Frustrating!

I tried to add two pictures to the last post to show what they look like with the oil pastels. Couldn't do it, they just wouldn't go where I wanted them to so try again on a new post. What a mission!

                                                    Just paint                         Paint & oil pastels

Not the best day

Well, there have to be some. I have been trying to get the backing sorted so that I can get the letters for the Affirmation Art cut out easily. Stu showed me how to do it. It looked really easy. I found it difficult and I gave up on it quite quickly. Also the system isn't going to be cheap. Then I decided to paint the four bits of rice paper I prepared yesterday. I should have gone and read my book. Given that they are going to be cut up into tiny letters it doesn't matter but I would love to have enjoyed painting them more. I also foolishly tried a rice papered canvas. Scraped the paint off and tired to tear the rice paper off while it was still wet is was so awful. Might have to have a day or two off and regroup myself. Maybe go into town tomorrow. The paintings are still wet - I really shouldn't put them up wet as they look much better than dry, but I haven't blogged for a few days.  I'm putting the two best ones up and will put them up dry tomorrow to see the difference .
WOW, they look great here! A clever bit of turning around and hey presto.

Finger painting again

One day finger painting will also work. I will get it. In the meanwhile I will continue to just enjoy it. I did it yesterday again after creating a major drama over nothing, and giving myself a 'bad' day. I think my life is too calm and content and as an old drama queen I need a little more positive drama in my life. An adventure. A trip. Something. Anyway I dealt with yesterday differently as I decided to end the afternoon doing fun things that I like doing. One being finger painting the other making a fairy. I do think the finger paintings look a bit like "My Cat Could Do That"!

They both have glitter but it doesn't show.

Great day

Didn't really get started till late but - I have been experimenting and playing all afternoon after yesterday's fun. Pictures and explanations below.

The top one is called crappy sunset! Then I did the over paint and have something fun and mysterious. It looks better in real life. but I sense I am on to something here. It seems to work better on canvas than paper. I have also discovered that if I make the canvas really wet with paint, I mean flooded, I can, if I don't like what is happening with the mixing colours (like this)

wipe if off with the ever handy paper towel and start again. So I have been doing a lot of joyful flooding!
At the moment this canvas is now in its fourth incarmation and looks like this:

It will look different tomorrow when its dry.  I love this shape canvas. I'm cleaning off  a big one I did a terrible collage on. Thus endeth today's post.

Tinglement

Interesting afternoon. I had a Byron Katie session this morning about my early childhood teachers. Not going to go into it here. I haven't painted for four days. Did a long thin one this afternoon and then mooched around not doing more because I was full of "I should paint I haven't for four days." I decided not to, cos I know that when I paint with a should or am trying to make something it almost always doesn't work. It was 4.30 and I thought OK I'll read a book. Then I looked at the long thin one I painted earlier - I want to paint on top of it like the first one below and thought what if it doesn't work? Could I put dark colours on top? I grabbed another orangey paper trial I had done a few days ago and splashed dark paint all over it. It's kinda crappy but oozes potential.

 So then, all fired up, I launched into a really bad one that I've been experimenting with  (I was trying to reproduce something I did with oil pastels  three years ago)  I painted over the top of it. Pictures of before and after below. The thing is, there was such a stunning change in my energy, even though they aren't great my energy and connection just soared. I felt that wonderful tingle of creative excitement & wanted to document it.

This isn't great art! But it's great creative tinglement! Let's hear it for tinglement. I like that word!

Playing with rice paper

I've done four more 'nebulae'. Unfortunately I think the first one was just a wonderful fluke ~ but its got me playing with rice paper again and seeing what I can do with it.  No pictures yet, but I will put some up in the next few days. One thing I tried was sticking another piece of rice  on top of a painted piece then painted that. This particular one looks like a very light filled Easter Egg. Oh all right, I'll put that one up here, it's so appropriate for the season.  I've just set up five more play sheets to fiddle around with over the Easter weekend.