This is my first mixed media painting on canvas and it has been a wonderful experience to begin a new form of expression. I have painted a lot of watercolor paintings on paper and recently have experimented with collage, mixed media, and acrylic painting. Painting in acrylics is challenging when coming from a background in watercolors because acrylics dry very quickly which forces you to make immediate decisions while watercolor dries slowly and is more contemplative.
This painting started out as just a sketch of an idea in Saturday Painting Adventure and then grew intuitively. I added several washes and layers of acrylic paint working the paint slightly wet so that the colors would run into each other. Later I glued down pieces of scrapbooking paper with Mod Podge and after that was dry I added some brush strokes of white to give the piece a floaty feel and to tie everything together.
Posted by: Mary @ 1:20 pm
This small crazy quilt piece is something that I have been working on over time, hence it represents a time passage piece. It depicts a few special moments captured in time. My children were younger when I made the photo transfers and assembled the crazy quilt blocks. Most of the time I enjoy taking it out of the specialty threads basket kept on the side table, look at it and fondly reminisce, and then put it back. Sometimes I add some embroidery stitches to the piece.
Lately I have been reflecting on the passage of time and how things change and yet how things remain the same. The threads of friendship connect us to one another and remind us of that special circle that goes around us. When you see an old friend after a long span of time it is almost as if the time between collapses and disappears. You catch up on things, renew the friendship, and the connection can grow stronger. Friends are truly wonderful.
Posted by: Mary @ 8:32 am
Connie of Dirty Footprints Studio has invited everyone to participate in the 30 Journals 30 Days project today, July 31. Every day for the month of July she has interviewed a different art journaler and posted it to her blog. Today is our turn to share our enthusiasm for this creative mode of expression.
How has Art Journaling impacted, changed, or enhanced your life? Art journaling has allowed me to be more spontaneous and free in expression. It has given me the opportunity to try new things and in a format that I love - books. It is very nice to have a record of my work in one place where I can flip through the pages. A very important aspect of art journaling is that it allows me to combine different media in one vehicle - painting, drawing, writing, photography, collage. It has also been a more portable and easy way to bring my art with me wherever I go - even if that’s just out on the front porch or relaxing on the couch. Art Journaling lets you work just about anywhere.
What are a few of your favorite Art Journaling materials? It is hard to choose just a few as I love all art supplies. First would be my paint brushes and I keep my watercolor and acrylic brushes in separate small fishing tackle boxes with their respective paints. Next would be papers and ephemera of all different kinds and a good pair of scissors. Mark making materials like pitt pens, gel pens, and colored pencils are important. And I can’t live without mat gel medium, UHU glue, gluestick, an old credit card scraper, and things to add texture like bubble wrap, plastic canvas, and a comb. I really love fiber and related items too - fabric, threads, yarns, beads.
Who are some of your favorite art journalers? This is another challenging question as basically I like everything art journaling that I see, even the things that don’t appeal to me directly. Because it is a means of personal expression, I can accept and understand that the person is taking me inside their world. My point of discovery for this type of artistic expression was Somerset’s Art Journaling magazine in Borders and I read these magazines over and over again, never tiring of the images shared inside. Since then I have discovered an explosion of art journalers online which adds to the sense of community. All that being said, here are a few of my favorites:
Connie, Dirty Footprints Studio
Lynne Perella
Pam Carriker
Teesha Moore
Daisy Yellow
Diana Trout
What kind words of encouragement would you say to an Art Journal newbie? The hardest part is getting started. Treat yourself to an issue of Somerset’s Art Journaling magazine, start clicking around art journalers’ blogs and YouTube videos, and get inspired. Gather together some supplies and a sturdy art journal that work for you. When you are ready, start with one page and don’t worry about finishing it. Then start another page. Go back and forth and work on your pages. Do what pleases you and won’t worry about making the pages “perfect”. Letting go will come with time. Remember that you are doing this for yourself… this is for you. Later you can choose what to share with others.
Where can we contact you… give us some link LOVE!
My blog is at maryart.macilvain.com
My web site is at www.macilvain.com
Short Bio
My grandfather gave me my first camera when I was 8 years old and I have long enjoyed capturing that special moment on film. I learned to sew on my mother’s old Singer sewing machine at the age of 11. Quilting and sewing have been a passion for many years because of my love for fabric and all things fiber. Watercolor painting and drawing is something that I do when inspiration comes. Recently I have been getting into scrapbooking, book arts, collage, and mixed media. I absolutely love books and read quite a bit and also enjoy trying new things.
I live in a small town in the northeast or New England part of the United States. My son and daughter are both in college and we have a mischievous cat named Tangerine who was adopted from the Humane Society animal shelter. My career world has touched many areas including computer science, research, web design, graphic design, administrative, marketing, and volunteering. The best part of all has been the people I’ve met along the way.
