going slow for me and I feel the struggle. I thought I wanted the color and now it is nagging at me. I am happy with the addition of the napkin they were nagging at me too.
More later,

My Eve Angel

The day before Christmas in the quietness and solitude of my home and studio, I sat at my desk and painted the angel that was dwelling in my soul. 

I am calling her my Christmas Eve angel.

You probably wouldn't notice unless I told you that I have made some changes in my blog side bar. There will probably be more coming in this new year.

One thing, I have changed my Etsy shop to show up as a mini  listing of a number of items.

If it looks like I have two of the same thing listed.....

I have sort of done that.

I have been trying to gradually add new listings. 

And I am listing some originals and prints of the original at the same time.

One more thing, I know it is not the best time but I'm having a WINTER sale.

If you use the code: WINTER

at check out

there is a sweet little discount waiting for you. 

I'm looking forward to 2013 and will catch up with all you ASAP.

I appreciate you!

♥

winter sale code:

WINTER

click here

Workshop with Liz Hill

watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, collage, crayon
30 x 22

WOW! What an excursion! 
My journey down the road last weekend turned out to be quiet a detour.  Not unexpected. I chose to go a little ways down a new path so to speak. Inspired by Liz Hill's beautiful figures and recognizing a long desire to paint from live models, I jumped at the chance to take a figurative workshop with Liz at the Dragonfly Gallery. Oh, what a warm place to create.  


I have to tell you, I didn't go by myself.  As hard as I tried to leave "her" here in the home studio, "she" perched on my shoulder and babbled in my ear all the way down the road. You know, saying things like, "what do you think you are doing....etc etc".
Determined. I was. So on arrival, I quietly sent her under the table.

We enjoyed a different model each day and on day three, after the 3 and 5 minute warm up sketches, we all did a piece with multiple poses.  I switched to a full size sheet but still didn't manage to get legs and feet. So much to learn and so much fun.  Now, where in the world will I find live models....
I'm hooked.....
♥

Goddess of Sea and Earth

Goddess of Sea and Earth

The second group of videos were added early this morning to Faces in Collage. And all my wonderful students are knee deep in collage papers and faces. Goddess of Sea and Earth was the subject of today's videos. The creation from start to finish is all there. 

It's not too late if you would like to join the group. You would be so welcomed. 

♥

Granny's Spirit

small  pocket folders on my desk

I have discovered being "organic" in my new class gives me a little blog fodder too.  Today, I posted an impromptu tutorial that I worked up last night (not the folders) which led to a discussion about decorating our folders with collage.  Of course I had to show my little pocket folders. 


However, what I want to tell you is the little picture that is clipped onto the front of my letter/folder holder is my Granny and me (circa 1982).  I keep it there so I can feel her spirit.  Flowers was one of her personal symbols too.   
♥


ps....I know someone will ask, the little Klimt inspired doll and owl were made by and gifted to me from Jacky.

silly me profile pic today

Profile pic today is obviously before my nose job.  Do you see how crocked it is?

Class Collage in Progress

The weekend is almost gone but I have worked my fanny off on my new class, Faces In Collage. 


I'm dying to show you the finished painting from this face in collage. 
Can't do it. 
It's in the class!!!
Now I'm going to sit and conjure up all the details so I can announce them to you. 
♥

Collage Crazy

Sometimes, I start painting the face first.  This time I started with the background.  I stepped away from the desk and when I came back, my eye translated the green leaf as a bird.  That is what I love about collage.


Then I started painting the face and I got excited about purple lips.  And so it goes.  Purplish face.  That reminded me of my Faces In Technicolor class (still available). 


At some point, I saw the little green tip of a leaf under the purple bird as a bird head so I painted it and realized it was the whole bird.  That is what I love about collage. 


I think I said that. 
♥

Collage Obsessed Now

It's official. 

I am totally fasinated with collage. 

But I still don't like: 

collecting papers

storing papers

the mess of papers

Going now to clean the mess of papers.

♥

Another Collage in the works

I'm working on the inside cover of the record album.

Turns out it is the ladder and of course the circles that I find appealing about the magazine photo of the last post. 

I'm still working on this and I don't think you can tell but I used metallic paints again on her face......

which is my new favorite thing. 

Gotta go....

Have a great weekend. 

♥

More about collage

There is just something about this magazine photo that I like. I can't say what it is. But I have been staring at it all weekend. Maybe you like it too.  If so, I have left it HUGE and if you click on it you can capture it and save it to use in your next collage.


