Hi there! How are you all doing? We are having a slight shift in weather and it seems to be making me feel a bit moody. Ugh. I hate feeling like that. I know I should probably be blogging about Fall Home Decorating or something but I just don't feel like it...so instead I'm sharing another piece of artwork that I finished this weekend.

Art seems to be the only thing that calms my nerves these days and makes me so very happy. I could sit for hours creating if I had the chance to...

Oh, and I must tell you about this book.

It has really helped me work more effectively and create more often! Love that! Of course I'm not sure how my family feels...I'm kinda taking over the living and dining room!

Okay on to the art...

So this is a mixed media piece using collage, acrylic paint and modeling paste. It had been sitting on my desk for months unfinished. It was supposed to be a self-portrait but I hated it.  So I painted over my face and started over. Sometimes you just have to do that and no, it's not supposed to be me anymore. :) I decided to make the face more primitive than usual for me and just draw from my mind instead of a visual reference.

I began working in the darker tones using some watered down raw umber paint...

Then slowly building color. She's looking a bit pissed off though, isn't she? Not exactly what I was going for...

So I painted out the eyebrows and lifted them to change her expression and open up the eyes. It's amazing how much power the eyebrows have when depicting an expression! I used modeling paste and a stencil to create the lace-like tendrils that hang down around her. They are nicely raised which adds a little dimension and texture to the piece. I found the words in a vintage book and loved the idea of her entering into a different world - Fairy Land. :) yah!

Here is my happy mess on the dining room table!

It felt so good to finally complete this piece. I have three more in the works!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

xo,

Ivy