I Puffy Heart You

I used to say on my blog all the time "I puffy heart you". A few years ago when I found these metal "puffy hearts" at the mart I had to buy them to paint on. And yep....they sat in my studio for years. The even got packed in moving boxes from one studio to another if that tells ya anything about age.

Each year my favorite Birmingham Gallery, The Naked Art Gallery, hosts a Microlove art show. All the work has to be tiny, like no larger than a postcard. Each year I do something fun. Last year it was a series of 4" encaustic paintings. They were so adorable. This year I pulled these out! They turned out awesome. I just wish I'd bought more.

The metal surface was tricky to paint on so I used clear gesso first. Clear gesso has got to be the best invention like ever. Ever. First of all it's clear. (duh jenni) Second of all it has this awesome sandy texture unlike white or black gesso. It makes the paint go onto the surface dreamy. And I was able to leave the heart above with metal showing through since the clear didn't affect the color of the metal. The other 2 I got a little carried away with the flowers and painting. Last step I sprayed them with a clear spray which the name of is escaping me but it comes in a turquoise can and makes your work look like glass. Anyhoo....if you are interested in these they will be available at Naked Art Gallery.

Hope you had a fabulous Christmas holiday. I was a little quiet here during the break for personal reasons. Sometimes you need to step away and gather yourself before you can present yourself again. It was not the best Christmas to be quite honest, too much stress and not enough joy. If I looked back on my blog posts from previous holidays I'd probably have said the same thing. My hope is that during 2015 holiday, yes already thinking about it, we change something. Yeah. Something.

Later guys.....