OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTINGS, ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE

PAINTINGS NOW AVAILABLE ON ETSY

MY SHOP IS CALLED "GUHINP"

https://www.etsy.com/shop/guhinp?ref=search_shop_redirect 

Glossy acrylic, 9 x 12 x 2"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oils, 9 x 12 1", "The Bridge"

Primary colors, very Mondrian-like. Oils. 9 x 12 x 1"

These paintings are all cradled, 

with good quality materials, and the design for each

does carry over the sides, so they are ready for hanging. 

 

NOT A PAINTING: EX VOTO ASSEMBLAGE

YOU CAN BUILD AN ASSEMBLAGE WITH HEART

I'm happy to take you through my process, especially since this shrine or construction is very dear to me. I knew and loved a young man who was on the wrong path, wild and a bit rowdy sometimes. He nearly died in a car crash, and was left with head injuries. (He's much better now, many years later, thankfully.)

Here you can see a toy car and small head in the upper part of the photo.

I based this new  assemblage roughly on a
votive offering placed in a church or shrine
as thankfulness for a miracle received.

Mexican retalblos are small oil paintings, generally made
on tin. An ex voto is a votive offering to
a divinity, usually Christian. Read more  about them here:
(click on this link)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-voto

  Materials I used:

Strong, clear adhesive 

Wooden shelf, picture frame, and small box
Found objects (many are pictured below)
Discarded beads
Acrylic paints: Diox. purple, Quin. red and Quin. gold,
    Mars black, Titanium white, and Ultramarine blue. 

Copper patina

I decided against some of these objects and altered others.

  Traditionally written (usually at the bottom) are inscriptions, names, dates, and stories of miraculous recoveries and escapes. I chose not to do that.
For more history on ex votos and info on modern, current ones, click here:
http://www.mariolinasalvatori.com/understanding-ex-votos/

This might have been where my friend had gone if he had died years ago.

Here's a close-up, below, of the broken, burnt glass that sits below the devil.

I also put rusty barbed wire just below 

that (not too visible, sorry), and again 

where "Hell" ends, just below the car and boy.

Here you can see the beads and the costume jewelry pin.

My recent assemblages might seem a little sinister

to some of you...I mean, Medusa? Now this!

But I have always loved icons and myths.

Have I gone to the dark side? 

What's your opinion? I'd love to know.

Below is a link to a much sillier assemblage

that I created quite a long while ago.

Circus and clown!

BELOW, A FULL VIEW OF THE FINISHED PIECE!

Do you think this is appropriated art? 

I'd love to hear your comments! This was a love project for me, and

I feel I've put my own, original stamp on the artwork. And I didn't include any inscription or a saint although I do have religious elements in the top half of the piece.  (There is also an image you can't see of a saintly figure, in the dark, under the hand.) 
Do you find it too depressing or ominous, with the devil and horns?  

I do need a title for this piece, so if you have a good idea, 

please let me know!

Thanks for viewing this post. I appreciate you.   ---  Paula

                                        

 

PAINTERS: HIE THEE TO A DOLLAR STORE!

Cheap and plastic, yes, but thrifty!

Save paint in these containers...they have lids!

And the painting knives would be great for kids.

(Kids don't always clean their tools properly.)

And you get three knives to a package! 

Mixed media artist could use these so often!

Dollar Tree or Dollar General, I don't recall, but well worth a trip!

BOOK ART: Anyone Can Do It!

I'm not one to fold book pages into fabulous, complicated designs, but I admire those who do.

 This is a terrific way to create beauty from unloved, unwanted books.

I'm the free-form type, decidedly not methodical, so the project detailed below was just my style.

I filled a large pan with a little acrylic medium and a lot of water.  White glue would be a good substitute for the medium. I also collected thin pencils, thicker ones, and fat rolls of waxed paper. These would serve as armatures. Remove hard covers from the book unless you want a straight "stem."

Oh, but wait, there's more!

Dipping pages--still attached--into the pan (sometimes just one or two, sometimes more!), I wetted them, removed from pan, and rolled. I varied the directions and amount of curve, as you can see in the photo above. And yes, this takes awhile, since I only recommend doing a few sections at a time. I left the supports inside until dry, but the diluted mixture dries fast. 

Took a couple of days, but so fun and simple to do!

I used spray paint and a touch of brushed-on acrylic paint on  mine. Then I photographed it from above. I suggest either white, gray, or black as a background.

Here's another idea to try, if you're more precise and meticulous than I: a butterfly!

                (Art teachers might find discarded books and try this with fast-working kids who always seem to need more to do. If not photographed with a digital camera, try scanning.)

NEW WAYS TO LIQUEFY YOUR TUBE ACRYLICS

AND DO IT WITH COMMON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS!

 Today’s post is an addition to or further exploration of my last post, where I used Future floor polish (now called Pledge Floor Care with Future shine), basically a clear acrylic emulsion about as viscous as vegetable oil. I learned that it was a great extender or flow improver. Future floor polish is also both a great clear coat on finishes (especially on Yupo!), and a barrier between two different kinds of finishes.

