KEEP TRYING, AGAIN AND AGAIN

Hello Everyone!

Last month while working on a collage background for a Hawaiian style paper cutout of Palm Trees, it wasn't turning out the way I had envisioned it in my mind.   Does that ever happen to you?  You have a picture perfect idea in your head and it doesn't come out the way you planned.  That happens to me frequently enough that now I'm no longer surprised, and that's okay.  There was a time when something didn't turn out the way I planned and it would frustrate me to no end, but I've learned to keeping trying.  "If at first you don't succeed, then try, try, try again".  Who said that?!  W.C. Fields, that's who.  He also added another colorful line to that but I'll leave that up to you to Google <wink>.  

After the initial TRY I began to rework the background adding a bit of yellow ocher paint and it was soon clear that wasn't working, it was overpowering the palm tree design.  So I quit at that point, disappointed but knowing I'd come back to it sooner or later to TRY AGAIN. 

Trying again at this point is what some would call salvaging ....stripping off some of the background papers and using sandpaper on the rough edges of the remaining paper on the canvas I was able to add a layer of light back into the background, with just a touch of ocher. 

 Blending in the lighter colors with ocher seemed to give the right effect and no additional paper was needed to complete the background.   Gluing down the palm tree design was the final step and letting the whole canvas dry for several days before declaring it DONE. 

Don't give up on your collage or painting when things aren't working out as planned, just walk away and let it go.  Then come back later and try it again. There is always an "ugly" stage when I want to trash my work but I've learned to work through this by pushing through the ugly to the final stage of beauty. Sometimes the best laid plans don't work out the first time and that's when you must TRY, TRY, and TRY AGAIN.

Keep ON Trying and Happy Painting! 

Suzy

ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Hello There!
Welcome to Travel Thursday!

A few years back, maybe about 8 years ago, my best friend Bonnie and I took a trip to the mountains of North Carolina.  Our trip plan included a visit with my sister Anne and family (they live out in the country).

painting a mural for my niece Amy and a trip to Cheap Joe's in Boone. We took a day trip to the Biltmore House and a drive up Doggett Mountain where we lived once upon a time.

This is the story of Doggett Mountain.

My brother and I were starting our Senior year of  high school, a VERY large high school in a large city when my parents made the decision to move to North Carolina.  Not only did they move us City Slicker kids to the middle of nowhere, we were stuck on the top of a mountain out in the country in the middle of no-where on a FARM. 

The nearest town was down the curvy mountainside into the valley and the only thing there was the school. Another 20 or so miles into the mountains was a town that looked like it was from another century, seriously.  But back to the school....Kindergarten through High school all in one long hallway.  Did I mention that we had come from a VERY large high school population in the hundreds, multi-level building with a maze of hallways to a single hallway school house that housed K-12?  The Senior class had 24 students, that included my brother and myself.  It was shocking.  I couldn't believe I was there in the middle of no-where.

Not only were we "out in the country" we found they spoke a totally different language which I could barely hear due to altitude and where alien words were spoken like  'maters, taters, pokes....what on earth was a poke?? When asking directions we were told "it's about as fer as ye kin spit times 10"; or "its a fer piece up thar road".  WHAT???   We were seriously in culture shock and definitely "not in Kansas any more".  The only saving grace was the beauty that surrounded us.  We moved in the first week of October and the fall leaves were beginning to change, lighting the mountains on fire so brilliant and saturated with color it took my breath away.  As my Granny would say "it's beauty is beyond words".  If it weren't for that fact I'd have packed my bags and headed back to Florida.

We were from Florida (flat-landers) and there was much to learn from the country folks in "them thar hills".  I learned what real neighbors were like (helpful and kind), that there were poor people that lived in one room shacks with lots of little children and those who had the least were the ones who gave the most.  There was love for God, family, for each other and everyone was friendly and helpful. Lessons were not only in the single hallway of the schoolhouse but were learned from the land and farming it, the people who loved it.  Even though I was a miserable teenager stuck there on that mountain, I did come to love and appreciate the people, the community and land.

I learned to love the mountains through the fall days, and into the winter when the fields were covered in frost and the mountain streams and waterfalls would freeze over and the way the sun would glisten off the ice. The clean smell of mountain air, the cold stillness at night, the soft sound of snow falling and the beauty of the forest being covered in a blanket of pure white.  My heart longed to paint what I was seeing but I didn't have those skills, still I longed for paint and brush to capture the beauty of the seasons.  And although I was quite unhappy being stuck on the top of a mountain, that is where my love of nature really began.....on top of  Doggett Mountain. 

