neldaream

12/06/11

This morning I heard a phrase spoken by a talk show host that intrigued me: Times are Changing.  It made me want to do a journal page. 

I set out to play with only that phrase in mind, just wanting to put some paint on the page and see what would happen.

The page in the journal had been pre-painted with orange.  I have now learned I do not like starting on pre-painted pages.  It was too orange for today.  So I tried to tone it down with some gesso and paint.

Ahh...that suits my mood today much better. 

I liked the collaged text pages peeking through the paint; especially the piece from a Bible with the blue underlined sentences.  It was like a message from God; couldn't cover up a message from God, now, could we?

How about some stenciling through punchinella?

Well, since that went pretty well, how about some more stenciling through that plastic place mat from GoodWill?  But what color to use...

I chose a blackish color.  Uh-oh.  It has taken over the page.  Now what?  Even after blotting and adding white gesso on top it is still screaming on the page.  Plus I have now lost some of that nice collage element.

Find a nice figural head in a fashion magazine.  Combine it with some painted deli paper.  How about some left over stars from another project found on the work table?  Yes, I like that.  Especially since one of them is blue.  It compliments the blue underlining on the text. 

Now, where to place the stars.  There are only three.

Maybe that's a little better.  Kind of makes a boomerang effect into the focal point of the text.

That black head on the page is screaming.  Need to add more black somewhere else.  Outline the stars...add some black text.  Hmm...still not enough.  Wish I hadn't added that last line.

Asphaltum to the rescue.  It never disappoints.  Hey, it even blurredf the line I don't like.  Maybe it could use a bit more. 

I'm liking this better.  The head is integrated a bit more into the page, although it is still screaming at me.  But at least it is muffled somewhat. 

It is finished.  I don't like it enough to keep going further.  It is what it is..and that's okay.  I had fun and I learned something.  The main thing I learned is that a touch of black can totally take over and dominate a page.  Note to self: be more cautious in using black.  Experiment to see how you like it combined on a page.

But then...maybe I could paint over that head with Payne's Gray...tone it down...integrate it into the page more...

 

The Fancy Flea

Some concerned citizens have been asking if I have given up art.  No, I promise that is not the case.  Things are just changing a bit right now.  I am trying to integrate my love of antiques and art.  

On Saturday I was a vendor at The Fancy Flea Market in Lakeland, FL.  This was cited by Romantic Homes Magazine as one of the Ten Best Flea Markets in the U.S.  They were so right, it was a marvelous show.  It was held on the streets of the historical district of Lakeland.  Combine that with mature trees along the street, top notch vendors, beautiful weather, live harp music, beautiful gardening items and good food...well, it was just wonderful.  It was so busy, though, I forgot to take pictures; just snapped these few as we were setting up the booth.

This show was the first time I tried to put my art with the antiques.  Guess what?  I sold some paintings!  It was great confirmation to me that this idea will work.

Tomorrow I will be working on some small paintings that didn't get finished in time for the show.  It's another idea I have been wanting to try.  So many ideas...so little time.

The next Fancy Flea Market will be held on April 28 in 2012.  You gotta come; you will love it.  See you there!

 

Halloween Sweater

We don't actually celebrate Halloween, but since the holiday fell on flea market day this year, Tristan got a new sweater to wear for the occasion.  I wanted to show you how cute he looks in it but...

I got a lot of this...

and this...

and this.  Oh, well...

Happy Halloween, anyway.

Flea Market 10/24

Shopping for the flea market last week was hard because we had rain. The best find of the week was this wonderful big toolbox. 

The best part is that it is cantilevered.

Just think of all the art supplies this guy would hold.  Maybe it won't sell and I can take it home.

Even Tristan likes it.

I signed up to have a booth at The Fancy Flea market in Lakeland, Florida next month.  My friend, Debbie, told me more about the market yesterday.  It will be much larger than I'd expected.  I hope to get some art done to mix in with the antiques I sell.  This big tool guy will definitely go with me.

Party Lights

This was last week's find.  Can you tell what they are?  Party lights!  Can you tell what they are made of?  Tin cans! 

