Mixed-Media Art

I am fascinated with the idea of taking junk and making it into something beautiful. It's even better if it is functional and beautiful, but...not in this case -- unless you consider 'looking pretty' to be a function.

I have a tendency to pick up blocks of finished wood at rummage sales and thrift stores with the intention of adding some creativity to it later. Some were bread boards, some were plaques, you get the idea...

This particular wooden block was from my grandfather. He fancied himself a photographer and took hundreds, if not thousands of pictures during his life. He had enlarged this photograph and attached it to the board and then covered with some kind of sealer or varnish. It looked like it came right out of the 70's. This was the base for this art project. I considered removing his photograph, but decided to keep it as an added dimension to the piece. I began by gluing elements to the middle of the block and worked my way outward. For the adhesive, I used the tacky craft glue, which dried clear.

Mixed Media Art, "Bubble up" by Kelly E. Lee

Truth be told, I am captivated by glues and tapes, and the process of finding the right one for a project. If you have crafting ambitions, learning about adhesives is essential to making the project work correctly. After gluing various trinkets and treasures onto the piece, I let it dry on a flat, level surface for about three days. Probably 24 hours would be sufficient, but I put on a lot of glue, trying to emulate a cheap version of resin crafting. I was rather pleased with the results. I ended up using buttons, broken clear glass, metal rings, and a necklace chain. Of course, I added blue glitter in with the glue. What's a project without a little glitter?

Painting Flowers with Acrylic

In 2005 I was watching an HGTV show on creating your own original artwork. One project looked so easy that I thought I would try it out. I bought a couple of canvases, craft paints, and brushes from Hobby Lobby for only a few dollars - and I was off and running. What happened next was unexpected. I loved what it felt like to put paint on canvas. Just one year later, I had produced 35 abstract paintings. Although some of them weren't masterpieces, each one was a journey and a lesson to learning a new technique.

Painting by Karrie Evenson

Recently I picked up the brush again after taking a long break from painting. I felt ready to expand my skill set create a different kind of painting than I had in the past. After perusing the internet and YouTube for painting tutorials, I found one in particular that I wanted to follow. The video was from a public television station that aired a show called "Karrie-on-Canvas," and was now posted on YouTube. This episode focused on painting flowers in a vase with acrylic paints.

I liked the style of the artist, so I decided to give it a shot.

Yellow Flowers by Kelly E. Lee

On a basic level I followed her steps. I drew the basic shape of the bouquet, the vase and the table in pencil. Then began filling in the shapes, working on creating depth and shadow as I went along. I also changed the colors that were used, and just used colors that I like and enjoy. 

During this process I found many other artists that had awesome videos on painting. One in particular artist that I would recommend is Tim Gagnon and Gagnon-Studio. He is an amazing artist who generously shares his insights and techniques. Here is the link to one of my favorite YouTube videos of the artist in action.