Tag Archives: Maria Greene

art, creativity, inspirational, painting

Art as energy work.

June 14, 2016 Maria G

Have you noticed how art can be energy work? It brings healing, contemplation, and speaks to our inner self. Sometimes it comes across as something repulsive, but maybe that is because it triggers something repulsive within. Art is a mirror of our own state and that shifts all the time.

Great art is timeless. It speaks to the universal truth of self and has a much larger scope than, say, a whimsical picture of a cat. Not that I have anything against cute cats, but to feel the greatness of my own life, I can go to any art museum and immerse myself in the great art of the world.

I remember when I went to the Met in New You and saw the Impressionists. I have never seen a “real” painting by Renoir before and the light that he had captured with paint took my breath away.

Renoir_-_The_Two_Sisters,_On_the_Terrace — The two sisters on the terrace. Renoir.

How do you paint light? It’s not all in the technique obviously. Somehow he pulled it out of himself and the vision of light and shadow he had was superior.

I admire different aspects of different painters, but they all have one thing in common; they never strayed far from their original style (except Picasso maybe, haha.)

My favorites are the painters of the Impressionistic style. There is an innocence and joy about the art. They captured an era when people took pleasure in the simpler things. Much of the modern art has such hard edges that speak of our harsher more stressful times.

I like to go up to art at a museum and feel entranced, not disturbed. Yet, honest art speaks the truth about the times we live in and it’s not all milk and roses. Far from it.

One time when I was an art student a friend and I got a wild hair and spread open an umbrella at a museum of modern art. We stuck it on the floor with a tag that said “Umbrella.” People stopped and looked at it, walked all around it, pondering. We thought we were very clever.

Then a guard discovered the abnormality and the game ended abruptly. It was fun though. That brings up the question: what is art? That is a discussion that can go on forever.

Personally, I like to be blown away when I go to view art.

I can only aspire to have people like my own art, and some really do. I guess my mission is accomplished if one person likes my art. All is good!

This concludes Day 8 of the 30 day blog challenge.

What are you working on today? What beauty are you bringing out to the world?

Maria

P.S. I have some beautiful art for sale in my etsy shop. 😉 HERE.

art, creativity, mixed media, polymer clay mosaic

Polymer clay mosaic tile tutorial

June 13, 2016 Maria G 2 Comments

For years I used to make polymer clay mosaics. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Laurie Mika and her fabulous book, Mixed Media Mosaics? I was smitten while reading that and used some of her techniques for making my own boxes and frames. I have made many, but I got burned out on making them. They make great gifts! I took photos of the process, but I struggled to get good pictures. I will post them anyway since the mirror I worked on is done.

First layer of paint after baking the polymer clay tiles.

I didn’t get pictures from the tile making process, but you knead a block of polymer clay and roll it flat like cookie dough with a rolling pin. The slab should be about 1/8″ thick. I then use rubber stamps, old buttons, charms, and found objects that make good indentations. I cut out the tile with a polymer clay blade. I put the tiles in a baking pan and put a same-size pan on top, bottom up, like a lid. I secure the pans together with binder clips and bake in the oven per manufacturer’s instructions. Carry the pans outside, release one of the clips and slide top pan open to release fumes. I like to use Sculpey III, but I’m sure Fimo and other brands are good too. I tried self-drying clay for a batch and it was very difficult to work with. You can use any color clay since you’re going to paint over the tiles, but black will make the tiles darker.

Here is a close up of the jewelry charms I baked into the clay. They add bling! These are the tiles after one coat of paint where I usually fill in all the indentations and wipe off the rest. Looks messy at this stage….

Mirror frame painted black front and back.

This is a mirror frame. I took out the glass part and painted the frame front and back with black craft paint. It seals the wood and also adds “tooth” to the surface, which makes it easy to adhere the tiles. Attach a sawtooth hanger on the back before adding the tiles. There are sometimes holes for hanging, but it’s difficult to use those and get the mirror straight on the wall. (At least I find it so..lol.)

Same two pictures in different light. This is the second coat of paint. I usually smear it on with my fingers. I try to vary the colors to get more tiles to choose from for my project.

Third coat of paint, which is embossing powder in different colors that I also smear on with my fingers. I use Perfect Pearls. See how it all came together? Now the tiles don’t look messy at all, but handmade for sure. Embossing powder smooths everything out and adds a nice highlight to any ridges. Where there is white shining through from the tile, I usually go over it with a paint pen or a fine brush, or fill in larger areas, like the purple star and sun with more of the same paint.

A basket of yummy tiles! Now my mirror frame is dry too and I sand the edges. Then it’s time to match up the tiles for the design. This is the fun part… It can be painstaking, but I have never done a project that didn’t come together just perfectly. 🙂

When the design is done, I put the tiles in order on the table and spread LOTS of glue on one area at a time. I use Aleene’s craft glue, which works great, but Weldbond is also a good brand of glue for mosaic tiles. For the wings and heart on the center piece, I used E6000 jewelry glue, which is heavy duty. I really like my pieces to be solid. Where there are small gaps between the tiles, I pour in a string of seed beads. It adds bling and gives the piece a finished look.

