New Practice - Exploration

This piece is inspired by the imitation of an original painting of Auguste von Harrach by Heinrich Abel Seijffert circa 1828. An interesting note about the piece from the Royal Collection Trust is that the original painting was done in watercolor on ivory--such an uncommon combination based on what I can find in a Duck Duck Go search.

This work was done on Strathmore Visual Journal watercolor paper (140lb.) It has one coat of Liquitex Matte Medium on it. Applying Sharpies over the coated paper didn't work (results were too transparent). So the painting has been completed with Folk Art matte acrylics. The black lines were made with a Pentel PointLiner (0.3mm) and gold embellishments made with a Sakura PenTouch. In this one, I also had to go over the black lines after painting it...difficult to do.

I like using this paper but have yet to test Sharpies applied directly to it. That said, what I like about this piece is, again, the gradation of color families to create the lighter and darker wavy line-shaped areas. I also like the yellows in the background because they complement the face and draw the eye to it. I also like the sleeves/bodice of her gown, and the gradation of the neck color from orangish chin to light pink chest.

This will be my last piece using the Folk Art matte acrylics. I've learned they are not my cup of tea. Now it's on to experimenting with tempera paints, tube watercolors, my new Nova Color paints, acrylic gouache, and Golden fluid acrylics.

The exploration continues...

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Visiting The Hague and Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Paris!

Since late March, I've been planning an international solo trip that included meeting up with friends. The planning is what makes a trip an adventure, and it was definitely fabulous -- now that it is in the rearview mirror -- so to speak. During my two weeks abroad, the sights visited included the: Mauritshuis, a lovely art museum (The Hague, Netherlands) Binnenhof (The Hague, Netherlands) Delft (Netherlands) Kasteel de Haar, a castle (Haarzuilens, Netherlands) Museum Speelklok (Utrecht, Netherlands) Walking Tour of Amsterdam (Netherlands) Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Dutch Resistance Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) De Oude and Nieuwe Kerks aka old and new churches (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Anne Frank House (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Sainte Chapelle/Conciergerie (Paris, France) Giverny - Monet's residence at one time (outside Paris) Versailles (outside Paris) Musee d'Orsay/VR Event titled 1874 Impressionists First Exhibition

New Project in Progress

I'm working on a new project with multiple layers and shapes of different colored organzas. It is an interpretation of lighting on an ice rink...from a show I recently saw. There is a lot more stitching to do, but I like how its coming along. I'm learning organzas are not easy to work with especially when you layer them and have overlaid edges. The fabric also tends to ravel easily. This post also linked to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com .

Concertina Dazzle Days

If you don't know what a Concertina Sketchbook is, it is folded paper (back and forth) that looks like the bellows of an accordion when done. Concertinas can be home-made or purchased, and they are fun to work in. The photos above are of three continuous two-page spreads from my own Concertina (the one on the right - the latest). The mark-making was done with Sharpie markers, Posca pens, Micron pens and Sakura PenTouch markers. All the shapes and color choices in the images above were spontaneous as well as the details. There was no plan. What I like about these is that each two-page spread collaborates with the next one and so on (as the designs spill over from one spread to the next). As new ones are created, they add to the wonderful visual feast. One of the things I love doing with these also -- is to crop sections and digitally mirror them to form symmetrical designs. The results are occasionally delightful. In fact, this one was made from such a process and has a n

Cay Denise

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