The Art Bar Mini Show 2013

It's time again for the Art Bar Mini Show.  This is just one of the paintings I submitted for sale at the Mini show this year.  I chose not to paint any birds, so instead I did several mixed media pieces on canvas.  Some are nudes, and a few are roses.  We'll see if they sell this year.  I've had good success selling at the mini show for the last 5 years.

Altered book with Gelli prints

This is one of the pages of my latest altered book.  I layered the pages with Gelli prints and other papers, and it's ready for some art jounaling, to which I'm totally addicted. 

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Celtic Sunset Mixed Media

This painting was kind of an experiment.  I had been reading the book How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill, and I liked the Introduction so much, that I printed it out in script on the computer to use as a crumpled paper background on this pastel.  The words are barely visible in the painting, but the texture adds quite a bit of drama.  Pastels were applied over the paper after it dried, and then I sealed the painting with final fixative.  After that was dry, I applied spray shallac to the whole thing to really seal in the pastel.  I was awarded an honorable mention for it in the Wisconsin Pastel Artists "Summer Wrap Up-Fall Ahead" exhibition.

http://www.fineartamerica.com/marciahero

The Beautiful Peonies

A few weeks ago, I decided to attend one of Fred Bell's painting classes on Friday mornings.  I had the day off, and Debbie Callahan thought it would be a good idea, so I went, armed with my acrylic paints, brushes, and a photo of a black peony.  Fred was extremely helpful, and the painting I finished was very loose and fun.  In fact, I was so happy with the result, that the next Friday I had off, I went back to his class and painted a white peony.
This Friday, I hope to paint a pink (Sarah Bernhardt) peony in class; we'll see how it goes.

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Marcia's Art stuff: Rusty bolts

Marcia's Art stuff: Rusty bolts

Art Journaling Thoughts

I don't know why art journaling is so appealing to me.  It's not that I can sell my journals, like I sell my paintings.  And I don't paint just to sell.  So maybe that's the attraction--it's the creative outlet, whenever and pretty much wherever.  Sitting in a doctor's office, for example, I can simply take a piece of paper and doodle on it and then use it on a page after I get home. 

My techniques run the gammet.  Sometimes I like to just water down my acrylic paints and brush them onto a raw paper page, leaving a watercolor like wash, then add stickers, die cuts, and painting over that.  Other times, I like to tear papers and use them to collage the page, then apply some acrylic paint with my fingers in random areas, then apply gesso over that, and then perhaps, some stencils or stamps, or both.  After that, I sometimes add pockets and envelopes made out of paper, cards, or fabric.  Sometimes I sew the pockets in, and sometimes they're just glued on. 

Recently, I traveled to Florida and took a small art journal, a postcard size set of watercolors, a set of watercolor pencils, and some gelli roll pens.  The pages of the journal are less layered, and
mostly painted with watercolors, and accented with the pens, but it was a wonderful way to spend down time on a rainy vacation afternoon.

Lately, I've done a few pages by scraping off the leftover paint on my palette, then letting that dry; then I paint a simple portrait over that, allowing the original layer to show through the skin tone.  That's the technique I used on "Girl with Pigtails".

The Creative Person

I read this on The Huffington Post--excerpt from an article by Scott B. Kaufman  and it rings true, for me at least.

Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest. They work long hours, with great concentration, while projecting an aura of freshness and enthusiasm...This does not mean that creative people are hyperactive, always "on." In fact, they rest often and sleep a lot. The important thing is that they control their energy; it's not ruled by the calendar, the dock, an external schedule. When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam; when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries. They consider the rhythm of activity followed by idleness or reflection very important for the success of their work.

Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted. We're usually one or the other, either preferring to be in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show. In fact, in psychological research, extroversion and introversion are considered the most stable personality traits that differentiate people from each other and that can be reliability measured. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to exhibit both traits simultaneously.

Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment... Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and vulnerable.