iHanna Postcard Swap by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

Postcards created by Leada Wood©2016

Postcards created by Leada Wood©2016

Happy Spring! It is that time again for the iHanna postcard swap. I did a series of postcards for the swap starting them all the same way by using acrylic paint and a scrapper, spreading the paint around. Then using stencils, hand made collage, glitter, washi tape, Gelli rollers and Tombow pens finished them up. I hope my new art swap friends like them!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

                                                      -----Anais Nin

Star Light, Star Bright by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

"Star Light, Star Bright" by Leada Wood ©2016

Do you remember looking at the starry sky on a summers night and saying the little poem "Star Light, star bright, the first star I see tonight, I wish I may I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." It's funny when I am painting a title just pops into my head or sometimes during the drawing stage. They just seem to come out of the blue and remind me of different times throughout my life. That's why I always say " Art takes you places."

I have been working on this series of bird paintings for a show that the Caboose Watercolor Society is having at Howard College. The exhibition opened on April 1st and will run until May 4th. The reception will be April 12th from 5:00 to 6:30, be sure to drop by and see the show.

The birds are collaged from hand painted papers that I create with Gelli prints and then paint on top of the prints. It gives a whole different look to a painting. The process is a bit long but I enjoy it...I hope you do too!

"We lose ourselves in the things we love...we find ourselves there too."

Wish Upon A Star, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

"Wish Upon A Star" by Leada Wood ©2016

I always loved Disney and can remember watching it on Sunday evenings when growing up. I think he was influential in my creative development. I was always an imaginative and curious child asking questions and wanting to know why. 

"Wish Upon A Star" is collage on cradle board. I hand paint most of the paper I use in collage. These papers began as Gelli prints that I embellished before they began their life as collage. A long process that is quite entailed to be sure...but it is all about the process...right?

The song Wish Upon a star was written for Disney by Leigh Harline for the movie Pinocchio and was sung by Jiminy Cricket. It has since become the representative song of the Walt Disney Company.

When you wish upon a star

Makes  no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires 

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Fate is kind

She brings to those who love

The sweet fulfillment of 

Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true

When your heart is in your dream 

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams will come true

Oh those were simpler times full of imagination! Thanks for stopping by!

Pink Is My Favorite Color, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

Gelli is my new obsession without a question! This is some of my collage paper I am making from my Gelli prints. It is so much fun it could be illegal. I am trying to build a stash, scan it into my computer so I can use them over and over again for cards, backgrounds for art journals or collage. Hopefully I will come up with some more uses along the way as well. Would love to hear what you do with your Gelli prints.

Gelli printing is only the beginning...after slathering layers of paint I stamp it up, stencil, scribble, splatter and color to my hearts content.  I then break them down and reassemble them into something new...kind of like puzzle solving.

This is actually an accumulation of several days work or play...so relaxing and completely takes me away to my happy place. It gives an unique look to my art that is all my own. Immersed in the process I give myself the freedom to create and enjoy the process.

Another Gelli print. You can use them whole or find a small section that floats your boat. The possibilities are endless. It looks pretty busy but as you can see from the one below a small section is nice.

A close up of a happy accident. I impressed my stamp on top of a towel and it picked up the weave in the towel as well...SWEET!

This is my new stamp and you can really see the texture from the towel here. I think they call this magic foam...just heat with a heat gun and impress the design into the foam. MAGIC!

I used my new Derwent Art Bars on this one and love the intense color and creamy texture of them. I have had them for a while but decided it was time to try them out. Do you save your art supplies for special or try them out right away?

Working on a new series is always fun! I started five today...can't wait to get back into the studio and get going on them. I am so grateful for an artist's life and the opportunity to create. 

Have a great weekend!

Art Journaling, Mixed Media by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Art Journaling is so freeing and relaxing and gives me a place to play and try out new ideas. I am rather a newbie at it and still want to be in control somewhat. Maybe that is like everything else...it comes with practice. 

These pieces are mixed media...that means I used a lot of my art supplies I haven't used in a while. They were totally different in the beginning. I collaged paper onto the scrap mat boards I had lying around the studio then slathered paint until I enjoyed the colors. I used stamps,stencils with a little water soluble pencils, soft pastels, pens and glitter thrown in for good measure.

I enjoy the soft colors and the dream like quality of these pieces. I am working in a series of ten front and back so that will make a nice little journal when bound...if I can bear to poke holes in them!

