creating dynamic backgrounds

A while back I said that I would write a blog about possible supplies 

for creating a background in a painting or an art journal page. 

As I set out to do that today, I realized that the possibilities are endless!

So, I picked some basic ones to show here and I will list more ideas

at the bottom of the page.

Creating backgrounds with many layers is not only a lot of fun, 

but it gives your work of art a great deal of depth and interest.

It is a great way to experiment,

so be creative: cut, tear, crumple, form your supplies!

One of the great things about layered backgrounds is that there really are no mistakes.

Anything you don't like can get pushed into the background and made to fade away,

which simply creates more beautiful depth. 

Here are a few of the things that I use to create a background:

 Handmade paper: this paper is often art just the way it is!

Napkins/Serviettes: There are so many designs out now. One great place to shop for this is your local Dollar Store as they often have an inexpensive selection.

Tissue Packs: like napkins, you can find many patterned tissue packets 

and they layer beautifully in any artwork.

(Hint: for both napkins and tissues, 

peal away all the layers expect for the top patterned one.)

Every craft and art store sells patterned paper! 

I have found that I personally tend to prefer the smaller sized paper pads 

(around 6"x6") as they tend to have finer patterns on them.

 I use doilies both directly on my artwork or as a stencil.

Thrift stores always have old clothing patterns.

The paper is nice and thin which is great for layering. 

Sometimes I cut out the lines on the pattern and simply lay those down on my backgrounds.

Practise paper and test paper: save all of these! 

They are usually filled with colours you like, 

and are a wonderful way of making your background 

even more personal!

Gift tissue paper: so may colours and patterns to choose from.  

Like napkins and tissues, this paper is very thin 

and is great for adding translucent layers.

Acrylic paints, watercolours, guache, daubers, inks and sprays. I don't think there is anything more versatile for a background than paints and inks.  Be aware that some (like acrylic and many inks) are permanent when dry. Others, like watercolour paint, will bleed and move when any liquid is applied. To make water-soluble supplies permanent, 

seal them with a sealant (like this) before adding your next layer.

 Stamps, stamps stamps! 

These are soooo great for adding texture to the background

(and the foreground) of a painting.

Again! Remember to seal your layer if you are not using a permanent ink pad like this!

Oh my! I love washi tape and am *somewhat* addicted to it!

I bought the sheets of washi from Christy Thomlinson's on-line store (Scarlet Lime)

(Confession: I'm not showing you all the washi tape I have, 

and I haven't stopped buying it!

Hmm... I wonder if my husband is going to read this post!!)  

So, this is just a start. Really it is! 

There are sooooo many other things that I use 

(and that I don't use, but you might!)...

• sheet music (I use this a lot!)

• newspaper

• magazines

• wrapping paper

• wall paper

• post cards

• greeting cards

• postage stamps

• envelopes

• ephemeral of all sorts

• on-line images that you print 

(*you can can glue these directly, 

or use a transfer technique to put the image onto your artwork)

• pens & markers

• inktense blocks and coloured pencils

• mark making tools of all sorts

(perhaps that will be another blog post)

• gel mediums to glue papers on and to add texture 

(such as: this or this or this or this or this)

• book pages 

(yup, I have some books that I rip the pages out of 

which is an accomplishment for someone like me who loves books!)

• paper towels

• rub-ons 

(I usually leave these to the final stages of a painting or journal page, 

but they certainly could be used in a background)

• gelli plate mono printing techniques

I'm sure there are other ideas out there ... if you use something that I haven't listed, 

please comment below. I'd love to hear what you use.

Happy art-making folks! 

Silvia

the process

It is very exciting to have my art being exhibited at Oh So Good Cafe.
I thought I'd share a bit of what goes into creating a mixed media piece,

and then blogging about it.

I have hundreds {honestly, thousands I'm sure}

of pictures that I take for blogging 

that never  actually make it onto my blog.

Sometimes, I simply didn't have the time

to get a blog post ready

{it takes a good chunk of time}

and quite frankly,

sometimes,

what seemed like a great idea one day,

just didn't have the same appeal the next day.

A lot of the first steps happen in my thoughts

{I often lay in bed seeing images of what I could create ...

oh! if i could just snapshot those paintings in my brain!}

I do a lot of thinking before I start a piece.

