Hello there everyone......
I have been at work in my little studio recently. Just hoping that I am back in the zone again.  I have been told my job will be finishing in December so I really must get back into the art world again. Our weather here is just turning to winter, we have been so fortunate this year, it has been so warm through Oct. & Nov. We haven't needed any heating or wood burner so no cleaning the fire out YIPPEE. It has been marvellous. Mind you we have had no rain either, so everyone is complaining about their gardens. The oranges around us and in our garden will definitely not have much juice in them. So perhaps not so much fresh orange juice for breakfast. 



This is a Gelli plate background then I drew Carlito the Camel from a copyright free photo using coloured pencils. I think he looks fun. He's got attitude with those piercings!!!!!!!!

This is a card I made for a Spanish girl to give to her friend & future husband. Her invitations were all black, red & white. So I was asked follow that theme. I have left some tags for her to write her own message on and she can put the wedding present money in the openings- I also made the beads with Gelli print paper & the cards itself is a sheet of printed. I will soon get fed up with using the Gelli Plate (but I doubt it).



These are the start of my Christmas cards. Gelli prints again with embellishments of anything I can find.

Another one of my cards the tri-fold ATC.

Christmas card in the making........

Well Bye for now. Hope to back soon to show more work in progress.

Hello everyone, haven't been doing much of late. My mojo definitely needs looking into......... I am at the moment trying to make some Christmas cards using my Gelli Plate. More of that later. I will post some of the things I have been playing about with. Mail Me Some Art placed a template by Carolyn Dickenson for an ATC tri-shutter card that I have been using with some nice results. Thank you Carolyn & Mail Me Some Art. It's been a great deal of fun. So here goes.

These are my first tries. I really like the idea as they stand up nicely. I have used ordinary card stock, so they fold quite easily. I will make a small envelope for them also.

This is a small book that I have made that really needs some work. I will have time now as last week I was told my job was finishing. So hopefully I can get down to some artwork serious...........

                                            


Another small book. I love the backgrounds that the Gelli plate gives you. It has really changed my work.

Well bye for now. I will be back with my Christmas cards??????????

Gelli plate printing

Well hello all, this post as usual has been a long time coming. But I have a little excuse. I have been doing an on line course with Carla Sonheim for Gelli Plate Printing. This has been great. I have loved it. It has become a minor obsession in my life. Well, hey I don't have much else. Makes me sound a very sad person!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will include some of my work below. Meanwhile here in Sunny Spain it's very hot. So the acrylic paint is drying up very quickly. It definitely needs an extender in it. So do I??????

I have had some wonderful Mail Art sent to me from people in the USA via Mail Me Some Art. It is really nice as when you go to the post box and there's something nice in there instead of the usual bill. GREAT........ I will take some pictures and put them up on my blog soon.

Here's "Bilko" my lovely rescue dog. I took a picture of him. Then played with the picture in Pic Monkey. When I was happy with it I then transferred the said picture onto my gelli print with black acrylic paint. Doesn't he look nice???

This is the same process but using a picture of Georgina.

Same process just different gelli plate print.

Same again.

Here is a typical Carla Sonheim type drawing. I used gel pens and coloured pencils for this one.

This is an accordion book made with a sheet of water colour paper printed on the gelli plate.

Another handmade book made with a gelli plate print.

This is the inside of the book.

These are three smaller prints. I cut a stencil from card to make the organic shapes.

The top one of these was done on old book page.

Here are two mosaics of some of my work.

Here's Ginty the giraffe, Roland the rat, Lily the llama. I really should get out more. Ha Ha.

Well I'm off back to do some more printing you can't stop me now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Mail Me Some Art

The brief for the next project for Mail Me Some Art was to alter a playing card or cards. So, that is what I have been doing of late. I didn't  realize how difficult it was going to be. But in the end they worked out OK.  Below are the ones I am sending to America to be swapped. I also made small envelopes for them all. But forgot to take pictures of them.

You have to leave part of the card showing so everyone knows it is a playing card that has been altered. I have used some of the makeshift gelli plate backgrounds that I have been experimenting with on most of the cards. I have to do something with them!!!!!

These cards have really taxed me as it's such a small scale to work with. But I have really enjoyed the experience.

