Painting on silk scarves and silk!

A detour journey for a portrait artist into the textile world of silk is not as extreme as it may sound. I mean it is still drawing and painting after all.  I am stretching silk-I stretch canvas. I am playing with colors to see what works and what does not-that never really changes. Even after years of painting portraits where by now I obviously  have my favorite combinations of skin tone colors, sky colors, etc, that is still subject to change! (I do have to watch my tendency to drift towards portraiture in silk painting though.) 

What I AM certain of is that as I do more, I am liking my newer silk paintings ones more than my first ones! And I am also wanting to expand from the confines of a scarf (8 x 54, 8 x 72, 14 x 72, etc) into...I don't know squares and such. So having said all that, below are a few of the more recent examples along with some images of my high tech PVC stretching frame that my husband and I put together! 

From earlier post. Painting horses

background colors added, salt sprinkled

I am still out on sprinkling salt on the background for a starburst effect-it has not happened quite like I thought it would (as watercolor paper would react) so having tried it on 2 different dyes...well, we will see!

Onward:

Horses added after I dyed the colors

closeup of embellishments

All of these are on the stretcher bars. The next blog will show the PVC frame and larger scarves. (these are 8" x 54").

On the Model!

Debutante Stools

Debutante Stools

Imagination is both a necessary and yet freeing component of art.  Although I may predominantly be a portrait artist,  I love to PLAY in the arts.  One of the keys is to shed some of those rules, attitudes and inhibitions ingrained into art students at a university :-) Once that happens, imagination is freed and all sorts of wonderful things happen.

So below is one result of thinking differently...yes, this was purchased as a 2013  Debutante Stool by a horsey young lady and her mom...I simply added her initials and date at the bottom. Another stool, painted in  a black base with white abstracts also went home with a new owner but not at a Deb stool!

Interested in your own stool? Whether for your bar, a debutante or home decor-solid, sturdy or you can provide your own! Contact me through my website or Facebook!

I can go from simple abstract to stunning, actual goldleaf!  

Close up (w/watermark-not on actual stool)

Gold leaf in Art

The beauty of art journaling is that it is your creativity when it comes to your art in whatever form you decide to take it :-) My husband, Steve, is an oil painter with a large following of dedicated collectors. But in a previous life (ie: before the computer) he was a sign artist and painter. 
He still does beautiful handlettered work in one of his specialties, Goldleaf, and recently took one of my journals and began to play around with the cover. The results of the brilliant gold and the colors he chose to use can be seen (so much better in person!) below.  He calls this "The Golden Forest"

Goldleaf with colored inks

On the back, he opted for silver-a metallic patina of which he is deciding whether or not to add any artwork. The metals are more than paper thin, so imperfections in the surface will be seen and can be used to one's advantage to create!

Keep an eye out for additional art that he will be creating using Gold and silver leaf. IN his lettering he uses the real thing 22 KT gold. In May we will hold a workshop at our studio where he'll share his tips and techniques for adding this beautiful look to your art!

Abstract Expressions

Artsy Journeys are all about creating random art and exploring options, mediums and ideas. I have another "job" as an artist (for many years) and that is my portraits and abstract paintings. Yes the two can co-exist beautifully.....for me the abstracts evolved in high school as I explored the brush strokes created when the brush dipped in India ink, or seeing how to make a painting "move." 

"The Race" by M Theresa Brown. Conte crayon on paper 18 x 24

And the other day, while in the attic of our studio putting away Christmas decorations, I found an early example of what I would later add back to my repertoire....this drawing on the right was created in conte art crayon and was an early effort at depicting the horse and rider in movement in 2-D format. Looking at it decades later...I like it! And I now see this particular sketch as a thumbnail to a larger work on canvas :-)

Ain't life grand? :-)

The disruption of routine as we know it and what to do...

Quirks of nature are nothing new to weather patterns but I don't think anyone expected Halloween storm Sandy to rise up from the Caribbean and wreak such destruction on the northeast US coastline.
There is a certain twinge of survivor's guilt in thinking "Wow that could have been me". 
But the undeniable truth in such circumstances, is that the world does not end.  Your life may have been forever disrupted or altered but elsewhere, people still get up in the morning and go about their daily tasks.
On such a large scale of news coverage of an event,(weather related or not) it is hard to be unaware of others' misfortunes.Unaffected? Well, the US is a big country. If a personal misfortune happens on a small or individual scale, people usually are simply unaware.

Time has a way of moving on-with or without us. Often..... well, it's all about what begins to bring your world back into focus. Art is one of those areas that encompasses so many arenas of healing...music, dance, painting, sewing....all of it good and all of it necessary in some format. And when the pull begins to happen, even just a little, you know you are on the emotional road to recovery. Art in any format, is good.

