The Colors of My World

The weekend, as usual, came and went too quickly. The good news is I got to spend a good chunk of it painting! The bad news is - alas! - it was not in my Moleskine watercolor journal, and not with my lovely watercolor pencils, and did not include dainty florals or any scenes from nature. It did, however, include a very pretty color called Urban Mist, even though it came in a gallon sized can.

I have been wanting to paint my bedroom for a long, long time, so I am very pleased that it is (mostly) done. The color is not exactly what I wanted, but is such a tremendous improvement that I'm happy with it. (Hubby is out of town and it'll be interesting to see how long it takes him to notice when he gets home next weekend.)

I also bought a couple gallons of paint to paint my living room and my entry way. I painted the dining room about a year ago - one of those not-quite-beige-not-quite-cream-not-quite-tan colors that seems to be different hues at different times of the day. I have an open floor plan and the dining room and living room flow one into the other, so I will continue that color into the living room. It's called Baked Scone. Mmm . . . yummy.

And that got me wondering - who gets to name all these colors? The other paint chips I picked up when trying to decide what color paint to buy are called Mesa Taupe, Silver Sage, Verdigris, Cafe Cream, Clear Pond, Sculptor Clay, and Ozone. I have a brochure/catalog from a few years ago from Anna Sova, a company that sells "healthy paint" as well as organic bedding. (They even, at one point, had what they called "Paint Aromatherapy." You could add a small container of "aroma" to your paint and it supposedly lasted from 6 months to a year. Aromas included Clean/Fresh Lemons, Hope/Vanilla, Exotica/Sandalwood, and Courage/Orange Clove. Are you getting this Fragrant Muse? ;) Don't know if they still sell them.)

Anna Sova's colors were outrageous! Elephants of Victory. Tibetan Turquoise. Fish Calligraphy. Flying Lizard. Stonehenge. Filipino Eggplant. I could go on and on.

And have you checked out a box of Crayola Crayons lately? The box of 96 still includes my old favorites from SO many years ago - Sky Blue, Apricot, Sea Green, and Burnt Sienna. Now there's also Timberwolf, Big Dip o' Ruby (metallic), Inchworm, Purple Mountain's Majesty, Tumbleweed, Macaroni and Cheese, and Wild Blue Yonder.

I want that job! I could come up with a few I think. How about Marilyn Monroe Lipstick Red, Caramelized Onion, Bird of Paradise, Egg Yolk. (I have a small eyeshadow compact with two shades of green. I put the lighter one on one day and instantly thought, "Oh no! It's that weird pearlescent green color that ham turns when it's getting a little old." Haven't ever worn that one!)

And I have some for the Grunge set - Four Day Old Bruise, Marilyn Manson Black, Dirty Dreadlocks.

What colors can you come up with?

Altered Art - Altering Me

I love collages. Of all sorts. I love the layering and textures of papers. And if there are bits of lace or string, or any little unexpected treasures to discover, it's just the sprinkles on the icing on the cake.

And I love altered art - books, journals, what have you. I remember the first time I saw an altered book. It was only in a photo in a magazine; even so, I thought it was just the coolest thing. But I've never tried one myself. (I even have a book that I read years ago and saved especially to alter.)

I've scrapbooked - always on paper, never digitally. I need to be able to touch it and feel the edges of the papers, and the layers of paint on the chipboard, and the other embellishments. That's a large part of the appeal for me.

I have discovered so many great artists and photographers since I began blogging. And there are heaps of opportunities and invitations to explore and expand my creativity. And I love jumping right in. Usually.

But I haven't ever been able to sit down and just start an altered project. And I don't know why. I know that there is no right or wrong; all I have to do is start.

So I finally did.

I chose a magazine that had some page spreads that just seemed perfect to use as a starting point (since I have plenty of magazines). I painted on one page, around a word that I liked. And it looked pretty good. Then I decided to add a second color over the top of the first color. Also pretty good. But then I started free-handing some swirly vine thingies. Not so good. More paint to cover it up. Not so good. But I really wanted to use that page, because I really liked that word. So I added some paper over the top of the page, but cut out a window so that I could still see the word. Now, time for paint again. Pretty good. Now some writing. Alright. (except for one misspelled word, drat!) Some free-handed drawing/painting. And I think I'm done.

I am not in love with it, although it's grown on me some today. But I did it. And so I'm putting it up here. It is a part of me -- my artwork, for what it's worth, and my words. And that makes me happy.