latest encaustic work

some of the paintings ive been working on

getting ready for my fall show next weekend

see my latest work on my other blog

for show details email me at

nancylynndonaldson(at)gmail(dot)com

whodunit??

if you get the chance this weekend

you might not want to check out the

whodunit?

show at ocad

there are over 1500 works of art

in all types of medium

all for sale for $75

with proceeds going to the school

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(above, my friend ludgera and her taking a photo of one of my pieces)

beautiful women project

an unexpected surprise while visiting the ex

i came across the

beautiful women project

created by artist and speaker

cheryl-ann webster

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above, cheryl-ann and her art

cherly-ann has created

120 life-size clay sculptures of real women aged 19-91

each decorated to reflect an aspect of the women's life journey

the project was inspired by her daughters friend

who was saving for breast implants at the the age of 13

the mission of the project

to raise awareness about the link between

self-worth, self-identity and physical appearance

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above, self portrait of the artist

"body image is not black and white"

and " self acceptance"

a women who lost a breast to cancer

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i purchased

"the book"

containing photos and stories of all 120

works of art

"the book" has been produced as

a fundraiser for the project

a teaching and healing tool for people

from all walks of life

lynne perrella class

i was so excited working in class

that i forgot to take a picture of

my canvas in the begining

first we layered on gesso

mixed in tissue and cheesecloth

then rubber stamps, stencils, tools

anything that would help create some texture

lots and lots of texture

once it was dry the fun began when

we started adding the paint

you could see the texture come to life

above: after a few layers of color

i spent so much time on the painting

that i didn't get time to add any images

and i didn't want to rush it

we folded it in to book form


i love all the edges




i still have to paint the back
which will make them pop



i've scanned the whole project and selected
some of my favorite areas
it's amazing how much texture and detail
is in every square inch
(click on the image to really see the detail)

this class was sold out
so they are bringing back
lynne perrella
for october 10th and 11th
check out the ink pad
for details
a special thanks to
anna , dante and v

recycle

mixed media monday's topic this week is recycle

i think artists are the best example of this
i know whenever i'm out, anywhere,

i'm always looking at things differently

"what can i do with this"

nothing gets thrown out and all my friend

are trained to save "stuff" for me

i have one room filled with all kinds of things

from paper, maps, books, metal found objects,

wood, old material, lace, buttons

game pieces and boards, all kinds of "bits and pieces"

i recently started an etsy site featuring some of my jewelry

my first class was with richard salley

i had fun learning from him and really enjoyed his class

it's a great use for all your "junk drawer" stuff!

sometimes when i'm blocked go through

my stack of magazine pages

i usually save the ones with lots of texture or contrast

i just sit and tear the pages into strips and

then make backgrounds mixed with masking tape

and other types of paper

its a great way to use up your scraps

afterwards you can add paint,

stamp on images, whatever you like

a work in progress

generations

my great grand parents
my grand parents

my parents


me and my sisters

for mixed media monday,
i went through all my art and photos
i guess we all use our family photos
so we don't have the copyright worries
going through my work i realized
that i have to work on the next 2 generations
i have 9 nieces and nephews
and 5 great ones
now i feel really old!

rust

i hate to throw anything out

someday i might need "that"

i have shelves full of "stuff"

i finally got to use one of my leftover polariod cartridges

i used it as a frame for one of my polariod transfers

and for mixed media monday it works well

this weeks topic is rust

now i just have to deside how to hang it

maybe some rusted wire?

a work in progress

waste not

last fall i had the opportunity to take a class with michael demeng

hosted by my friend carmi here in toronto

i always wanted to take one of his classes but they sold out quick

so it was nice to have him in my home town

it was a fun and interesting class

this was my finished project

just another reason to save polariod

mixed media monday

I found this great new challenge at mixed media monday

i used one of my old posts of a digital collage and got some wonderful responses

what a nice group, thanks to everyone for looking

i looked at every ones entry and felt bad,

i should have posted a "real" MIXED media

so here it is

i have taken several classes with claudine helmuth

and learned some really cool tricks
this one is a photocopy of one of my favorite angel photos

an architectural photocopy, old book pages, decorative paper and

tissue and some gold findings

i colored it with a antiquing glaze

i've been so busy learning "stuff" on the computer

i haven't spent much time getting my hands wet

i think this group will inspire me to do more

taking it to the next level

since i started working more with photoshop

i'vediscovered that i can have more fun playing!

i can try out every photo first until i find just the right one

to add to one of my backgrounds as a photo transfer

it saves me time and a big mess , and some things you can only do in PS

i could play all nite but i need my beauty sleep!

there's always tomorrow!

back to basics

sometimes I can spend days just making backgrounds

i have TONS of paper, really,

and just love to rip, cut, paste, paint, glaze,

sponge, stamp, gesso, plaster, you name it!

sometimes i go too far

but i've developed the habit of at least scanning each project between layers

so i have a large collection of backgrounds ready when the mood strikes me !

the first one is pages from a magazine, masking tape and gesso

the second is a collection of decorative papers,

paint applied with a brayer and a foam stamp

the third is pages from an old "handy mans" guide i found at a garage sale,

i like it just the way it is.

photoshop

i recently had an amazing opportunity to take a photoshop class

from my friend Marie Otero

i've always admired Marie's work and was honored

to spend 5 days creating with her
i had a wonderful time, learned lots and created some wonderful pieces.
i promised myself that i would spend half an hour a day working on photoshop,

which is a long time for me to sit in one place.

i've been playing with Elements 2 and now i have 5,

and just started last year working in layers

it's been a long process, i'm such a visual person

and had a hard time learning from a book

sitting next to Marie, learning step by step

really jump started me into the next phase!

she really understood how my brain worked and made it so easy!!!!!!

i've been practicing all my lessons but haven't created anything worth showing,

so I've posted a few pieces I did at Marie's.
between our lessons we got our hands wet working on backgrounds,

it was a nice break from sitting.

i created several backgrounds using old paper, tape, gesso, inks and paint.
after printing out my digital collages, i transferred them onto the background

and created some interesting pieces.

thanks again to Marie,

you are a generous, patient and kind person and
i'm glad you are my friend!

too busy!

the day just flew by
worked 8am to noon
went to an art supply garage sale hosted by my friend Carmi,
found lots of bargains, great finds
came home and worked in the garden splitting plants until 5pm
washed up and went for dinner and a country drive
and just got home to realize i ready for bed!
so today's art is just a quick throw together
of a background i made a few weeks ago
and a picture of a tree taken in arizona last summer
i need to get some rest for another day in the garden!
i love the spring!
Nancy