simply me

"the Altered Brush Project" - new brushes to share...

i hope you can stop in tonight to see the brushes in person at our ART CRAWL at the studio from 7-10 PM, for those of you not so local, check out the 13 newest additions to the wall, as well as, previous brush posts here OR follow my Pinterest board of all the brushes here.

altered brush by jane martin

altered brush by lucille crump

altered brush by croppin' spree

altered brush by melissa johnson

altered brush by kelly deal

altered brush by karenliz

altered brush by Helen (ho ho ho) Carter

altered brush by Valery Klassen

altered brush by Janine Whitling

altered brush by philippa foes-lamb

altered brush by kimberly ans

love the stars and stripes altered brush by pam bechtold

altered brush by kate mericks (love the sky diver!!)

if you haven't already, join in today!

"The Altered Brush Project"

display your creativity, market your skills, join the art collaboration and own a place in the studio.

1. Purchase one of our brushes & a spot on our wall. For your purchase you will receive one of our unfinished paintbrushes, space to display your altered brush and market yourself in the studio (price includes the cost of shipping).
2. Alter the brush anyway your creative spirit takes you. They can be as simple or elaborate as you like NOTE: do not obstruct the hole in the handle so that it can be hung on the wall
3. Sign and date the back of the brush giving it your artists’ signature!
4. Attach your personal calling card (business card size) with any information about yourself you feel comfortable sharing that hangs through the hole in the brush handle
5. Mail or return the brush to the studio:

donna downey studios
501 s old statesville rd.
huntersville, nc 28078

i will share pictures of every brush we get back and how they look on the walls as the collaborative art installation grows!

Join "the Altered Brush Project" collaboration TODAY!!

US Artists $15        International Artists $20

 

inspiration wednesday + video

what a mess, lol!

watch this weeks video...

supplies used:

• inspiration journal
• GOLDEN diarylide yellow fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN carbon black fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN cobalt teal fluid acrylic paint
• spray bottles
• GOLDEN regular gel matte
• collage pauge
• 6x6 hollyhock stencil (donna downey)
• wild poppy silhouette rubber stamp (donna downey)
• palette knife
• joint tape (holey tape)
• masking tape
• alphabet stickers (vintage chatterbox)
• typewriter
• lettering guides stencils
• black & white mini tags
  
• washi tape
• sew stamper cross stitch
• sew stamper tool
• stencil letter "r"
• date stamp
• stazon

when i grow up...

if you asked me today what i want to be when i grow up, i would tell you that i want to be an Artist with my own Studio where people come to create...create art, create hope, create joy and create and re-create themselves eveyday.

dont get me wrong, i LOVE to travel, but to teach in my own studio is "the dream". this weekend was AWESOME!!

i was able to test run my 2 brand new workshops as well as teach my "big 40" workshop (which has been probably my most requested and technique filled workshop i have taught to date)

so many new faces and lots of old friends.

i thought i would share some snapshots from this weekend.

{friday 9.21.12} NEW "Paint like an Artist - STENCILS"

holy hell best class ever!! so much fun, we made our own spray paint, creative chaos and what emerged from each canvas was just incredible. we had people walking in off the street asking what we were making!!

{sat 9.22.12} NEW "PanPastel Painting"

thank god for trial runs because what i thought i wanted to teach in this workshop turned out to be a dud. with the help of my awesome students and the benefit of being on my home turf, we put together a whole brand new workshop, with 3 times the art and the results were A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

so glad i made the changes because it is so much better, check it out...

this was the direction i thought i wanted to take them...

and this is where we ended up!!

the last piece we created was a "free create" where the students can either draw, transfer or design their own image

if you would like to see more photos from this weekend you can stop by the studio Fan page here

collage monday

if you were watching this past inspiration wednesday you might remember these pages, they are the ones i was pressing my painted stencils on so not to waste any of the painted goodness! i droppped black india ink on them and took a straw and blew the ink out to create abstract flowers. then added red and some white dots for contrast as the flower centers.

i happened to still have the tape and some of the sheet music bits still out on my table so i added some of each of them into the page. then finished it off with my favorite lettering stencil!

its a hot mess and i love it!

the "Altered Brush project" - more brushes to share

the creativity and artistry put into these brushes is just magnificent!

check out the 8 newest additions to the wall, as well as, previous brush posts here OR follow my Pinterest board of all the brushes here.

altered brush by ceparie

altered brush by Teresa Fenstermacher

altered brush by dianna clark (love the guitar idea!)

altered brush by Lisa Baker

with her interpretation of starry night, altered brush by Payton Downey

altered brush by Caryl Park

(awesome painting of table mountain in Cape Town S. Africa. I've been there!!!)

altered brush by janet joehlin

altered brush by gunn mandal (from Norway!)

if you haven't already, join in today!

