A MINI and a WINNER!

 "Aspen Five" acrylic/paper collage

4"x4" collage on fiberboard panel with slots on back for hanging

AVAILABLE ON MY WEBSITE

After restoring all our lost technology and making cradles for future paintings and, and, and...I DID have a moment to do a mini that was taken from my recent completed piece titled "Up Close and Personal"...I'm calling this little one "Aspen Five"...for obvious reasons!  This is available on my website at www.saundralanegalloway.com.  

I know this month was a little crazy...summer...and life...I know in my own life we've had some interesting things occur...little time to do what I really wanted to...I admit I did not publicize this like I normally do...sorry I didn't remind you all...WHEW...HOWEVER...there was one artist who had a moment to do a painting for the June Mt. Evans Challenge and that was Kate Cissel...Here is her submission, and being she was the only one who submitted she is also the winner...YEA KATE!  So, here is Kate's view of Mt. Evans from the pic I posted...


NOW, on to something with fruit...I have a bee in my bonnet to see how it will translate with my new most fun style of working in collage!  FUN!

Welcome to my newest followers...hang on...lots of new stuff a comin!  HAPPY CREATING!!

OVERWHELMED! WHEW!

WOW...what a couple of days here at the Galloway house!  One "little" storm and kapooie...we lost...POWER...PHONES...INTERNET...all those things one needs to "survive" in our world so full of technological necessities!!  SOOOOO...the internet was a fried router...I'm sharing with my husband right now...(thanks honey!)...the power came back last night after we got back from going out to eat dinner...whew...BUT, the phones won't be restored until tomorrow at 11 p.m.!  ONE "little" lightning bolt and kapooie!  Oh yes...and our Dish is messed up and our plumming is messed up...(plummer here now...but it is all messed up so he has to rebuild the pipes)...WHEW again!! 

The good news is...I'm getting to post right now before handing the one line we DO have over to my husband...and the pluming we don't have to pay for...AND we have cell phones...BUT...I've learned something as we've been trouble shooting with all these entities since Friday evening...NO ONE COMES TO THE HOUSE ANYMORE BEFORE MAKING YOU "TROUBLE SHOOT" for at least an hour!!  AND...the people we trouble shoot with are all from other countries and I can't understand but only every third word...Well...the plumber came; but only after the owner came and spent a couple hours trying to fix the sink himself first...WHEW...did I say that yet?? a big LOL...or I'd go crazy!

Oh, and did I mention my hair dryer caught fire WHILE I was drying my hair yesterday morning...:)  I'm happy to report I did not loose any hair! YEA!

SOOOOOOO...I'm off to buy a new router and get a Starbucks for all my trouble which means no time to paint on those wonderful cradles I built over the weekend...sigh, maybe this afternoon AFTER my nap!...BUT, I wanted to share a bit of peace with you all...even though I HOPE NONE of you had anything like our weekend...A gorgeous sunrise and a beautious rainbow after the rain...AAAHHH life goes on!  ENJOY...and

HAPPY CREATING!!

"Sunflower Garden" acrylic/paper collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

 "Sunflower Garden"

12" x 24" acrylic/paper collage on MDF board with 1 3/4" cradle that is finished to compliment the piece (that means I'm still deciding on the color...::)

YOU CAN FIND THIS ON MY WEBSITE BY CLICKING HERE OR ON THE TITLE...

well, FINALLY!!  Whew...this one took a couple days more than anticipated, but at least I was able to squeak it out...thanks to a friend's suggestions at lunch today!  Thanks Susan!!  It is so valuable and awesome to have artist friends who you trust to tell you something valuable that may be staring you in the face!  YEA!  I was playing with the addition of papers and finally got it where I could smile at it...thank goodness it didn't go on long enough to give it a complex!!

I am enjoying this process SOOOOO much that I've actually moved the collage section of my website to the top!  I thought I would run out of ways to apply this...but instead the ideas are flowing fast and free...YEA again!!

So...another one under the belt, but no rest for this artist...more beginnings tomorrow!! 

YAPPY CREATING...(it was a typo, but I like it...:))

OK...just a little...

