Friday, March 29, 2013

Change it Up!


What happens when a plain Pottery Barn frame, bought for $2 at a garage sale, meets plumbers tape, a glue gun, matte medium, acrylic paint, polymer clay embellishments, and sparkly things?  Have a look!


 Who says mixed media has to involve canvas or paper?




In other news - I spent all day Thursday hanging paintings and photographs for an upcoming solo show.  When I first started painting, I was possessed by flowers.   I loved to paint single blooms on a large scale.  Also in the show are photographs I've taken in Guatemala, as well as recent work.  I'm so excited - the exhibit opens on Tuesday, and the reception is Sunday, April 14th from 3 - 5.  If you're in the northern New Jersey area, I'd love it if you'd come! Email me for the info at jessicabethsporn (at) gmail (dot) com.


Thursday, I am off to Nashville for the fabulous Art is You retreat.  If you're going, please let me know; I'd love to put faces to comments and posts!  I am looking forward to spending time with dear friends Carolyn Dube (who's gelli plate class starts Monday -- I'm so excited) and Maria McGuire, seeing Mary Beth Shaw of Stencil Girl, and taking classes with Pam Carriker and Cindy Wunsch!  Plus, the Art is You organizers and staff are so wonderful and caring -- if you've never been to an AIY retreat, consider going next time around.  You won't regret it!

My first blog post was April 26, 2012.  I can't believe it's been almost a year since I started this blog.  I have met so many people, both in cyberspace and in person at art retreats, just because of writing here.  I have made friends who are dear to me, started designing for Stencil Girl, and have grown so much as a person and an artist in this space.  THANK YOU to everyone who reads, comments, and encourages me.

In honor of my up and coming one year-aversary, I am putting together a big giveaway.  Stay tuned!

Linking to the blog hops at Inspire Me Monday, Monday Mantras, Make it on Monday, Creative Everyday, and Ronda Palazzari (Something Changed) and to the challenge at Tuesday Taggers (recycle or upcycle).

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Stencil Test Drive: The Doors & Windows Stencil and a Giveaway!


Welcome to the Stencil Test Drive, featuring the Doors and Windows Stencil and the beautiful art of


I designed the Doors and Windows stencil because I was looking for a doors design and couldn't find one!  I've already been playing with it quite a bit, as you saw in the last test drive post, and in this post, using Judy Shea's polymer clay heart.


The stencil inspired me to make another altered book.  I was also inspired by this beautiful quote by Mother Theresa:  "Do small things with great love."  I made a video of part of my process.   It's my first art video, so please be kind!


I hope you enjoyed the video.  I'll get better at them.... I promise!  I planned to do some step-outs, but I just found out today that my older daughter, Mariel, in addition to being elected Phi Beta Kapa, has also received a Fulbright Scholarship!  She's graduating from William & Mary in May.  Needless to say, I've been jumping up and down and shouting from the rooftops since early this evening!  Here's a picture of Mariel and me when she was home over winter break.  She is a kind, loving person, and she's worked so hard.  I am so happy for her!


I leave you with a picture of the entire book cover...



Enjoy the inspired creations of
Linking to Paint Party Friday, and Simon Says Stamp and Show (Quotes).

And now for the GIVEAWAY!  Comment by Sunday for a chance to win my Flying Tulips stencil!  Let me know you follow my blog and my Facebook page for extra chances to win!

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Call Your Angel


Months ago,  I used a piece of watercolor paper (that was already color-washed with a pale blue) to clean off my gelli plate.  I wasn't trying to make a print -- I was just trying to pull of any bits of remaining paint.  I used the paper to experiment with dragging glass bead gel tinted with white paint through my starry night stencil.  And then I put the paper to the side.


If you read my last post, you know that I've been dealing with various conflicts in my life -- none of which I am specifically involved in, but in which I am somewhat of a sounding board.  I'm not sure what the karma is for this -- probably gossiping about others, which of course I have done in the past.   As much as I try to view this tumultuous time as bad karma burning away, it's been getting me down...  So I was grateful when I was going through the piles of paper in my studio and came upon this gelli print.  Suddenly, the image in the middle looked like an angel!


