Autumn face

Hi Everybody!

Hope your weekend is going well.

I am still in shock after the awful happenings in Paris, and

my thoughts are with all who lost loved ones

and those who are struggling for their lives in hospital.

For Art Journal Journey, inspired by the colours of autumn, 99 faces, and 

Kim Dellow's Show your face I made an A3 mixed media page. The background was painted with acrylics in warm colours and then stamped. I drew the face with black ink, and added some of my natural leaves embossed with Utee gold. I sprinkled a few golden stars  down one side.

Today we had a lovely sunrise, but after that it was mostly cold, grey and windy.

Have a good day you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

One face for several challenges!

Hi Everybody!

Happy weekend!

For Art Journal Journey, inspired by autumn colours, 99 faces and Kim's show your face I have another journal page. The background was hand painted and collaged,  then digitally  altered with some brushes. The head was drawn with black India ink.

This project is an expression of my sadness and horror at what happened in Paris yesterday:

This week I had to go into Düsseldorf, so seized the opportunity to walk over the bridge back to 'my' side of town. I always enjoy the views of the Altstadt....

....but I am always happy to get back here, where the air is fresher and the grass is greener:

This beautiful spider's web was hanging in front of a decaying tree stump, it looks like tatty lace curtains.

Have a great day you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Friday Challenges

Hi Everybody!

The week is nearly over, it's Friday already, and that means it's time for 

Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin, as well as our own challenges,

 Art Journal Journey and 99 Faces.

I made a mixed media A3 page. The background is a brush wipe page to which I added extra colours to match it to my hybrid centre piece. For the background I used a photo taken in front of one of the houses here in the square by the basilica, with the autumn plants which were in a big pot. The face is one I made for another challenge, and has been cut out and added to the background. I added 2 sunflowers, and a brush from Foxey Squirrel in the background. I am having fun at the moment combining painting and photos to make new art.

Also linking to Kim's Show your face

 And I made a hybrid piece meant as well for Moo Mania and More, crowns. The background is one of my old family documents, overlayed with a photo of a corner of the Marien Hospital here. Then I added my self portrait, looking over the roof to see where the cat is. One of Itkupilli's bird-people has been crowned and is sitting on the hedge, and a passing couple with their child are wondering what is going on....

We had good weather for most of the week, so I was able to enjoy my walks along the Rhine:

We had beautiful skies mornings and evenings:

And as usual, I had fun watching the boats, and wondering where they come from, what's in them, and where they are going to....

Have a great day you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Thursday this and that

Hi Everybody!

Hope your day is going well.

My first piece today is for June's 'Cheeky' challenge, where the theme this week is 'sisters'. I have an old photo, from the beginning of the 20th century, which shows 2 of my husband's aunts as children. I digitally removed them from their photo, softened the edges to make them look more faded, and placed them behind a window of our basilica. I added some freebie brushes from Foxey Squirrel. The 2 little mice are there because I often see mice scurrying about in the entrance to the basilica - the proverbial Church mice? These little girls look so sweet here but when I got to know them in the 1970s they were 2 very crabby and unfriendly old ladies! Time changes all things!

Here is the original, the sisters together with their brother,

who I cut out of the composition today:

For Art Journal Journey, inspired by the colours of autumn, and 99 faces I have made another hybrid collage: I used a painted background and placed some brushes over it. The face is my 'alien lady', although she could be a wood nymph. I added the autumn tree and some leaves. This is face number 5 - 94 to go!

Some more photos of the basilica:

Do you recognise the window?

I always love the lamps

There were lots of men at work, busy chopping down branches and sweeping up mountains of leaves:

And some more rusty bits. I was pleased to discover another of the rusty rosettes on some other gates, there are quite a lot of the same sort around here, I suppose they were all made by the same artisan.

Have a lovely day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!