Enjoy in the doing and be happy in following your own path to express yourself creatively.
Mary
Posted by: Mary @ 6:48 pm
Last week I discovered that there is an art retreat in Connecticut in October and I’m going! I am so excited! Art Is You is the annual east coast art retreat and promises to be a wonderful mixed media adventure with many creative spirits. There was a local get together this past Saturday and it turned out that there were 4 people at the brunch who I knew, 3 of whom I hadn’t seen in close to 10 years at a doll makers group! Connecticut is a small state but it was still really cool to have our paths converge once again. What a happy moment for me with both new and old (who are you calling old? LOL) friends sharing their artwork and their stories. This is the art journaling page I created when I returned home to celebrate the special and magical day. It was like floating on air.
On Wednesday night I received not one but three exciting and beautiful pieces of mail. It was so awesome to receive such wonderful gifts and I was truly amazed and grateful.
a lovely ATC card plus postcard from a swap with Dindie in Indonesia
a card from my brother in Tennessee
Posted by: Mary @ 7:08 pm
Pockets, flaps, and envelopes were added to the pages begun in the art journaling workshop at Dirty Footprints Studio a few weeks ago which was a lot of fun. The pages are starting to look more interesting now that details are being added to the layers of texture. The pages I have been using for this workshop were separate sheets of watercolor paper folded in half. Today I sewed them together in signatures of one page each so that I can paint on the reverse sides as double pages. It looks so cool!
Saturday was a great day for painting. My plein air workshop got canceled and there already were two boards prepped with pre-soaked, stretched watercolor paper and a small canvas (my first ever) prepped with matte gel medium. All was not lost and the dining room table became mine for the whole day.
My approach was to just let the paintings begin spontaneously and not plan anything out. Pulling out tubes of my favorite colors inspired me to start a loose landscape, wetting the paper one section at a time, adding in separate brushes full of color and letting the colors move and blend on the wet paper. The second piece began with a series of curved lines of green paint. The canvas had me stumped for a while, not being sure if watercolor paint would work on canvas, but then some curved echoing lines to define some shapes flowed out of my hand with a smaller brush dipped in brown paint and the side edges got painted as well.
It was fun to just let things happen and work on the pieces on and off throughout the day, going about doing other things and having time to just think about line and shape and color and form in an abstract way. I also spent some time on Saturday working on my art journal workshop pages and that has become a great way to explore new ideas and expand my horizons. All together right now I have 8 painted pieces going which is a first as I usually work on only one painting project at a time. It’s good to change things up as a way to bring out creativity and inspiration. These paintings are just experiments and may never end up becoming finished pieces but that doesn’t matter. They are important because they are a new way of thinking and being for me.
-Steve Jobs
I am taking an awesome art journaling workshop with Connie of Dirty Footprints Studio and really enjoying myself. There are a lot of talented and creative people in the class. Connie shares so many incredible ideas and she has created a supportive, caring environment for us that encourages interaction and sharing. My painting experience has been with watercolors and I am learning to use some new materials such as matte gel medium and acrylic paints. Here are the results of my work for week 1, which actually took me two weeks to finish. Fortunately this is a self-paced workshop with no pressure, making it really enjoyable.
I am not sure how clutter accumulates and returns over time, but it does. We have slowly been going through everything and a lot of paper went into the recycle bin. What I like the most about clutter cleaning, besides restoring a more harmonious living space, is the treasures that are uncovered in the process. Rearranging things in your space is a way of making new discoveries, and that includes photos.
While sorting through things I found this photo that had been taken a few weeks ago. The swan family has emerged from the nest and there are now two cygnets, a white one and a gray one. It brings back the peaceful feeling of observing the way they glide through the water and feed on the vegetation growing underneath. This is the same mated pair of adult swans that I have been observing for over a year now, this time with a new brood to raise. It makes my day to see them when I drive past this pond. They are so graceful
and beautiful - it is hard to describe in words. Here are the swan parents last fall with three cygnets almost grown and getting ready to go out on their own.
Posted by: Mary @ 12:11 pm
Art Doll Melanie flew off to True North Arts today for the Paper Doll Swap. I played with different ideas and when it all distilled down to a vision I worked non-stop and created her. It was a little sad to send her off this morning but she has a sister and I will create her next.
Melanie is a gentle and wise spiritual guide who is there for you when you
need her. She has great powers of visualization and discernment that can help you in your journey. When she holds up the mirror of truth you will be able to see yourself more clearly and elucidate the path that resonates with you. Melanie encourages you to be free to be your authentic, creative self. Knowing yourself is the key to discovering your inner power and reaching your dreams.
The doll pattern is from the Enchanted Gallery. This is a freehand drawing and the support used was Strathmore bristol board smooth finish 100 lb. Supplies used were pencil, pitt pen, staedtler markers, prismacolor nupastels, workable fixative, and uhu glue.
