Using watercolor as a base, add pastel to create dimension, texture and to modify the color. Edgar Degas experimented with this in the below painting, "Two Women". Click on this article that explains Degas's process.
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| Collage of watercolor with pastel added in geometric design. |
When I was reading the art magazine, Galerie, it was a delight to read the article "Celebrating 100 Years of Art Deco". (Click here to read the article.) This stirred up wonderful memories of a recent visit to South Beach Miami where Ocean Drive is lined with Art Deco buildings and has an Art Deco museum.
The above-mentioned article list Art Deco exhibits in the U.S. and in Europe.
"The movement came to prominence in 1925 at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Art Deco is known for its blocky, strong geometric forms."
Below are a few pictures when I took part of an Art Deco tour in Miami. ~ JM
Bisa Butler's art captures a colorful array of quilted portraits. Click on The Art Institiute of Chicago's web page to read a great description of Bisa Butler.
As I was researching ideas on how to tie-in Butler and craft projects, I saw several suggestions to use your own portrait and color it in with colorful designs using paint, paper or cloth collage pieces. I printed an old portrait of myself and added paint and old cloth scraps. ~JM
Happy New Year! Throughout the years of doing art and craft projects I tend not to keep what I make or put them away in a box.
There are a few projects I do put on the walls and shelves, and I thought it would be the perfect time of year on reflecting on what I had fun creating. ~ JM
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| "Martha's Vineyard Beach Day" - Mix Media |
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| Untitled - Collage/Acrylic Paint |
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| (Dried flowers between plates of glass.) |
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| (Dried flowers woven between twine.) |
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| "Rising Moon Above the Sea" - Acrylic Paint |
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| Self-Portrait - Chalk Pastel (inspired by Dutch painter Kess van Dongen) |
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| "By the Sea" - Watercolor Pencils |
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| (Deconstructed burlap cloth with woven embroidery.) |
The National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. has great cultural programs and a recent program focused on art and climate change. This had me thinking of a wide range of political art which can be from environmentalism to voting.
Click on the link to watch a video about climate science artist, Xavier Cortada.
I came across more political art at the recent Umbrella Art Fair. What caught my eye was a brilliant display of Vote for Your Daughter in which its mission is a "national public art campaign harnessing the power of art to encourage people to prioritize their daughter's future when voting."
At the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) is a great piece by Glenn Kaino called "Bridge". On the website it states, "One of the most memorable images from the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City is the symbolic act of protest by Tommie Smith, winner of the men’s 200-meter race. During the medal ceremony, Smith bowed his head and raised his fist as an assertion of Black solidarity in the fight for human rights. Decades later, artist Glenn Kaino collaborated with Smith to create the monumental sculpture Bridge."
Glenn Kaino: Bridge | Smithsonian American Art Museum
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| Glenn Kaino "Bridge" |
I created my own political art with a message of "VOTE". Voting is the utmost responsibility of a citizen, and I don't take it lightly that my ancestors fought for the right to vote. ~ JM
Here's a way to make a bowl out of fabric using mod podge (this is almost similar in doing paper mâché). Using a regular bowl (or plastic container) as a mold, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Then lay the fabric on top and paste the fabric together with mod podge. Set aside for 24 hours to dry and then gently remove the fabric from the mold and take out the plastic wrap. If you want, paste another layer of fabric to get your desire look. ~ jm
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| Fabric bowls. |
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| Applying mod podge to the fabric. |
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| Inside view of the fabric bowl. |