Tag Archives: cat

art assemblage, art journaling, artist, mixed media

A month of Mixed media madness

A month that flew by and I felt as if I was out of breath at the speed of time! It’s so important to make some art to keep sane. 🙂 Things have been changing for me. I seem to lean toward sculpting lately. In the past, I worked in my art journal pretty much every day, but I don’t as much now.

I try to go with the flow. Sculpting has been much more of a challenge since I never had any formal training. However, I like to take online courses, so I’ve learned the basics that way. And, there’s always YouTube…

I made this wood and clay mystery bird. I used polymer clay for the body, and I liked the way it came out. I’m going to make more of these kinds of strange figures. 🙂

A month of mixed media madness

Then I made cats!

A month of mixed media madness
A month of mixed media madness, mermaid cat

The mermaid cat is all fabric that is gessoed and painted, except for the wand and the base. I used a Susan Barmore pattern that I found on etsy, and it came out ok.

So my inspiration has been more with 3D objects than with 2D. I bring out my canvases but the flow has not been there much. I did however make one mixed media piece on a cradled wood panel.

Mixed media madness!

She can’t help having a big nose like that…

It was fun to make.

I haven’t made a video tutorial this month, but I came across Ina Solsbery on YouTube, and her found objects sculptures are awesome. She also makes some art journal spreads. Here’s one made with pretty napkins and paint.

Napkin collage with Ina Solsbery

YouTube and Pinterest are great sources of inspiration. Go there if you want to get ideas.

I made a simple spirit doll using one of my painted clay faces as a focal point a while back. If you missed it, you can check it out: Spirit doll tutorial.

I was looking through my old videos and this totally RAW art journal spread I made in 2015 is an inspiration that you can still make art even if you have no idea where to start. Check it out.

If you missed my last blog post with the Funky Bird tutorial, you can read it HERE.

The holidays are almost here (gasp.) I have lots of cute things in my etsy shop for those looking for a unique gift: Earth and Faery

I wish you loads of inspiration!!

Maria

A month of mixed media madness
inspirational, life, purpose

Bad ass cats.

1 Comment

badasscatGoogle images

Cats are totally bad ass for the most part.  It is a trait I admire since I constantly compromise in my life.  They never do (unless their safety is at stake.)

I have a feral cat that I feed.  I named him Wiley since that’s the perfect name for him.  Smart as whip and fast on the foot. He’s black with a white shirt front and a tiny bit of white on his four paws.  He has green sneaky eyes and a mean disposition.  He has beaten up my (mostly indoors) cat twice in the past to the detriment of my wallet.  Nowadays there is an uneasy truce between the two, basically because my cat runs inside when he sees Wiley.

My plan is to have Wiley trapped using the temptation of food.  I will then chauffeur him to the nearest spay and neuter clinic.  I suspect that he won’t go near the trap, so I haven’t even tried yet.

So, here’s the starving cat that I’ve been feeding every morning.  He would eat everything and then lick the bowl.  (He would eat the bowl if he could.)  He’s still really skinny in a slinky sort of way.

Anyway, since I don’t want the cats to eat me out of the house, I purchased some Purina One for him.  Not the worst of brands, but not the super deluxe grain free stuff I feed my cat.

Pleased with myself I set the bowl on the ground and go inside.  He won’t eat if I’m outside.  I stand in the window and watch him.  He sniffs the bowl suspiciously and TURNS UP HIS FRIGGING NOSE!

Then he walks away.

I could not believe this, but the proof was right there.  My point?  Cats, no matter how hungry they are, can obviously stop themselves from inhaling the food, bowl and all, if it’s the “wrong” brand.  AND walk away with their head held high.

It is the quality I most admire in cats.  No compromises.  It’s my way or no way.  Forever.

I have met many people with the same quality, but they never pull it off elegantly like a cat.  People can’t get away with that level of disdain or they get shot. They also care about the outcome, which cats don’t. They  don’t give a frig.

They walk into the future with the openness of what nature will bring next.  They don’t look back with regret, or wish things were different.  They are always open to opportunity, and if things turn to shit, they crawl under a shed and lick their paws.  They don’t complain and blame the other party; they just deal with it the best they can.

They live life head on.  They are present.

Studying cats is not wasted time.  I have learned a lot from living with cats for many years.  I admire their focus and ability to watch and absorb the moment.

I admire their detachment, which borders on selfish behavior, but they never lie about who they are or try to be something different.  They don’t live to please.  They live without excuses.  They don’t feel unworthy.  They take on life with pride and a sense of greatness.  “Look at me; I am king.”  (And bad ass  gorgeous to boot.) That’s just the way things are.

They know how to lounge in style.

A cat is also a total bundle of soft purring love and squinty eyes.  They love a good cuddle–on their terms.

It would not be a bad thing if we all lived more like cats.  Everyone would mind their own business, for one.  We might not get along any better than we do now, but we wouldn’t give a frig, and thus let the issues resolve themselves.

I can hear lots of arguments to that statement, but I don’t give a frig.