Basque/corset themed challenge atc's

Well I am back after a considerable lay-off. MIL is still in hospital and we are still no closer to knowing wether she will be able to go back to her own home. At 98, wiwth severe arthritis and other issues, the hospital is still not ready to let her back as they are not confident that she will be OK on her own. BUT MIL is adamant that she wants none of care home, the alternative. She is very active mentally and is in complete denial about her capabilities now. She is in a very good "intermediate care home" on the hospital campus, and they say they are not in any hurry to throw her out. But this is not sorting out the problems/ issues that we face as we cannot plan or do anything at the moment and my wife is visiting her mother every day. Leaving no time for anything.

Anyway, enough of my woes. here are a couple of atc's which I created for the MAMMA challenge on Flickr, this weeks theme was basque/corset. (I do wish you would let this subject lay down and die Margaret!). I have taken a male-orientated view on this subject and made what I hope are a couple of humerous cards. No lace or other frivolities from me!

titled: Don't try to figure it out, enjoy!


titled: The finer points of corsetry

While I am her I thought that I would just post a couple of paintings to bring you up to date with my recent output - sparse tho' it has been. the first is a water-colour painting. I decided to do more painting after the acrylic paintings over collage (see below on this post), water colour is my medium of choice so out they came. However I was very nervous about using up a large sheet of paper (I have to consider the expense!) and so decided that for this week, I would simply use a single colour ( sepia) and do a monochrome just to get back into the process of using the brushes. I have done a few aceo/atc sized paintings recently but nothing larger for several months. the result of this practice session can be seen below:

Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Can't wait for next weeks art group session. And that reminds me, I must update our group web-site

The last piece of work is another acylic over collage. very similar in construction to the others and this was based on a photograph of the mill painted by Constable in his work, The Haywain. So I called it, Willie's Cottage. It is not a literal copy, as I saw recently somewhere, I paint an idea NOT an ideal. Must remember that quote when I am next asked about my paintings.

So now we are all up-todate, and I can get on with a little gardening. But what the hell has happened to spring - it is freezing out there. Typical of our unreliable weather, just as I have a few hours to spare the conditions are horrble. Maybe I will fetch a paper and read it by the fire - at least I will be warm and comfortable. Thanks for visiting, I will hopefully be back regularly now - at least until MIL is sorted.

Mailart a la Warhol

Hope Andy doesn't mind me copying his idea - but I guess so many people have already done so, one more can't matter.

I did this for a postage stamp themed challenge, on make it mondays. I am as usual a little late but that is why I like this challenge...... I can do it when I have time, it is never TOO late. I can dip in and create an entry when I need to.

This is a digital collage made using a set of self-made stamps, created using a digital template from Lisa Vollrath.

I used four B&W images of some hirsute gentlemen, and used my photoplus v8 (FREE!!) to give them a colour cast. Adding the legend POSTE ARTIFAXIA and a fictitious cost, I don't know what pts stands for so don't ask - although I seem to remember in the distant past seeing this abbreviation in a certain mediterranean holiday destination. The text additions don't seem to have come out too clearly and I will have to remember this for the next time. Must not be too hurried when creating. I previously did a similar set using geisha images although these were coloured images and didn't require manipulation of the colour. You can see these on my Flickr photostream in the digital creations set. or on this blog.

Acrylic painting over a collaged start.

I am excited.......... I read about a ( to me anyway)new technique in this month's issue of Leisure Painter, which I still read every now and then. It was an article by Lynda White, suggesting using collage (rather than drawing) to loosen up your style. Well since I have what can only be described as a loose style, and I have been collaging for the past 2 years ( is it really that long?) I decided to give it a go. At least it wold get me away from the 2.5x3.5 inch format, which I seem to have been stuck in for so long.

I had a selection of cheap canvasses, which I have bought and never used (???) so I dug out some 24 x 16 inch jobbies and got down and dirty, literally. I was using an acylic based glaze to adhere the images to the canvas and had trouble getting it off my fingers. Don't ask why it was on my fingers! The first painting was really an experiment, but the more I looked at it across the room (especially as the light changed and the texture was shown up) the more I loved it.

You can find a larger version on my Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadfan66/3306891617/ it really does deserve to be viewed full screen. I love the colours and the light effects in this painting, although the clouds leave a lot to be desired. But the tension created by the multiple focus points moves your eyes across the image from the yellow building on the right to the negative space above the other group of buildings and the red "boat-shape" with the yellowish explosion of colour. I could write a book on the way I feel about this composition. It breaks a number of rules but I think that it works out very well on the whole. It is almost like several different paintings but it hangs together because of the overall blue colour. I painted the whole canvas blue after the collage to get rid of the horrid white of the canvas and I believe it has worked to my advantage.

The second painting,

is also one which I have come to be very fond of. I took a few photos whilst I was painting it and have turned these into a video tutorial which I have posted onto You tube. You can see it here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqLTSBsuz_s

I have also added a lens to my Squiddo portfolio (LOL) which adds a little more detail than is possible in the video, view it here http://www.squidoo.com/painting_over_collage