Mosaic

Mosaic

This is my entry for the Digital Mania challenge this week with inspiration from the artist Sabine Spiesser.  Imagery from itKuPilli and artistic filters in Photoshop.

Beautiful Dreamer

This is my journal style entry for the Take A Word challenge to use "Warm Colors" this week. Imagery from Captivated Visions, 7 gypsies and K& Co. art papers and itKuPiLLi.

Shades of Gray

This is my entry for both the The Three Muses and Collage Obsession this week combining the themes of "Kings and Queens and Script".  King Henry in shades of gray  for an artsy journal style piece. Fun stuff!  Imagery from Sherry JD, Pink Lotty and Dover books.

Woodlands

Autumn seems to be arriving early in my back yard with little acorns adorning the old oaks that invite these gentle "wild animals" to pay a visit. This is for the upcoming Take A Word challenge this week.  Imagery from the new itKuPiLLi kit blended in Photoshop.  I spent 7 years fostering squirrels through the wildlife rehab center in Marin, taking them in from about 10 weeks old until release and they are amazing animals- some of my guys are still roaming the woods near me!

Safe Passage

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week "Hello Sailor" being the theme.

Artisan

Playing around with a little more"pink" this week for the Take A Word challenge.  It's best to get this color out of my system before those Fall colors start to beckon....
Imagery from Dover, itKuPiLLi and one of my floral backgrounds repainted digitally.

Friends

This is my vintage entry for the Sunday Postcard art challenge this week "Friends".

Travel Notes

For the Collage Obsession challenge "Page in a Travel Journal".

Garden Mistress

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week where "Insects" are the theme.  Not a big fan of the creepy crawlies- you have to look hard for them here !

Sage and Sepia

After a little summer break I created this piece for the Summer Of Color challenge to use the colors "Sage and Sepia".

Yin and Yang

This collage is for the Three Muses challenge to use the colors "Black White and Red".  Yin and Yang , the principle of opposite forces interconnected and interdependent in the natural world and, how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Yin and yang are actually complementary, not opposing forces, interacting to form a whole greater than either separate part. It's all about balance; shadow and light being in tune with each other in harmony.

Imagery  credits go to Jen Maddox, Holliewood, collage art papers and wikipedia.

Watercolours

This is my entry for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge "Fairies of the Sea". Digitally painted to  capture the look of watercolors. Imagery from Dover books , itKuPiLLi and Rebecca McMeen.

Sand and Sea

This is my entry for the Inspiration Avenue challenge to use words in our art. A collage of reminiscence, a walk along the sand; the colors of the summer sea.  Imagery from Jen Maddox at scrapbookgraphics, artchix and Stampington  papers (Jennifer Razo).

Mirror, Mirror

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge using a mirror this week. Imagery credits go to Lorie Davison and  itKuPiLLi.

La Vie Boheme

This is my entry for the Summer of Color challenge this week where the color combination is "Candy Apple Red and Yellow". Imagery credits go to Pink Lotty, itKuPiLLi and Tumblefish.  Yummy colors for summer!

Something Fishy

There is something fishy going on and this Diva Queen is having none of it.  This is my Zetti style entry for the Take A Word challenge this week where "Fish" is the theme.  Imagery credits got to Tumblefish, Finecrafted designs, artchix and itkuPiLLi.

Curious Swan

This is my entry for the Digital Mania challenge this week where the featured artist is Kevin Sloan. My digital collage tries to capture his use of wildlife, whimsy and  a bit of enchanted landscape.

Charcoal Rose

This is my entry for the Summer of Color challenge #4 where the colors are Charcoal and Pink. Imagery credits go to Jen Maddox, itKuPiLLi, Holliewood , Paper Whimsy and doodles from Rebecca McMeen all blended and filters added in Photoshop..

Lady Liberty

This is my entry for the Collage Obsession challenge this week celebrating the USA and our Independence Day on the 4th! Imagery credits go to Hidden Vintage, Tumblefish ,Captivated visions and  Forever stamps.

Pinot and Poppies

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week where the theme is "Where You Live".  I wanted to step outside my comfort zone a bit and create an iconic collage that represents  what my native area means to me and in a painterly way.  The San Francisco Bay Area is a multi- cultural fascinating place to live.  I have been fortunate to have lived here my whole life. It encompasses not only the city of San Francisco but Marin County  and  the Wine country going North, Yosemite Valley going east  and the incredible Pacific Ocean going West.  I have included from Google images and personal photos a collage of many of the main highlights for me.  Mt. Tamalpais, rich in legend and tons of hiking trails that (I live for), of course the Golden Gate Bridge that my Grandmother watched being built when she lived in the Marina District, the giant Redwoods of Muir Woods, the sailing community of  Sausalito and Tiburon/ Bevedere and the wonderful grapevines that paint the Sonoma/Napa/ and Mendocino counties glorious hues in the fall. A wonderland of backroads and discovery!

