The Joy of Embellishing

Some Thoughts on Embellishing...

One day over coffee, I was talking with a dear artist friend of mine about our mutual love of pearls.  She suddenly blurted out "Why don't you sew pearls on your paintings?".  I looked at her like she was from another planet (she probably is) and hastily replied "I can't do that!  I paint on Claybord, and I LOVE painting on Claybord.  For sure you can't get a needle through that!"

But when I got home, I remembered the eight 16"x20" giclee prints on canvas I had just randomly had made of some of my Mermaid and Merman paintings.  Hmmm.... for some reason!!  

Why not give it try with those canvas prints?

And so it began.

I got to work.  The prints definitely needed some vibrancy, so first I did some painting on top of the print.  When satisfied, I sealed it with two coats of medium to add sheen and protect the surface.

Then, time to sew on the pearls.

"Conversation with a Mermaid" Embellished | 16"x20" |

I noticed right off the bat that my needle needed to be very thin to get through that small hole in the pearl!  And guess what?  Thin needle, small eye.  A VERY SMALL EYE!  To be honest, microscopic.  I marvel every time I actually get the blinkin' thing threaded. I think I probably get some divine intervention.  Then once threaded, I realized that the canvas needed to be very lightweight, otherwise if I wasn't careful I'd break that very thin needle.  And trust me, I still do!  HA!  Leading to multiple f-bombs!

But of course some magical things happened as well.

I was revisiting my beautiful paintings in a new way, looking at them with fresh eyes.

All at once the process felt like meditation.

 The act of sewing reminded me of time spent doing embroidery and needlework as a young girl growing up in the 60's in the Midwest.  It connected me to those first joyful sparks of creativity.

"Oshun" Embellished  | 20"x16" |

And when I decided to add Czech glass bugle beads as well for some sparkle, 

I was taken even further back in time, perhaps even to a former life.

I often think I lived in the 1920's, and as I sewed on the pearls and bugle beads, I suddenly felt a strong connection to the gorgeous beaded gowns and bags that I adore from that era.  All at once I was incorporating that beautiful look into my art!  It felt marvelous, so very familiar... so very right.

"Two Mermaids in Pink" Embellished | 14"x11" |

So of course now I'm hooked.  I love the fact that when I make a print of my mixed media art, I can then use the embellishing to transform it into a new form of mixed media!  It's so much fun!

And let's not forget, the Embellished Prints are the ultimate fusion of my Mermaids and Pearls.  I'm delighted that I can offer these unique, one of a kind derivatives of my original work...

Jewelry for your walls!

"I Face My Shadows With an Open Heart" Embellished   | 14"x11" |

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!  Please remember that when it comes to art there are no rules.  I hope my work can inspire you in some way to step outside the box with your own creativity as well.  

With Love and Light,

Linda

P.S. And of course thanks and gratitude always to my beautiful friend for her truly inspired idea!