Changing Gears

Tools of the Trade

Misty of IMF asked about our favorite art supplies today.  Living in Israel, I am not nearly as exposed to the vast array of  art supplies that can be found in North America or Europe (Or maybe I just don't know where to find them).  I'm not really sure I have favorites.

I've only discovered gel medium lately and only in one brand and one consistency and  I wasn't too impressed with it when I tried it out.  When I was in Toronto last and went into the art store, I was so overwhelmed by the choices, I left, as I often do when I am overwhelmed, empty handed...

My collection of art supplies therefore consists of many things I have collected over the years (lets face it, I'm more of a arts supply junky than I am an artist).  I am really trying to resist investing in new supplies until my own stuff runs out.  I am proud to say that after about ten years of ownership my craft acrylic paints are almost emptied or dried out, which means I will soon be going out and getting new stuff... I don't know whether I'll stick with the cheap kind or moving on to something better.  Though they are cheap they've served me quite nicely over the years for various projects, maybe I shouldn't knock them. On the other hand, it would be lovely to have quality heavy body acrylic paints. 

I have a set of colored pencils that I inherited from Rappy and it serves me pretty well also.

I  recently also bought a set of 81 gel pens at Costco. I'm not sure about the quality and how long they will last, but so far they are holding up pretty well. 

When I was in 8th grade I was taking art classes.  We had this rotation every semester we took something else, one semester was ceramics the next was printing, then we had a fiber class and finally drawing.  It was the teacher's recommendation that out parents buy us a set of Caran Dache crayons, which at the time were expensive as hell (they still aren't cheap but as someone who is now earning a nice salary they are affordable).  My parents, couldn't justify or afford  such an expense and for the price of ten crayons I got a set of 40 coloured charcoals, as set which I still have and occasionally use today.  But the truth is that I crave these crayons  badly and I think I might just splurge on them sometime in the near future...I would also love to get a set of Twinkling H2O's. I don't know if they appeal to me because they are lovely paints or because they remind me of another passion...for eyeshaddows...lol.

My collection of papers is mostly recycled cardstock (from the backs of financial and other reports I get at work), scrapbooking papers I have purchased and pieces I have collected here and there.  I also have piles of magazines and cataloges I occasionally dip into. 

I also have more beads than I can ever use, but for some reason I cannot resist and keep finding myself in beadshops which I cannot leave empty handed...

I have a sewing machine I don't really know how to use... I have a pasta machine intended for polymer clay work that hasn't been used yet...neither has the polymer clay...  I have a projector that I've had several years now and I've only used once (and only recently), I have wire jewellery making tools I used only briefly... and the list goes on...

I think what I actually like about the mixed media art I am doing more of now is that I can actually combine a lot of the stuff I have and I can finally start using it up:)

The first order of business is to organize it in a way that will actually allow me access to most of it. At the moment a lot of my stuff is on my dining room table on the balcony where I am more comfortable working.  Whatever isn't, is stashed away in boxes or drawers, unseen.  I rented a two bedroom apartment so that I can use one as a studio, and so far, almost a year later, it isn't really used as one.

The game plan is to paint the room (aqua or green I think), better lighting, getting a new work surface, getting lots of those clear plastic storage units that one can see through.  I think that would make a good start, the rest will follow... hopefully I can actually accomplish at least these things over my break.

And now, I'm off to paint Rotem and Efrat's housewarming gift.

Rosh Hashana is over, as is the long weekend, and it's almost time to get back to work.

This weekend involved quite a bit of  travel which was quite tiring and I think I was quite exhausted as it was from the past few work weeks.  I didn't get on the bike once (not so good considering the Alyn Ride is just a little over a month away), but I did get some stuff done around the house and did some more art.

I decided it was time to tackle my laundry room/pantry.  This room houses my washing machine, my pantry and until yesterday, anything in my apartment that needed to get thrown out but I was too lazy to take downstairs.  I started off with finishing up all of the laundry that has been waiting to get done.  I vaccumed and wrapped Charles' mattress up in plastic, I threw away the gazillion plastic bottles to be returned for deposit (I made someone 20 shekels richer - that's about $5 for those of you who don't know the exchange), I unpacked a carton full of baking equipment and washed it up (now I have to go through the stuff and decide what stays and what goes), and finally once the floor was cleared of junk I moved on to the shutters, vaccuming the rails and and actually cleaning the shutters (anyone who knows me, knows that it is my belief that that would be a waste of time...). Finally  I moved Lulu's food and water bowls there and that is going to be where he has his meals from now on.  Now all I have left to do in that room is set up some sort of shelf unit to make laundry folding and sorting easier.  I really want to try to do some apartment therapy again, maybe this time I'll actually be successful.

The next room has to be my office/studio, which also looks like a storage room...actually I hate to admit it, but most of my apartment looks like temporary storage space, I really wish it was less of that and more of home.  Anyway, I've been working more and more on art stuff and at the moment I've been doing it on the table on the balcony, where I have piles of paint and papers and pens and the room designated for this isn't being used...  The plan is to complete the room during my forced break in October.

As for the art itself, I've been working on some of those backgrounds. To the right is what the canvas looks like with the washed layers and on the left is after I stamped it to add more layers.

