Small Leaf Macro

I've been experi-
menting with Golden Crackle Paste. This was done on a 5"x5" Aquabord with mostly fluid acrylics and a drop or two of acrylic ink. I tinted the crackle paste with yellow and did the rest with washes and brushwork. The ref photo is one taken by my sister, photographer Roberta Fair.

My Father

This picture is of my father, Stewart Cole. It was taken in the early 1970s during his Tres Dias weekend (a Christian retreat).
Seventeen years ago today he died of an aortic aneurysm. He was only 63 and it's really hard to believe he's been gone so long. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday when I could talk to him and touch his strong arms.

I still miss him so much and some days I just want to be able to talk to him, run things by him and access his wisdom. Sometimes I talk to him anyway. It brings me comfort to think of what he would say or think about things.

I know he's in heaven with our Lord Jesus, and that brings me the most comfort of all, knowing with certainty that I will see him again. I look forward to that day.

I love you Dad.

Check out ShiboriLove.com!!!!

My niece, Jessie Fair, (pictured last) is a senior at Cornell University studying Fiber Science and Apparel Design. She just started her own business! ShiboriLove.com

She's offering one-of-a-kind hand dyed tights, scarves and socks for women, babies and girls. Here are some samples of the tights, socks and a scarf. Aren't they cool?

Check out her website! I just know she's going to make it big someday!!! Go get 'em Jess!!! ShiboriLove.com

Can't stop with these little ones!

This first one is on Aquabord and is mostly acrylic ink with some fluid acrylics too.

The second one is Claybord and is all acrylic ink.

I'm really having fun trying out the different color combinations and seeing how the inks work with the paints. Lots of ideas yet to try!

Mini Landscape

I just really love the Claybord. This one is a tiny 4"x4" I did to go on a little easel I have. It's fluid acrylics by Golden and DaVinci. Love them!

Claybords

These are both acrlyic inks and fluid acrylics on Claybord, one 6"x6" and the other 5"x7". The blue in the top one is more of a Prussian blue.... couldn't get the color just right in the pic. I really like the smoothness of the Claybord and how the paints and inks respond. The honeycomb effect was done with paper towels as I was blotting up some extra ink on one and dabbed it on the other. Didn't realize the towel had that much texture in it! LOL!

Doing a flip!

Nick Simmons said he liked this one better with the blue on top and I have to agree. What do you think?

Here are a couple I did last night. Both are acrylic ink on Claybord. I got some other colors in the acrylic ink and these were more experi-
mental than anything else. I am pleased with the first one. The variations and textures show up better in real life and the orange under the blues are quite vibrant. The 2nd one I can take or leave. LOL.

This one is the same colors as yesterday's but it's on
6" x 6" Ampersand Claybord, which is smooth as opposed to the Aquabord, which is rough. I only did one spritz of the alcohol. Didn't like how it responded at all. Same technique though, no brushes, just the acrylic ink the water spray bottle...lots of spraying!

Tonight I was making some pieces that I'll tear up and use for a collage once I get the new acrylic medium supplies I've ordered. I was using watercolor paper, acrylic inks, India inks, water and alcohol. I was really having fun spraying the paper, dropping in the color and squirting it more, rolling it around, hitting with the alcohol. Got some cool stuff.

So I find these 2 colors that I'm really liking together...Antelope and Indigo acrylic ink. I grab a 5" x 7" Aquabord and here's the result. These 2 colors only, no brushes used, only the dropper from the ink bottles and the water and alcohol spray bottles. What do you think?

Tonight's painting is water- color on Amper- sand Claybord, 5"x7". Sprayed it with water and alcohol. The Claybord is really smooth compared to the Aquabord and the paint responds completely differently. Love it! Ordered some more...and a few larger ones too!

2 more from last night...

I'm really struggling with getting good pics of these latest ones. And trying to get them more accurate in PhotoShop isn't working either. These and the one in the previous post are much brighter and more lively in real life.

Think I'm going to call my sister, Roberta Fair, the photographer, and go over for some lessons.

Another Aquabord Abstract

I'm still working with the small Aquabords. I'm experimenting with the various pigments to see how they work on the surface and with each other. This one is 5" x 7" and done with fluid acrylics and ink. Again used the water and alcohol. The inks were mostly sprayed off, leaving just a little wash of color. When hit with the alcohol, it reacts kind of like an oil slick. Cool.

Messing around with an old one...

I originally did this on Aquabord awhile ago. Pic here. The webbing spray came out of the can in a clump and for me, it really wrecked it, so I started spraying it with water and messing around just seeing how it responded. Threw in some more orange and yellow of some sort. Can't remember what but it's likely that it was DS Quin Burnt Orange and Quin Gold...favorites. Kind of turned it into a diamond shape and the orange and gold looked like fire. It was kind of cool. No pics.

I didn't really see me doing anything with it, so when I got some new clear stamps today, I thought I'd just use it to mess with them and see how they worked. That's why my name is in this. I had just finished the Blue abstract #1 I did with the fluid acrylics and had some blues left over. So I got out the stamps and the sprayers...both water and alcohol....and went to town. The more I played the more the color lifted...I used watercolor the first time....leaving just a little color. Got out more fluid acrylics and just played. Lots of water and alcohol. This is how it ended up. I really like some of the alcohol effects and I wish I didn't do the name thing. LOL!

Blue Abstract #1

Did this one yesterday. I used the fluid acrylics and lots of water. It's 5" x 7" and done on Aquabord.

I sprayed it with with water and alcohol (not in the same bottle). Oh yes, and it's got some gold webbing spray on there too...it stands out more and shines a more more IRL.

I'm really enjoying the fluid acrylics and am just using the small sizes to experiment and get a feel for them before I go larger.