Latest, Greatest - My Mixed Media Piece

I had such fun working on my latest, greatest mixed media piece. It was a photo of my sister's mounted on a canvas panel and then embellished. I added gel medium, small black seed beads, and acrylic paint. I am quite pleased. Below you will see a couple of stages and then the finished product. Enjoy!

Mixed Media Finished

I thoroughly enjoyed working on the poinsettia mixed media piece. It did not turn out exactly as intended, but it is still pleasing. I am satisfied with it. Below you will find three photos. One where I added additional gel medium to the center of the piece. The other two photos are of the finished product with small rhinestones added. One is an enlargement to give you a better view the center of the piece.

Out And About But Still Thinking Art

Took some time off yesterday from painting and working on my mixed media piece. While out shopping I still look at art. Yesterday I took photos of several pieces of art that I saw and plan to use these for some ideas and inspiration later. So, though taking a break, brain always thinking about what I could paint next.

Enjoying the Process

The mixed media work of the poinsettia is different than my other mixed media pieces. The difference is that I am using a print of one of my paintings, not a photo, to paint over and embellish. It is interesting and fun. I have a little more to do before I can say it is finished. Below is a photo of my progress.

Juggling Canvases

Sometimes I feel like a juggler. I juggle my private life, relationships, etc. with my art. Sometimes I even feel like a juggler when it comes to doing my art. I have been busy redoing some older paintings, making them more pleasing to me. I also have started a new mixed media work using a print of one of my poinsettia paintings. Yesterday I applied a thick layer of acrylic medium gel to several places on the artwork. I then had to wait for it to dry. So, while waiting for it to dry I worked on tweaking some other paintings. Yes, I am a juggler. Below you will see the progress on the mixed media project. The acrylic gel was wet when the photo was taken so the it looks white in those areas. The gel dries clear. I'm looking forward to painting and embellishing it today.

Trying Multiple Websites To Sell Your Art

I have decided to keep plugging away and trying to sell my art, but not to concentrate on only one website. I have a low cost shop and have most of my art on etsy.com. But after the four month time period is up and the listing has expired, before relisting on etsy I am going to try to sell on eBay. You can list up to 50 items a month for free on eBay, only paying fees when your item sells. So, nothing to lose by trying it for a week with each item as it expires. If it doesn't sell on auction, then it can go back into my shop on etsy.com. The more exposure to potential buyers, the more possibility of a sale.

Loosening Up Your Brushstrokes

Over the years I have learned quite a lot. One of the difficult things to learn is how to not paint with tight brushstrokes and to loosen up. I recently reworked an old painting and loosened it up a bit. Made it more impressionistic looking. I am pleased with the result. Below you will find both an old version and the reworked painting. It still has the same overall look. Just ended up with a looser style of painting. Also notice the reworked painting also has more texture and depth of color. The old version is listed first. The reworked painting is listed second.

More Mixed Media

For the last several days I have been working on several mixed media pieces. I adhered photos to canvas panels. Then I added texture and built up areas of the photo with acrylic gel medium. Then I painted certain areas. The finished product and close ups are shown below.

 

Photo Art Cards

This week there is a special at Walgreens. Their 5x7 photo card is half price. So I can upload photos of some of my art and make greeting cards of them for only 99 cents each. Good deal. I tried one yesterday and was pleased with the results. I wish that the art would have bled off the sides, but am still happy with the result. I went home and uploaded 5 more! See the printed card below.

Companion Piece

I recently decided to do a "companion piece" for the autumn tree painting with a grid like pattern. Instead of variations of orange on a peach colored background, I made painted this tree on a blue background. The blue of the background made the autumn colors in the tree have a much different effect. View the painting below.

Being Flexible

Sometimes we have plans to do a particular piece of art at a certain time and in a certain manner. It is important to not be rigid and to be flexible with your work and timetable and even subject matter and materials. I was prepared to work on some mixed media projects and discovered I did not have all the necessary materials. The art supply store did not have what I needed. There was something that I could substitute for the missing supplies, but at three times the cost. Instead of making this substitution, I decided to continue the painting project I just completed of the grid like tree by experimenting with another painting but using a completely different color palette for the tree. I am excited to see how this project will turn out. My work seems always to be evolving, always changing.

Painting Is Good Medicine

I am not sick yet, but feeling a little under the weather with allergies and scratchy throat. I don't feel like being very creative. BUT, I will paint some, touch-up a few paintings. MAYBE even start a new project. I believe that painting is not only good for the soul but for your health as well. I got out and walked today even though the weather is overcast. I push myself because it is so good for my health. I will take another swig of orange juice and wander over to the easel and see if I can work myself into better health. Remember the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. Well I believe that for me painting is the best medicine.

A Different Direction

I have decided to take a short break from my usual painting in acrylics, even though I have seen some interest in the grid-like painting which I recently painted of a tree in autumn. I have decided to work on some mixed media pieces this week. My sister and I have experimented with this before with a combination of her photography and my painting. I think this art will be well received. I enjoy doing something that I haven't done before and experimenting with the medium.

Art Marketing Day

I have not painted yet today but have been rather busy with trying to promote and market my paintings. My sister and I are both trying to get exposure and possible sales on etsy.com through having a promo slot at the top of the page, mine in art pints and hers in photography. It does give us some much needed exposure. I also featured two of my sisters photographs in a treasury list. A treasury list is another way to get people to look at your friends work. We aren't just sitting at home feeling sorry for ourselves because of this economy. We are doing what we can to support each other to and bring sales in. Hoping and working toward a good sale season between now and Christmas.

Finished Tree Abstract Grid Painting

I worked long enough yesterday to finish my painting of an abstracted tree using a grid-like technique. I enjoyed the process and am happy with the result.