Virtual Gallery Walk- PAJWLH

So today is the first day of our Virtual Gallery Walk! If you are not up to speed about what this concept is... check out my article from last weeks post here about the Virtual Gallery Walk. The name of this exhibit is Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now.


For this exhibit of our Virtual Gallery Walk, we decided to use various forms of inspiration to draw from. My initial thought was to draw inspiration from classic artists, but with this group of artists... the sky became the limit. Our talks went from story books, to music and well... it just expanded. So the focus for this exhibit will be Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now...

Here is what I came up with :)

My initial inspiration was an artist that I was introduced to during my drawing class. I loved my drawing class because our teacher had a really unique approach to teaching us the basics of drawing through varying mediums and artists. One of the artists that I was drawn to was Sigmar Polke.

Here are a few samples of his work, and for more samples click here to view google images.

Upgrade (Lens Painting) (2007)
mixed media on fabric
31 1/2 x 39 1/4 inches
source:oneartworld.com

 

       source: escapeintolife.com

What I enjoyed about his art was of course his mixed media approach to some of his pieces, but also the use of layers through varying effects such as screen print or image transfers and stencils.

Another inspiration of mine is street art... I have become enamored with the use of stencils in street art and the juxtaposition of some of the placement  of art and content. Banksy and Shepard Fairey are the two that come to mind when I think of influential street artists. With street art you are faced with a canvas that is opportune and available. I love that some of the work that street artists create often cover advertisements, or flyers that are stuck to the wall. Mostly just in the way  that it creates texture... not so much in the illegal way it costs communities to restore.

So with this in mind, I set out to create a piece that offered techniques such as stenciling, screen printing and image transfers but that offered the texture of a random surface. I love the look of stenciled street art that has been created over walls that previously held papers, posters and such... the textures are amazing! That was one of the attributes I knew I needed with this pieces. I had planned on screen printing a bit on this, but after I looked at the last layer I laid... I didn't think it was necessary. So this is it :)

Take Hold of your Dreams

Mixed Media 8x10 Canvas Board

Acrylics, Inks and Resin

Supplies: Acrylic Pigments (Plaid enterprises), Epoxy Resin (Ice Resin), texture stamp (Unity Stamp Co.), spray Inks (Clearsnap and Creative Imaginations), Stencil (Creative Imaginations),  Thread (Gutterman) letter stamps sequin and vintage paper (unknown)

Here is a view of the Resin I applied on the piece. I wanted to add lacquered sort of layer, that was sporadic and not completely covering. I considered using a gel or glaze medium, but I really wanted a TRUE lacquered feel that was completely transparent. I chose to use Ice Resin for this result. PLUS the depth that it offers the piece too :)

 This is a downward view of the right side of the piece. I have a cascade of sequin, thread, glitter, inks and paints creating layers and depth across this piece.

 Now if we are friends on Facebook... you might have heard about my "staples" incident... well these are the staples that were stapled to my hard wood floors... thank God they came up :)

 Here is a bit more of the texture, showing the basket weaving that is in the middle section of this piece. 

The idea for this gallery walk is to remind us all that our reason for creating, though it is our own... is the same as those who we follow... Even the greats had our drive, our passion... we are artists... just as they are. Notoriety has nothing to do with it. We create because it is who we are, not because it is who we want people to see us as... It is a part of who we are.

Today for the gallery walk, we also have the wonderful Jen Cushman sharing. Make sure to check out Jen her on her blog. Jen is part of the magic behind Ice Resin, which I am pretty sure that most of you have fallen in love with! You will definitely want to check out what she created :)

PAJWLH

 I am trying to catch up on some prompts since I have been ill the past few weeks. This blog post seemed perfect to add a prompt to. If you are not familiar with PAJWLH... check it out here. This is a free art journal workshop that I offer on line this year.

Prompt: Why do you create? for your family? For yourself? for healing? For work? look into the root of why it is you create. Is this the reason you started to create in the first place? Does it make you happy? Why?

