This article is written by Debbie Davis

When I’m at work and on the phone, I usually doodle on a sticky note pad.  Sometimes I bring home my doodles to use as ideas for artwork, or in my artwork.  Recently I was writing on a pretty blue sticky note pad using a red pen.  I realized how much I really liked the blue and red colors together and decided my next project had to be created using these colors.

Using a claybord, I glued on some pretty blue scrapbook paper along with some text out of a vintage book.  I randomly brushed on some acrylic paint in a blue color that was a little darker than the blue on the paper and also blended the book paper edges into the collage using a bit of gesso.

I love doing quick image transfers on my projects.  The music notes were added by spreading a medium layer of soft gel on the panel where I wanted the image to be.  Next I put some torn out papers with music notes (printed from my inkjet printer) face down into the medium, burnished it onto the collage and then lifted off the paper.  This technique is quick, fun and so simple.

I had never used molding paste before and was excited to try it out using a new flower stencil I just purchased.   I love the molding paste!  It added some great texture.  Once it dried, I painted the petals red and added some of the book text to the center.

I was working on the collage on my kitchen counter and spotted a red mesh bag of potatoes.  The bag was such a pretty red and just matched the red in my flower, so I cut out a few pieces and glued them onto the collage.  I think my hubby thought I was just a little weird.  Ha!

To finish it off, I randomly stamped on some white paint using a piece of cardboard and splattered on a bit of the red paint.

This piece reminded me of a hot summer day.  I decided to create another using the same color scheme with a little sailboat.

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My name is Debbie and I live in Morton, Illinois (USA). I’m happily married and have a wonderful family that includes a daughter, son, son-in-law and 2 of the sweetest grandchildren ever!

What I love most about mixed media art is that you don’t have to be an expert at anything to create beautiful art. It is a great way to recycle found objects. Art is such a wonderful stress reliever. I just wish I had more time to play!

I have a shop on Etsy called Artful Explorations where I place some of the art I have created for sale. I just recently started a In Art Therapy blog having been inspired by others who are willing to share their techniques and ideas.

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