Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I've heard this saying my whole life and have come to see it is very true.  You see this in fashion, landscaping, your choice of a mate, your favorite vacation spots and even art.  Each month I work one weekend day at Woodland Art League and love watching people as they walk through the gallery.  Rarely does anyone pause in the same spot.  What appeals to one may not the next and it all boils down to personal taste and what each of us considers beautiful.  These thoughts led to this fun creation.  Hope it brings a smile.  

The Color Coral



Capitola Cottages



Coral Bliss

One of the colors that seem to bring calm and peace.  Not  quite pink, not orange, not red but a lovely in between shade.  I have been putting some new photography pieces on my etsy site and noticed this
color jumping out at me.  Hope you enjoy them too.

Girl in Garden

Artful Alphabet

A to F

G to L

Came up with a new idea (for those of you that know me that is really NO surprise), I found a hardcover book and decided to create art directly on the pages (knowing I may have to remove a few here and there as I add in bulk).  The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted some type of order so came up with the idea of using the alphabet as a starting place.  I took my note book and on each page put a letter of the alphabet.  Under each letter I listed things that mean something to me that start with that particular letter.  Example: Letter A; art, airplane, acrylics,  and so on.  I then realized that I needed to draw out each letter in a way that set that section apart.  I divided each paper into six, three inch blocks and then the fun began.  I have just finished the whole alphabet and made it available to others in a digital download format for their own craft projects.  As I move along and finish a page at I time I will share them with you.  Once again, one idea leads to another then to another.  I already want to try different styles or perhaps whole words.  The wheels are turning. :)

M to R

S to X

  

Y to Z 

The American Chicken and the French Chicken

The American Chicken

My husband Brian has always loved chicken paintings.  He really is not sure why but thinks they are great.  This is surprizing if you know Brian, who almost always wears blue jeans and black t-shirts with work boots.  His favorite color is gray and I never see him wear anything that is not black, brown or gray.  So when he told me he liked chicken paintings I was a bit shocked, all those bright colors just didn't seem to fit.  He did not grow up on a farm, was not around chickens as far as I know so who knows.  It just goes to show that there is a bit of flashy color that appeals to us all.

The French Chicken

Both originals are available on my Studio Quest Etsy Site.

Peacock Lady

Peacock Lady

Loved working with Pen and Ink and decided to use two of my favorite colors; blue and green.  Again, I find myself putting blue (and green) hair on my lady.  I started with a pencil sketch and went over the main design with ink.  Much of the background work was freehand.  While this can be tedious it is relaxing and fun to do.  The original is available on my Studio Quest Etsy Site.

Angel's Voices

Angels Voices

Found these wonderful song sheets in a cute little shop.  Thought they would be great for my mixed media projects.  I had intended to use bits and pieces but loved the title of this particular song and decided to draw directly on the music.  Again, I found myself drawn to blues and greens and the celebration of women.  I used watercolor, pen and ink, paper ephemera and colored pencils.  The sheet measures 9 1/2 x 12" and the original is available on my Studio Quest Etsy site.

Mini Mixed Media Jewelry

She was different

Decided to put some jewelry pieces in Woodlands Art League Gallery this month.  I have added some Scrimshaw (see previous post) and these little mini works of art.  I love using vintage ephemera in my mixed media work and words cut out of novels to convey a message. 

New Beginnings



Meditate and find your inner peace

On some of the pieces I included original drawings or tiny watercolor paintings.  All have paper ephemera, stamping and words that fit the image.  The canvas I used is hard plastic dominos with soldered backs and edges.  Chaining was hand picked to compliment the piece.  Some have hand dyed silk ribbon and others have complimentary beads.


Authurian Fantasy



All the pieces are at Woodland Art League Gallery this month but I plan to create some new pieces and put them on my Trace Fragments Etsy site soon.





Scrimshaw Carvings





Blue Whale

Have always loved the look of scrimshaw and the history behind it.  I can just envision sailors at sea carving bits and pieces to create beautiful scenes out of bone.  The look of ivory has always appealed to me and I decided to use old ivory colored dominos as my canvas. 



Sea Horse

Whale Scrimshaw

I sketched my design then began to carve over the lines.  I first started with a dremmel tool but had trouble with my lines being too big.  I ended up using the pointy end of small metal files and dug directly into the domino.  I then blacked in the lines with ink.  I covered the back and side with solder and blacked the metal for an old world feel. 



 Some of the chains are simple ball chains (also blackened) and some are hand dyed silk ribbon or chain material with accent beads.  In time I am sure I will get better at controling my files but overall the feel is right and I like the look. The five shown here are at the Woodlands Art Gallery this month but I plan on making more to put in my Trace Fragments Etsy site soon.

Atlantic Alure

Atlantic Alure

Time for the February Gallery Hanging at the Woodland Art League.  I choose Atlantic Alure my first very large mixed media work.  It is a bit of a mix between a travel poster and collage.  I used acrylic paint, pen and ink, stamps, paper ephemera and a wonderful large gallery wrap hardboard canvas my husband made for me. I love these as they are ridgid and will not give as you are applying your paper ephemera.  It measures 40x30 and will probably have to be put up on the top shelf at the gallery due to it's size.  It was  a lot of fun but honestly hard to fill up "all" that space.  Love the overall feel, makes you feel like you have stepped back in time.

Mermaid Dreams

Mermaid Dreams

Blues and Greens.....I seem to be drawn to these colors.  Perhaps it is my love for the sea and all things near the ocean.  I see these colors pop up time and again in my work and love them together.  My latest collage is made with vintage photo ephemera, acrylic paint, stamps, paper, ink and watercolors.  It is adhered to a stiff canvas board.  The quote reads:  she lived in the deep under the sea where the seahorses swim and the seaweed flows...... Makes me think of my times snorkling in the deep.