Lolly pop art for The Ronald McDonald House

These fun whimsical lolly pops were just part of the Tolyland exhibit at the MCL Grand in Lewisville and will be donated to the Ronald a McDonald House.

Easter Crosses, Glorious Reminders of Life and Love

Easter to me is the most precious day of the year. It’s the day the first believers discovered the tomb was empty, after Jesus had suffered and died on the cross and had been put inside it three days earlier.  Easter is a day to thank God, who had enough love for us to allow his son to be executed to cover our sins.  It was the only price great enough to allow us, imperfect people to connect with God, Holy, Perfect, Loving, All Knowing God.  Depending on the pain and experiences humans have had during their trek through life here on earth, the cross can symbolize different things, some of them negative, especially if one only knows part of the story.  I know the end of the story.  The same resurrection power that raised Christ from the depths of the tomb  is waiting for me when my journey here on earth ends.  So, to me, the cross is not a symbol of death or pain, it is a glorious reminder of life and love.  I celebrate that here with these colorful Easter crosses.   

Acrylic Collage Easter Crosses
Various sizes, between 8" and 16" tall

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NASB

 The crosses are all made of wood.  To make them I painted the back's black and on some of them had to attach a nail hanger.  The fronts are done with a collage of actual dried acrylic paint that I peeled off my palates and saved.  The palate paint would have other wise just been thrown away and wasted, but instead, I have given it new life.  I used Mixed Media adhesive as the medium which is very messy, but the end result is a smooth shiney finish that really makes the colors pop.  Enjoy!

Be, Live, Bloom

Last weekend I went to an art journaling workshop at Misty Oliver Foster's Art Studio in Frisco.  She is a very talented artist as well as an excellent teacher.  I highly recommend taking her workshops if you ever have an opportunity to do so and included a link to her site above.  Check her out.

Below is one example of an art journal page I completed while I was there.  I included a quote I just love from Charles Dickens as well... " Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of it's own."  I loved this because even though there were seasons of my childhood when I DID NOT believe red hair and freckles were beautiful, that all eventually changed.  As I grew, I realized that not only is it beautiful, it's what makes me shine.  That's what made me bloom.

Be, Live, Bloom
Art Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed of Life Lesson 25

In Lesson 25 in Pam Carrker's book  Creating Art At The Speed of Life, we are challenged to create  tag using the artistic component of LINE.  I love lines, so this was a favorite of mine.  Lines connect objects and give our eye a path to follow as it explores the page.  We were to create a tag using our own signature or initials. If you look closely you can see mine  C H W.  I liked using my lines to also create some figures of people.  You have to look closely to see them, but there are 4 of them.  3 of them have blue and green heads and being connected with the main lines in the composition symbolizing their close relationship with each other.  One of them is purple and red in the lower corner and disconnected from the others and almost turned inside out, alone.  The line simply comes onto the page and travels back off again with out connecting with the others.

CHW
Art Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Celebrating my blog birthday! Lesson 23 Art At The Speed of Life

Today is my blog's THIRD birthday.  February 11th! Still exploring the art element of form, Lesson 23 is called Make Your Mark.  Pam Carriker's book Creating Art At the Speed of Life gave us a chance to look back on previous art pages for marks, doodles, patterns used frequently.  I used a February Calendar page and set aside 2/11/13 to wish Paint On My Walls a Happy Birthday.  All the other squares are filled with line patterns.  I really enjoyed combining zen tangle patterns with color .  This was a very relaxing page and one of the most enjoyable so far.

Happy Third Birthday Paint On My Walls 2/11/14
Make Your Mark Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed of Life Lesson 22

Lesson 22 from Pam Carriker's book was an exercise in form to create a mask.  I loved creating the greyish pale face on the opposite page representing my somber self.  On my face are cool tones and collage images and dots.  The message on the face reminds me the beginning is always today.  This face is confronting real life.  The mask shows the dreamy, hopeful, life giving self, nurturing my soul with love and hope.  I liked the happy yellow and green color palate and whimsical collage and stamping elements.

Un-Masked
Art Journal page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed of Life Lesson 21

Lesson 21 in Pam Carriker's book was a pop up page and turned out really cute.  I had a lot of fun adding interest to this page with different pen strokes; patterns, cross hatching, dots, lines.  white ink and black.  It added some interest to the page.  The color filling the page is actually water color crayon, one of my favorite mediums on paper.  It is inexpensive, low mess, easy to clean up and allows for layering.  The crayon is activated with water after it is applied, but also can be activated with modge podge or acrylic sealer.

Whimsical House Pop Up Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed Of Life Lesson 20

In Pam Carriker's book Creating Art At The Speed Of Life Lesson 20, the goal was to create a page with cubist style shapes.  I chose to use hands as in her example but to assign each of the three hands to represent people in relationship with me.  Mine is the yellow hand, my mom was the orange hand and my daughter was the green hand.  I loved using washes of water color on already printed papers and then layering diluted paint on top to create the forms on this page.

I remember my mom's hands and the things they made.  She painted with watercolor.  She sewed doll clothes.  She quilted.  She made curtains.  She created the most amazing birthday parties for us growing up.  She used her hands well...  A gift I want to pass on to my daughter and those I love.  I create with my hands and it impacts the world around me.  With my hands, I leave my mark.

I Remember My Mom's Hands
Art Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed Of Life Lesson 19

From Pam Carriker's book Creating Art At The Speed Of Life Lesson 19

The goal in this exercise was to bury and then unearth words through layers of collage.  I chose text from an add about paint colors.  All the words were describing vivid colors and the emotions they evoke.  Then, using layers of diluted acrylic paint, and pencil and ink, I created forms from the scraps of text.  The gray color palate reminded me of depression and the way it buried the colors that were originally there.  It was like a slow painful death of emotion, color, light and life.  I titled this journal page, "Searching".  There were a few color words that still showed clearly through the layers of mist and I highlighted them.  When I look at this page, it makes me thankful that I have gone through depression, because on the other side of that experience all the colors are even more vivid and alive than before.

Searching
Art Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed of Life Lesson 15

Arcimboldo-Style Self-Portrait

I LOVED this exercise. I included images from art and history to compose my self portrait.  I call it my Art Queen Arcimboldo-Style Self-Portrait.  I found a flower scrap that said "She most heartily enjoyed pursuing life" and thought it appropriate.  Then I thought about the times in the past when I most thoroughly enjoyed life, and it always involved some application of creativity.  Next I created an explosion of art and art supplies bursting forth from my head like ideas just popping out all over the page.  I used magazine scraps of a quilt for the hair and some of the other accents.  My favorite thing about this page is my crown. A crown for an Art Queen.

Art Queen Arcimboldo-Style
Self-Portrait
by Cheryl Harris White
Art Journal Page
Mixed Media

Art At The Speed of Life Lesson 12

Lesson 12 from Pam Carriker's book Creating Art At The Speed of Life introduced me to an interesting new word.  Ephemera - written or printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved, junk mail, receipts, brochures, etc.  I found an article about the world of color and pages from my old passport to create this page.   I liked how monochromatic and cloudy this page turned out.  The key to this one was lots of layers of diluted washes of gesso diluted with gel medium.

Passport To A World of Color
Art Journal Page
by Cheryl Harris White

The quote on the bottom left page is from Renoir.  It says, " An Artist must have confidence in himself, and listen only to his real master; Nature."

Psalm 139 Art Journal Page

Art Journal Page

Mixed Media

by Cheryl Harris White

Inspired by Psalms 139:16-18

13 “For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.”