Before I share with you more about collage, I want to thank all of you you for the at-a-girl about my last collage painting.  You have no idea how your words feed me, warm me, and make me smile. 


I'll be brief now:  
1. I don't like the time spent trying to decide what collage papers I should glue down.
2. For that matter, I don't like the time spent collecting collage papers. 
3. I know there should be a certain amount of spontaneity.
4. If you don't have interesting collage papers, you can't make an interesting collage. 
5. I'm not crazy about the mess of papers.
6. I like the painting part and once I get the paint brush in my hand, all the uncomfortable stuff goes away.


So, after all that, I think the most important thing is having a nice mix of interesting collage papers.  
♥

And so, that's what I did.

Morning Art time today was a fabulous adventure.

(Although, I skipped my 1.5 mile walking in beauty) 

I could have probably kept fiddling with this but my time was up. 

I'm showing the collage again so you can see the changes which I think is very interesting and though you might think so too.

At some moment I thought it began to have a "Klimt" vibe to it.

A Klimt vibe in Norah'S sort of way.

This is painted on a 78 record album cover. I'll do the next collage on the inside. 

Can't wait.

♥

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I used just about all metallic paints.  Wish you could see it IRL.

♥♥

Collage in progress

 Believe me, I don't really know where I'm going with this. 

Just thought I would share this stage since I can't be a home playing ART.

I brought it to this desk in town but left the art-to-go-bag behind. 

I'm enjoying Katie's instruction and as ever trying my best to get more comfortable with collage. 

****

♥

New and Old and Random Business

New Business

Sorry for the poor photo quality.

I'm still limping along without my good camera.

I'm finding the large journal very hard to get good pics of.  I'm hoping it is the camera.

I used a lot of collage papers on both pages and the dried seaweed is also collage.

Old Business

The winner of Friday's First Print Giveaway is: 

Cathy Bueti said...

Sharonn I love this print!! So beautiful!! and I am a big fan of Project Runway too, haven't seen last nights episode yet but I know what you mean about the designers this season. Still hoping one of them jumps out at me to root for! lol
 I think this would look lovely on fabric!

Thanks to everyone who played my giveaway game.  I ♥ and appreciate all of you!

Random Business

 (1)  If you guessed that I was the third one over in the fifth line down in the Class of '62.......that's me!

My high school sweetheart was in the class of '61 so he's not in the pic.  He was Mr LHS of that year as well as the president of his class and one hot center on the football team. 

And I Got Him!!!! 

The dinner was lovely even though not many there from our age groups.  It was fun to catch up with those who were there.

(2)  Have you noticed what blogger is doing now when you click on a picture?   I don't necessarily like it simply because it opens all the pictures in the post instead of just the one you want to see. That's all well and good if I'm here at this desk-in-town. The desk at home is on slower than fast and faster than slow internet and I'm too impatient to wait for all the pictures to load.

Well, I just don't like that. 

I think I should tell them so.

Meeting adjourned.

Mother's Day Collage

This very cool Mother's day collage is from my sweet grand daughter Ashley.
and looks great on my fridge....don't you think

My day was great.

Hope yours was too. 

♥ Sharon

My Trees

I still have eight blank spreads in my Orvieto journal but I'm thinking I will save them for another trip.  Where to....I don't know.  Could be just a trip to the inside of me.  Where ever that is.

As you can see, this page is all about collage.  I might even say collage "Misty style".  It might surprise you that I never feel real comfortable with collage.  Oh, I do manage to please myself with it sometimes but there is just a feeling inside of me that I want to overcome. It is like a struggle that I can't really explain. I wish it were something that I started doing as a child because I really do love the look of collage and Misty does it with such ease.  She said she has been doing it since a child.  

So a commitment to play more with collage is another thing that I brought back with me from a wonderful workshop with Misty.  Thank you Misty.

♥ Sharon


PS  I named this page "My Trees" because....well they are my trees.

Inspiration

Collision

I know you were here.

So I'll save my words.

Maybe.

Look at my new greens. I love green.

Napkin, of course.

Making postcards and ATCs.

Armed with plain paper copies of my ART.

And a goof print on really really good paper.

First thing I did was cut out the double printed area.

Actually, I really really like what happened and it made me think of this deVinci quote.

three and three

I don't think so.

Oh look, a card.

More

First postcard.

Second postcard.

Hey, a canvas. I see something here.

No.

Third Postcard.

And that is a little bit of what I did.

Now if you missed some of that and have a question, just ask me in comments and I will answer you in comments.

Enough for now,

Sharon