Here's a page from a journal I am working on.

In any case, Collage Art Emporium is a division of Engrave Today, since its primary products are created with my laser engraver. Anything else I have seen in the marketplace like these shapes are done in China, and we all are trying to get away from that idea, right? So for all my artist friends, this is a new resource. I am also selling some Ranger products and Golden mediums to go along with the chipboard and wood cutouts, simply to make it a one-stop shop for collage elements. Freight on one tiny package of cut-outs is cost-prohibitive, I would think. So, grab something else while you’re there!

I am so excited that today I can get back to painting and creating my own ATCs or the larger paintings that I do. Today I plan to work on some 4 x 6 pieces on chipboard, remembering to gesso both sides for strength. Stay tuned!

For instance, I have drawers full of drawing supplies and erasers, a tool box that I bought from Sears in Houston where all my watercolors and watercolor papers are stored; I have colored pencils of every type, and oil pastels as well as Shin-Han twin markers that I bought during a close-out from Blick. My stock of texture materials and mediums from Golden and Liquitex is immense, since I draw with texture so dominantly in my paintings.

The beautiful hand-made papers I bought at Texas Art Supply last month cannot even be described. They look like thin fabrics, and I am looking forward to using them. I found some old dress patterns and buttons that belonged to my mother, which will also find use. Those things have not been moved out to the studio yet.

Storage of paintings that I have done and don’t like is getting to be an issue; I have to find a proper way to store them until I decide whether to make them work or just gesso over the whole mess and start over. I had read someplace that not every painting will be a masterpiece, and boy, is that ever true!

On my walls in the studio are paintings I particularly like and want to keep. Some just show the progression of my skills, and some I just like to look at. And then there are the inspirational triggers from people like Robert Burridge, the “PERMISSION” card that gives me permission to paint however I want to, and the “YES” card that reminds me that if I need to ask a question about my painting, such as “Should I put more contrast?” the answer is YES.

The reason I do this, other than making millions of dollars for my heirs, is for fun. Why not? It makes each day something to look forward to. Creativity abounds in this family, and that’s what I love.

1. I will only take out the paints I am using in the current project. And store them where they belong at the end of each day.
2. I will use the Acryl-a-Miser the way it’s supposed to be used, and not have 15 different palettes and jars and containers all over the place “in case I might need them later.”

I bought the “Miser” while I was in Houston, at Jerry’s Artarama store there. There are only two in Texas, in Houston and in Austin. Nothing in Dallas as good either Jerry’s or Texas Art Supply, where I got some beautiful handmade papers.

3. I will mix more of my own colors. Although I will stick with my bright colors, like Napthol Red and the Cadmiums, my greys, browns and blacks will now be personally created by me!

4. I will post to the blog and the new Yahoo Group regularly. Nothing is worse than an old blog that nobody has posted to in months.

5. I will cover my computer and printer every day when I leave the studio, and lock it each night. I will remember to keep my phone handy at all times.

6. I will watch more instructional videos and listen to fewer political talk shows… I am really getting bored with the redundancy.

7. I will use Evernote more religiously; my lists of things to do need to be all in one place, for Pete’s sake!

8. I will schedule my time.

All input, positive and negative, now finds its place in my reportoire of new information and I hear their voices as i paint. There is Joseph Melancon saying, “Be like a sponge,” and Cheryl Mcclure saying, “You are not painting a house,” and even Bob Burridge’s photo on my studio wall with the reminder that there are no points for neatness. I have also taken all his marketing tips and run with them.

So, I’ve been staying busy. And since I am operating almost totally from my right brain these days, it’s all about art!

It has been difficult to paint the last few days because my father is starting to show real evidence of the natural decline of his age. It is hard to accept and I recall how painful it was to watch my mother in her last years. So it is a familiar feeling. Perhaps I can find a way to express the transitory nature of all our lives in my art. I will do my best.

Check here often for other little tips and tricks. You can subscribe to my blog, and I promise no spam!
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Of course freezer paper works great for acrylic mixing, too. And old coffee cans for brush-cleaning water.

The best thing I figured out was to buy large quantities of medium, glossy or satin or gel, (I use Golden and Liquitex) then pick up cheap craft paints at Michael’s when they are on sale, mix those for really inexpensive painting experiments. You won’t get the same archival quality, but pretty close, and it is a way to try out more colors. Then when you settle on a palette you really like, you can go to other sites like Cheap Joe’s or Blick and buy the good stuff.