Art by Ursula Wollenberg

Trusting is simply believing; simply looking beyond what you can see.

 I found a canvas that I started a while back and decided to give it new life, trusting that it could turn into something better than what I had.  The purple from the original kept coming through and I decided to go with it.

I took some old sheet music, doilies, vintage papers, watercolor paper and some washi tape and added it to the canvas.  Adding a few connecting scribbles with my stabilo. Below is my supply list of the items used. 

A combination of Golden, Grumbacher and Liquitex paints.  Alcohol ink and re-inkers were also used.  Love to use the inks for drips to the background.  Make sure you dilute the alcohol ink with water before you begin, as it dries very quickly.  Just let it run and spray it with a water bottle for a fluid appearance.

I began sketching in  my figure, using a #2 lead pencil.  Darkened some areas with my stabilo pencil.  I just love these pencils, great for blending, especially with gesso.  As I continued to sketch, I readjusted the figure and the features.

Began developing the face with soft washes of burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and zinc white.  Blending back and forth between these colors and the white.  Using the stabilo to add more detail as it dried.  Adding touches of paynes grey and sap green hue.  The green is one of my new favorite colors to work in shadows.
Adding black charcoal to the darkest shadows and blending them out with a damp brush.

I added more drips and color to the background.  The heart shapes were an accident, as was her dress collar.  They came to life from my collage background as I developed the painting.  Adding more dark shadows to the figure and  white highlights to the face.  The words are printed off the computer.  I wasn't sure what this painting was going to say.  I printed out several inspirational words.  I went back to my drawing table and looked up on a box where I had this verse taped to the corner of it.  I felt it fitting for the painting and used it.   The textured stencil in the right hand corner (top and bottom)remind me of part of a stained glass window.

Sometimes as in life, the painting doesn't always go as planned.  There are mistakes and there are surprises.  Just trust you inner artist and see where it leads.

Simply trust and  believe in all your dreams!