Friday 26 December 2014

photo transfer project with sadie

since Christmas is over i can show you a special project i worked on christmas presents
  photo transfers on canvas and a bit of paint
 this is my goddaughter Sadie
she is 3 and 3/4
our first order of business
a photo shoot
with one word
"pose"
and it was a mad panic to capture
all of her wonderful faces
after gathering all the supplies
some image transfer medium from Americana décor
canvas and paints
i worked on all of sadie's photos in photoshop
sharpening and making them black and white
after applying the medium on both the canvas and photocopy
laying the copy face down on the canvas
(make sure your copy is a mirror image)
burnishing the back to remove any air bubbles or wrinkles
let dry for several hours and then remove the paper by adding water
once the paper is removed, the image remains on the canvas
ready for painting
 


sadie had fun picking out her paint colors and
was very serious when it can to
adding the paint, careful not spill any
 
and her grandpa, aka GG
was one of the happy recipients 

Wednesday 24 December 2014

merry christmas


may the spirit of christmas bring you peace
the gladness of christmas give you hope
the warmth of christmas grant you love
unknown
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wishing everyone a very merry Christmas
and all the best for 2015
nancy

Wednesday 3 December 2014

encaustic


getting ready for winter
inspired by the last snow fall
------------
a simple project using old papers for the background
white wax medium and one of my tree photos

Friday 28 November 2014

soutache necklace and matching braclet

it's just like doodling but with cord
and very zen
i received a package of mixed beads from my friend
not a color i would have chosen for myself but once i added
some gold, clear and white i began to like it



Sunday 23 November 2014

encaustic

another one of my encaustic creations
 from my week long retreat of painting in owen sound
the right side is a transfer of one of my country roads photos
and the left is shellac burn technique


Monday 17 November 2014

powertex dancer


"daniella"
even though powertex is a fabic hardener
you can still show motion and movement
-----
using wire and foil for the body and styrofoam for the head
i cover the form with powertex and stoneart
the dress , a crochet doily , really finishes it off

Thursday 13 November 2014

encaustic


this years inspiration was definitely trees
and one of my favorite poems
by e.e. cummings
 

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) 
 i am never without it
 (anywhere i go you go,my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)
  i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
 i want no world (for beautiful you are my world ,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and
whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
  and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
  and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
  i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Thursday 6 November 2014

cameo and soutache necklace

 
something a little different than my usual soutache work
this commissioned piece was a bit of a challenge
but in the end it worked out and my client was extremely happy
 
 


Tuesday 28 October 2014

encaustic


one of the many paintings i completed last month
during my week away
my color palette seemed to keep with blues
with a touch of green
some grey and white
with a bit of chocolate brown
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below, some details of the texture

Thursday 23 October 2014

wire and beaded necklace

what to do with your leftover beads?
all you need is a little bit of armature wire, which I formed into a heart
using 28 gauge wire I started at one end adding beads
 and wrapping around the heart shape
it's amazing how many beads your can use!
this one will become a necklace


Tuesday 14 October 2014

encaustic

one of the many paintings i finished on my week in owen sound
i've been super busy and creative for the past month
i'm  preparing for an art show and sale
sunday november 2nd
noon - five
for more info please contact me at

Wednesday 8 October 2014

back to sculping with powertex

"Beth"
Bronze Powertex and gold Power Pigments

"Caitlin"
Green Powertex and Copper Power Pigments
using a plaster heads ("ester" from Powertex), wooden dowel and base
building up the body with foil and masking tape
and 18 gauge wire for the wings
and for the dress and wings I experimented with
 a variety of natural items (seen below)
Power cotton and handmade paper for the wings 
gauze, doily and cotton t-shirt for the dresses
 
I am getting ready for a show next month
so lots of  " works in progress"  on my tables
it must be the full moon!!

Sunday 5 October 2014

matching soutache necklace and bracelet

i've been so busy the past few months
 that i totally forgot about these wonderful projects i made this summer
a great way to use all your leftover beads


Thursday 2 October 2014

craft happy!

it's worth the drive to Orangeville
if you get a chance stop by craft happy
featuring previously loved craft supplies/tools/materials
for up cycle projects 
 

there are basket,  jars and suitcases filled with all kinds of goodies
and just when you think you have seen everything
go back and take a second look because chances are you have missed something
 

and the best part of all
you can bring in your  unused supplies and get a store credit

Thursday 25 September 2014

encaustic



one of the many paintings i created on my week on the bay
i was inspired by a simple color palette of blues and greens
which lead to adding some white and grey
and then a transfer of one of my tree photos
a few details of the great texture created with the wax
 
 as the cool weather showed up
my mind went to winter
above i created lots of texture using plastic mesh and a circle stencil 
and a small iron to smooth out the sky

Sunday 21 September 2014

a week of painting

i'm feeling truly bless and grateful to have a wonderful friend who owns this
fantastic cottage on georgian bay
 
it was a perfect week of painting, waking up to the sunrise, walks on the beach,
 naps, the constant sound of the waves , driving the back roads taking photos
no worries and a little r & r
 
the best view for inspiration and Sidney (bottom right) was great company
i finished 13 painting with 2 more in the works

 
a sneak peak at all the wonderful texture i created
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as soon as i go through over 500 hundred photos
i will post again



Friday 19 September 2014

KLIK collaboration

klik© - A New Metal Complex
DIY Program Featuring the 
Ideal Blank Bezel for Resin Crafters!
featuring 50 artist and there creations
check them out on the resin crafts blog
and all the components at metal complex
 
 

for one of my submissions i knew i was going to use wire
but needed todrill some holes in the KLIK bezel first
using 3 8 inch pieces of 12 gauge aluminum wire
 it was easy to weave the wire through the holes
looping and interlocking along the way
adding gold beads with  18 gauge wire
i filled the bezel with resin clay and added gold micro beads
and a metal bee on top
 


and of course i had to try out a few more ideas
the next thought was to get out the soutache cord  beads and pearls
 



Friday 12 September 2014

soutache challange


i love how some things just evolve
my friend carmi gave me some glass beads by dazzle-it
not really my color scheme but I was up for the challenge
I finally decided on black, grey and hot pink
after encasing 3 beads in soutache cord i took a break
when i came back all the cords where pushed to one side
and i though "why not do something asymmetrical?"
when i finished one side i was liking how it was turning out
but stumped on what to do for the other side
it would look to busy if i matched the otherside
so i went looking for inspiration on pinterest
something there will help me problem solve
and sure enough i found a fiber necklace that was sectioned into
3 different colors, left side, middle and right side
that got me thinking,  i don't have to use all three colors
so i picked black
and added a few gold beads
i love how it turned out!
 
 

Monday 8 September 2014

Thursday 4 September 2014

powertex sculpture

"Benjamin"
one of the European plaster heads  offered from powertex  is " Jonas"
he is so serene looking and I decided to make him as an angel
using ivory powertex , cotton tshirt , cheesecloth and wire for the wings  
 

Monday 1 September 2014

encaustic with dynasty brushes

my friend Tracy Moreau sent me this wonderful package 
a large assortment of Dynasty brushes

I couldn't wait to try them out

each brush worked differently in the wax
creating lots of interesting textures
and the bristles , so far,  have held up to the heat!!
 
 
"fallen"
encaustic on wood panel
12x24