Green hat

Agnes has a friend. Not even one name popped in my mind while I was painting her, so I guess it was a one time deal. It's Friday!!!! Can you feel how happy I am about it? Love Fridays! Have a great weekend! xo

Agnes

She wore her heart on her sleeve.

My faces never have names. Except for this one. Agnes. Where did that name come from, I have no idea. I wasn't reading a book about Agnes, I don't have a friend with that name... I find it interesting that it just popped up in my mind. And today I clicked on a blog link and was interested in something in etsy... would you believe - it was a dress named "Agnes"! I wonder if my future paintings will have names or was this a one time deal.

Anyway.... she is painted on canvas board covered with distressed plaster and on top of it plaster cloth and some more textured elements. I used for the first time Genesis oil paints. I think that I like them, but am not sure. The reason I wanted to try them is to get a smooth face... and then I painted on a very textured background, so now I don't know if they'll do what I would like them to. We'll see.

Don't ask...

Don't ask what this is.... or who they are.... or where did they come from. I don't know. All I know is that they needed to be painted.

Do you know about Mystele's "pulled art" or her upcoming class? I can't wait for it to start so that we can play together. This is what I saw in my 'pulled art' piece. And I tried "seeing" different things, not painting the weird creatures... but it didn't work. And while painting them I really started to feel the connection and love and now I think it's one of my favorite pieces. Weird, but very much in tune with what I have been trying to do since Katie Kendrick's workshop. I will write an excerpt from a book she recommended (Life, Paint and Passion - reclaiming the magic of spontaneous expression):

"Good rules to follow: If it has a reason, be skeptical. If it makes sense, furthers the story, balances the color, or ties the painting together, there is a good chance that it is the voice of control. If it comes uninvited - if it does not fit or make sense - dare it! If you are not sure where it is coming from - your head or your heart - do it anyway. You will learn in the doing."

Wonderful, isn't it?

Playing in my journal

Sometimes I don't want to think, I just want to push some paint. Without an idea, concept or inspiration... just a brush or two, some paint and my journal. This is one of those pages. Except - I didn't start on a blank page. See those reddish marks on the right side? I found something that even the sturdy moleskine pages can't resist. I squiggled Dr. Ph. Martin's Persimmon watercolor paint directly from the bottle on the opposite side. Obviously - it went through! Who would have guessed! I think it just added to the funny character that appeared on the opposite page. Fun! Love happy mistakes.

Angel Protector

A painting.

This is what was born from my brush yesterday afternoon.

It's relatively big - 11.5"x15" on that same 300g watercolor paper that I used the day before. I just love how it soaks up layers and layers of paint and mediums and allows me to play. I guess that's why I painted for many hours; I just couldn't stop layering. Of course, it always shows better in the close ups.

I didn't take pictures of different stages for a while, so I thought this might be a good idea. Not the best photos.... I didn't want to take time to make the lighting right, so you can see probably my shadow and other things.

My new favorite thing to do is to search through and listen at playlists on youtube. Yesterday I was in mood for Chopin. It was very hot, but I was feeling very comfy in my room with piano music, this lady and her cat keeping me company.

Poor thing. I wonder why is she sad.

Hugs.

Decisions. Choices. Growing up.

Look at this cute little bird. What is going through her mind? Is she happy that she is out of the cage or is she longing to go back? Is a cage always a cage? Those were some of the questions that I was thinking about while painting this yesterday.

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
Flora Whittemore

This is the first watercolor paper that I used from Elinor's collection. It is pretty amazing. I loved the texture and that it is so very heavy (probably 140 lb or could it be more?) and the way the colors look on it. As usual, here are some details:

Hana started high school. That's a big deal, right? My little girl not so little anymore. Wasn't it yesterday that I walked her to kindergarten? (She told me that she doesn't like this picture at all... Why? Her bone structure is wrong or ugly or something like that. Could you believe that answer? lol)

Happy September!