More experiments with textures

Just thought I would show an experiment before I show current projects. Currently I'm working on some custom clay tiles that aren't finished, then I have some
pen and ink custom home portraits.  So for now I will show a project that I worked on a few months ago.  Along with my students, I have been experimenting with mixed media paintings.  I tend to be very detailed with colored pencils and pen and ink, so I love the looseness of working with torn papers and modeling paste for textures and layering the variety of media allowing for previous layers to show through in places.  Here is a piece that I experimented with, although I still feel like its not quite finished.  The roof of the house needs another section on the right side. Although I was going for whimsical, it looks a little off balanced, so I am going to add a little more to it.

Some of the layers include: paint, then torn papers with architectural details and musical notes, tissue paper (crinkled up), black pastel for sketch, more paint, more layers, more paint. I didn't take photos as I went. I really need to start taking photos along the way. But here are some close ups so you can see the layers and the textures.

  

Enjoy the process!

Beth♥

It was so fun painting with texture...

...that I did another one! Earlier I painted a larger painting with 5 red flowers for our guest (my daughter's when she's home) bedroom. I liked it so much that I decided to do a smaller version of it with 3 flowers. I had fun painting it also. I plan to do some other things using this texturing medium. It is a heavy gel medium that you mix with the paint to make the acrylic paint thicker and hold its texture. You can use a pallette knife to smear it onto the canvas like icing on a cake.
This one is finished and listed in my Etsy Shop.

New Clay Tile...

'Evening at Home'

Heart Home Clay Tile

4" x 4"

See here on Etsy

...is finished and listed on Etsy. This is the tile that I blogged about here: Textured Tile. I thought I might not get to fire it because earlier this week I went to fire some things in my kiln, but it wouldn't turn on! So I had to get an electrician to look at it. He was able to fix it up for me, so I fired it up yesterday. I had another tile in the kiln that I will post later. It was made for a trade with another Arkansas artist on Etsy.

On the Easel...

Last weekend I put a canvas on the easel and started painting again! It really felt good to be creating! Especially something that was larger than what I have been working on lately. This painting was strictly for fun and to hang in the spare bedroom in my house. Really it's my daughter's bedroom, but she moved away to college and took the furniture from the room, so it has been empty until last weekend. We got a new bed and moved some furniture back into the room, but the walls were empty! And of course, I have to have art on the walls! So I had to paint something to go with the new bedspread. This is what I came up with and the steps that I went through to get it there.

Steps 1 & 2:
1. I painted the canvas black.

2. I sketched the flowers on the canvas and painted red loosely around the flowers.

Step 3:

3. I mixed this golden yellow with modeling paste and applied it onto the background with a palette knife.

Steps 4 & 5:

4. I painted the flowers with red and green, both mixed with modeling paste.

5. I started to add layers on the background and flowers to add dimension and detail.

Finished painting in the guest bedroom....So what do you think? Do you ever create something for the fun of it? Or create something to match the decor?

~Beth

Experimenting with Texture, Paint, and Collage

"Paris Eiffel Tower"
Beth S. Macre © 2008

Acrylic Paint on canvas

As an art teacher, I am constantly looking for new projects for my 3rd and 4th year students. Since these students have been with me for 3 and 4 years, they need more and more challenging projects each year. Some of my students really love a challenge and I really enjoy seeing what they come up with. The latest challenge that we all took on together, was to create a map relief textured painting. They could choose a map of any place, pick out the interesting lines and shapes to create an abstract or semi-abstract design. The only other requirements were that they should use a gel molding paste to create textured relief parts. I told them they could add pieces of fabric, wire, paper, or other items if they wished to create a collage effect. I also showed them a few ways to add texture to the molding paste to create different effects. Some of which I included in my "Eiffel Tower Map of Paris" piece shown here.

When I applied the molding paste, I laid a piece of wire mesh on top of the wet paste and pressed it on, using a pallette knife, then removed the wire mesh, leaving the texture. You can see a close up of the textures in the 2nd and 3rd photos here. The textures show up after they are painted with layers of paint of a variety of colors. To see it larger, click on the image.

For my painting I used a map of Paris, from my trip last summer. I also collaged a cut out photo that I took of the Eiffel Tower and printed in grayscale, then painted around the edges and some on top of the paper.

This was one of those projects that I really had fun with and plan to do more using the molding gel. I really love the effects that you can create with the textures. One of my goals for 2009 is to do more of this type of painting.

Tomorrow I will be doing some studio cleaning and thinking about the rest of those goals for 2009.

Hope you have a happy and safe New Year!

~Beth~

Final Fish Tile...For now...

This is the last fish tile for now. I fired the last load of pottery at school Friday and this came out today. It is similar to the last one, except it is long and rectangular, instead of square like the others. It is similar to the others, as far as the texture showing up with the addition of black glaze in the textured marks on the clay. The colors are very hard to get to show up accurately. I think the original has more vivid colors, but when I adjust those, the darker areas get too dark. The fish have evolved since I started them last year. So I hope you have enjoyed seeing the fish tile series. I've enjoyed creating them. Now on to some colored pencil painting...for now.

"Love is Blind"

Glazed Clay

Beth S. Macre © 2008

SOLD

Starry Starry Night

One of my favorite artists is Vincent Van Gogh. I love Impressionism and his painting titled 'Starry Night' has always intrigued me. I love to paint using the Impressionists techniques as well. I am planning to do some impressionist style paintings soon. But most recently, while doing some handbuilt pieces of clay, I created a vase and used the subject as the theme for this vase. Here are 2 photos of the finished piece. I may be putting it up for auction on ebay soon.

"One Fish"

SOLD

I am an art teacher, so with that job comes the opportunity to use a wide variety of materials to give my students experience with two and three dimensional media. Each year in the spring I bring out the clay. It is a nice change for my students who may be getting a little tired of drawing and painting all year. Each year I make examples for them to demonstrate and get ideas from. Last year I came across an article in an Art Journal that gave me the idea to create a tile of clay that highlights the textures of the design. I really enjoyed this process and have made several tiles since then, using this technique.

~First I rolled a slab and cut the shape that I want. Trying to avoid a stagnant square or rectangular, I cut it with some curves.

~Then I cut out shapes out of another thinner slab to attach on top of the original slab. I find the design is more interesting if it incorporates 3d forms with the design.

~After drying and firing the piece, I then cover the bisqueware piece with black glaze. After drying it, I wipe away the black glaze on the raised surfaces. The black glaze settles into the grooves and the creases between the raised forms. Then I add the rest of colors. After completing the color, I cover the entire piece with clear glaze. I like the look of the shiney surfaces, so the whole pieces comes out shiney after another round of firing in the kiln.

~This piece was recently sold on Ebay, but I have made several more pieces this year. I plan to keep using this technique and make some others. I will post the most recent ones as soon as I get some good photos of them.