Painting Papers Outside

I found myself going in and out and in and out, painting papers for journals and taking them outside to dry....SO....decided to set up outdoors and just paint my little heart out :)

And that is what I did. It was a little hot....no.....a LOT HOT but did it anyway! Here are some pics and a little Video I made for You Tube.

ENJOY!!

Stack of Rice Papers and other papers 

that make good journal pages

 my set up! Ready to go.

 Laying down papers on freezer paper (shiny side up) and painting with diluted acrylics. This is more staining the papers than painting

 Hanging up to dry outside. 

These thin papers dry very quickly outside

 Let dry...............

......... and ready to use!!

LUSCIOUS papers! Can't wait to use them :)

Enjoy the Video

Ready for Art & Soul!

I AM READY!!  Well.....almost :)

I will be teaching 3 full day classes and one 45 minute class at Art & Soul in Virginia Beach 

September 28th, 29th and 30th

Come join me!!

For more information 

CLICK HERE

I DO look forward to seeing you there!

Something I've always wanted to try

I had just finished posting on my facebook page that I was going to stop painting for awhile.

The very next day I had to eat those words!

But, you see, I was in Church and my pastor was finishing up a sermon series on Biblical Femininity and he was talking about how, when the tomb was found empty, the guys all went back to the house, but Mary (the woman) stayed.
And then he read the verse about her looking into the tomb and there was an angel sitting at the head of the bed where Jesus had been. There was one at the foot also but for some reason I was fixated with the one at the head, but the scripture says "They" said,  "Woman, why are you weeping". I could hear him asking me that as I sat there with tears on my face.
Instantly I could see the angel in all his radiance and I knew I had to get it down.

But my method was the challenge, not the image. The image was firmly planted in my head.
I have always wanted to do a collage out of my head. In other words, no drawing...just start laying down paper and see where it would go. I've done it with "simple" images, hearts, flowers, etc. but not with something major. So...I decided this was it. This was the piece I was going to see if I could do that with, and I have to tell you....I LOVED doing it!! This truly is what coloring outside the lines means.

First of all I just did some random putting down of paint and that is just because blank surfaces drive me nuts!

And off I went laying in shapes with the paper. 

The other thing about this is, no pre-planning of what papers or tapes to use. I just started going through the stack until I knew that was the right one. Remember, I did have the image in my head.

After I got the angel "blocked" in, I covered my background with a color. In this case, Orange. I like to have a background color to work with when I collage.

So here it is with basic blocking and shape.

At this point I'm feeling pretty happy with the image. And I did it all by just laying down papers where I thought they should go! 
Now for the background....thinking of doing just some painting on this with a little paper. I want to write the scripture and that is hard to do on torn paper....so.....at this point, still giving it some thought. I do know how I want it to look....it's there in my brain, I just need to make it happen.....

So here is the finished piece!

"Woman"

I did paint the back ground but laid down paper also. 

Left the area where I did the wording so I could write on it more smoothly. I also reworked the wings some.

I'm very happy with it.

Mission accomplished and God glorified!

To see more about this piece CLICK HERE

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzi

Workshop Fun

I would have never thought I could get 4 people in my Studio for a workshop!

BUT I did!! 

And did we ever have fun!!

Stencil Girl Talk!

So happy to have been asked to write this article for

STENCIL GIRL TALK!!

Had fun experimenting and discovering this new way to  

create collage papers (or whatever you want to do with them)!

Enjoy!

Check out my Newsletters!

MY NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED THE FIRST DAY OF EVERY OTHER MONTH 
(6 TIMES A YEAR) 

TO SUBSCRIBE PLEASE EMAIL ME AND PUT "NEWSLETTER" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

ENJOY THESE PAST NEWSLETTERS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU!

FEBRUARY 2015

MARCH 2015

APRIL 2015

Painting papers and more papers and.....

Okay. I'm probably having way too much fun experimenting but painting papers is not just about laying some paint down on a piece of paper. It's about creating a wonderful place to START laying some paint down on a piece of paper! That is what I teach....the "process" of getting excited about that piece of paper!! 

Come join me in my studio or at one of the workshops I'll be teaching this year and play in the paint and papers with me!!

Click on the icon "Suzimade workshop" in the right hand column to find out more. 

Would love to have you :)

NEWSLETTER

I have started a monthly newsletter that I am very excited about!! It seems I am all over the place posting.....face book, blog spot, flickr, and on and on. I wanted to make it simple as possible....thus, the Newsletter.

It comes out once a month and in it I will have a variety of things. Photos from my workshops, Student's work, past work of mine, present things I'm working on, links to Videos, something new for you to try and whatever else comes up!

To sign up for this newsletter just email me and put "NEWSLETTER" in the subject line.

Hope you will join us! We are having a good time!!

Suzi

From my Doodling Journal

Had my "Doodling" Journal out today. Haven't looked at it in a long time and had forgotten what was in it. 

Just wanted to share with you. 

Some are finished, some are not.

Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed this :) have a great life.

Suzi

Pinterest in the middle of the Night!

You never know what you are going to find in the middle of the night when you can't sleep... so you fire up the computer and venture on over to "Pinterest"!!

Recently, that is just what happened to me, and as I was perusing the site trying in vain to return to sleep I found "How to make a hanger weaving"

Well....those who know me know how I love to play with weaving and I KNOW, in another time and place, I would have been a weaver....HOWEVER, in this time and place I just dabble in it.

