Facing the Storm ~ Painting Finally Finished!

First of all thank you for all your helpful comments on my last post - keep 'em coming! It's nice to know I am not alone on this strange journey called life...

But for now to a painting I finally finished early this morning! It had been sitting for a good long time, but then it came together quite nicely.

I painted with acrylic paints and layered it with some handmade (not by me) paper.

I love her little companion, a pretty white mink. 

Facing the Storm
mixed media painting on 11 x 14 in canvas

And because it was so much fun last week, I am linking to both, the fabulous Paint Party Friday and Illustration Friday. 

Wishing you a fantastic Friday and thanks again for continuing to visit!! 

❧ Silke

Painting again...

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Monday! The week sure went buy in a hurry. And since we last "talked," the dish cloth has taken the plunge into the dishwater (I'm so glad you all didn't think I was that weird...) and I have taken the plunge back into my paints. 

First thing I did was take this painting and gesso over everything but the big cat and the hand and then paint the woman new again. The old one just didn't feel "right" to me - too timid and afraid. I wanted to paint someone stronger. I tried to let my intuition guide me.

Her wrap or shawl is made from little pieces of torn paper and then I continued the color scheme and the motif from the paper into the rest of the painting. I also used some of the texture I got with the layer of plaster of paris I prepped the canvas with and got some great effects.

I wish you all could feel the fantastic texture! I tried to photograph it, and you can see it a little here

and here:

That combined with the red and gold and that intense gaze of the big cat - NOW this painting feels "right" to me!

Alter Ego
12 x 24 inches
mixed media on canvas

Available in my Etsy Shop.

❧ Silke

Lara - Finished Painting

Lara is quite different from my other paintings if simply for the fact that she has blond hair!

I am so enjoying painting these women at the moment! Each one of them is different and with none of them do I know how they will look in the end.

It was the same with this one. And I'm so happy I am painting on collaged papers again - I did this in the very beginning of my painting life three years ago and then sort of got away from it. I love texture and the depths I get from a layer of papers.

Lara
11 x 14 inch acrylic painting
available for purchase in my Etsy store

My friend Cathy (Artsy Butterfly) inspired me to share this painting over at Paint Party Friday. And because her hair looks very fluid to me as it blows in the breeze, I am also entering her in this week's Illustration Friday Exhibit.

I'm already on to the next painting and can't wait to show you!

P.S. I loved all your comments on my previous post about coffee or tea! I am drinking tea right now, but I think later this morning I'll go by my favorite cafe in town (on my way to the print studio) for a latte...

Potential

First of all, thank you all so much for your encouraging comments on my latest painting!! I am so enjoying painting right now - I hardly want to do anything else... 

The post title occurred to me when I saw the photos I wanted to show for you - each one reminds me of potential - of what could be, what might be, what will become.

Daniel found the little bird egg on the frozen rim of our fountain yesterday. It's been so warm that I am sure the birds are ready to build their nests and lay their eggs. This egg came too soon - we had a couple of days of very cold weather - but hopefully soon the nest building can begin in earnest!

I prepared another canvas with papers and am ready to start my sketch on it. I'm also working on a bigger and long-format canvas at the same time. Like I said, I could paint 24/7 right now!

Here's a sweet little baby hat I knitted up really fast last night. I found the easy pattern here with sizes from newborn to youth.

And lastly, I've been going through all of my art and am either recycling my canvases (I love the thought of hidden paintings underneath papers and new paint) or selling them. This one I had in my studio for the longest time, but I'm ready to have it find a new home. You can find it in my Etsy shop along with several other paintings and prints.

Wishing you a magical start to your week!

Fiona

I just couldn't stop yesterday and had to finish her. With the underpainting I had shown you in my last post, done with burnt sienna and titanium white, the finished piece has such a richness in color.

There were a few areas that were sort of tricky like the hand (why are hands so hard to paint?!) and the ear, but in the end it all came together.

I feel so inspired to paint at the moment. I just can't stop! I need to be thinking about my next print project, but I figure a little break is not a bad thing - when it comes time to print again, I'll feel inspired... I hope!

I just love the colors in this one!

Fiona
acrylic painting on 11 x 14 inch wrapped canvas
available for purchase in my Etsy shop

I decided to enter her in this week's Illustration Friday exhibit. The theme is popularity. And somehow looking at Fiona, I am quite sure that winning a popularity contest was never on her agenda!

Happy Sunday everyone!! Stay warm!

Margaret - new painting

Art is dominating my life at the moment and I'm loving it! This is one of those times when everything just flows and I am going with it.

I'm rediscovering my love for painting on collaged and textured surfaces. I guess I'm remembering what I loved most when I first started painting.

Margaret
11 x 14 inch mixed media painting

And here's the next painting I started. I can already see it finished in my mind. But usually it looks very different from that internal image when it's done... somehow my art is still always a surprise to me.

Thank you all for your kind comments on my blog! I always love it when you visit!! And I try to visit as many of you as I can each day. Your blogs always inspire me!!

P.S. I'm just giving these girls names that come to mind as I work on them. The images aren't actually based on anyone I know...

Papers

This morning, still coughing and sniffling (but feeling a little better), I did something I haven't done in a long time. I covered a canvas with beautiful papers, later to be painted over, painted on and hopefully showing through a little at the end.

I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy that process of preparing a canvas with papers and texture.

While I love the classes I am taking and am learning so much from the professors and the students, what I still love most of all is making my own art in my own little studio.

Right now I don't have the piece of mind to make much art nor will I have much time for it before the end of the year, but my head is filled with ideas and slowly and surely they will make their way onto canvas, paper or even copper plates...

I wish you a peaceful and creative day!!

Altered Art

Taking Off

Mixed media painting on 11 x 14 inch wrapped canvas.

Do you remember my duck painting from here? Well, it obviously was nowhere close to being finished. I used to ask Daniel how he knew if a painting was finished and he used to tell me that you just know. And he's right. This one stayed on my mind and I needed to play with it some more.

I totally love the texture and composition of this latest version. I look at it and keep seeing different things. And the gold... I don't think you can see it all. Some of it is gold watercolor powder, plus some of the fiber paper contains thin gold strips. So pretty!! My old love of paper and color is taking a new form...

Now I am off on a little jaunt through blogland. Hope to see you there...

More Art

Tapestry 

mixed media painting on 11 x 14 inch wrapped canvas

There's a lot of texture in this piece - different papers of different thicknesses and layers of paint. In the end, the richness of the color, the gold and the texture reminded me of a tapestry. And then there seems to be a big bird. Daniel asked if I had painted a duck...

I'm working on two more art journal entries and on my next painting already. And I hope to visit you all in the next couple of days!! I must find out what you've been up to...

Weeping Skies

Weeping Skies

Mixed Media Acrylic Painting on 11 x 14 inch canvas

The creative process is still a mystery to me. I just have to say this again!

I started this painting by preparing the canvas with some fiber paste toward the bottom of the canvas and glass bead gel toward the top of the canvas. I then painted an abstract underpainting with white, black and gray tones. My intention was to paint over all of that with very thin and delicately pale washes.

But once I got going the painting took off in a totally different direction. I started out with pale washes but quickly graduated to more intense colors and in the end even added torn paper. I've used iridescent pearl, gold, and copper, plus some black mica flakes. Also, both papers have some gold in them so the painting changes with changing light.

Weeping Skies isn't pale or delicate, but it makes a statement and I really like it! It reminds me of waves and the sky...

P.S. Thanks so much to all of you who have entered my giveaway! If you haven't yet done so, just go to my previous post and leave a comment!