Splashing Through Life - Art by Patricia Henderson

I think I'm finished with this one! Will be entering this and a couple more of my recent pieces to Eye 4 Art exhibition at the Thames Art Gallery in Chatham, ON. Great Blue Mixed Media (Torn Paper Collage/Acrylic) 18" X 24" X 1.5"

Getting closer to the finish! I find it really helps to put a photo up on the computer. I can more easily see what needs to be tweaked, or what might have been forgotten.

Still working through the ugly stages...adding one feather at a time!

A rainy Saturday, hot tea, mellow music, quiet company and collage. My perfect morning! Working on some feathers.... My companion and fellow ripper of paper.

Time to stop for lunch! (Me that is! But this fellow could be fishing for his...)

Here's a peek at where I'm at on this one: Starting to take shape!

Here is a peek of what I'm currently working on, a lovely Blue Heron. So far, the background is done and I've applied my drawing of the heron. Next I will be starting to collage! Not the best photo, but you can see the ghostly outline of the heron. Reference photo courtesy of PaintMyPhoto.com

After a fairly mild winter around here, spring has been a bit hesitant to arrive. This week, however, has been sunny, warm and beautiful. I think sping is here at last! Along with spring have come my allergies. So while sitting outside this morning sketching these pretty Grape Hyacinths, I was fighting the wind, and watery eyes, and sneezing. But I'm not complaining. At least there weren't any mosquitos! Grape Hyacinths In my Garden Sketchbook NFS

This colourful little fellow is feeling just ducky today! The colours in this small collage are even richer in person. During these dull days it is hard to get the camera to pick up the colours accurately. I will be popping him into my Etsy shop shortly, or if you'd like this little fellow to brighten up your house, feel free to contact me directly!  Now on to my next project, I wonder what that will be? "Just Ducky" 8" X 10" X 1.5" Paper Collage on Canvas Reference photo by Shawn Parker  @ Artist Reference Photos

The whole time I was creating this collage, I couldn't get the song "My Darling Clementine" out of my head! Now I've probably put it in yours....sorry 'bout that! This collage started out with a much different composition and I wasn't happy with it. The nice thing about collage is that you just have to "collage" over the parts you don't like! You'd never know there had been a third ugly clementine, and a much higher "horizon". I think I'm finished now, if only to get the song to stop! My Darling Clementines 6" X 6" X 1.5" Paper Collage on Canvas $45 Check this out in my Etsy Shop!

I was having a hard time thinking of what to paint today. Then I remembered that I hadn't done one of these little dandelions in a while. So here you go! Dandelion 2.5 X 3.5"

We've had more Blue Jays around our feeder than we ever have, and even though they can be a bit loud mouthed and bossy, I just love seeing that flash of blue! And I swear they can see me putting out peanuts from miles away! This collage is a bit different from most of the others I've done.  I created monoprints of backyard leaves by using my Gelli® Printing plate and embellished them at the end with some watercolours. The bird was done with my regular method of applying all sorts of coloured bits of paper. I'm still not sure I like it, but it is growing on me! A Flash of Blue 12" X 12"

I've decided to join the Grumbacher Art Swap, (See info HERE ) where artists trade art cards. This time the theme is Signs of the Zodiac. While my sign is Capricorn (goat), the first image that popped into my mind was of a little blue crab, for Cancer. We saw many of these tiny creatures on the beaches when we were in Nova Scotia. This fellow was very interesting to paint, as he was so different from what I've ever done. It was like painting an alien! Crabby 2.5 X 3.5 Not for sale

Seeing these sturdy little "fishing tugs" in the waters of the Great Lakes reminds me of summers along the shore of Lake Erie. We were always happy to see these unique boats and the hard working fisherman bringing up catches of Yellow Perch, our favourite summer meal! This collage incorporates pieces of maps and navigational charts of the Great Lakes (mostly Erie), and other fun stuff related to fishing and fishermen. The Fishing Tug 18" X 24" on Gallery wrapped canvas

I had taken a break from Watercolour Wednesday for a few weeks...(okay, I was lazy!), but it's back!! I was missing my little green tree frog that was sold the other day, so I decided to tackle a couple others. These guys are really colourful and fancy, and probably poisonous...but I thought they were cute! They are mostly watercolour, with a bit of ink and crayon. And both are available in my Etsy Store . Feeling Blue! ACEO 2.5 X 3.5" Fancy Frog ACEO 2.5 X 3.5" (Reference Photos courtesy of Morguefile)

The other day I posted on my Facebook Page  a sentiment that we all feel from time to time. Here's my interpretation. "In My Blanket Fort" from my sketchbook

A little history for those who are new to my Facebook Page or Blog. I recently retired from my "day job", and have been enjoying spending more time with art. I've really fallen in love with collage or "torn paper paintings", but want to keep in touch with my  watercolour  beginnings. I challenged myself to do some kind of watercolour every Wednesday, just to keep my brushes wet. And then I post them, no matter if they turn out good or bad. It's also a good drawing exercise, as I have been starting to sketch the majority of them from life.  The Easter Lily that my hubby got for me is still blooming away on the kitchen counter, so I sat and sketched it this morning. I love the unpredictability of Hot Press paper. It is not very absorbent, so the paint sits on the surface a little longer while wet. It tends to create some interesting "blooms" here and there. Especially when you are impatient like me and don't let things dry long enough! Easte...

It's funny how Wednesdays sneak up on me! Thankfully I had done a very quick sketch earlier this week of some of my African Violets. I've never had violets like these that are almost ALWAYS blooming! I love them. Wishy Washy Violets (from my sketchbook)

Who knew three little strawberries would give me so much trouble? After doing the sketch last week, I thought I'd attempt a collage with the same three berries. I usually do a complementary colour scheme for the background, so I went with a green background for the red strawberries. Wellll....the first green I chose was too bright and garish, so I covered it up with a more dull green. That turned out to be too dark, so did a wash of white over top. That made it kind of dull, so I added a wash of yellow. Now I had an olive green, which was kind of drab. I added some pink to tie in with the berries, which was okay....but, I wasn't really sure about it. Also the green tops of the berries didn't show up very well. So, yesterday I thought I'd start all over. This time I chose a blue background. I think I like this one better, but as usual my camera hates all things blue or turquoise, so it doesn't show the completely correct colour here. So here are the two versions:...

Here is a very small quick sketch I did today of the swan that decided to take a brief rest in the field behind our house! He was kind enough to pause long enough for me to take a few photos. Swan Sketch 5 X 7" Watercolour on Arches 140 HP paper