Comfort Cottage

Be Kind To Your Dreams

This is a special post in honor of the fourth anniversary of Pink Saturday.  For the past four years, Beverly at How Sweet The Sound has been bringing hundreds of sweet and creative bloggers together in a celebration of all things pink.  I've come to believe that our weekly virtual gatherings  have far more to offer than a love of pink.  They are a celebration of life and friendship.  Each person who participates brings to the table his or her own special corner of the world.  It is here that we learn both how we are different, and how we are the same.  To all of the friends I've made, from every corner of the globe,  Happy Pink Saturday!!!

Over the years, we've shared so much.  I've come to view my world from a completely different perspective.  Everything I see and do becomes something I want to share with all of you.  My latest piece of art and the message it brings is for you.

 

 

Be Kind To Your Dreams

10" x 10"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

To join our birthday celebration, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

The Whisper

It seems as if everywhere we turn, there is someone telling us what we should do, who we should be, where we should go.  Some of these voices will be well-meaning, but some will have their own agenda.  It can be really easy to lose our way in all of the noise.  Before we know it, we are doing things and going places we never intended.  One day, if we are lucky, we wake up and wonder just whose life it is we are living.   We really need to keep listening for the whisper from within...the one that comes from the most authentic part of ourselves.  What is your soul trying to tell you?

 

 

The Whisper

10" x 10"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

I prepared my canvas by collaging it with various vintage printed materials.  They were adhered with matte gel medium.  I added layers of painted, sponged and splattered  texture with Liquitex heavy-bodied acrylics.  I lightly sketched in the face before painting it.  I enhanced edges with Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils.  I sketched in the vine, painted it and enhanced edges with a Sakura Pigma Micron pen and a white gel pen.  The rose, bird, mariner's compass and words were printed out from my computer and adhered with gel medium.  I added finishing touches of paint and sealed the surface with a matte acrylic spray.

 

I'm hoping to have more to show you before the end of the week.  There may also be another quilt/fabric adventure with my sister/partner-in-crime.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

Rise

I have a new mixed-media painting to show you, and I'm very excited about it.  Those of you who have become familiar with my art have probably noticed that there is not a face to be found in all of my works (At least, not a human one).  To quote Emerson, "Unless you have tried to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."   Today, it was time to grow.

 

Rise

11" x 14"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

I used gel medium to adhere various vintage ephemera to the canvas.  This was followed by sponging/tapping/splattering acrylic gouache.  I lightly penciled in the face before I painted it.  I added the bird, vines, flowers and my own words.  I printed out the words and the bird from my computer and adhered them with gel medium.  I used Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils,  a Sakura Micron pen, and oil pastels to enhance edges.  After the paint is fully cured, I'll spray with an acrylic matte varnish.  The edges of the canvas are painted black.

May we have the courage to pick ourselves up...one more time.

 

Until next time,

 

April Calendar Challenge

It is a gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Pennsylvania, and I have the perfect thing to share with you today.  I have been seeing all sorts of lovely handmade calendars popping up all over blogland, and I have found the source.  There is a very talented lady at The Kathryn Wheel who hosts a monthly challenge: Calendar 366.  You may have heard of her: Kate Crane.   Her captivating art journal work has been featured in Stampington and Company's fabulous publication, Art Journaling, by Somerset Studio.  This is my calendar for the month of April.

 

 

I used a square punch and Kay & Co. papers.  I can't remember the manufacturer of the the stamp line for the swirls, but the butterfly is from Inkadinkadoo.  All of the images are vintage free stuff I found on the web.  The background was done with Delta Ceramcoat paints and a natural sponge.  If you would like to learn more about the calendar challenge, you can find it here.  Kate's wonderful work has been featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Art Journaling by Somerset Studio, as well as many other publications.  You can find links to all of the participants for this month's challenge here.

 

 

The last item to share with you, I promised about two weeks ago, but unfortunately, the subject, my niece's 12 week old Bernese mountain dog, would not sit still long enough for me to get a photograph!  On Sunday, we had a family gathering at my sister's house and Moses, the newest addition to the family, finally cooperated.

 

 

Is he not the most adorable puppy on the planet? (Have you ever seen a puppy that wasn't adorable?)  This guy is already twenty-seven pounds, and he's gaining an average of about six pounds per week.  Hugging him is like hugging a bear cub!  I LOVE big dogs!

It's time for me to get back to work.  I should have another drawing to share with you in a day or so.  Enjoy the lovely spring weather we are having!

 

Until next time,

 

Finished Pages

Yesterday I shared the beginnings of two new art journal pages.  Today was a productive day in the studio.  I finished both pages!

 

 

 

How was your weekend?  I hope the weather where you are was as delightful as it was here.  Tomorrow, I'm off to New Jersey to see my niece's new Bernese mountain dog puppy, Moses.  I'll try to get lots of pictures!  See you again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

Art Journal Fun And A Gift For You

When reading a book I purchased recently, I came face to face with the art of Teesha Moore, who is well known for her beautiful art journal pages, amongst many other things.  The book is Creative Wildfire by L. K. Ludwig.  Teesha is one of the featured artists. 

 

 

Creative Wildfire is packed with ideas on approaches to art journaling, beginning to advanced techniques and interviews with many artists.  It will truly set a fire under the aspiring journal artist, and if you haven't started that journal yet, you will want to after reading this!

Being a fan of Teesha's art, I, of course, had to check out her website.  Wow!  It is an amazing and inspiring place.  She has wonderful videos to watch, including a fabulous series on art journaling.  If you have been curious about what an art journal is, or how to go about creating one, this is the video to see.  I've watched the first part of the series (It's free!)  and I've begun creating my pages.

