May Flowers - Mixed Media

May is such a busy, busy month!! For our family we have end of school (both kids), start of a new job (son), four theater productions (same show, different times), one dance production - in addition to regular life. In a way - all these things are "flowers" that we stop to enjoy along the way.

In honor of flowers, I'm taking Mou's Challenge on the Faber Castell blog and sharing this little mixed media piece I made.

I used Faber Castell Gelatos (blue and green) to add color to the black and white graphic paper on the left of my piece, and pit pens for my black outlinings (word blocks and flower stems).

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Blend of the Bayou in Monroe

Every year, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council has a fundraiser called "Blend of the Bayou". At this event, "men who mix and brew" come out and cook everything from bbq sandwiches to gumbo and fried catfish. Part of this event is a "Bayou Gallery" with 15-20 of the area's prominent artists with art items for sale. The event was this weekend and the weather was absolutely beautiful! I attended with four other artists from the coop gallery I'm with attended as well as other art friends from the area.

We sampled the food, mingled and talked to art collectors. I debuted one of my latest pieces, "Summertime Blues", which I'm happy to say found a new home that day.

 And for the first time every, the youth at the local theater were invited to perform a few of their songs from Guys and Dolls. As you know - our family has worked hard on this production the past few weeks.

Again - it was record low temperatures on this gorgeous Sunday in May (which in Louisiana terms - was perfect!). I look forward to more beautiful days like this day this month. Thanks for stopping by and if you want to stay updated, you can subscribe to this blog and/or follow me on Melanie Douthit Art Studio's Facebook Page. by selecting the "Like" button. Have a great day!

Delta Artists at Tunica Riverpark in Mississippi

I was so excited to have been contacted by a gallery in Memphis, Tennessee (on Good Friday) to be a part of an exciting art exhibit in Tunica, Mississippi. They have redesigned the museum to include a "Delta Artists" exhibit featuring artists from the "delta" (Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas). I was one of four artists from Louisiana. The other 3 are colleagues of mine from Monroe/West Monroe: Don Hudnall, Donna McGee and Joli Livaudias. The receiption was last week, so Donna and I went on an adventure to North Mississippi. I was in great hands, as Donna is a native of Mississippi.

It was a wonderful artist's reception with Good Company Trio jazz band playing. Here's a press release with the details of the opening and exhibit: Tunica Riverpark Delta Artists

We had a beautiful view of the sunset on the Mississippi River. If you get a chance, go to Tunica Riverpark. The exhibit will be there through the end of August.

Theater Set Design

Last month it was painting a French Quarter mural. As promised, here is a portion of the final mural. I enjoyed working with Linda Ward on this!

This month it's New York, New York! I've been working as set director for the local youth theater's production of Guys and Dolls. So many parents chipped in- many who claim have no "art" skills- and we had a great time. One mom dubbed our time as "art therapy". Who knew! Lol. Here are a couple of pics of the progress.

(I couldn't resist the shout out to Buddy the Elf)

And as you can see, it made for quite a colorful and fun set! Thanks for stopping by.

The making of a French Quarter painting

I have been stealing away time from commissions to work on some art inspired by our recent trip to the French Quarter. I've working on a series of small pieces of homes on or near Esplanade. Here's a montage of a couple of pieces.

(Above painting has been sold)

 

"1026 Esplanade" 11" x 14" (contact me for inquires and availability)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Mixed Media Bird and Recycling

I've been working on some new rather large pieces lately (including a mural which I'll share soon). I finally finished the last of this batch today and finally had time to play with my mixed media. I've been loving the challenges Mou has been posting on the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog, so I took the challenge today. She asked us to upcycle something creatively. So.... Here is what I did.

I started with a 5.5" square wood block that I prepared with gesso and paint. I choose some scrapbook papers and added the back of a McCalls sewing pattern- one from the Brook Shields line. (That should date it in the 80s.). I adhered my papers to the block and then started adding paint.

Then I had to decide what I wanted to create. Since the pattern envelope was nearly covered up, I added some cardboard from a box I had in my craft room. I tore away the layer to reveal the neat texture, and so the process continued.

I used a fabric sticker for my bird. I used a white Faber Castell big brush pen to define my clouds, various gelatos to add color to some of the elements, and a Pitt pen to draw black lines. I used various stamps to add texture. The stickers are from Tim Holtz.

Thanks for the fun challenge, Mou.

I have more large painting to do this weekend- elements for the theater set in town. It's fun to do what you love in different settings. Thanks for stopping by!

Steampunk Inspired Shadow Box

I'm gearing up for this week's Downtown Gallery Crawl. I will have some New Orleans art as well as mixed media work at the River Gallery on Trenton Street in West Monroe as well as some Steampunk influenced art at the Downstairs Gallery on Art Alley in Monroe. What a night this will be!!

Here is one of the items I created for the Steampunk show. It's a Tim Holtz shadow box using a variety of items including Tim Holtz metal plates and a few items from Scarlet Lime's mixed media kit. I love creating using paper craft products.

I added things I've had for years in my stash including brads, photo corners, chipboard letters as well as some gears and even an old jingle bell. The legs on the piece are tiny candle holders from the craft section of our hobby store.

I still have to work on adding some steampunk elements to my skirt. Yes - we are dressing up in full costume (I'm scared!). LOL.

Thanks for stopping by. I just might post some after-opening photos - so check back.