Soul Art 2013 - ARTastic Nov 2013

I was really inspired by the ARTastic painting - plus it went amazingly well with another comp I was working on (CSI #98 as part of the Design Team), so I just let it rip!

I've really wanted to use some the techniques I use in my artwork in the digital format - and this palette was perfect for that. I didn't think I'd be able to create my own background like I do for my paintings - but the principles are exactly the same really. I was really happy with this. I'd like to do more pages like this in the future!

Soul Art 2013 - for ARTastic nov 2013 and CSI #98 DT

Ingredients: (Background: the background is a plain pale orange with chopped up book page clippings attached to it and then different colours sprayed over the top of that including white with a textural mask over the top – Basic Grey Sophie Texture AWS – Texture1), CSI #48 Coordinates patterned paper Arabic blue (changed to lime green), Taluha Moon Designs Sunset kit – JournalPage03 (page edge), Cilenia Curtis ArtBox 13 B3A (dragonfly/poppies mask – bottom right hand corner), Basic Grey Lucky Textures LUC – Texture_dots, Scrap Art Studio Collab Changes – Add-On – PaintSplotch (changed to blue and purple), [Far Far Hill Freebies Kit Nocturne – el1 (flower head), el2 (five petal flower), el4 (violet)] el5 (rose), Far Far Hills Freebies kit clock and gears 0012 (oval shaped timepiece), PrelestnayaP Because of You kit – el28 (chain), created with Adobe Fireworks

Remember November 2013 orange paperie

The orange Paperie November comp with the sketch was very challenging. I kept thinking about how to make that sketch my own, with my own spin. Finally, whilst I've been sick with a high temperature, it came to me.

I used an old photo of my grandfather that I only recently discovered (circa 1919) and pics I took of some poppies down the road. As we've just had Remembrance Day I started to think about what that means to my family. We were extremely lucky in WWI - with only one death on Mum's side.

So I thought I'd do a page on the one story I've heard most of my life about WWI. A story of survival and luck.

Remember November 2013 - Orange Paperie Sketch comp Nov 2013

Orange Paperie Sketch Challenge Nov 2013

Will come back and put ingredients in.

Design Team - ARTastic - Jan - Jun 2014

I am really excited that I have just been told I am on the Design Team - at ARTastic - from Jan - Jun 2014!! I love the challenges at ARTastic and am looking forward to doing my bit as part of the Team.

I have a bit of a cold ATM so this really cheered me up!

There's Something About.. Chickens 2013 digi layout

I was really surprised about the memories I have of chickens, and how this challenge made me feel; remembering good and interesting times from my childhood that I had kind of forgotten. I tried and tried to find the wallpaper that my Nan used to have on her kitchen wall, but I couldn't. So I replicated it the best I could from memory - as there are no photos of Nan in her kitchen that I have ever seen.

The journaling says : "My Nan and Pa had chickens in their backyard, and 'feeding the chickens' was something I enjoyed helping Nan with. They re-decorated their kitchen in the 1970's and Nan chose a retro style mirrored pattern with two large chickens in green and orange facing each other in one band and two smaller ones in a second row, with a pattern similar to the background of this page. My favourite chook painting is the one attached - by Klimt with the hollyhock lined pathway. The material chicken is a pin cushion I bought at a market at Chiltern, Vic and the carved and painted Indonesian chooks I just love. I recently bought a book on chickens and their breeds, and my favourites seem to be the Sussex and Hamburg. I've never had chickens myself, but there's something calming and relaxing about them. And they remind me of my Nan.

As a child I used to go and watch the seasoned exhibitors preparing their chickens for the judges at the Ag Shows . Chickens hanging upsidedown, hair dryers and amazing care taken to make them look good.

Pixels & Paper Nov 2013 Challenge Photo

There's Something About Chickens 2013 -
for Pixels & Paper Nov 2013 challenge

CSI Design Team stint : pages I created

Being a little more time poor now, I will add all my pages as I publish them into this post I think, during my stint as a CSI Design Team member. To see all the details, please go to CSI.

CSI #96 DT click to go to CSI to see it

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CSI #97 DT click to go to CSI to see it

Art Exhibition

I am also celebrating (feeling sick and excited all at once) about exhibiting four recent paintings in an Acrylic exhibition at my local nursery. I took pics (eventually) of me and the art work. It was a really weird feeling being separated from the paintings. Its been 20 years since I put anything into an exhibition or show! I feel so proud, but it's also very scary because I'm don't feel I'm quite there yet with my acrylics - I prefer gouache! Our little Acrylics group started in May - a spin off of the local Art Society to which we are all members. I happened to walk in on the first one by accident, and have been going each month ever since.

It's a harrowing experience. But I've learnt so much in such a short period of time. I'm hoping to create freer works, but even if I get stuck with these I love them and will gladly put them on my own walls!

me with my flowers painting (least happy with) and my horse painted on ripped up sheet music on canvas. Put a packet on that so hopefully it won't sell!

me with my other two paintings using scrapping techniques; the top one I created the dove templates and used glimmermist. The background is bill envelope innards. The bottom one is on sheet music ripped up.

Design Team Member CSI

I churning out layouts left right and centre, but can't really show any in here yet. I'm still excited and energized and even got an Electrician in at home this week to replace all my old light switches, powerpoints and (soon) old light fittings. This has sparked a mass clean up. I have used more furniture polish this weekend than ever before (all the window surrounds and door frame trims and those bits that run between the wall and the carpet.)
YAY

I need to try and stay ahead of the pack a bit as I usually go away for Christmas and Dad's old computer can't cope with graphic design. It won't even play a CD with a chipmunk voice.