Experimenting again :)

I started a new painting tonight. I wanted to see what would happen if I worked with soft pastels and painted over it with gel medium... This photo is horrid, and I will try to get a better one in the day-light, but I really like the way the pastel responded to the gel medium.... it's very shiny and the colors are vivid. Tomorrow I am going to see how the pastels respond to a mat gel rather than the gloss. I am not done with this yet, but it was fun to experiment. I also used some of the Liquitex white opaque flakes, and some violet liquid metal acrylic paint on this.

A TRIP to the store...

Yesterday I took a trip to a store to return a gift I purchased for someone who already had the same thing I bought for them... well, at least I know they would have liked it... anyway, as I was walking from the parking lot to the store I did not see the little step between the sidewalk and pavement, my foot connected and down I went! I am really feeling my age today... I guess I really am in my late 40's now! My body knows it, but my mind just refuses to agree! Jeff likes to remind me that I am pushing 50, but that is because he is already in his! I remember when I was a kid and would take a fall, it was over in a couple hours, but I am so sore now. I told the manager at the store that they need to fix the sidewalk and repaint it yellow... he filled out a report in case I needed to seek medical attention, but I think my pride is hurt more than my palms, knees and left arm. Oh well, the bruises will fade and another nice hot shower will help... tons of work to do today... I better get back at it. See ya all later.

I got an email newsletter from Robert Glenn today that I subscribe to.... Loved this paragraph, so I am saving it here, and it really goes with my trip story ... don't you think?? I should have stayed home and painted!


"The studio is an extension of the sandbox and the kindergarten playroom. It has a dynamic unlike any office or factory. It's a room at the service of a dreamer on her way to becoming a master. Wandering from project to project, she moves in a private soup kitchen where there's always something on simmer. With something to get on with--something to finish, something to start--even the tiniest of workrooms has within it the building blocks of talent. Stay out on the streets at your peril." - Robert Glenn

Collage - Tack Down Technique

I learned about a technique for doing collage work from Laura Lein-Svencner (See her collage Techiques Page) that I wanted to try. Here is a link to the technique... Collage Fusing Method by Johnathan Talbot It works great, but there are a couple of things I think I did wrong. Number 1... because I was using a stretched canvas, I think I should have put a book or something under it to give it support while I was ironing, 2. I think I should have ironed each element down individually, I laid out all my pieces and ironed them at the same time, I think it would have been better to do one layer at a time. Anyway, it was a great learning experience, and I think the next project will work much better.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I gave a few artworks away for Christmas this year...  and here is the big news, I sent the one that had 4 small openings in one frame to my brother-in-law in Seattle, and now he wants to commission me to do a 2' x 4' collage mural for him! I will give him the "Family Discount"! It sure feels good when someone likes the work you do and wants more! :)

Inspiration

Last night, I started to paint, no matter what I did, it was horrid... I would paint, then gesso over, paint and scratch, gesso again... I quickly remembered why brown was one of my least favorite colors when I was younger, as my painting would once more turn to a solid blob of brown. Finally, I gave up, let the thing be brown and went to bed.

(Inspiration Wall - Top: Collage by Laura Lein-Svencer,
Middle: Marker Drawing by Lynne Taezsch,
Bottom: Masterpiece by my Neice Brooklyn)

This morning, when I woke up I was looking at the collage by Laura Lein-Svencner that Jeff bought for me when we were in Chicago (Which I opened on Christmas day, another wonderful gift from my hubby), which I now have hanging on the wall here in my office (my inspiration wall)... and I thought, if I add some Liquitex Black Lava and White Flakes Texture Gels, I could use this brown blob as an element on a collage... so I applied the gels, and now I have a paper to work with on a new collage when the time comes... Some times, I just need to get away and let inspiration take it's time.

Abstract Painting - Mixed Media

 Click to see the image larger

I scanned in this painting that I was playing with last night so you can see what it really looks like... the photo I took last night was yuck... anyway... as I told you last night, I used the Liquitex Gel Mediums on this... Black Lava and White Flakes, I also used a product by tulip Slick Dimensional Fabric Paint - Black to "draw" with. I plan to keep the bottle when it is empty to mix up black acrylic paint and liquitex medium String Gel, that I will use to "draw" with... but I wanted to use up the product, and I was just experimenting with the gels to see what they looked like. I also used some metallic paint.

