Beach Balm

For those of you

getting sweaters out and harvesting pumpkins

it is still summer

here..

just sans tourists..

it is time right now for the locals 

to come out and play..

our weather won't really break until late October...

So we took a day off last week,

to journey to the beach..

to enjoy the balm

of the ocean..

and the hypnotic sound of the surf..

a meditation in itself...

the expanse of sky and ocean..

reminds me that possibilities are simply unlimited...

and there are reasons

that it is called

Clearwater Beach..

the clouds were spectacular..

kissing the sand dunes 

and hugging the shore...

it was a perfect day..

sparkly, peaceful..

a perfect

balm for the soul...

see you next week with

my new travel journal..

ciao, ciao!

August Art Journal Pages and a Fall Break

Summer is definitely at an end...

and 

August was a wild month..

another month of 

transitions and transformations..

we even had a

hurricane to contend with..

but fortunately it passed over us with 

just rain..

and maybe a bit of anxiety...

we had a lot of rain this year..

so

butterfly and dragonfly

were my faithful companions..

so I had to share 

them with you

and in my pages..

I learned a lot about both of them

this summer..

as I accept the changes that I make 

about myself and what I want to 

create

both personally and professionally..

The substrate for the butterfly is white tissue paper

and I treated the back with gel medium,

then I drew the butterfly on the paper with Inktense water color pencils

it worked quite well

and I only wish you could see and feel it in person..

Ingredients: Acrylic paint, Inktense Pencils, pencil, pen and ink on gelli prints, wrapping papers, rub on transfers, transfers on paper, walnut ink. Butterfly in Inktense Watercolor pencils on tissue paper. 

and we are off to visit family

so I will take a little blog

break...

as always, 

I am grateful for your

readership..

and finding your sweet comments

is my one weakness..

xo

Bricolage, Art Journals and Somerset Apprentice

You never know

what will catch someone's fancy

Detail from journal page, May I suggest Bricolage? Caterina Giglio

so it was with 

an email I received from the new 

editor 

of 

Somerset Apprentice

it seems they were interested in 

sharing my journal pages

in

my last art journal

the spread

was done at the 

Holiday season...

and featured 

wrapping papers, 

old ephemera...

and lots of layers...

of course...

so if you get a chance

to pick up a copy

take a peek inside...

and as usual..

I am in great company!

xo

Carte Postale- Part Two

I had so much fun with this series..

I hope it shows...

sometimes art just makes itself...

and perhaps that is the benchmark for being in the flow

of creation... 

Detail from Carte Postale, Caterina Giglio

as you know,

I adore layers and I enjoyed building

texture upon each layer of paint and paper...

Carte Postale, mixed media painting, 8 x 8 cradled board, Caterina Giglio

I have always been fond of polka dots and have used them

before, but this time, 

I used them as a major theme,

and it feels whimsical and fresh to me...

In Context, mixed media painting, 8 x 8 cradled board, Caterina Giglio

Most of the post cards and stamps were given to me

 In Context, detail, mixed media painting, Caterina Giglio

with the exception of the one below,

which I purchased at an estate sale in 

Fort Collins many years ago..

I used the original from 1945

but made a photo copy 

for the collector to keep...

# 44 Paris, mixed media painting, 8 x 10 Caterina Giglio

and in this piece I enlarged the original postmark

since there was no stamp..

Detail from #44 Paris, Caterina Giglio


 

Copy of the post card used in #44 Paris

and the last piece

is a favorite,

a post card from Versailles ...

Marie Antoinettes little Hamlet..

#91 Versailles, mixed media painting, 8 x 10  Caterina Giglio

Detail from #91, Caterina Giglio

So now I am off to buy hardware 

and get these

ready for shipping...

I will have them in the 142 bis gallerie

listing next month

after they arrive in 

Fort Collins...

As always, I am most grateful for you

dear readers and thank you in advance for your comments...

xo

Carte Postale- Part One

I have been working

on my new series..

Carte Postale

and I am putting the finishing touches

on some of the larger pieces..

I was not satisfied with mounting them

on paper

and decided to put them on cradled boards 

which pleased me

and gave me an opportunity to add 

even more texture..

 this series began as I was going through

old post cards and stamps and was

graciously given

a lot of wonderful old stamps

by my friend Jeanne...

it is so seldom, 

that we receive a post card

anymore...

often a business will send them out..

but the old 

romantic thought of sending a post card 

has 

mostly fallen out of favor

a post card

was once a winged thought..

a desire to share an experience..

and wish that a special someone could share in the joy

of the sight...

the discovery...

the pleasure..

Part Two

will be here next week

and then...

titles..

hardware... 

shipping..

and show time...

ciao, ciao!

July Art Journal Pages

As I was loading the photos 

for this post, I realized that I have always

had a love affair with trees..

my first published work was

 my senior year book..

in high school,

they published a few pen and ink sketches..

my favorite was

a tree of course...

to me they represent wisdom ..

and grace..

and allowance..

they just be a tree and they do it so well...

there are two trees here, one on each page,

 in the light,

and one is in the shade...

they remind me that we always have a choice

to sit in the shade or the sun..

to be in light

or dark..

to look at things with hope or dread..

my trees holds promise..

incubating healing love and putting down roots..

allowing

new and wonderful things to grow...

ingredients: gesso, acrylic paint, walnut ink, paper ephemera, cloth, tissue papers, pencil

work goes on..

in the studio...

I have been working on my

Carte Postale collection
for the fall

and will be sharing that with you next Tuesday..

until then...

C4N!

Summer Break

with such gorgeous

summer days

I thought it was high time

I took a little blog 

break...

a little

rest is a perfect way

to celebrate the summer...

hope  you are having a magical..

summer...

xo