Haven't posted much in June. Summer has been such a challenge this year for our family. Grief from my
stepfather's passing. Helping my mother through her illness and grief. Work had to be halted twice, once to
catch up a large workload, the other for my husband to recuperate from surgery, a large cyst removed from
his index finger. I turn to art, even in between these things. The creative faucet never really shuts off. It can
only be forced into a trickle when your days need attention in other ways. Just keeping up with daily work
often is tiring so that art can't be created.

I tried my first mixed media canvas and I am pleased with the results. I have been experimenting with
different materials to see how they turn out..

It was fun to do although it took more time and careful thought and placing of elements than other projects
I have done. I am working on a second canvas and will post that one later.

I learned about a process to do crackle medium that is amazingly easy to do. In experimenting with different
paints as bases and top coats, it led to a solution for a panel to replace the glass in our old kitchen cupboard. I bought foam core, which you can purchase inexpensively in the school section of about any
discount store, in my case, Walmart. I cut the foam core to the dimensions of the glass panels. Using acrylic paint, I did a black base coat, with only a little bit of water to help it brush on smoothly. Let it dry. Then
brushed Elmer's Glue on top of that and waiting 20 minutes or so to let it dry to a tacky state. Then painted
a greenish patina acrylic paint over that. This is what the cupboard doors looked like after I installed them.
The second picture is a close up so you can see the crackle effect better.