Welcome SUMMER!

(I think it is official....we've been to the sprinkler park, t-ball is in full swing and today we are filling up the pool.)

 

The past several weeks I've been painting my lil' heart out.  Most of the time was spent creating for Prairie Hearth's (located in Fremont, Nebraska) Summer Open House.  This time I focused on subway art....(lots of text...different fonts...different sized print.....all coming together to convey a common message).

Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest?  What a wonderful resource for what is trending in the world.  With a simple search or follow you can find the most interesting and inspiring people and creations......not to mention fun activities for the kiddos and some pretty tasty recipes.  :)

Well, for a long time now I'd been seeing some of my favorite artists switching gears to incorporating patterned paper in their paintings.  I had tried this in the past, but was too controlled about it....cutting out patterned paper to make flower petals, etc.  This was not the look I wanted and so I put this idea to the side- -chalking it up as a 'nice try'.  Well, I took the plunge and decided to try this again.  This time I would apply several patterned papers as an all-over base.  I would paint on and around it...allowing portions of the scrapbook paper to peek thru. 

Oh my goodness did I need this?!  I was shocked at how this technique forced me to slow down and really think about where I wanted things placed, what patterns I wanted to expose, etc.  While I was painting I noticed interesting things 'appearing' and chose to either cover them up or highlight them.

Although I'm not convinced that this new painting method is my next 'go to' technique, I do think that I'll be visiting it again to challenge my creativity and thought process.