A happy box of spray inks arrived in the mail. I decided to play with wild abandon. I put the vintage doily and a butterfly stencil by Julie Balzer down and started spraying inks around. I thought I had picked some good colors to coordinate. Nope. Ugly. Yucky.
But I am not a quitter. I am a gesso-er.
I gesso’d around the parts I didn’t like. I knew this was just another layer of many. I didn’t even bother to photograph it. But it started to grown on me. I used a big pencil to draw in the butterfly shapes. Then Dina Wakley’s text stamp . I was pulled away from the studio for a while.
When I returned I just liked it the way it was. This was a huge surprise to me. I tend to like many many layers and a bundle of different mediums. And very very little white space. But I like it here.
Thanks Dina for a challenge that helped push me out of my usual. If you’d like to join her Out of the Journal challenge this August click here!
Linking up with Inspire Me Monday and Creative Every Day.
What a great canvas! I’m thinking of joining in the challenge, too. I did it last year.
I have a couple ideas already.
Rinda
I like the colors and the butterflies. But I like that you chose to stop sooner than you normally would. I guess I like that because I often see something, then cover it over because I fear I don’t have enough layers on something. In my opinion, this was a powerful piece.
This is completely gorgeous! The colors, the doily, the butterflies and the sentiment are all awesome!!
This is such great work and such a beautiful colors. Love the doily and the butterflies, Look forward to your next work.
Lovely greet
Marja
I like the result !
Dynamite creation ~ (A Creative Harbor)
this is wonderful, Carolyn, and I love how generously your sharing is, too, of your thoughtsandfeelings and process. I sometimes think I am the only one who combines ugly colours and gives up on a piece a zillion times but comes back and goes again anyway!!!
Really lovely….. and it is perfect just the way it is.
Gorgeous! I love the doily effect and the butterflies in the mist too! =D
How perfectly lovely!
I love the dreaminess of the butterflies & the composition. Fab, thanks for playing!
This is lovely! It looks like the butterflies have just touched down and are ready to take flight.
God bless Gesso, right? In the end, I love your page, Carolyn! Love that doily!
What an appealing canvas! What spray inks did you get? I love spraying and have a few Holtz spray color washes but when I’ve tried to make my own spray w/ acrylic watered down, it’s been very unsuccessful. What’s a good brand? Isn’t it funny how when you walk away and come back the new perspective will either have you liking or hating the piece?!
I plan to join in with Dina for the first time this year….my canvas is sitting on my table waiting to be tackled! 🙂
I got a bunch of maya mists. The ones that were metallic had a great shimmer & they don’t bleed much in comparison to Color Wash spray inks. Sometimes I really want that water reactivity and sometimes I don’t. Since the inks were a bit wet when I gesso’d there a bit of color transfer but not very much. Can’t wait to see what you create for Dina’s challenge!
Thanks for sharing so much. I really love it. Mixed media is calling me. It fits right in with my recycling compulsion! Layering and knowing when to stop is a challenge but what a good one. When that’s our biggest challenge of the day….all’s right with the world! Sandra
Love this piece!
Lovely piece, the colours are great. Have fun! Valerie
Red is my favorite color! I love the lacy doily with the fluttery butterflies.
haha- I’m not a quitter, I’m a gessoer! – Love it! This canvas is wonderful as is- I agree. Of course, I’m partial to poppy red, hee hee, and butterflies! Lovely.
I think it is just perfect. I’m trying to learn about layers but it would seem that sometimes you just don’t need them. Might have a go with this challenge myself – thanks BJ
The gesso makes your flutterbys shine! Gesso on. xox
I don’t know what colors you covered but you left my favorite! Love it–simple but has tons of depth! Thanks for the info on Dina’s challenge, I need to check it out 🙂
This is beautiful and very striking – I liked reading how you did it too (gesso is my best friend too!).
beautiful. I haven’t yet used gesso to eliminate — I’m too chicken. But I have a few pieces I put away because I didn’t like them. I might pull them out and try isolating the parts I like. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Really cool piece–I love love love your pencil-drawn butterflies!!!
Love your piece – and your process. What fun to just play and create.
What a fabulous blog. I enjoyed all your colors and how you go about your artwork. Lots of inspiration here!
I know I’ll be back.
xo
lynn
Great piece, Carolyn! I’m a huge fan of this deep red hue, and also love the texture created with the doily! I also love the story behind the piece, how you weren’t initially satisfied and persevered by covering up and adding new elements until it became what it is now; a great lesson for all of us!
I will have to start looking for actual doilies to use as stencils, as the paper ones I have are often frustrating to use (the paint/ink soaks through, ruining the design, or the holes are too deep to get anything through). That affect is so cool!:-)
I love it!
Thanks for your kind words on my blog 🙂