The Fun Always Begins...

...with a mess or two.

...some painted Osnaburg fabric...

... some thread, some lace, some embellishments -- and a bit of anticipatory joy thrown in.  Is not the beginning of a project the very best time of all?

"To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now." - Samuel Beckett

Color Ideas

I must admit that color/tones/hues are somewhat of a challenge to me.  I need help to come up with a color scheme that 'works'.  Recently, on a trip to the home improvement shop, I stopped by the paint section.  I often collect their individual color chips for inspiration, but this time I picked up several of the brochures. 

  The theme was shown on the front of the brochure.  Inside each brochure the rooms were painted using a series of colors/hues/tones that enhanced each other.

I couldn't help but be  'wowed' by the brochure that had yummy chocolate truffles as the cover picture.  Now what could be better than using my favorite treat as the base and seeing what works with it - yum!

"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

Making a Mess

Its been a long time since I last painted on fabric -- back in my book art days in fact.  But I've begun a new project and the cloth and the paints are back out on my work table.

This is fun!  Mixing acrylics with water, trying to get just the right mix - not too thin, not too thick.  Playing with colors 'does it need a bit more orange?' 'does it need less white?

Wetting the fabric so the paint will soak in easily and then going at it - brush in hand wildly spreading so there aren't too many sections of stiff paint.  A wash is what I'm looking for so it means moving quickly over and over, sometimes just a touch sometime several layers.

"All that is necessary to paint well is to be sincere." - Maurice Denis