Unbelievable......There Is ART!!!!

Will miracles never cease......give me some studio time and things actually happen! This all started with an odd piece of light weight brown paper that had come as packing in something. It had interesting texture and I had kept it for MONTHS. It laid on the kitchen counter, getting no closer to the studio until the Great Holiday Sweep, to find the counters and cover them with appropriate pretties. Which is about normal here.....

It was large enough that it yielded two decent size pieces, and I chose to leave the top torn edge, as I found them more visually interesting that way. First I painted roughly with off white acrylic and a float medium; I did not want gesso as I felt it would grab too much. I wanted the substrate to be smooth enough to smoosh things around. Yes, *smoosh* is a very technical term......I also had some paper toweling I had painted with fluid acrylic, on a day where I ran to the cellar for a whole ten minutes. I was having a fit to pull it apart and try it on something.

I stamped tissue paper for the B&W images, then began building color and texture through paint, stamps, embossing and finally, glitter.  The close up below shows it a bit better. I was just having fun, seeing what would work with what and trying to keep the two as semi mirror images shape wise but not content wise. And being extremely impatient, I heated an old iron, got my teflon pressing sheet and heat dried things as I went. It did some unusual texture in the gel medium....not at all bad but too subtle to show up here. I probably ruined the sheet for fabric work but it works great in the studio!!! :-)

After getting the two sheets to a point where I knew I needed to stop, I took the brown paper remnants and some leftover white tissue paper and stamped them for future collage work. I think I could get into making collage papers to sell. There is something quite satisfying in that phase alone! Plus, I collect a lot of brown paper, and other odd papers, and it all takes ink differently....hmmmmmm.....Etsy? After the first of the new year?

But no, this was not the end of the day---I was on a roll from not having had time to work with messy stuff, soooo.....next photo please...

.....I bravely opened the packet of cardstock ATC blanks and got my pack of water soluble crayons and Sharpies and began doodling, producing the two cards below.

And it was FUN! Like I mentioned yesterday, had my hands not given out, there probably would have been five to post, all variations on a theme. They were my moment of complete epiphany for the day---the lightbulb slowly buzzed and blinked a few times, then went on full bore!

Now I know why people MAKE THESE. Sorry...you're dealing with a Type A personality, and sometimes the simplest of concepts do not translate into Anne-Land. I just don't see it and go my merry way and that's that. But it was wonderful to have this small project while stuck in front of the TV and I'm thinking maybe I should take a pack with me to the hospital when I am unwillingly confined, craving intellectual stimulation, or just trying not to lose my mind. (more like the last option...)

So that was my studio day. I think the two top papers might get mounted on a black 12"x12" canvas panel each; they look great hung as a pair. But I need to think that out yet. I'm feeling like I need texture for the bakground areas. In the mean time, I'll probably tinker with the collage papers and ATCs.

And then I have the church work that needs to get notes made, so my time is getting busier and busier.

And oh yes, I have to wrap the goodies for DH for Christmas before the hospital stay. Ack.

Thus, I am off to try and accomplish a few things and hope y'all have a creative and good day, with little things to show at the end of it.

The small accomplishments are the biggest of blessings!

Pax.