Greetings from 92007

Once again, ihanna is giving me a reason to make art.  I love her for that! Her spring DIY Postcard Swap is in full swing and I am receiving mail art every day.  That is a real treat.  It is also a wonderful excuse to drop everything and make 10 postcards to send out in the mail.  

I decided to create a series inspired by the California beach town that I call home.  

Everyone who lives here is grateful everyday for the beauty, atmosphere and community we share.  

I wanted to share it with some fellow artists that live far away.

[photo by Tess Gardner]

I started with a State Parks of California map, 

and wrote all over it with a big Sharpie, 

all the words and phrases I could think of 

that describe our amazing life here.  

It was a big map and there were a lot of words! 

 Over that, I brushed a coat of gesso

and then scraped on some blue hues of Golden Fluid Acrylics:  

Cerulean Blue Deep, Teal, and Manganese Blue Hue, 

the colors of the ocean and sky in Cardiff by the Sea.  

I took this photo with my iphone today, no filter!

Then, I set to work making packing tape transfers using my Gelli Arts gel plate, 

following this tutorial video.  So much fun!  

These I layered on top of the painted map pieces, added some hand drawn palms with black Copic marker and rubbed on the letters.  

Thanks for visiting!