Finishing, Beginning, Starting Over

                                  Happy New Year!

  Remember me?  Figured the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to start up this blog again.  No excuses for not being here, you know them all.  And as far as resolutions, nope, not me.  That only sets me up for failure.  I'll try my best.  I am struggling with a new computer that I am not at all fond of and no idea of how to use this new template.  I hope to learn as I go along.  Please bear with me.

Like most mixed media artists I have many WIPs that need to be
finished.  And there are so many projects I want to begin.  And many online workshops to complete and several that start soon.  I should probably resolve to finish before I start again, but I have learned that when the creative muse shows up with yet another idea or technique, I have to jump on it.  I often vow to clean my studio before I start anything else, mostly because I need some space, but inevitably a supply calls my name to be used....Now!

 I journal almost daily, dabble in watercolors (my newest adventure) and love mixed media collage.  My very favorite is painting with acrylics on canvas, watercolor paper, wood, pretty much anything I can get my hands on.  I also participate in an art exchange with a small FB group which luckily has deadlines so those usually get finished.  I also completed a 30 day "faces" challenge on FB.  So although there are many unfinished works in my studio,  I have actually accomplished quite a bit, explored new techniques, have grown as an artist, and most of all have enjoyed every minute of artmaking even with all it's mistakes, frustrations and messiness!

This is my new project for the new year.  I read a blog post by artist Seth Apter in which he listed his favorite blog posts of 2016.  One of them was a post by artist Tracy Verdugo.  She was inspired by artist Judy Wise.  Gotta love artists inspiring artists!  The idea is to start a canvas and each day for a month add something to it.  Anything.  More paint, marks, more media, whatever you feel in the moment.  One of the online classes I took this past year was an intuitive painting workshop by Flora Bowley.  I hope to use some of what I learned from that class which was fantastic.  I hope to post my

progress and feelings here on my blog.  No promises but I'll try.  I wish I knew how to post links for the above artists.  I'll try to learn that the next time.  they are all great and I'm sure if you Google them you will enjoy their blogs.

Hope to see you soon.  Have a wonderful beginning to the New Year!

       

Maybe it's time.....

I'm thinking this might be a good time to revive my blog and start showing up here more.  I've got a new computer that I'm struggling to learn, I'm enrolled in several online classes, and I'm participating in a 30 day face challenge that started on April 1st so I have plenty of things to post.  So other than trying to find some time which there never seems to be enough of, I have no good excuses.  So let's try this again......

These are the first five days of #30faces30dayprompts#soulfulfaces  with Annie Hamman and Galea Alena.  there is a different prompt for each day.  I started a new Canson mixed media tablet for these.  I collaged the cover and the inside of the cover and will eventually make this a journal.  I may not complete all 30 days but I'm hoping I can develop a daily practice and improve my face art while participating in this challenge.  We'll see.

In the meantime I continue to art journal.

This is my latest spread which is quite different from what I normally do but was inspired by April Studio Diaries by Flora Bowley about contrast.  Just lots of mark making, doodling, and journaling about loosening up.  It was fun.

I'll try to post again soon with some more faces and journal pages.  Still struggling with the whole photos thing on this new PC but I'll keep trying.