Papillon

This is my entry for the Take A Word challenge where "Butterflies" is the theme- a theme I never get tired of.  I'm always throwing in a butterfly or two somewhere!   I used photoshop brushes for these silhouette butterflies along with imagery from itKuPiLLi, Beth Rimmer and Pink Lotty.

Dream Weaver

Well better late than never!  This is my entry for this month's "Owl' challenge at so artful challenges. Imagery credits go to Hidden vintage studios, Holliewood, Lori Davison and special effects in Photoshop.

Expeditions

What fun this was!   I have to admit that my love of collage all began with the wonderful art books by Nick Bantock.  I bought Griffin and Sabine and loved everything about it and all of the subsequent books that he has put out.  His art is extraordinary and I had never seen anything like it before.  Collage spoke to me- since I can't draw and I love how he uses old maps, stamps, vintage imagery and bascially created "mail art" as we call it now. I spent quite a few years creating altered books and journals  (trying) to fashion my art in his style and it was difficult; then with teaching my self digital art though Photoshop I found it to be a lot more exciting and conducive to this style of  collage art.
 These are my entries for the Digital Mania challenge this week where the featured artist is of course Nick Bantock.  Imagery from Jen Maddox, itKuPiLLi and finecrafted designs.

Pt. Reyes Station

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge where "Numbers" is the theme this week. As we often drive out to the coast here in California during the summer months we often see old vehicles out in the apple orchards and I created this digital collage with those scenes in mind.  Imagery from Holliewood. Lorie Davison and Tim Holtz art papers.

Midsummer Postcard

This is my entry for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge where we are celebrating the "Summer Solstice or the pagan Midsummer".  Imagery for this card from Dover books and Jen Maddox at Scrapbookgraphics. Photoshop text reads Summer Soltice 2013.

Summer Solstice

Happy Solstice to all in the Northern Hemisphere.  This is a time of renewed energy and activity.  The sun is at its highest and most powerful point for us and we need to embrace its light and warmth.  The sun for me is  masculine in nature; it's aggressive and strong and can be overpowering if not balanced by the more fluid feminine moon.   I hope we can all use the longer days to create, socialize and get outdoors more and move.........  as I sit here at the computer LOL!

Imagery from Dover books, Photoshop brushes and a digital tie-dyed background that I made.

Sea Fleur/ Madame Butterfly

These are my whimsical entries for the Catrin Welz- Stein challenge at Digital Mania this week. This  incredible artist has such a feminine sense to her art; always incorporating nature, symbol and myth to her work.  Please visit her blog which you can find in my sidebar.

Vintage Bride

My own wedding 39 years ago was a fun, funky casual affair in the park- no pearls, lace or diamonds  but also no worries- and we are still going strong.  I think we all enjoy the vision of a dreamlike princess and her handsome groom  but it isn't always affordable at the time and we make do with what we have.  The longevity and growing and living together is what I think really constitutes a 'marriage'.  Our 40th is coming up next year and we could do the pearls, lace and diamond now and maybe we will renew our ceremony ( I hate the word vows). We giggle when we look back at our Wedding photos from 1974, coke can in hand, stomping the plastic wine glass on the grass, the Rabbi with his cooler, me in my "Gunne Sax" granny dress (remember those) - but in the end  our toast to L'Chaim (to life) was all that mattered.

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge "June Bride".  Imagery from E-vint .com, itKuPilli and Pink Lotty at Deviant Scrap.

Bella Botanica

This is my entry for the Take A Word challenge this week where the theme is "Botanical".  A touch of humor and whimsy with a roman flair for this collage.  Imagery from itKuPiLLi , Manuela at Scrapbookgraphics along with cut out scraps of Botanical  illustrations and script.

Watercolours

Just having fun with some digital watercolor painting.  Imagery from Jen Maddox and Finecrafted designs.

Wisdom Keeper

This is my entry for the Digital Mania challenge this week  featuring the art of Stephanie Ledoux.  Lots of newsprint and faces of ethnicity  are a part of her unique style. Stories of origins and myth clippings, over lay from Viva Artistry along with scanned feathers, and my dream-keeper key ring make up this digital collage!

