Gloria J Zucaro "Triangles" Mixed Media Collage

Hello fellow PPF Friends, Facebook and Twitter Friends.
I have two mixed media collage pieces this week.  I did these for Karen Sako's Mixed Media Collage class taught at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich Illinois.   

The papers I used were given to me by a good artist friend. Our group sends envelopes of papers to each other and we are to use them in a collage.  These orange, blue and text papers were from Laura Anderson. On the envelope she had written a note to look at the dictionary because the definition of "gloria" was there!  I included her note as a white area in the design, as well as my name from the front of the envelope. The only thing I wish I had done was leave the definition exposed when I covered the dictionary with gesso.

The other paper I added was a cutout of a head from a fashion magazine, when I saw an area that looked like a woman's top with one arm extended.  I had previously painted that page with black gesso as a background. When I tore and placed my papers, I noticed that some areas formed a triangle, so I tried to make as many as I could follow that shape.  I used a glue stick to stick things down. Then I painted over the dark blue pieces of crepe paper with Stewart Gill's Byzantia Jewel Tone Metallic in Aegean and I had already put a thin layer of gesso very the text and white envelope pieces. I painted several areas that were white or text in Liquitex Acrylic Artist color in Fluorescent Orange to balance the large orange paper on the upper left corner and some orange smudges on the musical piece.  Then I added the black, white and orange dots with Posca Pens. There are two flaps that I can add a secret message under!

The second piece was a 10 minutes "grab a random magazine page and create a collage to show a feeling of INTIMIDATION".

Have a good week!

Linking to Paint Party Friday.
This week  some collage and a cold wax & oil painting.
I started a 6 week class with Karen Sako who teaches mixed media collage.
The first week we were handed an envelope and told that it was our homework.

The collage below was done with the pieces in my envelope. It is approximately 7 x 5.  After I glued everything in place and outlined the sections with a Marks All Pencil, I didn't like the grungy look on the pretty colors. So I painted them all with Golden Soft Body Paints in their original colors from the envelope. I also added the red and aqua areas of paint to balance the colors of the papers. When it dried I added the dots and ruled lines in black and white.

The piece below was a ten minute piece. We were to tear a random page from a magazine then create a collage.   The "rush" shows in the execution of this piece!  The page I tore out had an article that showed several head shots and one of feet. I quickly, with no planning, glued them on! Then added the rather sloppy lines and dots.  Since the article is about Composition, it is ironic that I didn't pay any attention to that.  I really don't do well under time pressure!

Here is my Cold Wax and Oil painting.  I had a reference of a meadow. I am trying to be somewhat abstracted but also have a traditional focal point.  I think I succeeded with this one, I like it!

This has about 8 layers of paint that were scratched through and skimmed over so that some of the color would show underneath each layer.

Have a good week and thank you, Kristin and Eva.

Gloria

Some Finished Projects

I am happy with one of my finished Cold Wax paintings started in Mark Russells' workshop.  Mark suggested doing a series, so I am trying impressions of trees for my series.  Posting to Paint Party Friday.  Enjoy all the artists that Kristen and Eva host each week.

9 x 12 on Arches Oil Paper

In Karen Sako's Mixed media Collage Class we did two projects for Halloween.  Both use paper, transfers, and acrylic paint.

10 x 8" on Board

6 x 6" on Board

Cold Wax Projects Drying on my table.

Enjoying Collage

Today I have some photos of a few of the collage pieces we have done in Karen Sako's class.  I am enjoying trying all different techniques. Each week we do a few homework pieces. This week I did our "color" homework. 

Tomorrow and Sunday I will have a cold wax and oil painting workshop with Mark Russell.  I love the look of encaustic and am hoping to achieve somewhat the same look with cold wax.

I am linking to Paint Party Friday, my Facebook and Pinterest pages and Twitter.
Paint Party Friday showcases about 50 different artists' creations for the previous week.  It is hosted each week by Kristin and Eva. Thank you, Ladies for giving us an opportunity to share our work.

Staring with a monotone black and white done with black gesso and collage cutouts of paper. Pictures from Google Images

Using my leftover acrylic paint primaries to create an abstract design.

The same design with the actual colors in the various types of color wheels.

Using my three primaries and discovering the possible combinations with black and white and with the other primaries.

Have a creative week, and thank you for stopping in.

Gloria J Zucaro

Long Time Gone!

I can't believe where this year has gone.  
Life had its' way and there were many times that I had no desire to do art.
I am finally feeling better.
I did some odds and ends of things so I will post them tonight for Paint Party Friday, and on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

I am taking an on-line class with Kate Thompson, hosted by Jeannie Oliver.
I have done a few flower studies.

I am also in a collage workshop with Karen Sako.

Thank you for looking at my art.

Have a good week and enjoy all the artists on Paint Party Friday.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Moving Forward with Mixed Media"

Sunday March 12, I enjoyed another mixed media workshop with Karen Sako at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL .

Each table had a pod of people(either 3 or 4) and supplies to share for the pod. Each pod was given a limited palette to work with. Our table got lime green, and turquoise blue as well as black and white. ’

The first thing we all did was apply gesso to a piece of watercolor paper that was 12 x 6, a smaller 6 x 6 piece and a piece of illustration board that was 9 x 12. Those three pieces would be the basis for our three finished projects so they had to have time to dry while we were making more papers.

Next was to do 3 minute drawings(paintings with our colors and India Ink). We did two large, about 20 x 24 in size and one smaller about 9 x 12.  

