Wall Mural - New Orleans Style

My artists friend and I donated our time to one of the regional Child Advocacy centers to paint a mural in one of their rooms. The director wanted and New Orleans scene and the local arts organization referred her to me. I wonder why? (smile)

Here are some photos taken through the end of the day. We aren't quite finished but we have made so much progress since starting with a blank wall.

I just wanted to share a few pics. We are hoping to finish it up in the next week or so (whenever our schedule permits) and I'll have some final pics of the room. The director is going to use pillows in the chairs to match the awnings in the beignet shop. It was fun.

Thanks for stopping by!!

The making of Esplanade Beauty

I thought I'd do something a little different today and post some photos of my painting process, well - at least one of them. Depending on what I'm working on, I have several methods of working on a piece. I have so much inspiration from our recent trip to New Orleans. We stayed on Esplande right where the French Quarter ends and the Marigny District starts. We spent most of our time eating and listening to Jazz on Frenchmen Street. I came back with some beautiful photos to paint from.

 

I prepared several canvases at once by choosing some colors and blending the paint. At this point I had no ide what I would be painting on them, but had some New Orleans scenes in mind. I chose one of the canvases and sketched out my scene, a building on Esplandade. Then I started adding paint to an 11" x 14" canvas.

 



 

Some pics of the progress.

 

 

The above photo is when it was almost finished.

"Esplanade Beauty" (sold)

 

I added the final details in this photo. I still think I have a few things I want to do before it's "done". Then my hubby will add a gallery style framing to it. I had a purchaser following my facebook page see my "in progress" photo, so this painting will be shipped of early next week.

 

I hope you enjoyed my "view" into my studio today. I'll be posting a few step by steps in the next few weeks of some mixed media. Check back often and don't forget to "like" my facebook page, Melanie Douthit Art Studio, or follow my in twitter at DouthitArt to see peeks of new art.

 

Thanks for stopping by! 



Card Making Again

Some of you know that I have in the past few years, been active in paper crafts and card making. I haven't made cards since I returned to painting full-time, but I have missed it. I started creating more mixed media pieces, and found the desire to make cards has returned. I spent one Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago making a few cards. A couple of them have already been picked up for publication, but here are a couple that I can share.

For the above card, I used Echo Park, American Crafts and Glitz papers (6x6 paper pads - love these). The label is Jillibean. The felt flowers were some older Stampin Up! I had in my stash.

Simple card - Echo Park papers and a Stampin Up! stamp. Martha Stewart butterfly punch. I had cut the banners.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Mixed Media Flowers and Vase

I'm posting this before/after artwork for the March challenge on the Design Memory Craft's blog. I love using paper, stickers, paint, stamps and ink on my collage pieces. This one is something I haven't done before in mixed media - a flower vase collage.

I love using wood for my mixed media pieces. They give them a rustic (and green) feel. First I primed the wood with gesso, then painted the sides. I then started layering tissue, papers, etc... usually freehand cutting (is that a word) the shapes for each piece. Here is a photo of the progress.

There's a lace doily at the top (found object in a box of giftwrapping and decorating items). I used Faber-Castell's gelatos (blue and green) to shade the sides of the paper. I applied it directly to the piece and used my finger with a bit of water to spread it out randomly.

I added stickers and wassi tape. I added paint to the flowers. I used a Pitt pen to draw some of the leaves and accent various places. I used stamps, ink, paint and various textures all over the piece. - finishing off with a few more stickers and some butterflies.

Once I call a piece "done", it gets its hardware and it's ready for hanging. The size of this is 11.5" x 5.5".

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great week.

Breast Cancer Awareness Art Print Now Available

I had some recent interest in obtaining a print of "Words To Live By" - a painting I created for Frankliln Parish Medical Center's Breast Cancer Awareness event in 2011. I thought I'd make it available to anyone who wants one, so it's now listed here in my Etsy Store.

"Words To Live By" by Melanie Douthit

The print is not matted, but if I have enough interest, I will look into offering a pre-cut 8x10 mat with a square opening for the image. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!