Art Resin Challenge!

Last month I was approached by one of the wonderful employees at Art Resin with an offer & a challenge. They would supply me with free resin if I would create something new to share with my (and their) audience. SO…(drumroll please!) here it is!

Well, okay…here is ONE of the pieces! 🙂 There are three in total. I’ve done several pieces using the quilling techniques to make the designs – some inspired by nature, others very abstract. These three take their cue from the great outdoors. This piece, in particular, has a specific representation. The flowing terrain below that rising sun was inspired by watching the sun rising over a desert landscape. It’s created in an 8×8″ wood panel, turned upside down. Title? Desert Sunrise, of course!

Since this was a challenge I tried to think of what I could do to make this pour different. I settled on LIGHTS…each piece has a round portion of the background cut out and a clear Petri dish glued down over it. The paper design is attached to the front side of the dish. Small, remote control twinkle lights fit into the Petri dish behind the art and glow & sparkle through that section of the design! I also painted the background of these pieces, which I had not done before. I’m still deciding if I like them that way or not!

Now I’m going to blitz you with a bunch of “progress” images captured during the creation of these pieces:

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Modifying the wood panels, various quilling tools and paper pieces, stages of creation, and all the pieces taped off, ready for the resin pour!

I did make a few videos of the process too, you can see them by following the links shown here:

Prep and Intro

Pre-Pour

Pouring the First Piece

In addition to the finished image of Desert Sunrise above, here are the other two pieces that were created:

Moonlight over the River, 8×10″

Summer Tree, 8×10″

Although the final images turned out just fine the pour had a moment of panic in it! When pouring the piece “Moonlight over the River” it took me several times pouring the resin before I figured out there was a leak around the Petri dish I had glued to the panel. I lifted it up to see a HUGE puddle of resin growing on the table. Ack! Ductape to the rescue! I can assure you before I started to pour the next piece it was inspected for leaks AND had tape added, just in case. 😉

I want to thank the great people at Art Resin, this was a fun challenge! You can find these pieces on my website if you’re interested in purchasing.

Your randomly creative artist friend,

Lynne

Sending some love…

So I’ve been playing with several things in the studio lately, today it only seems natural to share some “heart art” with you! I am slowly working my way back to creating more batik artwork. I took a break for several months but know I’ll be wanting new work for an upcoming show so I started playing with it again yesterday. Instead of creating on plain white paper this time I am using colored paper or paper with natural elements embedded in it. I also decided not to draw out and color in the designs with ink first but to preserve some of the paper color by painting the design on with wax instead. This was my second attempt at a heart, I stressed the paper out too much with the first one and it crumbled into pieces after the second waxing. Ooops!

I did go in after it dried and add some marks and lines. I like how loose and easy-going it ended up!

While I was in the studio I played with a new heart stencil (plus a couple others) in one of my journals…along with some “blendable” inks. It turned out cute enough for my first attempt.

I like it but…well, I just couldn’t help but do some digital editing on it. I know there are a lot of people out there that don’t necessarily enjoy Valentine’s Day. I don’t have strong feelings about it either way, I try to let the people that I love know they are loved all year round so I don’t get very extravagant celebrating just one day! Anyhow, the more I played with the image in Photoshop it morphed into a “dark” version…just for those that aren’t into the happy pink & red hearts or sentiments.

Enjoy the day…however you celebrate (or don’t). With love,

Your Randomly Creative Friend,

Lynne

P.S. If you are out & about and happen to be in the area, the RED show opens tonight at Flourish Gallery, 88 Morgan Street, Martinsville, Indiana. I have art in the RED show and a selection of items for sale in the gallery too. I’ll be there from 2 p.m. till around 7 p.m.

A peek into a fun project!

I’m not quite sure how I forgot to share this news on the blog but just realized I hadn’t said a word about it here! Well, here it is. I’m working on a coloring book that will be part of Dover Publications “Creative Haven” series!!

I’ve been busy creating around 30 images to be included in the book. Here are a few progress images from the last couple of weeks:

Four pieces near completion

Beginning

Beginning

Something a little different

Something a lot different!

I am hoping to have them all submitted in the next week or so, the book should be published this fall sometime. I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s coming out! One of the gallery spaces I work with is talking about hosting a show of the original works as well as a book signing. Fun stuff! In the meantime I’m busy each day dreaming and drawing new images. My compass has been getting a good workout and my markers even more so!

