This month's challenge for the Art Elements blog was set by Susan. To see the original post for the challenge click HERE
I have found with these monthly challenges that I don't actually 'complete' a finished 'thing'. I think I am challenge... er...challenged.... On the one hand I could have made a collection of glass creatures for this challenge and I did make a few because I was thinking about this challenge but the other part of me thinks I should be challenging myself, it is after all a ..challenge; but what actually happens is I dabble away and never seem to finish what I started. So here is part of the collection of 'things' that I was inspired to start, with the intention of finishing, for this month's challenge.
First up is this layered illustrative piece. It is approx 15cm x 15 cm round and is on a wooden disc that I painted with gouache paints in blue and green to create the backdrop for my forest scene. I then painted using watercolour and coloured pencil, trees in various shades so I could cut them out and layer them to give depth as well as the castle and the leaves. In this piece I imagined a castle deep in the forest, a magical place that lives in the heart of fairy tales and books. I had a whole idea planned for this, not least how I was going to mount it but at the last minute I changed my mind - I have a large circular metal 'thing' that I hoarded ...ahem.. thought I could use in the last month's challenge of repurposing..... but in the end I decided I didn't like that idea and I don't have a shadow box big enough for this one.
Next up is another wooden based piece and a ceramic owl from Jenny of the team. I have had this owl piece for some time and he needed to come out of the box he was living in. I came across the work of Betsy Youngquist a few years ago and her work has fascinated me, the patience she has for her work but also the macabre aspect that I feel when I view it. Take it from me that using seed beads to create a mosiac effect is exhausting and frustrating, as you can see I didn't get all my beads the right way up because those things are fiddly and I got covered in glue! My idea started with a simple (ha!) plan to create a tree like texture so the owl appears to be looking out. I quite like the concept but if I do it again I will need to use a different glue as the one I used did leave a residue.
Because I had the theme challenge idea in my head I quite often thought of creatures that might live in the forest. Influenced by the art of Brian Froud and the words and stories from various authors like CS Lewis and Terry Prachette who bring to life a world we can't see with the naked eye I doodled a few of these in my sketchbook. The one above is the 'Bird Lady' her hair is a nest of ever green (nothing ever dies or grows old in magic forests... you know... ) leaves and sprouting white delicate flowers, her limbs are twisted and gnarled - but not arthritic! - like an ancient tree.....
Then I had a bit of scrap paper and Bear Time Story Bear was born. I modelled her purple fluffy slippers on my very own ;) I am going to laminate her and use her as a bookmark as I seem to have a habit of leaving my bookmarks in the library books when I return them, I just hope they get used by the next person rather than thrown away.
..and last but not least, Felix the Fox in glass who will be in my on line glass show on Facebook when this challenge reveal commences, he will be with his other glassy friends, just click on the link if you want to come and see them, but don't forget to pop back and hop the other blogs of those who took part in the forest challenge.
