Today is the second day of the Skagit Artists Studio Tour. Refind Creations was hosted by artist Rita Martin in her home studio. So many lovely people out visiting the tour! Such a great support from the local community and a fun way for them to show their guests from out of town some local art!
Porch leaners, silk scarves, makeup bags, candles and scanography were the main attraction in my section.
Next up! Fairhaven 4th Friday Art Walk where three of my Petals as Paint designs are featured at Blessings Salon Spa followed by the Schack Art Gallery Gift Shop through the holidays where my notebooks, makeup bags, and scanography will be featured!
It is definitely flower season in the Pacific Northwest! We are still having frosty mornings (never plant before Mother’s Day, we’ve been taught – but who listens??) For me that means picking, plucking, buying, “borrowing”, and searching for flower petals to dry, press, preserve, scan and photograph. I am trying out different ones like camellia, tulip, and ranuculus – so far they are turning out very lovely. The Camellias tend to turn brown – or “rust” – as we say but even that can be extremely beautiful.
Camellia Blossom
This week I bought a new flatbed scanner. I have pretty much worn out my regular old printer/scanner and I think this will give me a little more room to be creative with my favorite media. I haven’t hooked it up yet because I am also getting a laptop to make my writing and blogging a little more mobile.
I have scanned so many flowers in the past year and now I will focus on scanning them at amazing resolution so I can make them more versatile for Print on Demand (Art of Where, Society6, Fine Art America, Printful, Zazzle, etc.) and my Etsy Shop. I spent a few hours today expanding my Fine Arts America/Pixels Shop – you can shop there through the link to the right on my main page. From wall art to duvet covers, t-shirts to phone cases, workout clothes to purses, you can find my original designs for any number of useful and beautiful items, gifts, home decor, or weddings.
Today’s creation is a collage of tulip petals, rose petals, and hellebore in a stained glass pattern. Between two panes of glass, when it is illuminated it is truly like a stained glass window – it would look amazing in a bathroom window. The details of the veins and the shading of the colors is so beautiful.
Petals as Paint – Illumination4
It is truly a magically beautiful time of year and there is so much to be inspired by in nature. God’s Creation is so amazing and I am just thankful to get to use his designs in my art!
Excited to share this item from my #etsy shop: Purple Flower Workout Tank Top *Dahlia Flower Yoga Tank Top * Multi-colored Tank Top * Fitted Tank Top * Yoga Tank Top * Running Tank Top #clothing #floral #athletictop #tanktop https://etsy.me/2VBrJIT
My latest designs were scanned today and I can’t wait to see what they become!
Omi’s Bouquet – This is from a bouquet my mother-in-law shared with me – Yellow Chrysanthemum, Pink Carnations, and I added white orchid petals, orange lilies, and some dahlia petals for accents
Praise Petals – Rose, dahlia, and poinsettia petals sprinkled with hydrangea
Primrose focal point with an ocean of hydrangea, dahlia, and geranium
Petals as Paint – a technique using flower petals in place of paint strokes to create unique geometric and nature inspired designs on tile. These are scanned at high resolution to be used on various home decor, clothing, and accessories on Etsy, Society6, Fine Art America, Zazzle, and RedBubble – Look for Refind Creations on any of these sites for your next work of art!
Featured Artist – like they’re talking about someone else. I’ve been Mark’s Mom. Nicki’s Mom. MRI Tech. The boss. The chauffeur of Mark and Nicki. The daughter. The wife. And now The Artist!
Tomorrow-Friday February 22- I get to have my art in a new display. It’s featured every day at Whatcom Art Market of course. It took me months to not laugh at the idea of being an artist.
Now I’m excited to show my Petals as Paint and other creations – candles, collages, and magnets to people out enjoying a cold evening strolling around one of my favorite places – Fairhaven in Bellingham WA.
So happy to be at Sweet Bellingham, a bakery in town that has the most inspired edible creations! What a fun opportunity to meet people who are out having fun! Homemade marshmallows anyone??
I meet people all day every day who are hurting or suffering in my normal job. This will be a great change to see people buying candied apples and cookies, baking supplies and candies. Thank you Sweet Bellingham for letting me set your tables with tiny easels and candles and to hang and display my art!
For all the locals come on out tomorrow night! Head to Sweet Bellingham and Whatcom Art Market. And thanks to Fairhaven Art Walk for giving local artists an opportunity to share our passion with the community!
I’m working on another design for Petals as Paint. I am working on products with a couple Print on Demand companies to provide various price points for home decor, clothing and accessories. This one should look particularly pretty on scarves, pillows, and swimwear.
The focal point is pressed primrose while the accents are dahlia petals. The majority part is blue, purple, and green hydrangea petals. I love the textured undersides — so intricately beautiful!
You never know where my next design might come from…
A couple weeks ago I spent the weekend with two of my favorite people / my husband’s parents. She had a beautiful bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums and hot pink carnations. I was eyeing those lovelies for my next petals as paint… and here they are. She never lets us leave empty handed!
I dried them for a week in a tub of silica and they are perfectly preserved. And now they are happily becoming my next design!
I added in some white orchid petals, yellow spotted orchid petals, orange tiger lilies, a few random dahlias and some pink echinacea petals.
They are currently drying their second layer of clear acrylic and soon will be off to get scanned. The tile will be framed and put up for sale at Whatcom Art Market and the design will be transformed into home decor, clothing and accessories in my Etsy store – https://www.etsy.com/shop/RefindCreations33
Each one makes me very happy and I hope you enjoy the process and the final product!
These are each unique and might make somebody very happy! You could get a little easel to hold one. They are each 6″x8″.
They will be Free at Whatcom Art Market this coming weekend. While they last. You will find them on the shelf in my space. Come and get one for some nostalgic sweetheart. Each one comes with a wrapper of beautiful embossed paper. You can add a ribbon to hold it in place.
Number One:
Porcelain tile – with a transfer of an original 1907 Postcard. It features young lovers sitting in a park. I’ve added a few flower petals and elderberry blossoms and covered in an acrylic medium. It’s like looking into the past – not clear and crisp but faded like a memory. The postcard has a note on the front: “Don’t this couple look sweet? I did not suppose you had the courage to have your photo taken in such a position”.
Number Two:
Porcelain Tile with a dry rub transfer of a postcard dated 1916. A red heart says “I’m looking for a Valentine”. Again I have embellished with petals and added sparkles and acrylic. It becomes opaque like a memory.
Number Three
is a porcelain tile with a dry rub transfer of the cover of a book from 1880 based on the very old song “Home Sweet Home” – written in the early 1800s. A sweet girl sitting in the porch of a tiny cottage. “Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home”. And of course I embellished with dried flowers and opaque acrylic to show the distant past that belongs to every generation.
Happy Valentines Day! If you take one please please please post on here or on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram @refindcreations33
Petals as Paint and Inspired Creations are two of my projects that are now expanding into clothing, home decor, and products like purses, bags, and iPhone covers.
Please take a look as I work toward filling my Etsy shop in the coming weeks. Please let me know what you think- positive or critical — this will help me know which ones to feature or not.
I’m working on a give away for February so keep your eyes on my site – like, share, follow, comment! Thank you!!
