Sunday, July 28, 2013

JUNK MAIL JOURNAL

July 26
Tusk & Cup Fine Coffee
 where a handful of artists met
to share their talents...

I have never made a junk mail journal....but I
had so much fun doing this!  The pages in the journal are
from business ads, restaurant mailers, envelopes, computer paper....
I'm giving you the page by page
so you can see how fun it is.  

Created from Junk Mail
The cover is from a grocery bag 
and part of a cardboard 
coffee cup holder with the 
Tusk & Cup logo
The bee is a rubber stamp
 The inside cover
I added a tag w/ a paper bead, and photos of
sunflowers I took a couple of years ago
and a napkin sunflower added at bottom
On the left I covered the page with
a piece of scrapbook paper and
collaged a flower from a napkin
and stamped the bee
On the right I had this wonderful little piece
that I glued to an envelope, "Be gining"
On the envelope on the left, I
slipped a piece of printed paper
into the window and stamped a coffee cup
top and bottom ( it says coffee right below
the word Up)
On the right hand page is a piece of advertising
from Paris with a map and I added the words
"Choose your own adventure...."
On the left is an ad from H & R Block
and over it I collaged a copy from a piece in
one of my other journals and added the border top
and bottom
On the right is an advertisement from
a restaurant.  The art was already nice on
this so I left it as is
On the left is the back side of the
restaurant mailing to which I added the
lobster and the border pieces, top and bottom
On the right is a really nice napkin with
lots of fruit on it and I took a piece of
scrap paper sheet music and stamped
the pear and added it to the page
On the left is a nun (obviously) carrying
a can of paint and I added the checkerboard scrap
and stamped the left and right side like a keyboard
also added a piece of webbing that is meant for...Halloween
On the right is a painting of a pig that I like
 Here I've added a page for notes and 
half of a paper doily
 This is the center of the book
with the doily and another piece of
art from another journal, cut with a 
scalloped edge
The other side of the doily and on
the right I collaged the heart, words and the
lovebirds at the bottom
On a piece of mail that says "Grand Opening"
at the top, I added this photo of the beautiful stained glass
window in a cathedral I had saved from a NY Times...
and to my own amusement and, perhaps irony, it
lists the "business hours" at the bottom
On the right is a small manila envelope that 
I stamped and taped with the polka dot tape to the page 
and when you flip the envelope over....
I glued a photo I had saved from a magazine
of this old, beautiful door and on the right
I glued to the other half of the H & R Block ad
a business card of someone who makes handbags 
out of books and there is some green grass 
tissue paper, a rubber stamp of a vine and a 
small piece (vertically) of flowers
 On the left is a photo from a magazine
of some beautifully done plates...
I happen to like the artist and on the right
is the other half of an envelope.  I put
a card in the window that says "Life Is Good"...we've
all seen that expression on t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.
and I added the bicycle stamp and doodled 
a bit on it
 The disk on the left is collaged to
the back of the envelope.  It's a piece I found in
my stash of part of a napkin that I put on the disk...a 
great find for this piece and on the right is an architectural 
drawing of an estate
and last but not least....
On the left I painted the paper, made
a pocket with the other half of the cardboard
cup holder and stuck in a "Tusk" debit card
and on the right just finished it with my name.
Ok....I can't wait to do another one!!!!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

BE COOL....

Art Journal
When It's Hot Outside...Be Cool!

Acrylics, Collage
I have gotten so much done inside my house these last couple of days....because it's too HOT to be outside.  I also had time to do some art.  The left side...
is a piece of scrapbook paper and I added the zig zag with the words, and in the same paper, I cut the shape of a glass and inserted a plastic straw.  The right side shows two lids from Sanpellegrino drinks which I glued on to an area I added some paint to.


 This page just feels cool...a place to sit and eat berries with a view of the sea...cool blues, white floor, white table. Very simple.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

It's For The Birds

Art Journal
Acrylics, Joint Compound, wall repair tape,
collage papers, pen, tissue paper, printed tape

There are a lot of layers on these two pages.  First, a layer of gesso so the paper could take any abuse I applied.  Then matte medium to glue down a layer of printed tissue paper...of which it's barely visible....only I really know that it's there.  It was from a box of Grasshopper  brand shoes and the paper had green grass and plants on it.  I have some left and I would use it again....but then I could always go and buy another pair of shoes to get more of the tissue paper!
Then I applied joint compound...it's very thick so I used my palette knife.  Once that dried, I applied a coat of matte medium to seal it, and hopefully, keep it from flaking over time....I then added background color.  I was concerned about the center where the spine connects, and decided to use some wall repair tape...again to keep the joint compound from flaking because that's where all of the opening/closing of the book is.  Down the center is some printed tape.  After all of that was done....I wasn't really sure what I wanted the subject of the pages to be!  It was Friday night...then I had my inspiration.  Friday night is considered the first "date night" of the weekend and I decided to do birds.....birds decked out in their finery.  Lots of colors and patterns. Dressed to impress!


 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

FINGERPAINTING

ART JOURNAL
Acrylics/collage

These pages are all about the color.  I didn't use a paint brush, just my fingers to move the paint around.  In small print under the word "Mood" it says...."using colors to indulge the senses"....and that's what I did here.  I have added bits of different papers here and there, a business card from a person who does tree work...calls himself The Tree Guy...I think Van Gogh painted nature...unbelievably....his paint strokes...the newspaper article on him is from our local paper.  He still inspires us today....
 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

WORD JOURNAL- ALTERED BOOK

I don't think I've made any additions to this book in probably a year, but for whatever reason, I made an addition today.  The word I chose to illustrate is:

SWATCH
Fabric swatches are remnants from my neighbor's quilts.  They provide a lot of color to the pages.  I've also added some buttons and the little metal scissors on the right-hand page actually open and close!  There's also some acrylic paint and rubber stamps.  There is something to be said for taking a class now and then because it can spark your creativity and I guess I was still in that mode after last night's class.  Back to work tomorrow.....creativity on hold....
See the scissors...
 

Paint & Wine Class #4

Skyline
Acrylics on canvas

Saturday night was the monthly Paint & Wine class.  The picture we were basing our painting on was a skyline of black buildings, with a red sky reflected in the water.  Everybody does their own version and I chose to reflect buildings with lots of lights and more blue sky.  I also added the walkway at the left with the street lights.  This was my 4th class, and this is the first painting that I've done that I actually like....but the subject appealed to me and that makes a difference. 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

The Deep Blue Sea

Art Journal
Acrylics, Collage

Painting with cool shades of blue on a hot summer day.  I used pages of text from an altered book to paint the orange sea plant as well as the sea plants on the left side of the page and glued them into this journal.  There's a tiny little school of fish passing through....chillin' on a hot summer day.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

We Were All Born To Shine

My mind is streaming....
I'm not usually up this late on a work night....
but then, I am taking the day off tomorrow...
My mind is in Friday night mode....
only it's still just Tuesday....
and I've been up since 5:30....
My son stopped by this evening...
and our conversation inspired my art tonight....
We spend years teaching our children life's lessons....
and then they come back to you....
and teach you what they've learned....

We were all born to shine

It's time to turn out the lights