Finished! I painted the edges with good black acrylic paint. I also like to paint the back one more time to make it really look good. I sign it on the back.

Are you willing to try one of these? It’s not hard, but it looks hard. 🙂 What are you working on now?

xo
Maria

P.S. I don’t have any mirrors for sale in my etsy shop, but I have paintings and mixed media HERE.

art, art journaling, creativity, mixed media, tutorial

Art Journaling stuff.

June 12, 2016 Maria G

Day 6. I have been doing some art journaling lately, experimenting with a lot of background techniques, which is fun. It’s an adventure since you don’t know how it will turn out. Art is very forgiving so usually everything turns out okay in the end.

In the two pictures below, I wet my heavy duty journal paper thoroughly with water. Then I used very diluted acrylic paints and dripped them on the water-logged paper. The paints spread in a nice, sometimes subtle way. You can use any craft paints or finer art paints as long as they can be diluted with water. Watercolor paints would work well if you want a more soft and subtle background.

This is another version on my freebie art tutorial Star Angel. You can get that video tutorial HERE.

In the picture above, you can really see the background variations. Lots of fun. 🙂

The one above is a faux crinkled leather background. I used medium spread liberally across the paper, and then I glued tissue paper over it. It’s important to crinkle the tissue paper into a ball in your hand, and then spread out the wrinkled paper on the medium. Let dry thoroughly, and paint whatever colors you like. I used some raw umber on my fingertip to brush over the ridges as a last coat to make the creasing more dramatic.

Art journal page with glued paper background.

Fantasy flowers painted on top of decorative paper, which was glued down in my journal.

Just for fun! Grow wild and free. Hell yeah!!!

What are you working on today?

Please share in the comments.

…because Life happens NOW!

Maria

PS. If you’re interested in a fun self-study art journaling ecourse, please check out my e-course site HERE.

art, inspirational, life, motivational, passion, self help

Raining on your parade?

June 11, 2016 Maria G

Lots of people like to rain on your parade, but nothing new there, right? It’s all in how we allow it to affect us.

So many artists say that they get a lot of negative feedback about their choice of career. This affects their self-confidence, but it doesn’t have to. If they feel passionate about art they need to stand tall and make the decision that no matter what, they are not going to cave to other people’s opinions.

The choice is about who you hang out with. If we have low self-confidence we hang with people who put us down.

A boost to your self-confidence: DITCH the people who put you down.

If you feel heavy and anxious around them, they don’t belong in your universe. Simple, right?

My dad used to say when I came up with some good idea;
“that will never work,” with sarcasm in his voice. I proved him wrong a number of times, to his surprise.

DITCH the people who hog all the attention all the time and those who are envious of your progress. They never followed their dream, but you don’t have to drink their poison. Ditch the angry people.

The friends who only show up when they want something from you BECAUSE they know you did all the research already (on your own.)

People who make you feel angry for no obvious reason. Those are the “needle-nose” manipulators.

People who drain your energy in a sneaky nebulous manner. I call them the “black hole vampires.” They don’t have a life, only a black hole.

I DO feel compassion for people’s predicaments, but there comes a time when you have to make a choice. Do they stay or do they go?

If you don’t make the choice someone else will. You don’t want an energy vampire to choose what you do with your energy, right?

Hang out with those who cheer you on and uplift you in every way. If you don’t have such connections, find some. Find some friends who are passionate about their own lives.

As an artist you let your vulnerability hang out for all to see via your art, and the beauty of your vision feeds their soul. Being vulnerable is your offering to the world, so don’t let anyone rain your parade!

Know your worth (as a person and artist) and if you feel that yours tips toward minus on the scale, find a way to remedy that.
Know that if you get lots of criticism and “hate” comments, you’re doing something right. 🙂
Don’t worry about others and their feelings, follow your passion. You’re not hurting anyone.
You are responsible for how you feel and how you take criticism. Try not to take it personally and don’t allow DRAMA into your life.
Don’t argue or try to prove yourself. Just smile like Mona Lisa and carry on.

Passion grows and nothing can stand in its way. That is the power of passion. You’re in it for the ride.

Create with passion today!

Maria

P.S. I could use an art sale from my etsy shop if you feel so inspired. Check ’em out HERE.

art, inspirational, life, motivational, self help, transformation

Patience is a virtue.

June 9, 2016 Maria G

Patience is a virtue is an old-fashioned saying, but one that is truly vital to a good life experience. It is as relevant now as it was in ye olden times. I looked for the saying in Bartlett’s but could not find any reference to it. There were however lots of references to the word “virtue,” as in females who lost their virtue basically lost everything. That is a whole other post.

This is day 3 of my 30 day blogging challenge.

Patience, when practiced, gives us pause to be present and allow things to unfold. We live in a “take charge” world so it’s not easy to release that insistent pattern and allow patience in. One place to practice patience is while driving in heavy traffic. Another is when someone bugs the crap out of you and you just want to leave the room or slug them.