And then I...

I sketch it out, 

play with it,

do background work, 

and layering,

drying time {which I usually rush along with dryer},

paint, paint and more paint!

I often add watercolour or ink

as one of my top layers,

I highlight with a white pen or marker, 

{my favourite pen to date: Uniball Signo},

I create shadows,

splatter paint {on purpose}

and sometimes, 

I doodle at the very end.

I nearly always I take pictures,

{alone, or with help from my man}

And then, sometimes, I blog about it. 

Here is a peak, taken from various paintings:

 {drawing stage of a watercolour}

 {first layer of mixed media, drying paint}

 {collage, more paint, stamping, spraying, dripping, adding wash tape ... I'm almost always on the floor by now}

{another background in process}

{inks for one of the top layers}

{photo shoot}

{Tim, helping me out}

{me, taking some pics}

Stay tuned! I am planning to soon blog about some

useful background-making supplies!

Silvia

exciting news!!

Whew! Its been a busy few months, 

but I did it!

In a few days we are heading out on a 4 week ministry trip/vacation.

{I'm very excited!}
And I had set some goals for myself,
somethings I wanted to accomplish before we left...

I wanted:

 • to get 7-9 paintings completed,

• open up shop in a few on-line art stores

{sorry Esty, you didn't make the cut this time}

• and put some effort into having my art displayed locally.

Whoo-hoo!

I'm so excited to announce that 

I did it!!

I will be displaying my art at 

Oh So Good Dessert & Coffee House

{downtown, on York St)

during December and January!

Please stop by to see it

{and get one of their incredible desserts}

And, you can now buy my art on-line at:

Fine Art of America

and

Society6.

{check out the link to Society6 to the right of this text}

I have hashtaged on instagram

#meetinggoalsfeelsgood
It really does feel good!

If you would like to follow me on instagram

{and see lots of pictures of our upcoming adventure!}

I am silviaklassen

Here is a sample of what you will find for sale in my on-line stores.

I will update it regularly.

Thanks for being a part of this exciting journey with me!

Silvia

silent but productive // beautiful time

Hi Friends,

I know I have been fairly quiet on my blog 

these past few months, 

but it's not because I haven't been creating.

I've created some goals for myself 

that I am working towards,

and while I love to share what I've been doing,

blogging does take a good time commitment.

So, with the full life I have

{we all have full lives, don't we}

I have allotted that time to other things.

{I have been reading a great book

by Harold Eberle in which he describes 

time

in the most beautiful, 

meditative  manner.

I can't do it justice here,

but it is shifting my whole viewpoint.

I will say that I am learning

that I am not in a race against time;

  it is a gift from a loving God

that is partnering with me

to accomplish my dreams and destiny.}

Here is a sample 

of what I've been creating lately.

I may still add a bit of text

beside her, about her.

{**I plan to show more,

and make some announcements

in the near future!!**}

Thanks for reading, and for your support.

Silvia

Studying under the Masters - a shoutout to Jeanne Oliver

All I can say is, "Wow, wow, wow!"  

I have been taking Jeanne Oliver's course, 

Studying Under the Masters 

for the past 8 weeks and it has been wonderfully challenging!  

There has been a lot of course content, 

and I really haven't been able to keep up, 

but I am plugging along, 

working through the lessons and projects. 

{Read: why I haven't blogged very often lately!}

The course is 9 weeks long, 

but I have access to it for 2 years. 

For each week, Jeanne invited an modern day artist to study a master of their choice, 

and teach on that master, 

creating several projects for the students to complete. 

The basic idea, is that we can learn SO much by copying the works of the Masters. 

They have so much to teach us, 

and we have a wonderful opportunity to make ourselves their students!

Oh my goodness!!!!

The projects have been so engaging and interesting! 

The teachers have been fabulous, openly sharing their wealth of knowledge and the Facebook group a huge source of encouragement and inspiration!  

I can't recommend this course enough!

Beginner or experienced artist, 

this course will benefit you, 

and you can still register!  

Jump in on this week, or start at the beginning ... 

just do it! 

You won't regret it!

