A serious case of creative block pt 1

I purchased these wonderfully made canvases a few weeks ago. My intention was to make the most stunning three panel painting you had ever seen.  I started it and BLAH! I hated it!  So, I set the whole project aside until I thought what I could do to save these normally expensive canvases.

Today I pulled out the gesso and went to work.  I decided to mix the gesso with three different blues.  I really liked this....I got an idea!!!

Once the canvases dried, I took one of my favorite books and ripped out about 10 pages. Don't panic, it is from the 1980's...it is old smelling and frankly falling apart because SOMEONE has read it way too much.  I bought another copy about a year ago (an even older copy) and I use this one for my art.  The book?  Why "Song of the Siren" by Philippa Carr.  Carlotta Main is a fascinating character.

Anyhoo, with these book pages I made a pattern of a tree that I wanted. Really it didn't start out as a pattern it was going to be the actual tree, but I needed MORE!!!  So it became a pattern.  I then cut the tree from a piece of chipboard.  Completely coated it with mod podge and decoupaged some pieces from the book onto the chipboard.  I still wanted more. I wadded up more book pages, straightened them out and inked them to death.  Many different colors of brown inks.  Sprayed with some Michelle's Musings brown and silver sprays.  Once that dried, I wadded them up and inked again.  These steps seemed to take FOREVER, but the longest step was yet to come.

Once everything dried I tore large rectangles from the pages.  I put on a thick layer of mod podge on the tree and then some on the rectangle.  I could not take a photo of this because it is incredibly messy!  I bunched the rectangle up onto the tree to resemble bark. I had to keep a paint brush with mod podge handy to put in between the bunched up part to keep it looking like bark.  This step took HOURS!!!  It was messy, it was hard to maneuver a 30 year old book page that is fragile to begin with, but I went and made it more so. I ripped many and had to use another section.  I did not want it in pieces I wanted large rectangle so it would be more like bark. 

Once this step was dry, I inked more.  Good gravy I was a mess!!!  My apron was a mess where I had wiped my hands and my craft sheet looked like a ink/mod podge bomb had gone off....but I kept going.  I spritzed this inking with water...then with some sparkle spray.  Let it dry.

I fashioned the tree across the canvas and then I cut it to fit across the canvases.


The last photo shows my plan for the layout, but I am going to be honest, the finished product may not look like that. I won't be able to work on it until next weekend, and I may change my mind. Or I might just start all over again.  Stay tuned for part 2.