There was a train a comin'...

but i decided not to hop on...i know, i know...maybe a few regrets...

i went home instead...

and ...started prepping...i thought how grateful i am to my wonderful teachers...these were all parts from misty mawn, julie prichard and dj pettit...

this is a close up of a prep job...

another prep job...

...and more...

then some faces...

more faces and more collage...hey! there is an accidental wing!!!!

a start to some finishing...

more collage and wire and beads!!!....

a note for YOU about the substrates: from dickblick, strathmore, 50 watercolor cards, 140 lb. (started to say 140 test, i used to fish alot*>!) They are 5"X 7" as a folded card...

last Christmas i hung them up in our house and told our friends and family to choose them when they left...we almost had a frenzy!!! tee hee...

i keep the cards close at hand so that when i am through painting, i paint on these, and then paint again and again...then you can do whatever you like with them later...

they seem to withstand a lot of use and if they buckle, you can iron them!

these hangers are approximately 2 1/2" X 3" for the paper and hang 6" or 7" long with the beads and wire...you could make these out of transfers or anything...TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!

i hope this inspired you...and be sure to go in twice for a larger view!

XOXO from wanda

"She emerged like a flower...passing all the ladybugs"

She's been freshening up today to take a ride to a gallery...she added some pretty perky paints, flowers in her hair..

she is wearing a lace trimmed collar of sorts...

and also wearing painted fabric paper...

fabric and dyed paper towels are sewn right on to heavy watercolor paper...

Dried flowers in her hair, painted a bit...

She's been FRAMED!

I WISH FOR A WONDERFUL SATURDAY TO ALL MY SPECIAL BLOGGING FRIENDS!

Christmas Angels and Texture Town (julie prichard and chris cozens)!

I've just started in last night with my hanging, christmas angels...i love doing these to give to my friends...and i'm more loose and learn so much from them...do they speak to me, probably so...like "hey, give me a better nose than THAT one"...and then i may or may not oblige...the power is in my paint brush...;))!

Well, last night when i finished this...not quite...i had heart palpitations (good ones) i was so excited. i am taking julie prichard's texture class and i am more than happy about it...

this is not the best of photos but will do for now...i was planning to paint a woman's head in the flatish yellowish area...but not sure now!be sure to re-size larger to get a better peek!

Happy Happy friday mi amigas!!!!

Friday's Blessings

Awoke to this!!!!!

...as i reached the bottom of the stairs, i saw this and thought...i am going to fix that little face of hers...it's just too dark.

then i did and i was glad and she was brighter and happier!!!

then, la la la, on my way to work...

wait...is that a twister up there...will we be swooped up, car and all?...

nope...just an enormous expanse of BEAUTIFUL sky... i wonder how many people noticed this as we drove by?...

arriving home, turned around and ...snapped a shot...

as the sun went down...

Very GRATEFUL woman!!!

Treasured Joys and those Perfect Moments

This again, was one of those struggles, (background) but i love sharing that it's never the end and that if we keep at it, whether that's to paint over it, and over it, kicking it under the bed, getting out oils, pastels...oh woe is me...what is going to work???...well...some THINGS finally DID work...and now she moves on to another painting...oh wait...the little bird needs one little highlight on her eyeball....heh heh...and then there's the one...."WHEN to leave it alone....oooohhh!

HAPPY MONDAY TO YA' ALL!!!!

You can enlarge all of these TWICE!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYONE!

CAMARADERIE

Well, this painting WAS a work in progress, (as i search for their words) but as i was posting the pictures and poses, i was thinking of how blessed we women are to have one another. i treasure my relationships and profoundness of my women friends, here and in the flesh. how lucky we are to be able to let our emotions out and be understood by so many others...how we help one another to figure out the hard and important stuff...how we can just 'GET' one another without words sometimes...how loving and loved we can be...so lucky we are! (i always have to NOT leave out feelings and truth that goes along with this)..i am grateful to also have a husband that HEARS me as my women friends do! :)

sooo...i came up with just one word to add at the top of the painting...

"CAMARADERIE"

I LOVE that word...it evokes such a special meaning to me as i hope it will for others!!!

thinking about where to shop for their clothes...hmmm...or should they make their own?

THEY finally put their clothes on!...and they are searching for their story or words, still...

Learning More Wonderful Techniques!!!

i am taking julie prichard's and chris cozens, "texture town" class. and it is so yummy, fun, hard, and worth all the patient labor. julie's classes are so wonderful, i ALWAYS come away with such wonder! her classes are so affordable and stay up forever for one to refer back to. this texture class for instance is much more than that, it's also about color use in the "aged" look and about layering and layering and layering some more with paint, paint, paint! you can find julie on http://thelandoflostluggage/!!

you can go in for a closer view on all pictures.

These are a few sampler panels that i'll keep for reference...i NEVER do that, i always turn my class paintings into whatever, and then i can't remember what i did, soo...this time i was a good student and know it will pay off.

the true colors are right in between these two photos, below...

it's pouring down rain and that is where i catch my best lighting, especially with something like this with all the layers

it reads: "silence is in whispers"
on the woman's chest

SOLD

MUSIC IN MY HEART AND SOUL

Holy Moly, now i know the meaning of giving birth to a painting, make that two! After showing these a while back (forever) as work in progress...they were almost a scourge to me.

they have been turned against 3 different walls, then turned back around, they were touched up and re-touched in eensy increments...i screamed, no they are wrong, this is wrong, that is wrong...well then richard made me beautiful frames and painted them...and then they were okay and then...yesterday i looked at the music sheets and all the subtle colors and then woke up this morning completely in love...crazy huh?!

I'm going this week to the gallery to exchange paintings, so there will be new and fresh faces litterally and then as i looked at these 2 this morning, i thought...if they don't sell i'd love them on our walls and they make me think of my sister and i, with so much depth and history to tell...Crazy huh?!

17 1/2" X 32"

Acrylics, painted torn paper, torn sheet music, ink, stencils, tears, laughter, screams, delight....yeah, you get the picture!!!

she reads:

"enter the dimension of music...and FLY unfettered!"she reads:

"moving toward uncertainty...she emerged with music!"

Tangled Sky and Alice's Time!

Okay, carolyn, if you want to know how i did this, and if you want words, then you'll have to come over and see and i'll tell you.

and you'll get to see beth's work up close and personal, and you won't believe how wondrous her work is!

This one is "ask alice about the time"...the answer is a play on the painting!!!

Enjoy!! the joy of serious humor!!! 8" X 8" X 2" thick

Per, my usual...i did this completely backwards...i wanted to show beth's work before mine!!

Here is what i won from beth at: http://tangledskystudio.blogspot.com/! you can go in for a closer view on all the photos...along with this, beth surprised me with 2 cards she created as well, including instructions on how to care for encaustic paintings. i told her i could not part with her cards, and am going to make frames for them and make a little grouping on my wall with her work. Her work is incredible, so subtle, with little found nuances as your explore each piece. and they will speak to you...truly the pictures are just pictures compared to her work in reality. i am so GRATEFUL! and on top of it all, there is my favorite...HUMOR!!!

it was difficult to get a photo that would show beth's work as it should be, but because of the my abilities and her encaustics, i couldn't get a good shot...honestly!

a happy accident, i thought was really cool...beth's painting in front of mine...which of course does not do her work justice!!! beth's are the very coolest in person!

Those Get Together's!!!!

There's paint, there's fabric, there's words, there is some handmade paper fabric and...

MAGIC

sometimes in the ART of being with one another!!!!

They speak for Themselves...more to come!