Another fun project was using long wooden dowels with leaves, strings and rubber bands attached to the ends. Each stick had a different thing attached. We got three more pieces of paper and a plate of very liquid paint to dip into and scribble around on our papers.  Every couple of minutes we had to pass our stick to the person on the left so that we could try out each type of texture on our papers. 

After all the prep we began to assemble our pieces by ripping our papers up and gluing them on our three gessoed papers.  We could add acrylic paint, pastel pencils, pastel sticks, ink, and pan pastels.  There were stencils to use and we tried some transfers.  

It was a great day!  Here are my three original finished projects after I added some marks and lines when I got home and everything had dried.

Happy Paint Party Friday, and have a great week.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Bits & Pieces"

This week I have a couple of works in progress. I started a "snow" scene in oil. I picked unusual colors after using my color wheel and doing a thumbnail sketch. I decided to paint a base coat of Alizarin Crimson, which is transparent. I started adding in the darks. After talking to Susan Ploughe, an instructor at Mainstreet Art Centre, I decided what I wanted was an abstracted landscape with a traditional base. So I am at the stage now where I will start filling in more tree limbs that will become panes for a stained glass look in between each pair of limbs. That is the hope anyway. Below are some of the steps for this painting.

Hopefully this experiment will work out!

The other work in progress is the free workshop with Carolyn Dube. It entails making a mixed media journal. First I cut out similar sized pieces from a cardboard box. Then I applied white gesso. Next we were to add pieces of text, papers, stamps, receipts or whatever we wanted. I coated most of them with Gel Medium so that when more work is done on them the paint originally applied to them won't rub off. Some of the papers are from Carolyn and are called "sparks of inspiration", some are pieces of magazines made to look like leather in a workshop with Karen Sako, some are from gelli prints I made. I got the front sides done tonight and they are drying. I still need to do all the backs. I was also supposed to paint or gesso both sides of a ribbon, but I have to look for one in my basement tomorrow!

I am linking this to Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva. Each week they feature a new artists' work. Every medium is represented, so take a look.  Have a good week,

GLORIA

Gloria J Zucaro's "Mission San Xavier del Bac"

I finally finished my Mission Church that my friend Judy G. and I went to visit a couple of times when we went to Tuscan for plein air painting workshops. The Mission is being cleaned and repaired so this is not the usual front view of San Xavier del Bac. We walked around the sides and back and got some gorgeous sunlight hitting the Mission. In my painting you can see some of the tarps on the left side.

 

Oil on Canvas  

11' x 14"

Here is my original block-in below.  

I left some of the warm under-painting peeking through.

Last Sunday I my daughter Lucy and I attended another collage workshop given by Karen Sako at the Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL.  I wasn't really "feeling it" that day for some reason, so my efforts came out with very dark and very light areas instead of a nice mix of values.  This time I did three landscapes from the same reference(believe it or not!) and one bird on a 6" square board.

This one reminds me of Disney!

Lots of layers of paper and pastel and paint and ink!  

But just too darn dark!

I like this one the best.  I like the colors and the stamping and tangling.

These next drawings are from a live model session at the Elk Grove Library with the Artist Association of Elk Grove Village.  They were 1, 2, 5, and 20 minute poses.  I notice that I got darker and darker!

Thanks for looking.  I am sharing this with Paint Party Friday, although I am two days late!  Have a good week,         

                                                                     Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Some Catching Up"

I have been tending to other life matters aside from my art, so haven't posted in a couple of weeks or visited other's blogs either.  I had a little time today so thought I would show you some tangles and swap gifts received from other artists and some collage done a couple of weeks ago.

I did this drawing in February on a greeting card.

This was done about two weeks ago 

This Card was drawn yesterday.  

All of these cards were drawn from prompts suggested by Laura Harms at http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/  The one above uses two different but similar patterns called Flux Maria and Flux Rick.  Maria and Rick are the originators of the Zentangle  craze.

I was intrigued by this shadow all away across my yard and driveway in front of the house this morning.  It first came to my attention when two Robins were hopping along and then for some reason began to fight!  I guess they are territorial!  Notice how different the shadow shape is from the actual tree shape.  It (the shadow)makes the tree base much thinner and the limbs closest to me much larger.

This is a wonderful March Swap I received from Lisa Crail all the way from Australia.  She not only sent me these two paintings done with some collaged papers in back of the portrait but the painted and charcoal drawing of a bird, and a decorated envelope and small ink drawing of a figure.  See Lisa's Facebook page at, Lisa Crail-Painting From the Heart. These swaps were through Community Thrive.

Many of you may have seen my collage work on Facebook.  I really enjoyed a workshop led by Karen Sako a couple of weekends ago.  

We got 4 pieces accomplished.

They are below with a little explanation of the process.

Three birds from the same reference, different size and shape of paper. Then a house/landscape collage from a reference. All from Karen Sako's most fun Mixed Media Workshop. 

Number three Bird-just let loose! Different shape and feather arrangement!

Bird #2- stencils,ink,clear gesso, collaged paper, paint and pastel. — at Mainstreet Art Center, Lake Zurich, IL.

Number one Bird. More Traditional, drawing,stencil,paper prepared from magazine page, clear gesso, paint, pastel.

Hopperesque! Paper handmade sky, paper house, paper shadow on house, paper foreground. Painted smaller shadows and sheets on the line. Marker outlines, and dog.

Well, that's it, Folks!

I am posting today, early for Paint Party Friday, and somewhat late for I Am The Diva!

Have a Good Week,

Gloria