Plastic Painting Project Part l

Daughter’s contribution: acrylic painted background.

Club Creative Studio art has a main focus on bead-making, jewelry making and using hand-made clay and glass beads in interesting ways. But, because creativity is limited only to one’s imagination, it is natural that other materials take center stage from time to time.  This post informs you of a group project using mixed media on a painted canvas.

Exploring the uses of a variety of supplies opens your mind to new techniques and use of materials. Sometimes the most unconventional materials used, make a project extra interesting. There is a growth and a new-found appreciation to be found in using new materials. In our mother/daughter art project we used primed canvas, acrylic paint, permanent markers in black and metallic silver, heavy gel gloss medium, recycled plastic soda bottles, ink and hand-made polymer clay beads.

This post is part one of a two part explaination of what we created as our group project.

Many enjoy the challenges of recycling. There is also the thrill to know that you have not only helped develop a creative mode but, you have used throw-away objects in a new and exciting way.

Recently my daughter and I joined forces to create an inspirational painting for the new studio space of Club Creative Studio. I knew that I wanted to incorporate many texts within our canvas because I love being inspired by creative quotes. And my daughter knew that she could contribute by painting the background of the canvas for me to use as a colorful backdrop for whatever was developed on top.  To begin we set up the easel and let her go with the flow for the painted background portion.

acrylic painting swirls of color help create the feeling of movement.

Next, we added the quotes about creativity throughout the entire canvas, using permanent markers and varied the are thickness and font style of each quote applied.  Glossing over the entire surface, we added protection and a slight sheen to the canvas surface. Adding a gloss seems to also intensify the paint tints too so it is a double pleasure to use it.

Inspired by quotes about CREATIVITY.

Finally, we added some unexpected elements by adding recycled and melted plastic bottle flowers, with a hand-made polymer clay bead for each center bloom on the canvas.

Melted plastic bottle formed to be a flower bloom.

Follow this blog post on Two-Cent Tuesday for Part ll of this Plastic Painting Project. I’ll show the completed creation and explain how we made the recycled plastic bottle blooms.

Related articles

• Breakthrough in mixed plastics recycling as new plant opens – Rebecca Smithers (greenerscience.wordpress.com)

Creativity: Pass It On

Club Creative Studio shares information about CREATIVITY.

Today, is Two-Cent Tuesday and that means I blog about low-cost creativity.  I’d like to share a suggestion that is also a “no-brainer” activity for the one that is somewhat crafty or artistic already.  If you look upon your artistic time as a place to experience personal serenity or creative growth as a creative outlet for personal growth, take some of that time to consider sharing your passion for the arts.

There are opportunities for creative growth in sharing the passions for arts you have with others around you or in the community.  There are opportunities for sharing your trials and errors by blogging about your experiences, teaching your craft, being an active participant in a formed group supporting the arts or allowing someone to work alongside of you while you physically create art.  Help the visual learner experience creative growth from your artistic expressions.

Share the love, and reasons why you create.  Pass the ideas of creativity along.  Show someone else how your passion makes you feel. Pass on the creativity bug, and you may find that you grow in appreciation and idea-flow as well.  Watching the wheels turn from other creative people is contagious and inspiring.

Creativity: Pass it On. Share your passion with others.

If you are busy being creative in your space anyway, just invite someone to explore your supplies alongside of you. Having creative company gives you someone to get instant feed-back from if you are sharing questions and experiences.  Creating along side someone, gives you on-the-spot ideas that turn into motivation and courage to try something new in technique.

Helping make beads with Club Creative Studio.

You can be the model and mentor and not even realize it by merely allowing someone to work along side you.  As an example of being a creative model, take into account the times that you sit near a child simply “playing” with clay.  Perhaps the very young do not know how to make a “clay snake”.  By offering a “copy-cat” situation, seeing becomes doing and thus, you have shared creativity.

Creativity: be a creative model.

By sharing time when you offer unstructured guidance, you give the gift of confidence to someone exploring their own creativity.  How will you nurture creativity in others today?

Hand-made gift idea framed scrapbook page and mini-photo book.

As school days end with summer vacation near, the art classroom does not have to disappear until next year.  Nurture creativity around you and encourage, inspire, prompt and challenge creativity to be explored in everyday life.  Creativity is indeed contagious.  Pass it on, and see how it spreads!  Happy creating to you and yours!

For more creative prompts, please check out past blog posts.  And follow the creativity on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ClubCreativeStudio Push the like button and you’ll see additional ideas on how creativity and the creative process is explored.  I share creative creations at http://www.clubcreativestudio.com You will want to check that out, as the creative ideas are plenty!  Have a great time as you are inspired or inspire others to Be Creative Everyday!

>OH… Now, I See

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Several years ago when I had my eyes checked, I was so excited to possibly get the news that I needed glasses.  I very much wanted to be able to wear a fun and funky accessory and take on a new style that was seemingly more “artsy”.  I was going to be so cool!

Oh… the visions I had of modeling colorful styles, a sleek frame, any welcome of a look that I could call attention to an artistic personality.  I was so prepared and willing to add the fashion statement to my wardrobe.  I was ready to transform myself.  I could hardly wait.

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.



Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Much to my surprise- the doctor pretty much informed me that maybe I would be in need of glasses in five years but, not then.  I could not believe the results and practically begged for reconsideration.  I was insistent in my mind that I should be able to see more clearly than I was at the time.  I was shocked and then disappointed.  I felt no relief at all from the fact that I had healthy vision.  I just wanted to wear glasses for goodness sakes!

Several years passing from that initial vision test and now being much older, I have a new concern.  I actually need glasses and I do not want them!  I have felt the sting from the realization that I now require vision aid!  This time in my life, I just feel plain old!  I could care less if I look any more “artsy” than I already am.  Admitting I can see better now just means that I am old and my vision is the first sign of going down hill from here on out.  It is depressing, really.
Well, while the need for real glasses is limited (at this point in time)  I do appreciate that my improved vision is a huge help in my creative day.  My bead-making takes less time, I am more focused and my product details are more clear to me as I create for hours at a time.  As it turns out…I now see much better.

OH…I see the whole picture much better now.  I see that change is good in any form and most times for the better.

The best vision is insight. -Malcolm Forbes