Random Thoughts - March 8 to March 14 - Gelli Printing and Much More

March 8:

Today was the best EVER!!!!  Church was great as usual and then I went to Desert Art Supply Art Store for Mixed Media Nirvana.  From 11 am to 4:30 pm I attend a Mono printing class using the Gelli Plate.  I am a hands on learner and even though I have used my Gelli plate a few times (less than 5), I wanted to learn and try techniques.  It was so much fun and I had such great day.  Multiple colors on the page; making masks, making stamps and mark makers. Pulling Prints on copy paper,  mixed media paper, water color paper, envelopes and cards.  Ghost printing, painterly printing.  My goodness there is so much you can do.  I came home with a bag of tools, a lot of prints and a new found respect for the mono printing process.

first pulls from Gelli Plate

 Initially these were my first pulls and then we were to add more color to it.  The page on the left I messed up, but I can/will cut it up and use for collage bits.  The page on the right was the ghost print and I added Iridescent white ghost print.  It will make a nice background.

more prints

 The page on the left is the first print using yellow and bronze paint marks are made with the eraser on a pencil and a paint chip with the edges cut to mimic a catalyst tool.  the print on the right is a clean up print

study in green

These prints used a very dark green blue basic acrylic paint.  the design is from a string of yarn just randomly placed on the page.  page on left is the original pull on 140 lb water color paper and on the right is the ghost print making paper.  Playing with mono printing for 5 and a half hours was heaven.

Renewing my faith in fellow man/woman:

After my wonderful class, I was on my way home and fell.  Somehow I stepped into a hole in the grass near the bus stop and it was a slow motion moment and I knew I was a goner.  Now, picture this, landed flat, bags flew one way and me another with my heavy backpack on.  I get to my knees and try to get up but the backpack keeps switching from side to side so, I finally realized that I had to take the backpack off so I could get up.  Backpack off, shifted with to left knee and up I went, whew!!!  Picked up backpack and put is on, picked up my art bag and Trader Joe's bag, picked up my dignity and realized sadly, I was laying on the ground with cars passing by and NO ONE STOPPED.  I guess I looked too much like a bag lady.  I could have had a heart attack and I would have just died right there on the spot.  I immediately got sad.  What have we come to as a people?  I turned the corner heading home and the cutest little black card pulled up and stopped "Are you okay," the young lady said. "I had to turn around and I live in the same complex as you, let me take you home. Are you sure you are okay?"  What a blessing that she stopped, my faith was renewed; someone cared enough to stop and help.  That gesture meant a lot to me.

Yes today was really the best day EVER.

March 9:

Today I got the brilliant idea to make a faux dori using the Trader Joe's re-usable bag.  It was really easy to work with and I love the colors and symbols on the bag.  This is going to make me look at all of my reusable bags to see what I can create with them.

Faux Dori made with Trader Joe's Bag

In side books, 3x5 inch Moleskine lined notebooks

Inside of book lined with duck tape

March 10:

Busy day had two meetings and prepared for MOMs meeting tomorrow night.  I worked a little on DLP Week 11 which is about making marks on the page. The prompt is surviving the elements.  A lot of times my mind gets tired of doing the normal so I decided to paint my pages black and make my marks with white.  Not sure how this will turn out or if the end result will be like this, but it is my initial thought, we shall see.

March 11:

Ta Da!!!!!!!!

Homage to the end of Winter

I finished it and left it black and white.  I mean look at this spread will you!!!!  I am in love, not only with the result, but that I thought of it.  I used stencils from the Stencil 101 book.  I love the city scape and have used it a lot, but I thought I would try the Electricity poles for some dimension and wow.  I wanted snow and went for realism so I put down a base of cheesecloth and then glued down cotton balls.  Aileen's tacky glue works wonders.  I drew in circles one for the moon and some "snow" drops that kind of look like stars (oh well, don't know how to draw snow flakes), but it gives you an idea of the snowy day.  Sort of Winter's last gasp.  The border is white acrylic paint and my note about the layout is written in black around the border.

I am really liking getting up in the morning and having the quiet of the house (no TV).  I can really think creatively.

Had a MOMs meeting last night, it was pretty good, it was my 4th day of meetings.  One more tomorrow and I can relax on Friday.

March 12:

Started working on My Sketchbook project it has to be mailed by March 31st.  My goal is to have it in the mail by the 26th.  Will keep you posted.  Theme this year is iconology so it will be a lot of collage work.

March 13:

My one day to stay home and relax and I am going to make the most of it.  I have plans people, I have plans.  Seriously it occurred to me today that I want to learn how to draw/paint my life story.  I am wondering what that would look like and how I would translate it to art.  I think I may start out in my art journal and see what comes up.

Continuing to work on my Sketchbook project and have to start on Lifebook, week 10.  A little nervous about this one because it involves faces and human figure, but I shall prevail.  Will post the results.

March 14:

Art projects worked on today:  DLP 2015, Theme Borders, LifeBook 2015 - Jane Davenport exercise and my Sketchbook.  I have to go to church today to complete the census process for our church.   I will be taking my sketchbook to work on some of the pages as I sit in the vestibule for about 1.5 hours.

Summary:

I am adding a summary just to give thoughts about the week.  This was a good week because for the first time, I touched some sort of art each day.  My aim has been to do this, but I have not been really successful.  I find that I still have to talk myself into it, not feeling very worthy.  My word for the year is Believe, as in Believe in yourself.  As a result, I am pushing myself past doubts and doing something.  I still have a few projects that I have not started and for the rest of this month, will begin to dig into.  I will let you know if I am successful.

Until next week: have a blast with what you love.  pilgrim.....