SOOO...ever sit in an automotive shop miles from anything for over 2 1/2 hours??  Yep...that was my morning...THUS...this little peek at the S L O W progress of my sunflower piece...I almost hesitate to show anything as nearly every part needs more...One thing I've learned about painting acrylics over collage is sometimes you need a few layers...that is where I am now...playing with some collage aspects and getting the layers; the depth; the color like I want...BUT, even though you see these little bits...it's ok...cuz there is a ton going on...the challenge???....to create visual focus and still be true to me...!...yep...a challenge...FUN!...well, challenges of the artistic nature are FUN...car stuff....not so much!! 

A little PS question...do any of you who work at this day and night get a little miffed at people who assume you have all sorts of free time to do things...??  Just wondering...I've noticed a bit of that floating around in my world the past few months...from all sorts of interesting places...hmmmm...:)

HAPPY DAY!

I haven't disappeared...I'm just a little grasshopper on a BIG piece of pipe!

No...I haven't disappeared...just been working on my latest collage piece, and doing dentist things and tomorrow I will FINALLY have time to have the snow tires taken off my car!!  Am I behind on life or what!...but I miss posting when it has been a couple of days!! I'm nearly finished with the piece, so I'm going to wait til then to post...

So, til then I wanted to tell you all this little grasshopper is on the pipe (a pic I took at one of my husband's job sites)...and ready to hop on to another one soon! :)

But, before I go I wanted to remind you all that there is inspiration EVERYWHERE...in the most simple things...BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT...BUT, just in case...a couple of  simple photos to remind ya!  Happy Days!!

SUNFLOWERS in process.

 12 x 25" acrylic/paper collage on MDF panel... 1 3/4" cradle

I KNOW you can't see it yet...but this will be a sunflower piece much along the lines of the poppies from the last post.  I'm absolutely loving this process...I find it much more interesting than just plopping them on a canvas like I used to do...but no promises for the future....yet!

"Poppies Galore" acrylic/collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

 I think you'll have to click on this to see the detail...

My big ole 30 x 30" collage came together a little faster than I had originally thought.  I'm not used to working so large, but it was fun!  I had originally thought I would add words to this, but after getting it all on there I felt they would really compete...so not necessary...

I'm not thrilled with the photos I've taken of this piece all along...don't know if it is the papers that are reflecting or what...but after a few attempts this is the best I could do...Suffice it to say it is VERY colorful and FULL of a LOT1...But, I'm likin it MUCH better than the ancient aspen stand I had done...

As I've been working on this the past three days I was thinking about how my paintings are really like my friends.  We artists that work on our own...(which I think is most of us)...work in solitude and often end up doing crazy ish things like talking to our work, or the floor, or the radio or whatever is still long enough to listen...for me, it is my artwork...I was wondering if any of you ever felt that way.  It can be lonely at times, a little too quiet...but then, for me, when I produce something so colorful at least I have a smile for my new friend who brightened at least a moment of my day!  I think that is why I am so happy to "know" all of you...there may not be sound...but there is definately communication to lift the silence in our minds!  Thank you all!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

I'm TEARING my heart out!...:)

 30 x 30" collage on canvas...step 3...Torn Papers

And...more...:)...now to clean up the floor so I can walk and do some more!!  FUN!

The last couple of days has been tearing and tearing and attaching and thinking...BUT, I'm still having FUN!  Because this piece is SO large compared with what I normally do...and because I keep getting way laid with other pressing needs of others I am not going as quickly as I would like...HOWEVER...my mind IS...so I'm off to do the next step...:)  The GOOD thing is...or, the OTHER GOOD THING...I have sections of torn paper to apply to my 12 x 25" piece...MAYBE...:)

HAPPY CREATING!!

BEGINNINGS...always have to be BEGINNINGS

 30 x 30...canvas...(old ZZ Top painting under this one...and an ancient aspen one too...:))

Yep...we do always have to have a beginning if there is going to be a wonderful conclusion! (notice how I didn't say ending...:)...conclusion sounds so much more friendly and happy!)

Nuthin under this 12 x25"  but MDF panel and some gesso...sorry...:)

As I said yesterday I'm doing two at the same time...Don't know if the flowers I will do will be the same, but this absolutely FUN FANTASTIC way to begin is just too cool to only do once!!  Also, it keeps me from over thinking what I am doing for this first few stages.  The pics could be better...the colors didn't transfer correctly...but it's just a beginning...perhaps it will make the conclusion and a better pic look fantastical! :)

My goal in the beginning is to fill up the canvas or support with color and movement...BUT, remember a good bit of it MAY be covered up...so I don't fret the colors...mostly I just empty my palette using the colors I have on it...with a little squeezing out of colors I KNOW I'm gonna use later...that's for the unity within this seemingly chaos at this stage....

