Eclectic Studio - Tammy Morrison-Koenig

Working over a messy mixed media background for this painting.  I quickly drew in an image of a house on the cliff. Then proceeded to carve the image out and add a little brighter color to draw the eye in. This background was just muted enough as to not compete with the focal point instead it plays right into the weathered facade of the house. Perfect. I love it when a plan works out. Hope you enjoy.

Well, I finally broke down and bought a permanent 6 * 6 inch permanent Gelli printing plate. I have been using the DIY gelatin plate I made a few years ago a lot in my work but it has a limited shelf life. What started out as a 10 * 10 inch, after time, shrinkage and remelting it is now a 3 * 5, which works well for tags or small note cards but I felt the investment in a permanent plate was worth it. This is one of my most favorite journal pages to date and I think I am going to convert it to an art card for an upcoming show. I would love to hear what you think.

I try and pull my sketchbook out every chance I get. Whether it is to create a background for later use or to create a study or painting from the pages that are "in waiting".  Using my sketchbooks regularly gives me the opportunity to intuitively paint. I grab whatever I have at hand and just let myself go. Because I work in a lot of portraits I find that these images just appear, others may find that this happens when they work with animals or landscapes or even abstract arts. This painting started with a background of stamps, dictionary paper cuts, stencils and wound up with very little if anything of that background showing through after adding some hard and soft pastels to finish it off. I guess it is what it is.

I pulled out my art journal the other day while it were were watching the first snowstorm of the year and I was inspired by the start of the Halloween season. This, as you know, is my most favorite time of the year.  When I start a new journal page I try not to start a painting on a white background so when i finish a different piece I will clean my palette by scraping and smearing the left over paints on other pages throughout my journals. This page started with a smeared purple background then I went a little wild added some gesso, stamps, stickers, dictionary page, acrylic paints, heavy body gel medium, gel pens, oil pen and pencil, decoupage, ink and sgraffito, pretty much everything AND the kitchen sink from my art box to create this fun little mixed media piece.  If you like this journal page feel free to search out a some of my other Halloween inspired props, decor and art projects here: Halloween projects   Wishing everyone a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! If yo...

8*10 wrapped canvas Acrylic pouring is an exciting, unpredictable painting technique that doesn't involve brushes and can provide you with finished paintings or interesting backgrounds for additional techniques such as this one. Here is another revamped failed pour painting that after the addition of ink and watercolor it transformed it into something spectacular. Carefully places accents help to acentuate the.hair and weathered face of this individual.  I also tried really hard not to cover all of the beautiful background instead using the texture to my advantage. I LOVE this painting, it has everything I look for in a self-critic of my work, contrast, color, spontaneity, interest, lost and found edges. I hope this inspires you to try something new. If you found this of interest remember sharing is caring. 

I have been experimenting with a new technique of acrylic pouring with mixed results. This little 8*10 painting is one of those pours that didn't quite turn out the way I hoped, so when it dried instead of repouring it, I decided to use it as a background for another painting. I drew inspiration from the complimentary muted turquoises and rusty tones to dictate the overall theme of the painting. As there were not a lot of "pre-loaded images" to work within this pour so I had to carve out the images and work with the texture of the background. The muted blues/greys and texture also reminded me of washed out plaster of the Mediterranean so running with that I emphasized the oranges, pinks, and greens. With all the visual interest the background you don't have to worry about covering all the underpainting, just add enough detail develop your vision.

This painting was started by using a messy background that was accomplished by using inks, acrylics, heavy body gel medium and stencils for texture. You can see the texture of the gel medium being utilized in the fish and some raised letters and symbols hidden in the background. I used some drywall tape and randomly smooshed some medium into the holes and it worked to give me some texture and direction in the painting, I like this method of intuitive painting because it does not force the work, it just allows it to develop naturally. When I was working on this I had to make a few adjustments as I went. The biggest challenge was connecting the human and fish form This is where I added the tongue with the fishing line - problem solved. For added interest, you can also find some charcoal pencil mark making and a fun foam fish stamp that I pulled from my collection. 16* 20  acrylic on stretched canvas  Hope you enjoy and remember sharing is caring.

I am very excited to bring you this latest work named "Morphed". This abstract painting is a representation of the ying and yang of humanity and how even though we see the world through the same eyes, our perspective is completely unique. I hope you enjoy. 18 * 24 inch acrylic on stretched canvas **Remember sharing is caring**

5*8 inch mixed media over monoprint With the background already done for me, this acts as a mid-tone in which to add lights and darks. During this painting process, I felt like a sculpture pushing (adding darks) and pulling features (adding lights). I used a very simplistic palette of just Prussian blue and white over a Gelli print strong in oranges and greens, I feel it has some impact with the texture of the print showing through. Thoughts?  

Cockadoodle Doo 5*8 Mixed media (Gelli print, acrylic, watercolor, oil pencil, ink, pastel) Good morning sunshine! Rise and Shine!    One of my more favorite Gelli paintings as I love everything chicken. Having a small flock is one of the reasons we moved out of  the city and into a community that is chicken friendly. So to honor this funny little man I pulled a page from my paper journal and just went at it. One of the benefits of painting on either a toned or pattern background is that not only does the mid tone color of the underpainting works to tie the painting together, but the subtle texture in the print can add a certain je nais saia quoi, even of you only see specks of it here and there. You can see that interesting pattern come through in the area behind the waddle and in the eye area and it really lends itself to adding the texture without having to paint it. I love it! As 2017 is the Chinese ye...