Here you can see up-close what the Liquitex White Flakes and Black Lava look like. I had so much fun playing with this... I can't wait to play again! :)

Christmas Gifts from Dad

For Christmas, my Dad went shopping at the art supply store, he called me while he was there to make sure he was getting what I wanted... he did great! He got me a watercolor block, which is something I heard about from Lynne Taetzsch, all the sides of the paper pad are sealed with that rubber like stuff that holds pads of paper together... there is a little area at the back of the pad that is open so you can take a palette knife or exacto and cut the painting off when you are done... I have done one painting on it (see above), to play with the new Liquitex Gel Medium my Dad also got for me called Black Lava. He also picked up a jar of the White Flakes and the Ceramic Stucco that I like. When the painting is dry, I will try to get a better photo of it or scan it so you can see the way it really looks. I love my new toys! And, my hubby got me some earrings of bling for Christmas, what else could a girl ask for! :)

Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We had a lovely day, family came over in the morning for a little gift exchange with my niece, and then we had a nice dinner with my brother. Here are a few of the photos I took, my camera was not set right, and we really didn't take very many photos... disappointing... but it is what it is.

Santa's at the Art Supply Store!

I'm so excited... Santa (my Dad) just called me from an ART Supply Store! Whoo!Hoo! There's gonna be toys under the tree for me! I must have been a good girl this year! :)

Computer Generated Collages

This is a set of collages that I created for another family member for Christmas. Hopefully he won't come to my blog before Christmas, and I doubt that he will, so I can show you. I used some of the Citra Solv treated National geographic papers I created then scanned into the computer. I purchased some Greek Themed clip art to use for this, since my brother asked for something in this theme... I told him that I couldn't do that when he asked me to create something for him... I am such a brat, am I not? ;) These four pieces are all individually framed so he can hang them anywhere he wants.

Another gift for a Family Member

Here is the gift I was making for another family member today. Again I used the papers I created with CitraSolv altered National Geographic Magazine pages. I used black paint markers and this time I used blue, green and gold too. I really like the way this one came out too... hopefully the person I am going to give this to will like it.

Christmas Gift

This is a Christmas gift I created for one of my family members. I found this ready-made-frame and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it... I love the way it turned out... I hope the person I am going to give it to likes it. I used the CitraSolv treated National Geographic papers I made, then some black paint markers, and some red and a touch of gold. (Sorry about the glare from the glass).

Abstract Oil Pastel & Pencil - #11 & 12

Here are two more oil pastels that I did yesterday, they were just quickies. The first one quickly became a dessert or sand dunes, and the other one seems to have rattlesnake eggs in it. Not sure what that's all about... but it is what it is. :)

Abstract Oil Pastel & Pencil #7, 8, 9 and 10 by Deb Ammerman

 Abstract Oil Pastel & Pencil #7 by Deb Ammerman

It's been a busy week for me with day-job work, I've barely had time to do much else than work, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I hope to have the second publication off to press first thing Friday morning. I've kept a project going all the time in the background, any time I get a few minutes to myself, I've been working with the oil pastels. I have four of them done, I will share one of them with you now, and hopefully will have time to scan the others to share with you soon. I hope you are all having a wonderful week. :)

I had time to scan in the other oil pastels to show you... so here they are. I had so much fun with these, using the sticks, scratching it off the paper, blending, scratching again... fun stuff!

Oil Pastel

Took a little break from work to play for about an hour... ok, maybe 2.... And this is what I came up with...
Again I played around with some oil pastels. This time I used a set that is the size of about a crayon.... they are by "Artist's Loft"... and I really liked them better than the big bulky ones I was using, they really went on much smoother... but the set I was using was as old as dirt, so that might have had something to do with it. :)

CitraSolv & National Geographic Magazine - Collage W/Flower - FINISHED

Now, I am finished with this collage. I added some more doodling and some Liquitex Glass Beads Texture Gel. I am much happier with this now. :) This is digitally matted and framed.

CitraSolv & National Geographic Magazine - Collage W/Flower

This is a new collage I am working on... I thought I was done with it, but I don't think I am... I am going to look at it for a while before I decide for sure. I took a photo of a flower this fall, it was while I was at the laundramat... you can see the photo here.... I created a silhouette from the photo and made that the focal point of my collage. I used one of the CitraSolv treated National Geographic Magazine papers I created for the background, and added some oil pastel to pop some more color into it... Then went over some of it with a black paint marker. Maybe it is done... I have to think about it.

2 New Abstract Oil Pastels

I was reading about "Universal Shapes" over at Bren's blog last night (Here is the link to the specific post on her blog, it's really interesting to read about the symbolism of the shapes), and so I decided to work with them and see what I came up with in this first Abstract Oil Pastel. I started out by drawing the shapes and then I started working with the color and let the piece design itself from there.