I'd not been back to Doggett Mountain since leaving it in 1973 until my friend and I visited in the spring of 2007. Thirty-four years had passed, things had changed. The schoolhouse was still there and what remained were the fond memories of the people and the beauty of the land, the serenity of the mountain.  

Oh and now I have my paints and brushes and I know just what to do with them! 

Happily painting memories!
Suzy

WHAT'S ON YOUR WORKTABLE?

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to Brees Mimi Design Studio! Come on in! So happy you are joining me today for a quick peek inside the place I call "studio".  Today I'll reveal my worktable.  It's my "go to" place, my favorite spot to be, where I feel completely at home and were the ideas flow freely. 

Work table in studio

You will find me here most afternoons (if I'm not working or taking care of the grand-kids) and sometimes very late at night when I'm able to sneak in a few minutes before bedtime.  

The worktable is approximately 5-6 feet long and 3 feet wide, a standard folding table from Office Depot. In order to protect (lol) the lovely brown laminate finish, the work surface is covered with several sheets of watercolor paper. This idea comes from Jennibellie Studio, to use watercolor paper and wipe the excess paint from brushes here and later use this paper for other art projects. Since the watercolor paper surface is a recent addition to my table (previously used brown craft paper), I'll have to let you know how it works out. 

Work surface protected by water color paper.

To tell the truth, I couldn't stand looking at all that white paper....so I painted a few ideas on one side and use the other to wipe excess paint on. 

 On top of the w/c paper is a non-stick craft sheet, in my immediate working area. It is perfect for a dab of acrylic paint or spray inks when a palette isn't needed and wipes off easily! Even acrylics can be peeled off the surface if left too long.  I LOVE the craft sheet! 

Non stick craft sheet in immediate work space.

On the worktable I have my essential tools which are: acrylic paints, glue & gesso, pens, brushes, ink, paper towels & baby wipes. 

The pink metal tub holds bottles of glue, glue sticks, gesso, mini paint palettes and water containers (recycled fruit cups or yogurt containers). A revolving rack (repurposed spice caddy) houses artist acrylics and my favorite handmade basket holds fave acrylic craft paints.

Current fave acrylic colors include Poodleskirt Pink, Whispering Turquoise, Citron Green, Slate Grey and Black. 
A mason jar and silver topped glass containers hold Washi tapes. 

Above in thrift store finds of ceramic, stone and metal cups my collection of pens, markers and scissors are corraled. It looks like the mini stapler has "attached" itself (sorry, couldn't resist) to the metal cup and awl is buried in the ceramic holder. Small metal dishes hold miscellaneous items that stray across the surface from time to time. 

Paint brushes, plastic utensils, ink and credit cards

The lovely metal box is another thrift store find! The lid of the box remains open at all times for quick access to brushes and various utensils used for spreading or applying paint and gesso. All are contained in recycled glass jars (salsa-yum!) within the box. Ooops, I see the pink stapler has also attached itself to the metal box!  Another glass jar contains old credit/gift cards (to spread glue, paint or gesso), water brushes, bone folder, and sponges.  The metal box resides on top of a mini wooden slat table (repurposed from a picnic basket), underneath the wooden mini table is a divided glass pickle dish (thrift store find) holding black ink pads, India ink bottles and date stamp, the dish can be slid out when needed.   A spray bottle of water, paper towel holder, package of wet wipes and a bottle of water are near by.  

Inspiration board

Inspiration comes from many sources and I keep mine right in front of my worktable!  On this board is a background of BH&G paint color swatches, you know the pages that the newest colors are on? Here's a fun page at BH&G to test your color personality!  Each season, my board is changed out and the background colors with the season. Then I add my favorite poems, quotes, color palettes, and various items that catch my attention. Strings of glass beads, pieces of jewelry I like, cards with string or threads, cutout paper dolls, crochet flowers, it is here for inspiration.

My current project: hand painted paper and sewn covers for watercolor journals. Both journals have hand sewn watercolor signatures inside and flaps on the cover which secure the papers within. My inspiration came from Mary Ann Moss SEWN. Go check it out! 

