Painting with Paper

Last month at our Friday Night Painting Party we had fun painting palms trees.

 Have you ever used scissors and glue? This month learn how to turn this......

into this.

 We're painting with paper. If you can scrapbook, you can collage.

 Yes, there are still a couple of openings so get your info to us ASAP if you want to join us Friday night. Comment here or shoot us an email at hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Friday Night Painting Party

Friday night we had our altered book painting party. Nancy was having fun doing a book about her travels.

Julie made some gorgeous color and texture layers in her book.

Diane is playing with texture using a great little roller tool I found..... someplace, can't remember!

Some of the tools we got to play with.

Demo boards from the workshop.

And here they are at the end of the night. Of course you can't see the books very well in this picture but you can see their smiling faces!

4 things to do to a book....

1. cut out some pages 

2. scribble on the cover

3. paint on the inside

4. glue things to it

That's not exactly the way we were taught to treat our books when we were growing up. I used to feel bad if I even folded a tiny bit of corner down to save my place. I love books, I love the smell of books, the feel of books, when I see them lined up on a shelf I itch to run my hands over the spines. I saw my toddler granddaughter do just that the other day and it made my heart do a little skip for joy because I knew she was developing her love for books too. So...... why in the world would I do any of those 4 things?

Because sometimes I want to combine my love for books with my love for art. Why can't they become one? The art of altered books is the art of transforming a book into a new visual form. It's a canvas with multiple pages that can become part of the finished art or simply a base for something new.

This 2 page spread is part of the book you see above called Body of Work. This particular set of pages has sewing pattern tissue, color copies, paint and even a zipper attached to it. This book is about making a statement on women and body image but not all books have to make a statement. Like painting, the subject ideas are limitless. 

Do you know what ephemera is? Take a look at the photo above. It's the stuff you pull out of your purse, your pants pockets or the junk drawer in the kitchen. It's bits of lace, torn paper, playing cards or ticket stubs. Anything you can glue down can become part of an altered book. Start collecting some of this stuff because we're doing an altered book in our next Friday Night Painting Party coming up on the 24th of this month. We're going to provide a small book for you to work on (we can't go too crazy since it's only one evening) and we'll have lots of tools, papers, paint and glue for you to play with. If you want to make it more personal bring some of your own ephemera ~ re-purpose and recycle. Reserve your seat soon, these parties fill up and class size is limited! The workshop fee is 50.00 and covers everything.

It's really ok to scribble on the pages. Think of it as taking scrapbooking to a whole new level.

Peace,

Carlynne

Stuff......

......that's undone - story of my life I guess but I see that as a good thing. It means I started something. In this case it's many somethings. Many projects are underway. Little pieces with papers collaged and texture gels added are waiting patiently for paint. These are heading for the Etsy shop when finished.

This is a bigger one - 48x36 oil on canvas. It's part of the series on adoption.

The next one in the gold sky series is also underway.

I hadn't done one of these larger textured abstracts in a while so I was in need. I have it started and I have no idea what I'm doing with it next but that's the fun of doing it.

TA DA! Something done! This one is for a special project that I'll be announcing later. This is colored pencil with mineral spirits on cold press illustration board. So, I'll keep you posted on how all these projects end up.

Go and be creative!

Carlynne

A new series, a new venture

Wow, where have I been? Hard to believe it's been since the 8th that I've posted. Where did May go? I've either had my nose buried in a book or I've been at the easel. These are good things!


In the last post I mentioned the new series I'm working on about adoption. The above piece is the beginning of that series. The canvas is 3' x 4' and I'm using acrylic, collage and gold leaf. Since I took this photo I added the gold leaf to the web pattern. There's still much to do. There's some issues to work out on the flowers but for now I'm going to continue layering on the background - right now there's bible pages attached but I may add some other elements too. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Mosaic 10

24x24

Now this one in the Mosaic series is one of 4 pieces that is being included in Bentley Publishing Group's summer line. They will be on the Designer Services website around mid July. They will be available as giclees on paper or canvas. This is a new venture for me so it's very exciting! Of course now, it means patience. It's time to just focus on new work.

And it's time to turn up the music to drown out the sound of my neighbors and their lawn mowers and blowers. Why can't they just let their yards be wild and free like mine.

Have a great weekend,

Carlynne

I really want to know...

Good morning! What a pretty day, finally some sunshine. We've had nothing but rain for the last few days and it was starting to get depressing. So, happy day and favorite things. Today I just thought I'd show you some of my favorite things - books. One of the first things I do when visiting an artist is check out the book shelf to see which art books they like to keep around. Here's a few of the shelves in my office. What are your favorite books? I'd really like to know, just call me nosy.

