Cay Denise

The above photo is from the first chalk art festival that I've participated in...and it was a great day for doing so!  The 4'x4' piece was my chalk 'take' of the Telemadera piece framed by a paper background that emulates a center 3D piece...recently finished. Little did I know how challenging this process was going to be...drawing on concrete.  It is no easy substrate to work with.  The work is hard on the back and knees with all the stooping and kneeling...but I did it.  Thankfully, my neighboring artists didn't show up until mid-day, so I was able to walk around my square (using their spaces for my footfalls) to fill in areas more easily than if I'd had to lean over the piece to do so.  I was grateful for this not so small favor. Would I do it again?  I don't know.  To do so, I'd like to practice technique.  As it was, I didn't use water to ground the chalk and/or help with blending, and I'd like to get better at shading and highlig...

Recently, I rescued a box of scrapbooking supplies from storage that haven't been used in years.  Inside, a VersaMagic Chalk Ink pad never opened...until tonight.  Well, it hadn't dried out and was totally luscious to use!  I applied the actual dew drop ink pad on paper to create flower petals.  It was a bit messy but it stamped very smoothly.  The coverage is great while a bit on the translucent side.  That works very nicely for layering and allows a bit of the background to show through.  The product takes a bit of time to dry, but after drying--it won't rub off.  I love the richness of this chalk ink and look forward to using it again in future projects.  It is a terrific product!

A central elliptical wood plaque (look closely) was created a number of years ago.  A Telamadera technique was used on it (acrylic paint base painted over the wood with fused fabric added and then embellished with decorative elements) with a few coats of varnish -- though still needing more. So, I took it the center piece out of the garage where it had been stored up until the time I finally decided to complete it.  The next steps included adding many more layers of varnish.  Then, I created a collaged paper background to mimic the central design--but in 2D--to create a mandala like effect. I'm very happy with the paper colors.  They work perfectly and complement the Telamadera piece very nicely. A shout out and thank you goes to Alma de la Melena Cox who developed the Telemadera technique and does some very neat work of her own!