My choices for flowers AT THIS STAGE are poppies and sunflowers...I'm thinking right now that the big one will be poppies...and the other sunflowers...but that can always change!!

WHEW...I better get started!!  HAPPY CREATING!! and...WELCOME TO MY NEWEST FOLLOWERS...and...a small PS...For those of you who may have forgotten there is a contest for June...paint or create your version of my Mt. Evans pic and send it to me art4life4@hotmail.com and I will choose from the entries for a winner of a contest choice on my sidebar...we have til the last day of June midnight!!  Hope you find a minute to try your hand!

"Mt. Evans Inspiration" acrylic/paper collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

 "Mt. Evans Inspiration" © Saundra Lane Galloway

12"x12" cradled wood panel that I've added an extra amount of depth to...:)

AVAILABLE ON MY WEBSITE AT www.saundralanegalloway.com

"Mt. Evans Inspiration" is the second piece I've created using a particular mountain silhouette.  (It has been rainy here, so the pic isn't the best...it seemed no matter where I put it there was some sort of odd glare...ahhh well...another day for final photo!!). I am STILL enjoying this way of working, so it is likely to be around for awhile.  I've decided to name these pieces with the name of the mountain in the title to bring attention even further to the specific uniqueness of the painting.  I have also come to a conclusion that will make for a little more work for me in the beginning, but will bring a cohesiveness to my presentation in the end.  The       cradled pieces I bought are a mere 1/2"-3/4" in depth which I feel doesn't give the work the presence I desire, SO, I'm going to add some depth to those pieces as well by attaching a little more cradle...I'll let you know when I finish one how I like it...:)

I have a fun new piece I've begun using my collage method, but adding flowers...:)  I'm going to practice on a big ole 30x30" used canvas I have first...I think it was a ZZ Top painting first, then I painted a stand of aspen on it about 15 years ago...tired of that, so now to my newest FUN thing to do on it!!  I think I will be working on two at once this time...similar subject...just different size...the second one is about 12x25"...deep cradle...YIPPEE!!

NO NAME WAX COLLAGE...YET...hmmm

 UNNAMED WAX COLLAGE WITH STAR PAPER CAST © Saundra Lane Galloway

8x8 MDF with 1 3/4" poplar cradle

EPHEMERA EMBELLISHMENTS

I actually had this second workshop demo finished the other day, but what a busy weekend it was!  I helped my friend Carol Nelson set her tent up for the Art Students League Art Show on Friday...sprinkled a bit on us...COLD...and then went down Saturday to sit with her and watch the process and ended up volunteering in the morning for a 4 hour shift...VERY WET and cold...My spot was to watch a parking lot...anyone who knows me, KNOWS what a challenge that was to be still in one spot for 4 hours in the rain...but...all for the arts! It will also give me a better chance to get in the show next year...so, today I'm a lot drier, and warmer...and I got to MOVE around a bit...lol!

I haven't named this piece yet...I've played with a few different names...any suggestions...still deciding.  I posted a question about cradle pieces...what to finish the sides with...So, while at the show yesterday I poked around to see what others did...I saw everything from unfinished to stain to paint...so...I may do the same.  Yesterday's piece is still undecided as to the finish for the cradle as is today's offering...I'm loving those deeper cradles!!

HAPPY WET SUNDAY CREATING!!

"Up Close and Personal" aspen collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

"Up Close and Personal"

6x12" 1 3/4" cradled MDF acrylic and acid free paper collage

Available on my WEBSITE at www.saundralanegalloway.com

After MUCH reorganizing and putting away of workshop materials yesterday I was thrilled to get back to my easel today.  I finished my traditional collage demo piece and am really happy with it...always a plus!!  I am ESPECIALLY loving these new thicker cradles I'm making for my collage work.  This cradle is 1 3/4" deep poplar.  Not only is it fun to use my new saw, but I'm liking the more contemporary look of the finished piece...

