spring cleaning and this and that

the truth is, i'm a bit tired of everything. so it's time to shift things around a bit.

even change the menu, experiment with those recipes i never got around to.

but i can't get away from the teabag art

i love it. they're stacking up. a few have been gifted to friends. 

i think it's the texture and color of the paper

a friend brought me some bark

to draw or paint on ofcourse

and i've been picking up jacaranda pods to paint on too

nature makes such a great substrate

i put these together while gardening. tiny pieces bark used as mulch. can you see the baby?

in between, more teabags

l

and flowers on brown paper bags

and a book kit by tim holtz from michael's was irresistible thanks to a 40% off coupon. 

my favorite teabag inspired by a painting by a dutch painter of children

so you see, the flurry of creativity has continued in spite of needing a disconnect. 

brooch and pendants made with polymer clay

and sketches

and a pochette

many packages have gone out to instagram followers around the world who always leave such encouraging comments or who send me the most amazing packages or notes with surprises like this butterfly wing.

stitched mostly, with the occasional small painting

tag or watercolor

and thank you card, altered for a good purpose. 

i love what i do as a pastime

next time, i'll show and tell about my spirit cloth in progress

time does really fly when you are having fun. 

for a while there i did not leave the studio, painting, painting, painting as i delved deeper into all i had learned from full circle workshop and all the new roads it had led me down.

so in between more plantings in the garden and more hangings in the kitchen i just kept at it, surprised at what was coming forth from my subconscious.

paperclay included

and some collage after a long time not enjoying it

and a new discovery.... plain paper and pencil drawings

and a random postcard for a friend in england

I have used a lot of blue

and red

experimenting with a bit of storytelling in my paintings, gradually going bigger

and finally finished this piece on wood and selling it

recycling boxes to make another gift for yet another friend titled "love the giver"

a true reflexion of a mixed media artist

i keep running out of time for making all that i would like

but i am filled with gratefullness that i am able to paint at all.

recuerda mi corazón

we are all a gift to each other.....

inspiration has been slow in coming. nevertheless.......i managed to finish a madonna named "la virgen de huayalolen" named after my best friend's  love of gardening, especially gardening with roses. www.casadulcehogar.blogspot.com 

 i would like to share this post with "recuerda mi corazón" since i just discovered her blog through lynne hoppe

and lloved it.

the rest of the week has been spent mostly exploring the backroads near our home, bicycling, and experimenting with digital art with several neat apps.

i love how this santos cagedoll turned out with a frame from flickr's "playing with brushes".

with this one you can see i got a wee bit ambitious, using several layers and all sorts of editing.

what do you think of our backroads? we live in an area surrounded by farmland, mainly orange and avocado groves.

and this is my largest painting so far, 12x16 on wood panel.  it now hangs in my bedroom to remind me that if you really set your mind to it, you can do it; it just takes patience and perseverance. 

with no formal training, i have read and studied other peoples work, sifting through subjects and techniques that i like. then, i just went for it....trial and error, over and over and over until i got the hang of it.  but most importantly, i realized that it is the process that i enjoy even if some of the results are poor.  being in those creative moments are some of the best moments in my daily life.

when i paint, or sew, or knit, or collage.....i enter a zone, a deep spiritual zone where i find a great calm.

art is so therapeutic....so freeing and to create beauty such a reward in itself. i feel these faces coming alive, smiling at me, thanking me even, almost like i've given birth.