Another Double Tuesday

Hi everybody!

Every 2 weeks here it's a double day, with new challenges at Try it on Tuesday and Tag Tuesday. At TIOT our them is 'spooky' , and at TT 'Autumn extravaganza'. Both themes that I really like.

For Try it on Tuesday I made a witch house from an altered box. I painted the outside and inside 'walls' a nice, mouldy looking black, papered the walls with Halloween paper, and hung up some fancy curtains. The furniture is minimal, the witch Evilena, does not like clutter, and is quite happy with a pumpkin to sit on, a broom to get rid of spiders and to fly,  a good selection of poison bottles and a spell book she inherited from her grandmother.  Her daughter wanted TV, but Evilena did not allow it, so her DD left home.

For Tag Tuesday I made a quick autumn tag. I used a scrap of cardboard (8") from an old box, which I embossed with Utee gold into which I stamped while it was still warm. The other side is a scrap of painted card. The leaves are natural ones, which have been embossed with tinsel EP, Frantage gold and Frantage aged copper. A few seed pods and a scrap of burlap, together with some recycled  embellishments finished it off. I am linking to Soartful challenges, leaves.

I have been trying to get a photo of this woodpecker for weeks, it flies off as soon as I move to the window. But yesterday I managed to catch it, sitting in the branches of the birch tree.

I saw this web today between the stones and drain-pipe of one of the ancient houses here. I was surprised to see how strong and waterproof a spider's web is, and how beautiful:

And the evening sky was once again a treat to see:

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by.

Still life and land life

Hi everybody!

Time is flying fast, and the weekend is almost over.

We had a beautiful, sunny and dry weekend here, so I was able to be outside a lot, and enjoyed my walks through the autumn landscape very much. I managed another 15 kilometer today, so was happy with that.

I have made a mixed-media piece for  Mix-it-monthly, where Conny wants to see a still life, with light and dark blue, yellow, red and white. Well, the colours are at least more or less right!

I started off by sticking some paper scraps and bits of vintage paper onto my paper (A3), and some strips of bandage. The chemist here recently had a box full of old bandages which were to be had for nothing, as they were past their sell-by date, which means they are possibly not sterile any more, which did not worry me. 

Then I gave it a thin coat of gesso so as not to completely cover up the papers.

Then I painted squares, using water-colours, in various shades of red, yellow and blue. I let each layer dry before adding the next one. It was much brighter than I wanted - sorry, forgot to take a photo, so I gave it another coat of diluted gesso.

I used a large scroll stamp (thanks again, Chrissie) to stamp into the wet background to add some more texture and patterning.

Then I drew my blue glass vase with pastel chalks, and added some tulips (well, I hope they look like tulips).  And that was it. I am linking to Mix-it-Monthly, still life,  Artist Trading Post, anything (mixed media) goes, and Moo Mania and More, bright and cheerful

Today I walked to the dilapidated castle, Schloss Kalkum again. 

I met these nice horses on my way:

The old water mill always looks beautiful:

The castle ghost is  starting to spook about:

I love the still corners of the park:

The ducks were happy and hungry as always:

Then I walked home through the fields, where the farmer was busy harvesting:

And I visited the  cattle again - aren't they gorgeous?

I took loads more photos, but will save them for another day.

Have a great day you all, whatever you are up to, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

The last drippy forest....

Hi everybody!

It hasn't rained yet today, and the sun is shining, so it was nice to have a dry walk again! The paths through the fields and trees are still very soggy, but better than they were!

This is the last of the drippy paintings for my forest theme. I have 2 more 'ready-dripped' ones, but they are more in an under-water colour scheme, so will use them for another project. The background was painted with left-overs again, using brown, orange and some gold metallic, and then sprayed, dripped, and dried in various layers. I used more of the metal patinas this time, too, and some gold ink which I dripped on. I had some spray ink residues in my bottles, so dipped a brush into them and flipped them on, which gave a nice mottled look. Just having fun playing and experimenting, as always. I added lots of fairy dust, and some bistre powders sprinkled on very sparingly. I found lots of sprites, strange beings and little monsters, which I outlined with white or other gel-pens. I drew and painted the toadstools and used some die cuts as templates for the bats. The bats are white to show they are VERY hungry and in need of a good meal.... The spider just crawled on the page, so I left it there.

I am linking to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Journey
Frilly and Funkie, colours of autumn and
ACC, Halloween

The close ups with the fairy dust are hard to photograph!

When I go for my walks and come back along the Rhine, I am always happy when I see the spires growing larger as I move towards them:

This is the gateway-tower over the entrance to the Marien-Hospital

 Here is the spire of the Basilica:

That's all for today! Have a great weekend, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!