Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day!

Just a quick post this morning, I am having a family BBQ, but it is last minute and the place is a mess! I spent the week happily puttering around in the garden and my studio, and completely ignored all else...I haven't been able to work on anything large, but I did finish my ATC's for this months Flygirl ATC Group exchange. The theme is "Mellow Yellow" and our hostess this month is Kelly Hoernig, go check out her lovely blog.




I showed these to Mr. How2 last night, and he really likes them, he is my biggest fan, but asked why I wasn't doing larger pieces to sell, and didn't these take up a lot of my time. My answer to him was, first, I AM painting larger pieces, and he would see them if he followed my blog...(he is strictly a computer solitaire kind of guy) and that these are not a waste of my time, for two main reasons.

  First, I get to communicate and exchange with a wonderful group of other artists online on a daily basis. With wonderful, heartfelt conversations, encouragements and commiseration. Not to mention the beautiful art, which has been an absolute joy to watch as styles are developed with time and practice. Which brings me to my second reason, I have learned so much about my own style/brand/technique over the last few months, and it is a direct result of my "playtime" making these ATC's. The size makes them a comfortable format for trying new methods, and there is never any fear of messing up an expensive canvas. I have instant feedback when I post them to our group, and learn what works, and what shouldn't be done again. With a theme chosen for each month, by someone else, I am challenged to stretch my abilities and my interpretations to entirely new levels, things I never would have thought of myself.

So there you have it, my tiny little art! Speaking of tiny art and challenging myself as an artist, here is my Every Inchie Monday creation for the theme "Number".
Numbers and I don't get along very well, there doesn't seem to be a lot of room left in my brain after all the creative stuff. As a result, I have to spend an inordinate amount of time making sure they are correct, which SO goes against my nature. I work better if I keep my calculations down to a very simplistic method, hence the "counting apples" concept. The kiss is a reminder to "Keep It Simple, Stupid"!

I hope you have a wonderful day with friends and loved ones. Until next time...enjoy!

9 comments:

  1. The ATCs are just beautiful, and the inchie is darling. You keep getting better and better, Sally!

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    1. Janet, I can always count on you for positive encouragement. Thanks for being my joyful angel!

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  2. Have a wonderful BBQ- those ATC's are stunning- well worth ignore "grown up responsibilities"!

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    1. I have never found those "grown up" things all that exciting, myself. You are right, Carolyn, this is much more fun! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I am loving our yellow atc's! I agree with your reasons for doing them, i feel the same about working in my small sketchbook daily, it helps the overall quality of "finished" pieces later! And it's fun!

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    1. I have a small sketch book too, Fallingladies, but I seem to always slip back into the ATC's when i need something portable to work on. I get a kind of creative block when I don't have a theme to work with, like the monthly ones in our group. I need some kind of idea pool I can draw from, to give me that jump start for sketching in my journal. Thanks for visiting and taking time to comment!

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  4. Your mellow yellow atc's are really awesome! I agree; it is nice to have a theme to work with. Your inchie is also cool. I am always so fascinated with such tiny artworks.

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  5. I've tried working with yellow but I seem to make it muddy. These are lovely!

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    1. Hi MorningAJ. Yellows can be tricky, they always seem to be more transparent than other colors, even when they are not supposed to be. Try mixing a bit of white into your yellow before applying it, or even try under-painting that area with white, let it dry, then go over it with the yellow. Make sure your yellow is completely dry, before moving on to another color, so it doesn't mix with anything else. Hope that helps!

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