Transferred . . .

MY ADVENTURE WITH ART CONTINUES HERE --- artbymelinda.blogspot.ie.

I am an artisan.

 Do not be afraid to dream.

A tiny mixed media naive/folk painting on wrapped canvas.

8 x 4 inches. Unframed.

I am more and more pulled into the direction of creating products for craft fairs and retail shops against painting for art exhibits. I love to make creative projects everyday and small ones really make my day. The one above is my latest work with the thought of selling in craft fairs behind it. I had to customize the wrapped canvas myself to the size i want.

what's on my workdesk?

As always, i work on many pieces at the same time. Brighter colors are finding their way into my paintings lately ... and i love it! But they still need to find their way into those eyes ... I know it will get there. Paint, paint, paint ... inner work, inner work,  and more inner work . . .

Bright and happy.

These are what's on my desk, and i am working on these small lovelies with gusto!

I want my work to exude "BRIGHT AND HAPPY"! My older works were peaceful, contemplative... but honestly, kind of depressing and boring. Ha,ha,ha! Anyway, i want something heart-spirit lifting ... something cheerful ... something which could leave a smile on someone's face.

Probably the summer feel is getting to me. The sun is blazing today! I went to walk to the Post Office and i see everyone 'drinking in' the hot rays. I, on the other hand, was trying to find shady spots on the trail and truly truly wished for an umbrella. My goodness! People would probably look at me like i am nuts. Ha,ha,ha! I think i am the only one wishing for dark clouds. Crazy, i know. But very sunny days are, for me, days to stay in. No walkabouts today. If needed, i'd rather use my car.

Tiny portraits.

The one in the middle with the yellow face looks kinda funny. It was very tempting to paint in some rouge, but never mind, i want to explore painting outside my usual style. I like her nose, though ...

These are tiny. Business card size. Will i add text cut-out or not? I have not decided on that yet.

Intense colors.

Three small pieces. Dimension, 11 x 8.5 cm.
Mixed media on heavy paper, 360 gsm. 

I love the intensity of the colors. I usually work with light pastel colors. So this is a delightful change. Working in mixed media style frees me to be spontaneous. 'love it!!!

Tomorrow will be inventory day. I think i have quite a number of recently finished work. It's time to put them up in my shop.

Panoramic.

I thought it would be fun to work on a panoramic abstract landscape. The dimension is 5 x 12 inches. Primed canvas cloth. Acrylic using palette knife plus oil pastel.

Below are two more in the process . . .

What's brewing in my studio?

These four are just a few of what is keeping me busy in my studio. In addition to these works-in-progress, i have the urge to start a really big painting on canvas. Hmm, i think i will do just that first thing tomorrow. Surrounded by all these unfinished work keeps me inspired.

Handpainted notecard.

Creating handpainted notecards was the first creative idea i had when i started thinking i could sell my art. That was about fifteen years ago. And i can honestly say my painting skills then was nothing, really. I have come a long way...

The one shown above is an abstract landscape done in acrylic using a palette knife, on a pre-cut white blank card, 5 x 7 inches (folded).

Hmmmmm, i think i will go back to creating and selling handpainted notecards.

Find your center.

My creative energy often times lead me to very varied projects and/or styles of painting. In the art world, there seems to be a need to define yourself as an artist ... to be specific in what one creates or in what style, etc. This is difficult for me. Variety keeps my creative fire lit.

Draw with paint.

I paint on almost anything these days. This ruled paper is actually taking the paint very well. I just had to take a photo of the page before i write out my heart on it.

I do not know where to put myself.

I was looking at my crowded and chaotic corner of the living room where i work, and i said to myself, "I do not know where to put myself." Hmmm.... I wanted to capture that passing line to chew on a bit more for later, so i wrote it on a piece of cardboard i have salvaged from our chinese takeaway dinner last night. I love putting together different elements on a surface, and see where it brings me. There was this strip of a magazine page with a nice navy green color, so i added it on. The ink started to smudge at this point, so i covered the written text with a transparent tape. So far, i added a quick sketch of a woman. I will leave it at this point to "simmer". I know when i'd get back to it tomorrow or in a few days' time, i will have just the perfect elements to complete the process.

Yes, my dears, i said "process" ... not "artwork". I will surely enjoy the visual outcome, but i am doing these daily creative projects mainly for the "inner work".

Beyond the usual.

This is an acrylic painting done on a small wrapped canvas in a style that's kind of beyond my usual in the sense that there is more doodle-like design on the background ... and well, the hair and lips are green ... and she has painted design on her face!

Note:  This work is a fruit of my sketchbook 'process' work on the subject, 'Daring to go beyond my comfort zone'.

Dare to go beyond the comfortable.