This second Oil Pastel was just fun! It reminds me of olives waiting for their martini. I don't drink martini's but if I did, I think I would like them shaken, not stirred. ;)

One of the things I like about working with the oil pastels is that if I put them on thick enough, I can get that lovely grungy effect by scratching into them. Because this is scanned, it's like you are looking at it up close, if you saw this from a distance, the olives look like they are floating in a fun colored liquor.

Anyway, I had fun with these. :)

Me and the 3x3 Foot Collage

On a good day, I am 5'5" tall... I slipped on some shoes with no heels so you could see how big this collage really is...

Detail Photos of Large Collage

Here are some detail photos of the large collage... I just took a few, and tried to stay close to the focal point, so you would know where you are... (if you click on the image, then right click and select "view image" you will see these even larger.) -- Again, sorry about the glare from the photos.

Oil Pastels

After finishing that huge collage, I wanted to play around with something different last night, without sticky glue of any kind, so I got out the old box of Oil Pastels and played with those... here is what I created.... they were fun.

Newest Collage - FINISHED

Well, I am calling this collage finished. I am not happy with the final results. I love the foil, but I am not sure it works... the glare is a definite problem. I took it outside to take the photo, and it was a little better than what I have been getting color wise, but oh that glare from the silver foil at the top! I just don't like the free-for-all random placement of the papers in the collage. I am going to go back to being more directionally controlled, I had to try it... it doesn't work... good lesson.... and I am also going back to smaller formats.... this is just too big, at least until I can move downstairs into the an area with more room. Geeze, I hope that glare doesn't blind ya!

One of a Kind, Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart in Chicago

Jeff and I just got home from the Windy City. I had a great time looking at some fabulous art and meeting some really nice artists... not sure that Jeff had as good a time as I did... but he was a good sport about it. :)

Honestly, I don't know how the artists can cover their expenses to display in the show, I looked to see how much it would cost to display, and I was quite shocked. It's not just the cost of the show, if you don't live within driving distance, you have travel, lodging, food expenses,  etc. I know it is Chicago and all, and there were a ton of people there... and I did see people buying stuff... but you would have to have quite an inventory to break even. Of course, if the artist thinks in the long-term, and takes into consideration future sales they will make, and contacts they will make by meeting new people and giving out their business cards, then I guess it would be worth it... but I still feel like the companies that put on these shows are the only people making any money at them. (And a box of popcorn was $3.00! -- for about 25 cents worth of product... maybe the food vendors make money too.)

Jeff bought me a little something... I don't know what it is yet... I selected several collages from Laura Lein-Svencner and Jeff bought one and is going to give it to me for Christmas... I can hardly wait to see what it is, it will be a nice surprise, and something I know I will like. :)

Collage - WrkinProg 04

I cannot get a decent photo tonight for the life of me! I give up... this is the best I can do. I am making progress, some detail work has begun... :)

CitraSolv and National Geographic Magazine - Another Collage - WrkinProg 03

Well, I got the new sample book done for the sales reps, so I celebrated by working on my collage when I was done! Still more background work to do tomorrow... but I'm making progress. :)

Sorry, I know it's another crapola photo... but I am too tired to try and do better tonight... maybe tomorrow. :)

Chicago on Sunday!

Jeff and I are going to take a drive up to Chicago this weekend to go to the One of a Kind show. Here is a link to the web site: http://www.oneofakindshowchicago.com/ . I have been following the collage artist Laura Lein-Svencner for a while now, I heard about the show from her blog, she is one of the 600 artists that are on exhibit and selling their work at the show. By the way, Laura has some wonderful collage techniques on her blog, I plan to try the collage fusing method by Jonathan Talbot that she gives a link to, and some of her exercises (I know what I am going to ask Santa to bring me :) )... check out the links for more information.

I've got a ton of work to get done today for the day-job... hopefully I will have some time to work on my collage later this evening... but I wanted to share these links with you. Hope you all are having a fantastic morning!

CitraSolv and National Geographic Magazine - Another Collage - WrkinProg 02

Here is the progress I made on my collage today. Been really busy designing a new media package for the company I work for, so I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but it is coming along nicely... I knew when I started this, it wasn't going to be a quickie. :)

The photo is making the purple paper look black... but you get the idea... I am really having fun with this... I decided early on to try being a little more freestyle with this, my other collages have been very blocky, with the National Geographic pages treated with CitraSolv background all going in the same direction... And as you can see, in addition to the foils, which gave off a heck of a glare from the overhead light, I have also included some basil cardstock from my stash. Keeping to the limited color scheme should make the colors in the background papers created with the CitraSolv stand out... of course, I will still have to do my drawing... But it's time to get 40 winks... see ya all tomorrow. :)