Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Appreciating The Masters

It's that Funkie time of the fortnight at Frilly & Funkie! This time I am hosting the challenge, and it seems it really is a challenge! Their has been some fretting over this...even by moi. Well, here's the deal...let's pay homage to any of the four big Renaissance Men (or Ninja Turtles...NOT) who have inspired us all at one time or another - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello,  Raphael. Show a project depicting any one or more of their works, tell which it is, and who created it. Here are a few to get your creative juices flowing.
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino
I am super proud to be apart of this Design Team...amazing talent and creativity abound here! You must check out their projects if you need to fill your mind with inspiration!         
Linda Coughlin - The Funkie Junkie
Marjie Kemper - She Who Stamps and Scraps 
Teresa Kline - Paperie Blooms
Terry Horrall -  Terry's Work In Progress 
Sue Carrington - Stamping Sue Style 
Tammy Roberts - Paperie Sweetness
I have to tell you, that I had this whole project mapped and planned out in my art journal for weeks, but when it came time to execute the encaustic fresco on canvas that I imagined, using a few of Da Vinci's handwritten plans, his Mona Lisa, and a small portion of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam, I just stared at two blank canvases for about a week until I was brave enough to just start throwing colors and mediums together. I was so afraid to screw this one up. It's the Masters after all. But screw up I did. My completed project only mimics my journal about 75%. I made a huge booboo with a stamp, and just couldn't bear to scrap it, and had no time to start over, so booboo became an Italian distressed and crumbling plaster wall...sort of. Then there is Mona, or should I call her Moan-a?!? She gave me fits and kept distorting her face to cause me grief while she snickered. I did the best I could under these circumstances. She is such a mischievous diva!
There are only two pictures of the making of this...I got so wrapped up in creating that I forgot to take pictures. I applied gesso very thickly to create ridges of texture and to prime the surface of these 6x8 inch flat canvas boards.
I misted water over the canvas and then added various colors of Distress Stains. I did this several times to achieve my color.  I stamped my images in Coffee Archival Ink. I used Acrylic Paint Dabbers and Claudine Hellmuth Acrylic Paint to create the plastic and gold scroll and borders. Gold Alcohol Ink was used to color all of the metal accents. For the Mona and Creation of Adam, I stamped the images to get a border and then painted them in with acrylic paints and Distress Markers. Flowers, wire, hinges, and the sentiments completed the canvas.
 
I am submitting this to The Sunday Stamper's challenge of "Gold", and to Simon Says Stamp & Show's challenge of "What Do You Say". I say, "Create Art!"
Supplies:

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!



25 comments:

  1. Wow Anita your Canvas is so stunning,it is really a piece of art.Ilove it ,it`s so beautiful.
    Felicie

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  2. Gosh Anita! This has taken some serious work! Know exactly what you mean about getting that plan in your head onto paper/card. And it never looks quite the same!! Thanks for pushing us with this challenge and thanks for sharing. Hugs, Buttons x

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  3. Потрясающе!!! Анита, твоё творчество просто великолепно! Я так счастлива, что нашла тебя среди многих дизайнеров! Спасибо тебе за вдохновение!

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  4. Thanks for sharing Anita!!! it's very beautiful, classical art !!!Barbarayaya

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  5. Wow!! That is a beautiful piece of work and I love it. I was lucky enough to see the 'pointing fingers' for real in the Vatican this year and I was completely in awe of their magnificence! I don't think I could produce anything like this but I'm going to hop over to the other blogs to see what they've done.
    Juliaxx

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  6. Wow. That's amazing & beautiful & completely awesome.

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  7. Anita, I can't seem to find the "screwed up " parts :) It looks amazing to me. I absolutely love the depth and richness you achieved on this piece. It looks so authentic and elegant. Gorgeous!

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  8. I see no mistakes. There are no mistakes in what we do, only excuses to embellish! Love your take on Mona. She is beautiful. Great piece!

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  9. This is fabulous, Anita! Just the canvases ready to go look great with the stains and then the finished piece is incredibly beautiful. Love all the stamping, tearing, altered metal and flowers.

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  10. Awesome project Anita ! I'm going to have to go back and take another look, just stunning ! Sue C x

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  11. Hanging your head down low - NOT! Gorgeous details in the amazing "ART" canvas! Beautiful stamping and design all the way around!

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  12. Great dedication to Mona...one interesting lady!

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  13. When I first saw the challenge I knew it would be too difficult for me but your piece is just absolutely stunning and i cannot see any errors at all. Well done for persevering! Anne x

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  14. I love this challenge and what it's brought out of people - I think this is simply amazing... can't believe you created that Mona yourself, she's beautiful. And I love the flaking plaster wall, so I'd say it was a very happy 'boo-boo'. Gorgeous fresco details all over - the text, the gears, the A R T lettering - so much to love!
    Alison x

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  15. Anita this is art and you are great artist!!

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  16. This is stunning Anita. Absolutely fabulous. I love all the elements and colours. TFS Annie x

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  17. WOW, love this piece! It's so amazing that you've made this Mona Lisa! So cool. And I can't see any booboo! Only one gorgeous piece! So glad you entered it to Simon Says Stamp and Show just now. Hugs, Sandra

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  18. Anita...your canvas boards are awesome! Very cool how you stamped the images of Mona and The Creation hands and then colored them in on your own. I've not seen that done. Neat idea! I also love your ART letters and the metal additions, etc. The backgrounds are wonderful, too. Beautiful job! Thanks for sharing your artistic talent with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show. <3 Candy

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  19. Amazing art Anita, LOVE the background you created, it sets the decorations off perfectly... You made me smile with your description of Mona... I have a stamp of her and she is a moobag to me too, will never stamp in the middle lol Thanks for joining in with the Sunday STamper x

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  20. Awesome collage, fabulous now you combined all pieces. I love Leonardo too, he was one of the greatest artists.
    Hugs Anja

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  21. Such fabulous canvasses! Love the way your background turned out with all the different textures and elements. Just beautiful. Thank you for joining us at Simon Says Stamp and Show!

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  22. So much to look at here. Amazing work, love the colours. Looks like a perfect work of art to me. Sx

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  23. I really love what you did on this canvas with Mona!!

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  24. Wow, I've been scrutinizing this piece and you have really created your own little masterpiece here - just so much to look at and take in. Did you draw Mona and the touching fingers? If so, I am amazed! I think this must have been a real labor of love to create it - stunning piece of work, Anita. And a very fun challenge too!

    Hugs,
    Linda

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    Replies
    1. No...they were both stamped (Mona was Tim's and the hands were Stampington's I believe) but then I had the nerve to paint over them with acrylics. The hands did great, but Mona's face not so well.

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