just a thought

Yesterday while I was walking on a beach { I walk many beaches nowadays: Eastcoast, westcoast, whenever and wherever we are } The kids enjoy playing in the surf -it's summer here you know- and I wander the coastline in search for driftwood. Sometimes I find a lot of nice pieces, sometimes there is not so much or only small pieces....so yesterday I was thinking that the ocean decides what I get on that particular day. I feel the ocean to be a male and he provides for me, whatever I seem to need. I thought how strange it has happened that when I was stuck and full of selfdoubt yet again, I suddenly started to see these Angels appear in the driftwood. Not all the pieces I pick up work, often I look at them and see nothing, or I think I see a beginning and hold a piece for a while, walk with it, feel it and I still decide to give it back to the sea. Funny thing though that when I ask others, they don't always see the sea, the ocean as a man. Some say she is a woman....but for me, he is a man {well, I think most often he is} and here is a little love he gave me a couple of weeks ago ♥

Oh, and more Angels and Mermaidens are on "Angels at my Table"

Salty Kisses and sandy toes ;)
xxxx 

Angry Fish vs Angry Birds

 ><(((☼> ♥ <☼)))><

  I have created a couple of Angry Fish, allthough I must say I like birds too, so Angry Birds could have easily slipped off my pen, but they already existed of course. All jokes aside, I am into fishies at the moment and these were a couple of watercolours I did on the couch last week when I was again sitting there with my swollen (yes again) knee up. I also gave them cute little custom painted frames and I can't help but laugh everytime I see them. But keep your eyes peeled for more fishies to come swimming into this blog soon <☼)))><

for sale in my Etsy shop

for Sale in my Etsy shop

La Mer ~ an upcycled book

front of book - pre drawings

one of the spreads - pre drawings

I received some art supplies last week and they stuffed brown paper in the box to keep the items from moving around, I have a hard time throwing away good paper, so I thought to use this for a try-out project. I thought I could have the kids make something like this maybe, but then again, maybe it is a little too time consuming for them, maybe if we just did 2 or 3 pages. Well anyway, I finished mine and wanted to show you. It's kind of a twist on Carla's junkmail booklet {that I am currently also working on btw} So I have used brown paper in different sizes, just ripped at the edges, layered it to make it look old {this took quite some time, coating both sides a few times and the drying in between} and I thought I'd like to theme the images and since the colours and the texture made me think about the ocean, I made it all deep sea related. So the trick is that every pages images continue with their lines into the next page, where those lines make up different images again, it's like a puzzle {and this also takes some time and patiences and going back and forth} So much FUN ! Oh, and of course there also is a Mermaid :)

Poseidon - Ποσειδῶν

 I was asked to do a commission before Christmas. It was supposed to be a gift for someone that is completely MAD about Greek Mythology and there I went ..... back to my high school days ..... re-reading the stories, re-acquainting myself with the Gods. Prompts were: It was supposed to look original/old somehow, not a modern painting of the Big Man. He needed to have his trident clearly visable and he needed to be on 24x36 inch canvas and have texture. I had already started my study into Frescoes at that stage, so it fitted in well. My mindset was historical and "old" and this is what I came up with some plaster added as if he were a statue rising up from the deep....I didn't share before obviously because he was not to see it before Christmas and then I got so busy with preparations for my Fresco workshop and also didn't want to spill the beans about what my workshop was going to be about..... But now that the class is open, this is something I can freely share. In week 3 and 4 of the workshop we will be working on canvas panels as well. 

Oil

No I am not talking about oil as in oil-paint, but oil as in oil spill. I just needed to release my frustration and quickly do a page in my journal about the oil spill that is happening here after a containership hit a reef in front of my new hometown last week. The ship is not in a great shape and needed to be abandoned for days because of bad weather and is leaking crude oil and the beaches are now black and the seabirds are dying and the ocean is polluted, it is the biggest ecological disaster New Zealand has ever known. I have decided I do NOT like 2011 and wish for the new year to come quickly.

The Abyss

I am finding myself in te Deep Dark Sea.....the Abyss....
it sometimes happens of course
that things don't go the way we want...
and am there now...at least with one of my works....
and I got all surgical with her and gave her a facelift....
let's hope her recovery is going to be good....
will keep you posted of course.
Luckily I have other projects to work on in the mean time...

Where do I belong ?

One of the journal entries...

While I was starting to draw something over the gesso layer that I had painted over my text,

I suddenly had to think about the little hermit crab with its house on its back, that little hermit crab belongs wherever it is, because it's got its house with him.

A comfy thought....

Retro-ish

A cover I did for my Journal/Sketchbook

where I keep all about my mermaids

limited print now available on Etsy

Needle felted Mermaid

Here's a needle felted mermaid I made a while ago

I found her again and I realized I have to do one like this again soon

Dry-needle-felting is great fun !

(stay focussed or you'll poke your fingers...believe me, I know...)

-I used New Zealand Merino wool-

Here' a youtube tutorial for sculptural needle felting

Mer-Folk

I will be doing quite a few

Mermaids, Water Nymphs, Mer-Folk

and such in the coming weeks

.ooOoo~~ Blub Blub oo00O00oo ~~.

I had already done some Mermaid paintings and ATC's recently,

but joined Suzi Blu's La Sirena group now as well.

I am so looking forward to this, learning more techniques again

and sharing my stuff with the others and You!

So keep an eye on this spot

*~oOooO~*

Mermaid Gemini

Two more Mermaid ATCs I made ~ my Mermaid Gemini....
(since I still have to finish Gemini for my self imposed challenge)

more Mermaids

More Mermaids for a swap with some Art Friends

Mermaid Garden

Mixed Media on flat panel canvas

10x12 inch ~ 24x30cm.

The Mermaid and the Shark

4x4 cardstock mixed media with dreamy beeswax finish

A little game I did at Art Trader ...pick 6 numbers...

find out what corresponds with these, make a Mermaid design...

Curvy,Reaching,Blue/violet,Blue-green/violet,Shark,French,Curious