Silent Sparrow

This is my journal style entry for The Three Muses this week  where "Birds" are the theme. This is a lot like  my journal work without the scissors and glue! Imagery for this collage from Captivated Visions, Donna Estabrooks art papers and Catherine Moore art papers.

Sister and Brother

This is my entry for the Collage Obsession Challenge .  Imagery from Holliewood, Sherry JD and Tumblefish studios.   Broken glass frame from Christine Renee.  The theme is Sisters and Brothers.

Zinfandel

This is my entry for the Take A Word challenge this week where the theme is to use 'cooling colors'. Living so close to the Napa- Sonoma-Mendocino wine country my thoughts turned to the magnificent hues of one of my favorite wines!  Imagery from Captivated Visions, itKuPiLLi, and lots of gradient and Photo filter effects in Photoshop.

Art Journal Postcard

This is my entry for the Sunday Postcard Art Challenge to create a postcard in the Art journal style.  Imagery from ArtChix, ItKuPiLli, and Captivated Visions.

Home is Where The Heart Is

This is my entry for the Steven Kenny challenge at Digital Mania this week.  Surreal, symbolic and fanciful. Imagery from itKuPiLLi, Lori Davison , Rosie Posey and Holliewood.

Night Raven

This is my entry for the Three Muses challenge where we are to use a Gothic arch in our work.  Always a favorite theme of mine!  Imagery from Tumblefish Divas, Finecrafted Designs and pink Lotty at Deviant Scrap.

Mariposa

This is my entry for the Take A Word challenge this week where the color 'Orange' is the theme.  I can't help but think of sunny Mexico and the lavish rustic hues of oranges, fiery reds and cooling turquoise.  Frida from Artchix studio, elements from Tangie Baxter and assorted butterflies (Mariposas).

No Place Like Home

'Home' is different for everyone but this queen has grand thoughts about her diggs.  For the Sunday Postcard Art challenge.

Imagery credits go to itKuPiLLi, Rosey Posey and photoshop filters and brushes.

Visionary

These are my entries for this week's challenge at Digital Mania where the featured artist is Cristiana Couceiro, a Portuguese illustrator whose work is focused on collage for clients using newspaper, tiles, vintage photos and paper; strongly reflecting a retro look. She also has a limited palette of colors using aquas, reds and ochres with use of circles and geometric shapes. I used photoshop cookie cutters for shapes and imagery from itKuPiLLi, Captivated Visions, Vintage photography blog and Lori Davison (scrapbookgraphics).  This was quite a challenge and it is not representative of (my) art- but I'm still happy with the overall effect in keeping with the featured artist's style.  What fun!

My Melancholy

This is my entry for The Three Muses this week where Zetti style is the theme. Imagery from Finecrafted designs , Rebecca McMeen and Alpha from Marsha at Tumblefish (Deviant Scrap). Photoshop painting and cookie cutters  tools.

Summer Journal

As the summer season approaches ( it's actually raining here today),  I wanted to make a journal style collage with warm overtones, the hiss of insects and the rustling of field birds to get in the mood. This is for the 'open' theme at Collage Obsession this week

Fractured

This is my entry for the Digital Mania challenge to create a piece in the style of artist Loui Jouver. Use of script, drippy paint and segmented backgrounds along with vogue-ish women  seem to hallmark his unique art. Magazine face was altered with brushes and paints in Photoshop.

Pantomime

This is my entry for the Three Muses this week using "black and white stripes".  Butterflies are from Dover converted to black and white, background from Captivated Visions and mime from Graphic 45 artist papers all blended and artistic filters used in Photoshop.

The Dressmaker

This is my entry for the Take A Word challenge "Sewing" this week.  I made a digital journal- style piece here with bits of lace and pins and tape along with a fun to assemble paper doll from Rebecca McMeen . No needles required! Other imagery credits go to Google images and Captivated Visions at Scrapbookgraphics.

Clear Skies

Well, this is my entry for the Digital Mania challenge where we are to create art in the manner and style of a Turkish surreal artist by the name of Gurbus Dogan Eksioglu. A fantastic artist but oh so out of my comfort zone.  I don't know why surrealistic art is so hard for me but I gave it a go! His particular art style to me is whimsical a little bit cartoon-like and  injected with a simple kind of humor.

Imagery credits go to Dover books, Holliewood, Finecrafted designs and ikuPiLLi  all at deviant scrap.