"Dream" copyright 2015 Leada Wood

"Shine On" copyright 2015 Leada Wood

"Believe" copyright 2015 Leada Wood

30 Paintings In 30 Days by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

"Spirit Dreams" by Leada Wood©2015

Day 21 of the 30-30 challenge

"Spirit Dreams" is an acrylic mixed media painting. I begin by writing words or verses onto the blank canvas board. Then I use Gelli Prints that I create for the figures. I collage them on to a canvas board which has many layers of paint and papers, some are just barely visible. Mixed Media is a process and I really like doing them. It is almost like a puzzle to get all the patterns, textures and colors unified into a painting...and you never know IF or how it will turn out...just like any other media. 

I saw this on Bob Burridge's Bob Blast today.

"Collage is an intuitive process of concealing, revealing, adding and subtracting until the artist's goals and intentions emerge from the layers 

of construction and paint. Using a variety of materials and techniques, 

the artist invents in their "laboratory for creativity." Keeping with the 

original history of college art, it's all about risk-taking, new ideas, intentions and inventions."

That pretty much sums it up.

30 Paintings In 30 Days, By Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

Moon Dance by Leada Wood©2015

Day 20 of the 30-30 Challenge

"Moon Dance" is a mixed media painting using acrylic, collage, and water soluble crayon on canvas board. Ten days to go!

30 Paintings In 30 Days by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Leada Wood, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Collage

Deli Cat by Leada Wood©2015

Day 19  of the 30-30 challenge.

Another Mixed Media, 5x7, collage, acrylic, water soluble crayons and Gelli Print. Busy weekend!

IHanna's Spring Post Card Swap by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

 

 

 

Heart Of Gold ©Leada Wood 2015


I am participating in IHanna's Spring Post Card Exchange. Artists around the world are creating post cards right now to exchange with one another. This is my second time to exchange. It is such a pleasure to make the cards but even more pleasant to receive them. During the winter exchange I was the recipient of 10 beautiful little gems. I felt so honored to receive them.

 

Kokopeli  ©Leada Wood 2015

 

Kokopeli is a Native American symbol for fertility and represents the Spirit of music. I used a Gelli print and painted negatively around the little deity.  You see I am finding ways to use my Gelli prints! I collaged Gelli prints onto all my postcards for a starting point. 

 

 

 

 

Dream Big ©Leada Wood 2015


I have more post cards to share with you but my wireless is really slow tonight so I am just posting a trio.  It's getting late... time to relax and rest after a good day in the studio. Thanks for stopping by!


 

 

 

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Leada  Wood

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Harvest Moon, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Harvest Moon by Leada Wood, Day 9 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Yep I'm still painting! I sure am glad I took Leslie's advise and made a file of photo references that I might like to paint before the challenge began. It would be getting hard to go though all those files and make those decisions right now. When I am not painting I'm sketching to get ready for the next painting. Whew! It is a challenge! Even though I do something related to art everyday normally, this is different. Besides painting and sketching, I am writing about it and posting on 3 blogs and Facebook. It is a good thing to confront yourself occasionally so that you can see if you can complete the challenge. Only 21 more days!

Harvest Moon is an acrylic collage on canvas board. I used one of my citra solv papers I made from National Geographic pages for the background and then painted on top of that. Thanks for looking!

"Harvest Moon" by Leada Wood copyright 2014

Image Is Everything by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

 

 

Day 5 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days. It is quiet a challenge to keep on going...to do a painting a day is a real stretch! It's kind of like exercise, I know it's good for me and it gives me a good feeling when I finish. I am keeping my brushes wet!

 

This is a 9x12 mixed media collage on watercolor paper.

 

 

Image Is Everything by Leada Wood ©2014

There's A Song In The Air by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Day 4 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

 

"There's A Song In The Air" is a 8x8 mixed media collage on paper using liquid acrylics. A mixed media collage is where you use found papers, paint, transparencies, image transfers and whatever else you want and layer them, making  them cohesive enough to make a painting. A mixture of various techniques goes into each one. I do enjoy doing these as they are creatively challenging, kind of like a puzzle.

 

 

"There's A Song In The Air" by Leada Wood ©2014

Making Paper For College by Leada Wood, Contemporay Artist Of Texas

These young ladies are painting deli papers. This is the first step in creating your personal collage papers. you can also use, art tissue, gift tissue or any number speciality papers. You must have color harmony so we choose 3 primary colors, red, yellow and blue. Added water to the paint, just a little, and painted papers.