Posted by: Mary @ 7:32 pm
Here is a southwest theme mandala that I drew in my art journal yesterday afternoon. The freehand drawing started in pencil with eraser in hand and then was inked with one of my new Pitt pens. After inking, the drawing was colored in with my Staedtler fineliner markers. The idea for this piece came from memories of conchos I have seen over the years. The center part represents rivers flowing outward in different directions which are paths in life. The small circles surrounding the center are jewels that light up the sky and the wavy blue band contains the energy of the radiating center. The radiant energy appears to float on the turquoise background.
The quilt top for my Aunt Ethel got layered and safety pin basted last week, a major accomplishment. Crawling around on a hardwood floor is not my idea of a good time but taping the backing down taut ensures a smooth and pucker free quilt sandwich. Machine quilting something this large on a regular sewing machine is a little bit like wrestling an alligator but it builds character. This design is a simple tiling pattern that my friend Cindy found at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and I used floral fabrics from my collection. This is not an art quilt which is what I prefer, but my aunt does not want an art quilt - she likes flowers and wants something pretty for her bed. One thing you always need to keep in mind when you are creating something is who is this for? When I am doing something for someone else my intent is always to visualize and bring to life what it is that they may not quite be able to express. Currently my focus is to create what is inside of me and express myself fully and move away from being other directed. I still have a need to do things for others and this does not at all detract from my own creative expression but rather enhances it.
Posted by: Mary @ 1:09 pm
There is something about art journaling that draws you in. I have been studying the Somerset magazine since it came out last year, but I just didn’t get it at first. The public ranting and complaining about everything and anything under the sun that can go with this mode of expression is both fascinating and unappealing to me at the same time. Although I did not intend to rant about being sick for a month when I spontaneously picked up my art journal and a pencil yesterday and started to draw, somehow the frustration of it all came out quietly by itself. This was very surprising to me to have this come out in this way as I am very stoic, don’t complain, and try to take everything in stride. Interestingly enough, I felt better when I looked at my finished art journal page. Still, I have gone back and forth this morning with Gaussian blurring the image slightly to blur the text and finally decided it looks better as it is and to stop fussy-budgeting with it. 
The tree pollen is really bad this year and in a few more weeks breathing will be much easier. The writing was done
in a spiral and then colored pencils were used to color in bits of the spiral, forming a subtle mosaic. It was not until I added the jagged edge to the outermost ring of the design to frame the piece in an off-center way that it came together and made visual sense.
Posted by: Mary @ 7:50 pm
I did a star themed ATC this week and took pictures of it drawn in black and then colored with markers and gel pens. These are so much fun I am thinking of doing an accordion fold book of ATCs. There may be a theme and they may be random - haven’t decided yet.
From last week’s blog post I am doing my first ever ATC swap with dindie in Indonesia and I am thrilled! For the next batch of ATCs I drew a 3×3 grid to make 9 ATCs on watercolor paper and painted it with background colors of alizarin crimson, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, and winsor violet washes.
At the Middletown Art Guild meeting earlier this month there was a demonstration by Aleta Gudelski who did an abstract underpainting in watercolor and then after that was dry she drew on top of the watercolor painting with pastels and it is interesting to see what develops. Tonight I found the underpainting I had started recently and began laying down colors with the pastels and this is how it looks tonight.
Posted by: Mary @ 6:49 pm
Here are a couple of hand drawn ATCs I did recently. This mandala ATC was inspired by a wonderful Vimeo Athena Mandala on Daisy Yellow and YouTube Zendalas by Milliande is another great mandala drawing video. ATCs are so portable and you can work on one anywhere. If you want to learn more about ATCs including their history, visit atc - artist trading cards. There is a nice guide to making ATCs at Art in Your Pocket: ATCs.
Posted by: Mary @ 7:11 pm
This is something I have wanted to do for quite a while now and I finally did it! My sources of inspiration were several Somerset Magazine publications, Lisa Engelbrecht, and a library book - Hand Lettering for Crafts by Sandra Salamony. Then I came up with my own idea and ran with it.
Basic Supplies: Colored pencils, HB pencil, hand sharpener, eraser, art journal/sketchbook
Painting Supplies: water color paints, brushes (small or medium flat wash and small round are good), palette (i have several kinds but you can even use a disposable plastic plate), water container, mister bottle (an empty pump hair spray bottle works well), natural sponge (if you have one), and paper towels
First I drew a shape, in this case a circle but any shape will do. Use light pencil marks as you will erase the lines later. Next, draw a line across the page somewhere above the top of the shape. Curve or bend the line as you go. Then you echo the first line drawn moving down the page and keeping the lines about the same distance apart (equidistant). Let the line disappear inside the shape (or erase it afterwards) as you are going down the page. Stop after you get past the bottom of the shape, leaving some white space above and below your design. This does not have to be perfect but you can always erase and adjust some lines if you want.
