Nature

The Saturday Surprise challenge was Mother Nature. The frame is by Vicki Parker, other images started out as downloads from stock.xchng.

Dance

There apparently is no end to challenge blogs! This challenge is from Artarazzi. We were given an image (a painting by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones). I used a really nice mask from Carjazi Designs, used a colored edges filter and posterized the image. I built a background from at least 3 layers and various blending modes that I didn't keep track of!

Misunderstood

This piece was made in response to yet another challenge blog: Art Creations Friday They provided the little boy and we could make anything we wanted with him. He made me think of a plaque my Dad got from his Grandmother that had the worm quote on it. I made the mushroom from a digital kit and the background is by Lori Wiley from her Secret Garden kit.

Theme Thursday Clown Challenge

This is a digital piece motivated by a challenge at Theme Thursday to use a clown.

Background is a picture of a hand dyed fabric from QuiltersStitchTogether (see link on the right). Butterfly is a Dover image, animals are all pictures turned to sketches.

Wishes Quote Challenge

I have joined the Paper Whimsy group on the web and they issue a couple of quote challenges per month, using a particular poem. There are also specific requirements; we all start with the same collage sheet and must use things like a number 3, a heart, a flower, a hidden pocket, and in this case, 3 wishes. I couldn't decide what my wishes should be and was browsing my picture files looking for inspiration when I saw this picture of Dad and I from 1955. All of a sudden, I knew what I wished for more than anything in this world.
Daddy, don't be afraid. Daddy, know that you are loved. Daddy, be at peace.

Sunday Postcard Art

The theme this week is Mothers at Sunday Postcard Art

Paper Whimsy Quote Challenge collage

We had to use the quote, the door, the fish, some flowers, a key and another embellishment of my choosing (the butterfly). Background is lutradur, gesso'd and printed with the poem, bricks are sewn. Butterfly is sewn on the door, leaving the wings loose and I left thread tails for antennae, although you really can't see them. Key is hooked to a tiny blue clip which is threaded through an eyelet in the door. Inside is the quote, fish bowl made out of mica and a mica flower vase with flowers.

Art-ography #18

Been busy with other stuff and haven't done any of these lately, but I made a background for a challenge in my Mixed Media group and used it here. The floral overlay is by Mamrotka - blend mode burn at 80%. Dover flower bunch in blend mode lumanance legacy 100%, saturation increased by 20%, then used vivid filter. And the Theme Thursday theme for this week is ORANGE!

Snowy Winter Day

This is a digital piece that happened totally by accident. I was doing a challenge that required EIGHT patterned papers and the only thing I could think of was this group of papers I'd bought (Arti-Bytes_SimplySoftPapers) - similar patterns in different color families. The challenge also stipulated only ONE picture, so I found this one, played around with it to make it a bit edgy and cropped it square, thinking it'd fit in with the square papers. I plunked all the papers down, resizing them 200 pixels less each time, then plunked the picture in and all of a sudden it just seemed to shine. I was supposed to add more stuff to it for the challenge, but no way! I'll do something else for the challenge, this is too cool!

Paper Whimsey Quote Challenge collage

SECRET GARDENThis is a 5x5" paper and fabric collage created in response to a quote challenge on Paper Whimsy. Background is printed lutradur and pieces are either fused fabric or paper. Tree and the gate are stitched, leaves are fabric. We were required to use certain elements, a flower, a bird, a shoe and an ornamental element. And at least a little bit of the following poem.

Moss
by Hilda Conkling
Green velvet to look upon.
Shaped and woven of tiny trees
Soft velvet to make a pillow for the birds
Or flowers when they go to sleep,
Velvet rugs for the footsteps of the wind
(Though he leaves no footprints behind him.)
I too have felt that softness:
I have heard the wind pass and return
And stoop down to whisper
Among the trees of the moss-forest.