Amazing students work

On Saturday I taught my textured grid canvas to 2 wonderfully creative women. It was my first time teaching this workshop so it was nice to just have the 2 to try it out on. We had great fun with all the different texture pastes and then choosing bits and bobs to go with it. Teaching always inspires me but with this group I even got a few new ideas to work on.

Kim

Sharon

Did you do any creating over the weekend?

Happy Creating!

Wendy

A whole lot a texture on one canvas board.

 I think it's safe to say that I love texture. Whether it's doing mixed media, jewelry design or any other creative play I can't get enough texture. Sometimes it's visual texture from adding layers of paint and ink in my art journal but the best kind is real dimensional texture like in this piece. I think it has every kind of dimensional paste and product I own on it.

It started off being sample squares of different paste product I had. Once I started to paint them I knew I had to make some kind of grid canvas with them. I'm always surprised at how often my work becomes grid like or linear. I think I like swirls and circles and a little craziness but then when I started creating, things become orderly and everything needs to be in the right place. I think it's an interesting thing to think about and explore. 

I'm thinking of doing this as a workshop. So if you live in the Ottawa area let me know if you're interested.

Keep Creating!

Wendy

Creative inspiration

I've read a lot of books and blog posts about how to be creative and what inspires people and keeps them going but in the end I need to figure out what works for me. Lately when I've gone into the studio to work on some of my mixed media projects I just couldn't seem to get back at them. I have a few projects started so I feel that when the mood strikes me I should just be able to show up and the creative juices will start working but it hasn't been working out that way. I show up stare at a few projects for a while and then walk away because nothing seems to move me creatively. Well this past weekend my sister was by to fix up an old window she needed for a stain glass workshop she's taking tomorrow so I found myself in the studio for longer than I have in a long time. Since I had to be in the studio anyway I just started to putter away at things. I threw a little paint here and there in some art journals. Slapped some texture paste on some chip board and just tried out new colour combos and antiquing on the texture past without thinking about being creative. It made me realize that to be creative I really just need to show up regularly and to give it time without forcing it. If something doesn't work I just need to grab the next handy thing to throw paint at. Sometimes I forget that being creative doesn't always mean getting a project done.

This piece was one of those things that just came out of no where. I was using the cradle board canvas to try out some texture paste and glazing colours for a students project. It stayed on my desk so I added things here and there and within a few days it was done. I wish all projects were this easy.

What do you do to get your creativity moving?

Wendy