CUT PAPER ROSES!

Many years ago I was producing cut-out wall plaques painted on MDF.  I discovered an old one in my mother's utility room, which had stencilled daffodils and a crackle finish. It was looking worse for wear, so I took it away and produced a vase of roses instead!

This time I used painted papers as well as acrylic paint.  All the rose heads were layers of cut paper with extra embellishment, using a white gel pen and a black marker.  The finishing touch was a splattering of gold paint and some protective clear varnish...

HEDGEROW WINDOW DRESSING

As it is the end of Summer and beginning of Autumn, we, at the One Craft Gallery, have gone for a hedgerow countryside theme with briar roses, grasses, seed heads and boughs of greenery.  I made the roses from paper, which I painted and then waxed, to give a translucent finish.

My fellow window dresser,  jeweller, Caroline Tetley, turned up with half her hedge, which we have hung from various points in the top of the window! We have a feeling that it will dry out and turn brown as the Autumn season develops!

I have just decorated some 'hedgerow' gift bags to go with our theme, using watercolours and felt pens.  The gift tags were made from recycled packaging material, and the finishing touch was some self-adhesive glittery dragonflies...

'ROSES AND MOONLIGHT'

Carrying on with the moonlight theme is this mixed media work - 'Roses and Moonlight'.  I have used gilding on the moon, the roses, and for the reflection on the water. It was painted at the same time as 'Hydrangeas by Moonlight' and is also on a wooden panel (30cms x 30cms).

'ROSES - PINK'

I have just finished this fairly small artwork (30cms x 30cms).  There are a number of layers but I have deliberately allowed the text on the collaged papers to show through. In fact, I felt that the pale pink layer was too opaque so I got the sandpaper out!  As I was working on a wooden panel there was a good firm surface for sanding - I just had to be careful not to sand through the paper layers as well as the paint!