Hi friends!
It’s been a while since I featured an artist that inspires me but I’ve been pinning away and collecting a lot of amazing images from artists all over the world. Go here to see my Art Pinterest board. Today, I bring you the fantastical work of Catrin Welz-Stein. Her digital artwork absolutely blows me away and I adore the fairytale like quality of her compositions. Enjoy a few of my favorites…
Aren’t these magical? For more of her work head to her blog.
Enjoy your Friday!
xo,
Ivy
Filed under Art, Digital Art
Hi there! How has your week been? We are doing very well here, just getting ready for summer and enjoying lots of warm sunshine. Grace asks everyday, “How many more school days till Summer?” I remember that feeling – you can hardly wait to have lazy mornings in your pj’s, endless afternoons running around the neighborhood with friends, hoping to hear the ice-cream truck approaching. No homework. Picnics in the park. Going to the beach. Wearing your swim suit all day. Childhood summers – I have many fond memories…
Nowadays, filling the house with fresh peonies is a sure sign that summer is around the corner. Friends and family have been bringing me bouquets almost weekly! My two little Peony bushes only gave 6 blooms this year. I hope next year will produce a larger bunch. Let me know if you have any tips on making more pop!
I have been challenging myself to arrange some still life compositions to shoot outside of the product shots I take for the shop. This series featuring three amazing, King Peonies in coral was such a delight to photograph. I had to cut myself off. Enjoy…
In case you are wondering, the backdrop is a vintage map of Rome and the other props are vintage goodies I have laying around my studio. It was fun to pull objects together and find harmony and balance in their arrangement. I did my editing in Photoshop using the Rad Lab plugin and I shot with my Canon XS Rebel with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens.
Have a lovely Thursday!
xo,
Ivy
Filed under Art, photography, Still life, Styling, vintage
Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This week flew by and I am just now getting the chance to sit down and visit with you. How has life been treating you?
I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the sweet and encouraging comments left after my last post. It’s always a bit scary to share my artwork – so please know that I greatly appreciate the support! Art is such a core part of me. When I actually take time to do it, I am amazed at how it fills me with happiness and peace. I was so pleased with the last collage that I did a second one. I snapped pics of my progress with my phone to document the evolution of the piece.
Similar to the last project – I started by collaging bits of vintage ephemera to the inside of an old book cover.
Enter my muse (another Anthropologie model) who I painted over, inked her face and hair and added scrapbook papers for her dress. You can also see in the upper right hand corner I added some pink acrylic paint to start balancing the color composition.
The last details were added to complete her, including a sweet antique Australian stamp (a little shout-out to my homeland!), a jeweled crown and of course a bird. Gotta have a bird.
I stamped the cover of the book with this chickadee stamp and added the word “fly”.
So there you have it, another little collage project that I was able to complete in a couple of days during Claire’s naptime. So much more fun than folding laundry!
I have just listed prints of this collage and the last one in my Society 6 shop too!
Have a beautiful weekend!
xo,
Ivy
Hi all! How have you been? I’ve kinda gone off the radar this past week because I have been desperately trying to fit in some creative time to paint, draw and just play with my plethora of art supplies. I have been taking Jeanne Oliver’s latest art course and I can’t get enough of watching her videos and learning new techniques. There is something about watching her paint that makes my hands itch for my own paint brushes. Often, I find myself day dreaming about my next piece so it gives me great pleasure to finally spend some time creating in the tangible world!
Mother’s Day weekend was the catalyst to actually getting my hands dirty and creating. I found myself alone in a hotel room with nothing to do. So I made a cup of tea, flipped on the fireplace and got out my collage box. (I assembled a small box of collage materials so I can easily pick up the box and go anywhere with it. Highly recommend doing this!) And so the her majesty was born…
I began the process by layering vintage paper elements into a patchwork onto the back of a vintage book cover with Liquitex Matte Medium.
Then I glazed the background with sepia and cream acrylic washes to unify the papers.
Using a model from an Anthropologie catalog, I found my muse and glued her down. Then using various pieces of scrapbook paper I created her gown and painted over the model to create my own girl. A die-cut crown was added to confirm her royal status and I inked over her to add definition to her form. More strips of scrapbook paper in deep pink balanced the piece. The sweet bird was printed onto tracing paper and then added. A few pieces of washi tape completed my composition.
Lastly, I stamped a tree image on the back of the book cover. It kinda smudged but I rather like that it is imperfect. :)
I had so much fun creating this that I started a second one. I will share that one with you soon. Who knew the back of an old book could provide such a great canvas for some art – plus the size is manageable and approachable.
Thanks for letting me share this process with you. Please let me know about any creative projects you are working on. I would love to hear about them!
Have a fabulous day!
xo,
Ivy
Filed under Art, Crafting, mixed media, vintage
Hi friends. How are you all doing? Happy Friday. I hope your week has been lovely. It was my second week home alone with Claire while Chris was at his new job and I can honestly say that it went much smoother. Seems like we are finding out own rhythm and schedule. I do miss being able to pop into his office and say hello but I’m adjusting.
The peonies I got for Mother’s Day are in full bloom and are truly glorious. So I thought why not pair my favorite flower with my favorite baby girl…
Claire bear will be 11 months old in two days. I can hardly believe it. Almost a year has flown by and she is desperately trying to walk.
She is enamored with flowers (like her Mama) and always tries to grab at them when she gets the chance.
She was surprisingly gentle with my dear peony and I am happy to report that no flowers were injured during this photo session.
Thank you, Claire for being such a good little model for Mommy.
Have a beautiful weekend!
xo,
Ivy
Filed under Art, Baby, favorite things, flowers, photography
Hello there! How’s your week going so far? Hope all the Mamas out there had a beautiful Mother’s Day! My dear hubby sent me up to Skamania Lodge for some alone time to recharge. So sweet! I came home on Sunday to warm hugs, handmade cards (by Grace), a bouquet of peonies (my fav) and veggie lasagna for dinner. Needless to say, I felt completely spoiled. I even got to complete a small mixed media painting – which I will share with you soon!
Today, I wanted to share with you a sweet little Etsy shop – loveandpeascreations – owned by artist, Jenny Blair. I just adore her stunning work! She combines mixed media illustrations with wonderful hand sewn elements. (Oh, how I wish I could sew!) The blend of paint, pencil, fabric and thread creates gorgeous texture and color. Have a look for yourself…
I’m in love with this bear. Go here to see the process of this piece on her blog.
I discovered her work through the latest Artful Blogging! What a delightful find! Go here to explore her website and view her full portfolio.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
xo,
Ivy
Filed under Art, Etsy, favorite things, Shopping
