Moondance

It's a marvelous night for a moondance...do you remember this classic song? Once I put my page elements together, this came to mind and it fits just perfectly!

I've been playing with new things lately...Koi stamp set by Nicole Wright from Emerald Creek, new Color burst colors and Liquid Metals by Ken Oliver and just having fun!

I started off by stenciling the circle with the butterfly, but used too much paint, so I ended up blending the circle with my finger using white and Distress paints - mermaid lagoon and twisted citron. Then I stenciled again using Distress ink - mermaid lagoon. Once that dried, I stamped one of the tiny Koi fish from Nicole's beautiful set.

Using a piece of punchinella and distress paint, I stenciled and used the reverse to blend two looks.

Now for some Color Burst fun! I spritzed my watercolor paper, then shook out three oranges and fuchsia, spritzed some more, swirled it a bit, then added in some Liquid Metal. Next I took my paint tool and scratched across, then let it dry overnight. I prepared this paper to stamp my big fish on. 

I stamped a few waves at the bottom using paint, then added the Koi fish I had stamped and cut. I imagine my fish are leaping in a joyous dance to the full moon, because it is...a marvelous night for a moondance!

It's also an "Anything Goes" challenge over at Emerald Creek Dares, so my fish are flying over to get entered in the challenge! They celebrated National Tartan Day recently, and although there is nothing tartan here, I hope they had a lot of fun!

Butterfly Slipstream

Trying out some new things, inspired by my Creative Expedition class with May Flaum this past month. and Finnabair my long time art rock star! Of course, I had to take it into a steampunk direction, and am entering my tag into Sandee and amelie's Steampunk Challenges where "anything goes"! I just love how creative that DT is with loads of steampunk inspiration! Well, spring is in the air over at A Vintage Journey, so I am entering my tag in that challenge also, since I can't wait for spring! And, at Anything But Cute, the challenge #12 is all about Earth Day and planet Earth, so my butterfly is fluttering over that way too! I was inspired by the butterfly, the vibrant green on the bird's head, and the lovely green fields on the mood board.

 Butterfly Slipstream - Reality has limits, imagination is boundless...Dream...

I am fascinated with the idea of butterflies flying thousands of miles each year, following their migration paths using some kind of inner compass. How do they know how to do this and return to the same summer and winter grounds? 

Perhaps they have a tiny clockwork compass to guide them??

I started by adhering all kinds of random buttons on my tag, then had to add in gears and cogs of course, and some of Finnabair's new art stones - fun product! Lots of great texture, and then the real fun begins! Time to get messy!!

Started layering the colors on to the tag,  and began with the distress paints over my gesso, and then added the golds and metals - oh yes! I do love my new Liquid Metal Color Bursts! They are really cool and I need to explore them more.

Is it any wonder my tag is green? It is my favorite color, but also, I really can't wait for spring to come and watch everything turn green and bloom and grow - then the butterflies will return too.

So yes, I am imagining thousands of butterflies getting ready to head north. Tiny clockwork compasses give the heading, and the slipstream is gearing up for the flight of the butterflies, well oiled, the levers are cranking up and soon the butterflies will follow the clockwork path to their destination. I think it's kind of like the Milky Way that we can see on some clear nights - we know it's there, even when it is not visible to us.

I hope the slipstream flows your way and brings the beautiful butterflies this season!

Exploring a New Medium: Ken Oliver Color Bursts

I LOVE these dry pigment ink powders!! They are micro fine powders, so don't use them around a fan! The colors are so vibrant and they are just so much fun to work with :) I had ordered a few colors and did a little experimenting at home on watercolor paper and canvas board. Here are those results...

Then...I got to go to class! I headed over to the Papercraft Clubhouse in Connecticut last weekend, and had the privilege of taking two classes with Ken Oliver. Oh, I am a lucky girl! In my first class, we focused on different techniques, so here are my results...

Well, of course, I had to have my picture taken with Ken!!

In my second class we worked on some finished projects and turned one into a home decor piece. Here are some of my samplings...

My finished canvas. I may still go in and play with this one a bit.

So...if you LOVE color like I do, you will want to get some of these little lovelies and get real inky! I am sure you will be seeing a lot more of these in my work!  

You can learn more about Ken Oliver Crafts here, and Color Bursts can be found here.