March Art Journal Pages

Spring is such a fickle friend ..

warm one day,

 chilly the next..

we have had such a wet winter..

which made for a heavy pollen season here in Florida..

and people who suffer such things as allergies..

The white mono print to the left of the birds is a manipulated, double packing tape transfer,
surrounded by mono prints..
detail from March Art Journal Pages, Caterina Giglio.

have had a rough time of it this year..

I have no such problems however..

but the weather greatly affects me and I miss the sun...

strange...

 how the weather so disturbs us..

I know the sun is always shinning above the clouds..

but the warmth of the sun feels so good..

light is so invigorating...

and one can see everything so clearly.

So my pages for March reflect the view from my studio window..

the white flowers on the trees gone too soon..

in the rain.

the soft yellow gold of the new leaves..

and the brown sandy earth..

the birds fighting for room in their bath..

I used a variety of techniques for my pages..

including mono printing and packing tape transfer, that I manipulated and doubled...

 as well as stencils applied to the page.. in layers.

Ingredients: Acrylic paint, watercolor paint, colored pencil, pencil, antique ephemera, stencils, mono prints, collaged papers, packing tape transfer.

This will be a very busy week as we get ready to visit Cuba..

which is very exciting..

it is a cultural exchange trip..

and we will have a guided tour..

so I am working in the studio to get things all set up

for our return..

We will have another video for you on 

April 5..

I will cover my art journal with my mono print fabric

and I plan to create my travel journal, using a different non sewing technique

and applying 

Plaster Cloth..

You can keep up with our travels on Facebook

and Instagram..

see you then..

Ciao, Ciao!

Mono Prints on Canvas and Boards

Happy Weekend

dear readers and viewers..

So if you have been following along 

on YouTube

with me..

you already know that I have been 

Mono printing on anything that

is not nailed down

and having such fun with it.. 

So today we are using the same technique

with a sheet protector as a plate..

but also printing directly 

onto boards and canvas...

which is so very fun!!

give it a try!

I cannot wait to hear about your results..

and have a fabulous weekend

my dear ones..

xox

Book Covers Class

Ciao gentle viewers..

Here is the little trailer for my class 

in Fort Collins, Colorado

this coming May..

just a little smattering of a 

video 

and we will have a proper one uploading this Friday..

thank you so much for all your support..

One class a year..

that is my goal..

See you again on Friday!!

Ciao, ciao!

Natural Inspiration

I have a quote from

Frank Lloyd Wright

in my studio

One Eyed Barred Owl

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."

and so when I need a break...

or inspiration...

We took a river ride into the park it was a gorgeous day..

I turn to nature..

most often my garden..

but often I venture out to look and see new and wonderful things...

Love Birds.. wood storks

my visiting cousin gave us a reason to go to

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

and Sanctuary

and of all the animals in the park..

A pair of spoonbills.. 

the birds are the ones that 

captivated me..

and mesmerized me..

I was so enchanted by them..

and now I feel ready to pop back

into the studio and start working

again..

C4N!

Mono Prints on Large Fabric

Ciao dear ones..

this idea came to me after 

I did the first Mono Printing video..

I kept chewing on the idea

and finally decided to try it after the

last video..

Mono Printing on Fabrics..

this fabric piece is roughly 14 x 21"

large enough to cover my 

current Strathmore Mixed Media Art Journal..

sure I could stitch all the small pieces together to cover my 

journal

but a large piece of fabric covered in mono prints

is just so 

cool..

Have a wonderful weekend gentle viewers and readers..

and thank you so much for your most kind remarks 

and comments..

I am woefully behind in answering you, 

but totally grateful in my heart..

C4N!

February Art Journal Pages

Writing a love letter to myself

each February

began years ago in 2008

when I first put paint brush to altered book..

It is a tradition that I look forward to each year..

writing about the things that I do, say and think

 that 

I really appreciate..

This year however..

I had a new twist to journal about..

I have always identified with being Italian American..

because I was so close to my father's family..

and because my mother and I had been estranged for so may years..

not uncommon in families with 

alcoholism..

My Mother always claimed to be Irish..

She even gave her youngest son an Irish name..

and well she was beautiful, 

with red hair, freckles and blue eyes..

fast forward 

to Ancestry and DNA testing..

and suddenly 

I am not half Irish, but German and English

What a surprise..

not an Irish scalawag in the lot..

I knew I had an English grandfather that I never met..

(lots of secrets on that side of the family..

that we won't go into here today..)

but I was too young to remember my maternal great grandmother..

My Mother.. 

sigh..

I can understand her changing her heritage during WW2..

I get that part, it would have made high school very difficult..

and small town living,

 atrocious..

but to keep the story going all those years later..

that is so my 

MOTHER..

However..

No matter where my DNA originated..

I am happy to be the woman that I am..

So I gessoed and painted and painted some more 

and scrubbed back the layers to reveal the orange paint underneath.. to show the past..

and used the letters...

to emphasize 

the power of the written word..

to manifest what we truly want to create..

Ingredients: Stitched Mono Prints, threads, acrylic paint, colored pencils, pencil, paper ephemera, antique envelopes, wrapping papers, pen.

So gentle reader,

I will have the second half of that 

Mono Printing video for you on Friday..

we will be printing on large cloth,

canvas

and boards..

so I will see you then

dear ones..

xox

Practice, Practice, Practice..

well dear readers,

I have been working on my new show...

Excavations

from my Ripped and Torn series..

and I have 5 small pieces to share with you..

although they are not going into the show..

they were just for 

Practice..

I once had a teacher that used to shout, "Practice, Practice, Practice..

as we were leaving the studio..

So I have made several small pieces as rough drafts..

to see how this new series will behave...

sometimes mixed media needs time to sit .. to rest

and techniques need time to develop...

 no matter how long I work with a media 

I am always learning new things..

paper teaches me so much..

It seems to me that as we develop and grow as artists we find

new ways to use the same old materials..

Excavations is an attempt to rip through the layers 

and sort out the truths..

the center always reveals what has been hiding there all along..

As I rip and tear, and focus, the dimension of the 

relationship comes clearly into focus..

and I am always reminded 

that harmony and congruence

is born from chaos..

We are off again, 

traveling to see family again..

So I am taking a little break until March 1st

when I will have the new 

Mono Printing video 

for you..

but I will have a new blog post for you next 
Tuesday

see you then!!

C4N!