Real Mixed Media and why I love it

I really love mixed-media art. I mean REALLY. I like the ability to use whatever tools and supplies make my paintings, sculptures and jewelry come to life and look how I imagine in my mind.

I decided I needed to work on a submission for the Allegany Arts Council holiday cards. They sent out a notice saying they will be choosing 6 pieces this year to make a set. Since I love a creative prompt to get my juices flowing, and I immediately knew what I wanted to draw, it was really easy to start and finish this piece. This is just a detail- the artwork has more to it, but I'm keeping the full thing off the web until after I submit :)

I live in Cumberland Maryland, in the mountains. There are lots of old houses here, on lots of hills. Winter is coming- the trees aren't bare yet, but they will be. I live around the corner from the animal shelter- and pets are really important here. I have a pretty kitty, and fond memories of my dog Kasha. I can't take Tigerlily out for a walk but I can remember how Kasha enjoyed the snow.  I knew I would paint a woman walking with her dog, along cobblestone streets with gentle blue and purple sunset clouds on new fallen snow. There are gorgeous white-barked trees along a path I walk on frequently so they just had to be in the picture, with a row of cute houses atop a distant hill. My town, abstracted.

I used so many art supplies to make this. Started with a home-made large rubber stamp and some dye ink pads to create background texture, then spray dyes over stencils to block out the hills and trees. Ripped some paper to use to mask the hills further while I rubbed Pan Pastels on the edges to make them stand out. More Pan Pastels for the buildings, bushes, and path. Cute floral small round stamps for the "snowflakes" texturing the sky. I used the most AWESOME metallic Gelly Roll pens all over the place but most noticeably for the cobblestones. It was like drawing with fine glitter and I love how it looks. Then I cut up some very old 1920's sheet music to make the woman's dress and head, and rubbed dye inks and pan pastels onto the music for color (used mostly my fingers to control the color application.) Next I painted white gesso on the face area, hair, and to draw the dog. The cool thing about the spray inks is that they rewet with the gesso to create a kind of muddy/blue base color for the hair and dog. I then used a myriad of 2oz craft paint bottles along with floating medium (which is basically clear gel that thins the paint) to paint layers of fur on the dog and hair on the gal. Prismacolor pencils come next, to define edges, faces, and details. Then watercolors to detail the trees and stones in the path. Finally some last touches with the gelly roll pens and then my favorite part- opening up my second floor studio window- the one without the screen, to spray some PYMII on the paper to fix all the various pastels, pencils and dyes in place. Whew!

I like not having to say "I'm a watercolor artist" or "I paint in Acrylics." To me that is an incredibly limiting thing to have to say about yourself. And since finding Pan Pastels, I really honestly don't know what I did without them, lol.

Mermaids and inspiration from the Masters

Alphonse Mucha is one of my favorite artists, and I love the art nouveaux style. I am trying to dissect and understand just exactly what it is about Mucha that entrances me, and I decided that mostly it has to do with posture and hands. So I've decided to do some mermaids in a long-thin composition, which is one that I absolutely love- the 2x1 proportion of this type of work is difficult to work with but offers a lot in terms of setting up a human figure.

What I learned:
It's really fun painting on wood.
Mucha was a master with hands.
It's hard sometimes to get proportions right when you are interpreting someone else's work.
When painting tall and thin like this, be careful. The canvas tends to "stretch" in your own view, so before you commit your composition, hold it up and really look at it. (my face is too small).

Here is the first in a series of mermaids that start with inspiration from Mucha, and end in my own mixed-media style.


The original work that inspired:

Challenging myself to create more art beads

I want to be an art bead maker. I mean, I already am- but I'm looking at what I've been creating lately, and feeling like I could be doing better, making more, and providing more of a service to the community by selling my beads.

So I've decided step one is to participate regularly in the largest online monthly challenge for art beads, which is held by the ArtBeadScene blog.  One of the things I can gain for myself by participating in the challenge is a schedule, a discipline, a way for me to challenge my own inspiration on a monthly basis to look at things in a new way.

I created a palette for myself from this month's artwork. The challenge is usually based on a particular piece of art- you are to get inspired by the theme and the colors. This month features a very textural gesso art nouveau piece, and those are two of my VERY favorite things in the world!

Here's where I created the palette, pretty neat! Click here.

Evolution of an Artist

I went to art school. Yup, 4 years. I enjoyed taking electives in many things I don’t use, such as paper making, the only course I got less than a B in during the whole 4 years. Not for lack of trying either, I was in that stupid paper making studio for loads of extra hours- but it still didn’t really work out for me.

I got my degree in teaching, and went on to teach for a few years. Love it. Hated it. Definitely a love/hate thing. Still Jones for it whenever I drive by a high school, and have to talk myself down. It was awful to be a free spirit stuck in a classroom with my wings clipped. I was in a constant state of anxiety, because I was nervous that I was too close to the kids, too personable, and would end up smeared all over the news because I touched someone or made too personal a comment. It was horrible. But I loved it too, because I loved spending time influencing teenagers. I LOVE them! And I was never inappropriate, although I worried because of all the pressure of society and parents. It was awful feeling that way, did I mention that?

I am primarily a polymer clay art jewelry artisan. I fought being a jewelry maker for years, but it’s just part of me. I make tiny beautiful things. For a while, I called my etsy shop StudioBijou…until I found a porn studio using the same name. Whoops, didn’t want that association! So I changed to my name, KiraSlyeDesigns. I keep that, because it’s been around for so long and it’s me. But again, evolution rears it’s head. I needed to follow a colorful dream and associate more with the style I love.

I love Bohemian style, color, the gypsy connotations. I love the movie Moulin Rouge and highly recommend it- Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love.

Pink is my Signature Color

I just love imagining myself saying that with a thick Southern accent, just like Julia’s character in Steel Magnolias. I find myself loving a deep dark pink color more and more. I used to like purple the best, but now I find it too cool. Perhaps as I’ve come into myself more I embrace the hotness and forward-ness of this lovely warm (yet a touch cool) color.

Color is a Driving Force

This is recycled Sari ribbon- all ripped and shredded.

I love color. It is what drives me. Have you ever seen ColorLovers.com? It’s a fun little website where I’m going to start posting new palettes often- I just love playing with the pattern generator too!