Enjoy The Journey by Leada Wood, Contempory Artist Of Texas

Enjoy The Journey by Leada Wood©

My sweet niece has a very big heart. She has donated her hair to Locks Of Love and now she is going to shave her head on her birthday to raise money for St. Balricks to help find a cure for childhood cancer. She will be 24 on her birthday. Not many young folks at that age are into raising money for good causes.  She has also done various other things all year to raise money for this wonderful cause. I am so proud of this young lady! And thankful to all those who spend time and energy for good causes.

I wanted to help her raise even more money at her event on Tuesday, her birthday. I am donating this painting, the one she picked to  help her with her cause. We should do all the good we can while we are able. We have been given so much, so many blessings to enjoy! I hope you take the time today to be grateful for all your many blessings.

I love you Whitney and I count you as one of my blessings!

Oh a little about this painting! I painted the papers and tore them into pieces and layered them over an underpainting. I didn't paint the small angel on the right, she just appeared! Eerie! I did draw with a gold metal leaf pen around her to bring her into focus. I love the saying "Enjoy The Journey" so I added it to this painting as a reminder to us all.

"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!

"Stella" by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas, Torn Paper Collage



Stella by Leada Wood©

This was a very special commission for a doctor for her intern, as a thank you for staying with her after her internship. It is always a little unnerving to do a portrait, whether it  be of a person or animal. We all hold such high expectations thanks in part to modern photography.  A painting is not a photograph no matter what the medium. The artist tries to capture the essence of the subject, to show a little of its soul.
 
I was a little nervous when I unveiled the above painting of Stella to her master, you never know how folks will react. Not to worry! Hilliary jumped up and down clapping her hands shouting that's my Stella! She then began to examine it more and tears welled up in her eyes and she gave me a big hug and told me she loved it!

 Now that made my day and all the time ripping and shredding paper and looking for just the right papers worth while. Torn paper collage is more of a challenge than just painting a picture as you use words, texture, symbolism and all manner of found papers to bring your subject to completion, kind of like a puzzle.

"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!

Collage Overlay by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

A little collage overlay

 

Letting the paint go where it will and dripping and splattering

Sometimes it is fun just to drip paint and see where it takes you.  The journey of discovery is what creativity is all about.  I started fooling around with two of my favorite Golden liquid acrylics and splashed and splattered them around until I enjoyed the results. Then I started playing with my stamps while that was drying, stamping about until the paint was dry. I then started tearing those apart and collaged them on top of the painted canvas board, layering them on top of each other. I'm not sure I have finished or not...at least for now it is. I may add something else later, if I do I will keep you posted.

"Prickly Pears" by Leada Wood, Conterporary Texas Artist

Beginning

After the wax

This is another Faux Batik, they are exciting to create...and could become addictive, at least for a little while.  The fun thing about painting is the creative process and where it takes you...you never know where a painting will end up...if it turns out at all!

 I love to paint prickly pear cactus, in the spring they have beautiful flowers, I call them Texas roses. The flowers come in a variety of colors, yellow, orange and fuchsia. When they are through flowering they develop this little red fruit, which makes wonderful jelly, just beware of the thorns!

"Cosmos" by Leada Wood, Contemporary Texas Artist

Beginnings

It's All In The Crumple!



The Happy Ending! "Cosomos" by Leada Wood©

Faux Batik is fun in watercolor...but in Acrylic it is indescribable! The paper I use is a Japanese paper, a little heavier than tissue paper but still transparent with pieces of fiber running through it and delicate. When you are finished with the painting you apply a special mixture of waxes all over the painting and then crumple it up...then you apply a color of paint over the wax and it goes into the crevices...hopefully. When that is all finished you iron the wax out of your painting and what is left is a beautiful faux batik effect.

Carol Nelson Workshop by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Carol and Leada



JoMama, Carol, Leada, Eole

Leada and Nancy

We had such a wonderful time in Granbury at the Carol Nelson Mixed Media Workshop.  It is always fun to get to paint with your artist friends and make new ones. This was a great group of ladies...everyone painting till the cows came home! Carol demoed her little heart out and shared some exciting new techniques with us. Nancy said this was her third workshop with Carol and it was always something new and exciting to learn...I believe her as Nancy is a workshop Diva and travels all over taking classes.  I waited two years trying to get into one of Carol's Texas workshops, this was my lucky year!  I highly recommend this energetic and innovative workshop to anyone interested in taking their art to a new level. Thanks Carol!

"Blue" by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Blue" by Leada Wood©

What would we do without our friends??? Life certainly would not be as sweet! My dear friend Penny knows me so well....she sensed that I might be down Mother's Day as it was the first one without my mom. Penny drops the most beautiful blue hydrangea by my house as a surprise the day before mother's day. WOW!!! What a wonderful thing to do...it sure lifted my spirits and helped me get through a difficult time.  I guess Penny knew what I was feeling as she had also recently lost her mom as well. Mom's are very hard to lose, especially when you are very close. So take care of your moms my friends, visit them often and cherish your times together...and also treasure your friends.

 I painted this hydrangea for Penny as she loves blue hydrangeas but her gorgeous bush, because of our alkaline soil, will only produce pink blooms! Me I love pink as well, so I enjoy driving by her house and seeing her beautiful pink hydrangeas...maybe I will paint a pink one too.

"Landscape" Contemporary Abstract by Texas Artist Leada Wood

"Landscape" Contemporary Abstract by Texas Artist Leada Wood ©

I don't usually do landscapes , but I did enjoy this challenge in Douglas Walton's Walton's Workshop as it was anything but ordinary. We had to think outside the box as we chose five colors and laid them down randomly. We had to let it happen not make it happen and be willing to let insight come.  We then had to decide what was needed and add the unexpected.
Douglas Walton's classes are all about design and creativity and not the ordinary. Such fun!