 I coaxed her out, and her presence soothed me!

"Sometimes we need an Angel.  Ask, and she will come to you."

Angels have been coming to me -- in the shape of my friends, family, and random people who smile at me when our paths cross.  An angel came to me in the form of a commenter on my last post!  When I visited her blog, I saw that she has started leaving ATC sized cards in random places, hoping they will cheer whoever finds them.  I'm going to start doing this!  What a great idea.


And speaking of angel friends, if you don't already know about it, Carolyn Dube's online gelli print class is starting next week.  Make sure to check it out.  Carolyn is the Queen of Gelli - and creative, funny, disarming and supportive to boot.

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

From Darkness to Light


Everybody's talkin at me
I don't hear a word they're sayin,
Only the echoes of my mind...

If you don't remember the movie (Midnight Cowboy), maybe you've heard the song.


This song echoed in my head this week, as I navigated various conflicts where I seemed to be the person in the middle.  Both sides were coming at me to vent, look for reassurance, and support.   And at some point, I just didn't want to hear it any more. 

I took to my studio.  I had a canvas already prepped with book pages, and used a black pastel crayon to draw angry faces.


 I started painting, trying not to think about a finished product, just pouring my feelings out in paint:


I doodled around the painting with white paint and a thin brush, rotating the canvas as I went.  I splattered paint.  I painted with my fingers and with the edge of a credit card.  I just played and had messy fun.  My mood began to lighten.


Inspired by the work of Corrine Gilman, I added some pieces of corrugated cardboard I had wripped from a box.  After stepping away and giving the painting a new look, I saw the horizontally placed cardboard as an arm and hand, protecting me and keeping the angry voices at bay.  This made me happy.


With the strength of this protective "arm," I was able to banish some of the angry faces into the background.  I felt that I was on a journey from the depths of winter to the warmth of spring.  In gratitude, I added little wooden Prima flowers on the protective "arm," and let a tulip and dahlia bloom where an angry face had been.  Leaves appeared and turned the angry arm/hand on the right side of the canvas into a nourishing tree.


As I journeyed from winter to spring, and my mood went from darkness to light, so did the expressions in my faces.  Amazing how "randomly" placing some corrugated cardboard completely changed my mood and this piece!

The finished painting: 


The writing says: "find peace in the darkness and holiness in it all."

http://pinterest.com/pin/199143614745242569/
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I had intended to do a post today about decoupaging plastic easter eggs with gelli prints on newspaper, but unfortunately the stomach bug that's been going around interfered with my plans...  So here's the link that inspired me -- maybe I'll get to it, or maybe you will!

Linking to all my favorite Monday blog hops: Creative Everyday, Inspire Me Monday, Monday Mantras, Make it on Mondays, Mandarin Orange Monday, and to the challenges at Pin and Tack, Spark Your Creativity (where I was thrilled to be highlighted for their February challenge), Anything But a Card (Spring), and  Eclectic Paperie (corrugated cardboard).

A warm welcome to all the new people following this blog.  I really appreciate it!   

Please check back on Thursday for a stencil test drive featuring the doors and windows stencil, and the art of Carolyn Dube, Corrine Gilman, Maria McGuire and Judy SheaOf course, there will be a giveaway!

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Under the Sea

Are you ever buffeted by thoughts and emotions?  Who isn't!  No matter how hard we try, we can't stop thinking about something, or our minds jump from thought to thought.  Sometimes this is called a "monkey mind" - like having a little monkey swinging from branch to branch.

 
  
I like the metaphor of  the ocean.  On the surface, the ocean is buffeted by the wind and other elements, causing sometimes gentle, and sometimes turbulent waves.  And no matter what, they keep coming.  But if you dive deep underneath the waves, the water is quiet and still -- it is a haven of peace.  


Under the waves of our thoughts and feelings, it is good to remember that the deep ocean of stillness is there.  We find it when we get deeply into our artwork or anything that consumes us.  We find it when when we train ourselves to sit quietly and tune into the breath.   