 

 

The first step is simple and it gets you past "blank page syndrome".  You know the symptoms: vacant stare, eyes glazed over, mind empty.  It's easy to treat.  Just add color!  Simple craft paints will do.  Watercolors are great too.

 

 

Next, I added some borders.  Journal fodder can be found anywhere: old magazines, junk mail, scrapbooking papers, gardening catalogues, the phone bill (You might want to pay it first.)  Just don't think too hard about it - work from your heart.  No one has to see it but you.  It's your personal art laboratory where you can cause the kind of explosion that won't bring the bomb squad to your door:  a color explosion.

 

 

There is another source of collage material that's probably the most satisfying.  Grab some old collages or paintings you've done, or even some of your childrens' art.  Try scanning or photographing them and zooming in on small areas on your computer.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  There are probably dozens of interesting things within a single composition.  Enlarge isolated areas and print them out on regular paper.  You can cut them up and use them in your journal pages.  Your journal will begin to reflect your own heart.

 

 

 

I used parts of some of the work I did for Strathmore's Online Workshop, and some parts of existing journal pages.  I also used some of the free offerings I found on Flicker.com.  I would like to reach the point where I am using even more of my own art: which brings me to the gift part of this post.  I used watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, and gel pens to make something I can cut up and use in my pages.  I would like to offer you the use of this page for your personal use in your own journals.  Just click on the image to get the largest size and then right-click on it and choose the "save image as" option.  Be patient, it's a full-size page.

 

 

I'll show you more as I develop my pages further.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Have fun journaling!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shine

Hello my friends!  I spent some time over the weekend playing in Photoshop CS5.  Using some free downloaded brushes and photos, I created a new piece of digital art.  By signing up to be a member of Deviant Art, you can have access to a wealth of resources for your digital art.

 

 

I started with a photograph that I used by persmission here. 

Flourish brushes by Eliza Vladi

Circle cluster brushes from Starwalt

Floral Fireworks brushes by Lileya

Fractal brushes and glow brushes by Hawksmont

Digital texture by Kim Klassen

It's okay to shine!

Until next time,

 

In The Bleak Midwinter

Hello there!  I have the Day 7 offering for Kim Klassen's Twelve Days of Texture.

 

 

I combined two of my photos in Photoshop CS5 and used several of Kim's textures.  Here's the layer by layer:

Layer 1:  kkEdward; blend mode: normal; opacity:  47%;  with a gradient overlay

Layer 2: Fence photograph; Blend Mode: color burn; opacity: 100%

Layer 3:  Lily photograph; Blend Mode:  Lighten; Opacity: 94%; added an Underpainting filter; added a layer mask to paint out unwanted parts of photo

Layer 4:  kkCosmos; Blend Mode: Screen; Opacity: 100%

Layer 5:  copy of kkCosmos; Blend Mode: Screen; Opacity 100%

Layer 6:  kkScratched Magic; Blend Mode: Screen; Opacity 100%

Layer 7:  Font: Enid; Opacity 85%; drop shadow; Stroke: color, black; size 3pts

 

In The Bleak Midwinter is a beautiful hymn, written by Gustov Holst in 1905.  The lyrics were penned by  poetess, Christina Rosetti.   The hymn was masterfully reworked by the late singer/songwriter, Dan Fogelberg, and recorded for his 1999 Christmas CD, The First Christmas Morning.  The song expresses the poignant desire of a soul wishing to give something to his Lord in gratitude for the gift of His Son.  The only gift worthy of his Lord is his heart.

I created this work in honor of Dan, who passed away on December 16, 2007.  His was a beautiful soul, and he is joyfully remembered and sadly missed.

 

Until next time,

 

Sweet Dreams

Today is Texture Tuesday at Kim Klassen Cafe.  I happened to catch my sweet Molly girl snoozing on the love seat.  This little golden knows how to relax.

 

 

My recipe:

I worked in Photoshop CS5

Layer 1:  photograph

Layer 2:  Photoshop brushes - Stars and Gorguss Clouds (free downloads-I can't remember the source!); both set to Screen

Layer 3:  Kim Klassen's Phoebe texture, set to screen at 51% opacity

Layer 4:  Another layer of Phoebe set to Color Burn at 100% opacity

Layer 5:  Font - Splendid 66; size: 48pts with drop shadow set to 52% opacity

 

You can see all of the Texture Tuesday entries at Kim Klassen Cafe.  Have a wonderful day!

 

Until next time,

 

It's About Me

For the past nineteen years I've been Mom.  I've loved living that role, and as any Mom  will tell you, when you have kids, life becomes all about them.  I've never regretted a day of it (well, almost...).  Lately, as my son has begun spreading his wings, I've been working on defining who I am and what I want my life to be about.  Too often, women do not appreciate the depth of their souls and their lives.  I spent some time thinking about the life I've been given, and rediscovering my heart and soul.  Now, before anyone gets nervous, this was actually an extraordinarily enjoyable experience that I've been able to translate to my latest collage.

 

 

I primarily used my own art and photography.  Some of the words, I did in Photoshop, some were borrowed from free downloads, and the rest were gleaned from my rather sizable magazine collection.

 

A collage artist's best friend:

 

 

I adhered everything to a 16 x 20 canvas board.

 

 

 

 

So tell me, what is it that makes your heart beat a little faster?  What is it that calls your name or inspires you?  Let me hear from you!  There is a unique and special heart that beats in all of us.

 

Until next time,