This is for a piece I'm making for my brother and his gal for their new apartment, if they ever find one.  I plan on painting one of the birds on it and then we'll see what else.

I love the way this one turned out.  I'm not even sure I want to paint or collage over it, I think it looks perfect just the way it is.

I did few similar ones only without the blue frame and stamp as well. They are both done on MDF boards. The left one is the size of A4 paper and us covered with Impasto (a type of moulding paste from Paint Magic).  The second one is smaller and it is actually a smaple from a paint store with another type of plaster. I gessoed both and applied the wash technique. These are definitely waiting for some art though...

Finally I started working on a cigar box.  I used Impasto ot create texture on the box, it may have been a bit too much and Impasto is impossible to sand down, but once I started painting and collaging it looked ok.  Remember, it's still a work in progress, but here's what I've done so far:

The inspiration for this came from very talented artist Lisa Kaus whose work I stumbled across during my endless hours of browsing for art on the net.

Crafty!

I've been on a creative roll lately.  I've gotten just positive responses to the paintings I've done lately that it just makes me want to do more.  I've also been visiting so many wonderful artist's blogs (one of these days I'll put up a list of links to them...) and it just makes me want to run and do more.

I've finished a few more bird collages, which I haven't had a chance to upload yet.  Whenever I sit at the computer at home to try to do some updating, Ludwig has to jump onto my desk and situates himself right on top of my keyboard.  I get frustrated trying to move him and it seems the only way to make him move is to just step away from the computer... If it weren't so hot in my apartment, I'd just shut him out for a half an hour, but that will be a very uncomfortable half hour for me.

I've started experimenting with other types of backgrounds for the collages.  I love the layering method Misty Mawn taught on Cloth, Paper, Scissors but I'd also like trying other methods, till I find what's best for me.  Last night I was reading Karyn Gartel's blog, The Altered Diva  and she gave a tutorial on how she makes her canvas backgrounds and I just had to try it out.  So I tried it out on one of my large canvases, and I had a few pieces of MDF one that had been gessoed the other actually had some sort of molding paste, remnants from an old course I took at Paint Magic a few years ago.  Then I had some diluted paints left over so I decided to paint some papers that I would be able to use for my collages... Before I knew it, it was 2am, which meant I would probably not be able to wake up at 6am to go to the gym (which I obviously didn't).  It's been a long time since I've felt this urge to sit down on a daily basis and make things, usually I get excited about doing a project but can't seem to carry it over to do the next one.  I'm really trying to use materials I have at home and not rush out to get new stuff, though I would love to go to the art store down the street and get me lots of small canvases (I'm begining to appreciate doing smaller pieces.)

 

Next month, my mom and I are starting a fibre collage online class at Joggles.com. I'm really excited about it.  I'm the type of artist that likes to get dirty while working, paints, glues, clays, but I'm loving the fabric art images I see online and would love to try them out as well.

More Birds

In my attempt to try to work on my art on a daily basis,  I made a few backgrounds on canvas a while ago.  I actually made them before I did the last set and I wasn't too happy about the way they turned out, but Rappy said they were cool and I figured if I already made them, I might as well paint something on them and as I wasn't too inspired to come up with anything too original and the birds worked for me last time, I figured I'd go with the same theme. So here are the results:

I'm still in the process of completeing two more  of these but I'll post them when they are done.

Last night I started another projec, it's progressing slowly but this is what it looks like so far

 

I plan on putting an image on each of the walls of the box, hopefully they it will all come together nicely.  I'm not quite sure what I want to do with it when it's done, leave it as it is, just a box (it's acutally a drawer) or maybe if I go with the window theme, make it into a house and add a roof.  I'll wait and see what will become of it.

I'm sitting in my sweats, pretending like I'm going out for a run at the gym. I might actually go...

Tomorrow morning Ludwig goes to the vet for surgery on his male parts.  Hopefully when he returns home he will have the same special energies but will bite and pee a little less...

Recycling

Rappy told me her friend was very pleased with my paintings.  I'm glad.  I know I totally underestimate my work, but I actually thought these were really good. I wonder if I can sell them.

Tonight I'm going to my friend Ran's wedding.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Many of my friends are going to be there and it should be a great party.  As usual, I'm going to be handing them a cheque, but I really wanted to make a card on my own this time.  Of course I procrastinated and procrastinated and didn't make anything.  This morning at work, I figured I might as well take on of my previous works and recycle it.  I had some really nice card stock at the office.  I took the central panel of the trio, cropped the photo so only the birds appeared and printed it out on the card stock. With the texture of the paper and the texture of the painting itself, it turned out really nice.  When I get home I think I will add a  few embelishments and a quote  with the gel pens.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I think I will do the same for our office Rosh Hashana greetings.  The company usually buys cards but this year, the year I need them, for some reason none were purchased, which means we have to creat our own.  I don't mind bringing my creativity to work... I wonder if I could charge extra for it.

I have to start thinking of my next project.  Since I'm giving Rappy the large painting, I feel like making a similar one for myself.  The colours really light up the house.

In other news my mom and I are going to take an online Fiber Collage course at joggles in October.  I'm looking forward to it, just to do something a little different, buy fabrics and threads and use up some of my beads.