Yei

This is my first Native American themed assemblage that I have completed! Yeah! I started one last year and it still sits on the shelf waiting to be finished. It has to speak to me in some way and it has not said a word yet, so hopefully something will move me sometime soon.

The Yei are regarded as supernatural beings by the Navajo. They are believed to populate the earth from the very beginning and upon their departure, they instructed the Navajo people
on things that would make life easier.

They are usually depicted in sandpaintings, and the male yei has a round head and the female has an angular head. There is a lot of symolism in the sandpaintings, which I didn't apply to my piece. I strive to keep my pieces as simplistic as possible.

Watercolor Monoprinting

I had a playdate with a couple of artists yesterday and had a great time. My friend Marilyn invited me over to work on watercolor monoprints for a good part of the afternoon. It's wonderful to work with a printmaking medium that is non-toxic and relatively easy to learn. It's mastering the technique that is the challenge. I had not worked with this type of printmaking since the last time she had me over, which was about 3-4 months ago.
The two plates in the pic above have many layers of color, and I started off with darker colors and ended with light colors.

Wasn't to pleased with this print, but I learned a little more about markings and color applications.

I had achieved crackling effects with this plate which really added some interesting textures and depth.

Marilyn has such an eye for vibrant beautiful colors and her prints turn out just beautiful.

This plate was done by Rhonda, who is fellow watercolorist like Marilyn.

The Queens!

I've been trying to set a goal in creating anywhere from 2-4 pieces of art a week and that can be a stretch for me with two little ones at home and off from school. Therefore, I have to find pockets of time throughout the day to sneak into the studio that just recently had a facelift.

My husband just revamp my studio with more countertop space and shelving for storage. Why does storage seem to be such an issue. My hubby doesn't understand why I have to buy more junk when I haven't used up all the junk I already have. He has a point but it just doesn't work that way for artists.
Needless to say, I try not ask his advice on whether I should buy something because I know what the answer will be.

These are two of four pieces I completed this past week. This one is titled "Hail, Holy Queen" and she has been in the making mentally for over a year. Last year I had several pieces based on the Virgin Mary set up and they just weren't right. So, I stepped back and kind of put it on the back burner.

She finally made her way to the front burner and I'm happy with the way she turned out.

This one is titled "Queen of Hearts". The only challenge with this piece was connecting the back grill with the rest of the piece. I have been encasing my faces in a shadow boxes and really like the look.

Faith

I had a few projects waiting to be adhered together and I landed up dismanteling them to create the doll pictured above, and now I'm left with two incomplete pieces. I've done that on several occasions and I'm guessing that is part of the creative process.

Crazy as it sounds, I can design a piece and work on it for some time and for some reason I never get around to adhering it together. It sits off to the side waiting its turn and it never seems to come. So, when I work on new pieces, I will glance over to the old pieces waiting and start pulling things off of them. I guess they weren't meant to be.

Angel No 13

Sometimes when I'm creating, I do not have an idea as to what I will create. I just go with the flow and start placing things together to see if the feel right.

I like the feel of the metal trowel with the serrated teeth. It is old, rusted and was a cheap find from the flea market last month. The body of the angel is also a old, rusted tool.

Twila

This assemblage art doll is sort of a mixed media paper doll. The black frame piece around her head is a filter piece used in photography and the clear round disk is a sheet of mica. Her dress is made of corragated cardboard and sheet of brass that has been treated. The doll piece is mounted on a wooden box that hangs on the wall with a hook on back.

Assemblage - Angel No.11

Back from vacation and it turned out very well considering we dealt with a few setbacks during the trip. This sunset is at Lake Michigan and my girls just love this place. If they had it their way, they would spend every minute on the beach. In addition to being beach bumbs, we biked and hiked in humid weather.