Summer of Color - Pink and Gray

 I was super excited when I saw that Week 4 of Summer of Color 3 would be the beautiful color combination of Pale Pink and Charcoal Gray. So GOR-geous together, right? I guess I am not the best person to ask because I may have a mild obsession with gray. I love it with yellow, aqua, coral, black, minty green, and so on. If you were to look in my closet, you would see an ocean of black, gray, and patterns with those colors. There are splashes of color, but I usually gravitate to gray. :) SO, back to the challenge. I thought with this combo that this week's creation would be a piece of cake. Super easy. Super fast. Super fun. Ha! Super wrong!

I started off wanting to do something large, abstract, and on a canvas. But, ended up in all different directions having a very difficult time. I jumped into my journal - stuck. I worked on a mini 4x4 canvas - stuck. The creative mojo just wasn't flowing. So, what do you do when struggle finds you? Me? I walk away for a bit. That is exactly what I did. I left all my artsy tools right there on my desk and scrubbed my house from top to bottom caught up on the Real Housewives (I know, sorry. I can't help myself), played pirates with my little man, and found all kinds of other things to do. :)

After a few days I decided to give it another try. I sat at my table and like magic, my hands started working. This time I went to work on a small cardboard piece I had sitting in my collection. I worked for about 30 minutes straight and I was done (not including drying time). I let go of the abstract that I wanted to create and went with what I am familiar with. Sometimes, having a specific picture of exactly what I want already in my head hinders me. Does that happen to you? I think I try so hard to get the masterpiece in my head onto the canvas...and then when it starts to look different... I get frustrated or begin negative self talk. We all know that is NO good. So, I am glad I was able to work it out on this little cardboard piece. I will attempt that abstract on another day. :)

Come see the other pink and gray creations right here at Summer of Color 3, hosted by the lovely Kristin from Twinkle Twinkle.

Yellow and Gray Inspiration

I love the combination of yellow and gray. Do you? When I paint, I love to use all kinds of bright colors - aquas, pinks, oranges. But, I also really like to pair a bright (or even in the pastel version of the color) with a more muted color like gray. I think the contrast is really pretty. 

  While I was wondering the aisles of Michaels (I know, I know, I have a problem. Ha!) I found some fabulous scrapbook paper by My Mind's Eye. It was in a little 6x6 paper pad which I love. That size works really well for background paper. The patterns are shrunk down compared to a 12x12 sheet, so the small size looks great on the canvases or journal pages I work on. The colors in this pad were a perfect jumping off point. Sometimes paper is all you need for a little inspiration. LOVE. L.O.V.E.

So with this My Mind's Eye paper as my inspiration, I used an old wood block that I had laying around and started to cover it up with the pretty paper. I have quite a few of these blocks laying around. I did stock up around the holidays (sales + gift cards = happy camper) with canvases, but wood is my favorite. It is super cost effective to go to a home improvement store and have some wood cut down to the size you prefer. Well, or have a very handy hubby cut the wood for you. :)

After attaching my papers with Mod Podge, I threw on a layer of gesso. Then hunted through my stash of paint to find my pretty yellows and grays (pictured above - so yummy! Right?). Besides the color choices, I planned on just letting the piece come to me. No real thought as to what I wanted to paint - just the colors.

From the background I began to see a face emerge, then a headband with a feather (I have seen a lot of feathers lately) and then the words...be brave in truth. Right? I love that saying. I love the word brave. There are so many degrees of bravery aren't there? But, I know for me...speaking truth and trying to be true to who I am & my tender, sensitive heart takes a bit of courage. 

Here she is all finished and just waiting for a varnish bath. After that she will be on her way into my shop. :) 

What color combinations are inspiring you lately?