Beneath the surface...

The world is a very different place...

All is not what it seems.

Mixed media on canvas.

Spring showers

Short and sweet show and tell today,
another of my pieces made for my recent exhibition at Skyeworks.
A combination of torn paper and acrylic paint.

It is one of my largest pieces and one with which I had a long battle with the foreground to get right.
I wanted it to look free and semi abstract so it was hard not to get too fussy. The silver pieces of rain which float from the sky are silver leaf which glistens in the light,

mosaic croft houses

Long, long ago...well to be honest in April i think, I gave you a sneaky look at my little paperclay mosaic pieces. 

Well I haven't got round to showing you what I actually did with them!

I know, I know... should have explained a little sooner, but better late than never.

They became these little 'croft house mosaics' all individual and unique.

Made from my hand cut paperclay tiles. I stamp, carve and paint each tile then fit them together like a little jigsaw.

Little beads and jewels are also set in the clay

Detail

Detail

And finally presented box framed and ready to find new homes.

A tale of two halves

Flodigarry Island

This week a post of two halves.

To begin, a mixed media collage made for my pieces of skye exhibition at Skyeworks.

This was one of my largest pieces, and one of the first to sell. It has gone to a lovely new home very near this wonderful view!

Mixed media is a very broad term and encompasses so many styles and mediums. My tale of two halves begins in my comfort zone, making mixed media collages in my own, rather messy and multi layered technique.

I'm not really happy unless covered in glue and paint splatters!

.

The canvas early stages begin roughly painted then collaged with various papers. Then I gesso over the paper edges. (I hate to see paper edges and when dry use a power sander to blend the paper into the gesso and paint) Most people who see me begin to take a power sander to my canvas visibly wince in disbelief, but it gives it the right surface for further layers.

The surface becomes multi layered and very textured, I add gold metallic pieces too which make the surface difficult to photograph well!

detail

Anyway.....I did say this was a tale of two halves....

My blog usually shows things I'm happy with, but as an artist much of my time is spent messing about and experimenting...some of these go wrong and end up in the bin or covered over and begun again...tha'ts life. ;)  Well I thought I would share a little of this side of the coin.

Last weekend I went to a mixed media workshop run my Emma Louise Wilson. I particularly like Emmas ceramics so when I found out she had a course I thought I would go try it out.

Emma Louise Wilson beautiful delicate ceramic pieces

The appealing thing about it was that she works so differently to me. I often find that to learn best you need to step out your comfort zone. 

Emma louise wilson mixed media piece

As you can see Emmas work is very different from mine both in both style and in subject matter. The day was going to be challenging! No paint splattering or power sanding here!

Challenge 1 - I found It difficult to not draw flowers.....we were meant to draw free unrealistic flower style shapes. In retrospect I should have done this with my non dominant hand, or blind drawn them. Mine look far to real and fussy. Strange because I normally am very free in my drawing style. 

I also found it difficult not yo use my favourite colours, I think we all develop a favourite colour pallete, and it isn't a bad thing to try something new....so I kept going... 

And then I found it difficult not to paint in a painterly style... I should have been trying to make it more stylised and flat instead of worrying about shadow and form. 

 Oh no that yellow is wrong!!! At this stage I would probably have start covering it in paper, but instead it was more paint, monoprinting and using a pen to draw into it......eeeeeeeekkkk!

By the end I can safely say that if I was at home I would have covered it all in gesso and started again!....I found it ridiculously difficult to change my style during the process, It was a bit like trying to copy someones handwriting, I had to concentrate really hard and when it is was done it didn't look like me at all!  Infact when I showed the photo below to my daughter she couldn't tell which was my painting.
But regardless of my  failed attempt at a stylised still life I did enjoy the day and Emma was a great teacher, and very generous in explaining her techniques which as you can see all the other talented ladies were able to follow beautifully.

And I did learn to do this....

making little strips of collaged paper on the top of masking tape. Now this is something which I can already see as a future development in my wild sewing, I think I may be able to sew through the masking tape! Watch this space....

Think I'll stick to what I know best....

;) splattering, gluing and power sanding.

Watching and waiting in blue

Firstly I will say that my blog is as always a place where I show my weekly arty meanderings, I don't get personal or political. However in the real world I am hugely passionate about politics and  how they affect each and every one of our lives.
 Within the U.K the past week has been tumultuous, turbulent and tempestuous. I was saved from  losing all sense of sensibilities by an email via facebook from a lovely lady in Australia who had seen my collage watching and waiting last year at Skyeworks Gallery when she was on holiday on the island. The original watching and waiting sold but she wondered if I could make something similar.

watching and waiting

    So, as a wonderful diversion from watching our political representatives become similar to rats fighting in a sack I set to work making a new watching and waiting in blue.

            
Started making lots of layers of paper and paint on a 10inch x 10 inch wood panel.

and ...... Mr hare is finished !!

 
Now on route to his new home. I'm sure the climate will suit him better in Australia, Its a bit stormy in the U.K at present!!

Hoping the next few weeks bring some sort of calm collective perspective.
                 

Moonlight croft

 Moonlight croft was inspired by a late August evening last year, The photos I took then create even now such strong memories of the scent of meadowsweet heady in the still warm air. There were not many still warm evenings last summer but this was one of them. Perhaps because of the very wet weather last summer there were an abundance of wild flowers.

I like digitally messing around with my photos to give me ideas around colour and composition and this is exactly how moonlight croft began.

Other new bits and pieces are on the go this week. More little croft houses stretched on wood panels. Made from sewn paper.

And other smaller pieces... mini crofts!!
Perhaps wee homes for fairies!

Other news, I have finally float framed my Buttercup hare, It was In the gallery for a wee while but I thought It really needed a frame, so I sent it to the framers and.... Ta dah!

Much better!

Spring croft houses

spring croft

More pieces from my pieces of Skye exhibition. I was emailed this week by a lovely lady called Jen who came to visit me during my open studio day . Last summer her niece visited the Island on holiday and saw my work in one of the islands Galleries, my work is available Skyeworks gallery, The old pier gallery and the Glenview gallery, she pondered over it but didn't buy anything, got home and wished she had bought a piece. So when she heard her Aunt was holidaying on the Island told her to try and find a piece of mine to take back to her. The pieces in the gallery were all new and Jen did not know what to choose, but in the end she chose this framed piece 'croft in spring'. It is made from paper sewn onto a calico backing, little houses played a big part in my pieces of Skye exhibition. Well it seems her niece is delighted, and I am thrilled she has a little piece of Skye to remind her of her holiday.

my textile pieces in skyeworks

little croft houses fill the mirrored shelves

This piece is a combination of sewn paper and acrylic paint

 The houses in the north west highlands have a distinctive feel to them. They seem to nestle down into the hillside, their walls sparkling white, I never tire of painting them or photographing them.

little house at Elgol

As a PS I have finally succumbed to pressure ( Being a staunch Luddite and technophobe) and am now on Facebook as Morag Archer Mixed Media... feel free to drop by, the link is at the top of my side bar. I doubt I will be the most prolific social media devote but I will aim to try harder. :)