This is the first time i allowed myself to get messy. I used my fingers to paint on this spread, and i did not paint a face as i usually do. I wished to go beyond my usual approach, where it is comfortable and safe. I know there is something more that wished to be expressed from inside my heart onto these pages. This is my DARE JOURNAL. I cannot promise i will be able to share all the pages. To dare beyond the comfortable could take me to places from within which are too personal and private. It can be a very delicate and precious inner journey. There may be tears and also laughter. I want to honor the journey. But this i promise. I will share as much as i am able to, but not all. Not at the present, at least, when the unfolding is still fresh. Maybe in the future ... when a bit of time allows healing ... and there is a new degree of what is comfortable and safe.

Fascinating journey.

 Working on this spread was an inner journey in itself. It is a combination of images from magazines --- my current favorite is Period Living Magazine. The green butterfly is painted in acrylic and permanent marker. There was an old Tesco grocery receipt on my work table, so i tore a piece as an accent.  This page was created in the span of three days. I worked on it for a few minutes to about half an hour each day. The last element added was the theme. It was a lovely revelation from the soul.

Sketchbook cover.

I cannot stop myself from making mini painted books and filling up sketchbooks. Painting on canvases for wall display has lost its spark for me. I just paint and paint and paint without the pressure of having to sell. It is very therapeutic. And it is making me happy. I love it!

Weekend retreat.

There is this little book of events i got last year from The Dock and i did not want to throw it away. Besides it is nicely cut, stapled together, and the paper used is good. I decided to turn it into one of my painted mini books. I cut out the lovely text from a magazine, and since a "weekend art retreat" is among the many activities i have in my plans/ideas notebook, i think i will journal this out in the coming days.

The new emerging.

From the despair of the previous page, this figure has emerged. I did not have any inspiration nor plan as i applied paint onto the page. I liked the way she is, and i left the page without any text before going to bed. This morning, i clearly saw the message. Or did i hear it? It was very clear. The door towards transformation has always been there. All i need to do is get through that door. The flow of energy is bringing me towards that direction. There is no need to resist.  Nothing to fear. All will be well.

A space of my own.

I long for a space of my own ... my own studio where i can draw and paint small or as huge as the wall . . . where i can leave unfinished work on a workdesk undisturbed til i get back to it with renewed inspiration . . . where i can dance, laugh, cry, sing, pray, read, whatever .... whatever .... whatever is whispered to me.

What am i doing here?

The sun was up today . . . bright and colorful. Everything went fine, until all of a sudden, i just felt a bit lost. The tv noise just got to me, and i felt like my private space was invaded. I felt zapped out of my personal space. Too crowded. What am i doing here? This is not my space...

Love is the only way.

 The texts i cut out from the pages of an old book came together in this journal page's theme. I feel so guided as i did this simple page. And it is at times like this when the random and seemingly meaningless cutting of texts off printed pages that i know there is some creative plan that is being slowly being born into a form of clear expression.

Heal the body, heal the spirit.

This particular journal is used to accompany my conscious intention to pay attention to my body. I believe that in psychoemotionalspiritual healing, one's body is very much a big part of the whole process. Ignoring the body is like solving a mystery without taking note of the obvious clues.  The body manifests symptoms which are deeply connected to psychoemotionalspiritual state.

Welcome. Have some tea.

I have cut out that picture of the lovely house last year (sorry, i cannot remember the name of the magazine). It was intended for a mini book full of tiny pictures from magazines which are inspiring to me ... something like an eye-candy for when i feel less inspired. The project was put aside as i was busy with our moving to another country. Thankfully, that piece somehow got into one of the boxes for here. Now it has found its place in this art journal.

The tea cup and saucer was a doodle on a sketchpad. I always have some paper and pen in my bag when i am up and about from one errand to another. There are always some minutes when i need to wait. That's the perfect moment for doodling!

This is now the third day of assembling elements on a page. Hmmmm, i don't know how long i'd continue art journaling like this, but so far, i am enjoying the process.

The story of my life.

Today, i put together different elements:  1)  tiny naive portrait, painted in acrylic on 360 gsm watercolor paper;  2)  a cut out from a magazine, figure of a tree; and  3)  text from an old book.

I painted this tiny naive portrait a week ago without any intention of creating it for my journal. I love it the way it is, so i did not get around to painting in some colors.

It's wonderful how the black and white theme appeared. I am truly enjoying this assembly of elements on a page. There's a bit of a mystery as to how they all come together in the end. At times, it's the color which guides you as to what to add next. At other times, it is the harmony of shapes.

Have you ever thought of going home?

Just playing with some random botanical shapes painted in black acrylic. I cut out a line from an old book's page. I had no theme in mind. I just chose the first line which gets my attention.

Pick up the habit.

Hello. I am picking up the habit of journaling, and i share you these images of one of my old art journals. I never got to finish this one, and it's in a box for storage in another country.

I create this blog to help me commit to the habit. And hopefully, by sharing my pages, i could inspire someone to get into the journaling habit, too!