Splashing Through Life - Art by Patricia Henderson

While I was working on my Geese collage, I had an idea for another mixed media painting.  For this piece I experimented with using various types of paper adhered to the canvas and did a wash of watercolours to get a muted background. Then using paper, twigs, leaves, feathers and an acorn cap, I made the nest. The eggs are hand painted paper. This was the first stage. After looking at it for a few weeks, I decided it needed a bit of  "oomph". (this photo is not the best, it was taken in bright sunshine and I couldn't get rid of the shine.) Today I added more hand painted tissue and rice paper, and it has a bit more of the oomph that I was looking for. I might be finished. Or not. But probably! 

It's been a cool and rainy day today, so I finally finished this painting! I think I like it...but am trying to decided whether to crop off some of the top and left hand side.

Worked some more on this yesterday, and I hope to finish it today. Will take Lauren's suggestion and leave most of the bottom right white. I had already painted some of it, but won't do much more.

Yesterday I removed the masking fluid from the nest...yikes! Truly in the ugly phase now!

I've started on a watercolour of the Robin family we had nesting at the back of our house. I've been taking some pictures along the way, so I thought I'd share them here. I forgot to take some when I first started though! I had originally thought I'd do the nest with negative painting, but I decided I'm too lazy and got out the masking fluid! You can see it in the last picture.