Artist Renee Mak

Ocean Blue and the Cup Cake Parade by LolaBird Ride the wave the wave of blue but leave your footprints  in the sand. Follow the clouds, follow thru stay true to your heart, it knows what to do. Flow with the pink, sharp and brite but leave out the glitter for your Friday nite. Use it freely... without care, sprinkle a trail on the back stair so you can find your way home, in case you're alone. The cup cake parade might shock you a bit... but don't worry keep the candles lit the frosting and glitter will make you smile and forget your troubles... just for a while. {All artwork protected under copyright laws and remain the sole property of artist Renee Mak 2012}

by LolaBird Dot dot dot paint the spot red then blue then purple, who knows what to do? Green is grassy yellow brassy pink and orange pink and blue Peter Pan... I love you Never do it don't grow old brown and sandy dirty cold. Rosy cotton candy kisses  don't look back no new misses becomes you,  just another not your uncle, not your brother. Bloom your fancy bloom it true Ah ha you've got it... electric blue. {I see  a cupcake parade}

This week has been a busy one... with three classes including one fabulous 5 hour mixed media painting workshop! In most of my classes I do a live demo to help those total visual learners.  This workshop is no exception and these details are just parts of a new 36" x 36" painting I started. I'm finishing it either today or tomorrow and am so excited to see how it turns out! Of course the biggest perk of teaching is the budding artists  I get to meet and create with.  This course is being shared with the lovely Miss Lynn of "When Depressed, Apply Wet Paint" . Her work is fabulous and I hope she'll share her finished  piece on her blog or allow me to share it on mine! I'm also linking up today with the lovely and talented ladies over at Paint Party Friday ! Check out the link and discover talent you never knew existed!!! I'll be painting today... hope you'll do the same. Have a fabulous Fr...

Finished 6" x 6" Mixed Media Collage! Last Wednesday I taught my Mixed Media Collage workshop   for West Des Moines Community Education... I blogged about it here and promised to show you the final results ... Detail And here it is! I always begin a "sample" in each class but  rarely get to finish it there. I love this star! All of the pieces, including the star, are things I had  laying around the studio.  Things others may just through away in the trash! Heart detail This cute little heart is the back of a Starbucks coffee sleeve... of which I have an abundant supply! Textural edge One of  my favorite parts of mixed media is the process of building up the layers... especially when the texture shows up  afterwards like on this edge! Happy! When I look at this finished piece I feel all warm and fuzzy  inside because after it's done, I see the usual symbolism  that's almost alw...

CuRREntLy WoRKing oN! Here's what I'm currently working on... and... These are two 10" x 10" gallery wrapped mixed media canvases that I started as samples for a mixed media class.   The text is a page from a vintage book and you can faintly make out the chapter title "My Fight With A..." This intrigued me and so I plan on keeping it visible!   We all have  fights on our hands and I really like the idea of taking a "fight" and turning into something positive.   That's the point of my mixed media  class called "Trash to Treasure" . One of the things I LOVE so much about mixed media is the layering process and how the painting seems to get a life of it's own and tell you what it wants! I'd say that these two are almost finished... with a few more layers, a mantra and just a tiny bit of glitter! Happy Painting! xoxo

It's time for another Blue Mondays post ... I've been spending so much time painting doodles and have,  quite frankly, gotten carried away!   The studio is a wonderful place for me to get lost... even if just for a moment. I let the brightly colored paint take me places far far away... where the sun is shining, flowers are blooming and the leaves are still on the trees! Finding and following colorful doodles is easy and extremely freeing... with no plan or expectations, I just let the paint flow! The brush and  paint carry my thoughts out onto the paper as if it's magic. Of course the color blue always appears... and is always a welcome addition to  my piece! And so... here's one more post dedicated to the fabulous color Blue... and all the wonderful places it's been showing up in my doodles this past weekend! Have a fabulously colorful Monday... and don't forget to be creative today! ~XO~

Last week one of my favorite artists, Traci Bautista , had a  blog post which held the question: "What is inspiring you today?" My answer at the time was colored glass, and so today's  Blue Mondays post is filled with Blue glass and  hopefully it will inspire you too! I really love blue cut glass... the way the light hits the angled cuts...  it makes it sparkle and gives it a life of its own. This vintage glass powder jar is adorable  and can hold so many things... jewelry, fortunes from inside fortune cookies or dark chocolate covered coffee beans! What would it hold for you? I imagine that a blue glass and silver creamer  would  look great filled with several of my favorite pens on my writing desk... if I had a writing desk. Fabulous blue glass beads are right for any occasion, especially laundry day... with an old t'shirt, faded blue jeans and vintage cowboy boots! This blue glass jar just begs to hold old fashioned pe...

I love to paint on rainy days... Something about a rainy day makes me want to paint.  I love how quiet the world seems as the rain falls... as if there's nothing to do but stay in and create on canvas. To communicate through color... and try new things with paint, crayon and stencils. To let thoughts and ideas flow out onto the canvas while hiding in plain sight. Using fabulous found objects, like a vintage doily, to create interest and  draw the viewer to look closer. And create small paintings within larger paintings... These are some of the reasons I love to paint, on rainy days or any days! What do you like most about painting... or rainy days... or both! {All photos above are taken from original, in progress mixed media paintings by artist Renee Mak and are protected by copyright 2011}

It was so cold when I woke up this morning! At 19 degrees fahrenheit, the cold hard truth that winter is on it's way has become shockingly apparent. So this blue mondays post will be filled with... blue snowflakes ! I love cookies... and these blue snowflake cookies are just in time for the holidays! Yum...the blue snowflake sprinkles on top of these oreo truffles are making my mouth water! Now here's a great idea... a blue snowflake wreath.  All that's needed is a wreath frame, felt snowflakes and a hot glue gun! With the mercury dropping, I'll really need this blue snowflake blanket to keep warm! Speaking of staying warm... I think I'll stay inside today and make  more of these polymer clay blue snowflake ornaments for the tree! Do you have a favorite blue snowflake idea?  I'd love to hear form you... until then, have a beautiful blue Monday!