Trying new things

Always playing with my watercolors!

I have been playing a lot with my watercolors lately
and have been away from my collage work.
I have been working on Alisa Burke's
Sketchbook Delight Two
Playing is the perfect word for it,
she is teaching us to enjoy the process
and play with our watercolors and our sketches.

There are so many creative avenues I want to pursue,
I just don't have the time to play all that I want to!
I was down with a bug this past week and forced
to stay home from work for a few days (oh darn).
I enjoyed the slow down immensely.
I think it is wonderful how your body has a way of
slowing you down and forcing you
to rest and restore.
We all need that from time to time!

I love playing with black and white photography!

I wanted to experiment and take that exact image
and play with collage and acrylics.
So here is my project!
I first started with collaging papers
on an 8 x 8 canvas
(I love the squared sizes!)

I then used my palette knife to scrape colors over the papers.
I love that technique.  I know below the paint are 
images and words just resting there.
It just speaks to my heart while
I am creating.

I then decided to paint the flower pot with my
 palette knife as well.
All the while, this was feeling so very different
from my watercolor painting.
I knew I would be getting a different effect.

I then added my flowers and leaves, using my fingers
and the palette knife, it was starting to look
like something!  It was beginning to take
on it's own form.
(artwork does that you know)

Long after I stepped away from the piece 
and allowed it to dry
(something I am not used to)
I came back in with my Pitt Artist Pen
(my favorite for pen and ink detail)
I did learn it didn't do as well over acrylics!
So I also used my 
Stabilo Aquarellable Black Pencil
(another tool I can't do without)
With each stroke, more and more
detail was added to the flowers and leaves.
It is hard to stop when you get to that process.

My finished work!

So here you see my finished piece.

I like it because I learned a lot while creating it.

I do believe I love the watercolor piece more.

There is something so beautiful and fluid

about watercolors.

I call myself a Mixed Media Artist

and that is because I never want to stop at just one

art medium.

I am learning to put them together,

to create with something new,

to experiment with the process.

Isn't that what being artistic means?

I am in love with the creative process,

envisioning, drawing, painting,

detailing, sharing,

and knowing when to stop 

and say my work is finished!

I would love to hear your ideas on 

your own creative process!