I hope you have enjoyed the Work Table tour and that you will come back next week as we continue A Peek Inside The Studio!  

I'd love it if you would leave a comment so that I know you were here! I love hearing from you! 

See you next week, until then....

BEE CREATIVE!

Suzy

PSS.....BREAKING NEWS! A day late to the party on WOYWW (that's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday)but I thought I would post this anyway. Let you know more of the details in next post! 

INSIDE THE STUDIO PART 1

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to Brees Mimi Design Studio! So happy you are joining me today as we take a peek into the room where I create.  

Remember last week the WARNING about the messiness and chaos that abides in my studio? Enter at your own risk!

There was tremendous temptation to clean up beforehand and admittedly I did tidy up (vacumned) a wee bit before my friend's visit, but it is still very messy indeed. Ok, I am going to stop apologizing for my messiness. 

 COME ON IN!! 

As you enter the studio (aka spare bedroom) you will see in the far corner a little table known as "sewing world", to the left is "art cart", to the right is small rolling cart with scissors, glue, and sewing supplies.   I'll explain these sections in more detail in later posts, for now we will just see the perimeter spaces. 

To the right of "sewing world" is where you will find me in my favorite place....at the "work table" where most of the creativeness goes on.

The Work Table at the moment is piled with hand painted pattern paper and journals I've been making. Oh there are the usual suspects that "live" in this area: paints, glues, brushes, etc. and the "bulletin boards" or as some people like to call them "idea or inspiration" boards. 

 To the right of the work table is a "drawer stack" housing more paint, spray, stencils, pencils, watercolor crayons and glitter.  The boxes stacked on top are gelli prints and stencils. The picnic basket underneath holds miscellaneous items such as a mini crock pot, applique iron, bubble wrap and paper towels, etc. Under the basket that holds up the whole shebang are two plastic bins, one filled with minky fabric (don't ask) and the other with old cross-stitch and craft magazines that belonged to my mother. 

The lime green double closet with hot pink trim is home to neatly organized projects in progress, knitting, cross-stitch, quilting, thread, large bins of fabric and watercolor supplies. The right side of the closet is "bead world". Also in that side of the closet is extra quilt batting,  projects to finish, and a filing cabinet with patterns. It is pretty organized in there.  

 Oh and there is a colorful bar chair holding a three tier mesh office filing system (LOL) that is primarily a place to "file" sketch books, journals and other various papers that haven't made their way into a bin (trash or otherwise). More "filing" in the basket underneath and in the blue cloth bin that is behind the door. 

On the opposite side of the room are a system of cabinets which hosts my picnic basket collection on top (all labeled, organized storage). There is a row of cabinets along the top, a full length storage unit at one end, a pegboard and work (lol) surface (mainly a catch-all) and cabinets below. It takes up the whole wall and I would like to say it is pretty well organized with paper supplies, embellishments, cutting machines, crafting supplies, stamps, collage materials, more watercolor brushes, palettes and paints. 

That's it for today, I'll let your imagination fill in the rest!  

Although I do feel a bit embarrassed to share the untidiness I know that you creative people out there KNOW and appreciate the realness of a working space. 

Next week we'll dive in a bit deeper (promise it will not be cleaned up or neater than it actually is). 

Till then....BEE Happy. BEE Creative!

Suzy

PEEK INSIDE STUDIO INTRO

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for stopping by and joining me for a new series of posts on Inside The Studio.  Maybe a little bit of background will help prepare you for The Studio.

I say, PREPARE because what you will see in the coming weeks may be a bit disturbing to some. The studio is NOT a very NEAT or TIDY area,  it is a place where I go to be creative and yes, messy. MESSY...that's right, I have my most used supplies out which enables me to work intuitively, but it does cause a great deal of mess and a bit of chaotic look to the space (and for an occasional visitor).  So, close your eyes to the chaos if you can't bear an untidy space and just focus on the other creative interests; there are many and they all live in this room called Brees Mimi Design Studio.


Here's a little sneak preview Inside The the Studio:

BMDS is where I work play with paint

work out designs

 sew

craft

collage and journal

And, Oh yeah, there WILL be plenty to see in this room that we will explore each week.  

So looking forward to sharing my creatively (and messy) space with you each week! Hope you will stop by often and join me for Inside The Studio.

