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

Mixed Media Workshop

One Missing

by Carlynne Hershberger

To all you mixed media artists and all you wannabee mixed media artists, we are teaching a workshop in Cloudcroft NM that you will want to attend!!

The piece shown above (One Missing) is a mixed media piece that Carlynne will be demonstrating during the workshop. Over the course of 5 days (that's five whole days with us!!!) you will work on three different projects combining colored pencils and several other media. This piece uses colored pencil, solvent and gold leafing and combines several techniques. (And although it's very pretty, the color, as seen here is not quite accurate. Don't know why it published this way!) For another project you will use colored pencil, watercolor and acrylic paint. It's a great chance to take your colored pencil work to the next level and/or learn how to combine several media.

The workshop takes place in the picuresque little town of Cloudcroft in the beatiful mountains of New Mexico July 27-31, 2009. For more information, go to the Cloudcroft site http://www.cloudcroftart.com/. And keep watching this blog for more info and another piece of artwork to be demonstrated at the event.

Peace and creativity,

Kelli

And the point is....

This is the last one of these little watercolor pencil pieces. I only did 3 but I'm wanting to do more. Of course now I'm involved in another series on canvas and have about a dozen of those going. I used to be able to work on one piece at a time and now I have to have multiple things in progress. Does anyone else out there change their working habits over time? Through the years my style has loosened up quite a bit and as I progress and evolve, the way I work changes too. I also find myself working in series now. Working on multiple pieces in a series helps keep the ideas going, one painting will generate an idea for another in the series and it flows better. The downside to all this is some mornings when I walk in the studio I'll stand there and think....geez, which one do I work on first. I'm pulled in different directions. I do a little bit here and a little bit there and at the end of the day it doesn't look like I accomplished much. Well, maybe I have been getting a little bit done. The evidence is piling up around me.

Have a good weekend and Happy Mother's Day

Carlynne

PS: in case you're wondering, these 3 pieces were of the St. John's River in Jacksonville. They currently reside at Fogle Fine Art in Jacksonville.

Painting with another point

Here's another piece done with the watercolor pencils. I've done 3 of these so far and right now they're with my gallery rep in Jacksonville - Fogle Fine Art.

Wishing everyone a happy, creative day. Find your joy and spend some time there.

Painting with a Point

This is a piece I did with watercolor pencil on paper. It was loads of fun to do. This particular technique is quick and it ends up looking very painterly. I dip the pencil point directly into water and then scrub the color on with the side of the wet pencil point. Doing it this way puts down a nice thick layer of color. I guess it's about as close to working with impasto strokes as you can get with a pencil point. As I'm sure you can tell this was done from a satellite image, can you tell where it is?

Carlynne

Altered Books and then some

Hi everyone. Well Kelli got us back in the blogging groove again. It had been quite some time for both of us. Since the last post there's been family gatherings, holidays, painting, meetings, a new year rung in, home remodeling, family reunion, babies birthing and thankfully lots more painting. No wonder we haven't blogged much.


What you see here is one page out of many from an altered book I'm working on. This is only my second altered book. The first one I did was for a family member. Since doing that one I was intrigued with the process so decided to make one just for the heck of it. Well that has now turned into an entire series of works based on the theme of women and body image. The book is almost done and the ideas have expanded into many canvases. Once in a while I'll post a peek at the new stuff. For now I'm going to keep working on the book and canvases for as long as the ideas keep flowing.

Peace and presence,
Carlynne

Bad Painting Days/Good Painting Days

Hi All,

Yesterday I told everyone on Facebook (and anyone else who would listen) that everything I painted on Tuesday turned out to be crap and would have to be gessoed over. I also told everyone (anyone who knows me knows that I don't keep secrets, even from strangers) that I would stick with it.

During Tuesday's painting session, I fought down moments of panic where I was briefly convinced that whatever I once had was gone forever and I would never finish a good painting again. As you likely know, this is a horrible feeling for any artist and we all have it from time to time. Some more often than others. I have kept an Anxiety Awareness Journal for several years after reading about it in one of Eric Maisel's books. It helps me to write in it about any anxiety I might be having about the artwork and it helps most when I use it at the beginning of a painting session. I hadn't felt the need to use it in over a year and yet I needed it today.

While I was writing, a couple of things occured to me. I have not really painted seriously since Christmas, oh, a little, hit or miss, here and there. But no long sessions like I usually do. Life happens you know. However, when you let things interfere with your painting sessions, creativity goes out the window. I know for sure that I need to make it a habit to set aside time and clear my mind for creativity to happen.

I need to welcome creativity back into my life and treat it like a baby that needs to be nurtured and cared for. Painting and I will have to get used to each other again, spend time together, get to know each other. Like a second honeymoon. I need to make this relationship a priority in my life and always make time for it. I think if I do that, we will both be happier.

Peace, love and creativity.
Kelli