Posted by Suzie on Jan 8, 2010 in
Diary 
Angel Face
Happy New Year friends! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful festive season and break. We’ve had lots of fun both home and away, spending time with family & friends and enjoying the snow! I just wanted to share with you Angel Face. I know this is my first blog post in a while but she was actually created for Christmas, but with the general hustle and bustle it has taken me until now to publish her here! I’ve used a combination of media starting on a heavy water-colour paper which is fixed to board. On the paper I used heavy clear gesso which I stamped into whilst wet, and layered up acrylic paint and pencil. I’ve also colour washed and wiped back to reveal background detail and mute some of the tones.
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Tags: acrylic, angel, embellished, face, mixed media, original, paint, Suzie Rhodes
Posted by Suzie on Nov 20, 2009 in
Diary 
Green Goddess
Going gently but deeply within is the only space to create a truly authentic piece from, and this is exactly what happened when I made this one. I took the time to make my workspace feel special with subdued lighting and the tunes I like to listen to, scented candles burning away in the background and as few distractions as possible. When I can achieve this environment I enter into an indulgent but uplifting time-warp where I really get into a piece with my whole self. The process here was cathartic and the Goddess within flowed out through a series of strokes and tweaks with minimum fuss. I felt really ‘present’ with this girl and had the feeling that she just IS! And isn’t she rather lovely? If I may say so myself. 
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Tags: authentic, gesso, Goddess, layers, mixed media
Posted by Suzie on Nov 17, 2009 in
Diary 
Girl with Golden Hair
I’m really getting in to painting girls again – I just love painting girls, and I love experimenting with mixed media. Here I started out with some left-over pink acrylic paint which I had previously spread about as a background on to paper. Then I applied some antique decorative paper from the inner leaves of an old book as the border around the face. Then I layered up using stamps, acrylic paint, modelling paste in the hair and pencil crayons. I ‘m pleased with this portrait. Autumnal shades yet a glowing warmth are right for this time in the year!
Tags: acrylic, antique, face, girl, mixed media, painting, Portrait, pretty
Posted by Suzie on Nov 3, 2009 in
Diary 
Corkscrew Goddess
Here we have another Diva, (maybe she’s the Goddess of Wine?). I have been wanting to work on something ethereal for a while now, with an ‘out of this world’ element. I really like the idea of my work being used for something like Goddess cards but was wondering “Does everybody want to do that”? This little lady is cloaked in a diamond studded rich red velour shrug, ready for a special appointment. Who could she be?
Tags: art, curly, ethereal, girl, Goddess, lady, night, painting, sky, stars
Posted by Suzie on Oct 31, 2009 in
Diary 
Lady in Blue Mantle
Here we have another sketchbook image done in the same layered technique of acrylic and pastel. I produced the image about a year ago in graphite and it has just sat there in my book which I was flicking through earlier. It just seemed to shout out “Paint Me!!”, and so I obeyed. I think it’s made an improvement upon the original drawing, but just wish I had photographed it before paint to show you. N’mind!
Tags: acrylic, lady, mantle, painting, Pastel
Posted by Suzie on Oct 16, 2009 in
Diary 
Naive Flowers - Lino Cut
Yes, I thought I’d try my hand at Lino Cutting which is something I haven’t had a go at since I was in school. In fact, the piece of lino I used was something which had been kicking about in one of my materials folder since I was at school – so I guess I liberated it!! The background is made of rollered oil paint but I did use printing ink on top. I do remember using a great big heavy press which I don’t have the luxury of using here, so pressing the design across was a process made up of pushy scrapey things and brut-force!! In the end though, I got some nice solid colour, albeit a little embossed looking!! I quite like it that way actually!
Coming soon………I am about to create some greetings cards!! Keep an eye out!!
Tags: cut, ink, lino, oil, printing
Posted by Suzie on Sep 16, 2009 in
Diary 
Amanda. 30cm x 13.5cm. Acrylic on MDF Board.
Meet Amanda! She is a good friend and a brilliant solo guitarist and singer. She wanted me to create something for her new home as she sets out on new horizons, so this is it!! I’ve stuck mostly to black & white as those are her favourite colour combo and tried to make it most like her – she loves her little waist coats and pin-stripes!
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Tags: acrylic, diva, MDF, Pretty Girl
Posted by Suzie on Sep 2, 2009 in
Diary 
Funny Faces
So, here is my latest piece. Illustration rather than mixed media. I just wanted to create something simple which would serve as promo material. It is a combination of acrylic and watercolour pencil on birch plywood. I am thinking of having this printed onto some nice organic cotton tote bags so please let me know if you are interested so I may reserve yours now!
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Tags: acrylic, Faces, Illustration, Leeds, London, London Eye, Manchester, school holidays, Tote Bags, watercolour pencils
Posted by Suzie on Aug 13, 2009 in
Diary 
Framed Pretty Girls, in situ.
Framed Pretty Girls
Hi. Just been to The Little Gallery today where two of my paintings are currently being exhibited. Thought it would be sweet to share some images of them here on my blog. Anna, the lovely owner also has available some limited edition giclee prints of my girls. Things are looking rosy, have also booked a slot for 2011 to have an exhibition there – whoo hooo!! Had better get planning now!
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Tags: Belper, Derbyshire, Exhibition, Pretty Girls, The Little Gallery
Posted by Suzie on Jul 17, 2009 in
Diary 
Daffodils in Vase. Tissue, acrylic and gutta. 30cm x 40cm on MDF board.
Oh My! Nearly 2 months since my last post. So much has happened. I have purposely been trying to take life a little more slowly so made a conscious decision not to worry about my blog but to adjust gently to the move with a ‘come what may’ attitude. And so……. we came, and so did life and lots has occured. We got here in Derbyshire at the end of May, and it is a pretty place. I do love it here. The children are settling well into the Steiner school (with a few bumps along the way, but I think that is expected), and we too are adjusting as parents to the changes. I don’t for a minute have any doubts that we have done the right thing. Our kids seem to have become ‘fuller’ and so much more of themselves already. They’re growing well with their new challenges. Read more…
Tags: acrylic, Derbyshire, mixed media, Mother, painting, Steiner school
