Gratitude

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul"  Henry Ward Beecher

I have just returned from a two day workshop in Davenport Iowa. The quad city area. The Shades of Mississippi Decorative Artists were more than welcoming.  We painted 4 projects, so they kept me on my toes for sure! Laughed, ate and painted non stop for the two day workshop.  It was such a pleasure to paint with these women and if asked, I would most certainly return.  

My husband and I drove up together and stayed at a very nice hotel, with all the amenities. Our first time in the area.  He got to visit the John Deer museum, among other local sights while I taught.  

This year has been full of new adventures and teaching venues.  This will be the last for this year, other than my two local classes coming up in November.  I will be teaching at Creava Studio and Splatter Art Studio.  I will be teaching watercolor and mixed media Holiday card designs in both.

Among teaching, I have opened up an online service, Patreon.  For as little as $5.00 a month, you can follow my insights, videos, new products, techniques and so on.  A great resource for creators and artists alike.  I would love for you to join me on this new little adventure. Treat yourself and follow the link below:

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=24760006

Until next time.

Happy Painting!

Ursula xo

Meet Me Where the Sky Touches The Sea

Wild and Free by The Sea.  

Picture yourself in this painted piece, on the beach, with paints in hand, the salted air , wind blowing  your hair and the sound of waves lapping up on the shore.

Join me, Christa Thomas and Marie-laure deluge-carlson for a week in the beautiful Outer Banks, North Carolina.  

September 15-21, 2019

We will be working in a variety of mediums, painting, mermaids, florals, sunsets,  figures and more.

Taking our easels right down to the beach and up on our dune deck to capture the beauty this area has to offer.

You never know when you will see or have these beautiful, wild creatures stop by for a visit.

Join us and the wild horses;  let your creative spirit soar on the beaches of the Outer Banks, NC.

For more information and registration, visit:  

http://christathomasstudios.com/category 9/Art-Retreats.htm

Or leave your information in the comments.

A few spots left!

We would love for you to join us at our beach house!

Ursula xo

May Day Celebration Floral

May your days be beautiful like the buds of May 1.

On this first day of May, I thought I would do a short mixed media tutorial.  Showing the steps used in creating a fun floral.  

Gathering up my supplies.  A metal stencil, and 8 x 10 canvas board, texture paste, matte medium and vintage music papers.  I also added a little crackle medium here and there, but very little crackling appeared.  Some showed up more during the last stages of the painting.

The board is gessoed with DecoArt Chalky Gesso, Beige.  Forming a suede-like finish on the canvas.

Tearing my papers and apply them to the Beige background.  Following with texture paste, a palette knife and a metal stencil.

Drawing the design onto the canvas and begin painting and adding in shadows with darkest tints of color.  Mixing Cadmium Red and Ultramarine Blue.

                                                                           Add Whites and Greens to the floral areas.

Building color as you proceed.  Loosely apply background and foreground areas.  At this point, I just let go and had fun without any expectations of the out come.

                                                  Building up more contrast and highlights with a palette knife.

I added a little fallen flower to the left bottom to balance things out a bit.  Later, went back in and darkened the shadow underneath.

Love how all the textures worked together with the acrylic paints.  Even some of the crackling showed up at the end.  

Happy May Day and happy painting!

Ursula xo

It's only the beginning.

A fresh start, a clean slate, the start of a new journey.

"And suddenly you just know it's time to start something new and trust the magic of new 

beginnings."

The possibilities and excitement of a new year filed with hope, resolutions and change.  I didn't make any resolutions this year, but I am looking forward to growth and change in my art career.

 Dedicating myself to learning new techniques and moving away from my comfort zone.  As I write this, I remember when I first retired and decided to create art on a daily basis.  Buying my first journal and creating something (no matter how small) in it each day.  As the year progressed, so did my art.  Baby steps to new beginnings and trusting myself in the process.

  Before I painted this watercolor, I painted the same still-life in acrylics on canvas. As the process began, it took on a direction of its own.  At one point, I was ready to just walk away and begin something new.  It didn't have the fluid quality that I was working towards.  Maybe because I kept looking at the acrylic painting instead of the still-life itself.  I felt it to be too tight and over worked.

There is always that stage in a painting where it can go either way, proceed or fail.  As I kept layering my colors, I had to trust myself and the process and move on from my frustration.  Deciding to add an oil overlay and taking it to another direction.

                           In the end, I was satisfied with the outcome and the finished piece.

Trust the magic of new beginnings and be brave enough to listen to your own heart.  There is something incredibly hopeful about a fresh start!

Wishing you a very happy new beginning!

Ursula xo