I usually stain the sides, and it looks ok, but this one I'm not sure...I'm thinking it needs to be painted...a white wash thing...still deciding cuz it would look different than my other deep cradles...not sure...any thoughts?  I promise to consider them all...and then decide on my own...tee hee!

Off to make a cradle for my wax collage demo from the workshop...FUN...

HAPPY CREATING!!

FUN WAS HAD BY ALL...ESPECIALLY ME!!

Today's workshop was AWESOME!  I had a full house, and a lot of student enthusiasm...a GREAT way to begin!  We did TONS!  We worked in traditional collage...we played with wax collage, we make fun foam stamps...FUN STUFF!  My first happy moment was waking to beautious clouds!

When I got there I was given the BIGGEST strawberry...YUMMM...Thanks Shirley!

My first demo was in traditional collage...It is a terrible pic as it was dark when I got home and there was a glare...but you get the idea...Yep, it was aspen...I have more to do...but we got enough done to get the idea...

The reference photo was LOOSELY used...:)

A little later I demonstrated making fun foam stamps...One of my students requested a KOI fish...it was on her t-shirt...so this was the end result...FUN!

My last demo was a wax collage using one of my paper cast stars...It too needs a bit more...tomorrow!

The rest are wonderful works of my students taken in process...I absolutely LOVED how everyone worked in their own way...their own style...I didn't get them all, but here are a few...It was a blast!!  Thanks everyone for making it such an awesome day!!

The fish is a plastic envelope...FUN!  Wax collage

This student was brave...she is doing three realistic horses...can't wait to see it finished!!

Beautiful tree abstract...

This was a pic of a students' husbands truck...wax collage...Awesome job!

Beautiful print of leaves...

Such a watery feeling piece...NICE...see the koi stamp?  :)

Love the feel of this one...she has more to do...but the beginning...NICE!

A HUGE undertaking...well done beginning...canyon!

So, there you have it in a nutshell...as I said I didn't get all photos...sorry, but the feedback was great...we laughed and worked HARD...but it was worth it...we all had FUN!!

Tomorrow is the unpacking, and the finishing of my demos!! MORE FUN!!  

HAPPY, HAPPY CREATING!!

LISTS and GATHERING

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth...just busy getting ready for my workshop this Tuesday for the Mountainside Art Guild...I'm having a BALL!  I always like to bring fresh perspective to everything I teach, so I'm playing and adding and making lists, lists, lists! I'm even considering a drawing for my students! FUN STUFF!

Soon I will be back at my easel full time...creating, experimenting and playing...getting ready for my first out  door show as well as adding to my stock of work! FUN AGAIN!  How can anyone have so much fun at WORK!

AWESOME!  Welcome to my newest followers...

HAPPY CREATING!!

MT EVANS in PROCESS

It is taking a bit longer to get my house and life back in order after my visit to my parents than I had hoped...My mind is swimming with ideas for my upcoming workshop in collage, so I'm preparing for that...for SOME reason I've decided to clean out and simplify my studio at the same time...plus the typical laundry and house cleaning after leaving the house in my wonderful husband's hands for a week...tee hee...He's a doll! AND, playing with my new table saw making cradles for my work...FUN!

I'm LOVING my collage series with words...I plan to do that with this piece as well...but the preliminary work in laying down the papers and deciding placement of trees and such comes first.  This one is the same view of Mt. Evans that I've done several pieces of this year. 

Thus far I've llaid in the sky...put in the silhouette of the mountain and laid in the colors that will be on the bottom.  This piece will be pine trees...so a bit of extra planning will come later when it is time to put in the branches...I don't want to eradicate the recognizable mountain. 

HAPPY CREATING!

Planning Collage

I don't often sketch out a tree collage...I prefer to slap down paper and paint and then play with tree composition...but this one I want to see in stages.  I'm working the same type of concept as when i did the silhouette of Conifer Mountain, only with my view of Mt. Evans...  This sketch is a beginning of play.

The past couple of days has been gathering materials for my upcoming workshop next Tuesday...I hear there are a few openings left, so if anyone is in the area and wants to play with collage, e-mail me and I'll send you the info!

I have been enthralled with what the holly on the mountain does...I can't believe I've never noticed it before, but it gets these wonderful yellow blooms that smell akin to honeysuckle!  We have tons of it around...so pretty!

Now off to find my hubby and settle down to relax!  HAPPY DAY TO YOU ALL!