My own version of our book cover photo. These seem to be the colors I'm attracted to at the moment. Maybe I've been willing spring to come by using these colors all winter. Apparently I haven't done a very good job - this has been the longest, coldest winter we've had in Florida in many, many years!

Collage and creativity.... of course notice the 3rd book from the left. :D

Landscape and light.

Many colored pencil books of course......

Acrylic and abstraction.

Now all I need is a cup of coffee and my comfy chair - I'll get some inspiration and then unwrap those two new canvases I brought home yesterday. Hope you all have a lovely day!

Peace,

Carlynne

I'm feelin' it

I absolutely LOVE textures. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't keep my hands off of a cool looking textured surface. From the time I was a little girl I was fascinated with textures in nature - tree bark, veining in leaves, bird tracks in the snow (I didn't always live in Florida), the fuzz on new spring leaf buds, the indentations of raindrops in dirt, the bubbles of tar on the side of the road in the summer.

Of course the natural progression of things is that I would end up incorporating texture into my paintings. I play with textured papers, pastes and gels, sand, glass beads and rocks. There's nothing I love more in the studio than watching the fluid acrylic paint seep into the crevices of crackle paste and puddle around the bumps of glass beads. The nuances of color as it concentrates into a smooth valley or gets absorbed into a soft paper surface is just plain exciting! Call me weird.... I don't care!

So..... for the people out there like me, Kelli and I will be teaching a workshop on playing with these textures. Since the texture gels and pastes usually take overnight to dry we're going to prepare some panels ahead of time and then focus on what to do with paint and collage elements to enhance the textures and make them sing. The workshop will be in Ocala at Red Swan Paint & Art on Sunday March 21st from 1-5. Give us a holler if you want more info and contact us soon before the class fills up. mailto:andhershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Now go touch something and feel the texture - you don't have to tell me what it is. :D

Peace,

Carlynne

Myth of Perfection

Myth of Perfection

16x16

Mixed media on canvas

Good morning! It's another chilly start in the south. I've got a few minutes before heading off to work today so I thought I'd share another piece in the Body of Work series. This one is called Myth of Perfection. I'll go back to the altered book later and show you some more pages from that but I thought bringing out the canvases would be nice.

I think the words on the canvas pretty much say it all. Isn't perfection what we're supposed to be striving for? I know women understand this pressure to look perfect. Just look at the women's fashion magazines and the airbrushed models. Who in the world could possibly live up to those standards? I truly think these magazines are a bad influence on young women. They send a damaging message - you're not okay. As we get older we add more things to the list of things to be perfect at - raising kids, careers, housekeeping and caring for elderly parents. We put so much pressure on ourselves - yes, there's the outside influences but we allow those influences to push us to the point of extremes. There's nothing wrong with having high standards but there has to be some sanity thrown in there too, some feeling of it's okay if everything is not exactly perfect. It's okay to let the less important things sit for a while so we can sit for a while and be at peace.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Peace,

Carlynne

Body of Work

Ok, this is totally different. This is not the abstract work that I usually do, or the landscape work that I enjoy doing. This is something that started a couple of years ago even though I haven't shared it until now.

In my late 40's I started thinking about where I am and where I'm going, what's expected of me as a female, what's important in my life. Maybe that's just the mid-life thing talking. Maybe it's the recent experience I've had with cancer that's adding to the conversation and giving me the feeling that's it's time to pull these pieces out of the closet and give them exposure. Maybe it's just that I'm in my 50's now. I thought about the things that women have done to themselves and to the other females in their lives over the course of centuries, from foot binding to corset wearing to plastic surgery. Things done for the sake of image, societal standing and financial survival. We did what we had to do. Do we still have to do these things? Have we evolved beyond this stage? Maybe, maybe not...

This 2-page spread in the book is about medical tourism.... these are actual vacation packages. Do you realize you can go on a cruise and have a tummy tuck and facelift at the same time?

So these thoughts turned into a book. Not your usual kind of book - this was an old book that was painted and collaged into a new work. I had seen some people doing altered books and I was fascinated by them. I love books so my first thought was - SACRILEGE! How can you do these things to a book? But then I thought.... what's wrong with transforming a discarded thing into a work of art. I found the process interesting, thought provoking, creative and challenging. Each 2 page spread became a work of art with a different story all related to the same theme. Then as the images and thoughts developed I started working on canvases that related to the book theme. In coming posts I'll show you some of those canvases. This has now turned into a series of works based on this same theme - women and body image.

As women, what are your thoughts on this issue? Ok, you're not all female out there so as a human what are your thoughts?

