Mixed Media~Beast

July 31, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

This is an easy, fluid technique to build up lots of texture underneath a painting. This is one of the biggest pieces I’ve done: 20 x20.

Begin with covering the board/canvas in several lighter and darker color patches. When that is dry, cover it all with random brushstrokes of GAC 100. When that is dry, cover the color patches with a light layer of white.

You can apply fabric or tissue paper, under paint to add texture. From here, when an area for a figure begins to “reveal” itself, enjoying shaping it out.

Mixed Media~Waiting

July 25, 2014July 25, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

Still trying to get faces and moods the way I want. Going for more muted colors and quieter background.

Pink Punk

July 22, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

I’m crazy about color schemes and getting so much inspiration on combining certain colors: lime green and pink. Yum. Here’s the basic process, ala Mindy Lacefield, for crafting a raw background of little personal marks, and then finding the face and body of a character:

A recent, very accomplished artist suggested that a “raw” background and a “raw” figure might might make a more integrated composition. I think I agree and will see what thats like. I wonder if you like the earlier unfinished face, aka “raw” quality on this background? I went ahead and finished it, but am wondering now.

Mixed Media: Circus Girl

July 12, 2014July 12, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

Circus. Rings. Ladders. Dancers. Why don’t I let myself use bold reds–bold colors– more often? The strength of the focal points never seem to match up to it, so I go with softer colors?

I like how raw her eyes and features are, and I like how moody her long, wispy feet are.

Mixed Media: Painting Emotions

July 9, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

I collaged pages from The Farmer’s Hat with other papers and added this farm girl.

I discovered the shape of her overalls in the random painting I had applied.

In this piece, I used a Mindy Lacefield style of adding, dabbling, scraping, dotting, and randomly letting go with favorite mediums and colors. Then I found a space for a girl reaching for a bird and painted that in. I like her gentle face.

Mixed Media Experiments~2

July 3, 2014 | Reality Sandwiches

I’m out of my comfort zone with these next two. Forcing myself to break away from the large faces and raw technique, I decided to work on 2 pieces where the backgrounds are prominent to the composition.

Here’s a photo series showing the build-up of mediums to create this snowy angel: torn paper, modeling paste on stencils, tissue paper, gesso, and acrylics:

Flower Fields

This is fun to go reckless with and dot, dab, splotch as many layers of paint to cover most of the board except a horizon. I am using a long 12″x 26″chunk of pine board from the garage. Discovered I really like working on solid wood surface. Sick of spongey canvas for now.

After building up lots of color, grab the Gesso and begin painting around dabs of color to form flower shapes. Its kind of like painting negative space, I think. Again, out of my comfort zone, but really had fun with this.