Thin, flowy acrylics can be used to drip, spatter, pour, as an ink in pens, airbrushes, and squeeze bottles. They also make great glazes, especially when added to clear acrylic medium. But thinning acrylics can be tricky! Your paint MUST be like skim milk WITHOUT any lumps! I thinned and creamed the tube or craft paint with a little water first.

Many of you may already know that isopropyl alcohol can be splattered into wet, fluid acrylics to create a cool effect.

Well, it can also be used as an acrylic paint thinner! But this time I will discuss another unconventional, unexpected thinning medium. 


This stuff works great to liquefy acrylic paint!



Thinning Acrylics with Glass Cleaner

In its usual form, glass cleaner is a blue tinted liquid. Unlike the floor polish, glass cleaner has no acrylic binder so it cannot extend the paint, merely thin it. Glass cleaner has a tiny amount of detergent and some alcohol to reduce surface tension of the water. Most glass cleaners also have ammonia which helps to keep acrylic emulsions liquified.

TIP: Next time you finish a painting session with leftover paint, make some of it liquid and pour into a clean spray or squeeze bottle. Be sure to label the bottle as "fluid." 

Hey, thanks for viewing this post...I hope you try this stuff, as well as
the floor polish and the alcohol!

And have fun, fun, fun till your daddy takes the T-Bird away!



Original Sin: The Theme for a New Assemblage

The title is Eve, naturally!

I'll start with some of the materials and how I begin most of my assemblages or shrines. Then I'll show you how I actually start (Hint: It's with the support! No surprise there.) Finally, I'll explain my planning process and, at last, display several views of the finished piece.

I've begun painting the inside of this wooden box.

If you've been longing to assemble a found-object sculpture, you will likely choose to build it 

Possible containers to hold an assemblage.

in or on a support of some kind. It's my choice to use adhesives rather than power tools or welding. (I'd probably burn the house down or cut off a body part that I'm rather attached to!) 

Do you have an idea, a theme, even a motif that you'd like to use? It's easy to come up with inspirational concepts if you are passionate about particular ideals. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but (ugh, a cliche) follow your heart! What are your obsessions?

It helps to pull out some of the junk you've been saving--some of it might spark an idea.

 

I gather objects and materials that may fit my theme, trying to use what I already have (but a trip to the thrift shop might be necessary).



I didn't use the butterflies shown here.

Next, I plan on paper, a rough idea of what goes where, but I advise to stay flexible and change your plans as needed. With Eve, I altered the box, the figure, the Garden elements, even the snake with acrylic paint and/or modeling paste. A sharp little hand saw and a pair of pliers were also necessary. 

Stucco, metal & plastic leaves, & pa

Notice that I added another boxy element on the top to balance, hold the viewer's eye, and unify. The piece was inexpensive to create, and it can even be wall-hung if desired.

Can you find the eye of God?

 

Here's the back view:



Major texture.

 

 

 

 

                                         



DO YOU DOODLE? DECORATIVELY FRAME A PHOTO!

How's this for a frame-up? Hand-draw your own

edge around a mounted photograph.

 

Even a snapshot glued to matboard will do. Let the subject matter be your guide as you embellish all around it. Use pencils, pens, or markers to make your border.

If it's a rustic country photo, try a rough wood-grain effect or draw some barbed wire! Is it a floral? Use colored ink or colored pencils and draw leaves, vines, buds...you get the idea.

Variation: Add texture by applying modeling paste or crackle paste around the edges of the photo! (Be sure to "antique" when dry, with thin dark acrylic paint.)

 

 



Just Messin' Around with Leftover Art Materials

DON'T DISCARD DRIBS & DABS

Here's a great way to use up art media rather
than throwing it away!

 

Even the support for this exploration should be spare sturdy paper, cardboard, foam core, or an unwanted painting. Use it up!

 

As you finish an art-making session, stroke leftover paint here and there onto the spare substrate. (It helps clean your brushes of excess paint, too.) Eventually you might like the colors and effects enough to use the painting as a background for a new work!

 

Here's what I did with some fine sand I had mixed with golden ochre paint and fluid acrylic medium:

 

 

 

 

I applied the mixture to foam core and drew into it
to create the lines you see. Note the leftover bit of tissue I adhered to one corner when I ran out of sand.

 

A day later and another painting sesh finished,

I saved extra inks by applying them to my (now dry) sandy "spare."

It was teal Bombay India ink and Scattered Straw distress ink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another day, I added burnt sienna airbrush color, which is liquid. Next, I made a blackened blue mixture from leftover acrylics and used that in places. Still not done!

Finally, I added accents of vivid red-orange and white. Sand (even mixed with acrylic medium) is very absorbent, I found!

 

Since you never, ever, EVER want to rinse acrylic paint down your pipes, this is a great way to use up extra paint & experiment at the same time. Just mess around a bit!

 

 

 

 

 



KIDS DRIVING YOU BUGGY? Try an art project with them: CREATE INSECTS !

