Clearance Chic

Though my mixed media art mostly involves paint on a canvas in some way I have started exploring the world of mixed media jewelry, especially with the use of Ice Resin. I have fallen in love! I have so many new creations to share with you. However I decided for this to be the first one.

One of my favorite things is to recycle found objects and to give new life to things that otherwise would end up in the trash. So naturally the clearance section in most stores appeals to me, as if it calls my name the minute I walk through the front door. There they sit, with the bright yellow or red stickers marking down their value because they’re broken or simply sat on the shelf too long. I personally think these things can become even more beautiful, they just need a little TLC, almost like that last scraggly mut waiting to get adopted.

So this project started off in front of the Clearance Wall at Hobby Lobby. I found this sparkling silver pendant that originally had rhinestones in it but a couple of them were missing. So for only $ .75 (yes 75 cents) I knew I needed to give it a new purpose. I paid its adoption fee and set it free from its clearance tag. 

I found that heating the metal pendant with my heat tool made it very easy to pop out the remaining rhinestones with the help of a very small flat head screwdriver and a simple tap with the hammer. Freedom! I now had a great bezel for my Ice Resin. I mixed some Opal Shattered Inclusions into my resin and poured into the bezel. Voila! A fab new pendant to add to a necklace.

Texture to Go

Last week I talked about collecting found objects. There are times when I see things that I can not pick up and take with me though. Textures. I discover beautiful textures all around me and collect them the only way I know how, through the tiny lens on my phone. From intriguing fruit at the grocery store that I’ve never heard of before to an old dilapidated metal post.
When I can, I will use these textures in my artwork. Here is an example where I took a print of one of my texture photos and added it to a mixed media canvas. After stripping the paper backing I had a flexible plastic like piece of material that wrinkled slightly when I adhered it to o the painted canvas adding depth.

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This 6″ x 6″ mixed media canvas is available in my Etsy shop here.

Time Travel

I love circles. They inspire me. Perfectly symmetrical circles or less perfect drawn by hand ellipses, all are beautiful, I am not biased. I love many things that are circles from polka dots, which make happy, to clocks that simply make me feel good. I have enjoyed clocks since I was a child. I believe my appreciation came from my grandfather who worked on clocks. The workmanship that went into building a clock intrigued me, all those gears working together in unison was amazing.

Last week I shared a part of my collection of found objects. I thought this week I would share one of my pieces involving found objects and my love for circles and clocks. I called it Time Travel.