This and That

The Art Cabinet

Painting this is not without it's challenges, but you can sort of see the direction I am going with this....still have lots to do.

A Work In Progress

I've been wanting a cabinet that I could "put my own stamp" on ever since I converted my den to my art space.  Previously, I had a large cabinet in the corner where this one is ....but it was designed for a TV.  It outlived its purpose in this room.  So....I wandered into a home interior consignment shop last Saturday....and there was this cabinet.  I definitely wanted one that had glass on top and drawers and storage underneath for my art supplies.  This is an old, tired cabinet that needs some TLC ( it may not look that way in the photo).  And I am going to definitely change it from the traditional piece that it is.  Paint is a wonderful thing! 
So, today I sanded off the old varnish and put a coat of primer on it.  

I had a great chat with my local hardware store about what I want to do, looked at some colors and discussed glazes.  I can't wait to get to the fun part! 

Come Sit Awhile....

I had fun doing this little vignette.  I put a color wash on the paper and then I added the napkin which is the wall in this picture.   I love the texture that the napkin adds.  I then painted the carpeting in.  If you look closely, you can see the subtle pattern in the rug that is the same design that appears on the back of the chair.  On a separate piece of watercolor paper, I painted the chair which I then cut out and glued to the picture.  Ta da.  Fun.

Like a Tree....

I was taking a picture of a tree in my neighbors yard and as I was walking back to my yard, I was fascinated by the shadows...and here is how I saw myself. This photo turned out to be more interesting than the tree.

La Dolce Vita

A friend of mine recently took a wonderful trip to Florence and other parts of Italy.  And she brought me a lovely gift.  So I sat down last night to write her a thank you note....but I ended up creating this oversized postcard instead.   The paisley paper on the upper left side is from the bag my gift came in; also the little oval sticker Venezia and the word "ilDoge" and the man in the upper right hand corner.  I could feel a "little bit of Italy" myself while creating this picture for her....

The Process

I've been making a hand made book.  I find it a tedious process because....I am not a mathemetician, I have little patience for detail and I just want to "do it"...I don't really enjoy the learning curve part of it.  That's true of everything I attempt....when I was younger, I didn't want to be on a tennis court learning the game....I just wanted to get out there and play....and not look inept.  So....here's my first book attempt.  It's made with signatures sewn together and the cover was made using a roofing paper that I gesso'd, added texture to, and then used crayons for the color that, after I applied them, I used a lot of elbow grease to blend together.    Then I sanded it.   It has 16 pages (32).  The cover actually feels neat...has nice texture to it which isn't visible in this photo.   It's not perfect, but I guess it's good for starters. 
This is the inside front cover....

Now....what's going to go inside?