Friday, January 23, 2009

"Float" - Created through Play

So if you read my last post , you know that this week I experienced a perfect moment...ahhhh...

What does and artist try and do when they experience a perfect moment ? They try and capture it somehow in a piece of art.

So yesterday, I tried to recapture my perfect moment in an art journal page :

ICK!!!! Ya, the background was okay. I like my trees made with a stencil I cut out myself. The spatter of snow is alright too - used a tooth brush with pearl paint - my entire table and all its contents have "glitter snow" on them now. But the GIRL ?!!!

So sweet she makes my teeth hurt ! I love her shape - I copied the pose from a dancer in a magazine. I always wanted long red hair, so I thought, I'm the artist, I can have the hair if I want it! But she is just too...sweet. Period.

Unhappy with the page, I decided to do the fearless artist thing and start to play ! First, I tore the page out of my journal, and sliced it up !!!

Then I glued in down in a bizarre order in another bigger journal.


Hmm, this was a little more interesting... could be a funky background for something else or...

I could cover the page with some black gesso - using a skewer and rolling some gesso on as well as one of my favorite hand cut stamps - the "points", and a rag in some spots.

Now this is getting somewhere fun - check out the texture ! Oh, you can still see "sweet" Kim hanging upside down in the corner !

I liked the black and white contrast. I thought about stopping there but then, the play time bug said "Just keep going !" So I did.

Here's a wash of watered down navy blue over the page :

I liked how the blue absorbed more in some spots than others. Here is a close- up shot that shows some sweet textures once again but this time in blue :

Then, I took a break for a couple of hours. I came back to the page after surfing for awhile. During my blogland travels, I saw a list of journaling ideas at Misty Mawn's Journal Page a Day in January project. I have seen so many people working on this, and have wanted to jump in but have been feeling like I can't commit to anything everyday - especially in January !!! But nothing was preventing me from jumping on from where I am right now, right ? Friday's prompt was to do a page inspired by your favorite artist. I have so many favs but some how Teesha Moore has been in my head lately - the whole black, Zentangles, gothic look, kind of goes with my early January frame of mind I guess ! ;-)

So with that in mind, here's where "Sweet Kim" ended up after about an hour, using Faber Castell Pitt pens (Manga Set), a Sakura Gelly Roll pen in white, a Figgy Pudding rubber stamp (the birdie) and one small collage element (see if you can find it !):

(click to enlarge)

"Float"

(I see Teesha in here, but also Chagall...)

(And even some Leah Piken Kolidas....)

But most of all, instead of "sweet Kim", I see "Fearless Artist Kim" , who took a chance and played....

(Inner Critic's last word : I am sorry about the quality of some of the photos here ! I am still learning the amazingly powerful Rebel and also in the winter in the studio - lighting is an issue. Anyhow, David and I are taking a photography class starting tomorrow morning so I will hopefully improve my close-up shots soon with a little more practice ! "Float" ROCKS though - that is this critic's opinion !!!)

(ARTIST'S LAST WORD : no way the Critic is getting the last word !!! The collage element is the hand ! I wish I could draw that well ! ;-))

25 comments:

Leah said...

I *love* this post Kim! I love how brave you were to dive in and re-construct the original piece into something that was more YOU! Awesome!!! I like how the final piece has a dark and dreamy feel to it.

Sophie said...

Very nice. I love to learn about each artist's process and this was definitely an interesting post about yours. I love the final result. I think the monochrome feel to it gives it a lot more power.
Sophie

Anonymous said...

Crimany sakes alive! What a transformation!! I really love how it looked during the beginning...and you got a completely different vibe in the end...it's like 8 pages in one! ROCK ON, Kim!

Anonymous said...

I stumbled on your blog via Mistys challenge ... i just love the way you shared your process ...and yes cute is cute...but the second image is wicked ..love it ... the colours are amazing ..love the texture and unusual composition ..enjoyed taking a peek
♥ milliande

Anonymous said...

meant to ask ..what kind of paint did you use ... and do you have a favourite brand for black gesso ?
♥ milliande

Rosie said...

Kim - fantastic page! Bravo! I loved the black and white contrast after sweet Kim got stuck in corner... I even liked sweet Kim - hope you made a photocopy of this before you painted it (for future pages!!)
The end result is brilliant - especially the awesome doodles... and I thought it might be the hand! I pored over the enlarged photo and then read it at the end of your post- teehee!
That is one fab journal page sistah!!

Kim Mailhot said...

