Shadow Dancer

This:

Horizontal on the amazing adjustable easel:

Plus an Inkjet image printed on an Apollo transparency looks like this:

Plus some Elmer's Caulk, a palette knife and some luck....

Ends up looking like this:

and the gratuitous close-up: 

 

And again, my wise art friends, how do I get this puppy sold??

xoS

PS. Venus Astonished and Shadow Dancer

both have a reoccurring theme. 

It's way deep

and I don't want to get into it now. 

You can probably tell that it has to do with heartbreak, 

I mean Venus is so astonished with this life, she bails!! 

She goes back to where she came from! 

She got hurt, yes, she could survive that,

but what really made her head back to sea was Disappointment!

Constant Disappointment!! 

Hoping, wanting and not getting. 

Being let down, sometimes by people that are not capable of giving her what she needs

so part of the blame is hers! 

Insanity is hoping for a different outcome over and over when the process is exactly the same! 

And Shadow Dancer,

she is there for one reason and one reason only.

To Excite.

Good grief, how sad is that. 

Her body is the only 

important thing about her. 

She is judged by her beauty and weight.

She has no personality,

soul or heart

in the shadows.

She is expected only 

To Excite.

Crap. 

I went off didn't I?

and I didn't really want to get into it.

I think I need a minute. 

xoS

Don't Mess With Mother Nature

New canvas. New Recipe. 

Ingredients:

ink jet images printed onto

Apollo transparency film,

 acid free tissue paper,

A bottle that sprays a fine mist 

filled with 70% isopropyl alcohol, 

acrylic paint, canvas,

collage images. 

Thoroughly spray the ink side of the image on the transparency sheet with the alcohol spray. Not dripping wet, just covered. Lay the image sprayed side down on the tissue. Lightly press image with a bone folder just to make sure image is in full contact with tissue. This step isn't even necessary every time, most of the time the tissue just sucks the ink right into it. Wait like 3 minutes, and pull up a corner to see if ink has transferred. If it has, pull off the transparency sheet. It should be clear. Below you can see how clear the sheet is when the transfer works perfectly.

Below is the 8x10 canvas collaged  with images from my stash and painted with Golden's heavy body paint. I thought it was too shiny, so I covered it with matt gel medium. Big mistake. Along the way I added glossy Soft gel medium and I liked it again!

Fooling around here with possible compositions.

And here is the finished collage:

"Mother Nature"

Prints available on my etsy site. 

Thanks for looking!

xoS

Crow Collage

Added a little of this and that:

I did this layer and then read this comment:

Anne Said: Try something unexpected with the vines...leaves with words, a heavily textured addition, a very soft and sheer image to the left of the crow......just ideas....XXOO!!Anne

Great ideas, Anne! Thank you. I am disappointed that the words in the top center collage element don't show anymore. It was "change" and "variation". I was a little too heavy handed with the paint. My wheels are still turning and I have a couple of other ideas I want to try.

I'm off to Sea Isle City Wednesday for a short vacation with Samantha, so I won't be working on my crow or posting until next Sunday.

xoSusan

GOT CAULK?-Ode To Marianne

Remember the song "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" by Indeep. Admit it, you know you do. Here it is in all its glory, play the video by clicking the arrow but scroll down to my amended lyrics and read while the music plays, oh and Crank it UP!!:

Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night Elmer's Caulk saved my life, yeah
'Cause I was sittin' there frustrated to death
And in just one breath, Marianne said
"You gotta get up, you gotta get up, you gotta get Caulk girl"
You know you drive me crazy, Transfer
You got me turnin' to another Artist
Marianne sent some Caulk and Directions to my home

Success, why you leave me all alone ?
And if it wasn't for the Caulk in the Mail , I don't know what I'd do, yeah
Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night a Good Transfer saved my life from a Broken Heart
Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night Elmer's saved my life with some Caulk

You know I hopped into my car, didn't get very far, no
Because I had Transferrin' on my mind, why be so unkind ?
You got your Techniques all around, all around this town
And I was trapped in love with Purell and I didn't know what to do
But when I turned to Marianne's directions, I found out all I needed to know
Check it out

Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night a Good Transfer saved my life from a Brokn Heart
Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night Elmer's saved my life with some Caulk

Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night a Good Transfer saved my life from a Brokn Heart
Last night Marianne saved my life
Last night Elmer's saved my life with some Caulk
Hey, listen up to My Bloggin Friend

You better hear what She's got to say

There's not a Transfer that Elmer's can't fix
'Cause Caulk can do it in the mix
And if your Transfer gives you trouble, just break out the Caulk on the double
And you don't let it trouble your brain
'Cause away goes trouble down the drain
Said away goes trouble down the drain
Well, alright
Caulk time
Last night some Caulk saved my life
There's not a Transfer Elmer's can't fix
'Cause Caulk can do it in the mix
'Cause Caulk can do it in the mix
In the mix, in the mix, in the mix, in the mix
In the mix, in the mix, in the mix, in the mix
In the mix, in the mix.

xoSusan

Yet More Anti-Valentines 2010

Only 3 more days in February....got to get these out of my system by then....same techniques as previous 3 posts....xoSusan

ANTI-VALENTINES 2010

As the Allman Brothers Band blasted in the background (looking forward to the upcoming concerts I will be attending in NYC, and yes that was Concerts PLURAL yahoo and teehee), I started working on this years Anti-V's. I decided to use scans of some of my abstractish paintings on top of sweet hearty scrapbook paper. Paper that I will never use otherwise, left over from when Sam was a baby and I documented every burp and coo. Who could blame me, she was a gift from the universe YEARS in the trying and finally making. BTW Miss Samantha's 16th birthday is my Valentine present every year. Yup, she was born Feb. 14. But I digress. Alcohol spray/ink jet images/Apollo 7039 transparencies are my favorite and consistently successful way to transfer images. Alas, this technique WILL NOT WORK ON TOP OF ACRYLIC PAINT, so I am going to be using scrapbook paper as the substrate a lot from now on. Both to use it up, and to make it my own.

Above are the scanned ink jet images printed on Apollo 7039 transparencies using my Epson c88 and Durabrite inks.

Above, I have 70% isopropyl alcohol in a recycled perfume mister. Spray the transparency until it is thoroughly covered, but not dripping. Lay the image down on top your receiving paper.
Gently brayer the image. Then lift a corner to see if the ink is sticking to the paper.

The above 2 are not perfect transfers. Doing transfers = embracing imperfection. Difficult, but you can do it!! teehee. See the ink left on the transparency above? Mist that spot with alcohol again, burnish that spot using your bone folder, and it will stick!!! You can repair these, quite easily. Or leave it nice and grungy, your call.
Above is one of the best transfers of the day. Look how clean the transparency is!!After they dry, you can fill in any blank spots with paint washes, or crayons, ink you name it. For this project I will be using Portfolio Water-Soluble Oil Pastels.
When the transfer is dry, I like to go over it with steel wool. It smooths out the finish and removes any sticky residue. You can skip this step. For these AV's I will be adding images of couples so I want my substrate smooth.

Here are a bunch ready to be embellished. If you look close you can see the sweet little hearts under the abstract splashes of color. I have started embellishing, but am not ready yet for show n tell!! I am doing a few sweet for a couple sweeties, but mostly they will be sour!! Remember, they are Anti-Valentines, after all. I hope I get them done on time!! xoSusan

ATC Salvage

Home today from work with pounding head and wonky stomach. Worked a little on 3 of those so-so results from the Purell and 7039 transfers. sigh. First subtrate is my painted watercolor paper, transfer, vintage words and rub-ons, Heavenly Fragrance:

Second one is more of that same paper, transfer, vintage words and butterfly from wrapping paper, Sudden Wings:
Last and my fav is scrapbook paper over baseball card, transfer, copper sheet I embossed and wiped black paint over, wax stamped with my initial, printed words, Knows More About Less:
This is a self portrait of my mind set. teehee. xoSusan