An Exerpt From My Art Journey in 2016

If you read my last post you know that I just spent seven days on the west coast of Canada being creative. It is something I have always wanted to do - a week-long stretch of days without my mate, where my focus is on making art, with brief pauses for eating, drinking wine and occasionally sleeping.  You know, when I was younger I used to moan about how as a teenager I never was able to go to any parties or have any sleepovers but I have to share with you that doing it now, after I have turned 50, is so much better!

I am over-the-moon EXCITED to be sharing these painting with you that I was able to create  after breaking through a block I have had my entire life.  Once that barrier was gone I was able to hear my own unique artistic voice for the first time and these faces I am sharing are painted in a style I have been longing to emulate since I saw my first Emily Carr and Group of Seven paintings when I was twelve years old.  Those original paintings stopped me dead in my tracks and I have been longing to paint like that ever since.

My "Practice" Paintings

Yes, these images are rough and amateur-ish but they imperfectly capture the energy and emotion I am trying to show with the use of raw, vibrant color.  Even more exciting to me is that these images painted on bits of cardboard and canvas are all my own, not copied from someone elses body of work or made in the image of the instruction given, but are all out of my own creative soul, which has been on lock-down until now! (She shares, Happy Dancing all over the House - Grin.)  They are my first work that looks at the end of the process, like what I imagined it to be before I started.  Who can ask for more than that?

Painting by Amanda Trought

Now, the inspiration to even attempt these faces came to me directly from a mixed-media artist I have just discovered named Amanda Trought, and this 7-minute, time-lapse video she shared on her blog last week - I am her newest follower and a Big Fan of her art work and her Life Work and I want to share her with all of you.

My 1st "Real" Works of Art

As soon as I finished my four practice faces - all painted using heavy body acrylic paints on some old time cards covered in gesso - I grabbed three 4"x6" board canvasses and painted these three "Real" paintings.  I used the same color palette for all three, so they all seem to compliment each other even though they are so different from one another.  I think I am going to mount all three together on one large canvas - What do YOU think?

As Always, Thank you for popping in to see what a I am up to these days and please Do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!

Lynne Mizera
Artist... (Grin)   

Do What Comes Naturally...

I have been struggling to learn watercolor painting for the passed two months... It is NOT coming naturally.  Almost everything I have done in my life has "come naturally" and I have not had to struggle very hard to learn it ... I just DO IT.  So when watercolor painting was a struggle I was surprised!  But I was determined to really, really try - and here I am two months in and I just CANNOT seem to get the knack of it... so the other day, being frustrated with my watercolor paints NOT doing what I wanted them to do ... I picked up a brush and JUST PAINTED this little 6x12 inch canvas with my new Heavy Body Acrylic paints - they are thick and shiny like oil paint and they CALL TO ME!  I only have six colors - red, yellow, blue, green, white and black but the paint seemed to almost mix itself to the colors I wanted...

I had nothing in mind when I started... It took about 10 minutes to get the bones of it.. and about another 20 of playing with adding light then dark then light - I didn't have to struggle, I didn't have to think ... it came naturally and I just Did It... 

So I think I will stop struggling with the water colors - although I will continue to play with the washes and textures for backgrounds on my ATC's (Artists Trading Cards)... and from now on I will just Do What Comes Naturally... Because it's Easier, It's a LOT more fun and because we are all good at something and that something just comes naturally!

I created this 5x7 canvas to use up my extra paint (I didn't want to waste it) and the quote is from Steve Jobs and seems so appropriate in my life right now... 

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.  Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.  Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."  Steve Jobs

PAINT... it's Good for the SOUL!

4x6 board canvas using Unity stamps by Phyllis Harris

This week I have been allowing myself to "Just Paint".... sounds easy doesn't it... but I have an irrational fear of paint... my heart starts to pound and I break out into a sweat as soon as I open the bottle!  But if I LET myself Just Paint I end up in my Happy Place!  Sometimes it takes a glass of wine to turn off "THAT VOICE" and just do it... but it's totally worth it if I do...

8x8 stretched canvas using Unity Stamps by Susan K. Weckesser

Here is some of what I allowed myself to create this week using a combination of canvases, acrylic & watercolor paints and some of my favorite Unity Stamps...

6x6 board canvas & Phyllis Harris' Unity Stamp set

I stamped my images using Archival brand waterproof ink and painted them using my watercolors... 

8x8 stretched canvas & Susan K. Weckesser's Unity Stamps

 I painted my backgrounds using acrylic craft paint and/or gelatos and just let myself be FREEE...

My FAVORITE, a 6x8 stretched canvas and Susan K. Weckesser's Unity stamp set

I then cut out my stamped images and used modpodge and pop foam pop dots to adhere them to my canvases..... REALLY! I just love the effect and I hope you do too!! 

NOTE:  All these canvases are for sale at our new little Artists' Co-op shop in Water Valley, Alberta.. contact me by e-mail or facebook if you are interested! (grin)