Love these cradle boards. Why did I wait so long?

Hope everyone had a wonderful fathers day yesterday. We did. It's always nice to get all our family together. We are a motley crew for sure.
This is my first time using cradle board and I'm hooked already. Love them. Especially with collage work. The sturdiness of them is conducive to the way I paint..  I use rough brushes and scrub the surface hard sometimes. It just feels right for the way I paint. 
I seem to always be last in line to try new things . You can teach and old dog new tricks but how long does it take? ( don't ask my friends that question) I'm known as the "your on the list" kinda girl.
Gives me a million ideas about making my own. That way I can get the sizes I want.

How do you feel about them. Pros-cons.

 Here is my first work on my new cradle board.
Painted and mono printed papers with acrylic paints on cradle board.

"Birds of a Feather"

 

Painting Redo....or just a WIP



Before



 When I first did this piece I was happy and deemed it finished but after staring at it for a few weeks something kept nagging me. So I picked up some glaze and paint and went to reworking it. I really do like the way the glazes and new colors softened it. Evoking more of the feeling I was after. Colorful but with a softness and depth to it. You can really see the colors in the close up pic.

How many of you redo your work? Maybe its not redo just a work in progress. They just sit in the corner patiently waiting to be finished.

 Went to Michaels yesterday and SCORE... 8 cradle boards on the clearance table. Sizes range from 8" by 8" to 16" by 20" as deep as

                                           3" and all for $38.00.



after



 So ready to get started on the small ones. I think it will be a challenge for me as I usually only work larger canvas. I need to make some more painted papers as the patterns I already have painted are to large for these small cradle boards.

 Its a gloomy rainy day here so a good day to paint.



close up



         

 Everyone have a colorful weekend.









I'm back and ready to paint paint paint...

  I've been absent here for 6 months. Many reasons and none matter. But I'm back and ready to go full force.
  I am so happy about my latest works and can't wait to share them with you. I've been working with a Gelli plate in the last week and trying to get a good hang of that. I've also been hand painting paper and doing collage with them. This is my passion right now. Here are a few pics of the progress and some that are finished.

These are the hand painted papers that were collaged to a canvas. These were the background for "Pink Roses with Budgie"

This is one I am working on now. Its titled "Pink Roses with Budgie" I will be putting the Budgie in next.

                            This one is finished and it is called "Ann's Roses"

These are the hand painted papers for "Ann's Roses"

This is called "Patchwork"

Hope you have enjoyed seeing what I'm up to now. I will be better at posting and try to post at least once a week. I get so ingrossed in the work I forget everything else. I will post more in a few days . Let me know if you are interested in seeing the steps as I work.

I'm Back....New painting.

I feel like I've been in a tunnel...I've been working on a new painting, totally ingrossed in it. I haven't even gone to Michaels to get the claymache to finish my doll. Think I've got a case of A,D,D. Oh well its how I operate, how about the rest of my artist friends out there. a little A.D.D. too?

Frida and my sons first work for sale.

I finished Frida and have listed her on Etsy here.

But here is what I really want to show...My sons first piece for sale . He is so good at free hand lettering and numbers. I am pround of him and his antique sign. You can find it here.

On my easel today...Frida

I adore Frida and could paint her over and over again. Here is a start of my latest Frida. This is collaged with an old map in the background and polka dot papers for her dress. I will work on her the next couple of days and she where she goes.

She was one amazing women . Her art was like no other and she endured much......

Now for sale....

Finished and for sale here....

A true psycho day.

feet for the new doll

folk art hog painting

Hillbilly Henretta and her hog

Worked on 3 projects at once today. Somehow I got more done that way. I'm begining to think this is the way for me to work. When I get stymied at one project, I now just go to another . No wasting my time and creative energy. I like this mode.

How do you know when to stop?

You just might be tired of seeing her but I just could not stop doodling, it kept calling for more. But I think now she is done. I think!...

How do you other artist come to the point of "finished" ? Do you ever really know when that is. I usually know when I do a simple folk art portrait but when I do something like the mermaid with all this detail I get lost...I can go on and on and on. Them I'm afraid it will get muddy.

So other artist let me know if you have a secret you can share or do you feel the same as I.....

Another Appalachia Mountain People finished.

I love her eyes. My mama called these "bedroom eyes" As a teenager I thought she meant they were sexy...But alas its not. It meant they looked drowsy and sleepy.

Shes a purdy thang tho......

Pentacostal Blue Preacher...DONE!

I have finally finished the preacher. Of course he is an appalachian snake handler. They have always amazed and intriqued me. I know it took me months but that is because I worked on other things and put alot of thought into how I wanted him to look. Well, he is just as I imagined he would be......Filled with the spirit....He is a decendant of the "Blue people from troublesome Creek" as you can see I have painted him with a bluish cast. I haven't thought of a name yet...All input is welcome.

How I paint part 2...WIP

See a previous post for the begining of this work.

This is layer 2. I have double loaded a brush and just criss crossed my brush strokes for the most part. For the skin tone I used Matisse structure in unbleached titanium with a small amount of melon by folk art.... The hair is just curvy brush strokes with a double loaded bush of a clay and mustard color, it will get detailed later so stay tuned for more.....

How I paint.....

Here is a peek at the begining of another Blue People...I like to start everything with a vibrant base color and build up from there. There will be many colors in between but just wanted to show you the very start of how I paint.

Inspired by LuLu to color outside the lines....

How many of you would like to be freer in your art. You know just throw caution to the wind and let the paintbrush fly. I have felt like that alot . Sometimes I feel like I'm expecting some alien force to start slinging my brush...LOL...

I was inspired today to color outside the lines by LuLu MyPinkTurtle. She has been resting by doctors orders and said she was tired of doing nothing but playing with her markers in her coloring book and playing Barbie.LOL. . It reminded me of how much I loved to color in a coloring book, even today at my age. During that facebook post someone asked me If I colored inside or outside the lines....HUM....Well as a child I always colored inside the lines and again that had me thinking I needed to color outside the lines and to be freer with my art. I've been trying to do that but always feel like I fall short and get to controled in my work. I am not as free with my art as I would lke to be so here is a stab at trying to be freer and color outside the lines.

Evolving Gypsy

Now....................................................Then

I keep changing this more than a new borns diaper. I didn't think the earrings were right. I think it was the shape that bothered me. What ever it was, their gone. I like the way it made me change the hair....But dosent a Gypsy need earrings?... Gotta come up with the right answer. Stay tuned.

Indian Harvest Maiden

Well it's obvious I'm tired of the heat and ready for fall. Come on Fall. Not that that will cool things off much. Usually not cool here till January. UGH...

Find her on Ebay tonight.

Getting that commission done....

Moving right along on my commission to Razzberries. Here is a peek at what I've done so far. It has been fun resurrecting some floral motifs I did last year. Forgot how much I loved them.