Here are a few examples of my projects 

~ they are not meant to be exact replications.

but my take on them, 

{with much influence from the class teachers}

Cezanne's Mountains in Provence, followed by my acrylic paint version...

A white flower, followed by my white flower in water colour, Georgia O'Keeffe-ish style...

Francoise De Felice's The Tail of Elodie, followed by my unfinished, acrylic paint version

{we are going away on vacation tomorrow and I have to stop for now to finish packing!!!}

Thank you, thank you Jeanne! I am so loving this course!!

Silvia

For Mackenzie

I was recently asked if I would donate a painting to Mackenzie's Hope, a foundation that raises money to send the siblings of cancer patients to summer camp. It was a real honor as my family & I closely followed Mackenzie's 18 month battle with leukemia and daily prayed for her healing. After a valiant fight she passed from this world into the arms of Jesus last October. 

We cried & grieved and said that we would always continue to believe and fight to see "His kingdom come, His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  There is no cancer, no sickness and suffering in heaven ... let earth echo the ways of heaven! 

I didn't have a painting prepared that seemed suitable, so I decided to paint one dedicated Mackenzie and her courageous family. Below is the painting I created. It is a 18" x 24" acrylic in canvas.

      

     

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be you name. Let your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Silvia

A Shout Out to Junelle Jacobsen

This summer has been wonderfully filled with creating and experimenting with art. I have been really enjoying my on-line classes, in particular one called "Wild Art Summer" by Junelle Jacobsen. Her projects have been a lot of fun, have challenged me try new techniques and to be bold and courageous (anyone who has ventured out artistically in any genre knows what I am talking about!)

Thanks Junelle for the thought, fun & love you poured into this course. Thanks for believing in all of us and showing us a bit more of God through your laughter, joy and encouraging spirit. 

Here is a mixed media on wood block that I have recently completed, based on an assignment from Wild Art Summer...

Silvia

Chasing what you love...

Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night. 

-- Glade Byron Addams

I love this quote as there is something so wonderful about pursuing what you love. It takes time and energy to pursue a passion, but the effort seems minimal and the pursuit a pleasure. I am daily searching for moments to pursue my passions ... I carry my sketch book, pencils and pens with me everywhere I go, I grab moments with my camera as often as I can or (as I talk about here and here and here) I regularly use my iphone camera and, whenever possible, I get lost in my little in-home studio.  It is an absolute delight to be distracted in a project and I willingly assign hours (sometimes late-night hours) to work on one. 

I've mentioned before that I am taking several art courses and they all come with their own assignments, challenges and projects. I'd like to show you one of those recent projects.

My canvas here was a wood block and the wood was up-cycled from an old crib set that someone had put out at the side of the road. I saw the wood and immediately envisioned it cut into pieces and painted up, so I pulled over my van and dragged it all into the trunk as my kids sat bewildered. I asked Tim to cut a few of slats into pieces, and after sanding it down I went to work on my assignment:

It was such a fun project and I will definitely be making some more of these wood block paintings!

I encourage you to take time to do what you love.  You will not regret a moment of it ... you were made for it!!

Silvia

the story she tells...

Its been a while since I last posted, but I have been busy working on some projects and I want to share one here.

One of the themes of my life is freedom and it comes up over and over again in my art ... it has since I was a teenager. One of the amazing things about art is how you learn about yourself and see your life through your work.  And really, I think it has to be that way for it to truly be art.

Freedom is something that God spoke to me about many years ago, and I am able to see more and more clearly how close to His heart it really is; without freedom we can never truly love, and we can never choose Him.

It wasn't until I finished this painting that I saw that I had unknowingly woven the theme of freedom into my canvas yet again.  But that is what I see, with my story behind me. Perhaps with your eyes you see something else ...

Silvia

He makes all things new...

For the past few nights, I have been staying up late working on this painting which I created for a friend who has been bed-ridden for several months with sickness. We are going on vacation soon and I wanted her to have it before we left.

The text comes from Revelation 21:5 and I when read it I knew it was for her, and that it would be the basis for my painting.  Before I began I put a song called "All Things New" on repeat and let the words invade my spirit.  And then I began to paint ...

I used acrylic & mixed media.

 

Believing for her complete her recovery. Be healed, my friend!

Silvia