acrylic paint, oil pastels, colored pencils, matte gel medium on muslin'regina' was the name of a journal with a funky red fabric closure in my etsy shop; she was there for a couple of weeks before i decided to take her out and use her for my next journal. i felt that she might be a journal that only a mother could love! so saturday night i was painting away on the face above, not sure what i was going to do with it, but it fit and felt right in only one place - 'regina'. the next day i sewed it in there, even though i'm not finished in my other journal, feeling a little puzzled as to why this face had to go there. and all at once i knew! this is regina, showing up to grace her journal!! oh! i was smiling!
earlier i'd stamped her name on the back... this may well have been all she needed to show up...
watercolors, oil pastels, matte gel medium on muslinsabine, in the 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" journal that i'm almost done with. first i used watercolors ala henry miller, then i took some oil pastels and scribbled here and there - on her skin, the purple flower, pink lips, and dark streaks in her hair. heavy application of oil pastels! which i used to worry about smudging on the opposite page, but now i take a small brush and cover the oil pastel places with a light coating of matte gel medium. then they stay put. i think there are a lot of possibilities with this watercolor and oil pastel combination...
oil pastels and colored pencil on muslin
acrylic paint, bits of paper, oil pastels, colored pencils, matte gel medium on muslin
the last page... a daffodil (sort of) pressed between two layers of wax paper, which i sewed around and then taped to the page with masking tape.
the inside of the front cover of this journal - lately i've been saving the front cover for last. i feel like i can put something there that reflects the 'flavor' of the journal... but what excites me about this page is that i used inktense pencils, which this kind person took the time to write to me about. i've had a set of 12 for a couple of years, but i'd never used them on muslin. they're watercolor pencils that dry permanent!! oh my, how could i have overlooked this aspect of them for so long? i am so happy to be able to use watercolors in these layered pieces... the bird is a little dimmed down because i've already put some gesso on him (and i've drawn the outline of the face in). yeah, i'm studying the dick blick catalog to decide what colors to get next... do you have any suggestions?
in my moleskine pocket sketchbook using colored pencils...
a piece from the hundertwasser calendar, and i used my new .005 micron pen. what a nice, clean line it makes on this paper!
the page i'm working on now... i cut this image out of a book, and then i took a red oil pastel and rubbed it on the hat and chest. i talked about this effect a while back in a video, and here it is again... the oil pastel takes most of the ink off of the the page and creates a sort of highlighted look. i know it works on nat'l geographic pages too - i'm not sure about other magazines...
the tall, dead tree that i mentioned in the last post. near the top is the most beautiful moss and lichen...
surely it eventually reaches the soil, but still...
i climbed on the rocks behind this tree to investigate how it could make it to the soil, and there was this. but i couldn't see how the tree reached the soil...
* * *
"To begin is the thing, begin anywhere, anyhow. So it goes. What results is not of my bidding. It's either the work of the devil or my guardian angel. I can take no credit for the performance. One might think in this frame of mind I would pay no heed to the dinner bell but keep on while the going is good. Not the case, I am sorry to say. When the dinner bell rings, I drop everything, trusting to the Lord that when I invoke the spirit again the hand will be ready to do its bidding. I do the same thing when writing. I can stop in the middle of a sentence and know that I shall be able to finish it when I sit down at the desk again. And supposing I can't? Why then I eliminate the unfinished sentence and begin another one. What's inside will out, whether one starts at the beginning, the middle, or the end. All one really should be concerned about is how to reestablish the current, not how to complete the sentence or the painting."
~Henry Miller, Paint As You Like And Die Happy
XO
a great blog! I don't know what I like best... the texture, the colors, the tips... wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteI was concerned also about stains with oil pastels and was planning to get a spray, just to see if it would stop from smudging. I might play with them again soon.
what gorgeous, gorgeous work! i am so glad to have happened upon you. :) your journal pages are simply amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful works Lynne. I love Sabine. I used to wear my hair that apple green many moons ago. The daffodil is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI watched a documentary on Matisse the other night and found myself thinking of you. Have you seen the chapel he made in gratitude to the nun that cared for him? The tree of life stain glass is amazing.
Have a wonderful week xJ
Wasn't it another American writer who said, 'don't stop working until you know what will happen next'? I don't know if I believe that... maybe in writing it works. What a great post, as always... pulling us inside a book of work and then dragging us outside into the sunlight for a look at more inspiration!:) -J
ReplyDeleteNow I'm remembering Picasso saying something about 'Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone'.
oi, what a long comment!
I am commenting, yes? xo
still giggling over Jaynes comment! well you are so welcome dear Lynne! i love that quote and was chewing on it and the concertina just popped out! yours will too! love tiny books, a small bite size piece of wisdom!
