House Painting

Hello, My friends!  Thanks again for coming back to visit!

 It seems in light of the new home prospect, houses are finding their way into my creations, too!

This is my latest Mixed Media piece....do you like it?

8x10 inches on canvas.....kinda cute...kinda cozy :)

I love all the texture and pattern I get with this style...gives a lot of fun visual interest.

That's an actual button for the doorknob....just makes you want to go in, huh?

Mushroom Cap Cottage is in my shop waiting for a new neighborhood to move to :)

On my art table sits more little houses in the works....

Which reminds me....did I forget to show you guys this?!  Shame on me!!

Isn't it adorable!  This is the piece I received from Micki Wilde at The Secret Hermit in exchange for the frog and squirrel stuffies I made a few months back! 

I have it hanging near my art desk....

I love that she used pages from Goldilocks and the 3 Bears to make it! So cute!!

Nice to have talented friends!  I'm always up for a trade if anyone is interested!

Anyway...just a quick post today to give you a looksie at what's been on my mind....heehee!

Hugs to you all!

Cam

Hoot Hooray!

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful wishes regarding the House!  It is exciting news....just trying to reserve all out celebration until everything is finalized :)

Anywhoo....I've got a couple little things to cheer about...like having Photoshop back!!  Woot Woot!

So, if I go a bit crazy with the filters and effects, forgive me...I've just missed it so!!! ;oD

My daughter and I finished planting and decorationg the front porch...

I love it when flowers and Seasonal Displays greet me at my door!

We did a bit more inside, too....like the piano...

Nobody plays the darn thing...and it takes up soooo much wall space, but my Husband won't let me get rid of it....so, it's just shelf space for fun stuff.....

Like these pics of our "relatives"...heeheee

But the biggest thing I'm cheering about today is having a new art piece to share with you!!! Yippee!

I've been in an Owl Mood (pun, intended :D) as I'm sure you've noticed by my new blog wallpaper of choice :)

This is "Darker Still" 6x6 inch Mixed Media on Canvas

I'm really happy with how it turned out....felt really good....quite natural, which is huge for me, since I'm still learning how to work with acrylics and this whole "anything goes" concept!  Probably send this to my Swap Partner for the Halloween Spooktacular swap :)

This is the scanned image....always hard to see any metallics this way...but I used golds and coppers in his feathers and lots of rusts in the original prepping of the canvas....

Hope to be back with more soon!  Have a fantastic Weekend :)

Smiles all around,

Cam

Here Comes Halloween!

It's been another week already?!  How does that happen so fast sometimes? 
Thanks for being a lovely reason to resurface from my busyness to take a breather :)

Well, the new happenings around these parts is an impending move.  Y'see, we've been in the market for a house for over a year now....knowing that if we didn't purchase something now, we might not have another opportunity down the road...  We missed the chance last time housing prices were low by just not being able to pull it off financially.  Well, it looks like we will be calling ourselves proud Homeowners in the very near future :)  Probably be moving in the 2nd week of November... sooooooo, it's safe to say that things are going to start to get hectic with packing, purging, preparing for the Holidays, etc....

So when my daughter asked if we could decorate for Halloween now...I thought it was a great idea!
I want her to be able to really enjoy herself before all the changes start to come...

It'll be our last time to go all out before we get used to a new neighborhood and new nooks and crannies to dress up in a new house....

So, I've begun my magic...hooooohoooohooohaaahaaaa!!

I'm hosting a Coffee and Candle (PartyLite) Party this Sunday, so I wanted to keep the decor a little less cutesy, but with a definate vibe of Halloween fun :)

I'll show you more when we finish getting the outside decorated....plus, I have a Halloween Swap in the works to reveal to you, as well....

Happy Haunting Everyone.....Heeeheeeheee!

Salt Water Daffy

Hello Friends, Artistes and Fellow Blogland Visitors....welcome, welcome!

I realized it's been a week since my last post....and I started to panic thinking I had nothing to share with you!

....but, I have had Salt Water on the brain.  You see, I'm currently hosting a Mermaid Swap on Swap-bot (2 in fact) and I have been working on fun little things to put into the envelopes....

....like this little clip-on charm, for example....

Rather than make a necklace or bracelet out of it....I decided it easiest to make something small....and versatile....cute enough to add a bit of Mermaidy Magic to a zipper or bag....

I think anyone can find a place for something like this....even me....
I say that because I think it necessary to share with you the odd fact that though I adore jewelry.......I never wear it!  My ears protest after a mere hour of wear....I don't like bracelets rattling around my wrists....and necklaces usually are too fancy to wear with my daily jeans and cotton shirt uniform :) 

So yes, these...