BUGS ON A BUDGET

PAPIER MACHE FUN FOR STUDENTS  

We made bargain bugs, and you can, too: inexpensive insect-sculptures using papier-mâché. Did I mention this was done with high-schoolers? I know, I know, often papier- mâché is reserved for the lower grades. But even older students really get into it, creating not only incredible insects but also cool crustaceans, super spiders, and more.  

See the how-to instructions below!

MATERIALS

• Reference books on insects
• Newspapers and string
• Masking tape
• Wire and pliers or wirecutters
• Wallpaper paste and containers
• Brown paper
• Acrylic paint (or tempera)
• Paint brushes
• Buttons, toothpicks, and other extras
• Glue gun and glue

This project is easy but soooo cool!

BEGINNING THE PROJECT

I loaded up on picture-books of creepy-crawlies, although a computer search could have yielded plenty of images as well. For my demo, I began with several bundles of balled-up newspaper tied with string,  insisting that armatures involve more than one body segment. In other words, I would not accept simple snakes and such.

Next, I joined two or three bundles together with masking tape. (Careful here--some kids will use waaay more tape than necessary!) Then I poked coat hanger wire through the body to create several pairs of legs. The kids could add wire pincers and antennae too. I anchored the wire appendages to the body with a little tape, so they'd stay put.

Make your own creepy-crawlies with this art activity.

PROGRESSING TO 

PAPIER-MÂCHÉ

When the kids had built their armatures, they applied torn newspaper strips dipped in wallpaper paste. I suggested three layers and reminded them that I expected good craftsmanship. Evaluation would be partially based on sturdiness and a smooth appearance. A final coat of smallish brown paper pieces was allowed to dry thoroughly before we proceeded.

We painted the creatures with acrylics, although tempera would do. If you use the latter, try mixing it with white glue for a nicer, less-matte finish. When the paint was dry, we added enhancements such as eyes, whiskers, or "feelers."  (A golf tee makes a great stinger!) We used a glue gun to attach such extras as eyes, filmy wings, and more.

Crustaceans are cool, too!

Try creating fantasy or composite creatures if you prefer.  Think about hanging the sculptures from the ceiling with fishing line to display them.

MAKE JEWELRY WITH THRIFT SHOP FINDS, TINY TOYS, EVEN OUTDOOR FAUCETS!

Create unique jewelry with recycled and upcycled materials. It's easy and fun!

Find inexpensive costume bits and pieces to assemble into a new necklace! Alter old-fashioned screw-type earring backs by snipping off the screw and rolling what's left into a loop. The backs of clip-on earrings often pull right off with pliers.

Start your design at the center of a chain with the largest elements. Work outward on each side with smaller parts.

This neck candy was made with junk pins and ear bobs.

I like to use all silver-tone or all gold-tone pieces together,
but you can mix and match.

Necklace above done with deconstructed brooches and earrings on a spare chain.

The two pieces seen directly below utilize a common piece of 

hardware: faucet handles! Other materials include vintage 

earrings or buttons, chains, clasps, findings (including jump 

rings &/or jewelry wire), and a few beads. Tools needed

 are pliers and wire cutters. I also added a touch of metallic 

acrylic paint to the "flower" shapes.

Old faucet handles as elements in a bracelet and a necklace. 

String some beads & add a few novelties!

This necklace is a mix of high and low: 

glass beads left over from other projects, 

and plastic key chain dangles. Achieve 

a similar Pop-art effect with small 

novelty pencil sharpeners.

(Be sure to see some tips on jewelry-making, at my last post.)

MAKE JEWELRY FROM FOUND MATERIALS

Call it altered art if you want! Use pottery shards, 

safety pins, rubber tubing, aluminum soda cans, 

and so much more to create unique jewelry. 

Make it from recycled materials and save money!

Glass beads strung on a diaper pin!

If you have jewelry findings and a few beads, you can assemble a brooch with a large, simple pin. See above.

It's easy to make a lovely cuff from safety pins.

Here's how to assemble a bracelet with safety pins, 

tiny e-beads, and elastic cord: String a pin with beads, close it, and use needle nose pliers to crimp the head to keep it closed permanently.  

Make at least fifty pins this way for a bracelet, & 

string them on beading elastic.

Cut metal, punch hole, add earring findings.

Aluminum soda pop cans are colorful 

and easy to cut. And talk about light-weight! 

File down edges so the earrings don't scratch.

I used a leather cord with this necklace.

Pendant made of a piece of a broken china plate. 

Here's my instruction:
Find a pretty plate (in porcelain, stoneware, or earthenware ceramic) for pennies at a thrift shop. Cover with a thick towel and tap with a hammer. Select a piece you like and dress the sharp, raw edges by smoothing them with a handheld ceramic tile file. Finish the edges with a permanent marker in metallic gold or silver. Glue a jewelry finding to the back.

A charming vial necklace.

A minute bottle with seashells corked inside serves as a pendant, above. Try a tiny, perfect feather sealed in a vial or a stoppered bottle, too.

Tips:

• Spread a large piece of velvet, velveteen, or felt on your work space to keep small parts from rolling off.
• Collect old jewelry chains (inexpensive at thrift shops) so you'll have them when inspiration strikes!