How quickly an idea can change. I have an art journal full of unused Gelli prints and some basic supplies that have been calling my name, so when I get 5 minutes to unwind I use what's in front of me to do something wild and crazy. Today I grabbed some cheap chalk pastels and just started to play. As I get to the hair you will see that the pastels are a little weak in value and saturation so I sprayed with a fixative added some sewing tissue and paper to cover the red pastel and turned her hair green. I added some contrast in the background and pumped up the color with little touches of acrylic and oil pencil. Don't be afraid to layer and think outside the box. Use crazy colors, don't be a perfectionist, use items that are completely out of your comfort zone. Grow. This painting is one of those ideas that went off the rails and turned out pretty good. It has all the characteristics I personally look for in my art. Value, Composition, Contrast, and Interest. Hope this ins...

This painting is an example of recovering from a major disaster. Everything was going along wonderfully and I was using my black paint pen to add some details when it exploded - see the viewers left eye - and when I was sopping it up I touched the paper towel on the shoulder area. Ugh. As I had originally intended, this is a little demo on how I achieved the final painting even through adversity.   This art journal is nothing fancy, a plain lined paper notebook, it's about 5*8, with a tough vinyl cover, that I picked up from the dollar store. Some of the pages I have gessoed, some have been decoupaged, and some papers are Gelli print one-offs - like this one. The only reason I like to use this one is that I like the size of it.  I didn't have any idea when I started on what I was going to do with this sheet. I try and use the most patterned part of the paper as the focal point. So I took my blue watercolor pencil and sketched out a basic cat shape. Even when ...

This little landscape painting was created using gelli printed paper that I cut into 1 inch square tiles, shuffled them up and glues them to a small canvas. This acted as my background for this painting. This process serves as adding color and pattern to a blank canvas as well as adding some interesting texture. 4.5" * 7" Acrylic painting covered with Gelli printed paper tiles on wrapped canvas Hope you enjoy

Hi everyone, so nice to be back in the world of creative expression. I really miss these days as I don't get a lot of time to do it anymore with going back to  school and family responsibilities.   4.5" * 7" Mixed media (paper, canvas, acrylic, ink, oil pencil, chalk) I was working on some printing some Gelli papers for our Christmas gift tags. This is an easy project to create with very minimal, inexpensive supplies and are beautiful in many other applications as well. I used regular craft acrylic, card stock, a homemade permanent Gelli plate and some store bought and hand cut stencils and stamps. I really don't like wasting such beautiful papers so with the left overs from our tags, I decided to cover a canvas with 1 inch tiles using the printed paper with Modge Podge and after deliberating for a while I decided to add this cute bunny painting. I left some of the background prints showing through as this will add dimens...

Another beach inspired project that I put together this summer. I used a mix of heavy and light gauge wire to form the framework and filled in with some patterning wirework. It reminds me of doodling, just with wire instead of ink. I used an eye hook to attach it to some hand lettered driftwood. I really like the blend of industrial and natural elements in this mixed media piece.

Once upon a time I was a little nut and the older I get the more this quote couldn't be truer. This is another page in my inspirational art journal. My journey of what keeps me going from day to day. This piece is done on a gelatin printed background with some collage, ink and oil pastel.

If you love scrapbooking, paper arts or mono printing you will love gelatin plate printing. These plates are available through your local craft store or online but I have chosen to make my own using this recipe: Ingredients: Recipe 1 6 T of unflavored gelatin (7 of the small packs) 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups glycerin 2 bottles of rubbing alcohol (some people have not had any luck with this ingredient but I have found it works for me) also please do not microwave rubbing alcohol it may cause explosion or burns. or you can use this recipe Recipe 2 4 oz. unflavored gelatin (4 boxes or 16 packets) 2 – 6 oz bottles of glycerin 1/2 cup COLD WATER 1 1/2 cups boiling water Equipment: You can use a rectangular glass pan, one of those clear acrylic frames, or a metal pan or tray. You can also make plates in round shapes or cut fresh ones into geometric shapes or organic forms. If the pan is 9×13, the plate will come out about 1/4 inch thick. Adjust the recipe ...

My dd and I have been busy printing gift tags, Christmas cards and background papers on our handmade Gelli plate. If you haven't had a chance to experiment with this type of monoprinting, you should! There is no right or wrong way, just ways that work out better than others. If you don't like something it is very easily covered up to create another dimension. We cut our own stamps (texture plates), basic stencils and used found objects to print a multitude of papers. This is one of my not so good prints that I turned into an inspirational mixed media piece. Gelli print, acrylic paint, oil pastel, ink, collage.  I love the way the paper does a lot of the work for you.

Happy Groundhog day. For those of you that don't know what the meaning of this day is. It is the mid point of winter. YEAH!!!! And to celebrate we bring the groundhog (an oversized gopher) out of his den (cage) to see if he sees his shadow. If he does it means 6 more weeks of winter and if he doesn't than spring is supose to come early. For this part of the country it is gaurenteed we will have 6 more weeks of winter and it has been a very long winter so far. lol  Finally we are getting some beautiful weather but as the snow disappears the brown lawn emerges. I am in desperate need of COLOR. :D  So I drew out a couple of Macaw parrot profiles and am working them up 2 different ways. This is the first one and he was done with a combination of  tangle patterns and brightly colored watercolors.  So much fun. Hope you enjoy.   

I really like the spontanious nature of pulling these prints, the texture you get is even more unpredictable than watercolors. This one of the old man in glasses was created with Golden Open acrylics and detailed with ink on AF cardstock. Hope you enjoy.