This spread is from an old encyclopedia I've been altering.  I created it by boxing off words that spoke to me, and then painting out the remainder in a wash of greens to dark blues.  The words say:

some of the finest
were the strongest
and the whole country 
became peaceful 
things will always 
reach up 
and
like the leaves
though you may not notice it
change
what happens
cannot be seen
the image 
varies


The shell and starfish are Recollections stamps from Michaels that I embossed, and the border stencil is Dylusions.  Here's the cover of the book.  I look forward to sharing more of it soon.


Thank you to everyone who visited and bid on my piece for the Sandy Hook auction, and congratulations to Lynn Cohen who won it!  It's on its way to you!

And congratulations to Eleni Gratsia, who found me through the gelli arts page on FB, because a subscriber and blog follower and has won the Jump for Joy stencil from the Retro Stencil test drive post!  I've emailed Eleni and for her address.

Stay tuned for a test drive post on 3/28, with another stencil giveaway!

Linking to the challenges at Simon Says Stamp and Show (water),  and the blog hops at Paint Party Friday, and Show and Tell Saturday at Artists in Blogland (where there are still a few days left for our quote challenge!).

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

It All Begins at Home


What does, you may ask?  Love.

I was saving a beautiful polymer clay heart that my friend Judy Shea gave me last year at an Art is You retreat.   I wanted to make something special with it.


I had an old book that was falling apart.  It was too fragile for a journal.  So I decided to alter it to be a home for Judy's heart.


I used my new doors and windows stencil to trace the opening for a door. I cut out the opening, and then spread molding paste through the stencil openings to create the door frame. 


I covered the front with the pages I cut from the book, and then used my random squares stencil with gesso to give some texture.  (For more examples of this stencil, visit this post!)


I created a glaze with parts acrylic glazing liquid and a few squirts of orange and magenta fluid acrylics, and dragged the colors around the door with a paint chip to create an uneven surface.  The glaze adhered to the gesso differently than to the book pages, so that the random squares stencil peeked through.

I used a wood grain stamp on a gelli print to created a bark-like texture, and then glazed it with a mix of glazing medium and burnt umber paint.


I dragged fiber paste through my cascading leaves stencil on the shiny side of a piece of freezer paper.  When it was dry, I painted them with various shades of green paint, and gently pulled them off of the paper.


I cut up my gelli print to make a tree trunk and branches, and glued it down with matte medium.  I added my fiber paste leaves to make a tree.  I added the phrase - "Home is where love begins." 

Even if someone is poor, or living in challenging circumstances, they will feel whole if they know love.  I have seen this first hand in our service work in Guatemala, and even in my husband.  He grew up in circumstances that might have made him bitter and angry.  But because he always felt loved, he was able to grow into a warm, compassionate man who freely gives love to others.

The word up at One Little Word this month is HOME.  Look for me there in June -- I'm honored to be guest designing!

Also, stay tuned for a special stencil test drive on March 28, featuring the doors and windows stencil, and the art of Carolyn Dube, Corrine Gilman, Maria McGuire and Judy Shea!

Linking to One Little Word (home), Mandarin Orange Monday, Monday Mantras, Create With Joy, Creative Every Day, Make it on MondayOne Stop Craft Challenge (anything goes), and Paper Issues (crafting with flair).

Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Sandy Hook Auction

Welcome to my auction post for The Paint Party Friday Auction Blog Hop to Benefit the Sandy Hook Elementary School
On December 14th, 2012, 20 innocent children and 6 brave adults lost their lives in the second deadliest shooting in American history.  Like everyone else, I was profoundly touched by this tragedy.  Next to keeping our children safe at home, we trust them to be safe at school.  What happened was unimaginable.


I thought the metaphors of new growth, rebirth and renewal, were fitting tributes to the lives lost at Sandy Hook.  Because I am committed to making the world a more peaceful place, I chose Sandy Hook Promise as the charity to receive the proceeds from my auction.  The mission of Sandy Hook Promise is to:
1.  Help the community heal and provide ait to the family members who lost loved ones, to survivors, teachers, staff, first responders and to the Newton community;

2.  Bring together, in local and national dialogue, the great majority of Americans who agree that we must find common sense solutions to make our communities and our country safer. 