Peace,
Carlynne

Yesterday's Progress

It was a good productive day in the studio yesterday. Remember the hubcap? Back to work on that. Amazing Hubby sandblasted it for me and then I gave it a primer coat. Next was a coat of gesso, a layer of crumpled tissue paper and a thin layer of acrylic paint. We'll see where it goes from here.

While layers of the hubcap were drying I worked on a new canvas - this one 48x48. It takes up quite a chunk of space in the studio! I had to work flat for the first layer of texture so I had it on the dining room table for a couple of days. The rest of the painting can be worked on the easel. At the top of the photo you can see where I'm putting in the lines for the geometric shapes.

Today I'm at Red Swan all day so I'll get back to the studio over the weekend. Hope you're having fun and TGIF!

BTW..... if you're interested in taking our workshop next month, send us an email and we'll get a registration form to you. hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Peace,

Carlynne

Another Stage

It's another stage..... don't know if it's a good one or not. I'm happy with some things, not so happy with others. I added some more tissue, a little gold leaf and of course some more color and geometric shapes. Changes will be happening soon - maybe some drastic ones. Maybe I'd better sleep on it. hmmm....

Supper time,
have a good night,
Carlynne

Beginnings and Tom Hanks

If you are an artist, how many pieces do you work on at once? Here's 6 paintings that are underway right now. 5 of them just have the first layers on. I just can't seem to start one and stay with it til the very end. There must be traveling around the studio to different tables with different materials at different stages of drying. And why not, I don't travel any where else.

All the acrylics here are little 8x8 canvases. The colored pencil on board is 22x22. Seems a little backwards doesn't it? I think the next acrylic is going to be 48x48 but I'll have to do a little rearranging in the studio to fit that on the easel.

Can you tell I like complimentary colors?

What's this doing here? Yes, I still do colored pencil. It doesn't look like much right now. This is the first scribble stage done last night. Very soon it will be smeared and pushed around with mineral spirits. If you want to try this technique, do it on cold press illustration board - works great, you can really move the color on this surface.

A softer palette to start, but you know there's brighter color to come.

Trying to figure out what to do next...... I might leave this one for a while and work on the others. First things first ~ do I listen to Etta again or switch to Adam Lambert? I could start the afternoon with Mozart and then play more high energy later when I need it. OR.... I could have Tom Hanks keep me company with an old movie. I think I spend just as much time figuring out who I want with me in the studio as what to actually do in the studio. This is important stuff, the right vibe is at stake.

Have a golden afternoon,

Peace,

Carlynne

Me and Etta

Mosaic 3

24x24

This one is now finished! I had a good time in the studio today ~ me and Etta James. Nothing like some music to help get in the groove. I'd love to know how in the world she did some of her songs. I love to sing along with whoever is in my CD player but there's some tunes that she does that just amaze me - like, Baby, What You Want Me to Do. If you haven't heard this, listen to it. If I try to sing this I end up in a coughing fit! Some things are just best left up to the pros.

Anyway, back to the painting ~I added some layers to this one. I did some glazing with the acrylic and I also added some layers of tissue paper. I thought this would add some depth. Any comments.... thoughts.... critiques.....

Hope you're having a good evening,

Peace,

Carlynne

The skin just got a little bit thicker

Well, I realized tonight that I've made it. I made it as a professional artist. No, it has nothing to do with income, my career in general, whether or not all my income comes from sales of my work, who buys my work or how many galleries represent me. It has to do with the thickness of my skin. Tonight my hubby told me that one of my texture pieces reminds him of a macaroni project - you know, the kind kids do in school. He hates it - literally! Oh well. The fact that I can say "oh well" is big. I don't know about other couples out there but for me it's a little different being married to another artist. It's fabulous to share this common interest. I love being able to go to art shows with him. We love finding art supply stores, museums and anything art related where ever we go. He's my biggest champion - always pushing me, cheering me on and supporting whatever I want to do. In a word, he's amazing! But..... once in a while, when you're married to an artist you have to be ready to hear it - the criticism. A few years ago I would've had a hard time with that. Tonight, it didn't bother me at all! It was really ok. I've also gotten a lot of positive feedback recently so that helps to balance things out.

So, today's advice....when you hear something positive about your work - relish in it. Pull it out and revisit it so it can help you through the rejections that are bound to come. After a while the skin thickens up and you can take it. Get comfortable with what you do and who you are. Then when you hear criticism you can take what's useful and leave the rest behind.