This one I made a small tag and glued it to the card. Again  I used a background from my stockpile or mountain as my husband calls it of makeshift gelli plate prints.

All sorts of things going on here.

Background print again plus embellishment sewn on. I painted the card with black gesso first.

This one is cut out of piece of old artwork that I had laying around.

Again part of an old piece of artwork.

Here I stuck five cards together. On the front card I added a brad and the usual stickles and tulip paints.

 Well now I am up and ready for the next challenge that is to produce a postcard size piece of art but, the colour has to be varying shades of red. Well here we go again taxing my very small brain. I think it's down to MMSA that I have got my mojo back..........

Hey Jen if you do get round to reading this post I hope my blog is still running along the same lines as before and you can leave comments as normal.We can only see????? Fingers crossed. I?m still struggling with yours. What has happened?????

Mail Me Some Art

 I have just joined Mail Me Some Art which is a web site where you send a piece of your artwork and you get something with the same brief back. This has given me the kick-start that I needed. To play and enjoy my artwork........ Instead of putting everything off. The brief was to create card or cards that are round so I thought I would show you the ones I have sent off to America. I will have to keep checking the post to see what are returned??????

These are the three that I picked to send. This one was finished with a little quote on the black card.



This IS round in a sort of flowery way???????

This round round as you can see. I have used all sorts of media on this one.

Well let's see what I receive??????

I am now working on a postcard with a pink theme. Very girly.......

Las Fallas in Denia



Start of "Las Fallas"




Here she is in her full glory. I really hope it not going to rain before Tuesday.



 THE ORIGEN OF THE FALLAS.

The fallas began as a festival celebrated by local artisans in honour of Saint Joseph. In the Valencian Comminity this festival dates back to the second half of the 18th century, when it was just a simple festivity held as part of the proceedings involved in the general Saint Joseph's day celebrations on the 19th March.

Well I'm back...... John and I (that's my husband) have just arrived back from a town quite close to us called Denia it's about 7 kilometers away. We went to experience Las Fallas. The first days of "Las fallas" celebration start with the "la planta" or the building of "Las Fallas", they  are enormous constructions, massive works of art in papier maché and wood.  This started on the 15th  March. After that it's when the party really gets started. Culminating on San José the 19th March when the "crema" the burning takes place. This brings the fiesta to a close. But what a close. Go onto You Tube and take a look. These massive works of art take a year to construct and then sadly are burnt to the ground.The Falleras/os then start raising money for next year.............The Fallas in Valencia are even bigger and more amazing still can't get my head round them being burnt. Most of them have a real knock at politcians or someone from the area constructors being the main grumble around here. There are little cards all round these statues with a point to be made!!! Nice when you can do that.

 





Here are some of the smaller festeras/os followed by local bands really enjoying themselves. I think by the end of the day the little ones are ready for bed.

 

Now, this is just one of the eleven Fallas. You cannot believe how tall they are. They are genuinely major works of art. 



 





Front & back view.




All The red notices around the Fallas are telling little tales about politicans, local rougue builders and many other little gems.





















Everything ends with a good Valecian Paella cooked in the street.

 



This is how it all ends on Tuesday. BOO HOO........











Long time away!!!!!!!!!

Junk Mail Journal

Well I'm back. Hopefully I have got my mojo back as regards my artwork? I just couldn't seem to get back into it. Around Christmas I bought Carla Sonheim's book Imaginary Animals and I have started to have great fun playing. Instead of taking things so seriously. She really gets you to forget all  your hangups. Saying you don't always have to have everything just so. Just get on with things let go in general. Brings the child out in you. So that's me at the moment. Here is a glimpse of my Junk Journal filled with imaginary animals. The book is made up from old junk mail and postcards, gessoed  then painted and drawn on. The binding I made by dyeing string with acrylic paint (bit messy). I then added some old beads from a broken necklace. So all in all a great time has been had by me.



This Journal is still evolving. Needless to say I can't stop adding things.

This is another project that I have been working on. A small handmade journal. Fiddly but enjoyable.

This journal was made from an old piece of mixed media work of mine.

I think I might turn this into a Birthday Card for a friend of mine?

I have made a little box to put the card into. I can add some quotes later.

Well, bye bye for now. Hope to be back a little sooner next time.