Fortune Cookie by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 13 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge nearly halfway there.i had a little Asian series going with GIrl With The Golden Fan, Yin and Yang, and now Fortune Cookie. They are all 6x6 mixed media collage sure would make some one a cute grouping. There is a plan for a fourth one to be added. I just love making Asian mixed media collage.

If you have never painted a fortune cookie why don't you get you one and give it a try. I thought oh yeah that will be quick and easy! WRONG! For such a simple little subject matter it was tough! I think you should try it you will be amazed how difficult it is, especially one with crack showing around the edge. If I had thick bodied paints and palette knives it would have mad the job simpler I think. I may have to try it again like that just to see. It was fun to paint just surprising at how challenging it was.

Fortune Cookie by Leada Wood copyright 2014

Girl With The Golden Fan by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 8 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Hope you aren't getting tired of seeing a post by me everyday in your inbox. I do appreciate your support and welcome your comments.  Don't be afraid to comment...I love to hear what you think. I am happy that I am still hanging in there and have already painted 8 paintings this year! I would say 2014 is off to a good start. I have been bouncing back and forth between realism with watercolor and acrylic mixed media collage. This keeps me on my toes as well as creatively challenged.

Todays painting of the day is a mixed media collage, 8x8 on canvas board painted with acrylics. Even with these small paintings it takes time. I make the papers for these collages using various techniques. Very rarely do I use purchased papers. I use found papers as well. They might be pages of an old book or pages out of a telephone directory or newspaper. I am searching for interesting calligraphy and line. When I create my collage paper it is a 2 or 3 day event as I do lots of different colors  and lay them out to dry. The next day I will get out my collection of hand carved stamps and put design onto the paper. I sometimes add another layer the next day. I enjoy the making of the paper as I think it gives a unique and personal touch to my collages.  

Girl With The Golden Fan by Leada Wood ©2014

Gossip Girls by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Gossip Girls by Leada Wood©

Well it's been a tedious process but I am finally through with this painting. No paint was used only paper, it is 14x22 on Arches paper. Collage is very freeing, fun and a little addictive! I have been on an Asian theme lately but I must leave it  for now so that I can get ready for upcoming shows.  I decided to name this one Gossip Girls as they look as if they are  tuned in to some intense conversation. What do you think?

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas



Gossip Geishas by Leada Wood © 2011

 Well like the energizer bunny I am still going! Getting closer to the final stages with another painting marinating in my head. It's amazing how the creative juices flow from one idea to the next. It's one of the things I love about being an artist, the thrill of the next painting! Until the next post!

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Gossip Geishas by Leada Wood © 20011

I finally came up with a name, thanks to my friend Linda. I don't know if you watched Gossip Girls on tv but I did and thought Gossip Geishas was a good name for this painting. I had considered the Matchmaker but decided I liked Gossip Geishas better. What do you think? 
 I used paper that I had painted, on the left Geisha for a change of pace, still a lot to do on this painting. It would have been much easier to paint this painting with watercolor, but it is kind of like a puzzle to get all the right paper in the right places and make it look like a painting. Collage has been around for centuries, I did a reseach paper in collage on Kurt Schwitters, a famous German collage artist, which began my facination with collage that continues to this day. I am making progress so keep checking back to see how I am coming! Thanks for looking!

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas




by Leada Wood ©2011


These two geishas are coming along, I am still tearing paper and gluing it down, trying to add line, value and shape as I go. They are on 1/2 sheet of watercolor paper and I think it would have been much easier if I had enlarged them to a full sheet. The detail and shadows in the face are very tedious as her face is small, but I always accept a challenge and usually overcome it! Still a way to go but progress is being made....I will keep you posted!

 

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

copyrighted by Leada Wood

Progress is being made at Studio Twenty on my collage. There is a story here with these two women's heads together...will have to think up a good one and share it with you! Although I do love red, I don't know whether I will continue the red all  the way down  the girl on the right or do something unexpected. What do you think?

 

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

drawing ©Leada Wood

Yes Suzy I think I am hooked! Here is my drawing for another paper painting. Painting with paper or collage is such fun! I have done it off and on for years but now and then I revisit it and get excited all over again doing them. This is a half sheet of watercolor paper with my drawing in sharpie marker, so I can keep up with the lines and drawing when I get started gluing paper down. I will be posting photos of the process, so keep checking back to see my progress.

Paper Geisha Beginnings

Paper Geisha by Leada Wood ©

After tracing over my drawing with sharpie marker so I wouldn't lose my design, I glued down the back ground . Then I started ripping tiny pieces of colored paper from magazine pages and gluing them down. Trying to use them like paint, keeping in mind that I had to use different values to build form and shape.

Paper Geisha

Paper Geisha by Leada Wood ©

This is a paper painting collage I completed today in a workshop at Studio Twenty with instructor Suzy Pal. What a wonderful group of ladies! We had such fun, each doing their own subject matter, tearing hundreds of bits of paper from magazine pages and gluing them to their substrates. I collaged mine to watercolor paper and it is 11X15.

Paper Geisha

Work in progress. Today at Leada Wood's Studio Twenty the West Texas Art Guild had a workshop with Suzy Pal. Suzy showed us how to paint with paper or collage, except we tore hundreds of bits of different colored paper from magazines pages and glued the bits to paper or canvas with gloss varnish. I am holding up my geisha that I was working on. We had a wonderful day playing with paper!