Thursday, August 9, 2012

Bitten by the Bug!

It doesn't happen to me very often...I've read the gambit of art how-to books. Interesting, fun, a few ah ha moments here and there... But, I've become obsessed with the projects in the new book I just got in Michael's last week called, "Flavor for Mixed Media" by Mary Beth Shaw.

Below are the 3 pieces I created from Mary's first project in the book, "Painting Without Paint" (all on 12x12 Clayboard done together in a left to right series):




There's something about drippy drips that totally turns me on!


This book is filled with so many new techniques I haven't thought of using before, although I have all the supplies in my studio already. Mary Beth has me digging up my dusty dry pastels, slopping on the gesso, re-pumping my DecoColor paint markers, and using my luscious acrylic/alcohol inks in whole new ways! Her illustrations of the steps involved with creating her ethereal abstract paintings are spot-on and really have stretched my creative muscle. I have been painting almost non-stop (except for the trip to Pearl Paint and Utrecht to buy more supplies) for the past 4 days. HEAVEN!!!

Even though I have heard taught to me before (as I'm sure you have, too) to lay FAT  OVER  LEAN when painting with multiple painting mediums, I never really got it until Mary Beth showed and explained it to me in her book. She gave me cause to break out my fancy silky Sennelier oil pastels and dry highly-pigmented Pan Pastels and smoodge them all over the top layer of my new (paint-less) paintings...Fascinating.

I will have more paintings to show you from later projects in Mary Beth Shaw's book when I put the finishing touches on them. Happy Painting!  Tristina

4 comments:

  1. These are GORGEOUS!!!!!! I just reposted to Facebook. And, just fyi, I go by 'Mary Beth'
    Thank you for such a wonderful review. If you have a minute to put a quick one over at Amazon that would be cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment Mary Beth! Yes, I'll make sure in the next day or two to make a comment for you on Amazon. :D

      Delete
  2. Very cool! And if you ever get a chance to take one of Mary Beth's classes, go for it! She's an excellent teacher, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking forward to meeting Mary Beth one day soon. :)

      Delete