The Space Between and more bits and pieces

I have worked some more on this small hanging.  I am calling it 'The Space Between' for a number of reasons.  I have put a bit of red in the binding, handstitched some more red into the binding and then added this bit of red to two of the daisies just to move the colour across the piece.  I like it!!

 I am carrying on with my watercolour class.  This morning I played with capturing this calla lily with watercolours.  Learning, learning.  It is a more wet-in-wet style than I am used to trying so it's baby steps!!  My life is a series of baby steps just now!!  But that's ok....at least I'm stepping!!

More work on another runner....I just love these colours.  So fresh.
And now I have to go and do a bit of work on the Jane Davies' Extreme Composition class I'm in.  Jane has generously left the class open until the end of the year so even though I started really (really) late, I am hopeful I can finish in time. This piece was one of four working in a grid using disparate elements (and more, that I won't go into....it's worth taking the class, any of Jane's classes...see link below...at the risk of repeating myself, Jane is a talented and generous teacher.)

But I'm also working on a couple of Christmas stockings for the wee ones using some of my hand-dyed fabrics.  Not sure if the design in my head will work in real life, but I'm going to mess about with that this afternoon as well. This one is becoming something of a priority.
I love it that I have so many projects on the go. It makes me crazy that I have so many projects on the go. Basically I'm a cheery nutcase.  That works!
I'll be back....

Another watercolour pear picture

I have done another picture of my pears using my watercolours again.  And I have managed to re-size the picture without too much hassle but with several hours of messing about with photoshop elements.  OK, at one point I was ready to throw in the towel but I think I am understanding the process a bit better now.  Note to self: write down the steps, write down the steps.....

And I am getting better at mixing colours that I like with my palette.  That's the most fun.  I know that I still have so very far to go but so far I am really loving the journey!!!

I'll be back.

Watercolour pears.

Well, I have resized the above pic and have posted it.  I suppose that means that I will have to resize EVERY picture I want to post.  Such a nuisance.  And I'm still not sure what to do about purchasing more storage space.  I'd be thrilled if you could tell me your experiences with this....don't be shy!!

Anyway, the above is a watercolour I did of some pears that I shot (not literally, they weren't THAT bad!) on my kitchen table.  Believe me, no pears were injured in the photographing of these images!!!  Honestly, can you picture that.....mad woman shoots innocent pears....

I am also happy to be playing with my watercolours again.  So many things to do!!!  I am experimenting with using just transparent watercolours.  I really love them.

Well, that's it for today.  I'm sort of wrecked from all of this hi-tech computer fuss.  I mean, really, ...
Nonetheless, I'll be back.... (I think!)

Is this the end???

Wow, blogger has said that I am out of storage space.  Picasa web picture file??? What is this?  How do I dump photos in this storage space? Apparently if I dump them from my picasa storage space they are also removed from my hard drive.  And then Blogger says I can have more space IF I purchase it, on a monthly payment basis.  What's up with that??

Have you had any experience with this?  What do I do??

Fun working in a group

Yesterday I spent the morning monoprinting with some friends.   Laura (above) got a beautifully clear picture of some birds and then got a lovely ghost print as well.

 Eileen managed the same magic with a leaf image.  We found that the retarder gel gave us a longer working time.  I am wondering if the Golden Open Acrylics would have the same effect.  I haven't tried them yet.

 Miriam used Jacquard Lumiere paints to get these two lovely images.  Printing onto coloured fabric was very successful.

 Brenda printed this sweet little tree image onto some fancy paper.

Dale experimented with textures on the print plate and pulled off this beautiful image.

Yvonne was working with cave images and also managed to get some great texture on her image as well.  It does have a sort of cave-wall feel to it, doesn't it?

And here, working in a group as well, are some lovely pumpkins sitting together amongst the feverfew.  This shot was taken last month but I just loaded it onto my computer today.  It was at the end of a lovely long stretch of sunny weather.  A treat to look at now as I am listening to the rain on the skylight above my head.   The sunny image and the pelting rain make a rather disorienting juxtaposition!!
I hope your day is filled with many pleasant things.
I'll be back....

Jane Davies' classes: Two more pieces

 Here are two more pieces from the Jane Davies' Extreme Composition class.  I am having quite a lot of fun working my way through the lessons and am preparing to begin lesson 3.  It is fun to be working with acrylics again and Jane offers lots of great ideas for moving forward with the various techniques.  (She also suggested that I make the line on the left hand side a bit more prominent and I believe she is right.  But I was impatient to try something with cropping the image and I haven't re-worked the line yet:  I scanned these two pics and I think I have learned how to crop them so that not too much of the scanner bed is showing.  It is what I wanted to do.  Old dog...new tricks....maybe it can happen!!!  Now I'll tackle that line...)

Tomorrow I am doing a workshop on monoprinting.  Pictures to follow!!!
I'll be back....

Jane Davies' class Extreme Composition

I am finally posting some work to Jane Davies' class called Extreme Composition.  I am late (nothing new, sigh) but at least I am getting to it!!! These two pics are from the beginning of the second lesson and we were to work with shapes.

Jane really is a fabulous instructor with lots of wonderful ideas and insightful comments.  All the class members join a (closed) blog just for the class and post their work.  Other class members offer their comments and Jane comments on every posting as well.  I have always found the comments  from both Jane and the other class members to be extremely helpful.  I cannot recommend her classes enough!!  Check them out at www.janedaviesstudios.com  There is a link on her blog to her on-line classes.  (While you're at it, check out her new dvd as well.....also excellent.)

More bits and pieces

 I am playing with some monoprinting, trying to figure out what paints to use.  I have been inspired totally by Angie Lewin's book (absolutely fabulous) and since I'm just using these for sampling I have traced some of her designs.  I think that's all right (copyright-wise) since they are for my own use and will just end up in the bin when I'm done.  Here I have used Golden Acrylic heavy body paints plus retarder as my ink.  The top image had a lot more ink on the plate (a sheet of plexiglas) but I kind of like the effect.  I went into it once it was dried with watercolour pencils and then went over that with a wet brush.  Kind of fun.  You can see a close-up below.  It's on rice paper.  The second piece was more successful as a print.  I like the 'noise' that the ink leaves on the paper as you draw into it on the plate.

 I have completed four runners (tis the season, you know) and am sort of glad to be done with them for a while.  All that 'stitch in the ditch' business is hard on the old eyes. 

This last pic (another monoprint) is taken from one of my photos that I shot last spring during our drive just east of Amsterdam.  I'm thinking of putting it on fabric.  More on that later.
Clearly I have more to do.  Lots more.
I'll be back....

Jane Davies' classes and More Bits and Pieces

I have been super busy trying to set up a new routine because I have committed myself to establishing some sort of 'studio time' every day.  I am also scrambling to catch up with the lessons for Jane Davies' Extreme Composition class (I am SO behind).  And in doing so, I am bumping up against my demons once again.  Abstract work is way out of my comfort zone but I am wanting to push myself into new territory.....and I certainly seem to have done just that.  So in the meantime, I am spending time with the quarter-inch seam, a comfortable, known quantity.  And with the holiday season looming large, it sort of feels appropriate. 

Well, lots of quarter inch seams there!!

And a couple of my scanned abstracts that I did for the Jane Davies' class.  Need I say more??  But at least I am making myself do them, and that is my goal at the moment.  Hmmm, I accidentally spelled that 'gaol' which kind of says how I feel about the doing of them!! 
Oh my.  Back soon.