Tunaless

Here is a mixed media piece of art that I created within a couple of days.  I purchased this awesome expensive canvas relatively cheaply at a city wide yard sale in February.  It had a painting on it that had some texture. I got the canvas for $10 but it is a $60 or more professional canvas.  I bought it with the intention of painting over it once inspiration struck which it did about 2 weeks after purchasing.

I decided to use joint compound and slather it all over the canvas. Thought it then had to much texture so I took half of it off and then used a giant bubble sheet and pressed it down on the canvas over the we joint compound to make an interesting texture.  I used a blow dyer to dry the canvas quickly. Then I used a couple of shades of red to paint the entire canvas.  I drew on a funny looking cat and then proceeded with the back breaking work of painting the cat in stripes.  This was painful because it was a large narrow canvas that I had on the dining room table and was bent over standing up the entire time painting.  The final process was to use charcoal pencil and highlight parts of the cat.

I really liked the outcome and so did many other people. I got about 2-3 offers to sell it but no one wanted to pay me the min. wage price I was asking for it for the time and materials.  In the end it worked out as it should. My boyfriend loved the painting and calls it "Tunaless" and encouraged me to keep it.  He states it reminds him of how he looks when he is hungry and doesn't have access to food as quickly as he'd like. :)

Finally Some Art Work

It's definitely been difficult this fall to find time to create art. Between work, grad classes, running in races and having fun there has been a limited time to create.  I've spent most of my creative energy on art therapy groups and workshops at the college.  I've been to Stampin Up a couple of times and because I'm missing creating art I decided to splurge and signed up for an art class at the Creative Workshop through the Memorial Art Gallery.  It's once a week for three weeks in November and it is a Mixed Media Fibers: Fundamentally Felting class. I know how to basic felt and how to incorporate some other materials in but I think this class will teach me some other techniques in felting so I'm pretty excited about it.  Perhaps I'll make some Christmas gifts!

Anyway, below are a couple of pictures I've recently made. I still maintain that I need to take a writing styles class if I ever find one!