...and even these....are made for the enjoyment of someone else to wear them :)

...anyways, back to Mermaids!  I received these textured material stickers in a swap and wasn't sure what to do with them.  So, I chose some stamps and pigment ink pads and....voila!  They look like they were that way the whole time! (Are you feeling the sea spray yet?!)

....and because I always make decorated envies a requirement on my swaps, I did these:

Sorry for the dark photos....still no Photoshop :(

While I was at it... I made this envie for a Halloween Swap coming up.

Here's the back.

...And last but not least....I made this for my Little Girl.  She is always watching me make all kinds of things for other people....she usually loves whatever it is and wants to keep it...

I don't let her, of course, but tell her that I'll make her something, too....

I decided to make good on that promise and painted this little paper mache box for her...she just loves dolphins!

I'm really liking these little boxes....and have plans for many more to come....heehee...stay tuned!

So, I guess I had a few things to show you, afterall!  Thanks for taking a looksey...you can thank me for the "Beach Hair" later :)

XO,
Cam

Autumn Inspired

It's cooled down a bit here....and it's making me so happy!  I'm so ready for Autumn to come!

In the spirit of preparing for the Magic and Macabre of the Season, I thought I'd indulge in some projects to get me in the mood!

These are a pair of earrings I've decided to call "Exotic Spice"....

Lush with freshwater pearls, swarovski crystals and semi-precious stones in colors of cinnamon, pumpkin and spice!

I entered an Autumn Bookmark swap (I'm having so much fun making these little things!) and made this using watercolors, stamps and gold embossing powder.

Speaking of handmade bookmarks, this is what I received for the Woodland Themed Bookmark swap...

Isn't it cute! Cindy Brown read that I love dragonflies and ladyslipper orchids....so, she made this just for me :)

Up next is a project I started 5 years ago!  It has been "almost done" all this time....so, last night, I just decided to finally take it out, put on the finishing touches....and finally call it DONE!

This is "The Goblin Queen" 10x13 inches watercolor and ink...

Surrounded by her minions and sinister pets, she reigns the Dark Forest dressed in her rich gown of Ghoul Green and Phantom Violet :)

Bring on the Fall!  What are you up to that's Autumn Inspired?

Happy Creating!
Cameron

Little Breakthroughs

Hello, all my lovely Bloggy Friends!

Do you remember I shared some mixed media pieces with you that I was trying out...

this one...

...and this koi.

Well, for first attempts, I think they're pretty good....but, do you get that feeling sometimes, that the project you're working on is just a little off...maybe unfinished...but certainly hasn't reached that point where you look at it after the last stroke of the brush...and actually smile a full faced, satisfied grin... That's how I felt with these.

In fact, I haven't titled or signed these yet... The act of signing my pieces has always signified their absolute completion :)

So, aware that something was amiss, I began using some little canvases that I had prepared with collage backgrounds a bit ago....

I wasn't sure what I wanted to paint, but used the thoughts of all those wonderfully whimsical, wide-eyed angelic portraits that are so popular in mixed media right now as my guide. 

artwork by Kelly Lish

artwork by Tracey Nuskey-Dodson

Well, needless to say, my sketches were labored and didn't flow naturally... I tried again and again, but they kept looking alien-like...haha!  

I gave up on trying to mold my art to becoming something it's not...as much as I ADORE that look, I just don't seem to be able to really let loose like that ;-)

So, I just let flow what wanted to flow...adding layer after layer of stuff to achieve whatever made me happy...

...and when I was done, I knew instantly that this was the way I do mixed media....
Such a big breakthrough for me on these little canvases!  I'm really excited about them...

I hope you like them, too!

This is "Breathe"  5x5inches  The text in the background is a poem I handwrote before painting.  You can only see bits of the verses now, but the word Breathes is still visible....hence, the name :)

This is "You are Home" 5x5inches   I mod-podged cut flower pieces...and tried layering rub-ons over them...I really like that effect of being able to see the layers underneath.

I thought this piece could have multiple meanings about being at home in Nature, as well as, the thought that she could represent Mother Earth, and since we all make our home here, should appreciate and nurture her.  I really am enjoying the textured surfaces of these kinds of works :)

I'm way behind in creating pieces for the Artwalk (these are the only 2 so far!) But now that I know what direction to go and trust enough in myself to go there, I'm thrilled to see what shows up next!

Hope you'll enjoy the journey with me!
Happy Creating,
Cameron