Mixed Media Monday - Something New

On Mixed Media Monday this week I chose the theme "something new" to follow on from last week. My piece is done on a stretched canvas which is about 20x40 cm (8x16 ins). The new part for me is the pan pastels that I used to colour the face and hands, plus this is a very different style of collage for me. Apart from the pan pastels and pastel paper, I used tissue paper, acrylic paint, printed paper and plain, some ribbon and different pieces of German scrap and a some artificial flowers. This piece was inspired by a couple of pieces done by Deirdra Doan in the latest issue of Somerset Studios, and by the artist Gustav Klimt, who also inspired Deirdra's pieces - during his "gold" period he liked to use gold leaf.

Mixed Media Monday - Something Old

It's my turn to host a challenge again on Mixed Media Monday, and since it's my birthday today, I have chosen "something old" as the challenge :-) For this piece I used the back of a stretched canvas and glued some canvas around the sides to cover the staples etc., to make a neater surface to work on. After I painted the canvas with acrylic paint I added some gold star tissue paper with encaustic medium. I love how the wax made the tissue transparent - much more so than gel medium. I used a Victorian scrap butterfly for the wings and the stars and bird are chipboard painted with gold metallic paint. The something old is the adorable little bisque doll - she was dug up from the ruins of a doll factory in Germany, and is over 100 years old. I was amazed when I was going through my doll stash to find her - she looks just like my gorgeous little granddaughter, Lucy! So I think this piece will be going to hang on Lucy's wall.

Mixed Media Monday - Vintage Ads/Labels

Rosie is generously hosting yet another challenge on Mixed Media Monday. This time she has challenged us to use vintage ads or labels in our art. I'm hoping a label printed onto it's vintage tin will count :-) It was a golden opportunity to make another fun Dada style doll. My daughters tell me she's a little scary, but I still love her, grin! Apart from the vintage tin, I used parts from an old plastic doll, a gorgeous little light that my daughter grabbed for me when her boyfriend was fixing her car and silver charm hands. The "arms" were modelled out of a resin clay and painted to resemble the cherries on the tin. Just a bit of a fun play this week :-)

Mixed Media Monday - Floral Tributes

When I was pondering Rosie's challenge of "floral tributes" on Mixed Media Monday this week, my mind kept going to my mother and her love of yellow roses. When she passed away, it was not the season for roses so they weren't part of the wreaths arranged for the funeral. I really felt terrible that I wasn't able to give her yellow roses one last time. I found a florist who could rustle up a few and made a tiny arrangement with them. Although they were overshadowed by all the large wreaths, I was content to know they were there. This is a shrine I made from a nicho - the photo of my beautiful mother was taken on my wedding day. I have used lots of symbolism on this piece to represent happy memories. The book page represents how, when I wanted a biscuit, I would wait until my mother was reading, because she always said yes then, grin! Some sewing pattern paper because she was a wonderful seamstress, and of course the yellow roses. The charms represent, among other things, the pride I felt when she learned to drive in her 50's, the way she went in to bat for me with my father to allow me to have a kitten, and the camera reminds me of how much she hated to have her photo taken and the funny faces she pulled when she tried to look "natural". Thanks for the challenge, Rosie - and the happy time I had creating my very personal piece!