Hi Rosie ! Of course I didn't photocopy my pages ! I would think to do that ! I could have scanned them too but I was too lazy to stop the flow and turn on the hubby's computer and scan them in his office ! (I think I need a scanner of my own, one day !)

Hi Milliande ! - For this one , I used plain old acrylic craft paint ! I do love my Golden fluids but didn't use them here - I tend to be cheap with them, since they are so pricey ! I did use the gorgeous Golden Black Gesso though! Love that stuff - smooth and inky !

Jennifer said...

"Float" is awesome. You are such a journaling genius! It is such a "WOW" that we really are in sync. It is such a total balancing act right now. I hope to get to the blog more soon. So much going on with work!

Genie Sea said...

Wow. What a transformation. I was totally captivated by the whole process. The end product is as joyous and as playful as your day yesterday :)

jgr said...

How awesome is that? Thank you for sharing,
I can't wait to try that. I liked it from the start and all the way to the end. I can't wait to see what you do next!

--Jane

carolyn said...

hey kim~
as i read your post and saw that you cut up your sweet page i gasped! (i liked it!) then i eagerly read with interest how you transformed "sweet" to fearless! way to go! thanks for sharing your process. i love to see how an artist works and you were able to show me step-by-step. i clicked on "float" to view it large and it is so very cool! i especially like your choice of colors.
let me know how your camera classes go. mine start next month!
have an artful weekend!

Jamie said...

Oh, you ARE fearless! This was a fantastic post from beginning to end. I love seeing and hearing your process. So many times we stop at cute and call it a day. Thank you for taking it to the next level and letting it be want you wanted it to be. Fearless is awesome! Love, Jamie

Unknown said...

this is sooo cool....sometimes you just gotta keep workin it...Melinda

Olivia said...

Kim,

I love seeing---each step---of how you transformed your work. And of how you weren't afraid to experiment or start over.

For the last few months I've been stuck with unfinished artwork, trying to think of the exact right thing to do. This shows me how PLAY can bring out something wonderful...and to focus on this rather than something that is "right" or even "good"---those two ideas are not helpful to me with art, I'm thinking!

You are getting great use out of your camera, documenting the steps so well. I really loved this post; I enjoy all of yours, but this one in particular was very inspirational to me!

Continued Play With Joy,

O

lynne h said...

kim, this is proof positive that when we go, go, go, we end up somewhere powerful... i was smiling through the whole post. : )

Karin Bartimole said...

wowwy!! I loved gradually moving down this post and reading and seeing each unveiling of your process reveal itself for me! Thank you for showing us your whole process.
It makes me think of how easy it is to put on the "nice" face in polite company, while underneath we have this little wild person inside really really wanting to come out and do something outrageous in front of the in laws or something, you know?!? While the first image was really pretty, and sweet, the final one is who I think I'd have a hellova good time with :)

Anonymous said...

OMG, Kim! This is just so beyond wonderful! Isn't it wonderful what can happen when you're willing to let go and take chances? What a wealth of ideas you've sparked in me!

Melissa said...

Adoring this at all ends for its beauty (and yes sweetness) and for its (YOUR) bravery! YAY Queen Kim-a-lishous! I gotta go....go lots of stuff to start cutting up! :)

~Magick~
Melissa

arlene said...

I love what you did here Kim! I love how you saved a page that was technically well done, but not personal to you, and made it something that speaks of and to you! It is fantastic. Good job!
Thanks for sharing the process. You are THE Queen!
xo arlene

carylsrealm said...

Hi Kim! I fun to see step by step! You are SO patient to show us the steps! I'd have a HARD time, being that patient! :)

FAQ said...

I loved seeing this piece evolve and I love that you shared that whole process with us.

Debbie said...

I have to admit I am not an artist. But, I loved seeing this evolve. Thank you for sharing the process.

Creatively Lisa said...

I love the page but even more...for a beginner like me....I love how you walked us through your entire thought process. Now just to let you know....I liked the original picture too.

Anonymous said...

That's what I call creative abandon. And the end result is SO COOL! I love the way it came out. And I think your hands are very well drawn!

How fun that you and David are taking a photog class together!! Can't wait to see the results.

Guess what? Yogi Tea actually DOES have a chocolate tea! When I saw your question I though, now that would be nice, and looked it up... and found YOGI TEA CHOCO!

Mixed Media Martyr said...

Brilliant transformation! "Float" definitely has more spunk!!! I saw Chagall as well, in the face, as well as the floatiness and distant scene!! Great page!