word menagerie.

todays word is menagerie - a place where wild animals are kept; a collection of wild animals for exhibition.

i just organized all of my paper die cuts and remembered that i had quite a few different birds so thought this would make a great little collection for menagerie. i stenciled on leaves and branches then added some postage stamp birds to further the exhibition of the day. it is a full composition but the colors are just so pleasing to my creative eye that this one will be out in the studio for a while. so, what is your word for the day?

word bittersweet.

i absolutely
love this vine, bittersweet that is. we don't have it in our yard but down the street it grows up a telephone pole and well, along with my camera, i am a frequent visitor there. i am drawn to the wonderful orange coloration surrounded by a mass of winding tendrils of all sizes and colors of green to dark chocolate brown. love, really, is all i can say. in the fall these little berries seem to pop right out of their skin leaving these tiny orange leaves that get all moldy and spotted with decay giving this vine so much texture i cannot stand it. my creative senses are definitely on overload whenever i visit this huge vine. after all, what's not to love, tiny orange berries against a fall blue sky, just pure bliss no matter what you say! happy thanksgiving!

nesting.

another charming mixed media kit just waiting for your artistic talent. i found the charming nest image and knew it would be a perfect addition to a little 5x7 canvas. i painted the egg added some text (the definition of "nest") and feathers. the stamp i had just received from a friend in australia, imagine my luck when it matched the color scheme YEAH! love when happy accidents turn out so well for all of us artists. i know it will be a great piece to put in your studio reminding you that a nest is what you create no matter where you are. i have been nesting for a while, looking forward to time home and in the studio working. gathering, shopping and making sure i have everything i will need in one happy place. so, what are you missing, the nesting place of course. you can order the kit here NEST.

imagination.

i have been experimenting with a couple mixed media kit ideas and wanted to share. this one is called "imaginary places" and i absolutely love everything about it. the soft, aged coloration, the dress form with its tissue dress. the domino i couldn't help but add because of my love of game pieces and then the butterfly of course. it really wouldn't be one of my designs without a touch of nature, right? i love this and if you would like to purchase it, you can find the link here IMAGINE. hope you are wanting to play and have fun, that is the whole point of putting this all together in one little package!

word eerie.

i found this picture at the junk bonanza and could not wait to use it. it is creepy, mysterious and a little sad when you look closely at the childs face. he is reaching into his pocket for something of importance, i know it. maybe it makes him feel safe since he doesn't look too happy being photographed.

i loved the definition of eerie which is lonely; weird; gloomy; mysterious.

i think they all fit him perfectly. in order to keep the intrigue going i felt a payne's grey blue would be in order. it is much brighter blue in the photo than in the actual artwork but i love all the textures i achieved. bubble wrap into wet paint was the first layer, added paint drips, stamped coffee stains and spattered paint equalled pure magic!

word lacing.

there were so many words that i liked on this dictionary that it was hard to decide. lad, ladder, lake, lady, ladybird, ladyship, that i just closed my eyes and randomly picked one. lacing was chosen and i thought of a couple things instantly. shoe laces, punching holes in the paper and actually lacing ribbon through it then i actually read it. you won't believe how versatile this word is.

lacing (noun) - action of one that laces; braid of a uniform; a rope through the eyelet of a sail; colored border of a flower; a shoestring; metal clip to unite ends of belts; segment of a leaf.

can you see the dilemma of making art with it? the one that intrigued me the most was the eyelet of a sail so here is my rendition with my own quirky twist. it is my art after all which means my imagination run rampant :D

word purchase.

the word on todays dictionary page is purchase. right away i thought of a house, the largest loan most of us will ever take on. it reminded me of blueprints, ledger pages and of course numbers, really large numbers in most cases. i had fun with this one because i am an architectural renderer by trade so collecting plan and drawing books are a must for me. i decided to tear a house out and paste it on the page. i have a great ledger stencil and laurie speltz makes a great number stencil with a variety of sizes on one sheet. i picked my favorites and had fun placing them around the page. i chose various hues of blue to represent the blueprints i love to look at but other than that, there was no rhyme or reason to it. i have to say, this page was finished in about 10 minutes, i absolutely love when art comes together without an effort. have fun, rip out a page and let your mind wander - it's art after all!

word flourish.

todays dictionary page word was "flourish". i love paris and always think of it as very artistic with a certain flair in the air. it is my dream place, one day i will get there. i do have a future date with the eiffel tower, promise i will get there. it is a place i have been enamored with since eighth grade and let me tell you, that has been a long time. i used a paper napkin to create this little vignette giving focus to flourish as i went. although i'm not a pink person, i loved the combination of the roses with the dirty blue grey and well, i just couldn't help myself. so, what was your word today? are you inspired to do some dictionary art with me yet? i sure hope so :D

dictionary pages

words.
i love words.
all of them.

they challenge
me to discover
new ones each
and every day.
i play words
with friends,
love scrabble,
and can even be
found doing a
word search
puzzle every
now and then.


dictionaries.
a book of words.
can it get better?
really?
not thinking so.

dictionaries are like a drug for me. i need them and have quite a few. i have especially been collecting them in all sizes and shapes since becoming enamored with mixed media. they make great backgrounds, can be cut up for individual words for a special meaning or well, can be used for just about anything else you want.

so, my daily challenge...to create art letting one word on the dictionary page inspire me. no rhyme or reason, just pick one. can you believe in a random pick i pulled out the page with MUSE on it. what great luck. here's my muse page, i hope it inspires you to pull out, dust off and actually use that wondrous book i know you have hidden somewhere - the dictionary.