CJ's Arts and Blues

 My Initial Lines: Creating a Dot Mandala Grid Hey fellow art enthusiasts! If you caught my last post about embracing the beautiful "Creative Chaos" in my artistic process, you might be surprised to see some of my projects with a little bit of structure!  Today, I'm giving you a peek into the foundation of my dot mandalas , and for this project, I'm working on some old wooden cigar boxes like this one. Here's a snapshot of the initial grid I drew with my trusty chalk pencil and the paint I used onto the top of this cigar box after the inside was fully dried and sealed. I like to use a chalk grid on wooden surfaces like this because it easily wipes off, which is handy when I'm going with the flow and don't always have a strict plan Here's a closer look at what it looked like when I finished.  After letting it dry, and cleaning the chalk lines off, I felt like it needed more dots. And here's the finished dot mandala on the cigar box! With more cigar ...

A Look at Decoupage, Painting, and Image Transfer in Progress    Welcome to my desk of creative chaos! 🎨 🐚 Growing up in Rhode Island, I have always collected quahog shells since I was a little kid. In the past, I have made jewelry with the smaller pieces. For some of these bigger pieces, I will be doing some sort of mixed media, inks, and paints. I don't really have a plan.  Decoupage fun and sticky fingers.  Here are a couple of shells with decoupage and paint. These two aren't sealed yet.  I may add more paint later. They have been added to my partially finished bin for now.   Here is a closer look at the quahog shell. I mixed my own paint with some purple pearlescent mica powder.  I finished some of these a few months ago. They are sealed, but not waterproof. I used some transparent journal paper, alcohol ink, and my own acrylic paint with some green pearlescent mice powder.    This is the back side of the quahog shells. They were stai...

  A day in the life of Brian... Meet Brian L. Griffin  Back in July 2024, my dog Dora suddenly passed away. I was heartbroken, and the silence was defeaning. We went through a lot together. We survived the COVID years. I am so thankful for the time we spent together, but I miss her every day. Rest in Peace Baby Girl  Fast forward to August, There was an adoption event in Michigan, and I came across a french bulldog named Lucy, with her litter of puppies. They were all transported with a larger group of dogs from a rescue somewhere in Texas.   I was drawn to her because she was around the same age as Dora, but I wanted to take a few days to think about it.  I did not see her puppies that day, but I did when I went back the following week. Lucy had already been adopted, and her 8 puppies were now available for adoption.  Brian and his siblings at the Jackson County Animal Shelter , Michigan Brian getting ready for his ride home to the funny farm. The awe...