Lady Picking Pears

The new art piece I have been working on is mostly complete, I just need to sew on the binding. I’ve been working on her for so long! I created her from an idea sketch using layers and layers of painted canvas, in some places stitched through, gels and colored gessos, vintage lace and tidbits from an almost 100 year old story book.
Here she is:

And the most unusual thing happened this morning…I was laying her out on the floor searching for fabric for the backing when a RAINBOW appeared among the pears!! I attempted to capture it here with my camera…explainations behind the cut…

THE SOURCE of the mysterious rainbow- an antique beveled edge mirror that hangs in my studio corner.

Heres my art with the rainbow in the pear tree on the right side. I couldn’t capture the colors, but the light is there

Texture detail of the meadow. I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA, the Canon SD700 IS!!! The lens was, like, one inch away from the piece when I took this shot!!!! Now I can shoot all my texture.

Among the antique lace that I collaged into her dress, I put some tidbits of ravens from an old storybook, circa 1917. I know, its a shame to cut it up, but the book is in poor shape and when I use found images in my art I like them to be original and antique. It adds a bit of mystery and energy to the piece. Otherwise, I like all my markings to be my own.

The book, in all its antique glory, worn and wonderfully faded to perfect with its pages all misplaced and yellowed, I LOVE IT!!!!

The book- opened-

Back to the art- detail of crescent moon-

Her face-

Texture galore- I layered in some asian rice papers before painting and stitching it up.

So now my machine is busted again (I wonder why???)…and I’m finding that I am relying on it less and less to create texture. I guess machines werent meant to sew through gesso gel and 10 layers of canvas, huh? Right now I’m working on methods of creating all the texture with no/ limited stitch. Painting on richly textured grounds built up with fabrics and gesso and gels and such. I just love paint.