Till then BEE Creative! 
Suzy

SKETCHING...... ARCHITECTURALLY SPEAKING

Hi Everyone,

Happy Sketchbook Tuesday!  

I've been running around like crazy-busy this week getting ready for a visit from my VBFF.  Yes! She's coming for a whole week to visit me and we have such grand plans of drawing and painting wherever we go.  

Of course our drawing and painting en plein air totally depends on the weather and whether or not it will be raining cats and dogs in the afternoon. 

Keep your fingers crossed for sunny days!! I'm pretty excited about being able to spend time with my BFF so even if the weather doesn't co-operate we will find plenty to do and talk about for hours.

And since this is Sketchbook Tuesday I've dug a few Architectural sketches out for you today!

I love the architecture of old buildings, Spanish tile roofs, balustrades, arches and stairways all speak to my romantic heart.  Below I am practicing how to draw these types of architectural details. 

 A five minute sketch of downtown store fronts in an older section of town. 

 Throw in a quick sketch of palm trees here and there.

Another favorite architectural delight is the Cupola. According to Wikipedia: in architecture, a cupola is a small, often dome-like structure on top of a building. Well the ones I've seen and refer to as cupola(s) are rather square and usually have a nice weathervane on top. Whatever they are called, I love the look of it on a house or building. 

This building was a challenge with the arches and complicated roof lines. 

Next week I'll have new sketches to share with you and more adventures from Bonnie and Suzy. Hope you will join me again soon. Meanwhile, pull out your sketch pads and get busy!! 

Happy Sketching!
Suzy 

A CHANGE IN THE PLAN

Hi Everyone!

Over the last month we been on an adventure exploring The Neighborhood and The Parks near my home. I've been sharing my sketches and paintings of the areas. I do hope you've enjoyed visiting and getting closer to my home destination. 

When I began this series it was originally planned to go for four weeks but soon discovered when it came to A Walk in The Park, it just wasn't complete without sharing the special places where I love to paint.  A slight detour in the plan but isn't that what you do when you are out and about? Sometimes it pays to take a turn down an unfamiliar street or path to discover hidden delights. Anyhoo, that is what we did when we veared off the path and explored my favorite painting places. Last week we ended up in my Backyard, and this week a final destination post was planned for Inside The Studio.  Sorry that just didn't happen this week! BUT......

I have some GOOD news!  Let's just say there has been a change of plan and the Inside The Studio post will now be expanded into a mini series!!!  Ohhh, I'm SO excited to share these posts with you!! So please bear with me while I gather my wits and photos and join me next week for the Intro to Inside The Studio.   

Remember, I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl!  :-) Some days that is a good thing, other days not so much.  I'm finding in bloggerland, there is a definite need for pre-planning. ;-)

Thanks for being patient while this series is under construction! See you all next week!

xoxo
Suzy

THE SECRET COVE

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back! Moving closer to my home we're visiting another one of my favorite parks where I go to sketch and paint.  I take my sketch pad and practice the roof angles on the boathouse, or the window shapes and roof shingles or the intricate patterns of the palm trees.

 This tiny park is well hidden within the neighborhood and I love to go here on a lazy afternoon and watch the boats going in and out and try to capture the little boathouse across the creek. This painting was done before the hurricanes came and blew away the shaker shingles on the boathouse.

There isn't anything to do at this park other than enjoy the water view and the tropical plants and trees, but that's ok with me. It is very peaceful here, usually a nice afternoon breeze and shady places to sit and draw or paint. I call this place the Secret Cove.

Here I am writing about the new roof on the boathouse, the old shaker shingled roof has been replaced with a shiny new aluminum roof. Doesn't have the character of the old roof but it looks pretty good.

 I take my paints and a little folding chair, kick back under the mango trees and enjoy the afternoon sketching or painting.

Thanks for taking a walk in the park with me again today.  I hope you will come back next week when we will be even closer to home.....in my back yard.  Come join me! Until then keep your pencils sharp and your paint brushes loaded with color and ready for the next adventure.

Happy Painting and Sketching!
Suzy

ICAD WEEK 4

Hi Everyone!

It's Week 4 of the Index Card A Day (ICAD) challenge, we're into Day 29 and  I'm still pumped up about the remaining 32 days!  

It's been a pleasure spending time with my daughter and grandson, taking walks, caring for the baby and spending time with my granddaughters.  I love being with them and seeing my older grands loving on the newest one. It has been a great week.