ReplyDeletelove this post with all your wonderful paintings ... your bunny girl is great and your daffodil is just dreamy..
guess I will have to try inktense!! my fav is the 5th image, she looks so contemplative and the rectangles look like patches, we all need those from time to time!
thanks for getting me out side, MORE snow on the way!!! love your trees! xxx's cat
Ah. That tree. These images and words. Something wonderful is going on. Overflow ing.
ReplyDeleteExo"s multiplied by breath and streaming light !!!
hello Lynne,
ReplyDeleteyour post overflows with creative expression and fun and also great information. Thank you! I love the bird and also lady bunny caught my eye. Still all are wonderful.
Your envelope arrived yesterday. I love that you are playing with a green method to creating canvas. I will give one to my friend and will let you know when I use mine. I might save them for a tiny bit, until inspiration rises. Many heartfelt thanks to you~
As always, I loved everything in your post, the beautiful drawings, your journals, the trees, the rock, the soil but I especially loved the quote, this part just made me take a breath.......
ReplyDelete"and know that I shall be able to finish it when I sit down at the desk again. And supposing I can't? Why then I eliminate the unfinished sentence and begin another one. What's inside will out, whether one starts at the beginning, the middle, or the end. All one really should be concerned about is how to reestablish the current, not how to complete the sentence or the painting."
Wow.....it was like hearing the words of a beloved Master whom I had missed. :)Bea
hi ayayla art... thank you so much. yes, give the oil pastels another whirl! and put a little gel medium on them to keep then in their places. : )
ReplyDeletethank you, altered bits! i appreciate your kind words a lot!
hey jasmine, yes, i've seen pictures of the chapel. it's interesting because some of his artist friends gave him a hard time about it - said he wasn't religious so why do it. he ignored them... and thank you... : )
hee, jayne! sometimes i do feel like i have to go until i know what's next.. but at other times i'm pure henry. stop anywhere and then ask for the current to be reestablished... you are commenting, yes. ; )
cat, bunny girl is a lot better in person - one of my favorite things ever to show up on the page. she was just *there* and i sketched her in... yes, give the inktense a try! watercolors that can be layered!!! xo
yes, m., that tree... exalted exo blessings!!
hi tammie, thank you and you're welcome! having just been to your blog, i now know that you can draw like crazy, so who knows what wondrousness you'll create on the muslin! peace to you...
bea, as i've already written to you, i felt the same way when i initially read them. it's such a gift to have someone put your truest thoughts/feelings into words and present them to you when you least expect it. xo
Ahhhh....sitting here with a cup of peppermint tea enjoying reading your wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful muslin pages and yes, I LOVE inktense pencils too...arent they amazing. I sometimes even dip the end in water and doodle in my journal (Traci Bautista did this in a workshop I took with her a few years back...such strong colour).
I am still chasing up some of the lovely portfolio oil pastels that you use. I was given a voucher for an art shop for my birthday so they are at the top of the list.
YOur muslin pages are wonderful, thanks for the tip re: the gel medium over the oil pastel too!
Love Regina, she looks like a real '60's girl to me.
So enjoyed my visit.
Jacky xox
The final quote from your friend Henry says it all ! Your process is so full of current, wherever you start and where you stop. So appreciate witnessing it.
ReplyDeleteI received the most glorious LOVE Mail on Sunday when I got home from my Mother's Day weekend trip !!!!! I was so touched by the love, the art, the lynne-ness of the gift. Touched is the perfect word because I truly felt connected to you, my spirit friend so far away - as though we entered the same space at the same time for a moment. Thank you for that.
Your own package is in the making...
(did a post about the opening today ! ;))
Big Loving to you, Magnificent One.
I just found your blog from Cat's (La Dolce Vita). I really enjoy your art and wonderful photography. I'm hooked. I'll definitely be back.
ReplyDeleteI always think that if all your "friends" showed up at a party... that would definitely be the place to be!
ReplyDeleteJust looked. Saw regina again closer,slower. Love the way words are visible from her lips bridging into her heart. Very royal. Beautiful
ReplyDeletexo's from above your "crown" down to your toes.
Dear Lynne, there is so much to see here,
ReplyDeleteand to look at again and again.
Your new regina book is really great,
oh how i love the daffodil
pressed between the wax paper,
and the bird (so strong)
on the inside of the front cover,
and your joyous women.
Have a wonderful time with your friends dear one... roxanne
this is such a degustation,
ReplyDeletethe bunny grrl, henry miller's quote - so sensitive,
and a sneak peek into your moleskin.