Tuesday, July 14, 2009

the perfection of


every second


ooohhh, i've been having so much fun playing with muslin... and being in the sun...


these pages are from my journal, all painted on muslin... i love *pencil* on muslin!




this page has a coat of watered down gesso on it because i didn't like the colors i originally painted the bird. sob, sob! the background was so cool before i covered it up! i like the bird now, though... he's mostly quinacridone burnt orange and ultramarine blue (watercolor).




the page on the left has been gel medium-ed down and is ready for the next step. you get a lot of nice texture when you use the muslin to wipe extra paint off of pages (or your paint dish). it gets crinkly... i added the fleur de lis and letter stencils last. now i'll paint these pages with ivory acrylic (at least), and rub it off in places. what shows through informs what comes next...


on the way to the grocery store last week i read an article about how to make little books from canvas by folding and cutting. it's in the sept./oct. 2008 'cloth paper scissors' if you're interested... i immediately thought *muslin*, and came home and painted both sides of a 9" x 12" piece to make this.


the front cover so far... i think these have potential as small travel journals -- you could bind them together after you have a stack of them!


they're very simple to make...

just about every day i've done a painting in my little travel journal. i've loved working on these small pages, so maybe i won't make my next one bigger after all.

all of these were painted with watercolors, outside...














it's been good walking weather, so i've been out visiting trees... this beautiful being has been hollowed out by fire and is big enough for two people to sit inside.


every time i visit i prop up the pine cones, tin cans, and broken glass... i call it the green shrine...

and


i hang flags... this time i pinned this muslin onto a copper flag from a couple of months ago -- i keep checking for patina, but nope!

since i've been reading books by different artists lately, i'm going to end my posts for a while with words from them that have impressed me... charles reid continually impresses me...

"The biggest problem with finishing a painting is the wish to make it just a bit better, to add just a bit more. Here, I left a lot of white paper because I didn't know what to put in. If you don't know what to add, don't add anything. Leave some mystery."

(okay, i'm reminding myself of that next time, hee! )

XO

29 comments:

  1. really nice work. congrats!

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  2. beautiful thoughtful peaceful pages

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  3. ahhhh..

    What to say first??
    I love fabric and paint together..they remind me of child's first books, and the fabric softens the paint so well.

    Seconf the little elf with the ears makes me
    smile.

    Third, there is magic in trees like that...they are natural gateways and deserve the gifts you bring to them.

    You are a woodland steward...

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  4. I love your animal paintings Lynne, they have such soul in them. The bird is my particular favourite. Your little journals are inspiring: a simple single thought on a page: pulls in your final quote, which is wonderful advice and will be my thought for today. Thr shrines remind me that it's important to get out and make simple gestures of thanks for the beautiful world that we live in. Thanks xxx

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  5. amazing! I love the little bird you repainted is my fav!

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  6. Hey Lynne,
    I just love the pics of all your work. I've never painted on muslin .... I think the effect you're getting is spectacular.
    I think of those prayer flags of yours all the time..... they're awesome.

    manon
    xo

    btw..... I received my Twinkling H2O's .....yay

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  7. What a full life you have Lynne...that tree is just beautiful. I'm glad you told us two people could fit in the opening as it gives us some idea of the actual size of it!!! Your shrine and tree flags are lovely gifts to the trees.
    Your muslin pages are just beautiful and I love them all, they have your special touch. My favourite is the page with the beetle and the ladder (dont know why...just appeals). Love the one with the chair too. Is that one of your stencils?
    Enjoyed your quote by Charles Reid and look forward to reading more.

    Jacky xox

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  8. wow to the shrine. The tree, too; can you imagine the trees our origional 'settler" found coming to this new world. Ooohh.

    that bird is wonderful, too. so much expression!

    sweet day; and a dirt bath or two. : )

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  9. what a beautiful post! as always....;)and i love the painting of the lotus flower floating in one of your pages - gorgeous! i can tell you are having fun... can't wait til august when i can focus on making my own work again - almost done with the commissioned piece! yay! peace, j

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  10. your little book is just yummy, lynne! it is so free and open and good. a friend and i are preparing for a circle journal exchange and we are making little pamphlet journals from canvas. i've not made this sort before. the form is like yours but canvas. so it made me happy to see yours this morning after working on mine last night. happy painting!

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  11. I'm loving your muslin magic Lynne! your images pure, gentle, beautiful and so full of love.
    Yes, isn't transforming the one page, suddenly into a 4 page book the best?! doing it with fabric is *genius*, i love it, and want to go run and make one now :)

    your tree... it makes me take a deep breath and imagine slipping inside - I know deep beyond the shadow of the entrance there is a stair case that leads downdowndownward, into a small room with a firm dirt floor, and in the room there is a chair and a table, with a few items on it, including a lit candle... a cup of ... a very very old book...
    love, karin
    p.s.-my word verification is notogre
    so one thing in the tree room is not
    ogre |ˈōgər|
    noun
    (in folklore) a man-eating giant.
    • a cruel or terrifying person.
    whew, that's a relief!
    xo

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  12. Thanks for the breath of fresh air, Lynne.

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  13. Lynne, I would just love to come a spend a day with you...
    Muslin...and just look what you do with it...love it all.