Had to try it and it was really fun!!

*******

Work in progress. Figured out some things I would do different as I went through this process. You know I don't do anything by the book!!

Finished product! Yep. Looks like a fancy cobweb to me! :)

I love it!!!

What better place to hang it than on the door to my Studio! So if you come see me you will now be welcomed with my "Hanger/Cobweb weaving"

I have a feeling more will come.....thanks for coming by!

Suzi

Good Intentions

A Full day in the studio....oh Boy!!! I can finish up a Journey Journal, I can start on a couple of "Sisters" pieces and try out some new ideas I have.............

Yeah, well....you know what they say about good intentions!!

I DID spend the day in the Studio, but found myself knee deep creating some videos I'm adding to my "Journal Making Journal" online workshop on a new paper tape method I came up with that will work very well in journals. I realllllyyyyy did not intend to do that right now!! However....it's almost complete and will probably be available tomorrow. 

(If you are in my journal making class you will be receiving that information)

BUT.... I did get some other things accomplished!

Made a great sheet of Paper Tape

And completed the signatures and cover for my Journal.

And I'm loving this cover!! It is covered with hand woven painted papers, Kozo and Philippine Gampi bark and some jute and string weaving!!

so.....ALL was not lost.

Hope to have that Journal completed soon! Thanks for stopping by.

Suzi

To be Continued......

I am so excited about a new "Paper Tape" method I have come up with as a way of using clear packing tape!

BUT....I can't share just now because it will be part of my "Just loving my Journal" class in Kansas City, Mo. next year with 
Art & Soul! 

However, here's a photo of what I did yesterday.

I am thinking of adding this to my online "Let's Make Paper Tape" workshop and if I do, I'll let you know. 

Onward and Upward!!!!

Thanks for stopping by :), Suzi

I love it when this happens!

Oh my how I love little "discoveries"!

Those of you who are on my facebook page may remember me posting this image of a pastel painting I did

I even made a You Tube video of my process

That was a couple of months ago. Today I was leafing through a journal I just finished where I used this paper in the journal and when I came to this page....THERE THEY WERE!!! Two little people!! I saw them immediately and gave them some features and that was that!!

Can you see them??

LOVE it when that happens!!

So let me go see what else I can find!

Thanks for stopping by, Suzi

The Making of "Take Heart"

Many of you who have been following me for awhile, and especially those who watch my videos know that from time to time I'll take the surface paper I have been using to work on and turn it into a piece of painted papers. 

Welllll,...... not this time.

When I work on other pieces (small ones) I work on a board covered with paper. Sometimes it's butcher paper, sometimes newspaper, sometimes junk mail...but covered none the less.

This is one that just kept getting covered and covered and I wound up with this.

I then cut it off the board and tore into strips.

*******

And THEN the collaging began...

And when all said and done.... 

(drum roll please)

the finished product!

This piece is called "Take Heart" and is part of the "Sister's in the Faith" series even though it is large (25 x 19 framed) and framed and ready to hang. 

It was inspired by this sketch I originally did in early 2013 and from where my "Sisters in the Faith" series came from.

I felt it needed to be a large painting because it just had so much to say. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and finally have brought it out of my head and onto a surface where it can live.

I just want to say one thing about the images in my series. As you see, the sketch shows more of a little girl...and she IS cute and I love the little girls...BUT, it seems everyone is doing little girls (which there is NOTHING wrong with) but I felt these pieces were more about the thoughts and feelings of Women. Women who have lived these things and are now living through things in their lives that these scriptures give strength through.

Thanks once again for stopping by to see me. For more information on this piece click here.

Be Blessed! Suzi

Too much fun!!!

Well, I just had a good ole' time in the Studio today!! Finger and 

q-tip painting! MESSY FUN!!!

I'm thinking I'm going to have to add this to my "IN STUDIO" workshop and ART & SOUL in Kansas City next April!

So, if you are on board for any of these workshops....

GET READY!!!

And the fun part is the paper I'm doing this on :)

and what I'm going to do with it!

To find out more Come join me! and thanks for dropping by

Suzi

Now is the time to start signing up!!

Hi Guys!!! I just want to remind you of my classes I'll be teaching at ART & SOUL next April.

I know that sounds like a long way off but if you want to take several classes sometimes it's good to start signing up early...maybe a month at a time...spreads the cost out a little.

ANYWAY.....Here are links to my classes and I hope you will check them out and come on board!

I can't wait!!!!

click on date and class title to go to class site and learn more!!

April 27th - "PAPER TAPE ART"

April 28th - "PAINTING PAPERS FOR WHATEVER"

April 29th - "JUST LOVING MY JOURNAL"

Hope to see you there!!!

Suzi

OHHHHHH!! This made my heart warm!!!

Angie Guignon is the Dean at Oak Crest Private School in Carrollton, Texas. I met her on my flight to Portland in April on my way to teach at Art & Soul. Soon after she emailed me this wonderful Picture where she had made me "Artist of the Month" at her school and had posted all these images of mine at the school. Some of you may have seen where I posted this on my facebook page.

Welllll................

  TODAY, I received this photo where her 4-5 year olds made journals using my "Spring" bird image!!!

NOW HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!

Like I said....made my heart warm :))

Thanks Angie!!

Suzi