Bex Hall

Exploring Creativity

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Art Projects

Renew-All brings winter renewal

The Village Renew-All Antique Mall is where I’ve opened a space to sell antiques and vintage items and this month at their Gallery 610 I’ve been fortunate to be included in their art exhibit “My Heart’s Desire” for their upcoming Winter Arts Festival.

I chose two pen and ink drawings that represent the connection I feel with mountains, trees, and water, which are part and parcel to my heart.

The exhibit features ten local artists and to see all the pieces, visit Old Central City’s site HERE.

Here are a few others:

If you’re in the area, you can visit the antique mall and Gallery 610 at 610 14th Street West, Huntington, WV.

No selvedge on my fabric heart

No selvedge on my fabric heart. ICAD Day 19

A selvedge is a “self-finished” edge of a piece of fabric which keeps it from unraveling and fraying.

The edges of my fabric heart have no selvedge.

My mom is in ICU after having a stroke three days ago and I have come unraveled.

Hug the ones you love. xoxo

Nature has its own time table

I let September slide by without creating in my nature journal

Yellowstone photo by Bex Hall

Here it is, one week into October and I didn’t draw or paint anything in my nature journal for September. I kept up with the daily temps and weather on the phenology wheel, but paint never touched the page.

September 2021 Phenology Wheel

I made note of a few things I noticed during the previous month. The box turtle Ellie found, the woolly worms, and the occasional colorful leaf on the ground.

But I had zero desire or interest in drawing or painting any of it.

I’ve been creating in the journal for eight consecutive months. I’ve enjoyed it and am pleased with the results. So why this month? Why now? Where and what is this resistance?

When I was a kid, school started after Labor Day, in September. Retailers bombarded the airwaves and newspapers with ads full of fall fashions. Sweaters, boots, scarves, hats. And in August, we would buy these things.

And on the first day of school, we would show up in our new cool weather clothing, only to shed most of it by noon and wear our disappointment the rest of the day instead.

Summer was over, the pools closed, stuck indoors without air conditioning, yet the heat remained, taunting us with memories of loose clothing, bare feet, and being outdoors. September seemed to be the longest month. Waiting for everything. The bell to ring, the leaves to turn, the cooler weather.

When I finished August’s journal and narrative on the 30th, I think I reverted to that place of expectancy I carried in my youth. 

Days passed and everything still looked the same as August. The trees all still green. The air still muggy. Gnats and flies and mosquitos, still bugging me. Grass still growing tall.

Why was I letting this disappointment derail me from the joy I feel when I draw and paint and write? I expected things to change so September wouldn’t be a twin to August on the page. And they didn’t. So I didn’t.

Last month was a reminder to keep expectations real and to look for the little things that ARE different. That HAVE changed. To notice and to create without expectation. To enjoy the process and appreciate the transition.

It’ll get done when it gets done. 😊

Gretal Erlich’s Solace quote

Another art challenge in the books

Squareathon 2021 wraps up today

Watercolor bouquet

A bouquet for the last day of Squareathon 2021. Watercolors.

Navy striped cat prompt

Navy striped cat was the prompt and I tried my hand at a 3D optical illusion. Found a YouTube tutorial by artist Sonhos com Dimensão.

Turquoise whimsical prompt

Turquoise whimsical, so I whimsically added turquoise color in Procreate to an existing photo I recently took.

An Artist’s Wish

And last, for fun, an Artist’s Wish.

Until next year, keep making art! xox

Experiments: a great way to learn

Hands-on boosts confidence to try other projects

Watercolor over adhesive lace pattern

Black and lacy, the two Squareathon prompts for today.

I’ve obsessed the past three days with how to get a lace pattern onto paper and tried two methods: 1. spray adhesive as a resist with a watercolor wash, and 2. spray paint. The short video below shows watercolor over adhesive.

I reused the sticky lace under a coat of spray paint and it tore the paper coming off in one spot. The adhesive was applied too thick, I think.

The dry lace with spray paint gave the crisper results. Another short video below shows spray paint over lace.

More experimentation is in order. I envision painting a large abstract incorporating some of these lace pattern transfer techniques. 

Spray paint over lace

Have you any experience with using lace in your work? I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email.

Spray paint over wet and dry lace