My Mucha Angel for Willowing

Hello out there!  It's time for my Willowing fix again! LOL!  I "finished" my Mucha inspired Angel for M3 today.  Well O.K., she's not quite finished, but close enough to post. I still have some shading and the background to finish yet - it won't take long.

I am dedicating this Healing Angel to my Friend Sharon L. who is undergoing major surgery today.  She stands for Courage, Compassion, Trust and Healing.  Sharon, we are praying for a safe procedure and a speedy recovery for you!  I will be sending you a copy for when you get home again -  and it better be soon, so don't you be giving any of those Doctors and Nurses any lip!

Well, it's on to the M3 Mermaid.  Tam has presented the mermaid in the style of Chagall as our next lesson.  Oh, I'm soooo behind!  That was last week!  I am not that fond of the Chagall style so I will be changing it up some (big surprise there).  I will use some of the Chagall ideology if I can, the dreamlike qualities mostly.    

So, my dears, tonight I will try and dream Chagall style and see what lovely mermaids I can come up with.

Music in the studio was:  Wildflower - Sheryl Crow,  I Am Sam soundtrack - Various artists sing The Beatles...

Always and forever in art,  Jessica xox 

Outrunning the Storm

Hello to you all in Artland!  With all the storms that are transpiring my my life, I realize I need a day away.  Anticipating beautiful weather, I hop in the truck and drive to Eugene.  My first stop is the U of O art store.  It's been over a year since I have been there so this visit is long overdue!  The U of O is my favorite place to stock up on all the cool stuff I would normally have to order blind on Dick Blick.  My Copic liners (I don't use the markers), Caran d'ache w/c crayon open stock, Fabriano Artisicto hot press w/c paper, Golden interference colors...all the stuff I'm using in the M3 class.  Their prices are fantastic too! 

I find it uplifting to mingle with the young creatives that are hanging about as we chat about this and that. Then I trot on over to Starbucks to soak in a little campus life.  My spirit soars as I feel younger and more carefree if only for a couple of hours.  Feeling more myself than I have in months, I motor to the Borders store to use my coupon.  I find just what I'm looking for, a book, "Graffiti Women, Street Art From Five Continents".  While I am there, I sit my butt down and thumb through all the cool fashion and make-up mags along with Somerset Studios' publications.  I choose my latest passion, "Art Journaling", and I head out to grab my favorite healthy burrito at Mucho Gusto.

After my revitalizing interlude surrounded by happy chatty people, I decide to head for home.  There is some serious rain coming down and everyone seems surprised.  Well, it gets a lot more surprising as a few miles out it begins to snow very hard.  Wow, where did that come from?  Now I'm worried but thankful I didn't bring the rental SUV as the truck is equipped for snow.  It snows heavily for about 40 miles and thankfully the big rigs help keep the freeway clear.  Then it tapers off to rain and by the time I'm home, it is dry.  

Twice in one day I have out run the storm...

 My new book and magazine...

   

Winter Pond

   

 Robins on Winter Pond

If there are any storms on your horizon, I wish you luck on outrunning them.  But if you happen to get caught in one, take cover in your art. :)

Goddess Update:  I've decided to give my Goddess a break until I am able to wrestle with that large canvas again.  I just have a few details left to do and then she will be hung in her spot on the living room wall.

Angel update:  She's comming along slowly but surely...

My sincere and grateful thanks to all of you that have left comments, suggestions and words of encouragement.  You are greatly appreciated!!!

Forever in art,  Jessica

A day in the life of my new angel

Good evening my fellow artsy souls.  This twilight has brought us a pause in the rain and snow.  The wind howled, the rain poured down and it snowed a couple of miles away on the mountain.  I've been watching it on and off all day from my kitchen window with my latte' in hand... 

The storm was so fierce early on and then a hush settled in with a strange lighter glow coming through the curtains and I knew what was happening.  Yes it was snowing.  My little winter lake is back in my yard outside my studio again and will freeze over tonight.

I've made a little progress on my Mucha inspired Angel for Willowing M3 so I thought I'd share it with you...

I glued on the book page and script elements to start building the mixed media background and since I took this photo I have started on the first layer of her hair. 

OK, I took another photo...

