Holiday Bizarre!

I had a chance to put my art in a booth at a local Holiday Bizarre. My bff was kind enough to hang out with our stuff for the day. She told me there were lots of people looking at my canvases but apparently they weren't buying. I'm trying to learn not to take it personal. If you ever get the chance to work public markets, bizarres, art festivals etc you'll to find that sometimes it goes well & sometimes it doesn't. Just go with your gut and have fun with it. Here's a few photos of my little area. On a side note a local consignment market took four of my pieces. We'll see what comes from that crossing my fingers!

My Version of Poppies!

I wish I would have started taking pictures sooner...but I caught it halfway. I watched a Donna Downey inspiration wednesday post and es excited to give it a try in my art journal. I'm thinking now I definitely will be making a canvas with these darling little flowers. I started with tearing flower shapes from old book text. I used my collage podge to adhere theme to my journal page. I used Cherry Red Americana acrylic paint to begin with and then Golden Transparent Pyrrole orange. The stems are from using Bombay black India Ink. I glued black beads in the centers with glossy accents. I can't wait to make a canvas!! Hope you enjoy and it inspires you to create your own piece of art!

Making your own background papers in mixed media collage projects!

I'm still recovering from surgery so I haven't been able to work on posting like I want. I am however able to share this with you because it's quick & easy. I was inspired by some Tim Holtz patterned tissue paper it had butterflies & music notes. I love Ranger products but $17 for a roll of tissue paper just isn't happening right now. After doing this I'm thinking I'd prefer making my own. The music theme got me thinking what if I stamp some sheet music I have? Well I did just that and it turned out fantastic!

Step 1-stamp a piece of sheet music with whatever you prefer.
Step 2-I used TSUKINEKO Walnut Ink spray to give it an aged look.  Simply spray and blot to your preference.
Step 3-optional ball the paper up to help with the aged appearance.

That's it your done. I'm excited because I'll be able to use these in my mixed media projects and I can't wait. Give it a try!

So here's why I've been away...

I had to have back surgery on the 23rd. It's actually a good thing because it's giving me a chance to feel better. I should be able to sit more soon so I can get some posts done! I'm looking forward to less leg & back pain so I can get moving on some art!

Just a quick Hello!

I'm working on a much larger detailed post (delayed due to illness). I'll be talking about basic supplies to start an art journal.  I'm quickly going to share about my weekend because it's a little unusual. I was feeling a little better today so I got to spent a lovely day with my family at a local pumpkin patch. We run 3 pumpkin cannons. Your probably thinking, "what??" yes, I said Pumpkin Cannons. Last year my husband built a pink one her name is Rosie. We have a crew of girls that try to shoot pumpkins together when we can. My husband doesn't mind being a stand in because she shoots the farthest. Here's a pic of my husband and I with Rosie. I'm truly addicted to shooting pumpkins as weird as that sounds. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Where should you begin??

I want to share some of my favorite resources with you. I think this first book is a must have. I can\'t even begin to tell you how much I learned from just this one book. The author does a wonderful job telling you about techniques and products. Please remember you don\'t need all of these things at once it would cost a fortune and it\'s not necessary. The book is, Teach Yourself Visually Collage and Altered art by Roni Johnson. If you want it immediately your local craft store may have it otherwise Amazon is also a great place and you can get a good deal. Another great book I found is, The Journal Junkies Workshop visual ammunition for the art addict (I\'m definitely an art addict!) by Eric M. Scott and David R. Modler. They also give some great product and technique information. So you may ask, "Where do I start?", I believe an Art Journal is a great place to start. My next post I\'ll go into detail on how to make one. If your thinking I don\'t journal that\'s ok I never did either. The cool thing about an art journal is that you don\'t have to write if you don\'t want to. You can paint, draw, write and or many other things. It\'s a great way to unwined and just create. If your having a bad day and you need to vent you can write your feelings down and paint over them. It\'s very liberating! The options are endless.....

How my creative Journey began....

In the fall of 2010 my best friend asked me if I wanted some scrapbooking stuff that her mom was getting rid of (Thanks Dixie!). I jumped at the chance because I was open to finding a hobby. Little did I know that would jump start my artistic side to come out & run. Hence my blog name RC Running Wild. About the same time I discovered Kelly Rae Roberts artwork. When I first saw her paintings I had an instant reaction that pulled at my heart. I remember thinking, "I wish I could do something like that.!" I had never felt that feeling towards art, it was crazy! I began making cards for fun my friends and family were giving me great feedback & complements.  I started going to craft stores and I discovered a love for paper(oh my) & embellishments etc...  I was brave and asked a local store owner if she would sell my cards she agreed. That was so scary walking around and talking to store owners. I loved doing cards but I felt I still needed to grow. I coasted like that for several months.  My friend Kelli happened by a blog Lil Blue Boo the creator Ashley posted about how to make an art journal. In March of 2011 Kelli and I had a journal making pow wow. We had so much fun it was a fantastic couple of days!!  We learned so much! Finding that website was the perfect thing to stumble upon. While researching for the supplies we needed I was intrigued by the art I was seeing.  I also bought a couple books and started watching Youtube videos (I'll post the book names soon!). After that pow wow the feeling of needing to grow was even stronger. Even though the possibilities seemed endless and overwhelming. Through Youtube I found an artist Christy Tomlinson. She has been a huge inspiration (I should thank her)! I decided to jump in and create my own wall art. Kelli gave me great feedback which motivated me to do and try more things. I knew I was on the right path I just needed to let my self create. In July I took my work to a local Public Market. Kelli and I set up a booth and both did well that day.  It was then I started believing that I was an artist and I could call my creations art work. I realized I was selling my art to people I didn't know (one of my favs was going on a plane to Chicago!) they weren't just trying to be nice.  It seemed so foreign to say and feel but so right at the same time.  I still have so much to learn and that's one awesome thing about art is that it's endless. If your new to mixed media or this is the first time you've heard that term don't let all the information out there overwhelm you. Just having a few simple basics will allow you to make some fun things.  I'll start with a list of suggestions, products I like etc... I hope you'll join me! (I'll say sorry now for any grammar & punctuation errors)