To allow oneself to be patient is to open up to new possibilities and to be vulnerable. I don’t have to be right. I can allow others to step ahead or be right. That can be tough since the tendency is to always want to be right. We proclaim that loudly and ferociously.

Patience and art are kind of the same thing, if gentler. It can be uncomfortable to sit with the art that is going nowhere and see what unfolds (if anything.) If it doesn’t what holds you back?

I ask that question of myself all the time because more often than not I meet that old specter “Resistance” when I venture into my studio.

Patience allows the moment of NOW to unfold and show where the art wants to go. But I want to hang out of my “virtual car window” and yell at the art to get a move on. So, if I had infinite patience, I would:

be able to see the spirit of my art and where it wants to go.
allow more.
be patient with people in every situation.
be patient with situations that need solutions and see what genius idea might come up instead of barging in and fixing things or people.
know that my turn will come at the right moment. Trusting.
be able to relax and stay in relaxation.

On a larger world scale:

there would be no wars since all people would slow down and see what is really going on.
people would take the time to go within and experience their inner life since there is no need for stress and hurry.
people would slow down enough to see the value in everyone else and want a harmonious relationship with their neighbor–and nature.
people would not chase after money like crazy since patience might unfold better ways of dealing in the world and make money that is based on respect for self and others. That is a personal experience, but what if everyone was doing it?
Patience would show everyone the true value of life since there would be no rat race.

Let’s all wake up and start looking through the eyes of patience.

I know something holds me back from fully allowing and letting go. It is my fearful mind, the one that says “be cautious” don’t give it all away. Hold back…showing vulnerability is me coming from a point of weakness. If I let it “all hang out” I might get punished.

That is bullshit that old experiences created. Fear to be oneself and live out loud.

What to do about it?

Sit with whatever it is and wait for some inspiration, or take some action that is contrary to the status quo. Patience is doing the right thing at the right time.

Patience always leads to inspired action but it will always challenge the go-go-go tendency we have.

Splash some mad color over the art and then wait and see where that leads. Experiment while practicing patience and there will be an opening, a step forward (probably not some action you expected.)

That is how art moves in a new direction and you follow the lead. Trust your gut and let it all hang out!! Yeah.

Create something today! Don’t waste this day of possibility. Cruising Facebook is not worth it. 🙂

Maria

P.S. I offer 1-on-1 coaching using my psychic abilities and help you set up a plan of action for more creativity in your life. It’s not all about art, it’s about a better life experience. CLICK HERE.

art journaling, asskickery, creativity, life, motivational, passion, self help

Do what you enjoy first, chores later.

May 30, 2016 Maria G

Hell yea, do what you enjoy first. I have lived by that motto for good and bad during my life, but I KNOW that it is the right way to live.

Most people are not able to let go of the fear, which is dug deep into our psyche to prevent any “black sheep” activity. Be a good robot and waste your precious life on stuff that you hate. Does that make sense?

No.

I realize the bills have to be paid and the dust bunnies have to be swept up and killed, but will the world end if you do that later? No.

We set up our own prisons and stay inside them even though the door is open and the key got lost a long time ago. (Probably hanging out with the dust bunnies.)

The only way I can explore the journey of my art is to practice it daily, and do it while I still have some energy. The boring stuff I can do with one eye closed, or hire someone else to do it.

To work against the programming that has been imprinted since birth, we have to take steps, even if they are mini steps, and no matter how old you are, to change and find something more soul nourishing. Excuses begone! (By the way, there is an excellent audio book by that title by Wayne Dyer.)

Give yourself PERMISSION to start doing what you’re passionate about. Take a long hard look at life and see where the hang ups stop you in your tracks. Are you willing to part with your hang-ups and quirks and phobias? You can, you know. It’s a choice.

Yes, that’s right. It’s a frigging choice. You are not really ruled by your inner hang-ups, but it might seem that way because that’s how we are used to living life. No wonder the whole society is neurotic.

You can choose right now to change your life, one baby step at a time. You will gain confidence, experience, new ways of seeing things, inspiration to move forward even if the road seems dim at times.

If we all did this we would live in a happier place and inspire others to be happy, and before you know it, more and more people would be infected by the happy bug.

Let’s be explorers of our own capabilities and see where they might lead. Never a boring moment for sure. Happy new year, all year long.

So whatever argument you have to what I stated above is an EXCUSE.

I did some art in the last couple of days and had lots of fun, art journaling mostly.

On that note, have a fabulous week, doing what you love FIRST.

I have some items on sale in my etsy shop. I made three handmade journals that are ready to be embellished. CLICK HERE.

Maria

Maria Greene @ Greeneearth

Tag Archives: Maria Greene

Art as energy work.

Polymer clay mosaic tile tutorial

Art Journaling stuff.

Raining on your parade?

Patience is a virtue.

Do what you enjoy first, chores later.

Artist and writer