Jeni Caruana
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Happy Happy New Year !

25/12/2014

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I would just like to thank you for following along with my 'drawing' blogs over the last year - I can't quite believe that I actually managed to keep a New Year's Resolution! In 2015 I intend to keep it going, and to talk to you about bringing more creativity and sparkle into your life. Drawing, for me, is a lifeline that keeps me connected and positive; for others it might be colour, or shape, or music or movement. I'd like to explore with you what a little (or a lot!) more creativity you could brighten your life with. 

Meanwhile, I would like to wish you the happiest of New Years - and that 2015 will bring you
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     the magic of rainbows





          the promise of full moons
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the protection and groundedness of trees






the strength and constancy of mountains
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the depth and potential of oceans
but most of all,
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xxx LOVE xxx
By the way, we will be meeting for our regular Friday mornings painting at Villa Bologna from this week, 2nd January. Everyone is welcome, all abilities - as long as you are ready for a lovely creative morning.
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Happy Christmas! 

21/12/2014

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Wishing you, and all those you hold dear, the happiest of Christmasses and a New Year filled with everything your heart desires........  and lots of drawings  :-) 

                                                               Jeni xxxx
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Drawing on the Muse

15/12/2014

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I wanted to create a series of images that I could have some fun with, experimenting with mono printing and stencilling. I find that the best way to approach this kind of thing is to let go of any ideas of the end result and just see what happens....


I began with the idea of expressing the connection I feel between music, colour and movement. They are all different levels of vibration, after all - translated through our senses to affect our emotions.


I started with a painting I created at a live dance event. It is quite a simple image, but I feel that it's quite evocative.


I found a sheet of thick cellophane and traced the figure, then cut it out with a blade.

This left me with both a stencil shape and a cutout figure


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the original painting
 I had 18 sheets of mountboard in the studio which measured 40 x 30 cms, which seemed like a good size to play with. Then I googled 'free sheet music' and printed off several sheets of interesting looking scores. Which I tore up and stuck to the mountboard with PVA glue.....
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That looked a bit boring, so I gessoed over them all - which always gives a nice surface to work on. I made it thinner over the music, but thick and squiggly over the centre, where I wanted to put the figure dancing.

If you don't have gesso, get some! 
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Gesso is really for sealing canvas and other surfaces before painting with oils or acrylics, and it is quite water resistant (I use watercolours on it for unusual effects). I use tubs of it and it saves me a fortune in paper. I can paint over anything I'm not happy with and recycle paper, wood or canvas into lovely new surfaces. I sometimes mix in colours or texture to give even more exciting beginnings to paintings. You can buy it in white, black or clear, and it sticks to practically anything. I think it's the same as chalk paint that is now popular for upcycling furniture. Yes, I have tried it!
It can be watered down to make it thinner or left as it is, a lovely thick cream. I use it with a roller or a brush.....
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Back to the project...... when the gesso was dry, I painted thin coats of red and yellow acrylic randomly over it. 

When that had dried, I started putting the figures on, some by stencilling, some by painting onto the cutout figure and printing it. Some by painting around the cutout..... until I had 18 different images of the same picture.
The problem was that I had completely covered the music scores with paint and gesso, so I tried sanding them down. This gave a lovely random effect, especially where the thicker swirls of gesso showed through the dancer. I wore a facemask for this bit, by the way, as the coloured dust went everywhere.

Next step was to give them all a coat of varnish to protect them......  what do you think?
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    Jeni Caruana

    ​

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    ​I love to paint - and draw - and help others to discover their creative side too.....

        Be the first to see my latest work and hear of new classes by adding your email address below. Thank you!

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  • Portfolio
    • Live Music Paintings
    • SKIN
    • Art in a strange time - 2020/1
    • Landscapes
  • Tuition
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