"The Altered Brush Project"

display your creativity, market your skills, join the art collaboration and own a place in the studio.

1. Purchase one of our brushes & a spot on our wall. For your purchase you will receive one of our unfinished paintbrushes, space to display your altered brush and market yourself in the studio (price includes the cost of shipping).
2. Alter the brush anyway your creative spirit takes you. They can be as simple or elaborate as you like NOTE: do not obstruct the hole in the handle so that it can be hung on the wall
3. Sign and date the back of the brush giving it your artists’ signature!
4. Attach your personal calling card (business card size) with any information about yourself you feel comfortable sharing that hangs through the hole in the brush handle
5. Mail or return the brush to the studio:

donna downey studios
501 s old statesville rd.
huntersville, nc 28078

i will share pictures of every brush we get back and how they look on the walls as the collaborative art installation grows!

Join "the Altered Brush Project" collaboration TODAY!!

US Artists $15        International Artists $20

inspiration wednesday + video

lots of random blathering, was going to edit it, but then thought it might be fun to share just all the crazy conversation i had with myself as i worked.

watch the video:

supplies used:

• inspiration journal
• GOLDEN diarylide yellow fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN cobalt blue fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN carbon black fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN titanium white fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN cobalt teal fluid acrylic paint
• dr martins bombay india ink - black
• spray bottles
• GOLDEN regular gel matte
• 12 x 12 polka dot stencil (donna downey)
• 12 x 12 harlequin stencil
• lettering guides stencils
• black & white mini tags
  
• washi tape
• sew stamper cross stitch
• sew stamper tool
• vintage sheet music book (thanks mac!)
• date stamp
• stazon

collage monday

i am going to be honest, sometimes it is frustrating as hell when you are working on a page and it just looks like crap...no matter which way you go with it, it just gets worse.

that said, for every moment i felt this page was going so wrong, it was worth the one instant that the page started to make sense. that ugly layers began to have a purpose and created an instant backdrop for the pops of colorful collage on top.

this is my favorite collage monday to date!!

and see that "41", that has special meaning today, turning 40 was fun, but heres to 41!!

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the "Altered Brush project" - more brushes to share

lots more brushes came in this week!!!!!

keep 'em coming, we have lots more room for your art!

this picture does not do them justice...they are breathtaking!

 check out the 13 newest additions to the wall, as well as, previous brush posts here OR follow my Pinterest board of all the brushes here.

altered brush by Mary Harris

altered brush by Barb Rogaczewski

(omg, its me!!! frickin' A-W-E-S-O-M-E!)

altered brush by e yvonne ouellette

love the dedication to her mother

brush by kristin peterson

altered brush by lynne woolgar

altered brush by sandee setliff

altered brush by judy shea

altered brush by olly and company

altered brush by elaine graeves

altered brush by ali gitt

altered brush by angie reece

altered brush by nathalie kalbach

altered brush by fellow jersey girl sherri caramico

if you haven't already, join in today!

"The Altered Brush Project"

display your creativity, market your skills, join the art collaboration and own a place in the studio.

1. Purchase one of our brushes & a spot on our wall. For your purchase you will receive one of our unfinished paintbrushes, space to display your altered brush and market yourself in the studio (price includes the cost of shipping).
2. Alter the brush anyway your creative spirit takes you. They can be as simple or elaborate as you like NOTE: do not obstruct the hole in the handle so that it can be hung on the wall
3. Sign and date the back of the brush giving it your artists’ signature!
4. Attach your personal calling card (business card size) with any information about yourself you feel comfortable sharing that hangs through the hole in the brush handle
5. Mail or return the brush to the studio:

donna downey studios
501 s old statesville rd.
huntersville, nc 28078

i will share pictures of every brush we get back and how they look on the walls as the collaborative art installation grows!

Join "the Altered Brush Project" collaboration TODAY!!

US Artists $15        International Artists $20

inspiration wednesday + video

bring on the stencils!! today i made a mess and loved every colorful minute of it!

watch the video:

supplies used:

• inspiration journal
• liquitex gesso WHITE
• GOLDEN diarylide yellow fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN cobalt blue fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN quinacridone magenta fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN carbon black fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN titanium white fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN cobalt teal fluid acrylic paint
• GOLDEN regular gel matte
• 12 x 12 polka dot stencil (donna downey)
• 12 x 12 chicken wire reversed
• marrakech stencil (cant sell online, but can take phone orders (hint, hint...704.948.4627)
• lettering guides stencils
• black & white mini tags 
• canvas hexagons
• "the artist gazes..." stamp
• foam blending tool
• Helmar 450 Quick Dry
• date stamp
• stazon