No, I'm not tossing the "macaroni" project. Can you guess which one it is? I posted it on here not too long ago. When I get it done I'll post it again. You can tell me if it needs something else - some beans maybe?

have a good weekend,
Carlynne

Then and now

When I was a little girl my soft spoken but feisty Puerto Rican grandmother taught me the fine arts of needlework. She was a seamstress in a factory of the garment district of New York and she knew all of them. She taught me to crochet, knit, embroider, sew and even though it didn't stick with me - she knew tatting, lace making, and anything else you could do with a needle, thread, yarn and pieces of fabric. She even made cashmere coats with silk linings and fur collars for my Barbie dolls from scraps in the factory! How in the world she managed to make a set-in sleeve that small for my dolls is beyond me. As I was growing up I continued to sew - making my own clothes - but what really tugged at me was crocheting. I kept at it, I crocheted all sorts of things including outfits for my Barbies.

Fast forward to today..... I'm a painter. But, crochet, even after all these years, still calls to me. I miss it and I miss her. So the other day I'm sitting in my studio trying to think of a way to incorporate crochet into my work as a painter. I love texture. I've been using fiber in some of my collage and mixed media work for a while now so I thought why not add some free form crochet to my very organic feeling work. I started with some nubby yarn in a free form style, added some twine and then I'm looking at an acrylic on wood panel that just wasn't working the way it was so I played with it. Now what I have is what you see above. It's not done yet but I'm happy to be playing with the texture and incorporating pieces of my childhood through the crochet. It may not be what grandma had in mind but that's ok. I'm bringing a piece of my life with her into the life I live now.

Keep playing and never forget where you came from,
Carlynne

New work and new beginnings

Passage 72

I just put a couple of new pieces on Etsy so take a peak when you have a chance. I added a few extra things to this one....painted silk, glass, tumbled quartz and metallic thread. Anything is fair game anymore, I wonder hmmmmm....can that be glued to a canvas?

Happy Sunday, happy painting and Happy Birthday to Kelli. Tomorrow is Kelli's birthday so CHEERS and may there be many more.

Peace,

Carlynne

Validation

Hey all,

Last Saturday morning I awoke to the news that two of my 5 pieces on Etsy had sold after being listed only 2 1/2 days!! I was over the moon.

As artists we hear compliments all the time, "Oh that's beautiful," or "I just love that." And even sometimes a few of these, " Well you can decorate my house anytime," and "I would be happy to store that for you." (I have said some of these things myself.) But there is something really special about the feeling you get when you sell something. Sure it helps pay the bills and for an artist that is really important. But I am talking about how it feels.

OK, here's my confession: the two pieces were only $25 each, but it felt like a thousand each. I call it validation when someone plunks down their hard earned money to buy your artwork. It is the highest of all compliments and I will never be jaded enough to not be thrilled each and every time it happens. So, my thanks to Elisabeth, you made my day.

One of pieces that sold is pictured above. It is a 5X5 inch piece from the Beach series with acrylic texture sand medium, super heavy gesso and mica flakes.

Wishing you peace, love and creativity.

Kelli

Gone surfing

Yay! I'm back online. I've only been offline for a few hours but that's enough to send me over the edge sometimes. Normally I consider myself a fairly level headed, even tempered sort but when this connection that's supposed to be connected 24/7 in actuality is connected 20/7 I get really PO'd. What does that say about me? Am I obsessed with this thing? Have we become so dependent on it that our lives come to a screeching halt without it? Kelli and I were talking about this just the other day. It's amazing how much computer time we have to put in order to make our fine art worlds work. Gone are the days of spending most of our hours at the easel. Of course we have to put in the time painting but we have to put in just as much at the computer in order for the rest of the world to know that we did the easel time. Am I whining? Just a little bit.....I feel much better now that the Internet is working again and I'm very grateful that I can log into blogger, facebook, myspace, twitter, linkedin, etsy, paypal, youtube, the bank, the local news etc, etc, etc.....................


While I'm surfing here's the latest from the easel, although it's not literally from the easel considering it's too small to fit on one. This is one of the 5x5 series and it's mixed media on panel. It's acrylic, collage decorative paper, wire and tumbled stones on a textured surface.

Feeling peaceful and wishing you great connections,

Carlynne

So many layers, so little space

Passage 64 (detail)

Here I go again with the textures, just can't help myself. This is a portion of the painting, you can see the rest on Etsy when I get it posted later today. I think I'm trying to see just how many layers I can add to an itty bitty 5x5 panel. This particular one has prepared paper, 3 different gels, wire and of course acrylic layers in between. The gels I used were natural sand, glass beads and string gel. So much fun!

Peace,

Carlynne

I just don't know.....

Wow, I just don't know what happened to the colors on that last post. The colors are really off from the original. I tried to post again from my computer with a different file and I got the same result. Oh well....

Passage 53

The colors on this piece are much better, thank goodness. This is a little piece done with collage, acrylic texture gel, copper wire and stone. It's 5x5 for 25.00 and now available on Etsy! Let me know what you think.

Peace,

Carlynne