Oiseaux

More Art Tags

Well, Beau and I had a go at some more art tags today, do you remember when we made them last?

I often forget how fun it is to just play with art supplies instead of trying to make something significant/interesting/beautiful.

It is so great to just slap stuff on. Beau lost steam after two tags, but I kept at it for a bit, using the colors she had chosen and the scrappy leftover cuttings from my previous projects.

This is such a great exercise in "whatever-ness".. and yet, I found myself getting some ideas for future works because of little things I was doing.

And lastly, here are Beau's: that one on the left is the best of them all, I think!

A Month of Creating Daily: Day 28

 

Making Magical Acorns

So here's how it goes: set out on a walk with a bag, and collect as many acorns as possible. The ones with their "hats" on go in your bag. The "hat"-less ones go in your pocket.

Notice the autumn changes in your neighborhood.

 

Take photos. Have your five-year-old take better, clearer, more poetic photos than you.

Notice the length of your shadows, and notice how cold it is when the sun dips behind the mountains.

On your way home, stop by a neighbor who loves acorns, especially the ones in your pockets without their hats on.

When you get home, pick the best of the acorns, and dust them off a bit.

Acorns + a small brush + Elmer's glue + glitter = Magic.

These will be going on the table for Thanksgiving! And speaking of acorns, a sneak peak of new work on my desk...

Art Tags

Beau wanted to paint with me the other day. I was out of the tiny canvases we've been using lately, so I grabbed a box of shipping tags, and we went for it.

She had a blast since she was painting on a new surface, and I had a blast because I was painting with absolutely no attachment.

     

When was the last time you painted without any attachment?

     

And used "icky" colors? 

      

And slapped on bits of things you already had on your table from other projects?

      

Well, for me, it had been a long time.

I love creating, but I have to admit that I always have a bit of an agenda when I do. It was such an experience to throw stuff about and not care. And I have no idea what I'm going to do with these tags, but I want to make more of them, like little studies in loosening up.

Oh, and here is my favorite of Beau's, below:

Monoprints with little people

Ah, summer. Weeks and weeks with no school, and an almost-five-year old who wants to do everything that Mommy is doing. Beau has her own watercolors, crayons and pens, but the thing she loves most is painting with my acrylic paints. "I want to paint with your paint, Mommy," she says, "and with your brushes, too."

So today after creating this

 

... and this

 

... Beau declared that she was finished painting for the day. There was a ton of paint still left on the paper palette, so I grabbed a spray bottle of water and spritzed the paint to wet it a bit, then tore out some pages from an old book. Beau and I took turns laying the paper face-down in the paint, and voila: beautifulness!

Aren't these gorgeous? All of these are from the one single palette.

 

These will probably end up in collages (digital and otherwise) but they are so pretty that I am tempted to frame them as is. So, next time you are finished painting and have some wet paint left over, use it up!