Wordless Wednesday

One Tip Tuesday

Today I would like to tout the benefits of the humble spray bottle for studio use and beyond...

This simple, dollar store denizen (or free, if you recycle an empty cleaning bottle) can serve a multitude of purposes. In the studio, with just plain water in it, I use it for various tasks, such as: light spill cleanup, rewetting papier mache so I can continue to sculpt it, reviving acrylic and watercolor paint (I sometimes spray it directly into the little watercolor cups!), and for helping me achieve interesting paint effects and textures (just by spraying lightly at different stages of the drying process). It's also nice for clearing glue and paint off my hands until I'm ready to stop and wash up, and for wetting fabric for stretching over shapes and forms. As a bonus, if I ever have kids, I think this would make a handy "monster spray". A couple of squirts under the bed or in the closet, and no more monsters! Do you use a spray bottle in your work? What are your best uses? Do you use plain water, or a special mixture?

On Color

Submitted for your inspiration...

We only have to look closely at the easily accessible world around us to find the color and form that has inspired artists and designers since the beginning of time. Live with your eyes open!

Finale Friday

No, Finale Friday is not gonna be a "thing" now on my blog, lol. I just wanted to take a sec to share the finished spin on the mini painting I posted on Wednesday. After I posted the sketch, I was supposed to go to bed, but I just looked at that thing and I couldn't stand it. And since my studio is connected to my bedroom by my bathroom, I came up with every excuse to run through the bathroom like a hamster in one of those tubes just to "start" painting a "little". So I finished the painting before I hit the shower. And here it is:

"au lait au lait" 2.5in x2.5in acrylic on canvas

The first in a series of themed minis, I was inspired by how much I enjoy moments with all my favorite cups, with my favorite things to put in them, while I'm working, relaxing, spending time with my favorite peoples... I can't make it sound as fun as it's going to be when there are a number of these finished to look at. But I have been trying to get myself in the habit of doing regular small paintings for practice and for studies for larger pieces. And when I thought of the cups for subject matter, well, that = motivation to get rolling. Funny, if you find something that gets you interested and excited, you can use that to reach a goal. Like getting motivated to exercise.

Anyway, a habit takes 21 days to form, right? So if I commit to doing a minimum of 3 non-anal, non fussy small or mini paintings a week for 3 weeks, then I'll be on my way to bigger, better things. Crossing my fingers, toes, and paintbrushes...

Wordless Wednesday

Ideas Galore



a batch of papier mache pulp
waiting to become something amazing

Okay, if you're just stumbling onto this blog, my work, or me, for that matter, you probably don't know that one of my all time favorite mediums (as an artist with a short attention span) is papier mache. My name is Renée, and I am a papier mache addict. There I said it.

Anyway, I was online doing some research for some new techniques. I had stumbled onto an old book with a different type of paper art that I wanted to try. In my searching, I happened onto a new design blog, which I instantly followed and wanted to share. So here we are. Dornob: Design Ideas Daily is a rabbit hole of things to look at in every type of design. They just happened to have a post that included examples of beautiful forms made of papier mache that sucked me in: http://dornob.com/pulp-projects-recycled-paper-pots-planks-shelves-more/. I will warn you, this blog is packed to the brim with ads, but if you can look past them to the meat of the content, you might find some gems yourself. Enjoy!