Creative Prompt: Use a stencil, image transfer or silk screened image.

I am pretty excited that this is the start of this fun artsy adventure... I have chosen some good girls that are amazingly talented... I am so glad they said yes and that you get to be a part of this with us.

So enjoy this gallery walk... I will be your tour guide if you get lost, just hop back over here... am I will guide you to the right part of the exhibit for the day. We will be doing this from October 1st through the 5th... I am sure you will have a blast, pick up a few artistic inspirations that will get your creative juices flowing!

See you tomorrow :)

~Liz Hicks

Everyday Creative- Custom Resin Gems and casting

This week on Everyday Creative we take Ice Resin a step further and create custom gems for crafting. These beautiful gems can be used in any type of crafting from paper crafting (card making, scrapbooking, altered arts) to home decor, fashion to mixed media art. These beauties can be used for ANYTHING!

Make sure to check out this weeks video HERE... Custom gems and molds... this is a whole lot of fun!

Here are a few projects that I share on the show as well as some close up shots of products in use.

Us 12x12 transparency Layout

 

Here is a beautiful close up of the gem that centers this organza flower... it is awesome to customize your gems any color you desire!

  

Dupioni  Silk Accessories

In this project, the resin gem sits comfortably in a beautiful flower as its center. This hair piece can easily be used as a broach or even as a scarf or purse accent.

And of course in order to customize your Ice Resin... you need some pretty cool products to do so. To color your resin, you will want items that have a similar base to Ice Resin. Since Ice Resin is an oil base, a natural mixer would be oil paint to colorize your resin. You don't always have to use like bases, but it does help to make it easier for the products to mix (something I learned from my friend Jen Cushman).

If you really want to get creative... here are a few of MY favorites to colorize and customize Ice Resin.


Clearsnap makes an AMAZING selection of products that you may not even have thought of to colorize your resin or art materials. One of my favorite techniques is to use their re-inkers to create varying effects. They also make an amazing arrangements of glitters and accent pigments that are a ton of fun as well.

First up is the Clearsnap Archival Dye Ink Refill. This product is used traditionally to re-ink your ink pads... but it is good for so many other uses. When mixed with Resin, it offers a beautiful transparent effect that you can see through. This gives the effect of a semi-precious stone or jewel.

For this Onyx looking gem, I used the Clearsnap Black Pigment Ink Refill. When mixed well, it gives the effect of an opaque onyx gem. Really beautiful.

For some fun, I added Clearsnap Glitter to the resin gem below... Here I used a lot of glitter to give the gem an extra beautiful sparkle.

And here I used the same Clearsnap Glitter to give the gem a lighter sparkle that you can still see through.

 For this gem I used an economy oil paint that I purchased in a set at my local craft store. I wanted to make sure that this gem was next to the next gem so that you could see the difference. In this gem you can see a mild mottling of the color.

 

 Where as with this gem, I used the Clearsnap Pigment Ink Refill in a similar blue color and mixed it half the time than I mixed the black onyx gem. This offered the custom gem to have more of a mottled organic look similar to turquoise or agate.

And with this pink beauty... I used Clearsnap Smooch Pearlized Accent  Ink to colorize it. I used a pink which offered a gorgeous color and yet an even more gorgeous lustre of pearl due to the products highly metallic features.

With this gem below, I decided to have fun and just through some stuff in it :) This is just a reminder of how much fun Ice Resin is and how you can literally throw just about anything in it... This is a product to be experimented with and have fun!

 So I hope this all makes sense to you... This is a fun fun way to explore and experiment with your favorite Ice Resin and Clearsnap products. And of course to pass the fun and inspiration on to you all we are having another giveaway but before we announce that...lets announce our winner from last weeks giveaway!

Our winner for last weeks Ice Resin Giveaway is:

danaAugust 16, 2012 8:37 AM

I have seen this product where i work and am excited to try my hand at it! you can make such beautiful things! just adore the bracelet and the sparkle!so many ideas!

