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.