As you know, I love turning trash into something beautiful and useful.  When I saw these party lights at a flea market, I got so excited.  Someone was VERY clever and creative in thinking of this upcycled product. It looks like they were cut with a torch.  There is a hole in the can bottom to accomodate a light, and the "ribs" cut into the can can be bent to give it a more round shape. 

They look perfect with vintage industrial or rustic decor.  Now, all we need is the party.

A Whisper of Autumn

Everyone at the flea market yesterday was so exhilirated by the COOL weather.  We actually had to wear long sleeved shirts in the early morning.  We haven't done that here in Florida since January.

Of course, by noon it was 83 degrees, but most of the vendors were closed by then.

It was such a good day.

More Chalk Paint

Okay, just one more post about chalk paint.  I am feeling much better about it now.  This wonderful old tool box was a great flea market find, but it needed a lot of work.

This is how I found it; damaged and VERY dirty.

The worst part of it was a terrible, oily/dirty stain in the bottom.

But the best part of it was three zinc lined drawers.

So after a LOT of scraping and scrubbing with strong cleaner and elbow grease, it was finally ready for paint.  I decided to try the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on it.  This would certainly be a test of the paint's ability to cover without primer.  I selected the color, Duck Egg Blue.  Lo, and Behold!  It covered that stain with only ONE coat of paint.

I was sold.  Sign me up for the ASCP fan club. 

I wanted to maintain the primitive look of the tool box, so I used dark wax to distress it.  I really love the way it turned out.  The duck egg blue was a perfect compliment to the old silver paint in the lid of the box.  Now, I don't know if I can bear to sell it.  It might just have to hold a few art supplies for awhile.

I also tried the chalk paint on another challenging project.  This picture frame had been attacked with a pink lipstick. 

Two coats of the chalk paint covered it and saved the entire frame.  Yeah!!!

I first heard about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint from Marian of Miss Mustard Seed.  Since then I have read many blogs with glowing praise of the paint.  I must admit, I do like the paint very much.  It does cover well and you don't have to prime or sand a piece before using it.  But it does require the addition of the soft wax finish which I did not enjoy.  The price, at almost $35 per quart, was a bit shocking for me.  That alone makes it hard for me to use this paint exclusively.  However, it certainly has its place in my paint cabinet.

You can find out more about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint here. 

 

Chalk Paint Frenzy

This is the post where I apologize to you for neglecting this blog for so long. I am sorry about that.  Life has been so hectic the last few weeks.  I have been working very hard to prepare my space for the Labor Day holiday.  Our garage has become a paint workshop.

After reading the glowing testimonials on several of the DIY blogs, I had to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I painted three large pieces including this French buffet.  My experience with ASCP is that it wasn't really that much easier to use than regular paint, HOWEVER...the end results are wonderful, indeed.  I especially like the way the Paris Gray and Old White transformed this vintage piece.  Many of our customers today were complimentary of it.

After all that hard work, I must admit, it is hard to sell a piece like this.  Maybe it will sit there for a long time and I will get to bring it home.

One thing is for sure; I will definitely be using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint again...just as soon as I can save enough money to buy another color.

Upcoming Book

I just received word from Seth Apter that I will be a contributing artist in his new book, The Pulse of Mixed Media.  I am so thrilled!  I have long admired Seth's work and his blog, The Altered Page.  The book is due to be released by North Light Books on 3/2/12.  You can pre-order it on Amazon, but I'll wait to see if Seth offers any autographed copies.

To find out more about the book go to Seth's blog.

WIP

Today, in between errands, I started a large collage project.  This was inspired by some work I saw at ArtFest several years ago from a class taught by Anahata Katkin.  Anahata had her students do large works on wallpaper.

The first step was to get the wallpaper taped down onto some garbage bags. 

Then I applied two coats of gesso.  I actually used a brush to save the roller for background paint.

Tristan could tell this was going to be a long project so he settled down with his favorite toy, Foxie.

I wish I had applied gesso to the back of the wallpaper also to help prevent rippling.  Maybe after the piece is done.

Using the roller, I applied a coat of Americana paint in the color, Tangerine.  Then I began pulling out collage papers to add to the piece.  The face was cut from an advertisement.  The body is a piece of paper that covered the work table in the studio.  I liked the square shapes on it.

Then...it was time to fix dinner.  If only we didn't have to eat. 

More tomorrow...