To change the colors up a bit the girls added a little black to create a different tone. As you can see you need lots of space when you are creating your papers.

The whole studio was covered in painted papers! This is only the first step. The girls have started making their stamps to decorate their collage paper. People sometimes have a misconception about college...that it is just gluing papers to a substrate.  But noooo....a true collage artists starts from scratch and makes their own original papers. A lot of work but the results are worth it!

Legends by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas

Legends by Leada Wood©
www.leadawood.com


This is a 12X12 torn paper collage on a deep cradle canvas...no need for framing as the painting wraps around.
The Meek's children's hospital in Abilene holds a special place in my heart, as my grandson Carter was one of the poster kids a couple of years back. It is not a place you want one of your loved ones to be in but I am very thankful for their care, concern and ability to heal. We have been donating to their cause for many years as a business. This year I had the opportunity to donate a work of art to their auction at Hendrick's Hospital.
Hendrick's Hospital sponsors a Legends Dove Hunt the first of September every year to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network.
 I decided to do a torn paper collage in honor of the dove hunt with a map of Abilene in the background and various paper from the Legend's brochure . Their is absolutely no paint on this painting...just torn paper from various sources. Fun to do...kind of like a puzzle.
This one is for you Carter!

Front Row Shimmer by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas

Front Row Shimmer by Leada Wood©

Beginning


The bottom photo is how this miniature piece started out. I lay down 4 or 6, 5x7 substrates and start playing. I have quiet  a stash of collage papers...just ask my friends...something was said about hoarding, but I disagree! I am a collector! And talk about Green Art! Look at all the things I am repurposing!
After I glue down all the paper I want to use, I start laying in the paint. I usually use acrylics along with lots of other things to get the effect I'm after.  I wanted to give this a soft, dreamy effect of a young girl stretching in the wings getting ready for her performance. I left the words Front Row Shimmer showing...thus the title of this little jewel.
 

"White Lightening" by Leada Wood

White Lightening by Leada Wood©


This is a small acrylic painting 6x8 on canvas. Finished today at Studio Twenty. There is texture, vivid colors and lines, oh my! Everything I love about Mixed Media. This one is full of energy and needs a home. Contact me!

"Moon Shadows" by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Moon Shadows by Leada Wood©

Close up of Moon Shadows by Leada Wood©

This was started in Carol Nelson's workshop and has gone through many changes since then. I decided today what was needed to finish and here it is on my blog at last!  I started the same as in the previous post layering papers I had designed, then glazing.The flower is a new technique Carol taught in her workshop to paint our papers. After all the collaging I started laying in my lights and darks and putting the finishing touches on.

I love Moonflowers! My mom and grandmother always had them in their yards.They bloom at night and early in the morning. I haven't carried on the tradition as yet but I do see moonflowers in my future!

Joy! by Leada Wood

Joy! by Leada Wood©

Another day another journal! I keep a stash of hand painted papers on hand so that when I feel like doing a collage my papers are ready to go. When I don't have a painting going and don't want to start one...I break out the papers and start painting and stamping on them. This releases my creativity and after a bit I am ready to go on to the next painting, or journal.


The colors on this journal were so bright and cheerful that I had to paint "Joy" on top. If you haven't tried collage yet,you really should! It is so relaxing layering all the beautiful colors and designs to create something new. There isn't a wrong way...you just keep layering until it pleases you...or as Gerald Brommer says "until you can't pick it up!"

Here's To The Crazy Ones by Leada Wood©

Here's To The Crazy Ones by Leada Wood ©

This is another miniature mixed media painting only 5"x7". I glazed paint, dribbled paint and splattered paint but that was only the beginning! I decided to use some of my collage paper I had created and a watch spring I had laying around but that was after I had added part of a poem by Robert Burridge that goes like this:

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits...the rebels...the troublemakers...the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify them or vilify them. Because they change things. They invent...they imagine...they heal...they explore...they create...they inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kind of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
                                                                                                                                                        ---Robert Burridge 

Year Of The Dragon by Leada Wood©

Year Of The Dragon by Leada Wood©

I just can't get enough of those Geisha, I love to paint them, and especially like to put them into a mixed media painting. I used an altered background technique and then glazed over that. Next I added some collage and drew my Geisha on, then painted and collaged some more until I thought it was finished. But nooooo...I decided since it was the year of the dragon and had a stamp and coin I would add those as well to the painting. Thus the name of my painting! This is a miniature mixed media painting only 5"x7".