My art time has been limited this week. The challenge has been to find a block of time to make some art, write blog posts, update Facebook and Flickr with the latest photos, etc.  Guess I didn't realize how much time it takes to do these things each day and the amount of time I spend on the computer. Not complaining, just sayin'.  You all know what I'm talkin' about don't you? 

Anyhow, I've put together the individual cards for your viewing pleasure, just click the tab (Index Card A Day) on the right side bar. 

Happy Doodling!
Suzy

New Travel Series "Down Memory Lane".

Hi Everyone!

It’s Travel Thursday again! Who’s ready to come along?  Today we’ll be taking a different path than usual, but don’t worry, I know the way having tripped down this lane often.  Curious as to where we might be going today? The good news is No Passport Needed! We'll be tripping down Memory Lane! 

We're keeping it LOCAL during this mini Travel Series.  Over the next several weeks I'll be walking you though a series of places: The Neighborhood; A Morning in the Park with Friends; My Own Backyard sketches and In The Studio.  

Ok, so let's see what's happening around The Neighborhood! 

Each morning I would get up and don my walking shoes and start down the road from my house, following mostly the same route everyday (creature of habit here).  Upon returning home I would sketch or draw or paint interesting things I saw along the way. 

I passed this gorgeous white picket fence each morning on my walk, the yellow Alamanda blossoms that cascade over the arbor and down the fence take my breath away. It is a lovely sight to see! This particular morning it is hot and humid and the bright golden yellow daisies catch my eye, as well the appropriately named Firecracker bushes exploding with their red-orange colored blooms. 

I hear a rat-ta-tat noise coming from the woodpecker rapping on the metal streetlight and wonder whether the bird realizes 1. that he's tapping on metal and 2. it is waking up the neighborhood at this early hour!  A bit later I'm walking along and spot a giant raccoon, he sees me too and we both freeze! Yikes. And my neighbor has a new pineapple growing on his plant! There's a small sign "please do not pick". 

This morning a little box turtle has crossed the busy street from his pond and is wandering on the black top of a church parking lot.  Poor little fellow seems a bit lost. 

The weather is turning cooler and the neighbors are decorating for fall with pumpkins and scarecrows.  The bushes are producing these luscious berries in deep plum and purple colors, and the turtles are huddling on the fountain in the middle of the pond warming themselves with early morning rays of the sun. 

Please join me each Thursday for a journey back in time through my journals. What do you see on your early morning walks? Do you take time to record these moments and how do you keep these memories? I'd love to know! 

Happy Travels!
Suzy 

MRS. PAINT JOURNAL

Hi Everyone!

When my children were little I read them a book about colors that had a character called Mr. Paint Pig. Oh how they loved this book and the colors! 
I can't remember the name of the book now but I was reminded of it when I started looking through a painted journal I found while making an attempt to clean up and clear some space around my work table. It's another journal made from a Composition Notebook.

The first journal featured scrapbook papers altered with paint, stamping, inks, etc. you can see it here.  I used a Composition Notebook again, this time I glued about 4-5 sheets of the lined paper together to create a heavier page and applied acrylic paints directly to the lined pages. 

The purpose of this journal was to use different paint color combinations and see what happened.

Using an old credit card to lay the paints on top of one another was fun too. If the colors weren't working, a smear of gesso helped me to go in another direction. 

I actually like the pages that gesso was added on better than some of the others.

Sometimes I get so excited about color and embellishing that I forget to leave a space to journal any thoughts.  This method of painting directly over the lined pages worked great, you can still see some of the lines (not that you need to write on the lines). I like the way that looks. 

Blue + Yellow=Green

Pulling out the Dylusion Spray Inks for a bit of fun spray and play:

Spray inks with Acrylics

Here's a few pages actually journaled on and added embellishments to:

I cut the Easter Eggs from a cellophane wrapper and glued to the page.

Art project with Bree

Hope you enjoyed my little paint project! Pull out your paints and start your own Paint Journal! 

Most of all, have fun doing it! 

Bee Creative!

Suzy

P.S.
Uh, just Googled it: Richard Scarry's COLOR BOOK (Mr. Paint Pig)

Linking to: Paint Party Friday, Art Journal Everyday, Crafty Thursday Obsessions;Tabitha Lenox