Dana, please email me at primadonnaliz@yahoo(dot)com and I will forward your info onto our friends over at Ice Resin.

For this weeks giveaway... we are going to be having some fun on Twitter! Make sure to use the widget below for your entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you again!  If you have any questions... feel free to email me :)

~Liz Hicks ♥

Everyday Creative- Resin Art Jewelry

So today is the big day...The FIRST episode of My Craft Channel show- Everyday Creative with Liz Hicks airs today! Today we are walking through the basics of Ice Resin and creating a simple mixed media bracelet. This is a wonderful intro to Ice Resin if you are just getting started with Resin Art.


I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on my friend Jen Cushman's Ice Resin class this last December at Seaside Soiree (a wonderful mixed media art retreat). We were both teaching and were able to take each others classes, which almost never happens for instructors. In this class Jen shared her love for Ice Resin and from there I was hooked... I have not stopped playing with it since!


The wonderful team at Ice Resin (Susan Lenart Kazmer) have offered up this AMAZING prize to go along with this first episode of My Craft Channel show. This prize has a Retail value of $25.

To Win, simply leave a comment  here on my blog and let us know anything else you think Ice Resin would be fun to create with. Please leave a comment here on the blog by August 20th (Monday) at midnight MST and I will announce the winner the next day when we feature the next My Channel Video episode.

For more information on Ice Resin, make sure to check out their blog and their creative team. These are seriously some of the most creative artists and jewelry makers out there!

Thanks again for your support :) My heart is full with all of the wonderful love and support my friends have shared. I was a wee bit nervous (especially with this first episode) So to have so many wonderful comments, emails and facebook remarks has been a joy. Thank you!

Thanks again,

Liz Hicks ♥

Art Journal and Tablet Keeper projects

So today is my day to share my projects for the Nancy Zieman's Tablet Keeper Blog Tour! I ended up with two projects to share... not necessarily on purpose, lol.

I started out with (good) intentions to create a tablet keeper for my new E-Reader. I decided to use muslin  as my base for my project as I love how easy it is to paint. What I SHOULD have done was paint first, cut second.... But I went against my better judgement and painted my cut fabric. I should know better, but was so excited to get started and paint, lol. Anyways, to make a long story short... my initial fabric that I painted had shrank about 1/4 inch So, this lead me to creating a fun art journal out of this.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to marry different crafts into my project.

 I added hand drawn flowers to the cover and painted the cover with acrylic paint, water colors and a carbon pencil. The title was created with the stamp set I designed for Unity Stamp Company.

Here is a close up of the cover. In order to create a weather proof seal on my cover, I used a jewelers grade epoxy resin, Ice Resin to seal it. It gives my cover a beautiful slick effect that can easily be wiped off ( a must have with kids!).

 

 Here are some of the fun inside pages I created out of paper, muslin and stabilizer.

 

This page I created by using a firm stabilizer covered in muslin. This is wonderful for mixed media art journaling as it creates a firm, mostly water resistant barrier in between your pages.

For my Tablet Keeper, I actually started a new project from scratch (measuring twice, cutting once!). I first assembled my project and then painted to prevent any shrinkage :)

Supplies used: Nancy Zieman Tablet Keeper template, Tablet Keeper stabilizer, Create a Strap. Acrylic Paint, Water Color paint and Twinkling H2O's, Unknown items- Thread and Muslin.

 I am very happy with the way it came out. It is very organic looking which I love. I love that it has an irregular look to it, makes it totally hand made and ME!

 Here is an up close picture of the flowers. The detail and shading was created with acrylic paint, water colors and twinkling H2O's by Creative Imaginations.

Here is the inside of the cover. I painted sporadically with cream paint and  hand journaled a nice reminder for myself. From here, I covered the page with Ice Resin to create a transparent look to the page. I did all of this before I sewed the page down.

For an added little detail, I added a piece of vintage paper to the tablet insert so that the print could vaguely be seen through the resin muslin that I journaled on. I like how it adds a little depth to the project, makes you have to pay attention to the little details.

