Stamping and Snipping

On November first it will be two years since I started this blog. That occurred to me today as I was thinking about what I've accomplished. When I started, I was using colored pencil exclusively, and my work was selling. But my work with cp was boring to me. I got a lot of positive feedback, but that didn't make it more interesting. Because what I was doing with cp was copying photos. At least they were all my own photos and I wasn't copying someone elses.

I just felt there must be something else I was meant to do.

Fortunately, I had the time and enough money to try different mediums. So the pencils have been on the back burner as I experimented. The fact is that I've hardly sold anything since then. As I realized this, I had to stop and ask myself some questions. Do I have a body of work to show for the last two years? No, I don't. Have I found a medium I want to stick with now? No. Have I enjoyed my experimenting? Yes, definitely. Then I asked the most important question. Where am I going? I don't know. I thought I would feel more accomplished by now, I expected to be more successful at selling than back then.

This morning I was going to change directions and not even use the stamping and collage ideas I'd used all week. Then it hit me......I never stick with anything! Nothing gets practiced enough for me to improve with it. I get discouraged and try something else.

I realized that I need to make plans for myself. I need a loose structure ( is that even possible?) to keep organized with my work. I decided to work only with the Anne Bagby video ideas this week and see where that leads me. Then, if I feel I'm going somewhere, another week. This way I won't get off track and start another project.

Now, I still have those two miniatures due in a few weeks, and my cp portraits of the two little cuties waiting to get done. But this way I'll know that I'll give them exclusive time when I plan it. Does that make sense?

Three Practice Collages

My weekend has been productive and quiet. If I get too many phone calls or go out anywhere I can never pick up the pace until the next day. And even my little cat guys slept all day and didn't demand too much attention.

I've been practicing making collages according to Anne Bagby's video and I've been stopping and starting it all day, just to listen very carefully to what she says. The video is packed with ideas and information. It seems as if I took a course, but this is better because I can go back and watch reruns.

My goal was to understand what she does so I can take some of her ideas to incorporate into my work. I've always been fascinated by collages, but wasn't sure where to start. I've tried some, but was never 100% satisfied. The real hook for me was the stamping because I've tried to make my own stamps and have a few succesful ones, but didn't know how to really put them to their best use.

So what do you think about my little experiments? I can tell you I learned a lot! Now I'm anxious to start my five paintings for a show in January. Hmmm.....my head is spinning with ideas.

These are all about 6x14. I didn't include hands which I would have done if these were not just for learning purposes. I think I'll tack them up in the studio so I can study them for a few days. They were a heck of a lot of fun!

Is It Thursday Already?

Here is one of my miniatures which I've been working on forever. It's 4x4. I drew a portrait of a little girl I sponsor through World Vision. My idea is to use portraits of two of the girls I sponsor along with symbols of their countries ( India and Bolivia), using the colors of their national flags. Each portrait is on gallery wrapped canvas, so on the sides I first glued newspaper stock report pages and then painted over that and added national symbols on top. I did that to contrast our materialistic society with the sparse lives these girls live. Behind her head you can see part of a letter from her that I traced and stamps which I made. But.....while putting a last minute touch on her portrait, I ruined it. I have to do it all over again because I used a permanent magic marker to darken the outline of her head. Stupid, stupid. See how it bled through her shoulder? I already tried to salvage it by cutting her face and now it's uneven. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Below is my first attempt to copy Anne's instructions on a wonderful video I bought from Creative Catalyst Productions. I want to understand everything about her method before I incorporate it into my work. Her instructions in the video couldn't have been clearer. Without a doubt, her video is well worth the money.

Of course, Ann does a lot more than I did here. I'm going to watch the video again tomorrow and add to the notes I took the first time. She shares a lot of information. She stamps over and over her stamps. Believe me, I don't in any way think my example is a hundredth as good as hers!

I'm a Little Distracted

I hope there are still some of my loyal readers out there. Last week was a little rough for me and not much art got done. And my computer is acting like it has no memory....sloooooow. . You will think I have ADD.....remember just two weeks ago when I said I'd paint a small painting each day and then I did it for all of two days? Well, that is still in my plans but I've gotten distracted by something else. I found Anne Bagby. Her work is exactly what I've had floating around in the back of my mind as I've been experimenting for about two years. She incorporates stamps and stencils ( mostly cut by herself, something I find exciting), painting, figures, and faces. All of the things I love to do!

Tomorrow I'll have something exciting to post, I promise!