A tangled canvas

A tangled scanvas I drew long before surgery with markers, sharpies. I decided to work on it again. Photos show progress. Lately it seems like I catorgize my life as before surgery and after surgery. I guess that was a turning point in my life and that's why I say that, pre surgery and post surgery. Just over look it. Focus on the art please.

 

 

And I forgot to mention . . .

I have a Facebook page for my art called C.S.Originals. That's where I put most everything. Check it it!

Been a Long Time. . .

It's been a long time since I posted here and so much has happened. I'm still quilting and designing. I've lost elderly pets and gained new ones to fill in the holes. Currently I have 10 cats, 2 dogs, all shelter rescues. The biggest thing of late is that back in September I was diagnosed with appendix cancer which is rare. I have what is called the mother of all surgeries, there were 5 procedures done. I didn't have to have chemo, yet, and don't plan to. Recovery from this horrid event took a full 3 months, I finally got my energy back and am actively quitting and designing again.  Anyway, today I have my first CT scan following the surgery. It's to see if any tumors remain. The appendix cancer causes mucinous tumors and the one I had was huge, nearly the size of a soccer ball, it had ruptured and spilled the mucin, a jelly like substance, into my gut. St surgery I lost 30 lbs in about a week,I've gained about 5 lbs back but don't want to gain anymore. I've r ad that follow us scans ar done every so often, 3 months, 6 months and a year in additoin I blood tests. My last tests were really good so I'm hoping for th same or better this time. 

 

 

I mentioned my pets are shelter rescues, for a few months, before the surgery and it's associated stuff, I volunteered at my local animal shelter. It was fun, I worked with cats. I've had cats for over 40 years so I know them well. I'd like to get back to volunteering with them again, once spring hits and I can get there again.Here's my lat at projects, a kimono ( front, back, sleeves) and a small quiet.

 

 

Inktense on Silk, the test

Recently I read that Intkense pencils and blocks, made by Dèrwent, make great silk paintings. I decided to see for myself. These pencils and blocks are actually water soluble ink instead of true watercolors. They are very bright and intense color wise when water is added to them. 

After praying the silk by stretching it on a frame, then adding resist lines, I began. I found the Inketense must be used wet on silk, either by wetting the silk first and applying the color or wetting the color and applying it to the silk. They simply do not work dry on dry. Also, the colors need to sit for 24 hours, then should be heat set. I did this, then rinsed out the resist lines the next day to find that, once the silk painting dried, the color faded some and it was not as intense as before the rinsing. After it dried, I pressed it and all was well. I compared the Inktense on silk and on paper. The final results are below. The piece on paper is on the left, the one on silk is on the right.  The second photo is of the pieces before rinsing out the resist. You can see how bright the colors are on the silk piece ( lower right) prior to rinsing.

Consensus- while Derwent Inktense are good on paper, I don't think, except for small details, I'd use them on silk. I definitely wouldn't use them on silk wearables, just on wall art. 

New blog Post

I made a new blog post on http://stichesandstrokes.blogspot.com/2015/06/test-run-fluid-acrylic-paints.html Please feel free to check it out.

The Interview

Recently an interview I  did a few months ago was published in http://creativeroom4talk.com/cathy-sparks/. It's a real honor to think they thought my work worthy of publication. Check it out. There we also many other quality pieces there as well.

Between Paper and Silk

There is a distinct difference in paintings done on watercolor paper and one done on silk, even though they use the same type of paint, in this case watercolors from the tube. Paper, being a harder surface than silk, is more reflective of the light resulting in brighter colors on the surface. The first photo is on paper and shows this. The second photo is of a painting done with the same watercolors as the one on paper but is on silk instead. Notice how the colors are much deeper, resembling an oil painting.mi think this is because the silk absorbs the light instead of reflecting it the way paper does. The difference in the way the paint behaves on the two surfaces is what, I believe, gives each it's unique look. By the way, both should be framed under glass to protect the surface.

 I discovered painting with watercolors on silk is an ancient technique used by the Chinese before other types of paints or dyes were developed. The Chinese used both watercolors and inks on silk for their paintings. Now, I'm not Chinese in any form and not as ancient as the technique of watercolor on silk ( I am growing older as we all are) but I just tried painting on silk habotai with regular tube watercolors to see what it looked like, I like the result. I did find the watercolors are brighter in tone than silk paints, yet the same obstacles remain by suing silk over paper, I.e. Neither paint can be lifted with any success from the silk, once a mark is made with the brush on the silk, it's there and can't be manipulated the way one would with paint on paper. So you have to carefully plan the painting.

 Also, on silk with watercolor, you can't use a water soluble resist because ipthe color will wash out with the resist. For whites in a silk painting I recommend using a cold wax that can be painted on with a brush or using white opaque paint of some type, gouache is good. Anyway, the experiment ends on painting watercolors on silk. Consensus is that it looks good but it's NOT recommended for garments or silk that will be turned into a garment, including scarves, watercolors on silk should be only used on paintings that will be used as fine art, to be hung on the wall, framed and under glass. Use either dyes or silk paints on anything to be used as a garment. 

I hope this info helps you, the painter, in some way.