I am so happy to have been a part of this blog hop. It made me bring out some of my trusty craft supplies and explore different areas than I normally would. 

Here is a picture again of the wonderful Clover prize package that Nancy has up for grabs during the blog hop. Check out the blog link here for the details.

Thanks again for sharing this project with me. I had a lot of fun creating this on behalf of Brewer Sewing. If you have any questions you can email me or find me on facebook :)

~Liz ♥

Hello 2012... What a JOY it is to meet you.

 I don't think I have ever been so excited for a new year to start. Now don't get me wrong... 2011 was not a bad year at all... I guess I am just really excited for this next year and it's new adventures.


Each year I join the masses and choose a word for the year. As simple as it may sound, this is something that I pray about and truly seek wisdom and guidance for. At first when I started this, the word that I would choose would just be something that I felt heavy on my heart. This year, I didn't feel the heaviness... just peace.


2009- Reflect
This was such a profound word for our family. This was the year that we truly looked back on what we believed in and made a very tough decision to leave California (and our families) and begin our own adventure in Colorado (Aug. 2009). An adventure it has been. Reflecting on where we were in life and where we wanted our family to be lead us to the amazing move to Colorado. Reflect was the perfect word for us this year.

2010-Bold
 This year was a tough one for us, as to be expected with making a  life changing move just a few months earlier. This was the year that I learned to be Bold. I had no idea why this word would be so necessary when I picked it in January... but later in the year I realized just why God had put it in my heart. Bold is gathering all the strength necessary to make tough decisions for the betterment of yourself, well at least this is what it was for me. I had to make decisions that at the time seemed so difficult, yet now seem so vital. I am so much better for this boldness. Sometimes being bold isn't just standing up for good... sometimes it is reminding yourself truly what you are made of, and that you deserve good (even if it is hard to say to yourself!).

2011-Truth
I made a vow this year to seek truth in all I do. In work, art, relationships and family. Little did I know that I would enter this year and have to hold on to the truth with both hands clenched, especially with relationships. This was a tough lesson, but one I am better for. If you know you who you are, and what you hold true in your heart... the rest will follow... especially those who matter. I end 2011 with a few less friends, but am grateful for the strengthened relationships that I now hold. It is a tough lesson when you realize that you can't be friends with everyone... but it makes those who you hold close, oh so much more special.

2012- JOY
This year I will be going back to school. A change in my life that is very big. It has been 10 years since I last sat in a college class. After graduation with my Associates Degree, we found out that I was pregnant in which the best decision for our family would be to have my husband finish college and I would stay home and raise our children. Now that our children are in school, life has settled. It's time for me to finish, and this is exciting. I am not exactly sure why this years word is Joy, but I do now that it has prepared me to look at this new upcoming adventure with happiness. This year, joy will be a choice. It is a choice I can make and I will do everything necessary to maintain this outlook this year. I have seen what God has done the last few months preparing me for this next season. Freeing up my time, my heart and my spirit. I am happy, and am so grateful for this next season in mine and my family's life.

I can see now how each year's word has been just what we have needed. I am very grateful for the growth the past few years have brought to myself and my family. As I look back on these past few years I am reminded of the pain and trials we have had to endure. The wonderful thing is that we are a family. We endure things together. Always have, always will. Together we have grown and continue to grow. As our trials increase in difficulty, so does our strength. We are prepared or will learn along the way. I am excited to see what this year brings us, what every it is... I will work my best to see it increase our joy. There are so many things to be grateful for, maybe counting the blessings will help us remember the joy through out the year.


 In crafty news...

I have been working on a fun project for Brewer Sewing and will be participating in a fun blog hop throughout January featuring the Tablet Keeper by Nancy Zieman. The blog hop starts today! Click on the link below for a list of all participants.

Nancy Zieman Tablet Keeper Blog Hop.

Thanks again for your comments, friendship and encouragement... I am reminded always that I am not in this alone. We are all in this life together... and what a beautiful thing that is!

~Liz Hicks ♥