I think the flower collaged canvas is done. It started with the vision of a pale background, with an inked or sepia toned botanical type sketch. Mmmm..along the way things changed somewhat...

I have also decided for various reasons that this will be the last posting in this blog. All future art works will be posted on my other blog . I think there will be a cross over between the more traditional painting type artwork and my textile artwork. These last 2 canvases combined many techniques, including a pasted scrunched tissue paper background and a background collage of magazine clippings. By having 2 blogs I feel I am drawing a distinction between art & craft which I don't feel comfortable with. I know that in the future as these 2 fields (of more traditional art and fibre/textile art) merge I will have to make a choice as to which blog they belong on. In the long run it is just so much easier to keep one blog.

I had an idea for another canvas, with collaged flower pictures, a light wash of colour, some crackle medium & a floral study over the top.

So far, I love the effect of the collage. Not too sure about the centre background. It was collaged but I thought it would be too much so I painted over it. Now I'm having second thoughts.....

I'll just have to paint/draw the main focus & then see how it looks.

In the meantime I have signed up for a couple of community college/adult education classes. One is in Visual Art Skills and the other is in Life Drawing. They both start late February. I can't wait, as I'm sure I'll learn plenty.

I 'think' I have finished my painting, "Koi". Parts have been reworked repeatedly until I wished I had left it as it was to start.

This is truly a mixed media work comprised of tissue paper, acrylics, pastel pencil & charcoal.

Yes, I am still here; yes I have been a slack blogger.

I am blaming the end of year madness, the finish of my Life Drawing class for the year, the Christmas/New Year happenings & the kids being at home on school holidays.

I was very lucky to receive lots of arty goodies for Christmas. I got my easel, a few books and some new materials. So, no more excuses.

One present to myself was The Artists Way. I was a bit dubious, doubting I can commit to any 12 step program; and wondering if perhaps it was too "out there" for me in terms of concepts. However, it kept coming up. Presenting itself to me at every opportunity. I read more about it and decided there was only one way to know if this program is for me. I have bought the book (well 2 copies actually, but that is another story!) and started Week 1. Week 2 will start tomorrow. I have kept up with the morning pages. I even had my Artists Date this week. So far so good, although some of the other activities in week one escaped me so I will read back over them and perhaps address them also in Week 2.

Wanting to try different mediums I have purchased a set of acrylics and started on a canvas. Lots of work still to be done. And, of course, as with most creative process, it is developing along different lines to what I had first invisaged. Here is a sneak peek. Hopefully, one day, I can reveal more.

One picture to show from last nights life drawing class. Charcoal & pastel.

I feel that I have been in an artistic void. I have attempted the last couple of week's EDM challenges but produced nothing to show for my time. I haven't really felt like drawing.
I missed last weeks Life Drawing session and so accomplished nothing there either. So last night I had difficulty finding my comfort zone. I used some different mediums, some oil pastel (which I quite liked & will explore further) and some inks. The inks are gorgeous, with vibrant colours. I tried some bolder, freer lines; not attempting an exact likeness but more an impression of what was before me. Not happy with the ends results but at least I finally made a mark on paper.