Lynne

The Beginning: Serendipity

 

“Serendipity” mixed media sculpture (wood, stones, driftwood, copper, hammered wire) 6x6x5″ $250 © Lynne Medsker

One of the first pieces I created in my newest series “Wood|Stone|Metal”, this is “Serendipity”. The entire series could have been named that, it just came together in a delightful way! For many years I’ve collect bits of driftwood, sticks, stones and other items as I’ve traveled through life knowing that “someday” I would do something with them. With that stash of fun things around I was posed the question “what did you really enjoy doing as a child?” and immediately my love for collecting rocks in a shoebox popped into my mind. Even if they were just small pieces of gravel from our driveway adorned with paint, I spent many happy hours with rocks, as well as playing in nature with whatever I could find. But how to incorporate all that into works of art? That was when the exploring began. Sorting, stacking, painting, and arranging I began to gather/create items that might work together in a natural way. With the plasma cutter I started a collection of steel and copper shapes to use.

From my newly gathered stash of scrap balsa wood pieces I began to shape organic, rock-like pieces.

Rocks were pulled from jars, boxes and storage spots…as well as the landscape!

Driftwood, collected on my travels, was unearthed and more sticks gathered in our woods were stripped, cleaned and bleached to add to the pile.

 

I also began experimenting with paint on stones.

Over the course of several weeks I gathered, created and prepared. Then it was a bit like solving puzzles, choosing which pieces went with which, how they should be arranged and what made me happiest. Here are images of the process for this piece as it evolved:

Although I ended up with more wall art than sculptures, it was fun to express myself in a more dimensional form. Look for both types to be featured over the following weeks!

Lynne

Commissioned Art: Diversify

“Diversify” Mixed media ceiling sculpture © Lynne Medsker

Wow…didn’t realize this never got posted! It’s been hanging around in the “drafts” folder since September! Ooops!

The second of two commissioned art pieces I created this summer, Diversify hangs above a children’s exam table in a medical facility. Bold colored paint over lightweight balsa wood, wires and glass balls (repurposed and supplied by the client) were all brought together to make this fun ceiling sculpture. Here are some of work-in-progress images:

And a few different views of the installed piece:

I really enjoyed designing and creating this piece…as you’ll see in future post I continued to work with balsa for several more months!

Some warm creativity during this cold winter

I thought I’d share some recent fractal creations with you today. It seems this time of year I’m drawn to bright colors as I wait impatiently for springtime. This year has been no exception, although this first piece only has a hint of spring color!

I’ve also gotten into a routine where I create three of these images at a setting. Seems like after the third my brain has had enough!

These images build, one to the next, with added layers, effects and closer details. Sometimes you can see the growth but often they end up looking totally different from their sources. I like that each is unique and stands on it’s own.

Do you have habits and routines in your creativity?

Lynne

Cybernated Artistry!

In case you missed it I am excited to be sharing an upcoming venue with other digital artists that would like to show their work! The details and entry form are located at http://cybernatedartistry.wordpress.com. the deadline is in one week! I hope you’ll consider entering and help show the public how diverse digital art can be!

If you aren’t a digital artist then instead of entering I am asking you to attend! Here is an image of the postcard announcement with all the details:

See you there!

Lynne

PS – So, after passing out these postcards and publishing the image all over the web it was pointed out to me I have the wrong date printed on there for the reception. Sheesh. If I confused you, my apologies…it is indeed a Friday – the 10th.

More smart phone art & a reminder…

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! Life’s been full of busy-ness and the last couple of days I’ve felt kinda lousy too. Hopefully both those things will improve soon and I can get back here on a regular basis.

kaleidoscope #5, digital art via smart phone © lynne medsker

In the meantime I thought I’d share a few more images created with some smart phone programs and then enhanced a bit in Photoshop. I’ve gone a bit crazy with these but since all I’ve done the last few days is lay around on the couch it was an easy thing to get obsessed with.

kaleidoscope #13, digital art via smart phone © lynne medsker

I think they appeal to me because they remind me a lot of mandala artwork. Plus my laptop is out for repairs so I haven’t been able to create any fractal art lately, I had to find an outlet somewhere. 🙂 These have really but fun, even though the files are so tiny they aren’t really applicable for much as far as reproduction. Sometimes art is just for the sake of creating it!

“kaleidoscope #11” digital art via smart phone © lynne medsker

Now for the reminder portion of the post!  If you enjoy digital art, or just want to see some samples of what it’s all about – don’t forget to check out my other blog – digital+art+daily! I’ll be posting these newly created images there for the next several weeks.

Primitive Gestures (Part 2)

As promised in yesterday’s post, here is the rest of the “Primitive Gestures” series!

"migration" mixed media on wood panel, 8x10" professionally framed $175 © lynne medsker

"spring winds" mixed media on wood panel, 8x10" $85 © lynne medsker

In addition to several of the 8×10 size pieces I created these two larger ones as well:

"three moons" mixed media on wood panel, 16x16 $245 © lynne medsker

"mountain path" mixed media on wood panel, 16x16 $245 © lynne medsker

I hope you enjoyed seeing these new creations! I had so much fun getting my hands into these pieces, there isn’t a texture or color on any of them that I didn’t touch!

"night journey" mixed media on wood panel, 8x10" professionally framed $175 © lynne medsker