    Books, Shrines, Tree Flags, all with that Lynne Hoppe magic touch :)

    I will be back :)

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  14. thank you, insane maverick -- and thanks for stopping by!

    thank you kate... there's something about muslin that calms things right down...

    grrl, yes, they remind me of children's books too, and i loved those books. that elf just popped up there - i was really smiling to see him! and i couldn't agree more that these trees deserve my (or anyone's) gifts... xo

    thank you, lumi... i've got charles reid's words on my mind too... he has the best advice! thank you about the pages... these have come with a flowing magic that i've appreciated. when we get into the part of the creative flow where the current is strong and deep, it's a joy... xo

    thank you for telling me that, brian -- since i suffered minor trauma in the covering up of the background! ; )

    hey manon, let me know what you think about the twinkling H2Os! and thank you... xo

    hi jacky, no, the chair isn't a stencil - i drew it with my left hand so it'd be free-er. i really like that beetle page too... i love that little ladder at the top, hee! i love these ideas that come...

    m., i think about that A LOT -- what the original forest must have looked like. there's a virgin forest in virginia (kind of near blacksburg), and we went there when i was in forestry school. the most impressive thing to me was the rhodendron living in the understory. they're HUGE. a forest in themselves...

    sweet day and exoblessings to you... : )

    thank you, jennifer! yeah, i am having fun... and yea that you're almost done with the commission so you can get back to playing... xo

    hey kelly, i think *all* of these little books are free and open and good - that's a perfect way to describe them! i'm working my way slowly through this one so it stays free and good. ; )

    smiling that this came along as you're getting ready for the exchange...

    karin, go make one *now*, hee!! it's so satisfying.

    i'll bring another chair and meet you under the tree... we can sip from our cups and dream and smile... and we will *not* be visited by ogres, of that i have no doubt... : ) xo

    robyn, thank you for the sweet words... xo

    jo, come back and we'll sit inside that tree... then we'll wander around and hang some tree flags; maybe make another shrine... and smile and BE... xo

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  15. This is beautiful! I love the muslin with the paint and gesso, gel medium . . . all that. What is the writing on the left side of the second picture? I've seen this before in your work.

    That tree is amazing, and I love that you've been maintaining a little shrine there.

    You're so inspiring!

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  16. okay, instead of oooooing and awwwwwwwing about everything here! I tried to pick one thing that really spoke to me and that would be the shrine you make at the burned out tree - so wonderful Lynne - and of course EVERYTHING else oooooo! oooohhhhh! the muslin is just the best :)))))) big smile.....

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  17. Each and every piece of art you create is truly a wonder. Thanks for bringing such amazing things into this world!!

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  18. that forest sounds magical, too. I should try to visit it on the way up to New England some time...

    exoblessings to you.
    i am keeping this word, keep it alive! :)

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  19. thank you, leslie! yeah, the muslin and paint (and other stuff)... obviously i'm feeling the love. : )

    that writing is called asemic writing -- writing without semantic meaning. it can look like anything -- sorta like ultra doodling!! and it's very gratifying! xo

    smiling here, jeane... : ) very happy you like the shrine... something was happening near the tree about 20 years ago because there are rusty cans around it. i always wonder who left them...

    that is a beautiful compliment, seth... thank you...

    m., i am keeping exobless for sure!! as for the forest, it's not too far from a place called mountain lake. you have to hike back into it -- a day would cover it all...

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  20. this is a first ... I simply can not pick a favorite as EVERY single page SINGS songs of goodness right to my core ... I'm inspired to create. :)

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  21. Sometimes I go through your posts and find I am holding my breath till the end... and then I notice it because I let out a large sigh. I love it all Lynne, the muslin, the watercolors and the windows. Ahhhh... the shrine to the tree is something I would love to see, can you walk there from your house? Your art is like the heart of the summer. Roxanne

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  22. you are so inspiring Lynne - loving all of it and you...

    xox - eb.

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  23. Hey sweetie! I love how the paintings on muslin have such a soft glow - so much warmth, deep spirit and passion. As always - magical.

    Very cool - I got here via your StyleSubstanceSoul link. I just signed up for jewelry and blog links. Casting them seeds.

    You are so loved.
    blessings sweet one - kvk

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  24. fabulous work! thanks for sharing! I love working with fabric too!

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  25. thank you, michelle... i'm smiling... : )

    and ditto to you, roxanne... i feel your art is also like the heart of summer... xo

    eb, i am sending you big 'ol smooches and thanks...

    thank you, caterina! i've just been to your blog and yes you *do* work with fabric!! beautifully!

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  26. My favorite shots are No 1,8,12,13,15,17!
    They are sooooo delightful!I love the sentence that you wrote in the journal page!You are great!
    Dear Lynne,my book is ready,if you would like take a look.Hope you enjoy! :)
    Best Wishes
    Parisa

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  27. I had forgotten about the little fabric books. I remember the article in the magazine AFTER I looked at yours and how wonderful they were.
    Now, you have inspired me to go play. Thank you. :)Bea\//dog-in-the-hole-studio.blogspot.com//

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  28. wow, so excited I found your blog. these journal pages are incredible, really fascinating and serene and lovely. and the green shrine is art. Love it all. you are amazing.

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  29. thank you, parisa! your book is as lovely as i knew it would be. perfectly magical, as all your drawings are... xo

    bea, that makes me smile... thank you for stopping by... : )

    thank you, bethany -- those are such kind words. thank you for taking the time to write them...

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