BUTTERFLY ATC

This is a 1947 Webster's Dictionary page I used for background.  I always keep a page near by to wipe excess paint off my brush or to test a stamp or stencil.  That leads to some pretty pages I then use in other projects.  The delicate dictionary paper is glued to ATC (artist trading card, 2 1/2 x 3 1/2") card stock to give it strength.

GELLI PRINTING ~ "IN THE ROUND"

PAPER MAKING IN UKRAINE

 Not too long ago I had the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for years... make my own paper.  Sometimes I do crafts with some of the neighbor kids and I wanted to give them this experience.  The above picture is the paper pulp sitting in it's tray with geranium flower petals and some sparkle stuff.

 Our first attempt was a disaster.  The paper was the thickness of a cookie.  So we did some other crafting that night and I decided I needed to work on it some more myself.  This page has leaves.

 After literally years of looking in Ukraine, I found this plastic vat that was just the right size to fit the screen I had that has to dip down into the mixture to pick up the paper pulp (made with my blender).

 After many tried for days to follow I finally got down to TOO thin where the paper ended up with holes as above.  So with much trial and error I figured it out.  The kids came back over and we made cards with the hand made paper.  They really liked that and we had such fun.

 This is my play with paints and some stencils.

 From the paper I made I have done my first signatures for a bound book.  Signatures are the folded pages that go into it.  I've made many mini-books in the past, but never binding my own so this was a first for me. 

 I also made a cover for my signatures and bound them with ribbon.  I'm far from done as I've yet to decorate the cover, (except for a bit of spray color) but I won't do that until I decide what I shall use it for.

For quite some time I debated what I would do with this book when it was entirely finished.  Finally I came to the conclusion I couldn't do anything with it.  As simple and maybe even a bit crude as it is, it is my first bound book so I must keep it.  One more checked off the bucket list.  What do you think?

HOME MADE GELLI PLATE TOOLS

This video won't interest you unless you are into Gelli printing and if you are you'll love her ideas.

ART AND UKRAINE, KACHANIVKA CASTLE

In September Jeff and I took a trip to the town of Kachanivka, east of the capital,  Kiev, to see a castle.  Pristine and stately, it was owned by Pyotr Rumyantsev, Catherine II's Viceroy to Ukraine. He sold it to a Ukrainian who collected Hetman weapons, and under the Soviets it became a penal colony and tuberculosis hospital. They left the scene (thank God!) and now it is a National Historical and Cultural Preserve. A very peaceful and interesting place to walk.

As we toured the castle I was pleased to see examples of native art and many other artifacts.

 I especially loved the dolls and weavings as is evidenced by my photos.  Interesting that there are no faces on these dolls.  Wish I knew what this represented.

 I like the agricultural theme of this weaving.

 Orange and red...very traditional colors in Ukraine.  The word for red means "beautiful."

 An overview of the room and more dolls, some with faces.

 I just love the workmanship and detail in these dolls.

 A rich heritage of art.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of Ukrainian art.  I love it when you leave messages and would be honored if you followed on this blog.

DOODLING ON MY SHOES

 Last week we were required to take our car out of the country to re-register here.  So what do you do when you're trapped in the car for hours on end? 

 We live near the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, which is fairly central in the country.  So anyway we go is a drive.  Since my sweet husband Jeff likes to drive and since I like him to drive, I'm free to come up with projects to do on the road or where we're staying overnight.  This was one of several. 

 I haven't decided whether I'm done or not, but I haven't moved forward either with it since returning.  Any suggestions?  I'm open to ideas.  Hope you like them.  For anyone who's wondering, they were done with Bic Mark It permanent pens.  In addition I used a Gelly Roll pen in white Uni-ball Signo to clean up some of the places my hand lost control (bumps in the road).

Blessings from Ukraine,  Coleen

Einat Kessler ~ Art Journal Page

This is such a fun page and some good advice.  Very adaptable to anything you want to do.