How Do You Feel About Putting a Bird on It?

BIRDS IN ART

They are symbolic of freedom and a sign of eternal life. Many stories and folklore suggest that birds were taken as signs of renewed life, often as a transition between life and death. Many even consider them to be an idea or proposal for the future. Certain birds connote magic, or omens, or harbingers. To me, they represent beauty, grace, and cheerfulness.

Here’s a very thorough site that details the “meanings” of many, many kinds of birds: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/bird-symbolism-and-their-meanings.html

Before  all the craftsy hoopla about "putting a bird on it," I used them in my work.


Assemblage

Do I love all of my works  shown above? Of course not, because some of them were done quite awhile ago. Will I use bird imagery in the future? Probably. But right now not so much...because many amateur or beginner artists on Etsy are putting them on everything, and some of the prices seem high to me, personally speaking.  The distinction between fine art and purely decorative junk should be clear, I think.



PhotoMontage Rainbow!

So colorful! So graphic! So easy that kids can do it!

High-key photograph, black and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, you need a high-contrast black and white photo image.

 

Load a photocopier with three or four colors of copier paper. Lighter colors work better, but brights are outstanding! 

My beloved Arab stallion, missed greatly.

• Sandwich the copies together and cut strips either vertically or horizontally (but not both). TIP: Vary the widths of the strips for added interest.  
• Another TIP: Lay the pieces down in the correct order!
• Alternate colors as you glue the strips  to a sturdy substrate. (Yes, you'll have enough leftover strips to do this project two or three more times!)      

Do the strips detract from the photo? Maybe, but it's fun!

Find many more exciting photo-art activities in this new book, pictured below!


Available Here!





Sculptural Art on a Hippie Van!

The Ultimate in Upcycling!



  I took these photos over a decade ago in Colorado. The artist is unknown, but his (or her) vehicle was fantastic!



What a great way to use discarded mannikins!



Those artists who create assemblages use found objects, and this work of art qualifies for that title, I believe. I only wish I had some longer shots to show you, too.

 

Sculpture on a vehicle! Photo copyright Paula Guhin.

Thanks for viewing this post!
It's not my usual mixed-media subject, but hope you like it.



 



Between Fine Art and Pop Culture: A Visual Arts Educator's Rants and Ravings

Call me a curmudgeon, criticize this post if you will, but I'm driven to speak my mind. And by doing so, I'm wide open to attacks, I know. Yet, art is extremely subjective and everyone has an opinion, to which they are entitled.

As an art teacher, I know that some (or many) people may dislike my creations. I'm aware that much art is made to stir controversy and discussion. That's not what this post is about.  

I am sick and tired of "whimsy" and cute little fairy wings, dunce hats, and big eyes on poorly drawn faces. I'm also disgusted with so-called "art" that relies on words and sentences to fill the page.

The latter is fine with me if you call it journaling or call it a poster...it's writing, not art! It's either personal or commercial, but fine art? No.

My plea is that so-called art magazines (for grownups)  stop publishing artworks with faces and figures so lacking in proportion that they seem malformed. (And yes, I'm aware of primitive art and all the other art movements that promote such malformation. Again, that's not what this is.) If an artist is just learning, more power to him or her, and I wish them luck in their pursuits. But there are standards that should be met, dammit!

To continue to promote clichés is equally offensive to me.

I believe most of us would agree that honing our skills, and then moving on, trying new things, experimenting, exploring, attempting to better ourselves is the right thing to do.

Thanks for hearing me out. I feel better now.

 

TEXTURE WITH MOLDING PASTE & MORE

Modeling paste, texture paste, spackling compound, heavy gel medium--whatever you call it or whichever you use, it adds texture to your work like nobody's business!
 

There are many, many textural art products on the market today, often with additives and color mixed right in. Too, you can make your own unique mixtures by adding sawdust, fine gravel, and much more to a thick product. Fun!

You can even form raised letters by pushing the paste through a stencil!

 

Mixed media collage - painting

 

When the paste has been freshly applied, scribble into it or press and stamp objects into it for added interest.

 





This photo courtesy The Complete Photo Guide to Creative Painting



TWO COLLAGE - PAINTINGS

The first of these, more of a collage than a painting, honors my late Uncle Dan. Verrry late...he passed many years ago.  I used both black & white and colored transparencies of differing sizes, and I flipped some of them! 

 

Dan farmed with cattle--can you tell?

The second work, truly both a painting and a collage, makes a very obvious statement. I've always liked certain blues with golden ochre colors, and the black and white aid with contrast. I sand-papered in places. This piece is more textured than is visible in the photo.

Cruciform, yet a bit too formally-balanced, perhaps.

(It appears in the book, Painting with Mixed Media, published by Stackpole Books.)



TEA BAG PAPERS IN COLLAGE

 

(WINNER OF CONTEST ANNOUNCED BELOW!)

 

I’m a big drinker…of tea, that is! Hot, cold, all seasons. I like the big, family-size bags for making iced tea, and they are perfect for this project.

I let the used bags dry, and then I carefully take them apart. You can either discard the leaves or use them as texture by mixing them with gel medium.



Not a lovely photo, but you get the idea!



Browns, golds, and greens are my color scheme.

 

The photo at right shows the first layers in my collage. The motif is that of trees and nature.

 

 



It's still not finished!

Then I adhered pieces of dry teabag paper with fluid acrylic medium. Note that the papers are quite transparent and yet they achieve some veiling and unifying, an effect I was after.

 In the photo below, I had added a few very dark accents with acrylic paint, to add depth and help tie everything together.

Finished mixed-media piece by P.Guhin

I also included die cut letters and stenciled in the number 3. I did a little scribbling to enliven the surface in a few places.

 

Last week's giveaway was won by my follower, Gigi, whose name was chosen in a fair and random drawing. My thanks to the others who participated, and please, stay with me! Gigi, kindly message me privately with your mailing address to receive your prize!