Now think about words flowing across the lines that you’ve drawn. If you don’t know what to write, copy a passage from a book that inspires you, excerpt song lyrics, or combine different phrases together. Sometimes if you start writing the words will just come out. In this case I intermixed remembered phrases with my own thoughts. Pick up one of your colored pencils and keep a small hand sharpener nearby. Get comfortable and loosen up. Relax your hand. Take a cleansing breath and just start writing, slowly, one letter at a time. For reference I had alphabet sampler pages printed in various fonts but I put them aside and did not use them. Instead I decided to embellish my own letterforms. I took my time and thought about each letter and word as they slowly flowed from my hand. I totally lost track of time and was pleased with the results. The hardest part is getting started. Once I get going I am in the zone. And yes, I made a mistake in there but it’s OK. Not easy to say for someone who counts proofreading as one of her many job duties
I put the piece aside to think about it and decided to put paint down the next night. When I am going to paint or collage in my art journal, I gluestick two pages together and run a brayer over them (you can also rub them together with a wooden spoon) for better support. At some point I erased all the original light pencil lines. I was not so sure about doing this but the colored pencil letterforms remained intact. There was paint on my palette from a previous project - a red, a blue, 2 greens, a yellow, and a tan - so I spritzed them with the mister bottle and they were usable again. My intention was just to put light washes down so that the lettering would show through, so I watered down the paints and dipped the wash brush in first the red, then the red and blue, and so on. Closer to the bottom are muddy but interesting colors which is what you get when you mix colors that contain all of the primary colors (red, blue, yellow). If it gets too wet you can blot it with a paper towel. Put the paint down lightly and try not to go over it too much as it will look fresher, cleaner, and more spontaneous. It is easy to overwork watercolor and it is better to stop before you think it’s done. Less is more. I used the natural sponge to dab paint into the circle, first blue and then green. If you don’t have a natural sponge try using a household sponge or a crumpled up paper towel. This was so much fun and I plan on continuing on with this form of expression. Enjoy!
Posted by: Mary @ 12:39 pm
Living a creative life and making a commitment to Creative Every Day is somewhat of a challenge for me at times. At the same time, through blogging and the blogland creative community I have been much more motivated to experiment and try new things. On Friday during my lunch break at work I came up with some new artistic goals to help keep my focused on my art and creativity. These goals are rather ambitious for me but it is better to set high goals as you will achieve much more than if your goals are low and easily attainable. There is no incentive to stretch yourself if you don’t reach for the stars.
- Blog twice a week
- Start something new each week
- Finish something new each week
- Weekly artist dates
- Don’t worry about making a mess - art is messy
- That being said, organize work space in a way that works for me and my family
- Get involved in the Middletown Art Guild
- Start a series - maybe ATC of the week
Here are some pages taken from my sketchbook/art journal this week. One thing that I have noticed is that drawing brings me to a special place of heightened awareness. It is hard to describe exactly what happens but it is an unconscious way of losing and then finding oneself. The process of drawing or physically making marks on paper causes a shift from left brain to right brain thinking and lets you tap into a whole different type of seeing and opens up a new perspective.
When I stopped at Staples to buy computer paper, I spotted a canister of gel pens on sale and brought those home too. While playing with the gel pens I realized the differences between the concepts art journal and sketchbook overlap for me.
This abstract swirl drawing started out as a way of dividing space in an interesting manner. Just letting the pen move on the paper can lead to interesting results. The writing around the edge was spontaneous: Time waits for no one. Better to seize the day than lament the passing of the dawn, leaving only regrets for what might have been. Awake to a brand new day, going forth in the sunlight to shine your own light anew.
This drawing of SpongeBob Squarepants done from memory needs reworking - the proportions are off and the details are not right. The important thing is to get started and keep going.
In tribute to the True North Arts Fabulous Friendship Festival, here are my best friends. They are always there for me: to lift me up when I am down and put a smile on my face, to get me to try new things like playing World of Warcraft, cooking new foods, or rearranging the furniture. They candidly share their unique perspective when I am over-thinking something. They always bring joy to my heart.
Posted by: Mary @ 3:55 pm
The children’s book illustration workshop with Chris Umunga at the Guilford Art Center today was awesome! Chris is a professional comic book illustrator and he is also a great teacher who shares so much with his students. I was not expecting to leave the workshop with pieces that were actually pleasing to me. My drawing strength is in landscapes and my people tend to look like blobs or stick figures. Look at my illustrations that came out of this class and you will see why I went home pumped up and inspired to continue playing with these ideas and experiment with my new found skills.
