Mixed Media Fun
A case of having an idea...and running with it!
** A square canvas.
** A collection of papers...used and emptied tea bags, tissue paper from packaging and a spotty gift bag.
** A few textile 'flowers' cut from an old doily and painted.
** A sentiment - 'Find Joy in the Simple Things'
I used the fruit teabags to create a backdrop - reminiscent of old, faded and peeling wallpaper. I used matt medium to adhere them to the canvas.
The normal tea bags were used to create a patchwork tablecloth - cutting out all the little triangles and gluing them in place was a bit fiddly, but it seemed a good idea at the time!
I prepared the spotty paper with diluted PVA glue, and once dry used watercolour pencils to do do some shading to make it look more 3D.
The words were printed onto some gessoed teabag scraps and fixed into place - the same method was used for the flying swallows.
I used inks, watercolours and oil pastels to bring it all together before sealing the whole thing with clear gesso.
I had my usual dilemma of how to display it, but decided that I liked it without glass but inset in a deep box frame to compliment it.
I'm not very practiced at this type of thing, but it was fun to do and I'm pretty happy with the results - the bonus being that it used up some of my paper stash!
Perhaps more importantly, I think the sentiment is a good one - we should all try to find joy in the more simple things in life, and there is much joy to be found if you have a mind to look.
Ruth Singer - Criminal Quilts 'collaborative quilt'
I was really pleased to find out that a quilt block I submitted will be included in a collaborative quilt as part of the Ruth Singer Criminal Quilts Project - you can find out more about it on Ruth's blog here
I think I probably redid this block 2 or 3 times before I was happy with it and I no doubt made it far more complicated than it needed to be...but that's typical me!!
Once all the collaborative blocks have been joined together, it will become part of Ruth's exhibition at the Festival of Quilts held in Birmingham in August - it will be interesting to see it as a whole, as although all the blocks are very different in interpretation, they follow the same colour palette.
Constantine Secrets 2018
I'm not sure if you remember from a previous blog, but I donated a postcard sized piece of artwork to a fundraising event for an outdoor learning space for a local pre-school. Well the secret postcard exhibition has now come to a close, and I'm really pleased that someone bought my little picture - and overall the school have raised over £1000 which is just brilliant.
I couldn't show it before, because of the 'secret artist' element, but this is what I made for it - a needlefelted robin on a piece of printed linen with a bit of hand quilting thrown in.
I have no idea who bought my little robin, but I hope it has flown to a happy new home!
I'm tempted to make some more postcard sized pieces...they'd look nice within a frame, hung as they are or propped up on a dresser or shelf
Mini quilt finished!
I finished my mini-quilt - I kept the quilting simple and then just brought the backing over to the front to edge it off, which would probably be frowned upon within quilting circles but Hey Ho!
I used a variegated quilting thread in blues/greens which complimented the whole thing really nicely.
I still like the idea of using a patchwork background as a base for textile collage - that's what's nice with playing around with different methods and techniques, it can spark off new ideas.
Whichever techniques I'm trying, I am sticking to using whatever supplies I've already got at home - of which I have quite a healthy stash!
#nomoreimpulsebuying !!
What's next?
Well, doing the 'Find Joy in Simple Things' picture at the top of this blog has inspired me to do a couple of more versions, but one felted and another as a textile collage - I haven't done felting in quite some time, so it will be really nice to get the wools out again; I just hope I haven't forgotten my skillage!
Best wishes
Tanya xx
