Thank you Kelly Rae

What do you think??? I'm thrilled with how this turned out! As I mentioned before, Kelly Rae Roberts has an article in Cloth, Paper, Scissors this month and in it she maps out a technique she uses (or "spills the beans" as she calls it). Well, I just loved her paintings in the magazine. The layered look was just calling out to me, "Try me! Try me!" The whole time I was working on a painting for my cousin all I could think about was cutting paper into squares for a background. Today I finally succumbed to the lure of the layer and went for it. The scan doesn't quite capture the depth the piece has, but it's pretty representational.

I don't have the same tools she has, or the expertise with acrylics, so I had to do some things a little differently than she does. For one thing, I don't have a brayer. (I know, I know! Everyone has a brayer! I just have never come across a desperate need for one. Maybe someday.) So I used a palette knife to apply paint to the patchwork background instead. I also kind failed at the whole wiping paint off after you've applied it situation. I'm still not used to acrylics and they kept drying on me. I ended up mixing the flesh tone 4 times - improvising colors because I don't have the same paints that she does (okay, my oil background does help with that part) - because it kept drying up before I could get done.

I just love this technique, my favorite part of other people's work is the fabulous layering that gets done and I could never seems to achieve it. I think I did here! And to top it all off - the DH loves it! He has requested that we keep this one! That never happens with my mixed media stuff. He's kind of an art snob and just doesn't get collage. When I was putting finishing touches on the piece he kept fussing at me not to change it.

Thank you, Kelly Rae, for the inspiration and the information.