What I Am Auctioning:
I'm auctioning off this set of 4 mixed media 4x4" canvases. 
The backs are signed and dated by me, and the little easels are included so that they are ready for immediate display!

Auction Specifics:
This auction runs from Friday March 15th, 2013 until 
Monday March 18th, 2013 at 11:59 pm EDT.
UPDATE: AND THE WINNER IS LYNN COHEN! THANK YOU LYNN!
Shipping (anywhere worldwide) is free. 
(If painting is shipped internationally, shipping is still free BUT 
the buyer is responsible for any duty/taxes/etc.)

How to bid:
1. Place a bid (with a way to reach you) in the comments section.
2. Bookmark this page so that you can easily check back to see if you've been outbid 
(and need to make another bid).  Increments of $5 please!
3. If you are the winning bid, I will contact you.
4. Payment will be made from you to Sandy Hook Promise.
*I will not personally be collecting any money.*
5. Once you have made your donation, you will send your proof of donation (a forwarded receipt) to me at: 
jessicabethsporn (at) gmail (dot) com
6. After I have received your proof of donation (and you have given me your address), I will mail your paintings out to you! 

As you make your bids, please keep in mind that all proceeds go to a worthy cause...
Happy Bidding!

And please visit the other wonderful artists at Paint Party Friday!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Stencil Test Drive: The Retro Flowers/Circles Stencil and a Giveaway!


Welcome to the Stencil Test Drive, featuring the Retro Flowers and Circles Stencil and the beautiful art of Michelle Rydell,
Natasha May, and
Maria McGuire.  


I designed the Retro Flowers and Circles Stencil with the shapes of the 1950s and the colors of the 1960s in mind.  On the left is the design I created first.  You can see how I adapted it for the stencil.

For the test drive, I decided to play in my journal.  
I experimented with spray inks on two different spreads over two different surfaces.  I covered a spread in my journal with gesso (1), and began spraying Dylusions ink in Calypso Teal and Dirty Martini.  I sprayed through the stencil on the gesso'd spread (2), and then pressed the inky side of the stencil down on the following spread, which I did not gesso and left porous, so as not to waste ink (3).  The spread that I covered with gesso has a much more faded and muted quality to it.  I liked them both, but decided to work with the spread that had gesso underneath it.  I covered it with clear gesso to seal the ink.  This caused the colors to bleed together more, but you can still see the imprints of the stencil (4).


While the clear gesso was drying, I pulled out my gelli plate and began to play with the stencil and contrasting colors of red, pink and yellow.  I made lots and lots of prints, but these are my favorites.


I just received my newest stencil - Windows and Doors - from Stencil Girl, and I had to play with it! So I picked one of my favorite gelli prints, and pounced some black acrylic paint through the three doors (5).   I used my neocolor II crayons to add some additional dimension (6).  I decided to use the open door, because I found this beautiful quote:
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls."  Joseph Campbell.

I thought this was so perfect, because any time I really get my hands inky and painty, I feel completely blissful and something magical happens.


Because I don't own any punches (what's up with that??), my carmex lid came in handy to trace circles on another of my favorite gelli prints (7).  I used my rain stencil for the shape of the person walking through the door, and started laying everything out on my journal page (8).  Some tweaks along the way, and the page was done.


And of course with those left over gelli prints, I couldn't resist making a few tags!


I hope you enjoyed this test drive and seeing the direction my muse led me as I played with the Retro Flowers and Circles.  By following my muse, I found my bliss!  Now go check out:

Michelle Rydell,
Natasha May, and
Maria McGuire to see what they did! 

And now for the GIVEAWAY!  Leave a comment below by Sunday, 3/17, for a chance to win my Jump for Joy stencil!  Follow me on my blog and on Facebook for additional chances to win.  Just let me know in your comment.



Thank you for visiting! I read and treasure every comment and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.