It was dark out and I only had studio light for this photo.  I laid in the first layer of her wings too.  Oh yeah, the spread is 10" x 22".  I've got a looooong way to go yet.  I really like her a lot and I just hope I don't mess her up!!!

Well, I will be squiring my parents around again tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to us being out in this storm.  My Dad is still a little weak and my Mom with her fused ankle and me with my gimpy knees flared in this weather, sometimes we are like bumper cars! (or penguins)  Ha!  I'd rather be creating art!!!

Be sure to take that break for yourself and feed your creative soul these next few days.  I am struggling to find the time myself, so the house isn't getting vacuumed and the dog's bed is very odorous.  I think I've got a clean set up in the laundry room to switch it out - I really can't stand it!  LOL!  Stinky Dog!

Music in the Studio was:  Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars and Sheryl Crow - Wildflowers

Forever in Art,  Jessica

I've started My Willowing Angel sketch!

Hellooooo my artsy friends!  Thank you so much for your heartfelt comments and concerns for mine and my Dad's health.  Things are improving! 

I'm still doing art from the big chair - Ha!  I've started my Willowing M3 sketch for the angel done in the Alphonse Mucha style!  I really didn't think I would be able to start it yet so I'm excited.  I've done her in my fabriano 8 x 10 journal on the center foldout spread. 

And here is her start...

I will have to work the string into the picture with a little gesso and paint - LOL!  Anyway, I am very excited to take her into the studio for her color.  Tam showed doing the background and angel separately and then gluing the angel onto the finished background.  Of course, I won't be doing it that way because this is my journal and I'm not going to cut her out so I will probably get stuck again when it comes to finishing her!  I'm not really a rebel (well, maybe a little), I'm just still figuring out my working style.  There is the whole other page to add journaling too so I think it's going to be cool.

Here is the updated fairy photo from the last post - just a teeny tiny bit different but she's finished now. Ha!

Harbinger of Spring Fairy

I have to "dash" to Dad's for a quick visit and drop off some medical supplies then I'm going to Michael's to spend this week's 40% off coupon.

I'm hoping to begin my angel in the studio tonight.  The tunes I'll be spinning will be by Enya - I'm in the mood for Shepard Moons and Amarantine (not to be confused with Valentine).

More from the studio and some valentine pics later!

Forever in art, Jessica

A little art from my big chair...

Hello from the chair instead of the studio!  

As you have probably figured out, life has been very hectic with taking care of my Dad and helping my Mom so I'm run down right now and behind on my sleep.  Also since my accident I haven't been able to sit in my studio and work on my Goddess for Willowing.  It's been a huge disappointment to me not to able to keep up with class.  We are now into Angels with a Mucha inspiration and I have not been able to start one.

Since my art is the only thing that brings me joy right now, I've taken it up my from my big chair in the living room.  (I will be returning to Willowing M3 class as soon as I am able.) 

I was only able to do a fairy face on plain paper rather than my usual painted backgrounds...

"Harbinger of Spring"

Ha!  I just realized I forgot to do all the stamens in the flowers.  Oh well.....and her eye is a little blah.  I will fix her tomorrow.  I just used my usual black Copic multiliner 0.5 and Prismacolor colored pencils.  That was it for this one.
 
For the Willowing Goddess, I removed the rest of the collage material from my Goddess's dress and repainted it.  I will figure out what to do with her dress later when I'm back in the studio again.  I highlighted her halo and defined the edges of her hair a bit - there is nothing too noticeable from the last photo.
 

 
Actually I'm a little addicted to her plain calmness just the way she is. I almost seems that any of the decoration I've tried to put on her (and I've tried a lot), she throws it right back off - as if she wants to be left simple, serene and calm.  I think if she had been smaller in size I would have been o.k. with leaving her plain, but this big canvas just seems too blank, too unfinished.
 
O.K., I will stop obsessing and leave her for later! 
 
I am praying things will settle down some the next few days so I can rest and regain my strength both physical and emotional.  If I get tomorrow off I will do another doodle.  I notice that when I'm not feeling well I always go back to my doodles.  They are very uplifting and fun to do!  I go to my happy place and my worries fade into the background...  Art sure does sooth my soul!!! 

Always in art,  Jessica