Blue Corgi  (sold)

Flash in the Grass 11 x 14

Miniature art journal

Moonstruck 16 x 20 (sold)

Artsy Journeys tends to be more about what I personally explore  in the arts-away from the discipline of portrait painting which has paid my family's bills for many years.














I love to create portraits-every face is different. Every clients wants are different. But there is NO denying the energy and release and total absorption that comes with exploring random areas of art-experienced in it or not. No holds, no boundaries, no rules. But the main value of creating art in all its various forms?  The temporary experience of being in the ART ZONE.  It's a good place to be. Whether your art project takes 30 minutes, 2 hours or a day, the Art Zone is a private area in which everything else fades away and your mind, regardless of what has transpired around you, is absorbed in the creation of art. It's a very good place to be.

May you be there soon!

I call that “liberating,” not “cheating”!

A great article from Cloth,Paper,Scissors for those of us who add or are starting to add fabric to designs! What I especially love is the comment at the very end of the article in reply to the writer's 7th grade home ec teacher telling her that using  fusible webbing was "cheating." How silly! In our art classes, we often use a template to help encourage new painters to enjoy the experience of painting. As they take more art lessons, the desire to "hand draw" their subject matter comes naturally  and without the guilt that someone is always too ready to impart! Art is fun. Let everyone enjoy it at their own level and pace :-) 

Don't Stitch, Just Press and Go When I first came to work at what was then Quilting Arts, I heard a lot about WonderUnder®. I honestly thought it was some kind of bra for about a week. Turns out (for those of you as clueless as I was), it's a brand of fusible web that holds two textiles together, instead of stitching, for quilting and other fabric art. ‘Color Composition’ fused fabric collage by Bethan Ash. The only personal experience I had with a product like this was Stitch Witchery®. I used this fusible tape in 7th grade to hem my skirts. I thought I was clever, but my home ec teacher criticized me, as she considered it “cheating.” Imagine my delight in discovering that in art quilting, fusing was not only not frowned upon, it was encouraged! Fusing fabric makes it easy to appliqué or create a fabric collage without having to stitch a million little seams. You just press your fabric into place. Well, it's almost that easy. Each fusible product works slightly differently, so it's important to read the manufacturer's instructions. And you want to match the fusible to the fabric. WonderUnder and similar products work well for cotton fabrics. MistyFuse™, a gossamer fusible with no backing paper, works best for sheer or lightweight fabrics, such as silk. In her comprehensive book Vibrant Quilt Collage: A Spontaneous Approach to Fused Art Quilts, artist and author Bethan Ash offers tips on how to get the best results from fabric fusing. Here are some I think are most helpful. Wash and iron your fabric to remove any starch before fusing—do not use fabric softener. Fuse your fabrics by ironing the rough side of the webbing to the reverse side of the fabric, using a dry hot iron (cotton setting). Evenly press from the center to the outer edges and iron for seven seconds—if unsure, follow the instructions that come with the webbing. Too much heat applied repeatedly will weaken the glue, burn it into the fabric, change the fabric color or make the fabric stiff. Also, over-fused fabric will no longer adhere to other fabrics. To protect your ironing board and iron, place a sheet of baking parchment under and on top of the fabric when fusing. Fabric that bubbles or ripples when fused will flatten out when the release (backing) paper is peeled off. Always let the fabric and webbing cool before you come to remove the release (backing) paper. Remove the release (backing) paper in one piece by first fanning with a finger and then swiping your hand between the fabric and paper. Feel for any gummy areas that the iron didn't cover and re-fuse these. If the webbing separates from the release (backing) paper, it is still usable. Just place the webbing on the fabric, put the release (backing) paper on top and fuse into place. Save the release (backing) paper—it can be fused to over and over again. Use it for assembling fused collages, storing fused scraps, protecting the ironing board, and pattern-making. You can fuse to either side of WonderUnder release (backing) paper. Cut webbing-backed fabrics webbing side up when using a rotary cutter, so the glue side does not stick to the mat and cause the fabric to fray when it is removed. It is also easier to see the areas where there is no glue. When cutting a pile of webbing-backed fabric, do not stack with the webbing sides together or the pieces may be difficult to separate. Up to three layers of backed fabric shapes can be cut out at one time. Save all your fused scraps. They are great for tiny elements and collage work. Once you have your fabric fused, you can use the series of simple hands-on exercises in Vibrant Quilt Collage to help you develop your instincts for free-cut and fused fabric collage. I call that “liberating,” not “cheating”!

Exploring with Abstract Art

Abstract paintings-a marvelous artsy way to explore almost any array of art in any form!
So what do i create when I move away from my much loved portraits?
Well, abstracts of course with a touch of mixed media!