Frieda Oxenham: The Secrets of the City

The Secrets of the City

Looking at all the wonderful art posted here on StencilGirl Talk every day it may seem that we all make perfect art every time. But that is not always true. Sometimes that art is much more of a struggle that you would imagine looking at the end result. Today I want to share with you a spread that I’m now quite happy with but that gave me endless grief in the process and let to me virtually covering up the pages. I’m going to share that journey with you here in all its stages and you can of course come along for the ride. Or alternatively you can use my solution for pages that didn’t please me, on some of your own pages that you aren’t happy with. Whatever you do, take my word for the fact that it’s always possible to “rescue” your work, so never give up on it.

Here is my step by step process:

1.      Gesso the pages. I’m using an A4 Dylusions art journal.

2.      Using yellow and burnt sienna as well as a brayer add color to the pages.

3.      Repeat step 2 with copper and fluorescent orange.

4.      Using the small squares from MB's Grid stencils and pale yellow, stencil on the squares.
Repeat with orange paint.

5.      Repeat step 4 with larger squares (using large stencil from October 2015 StencilClub and burnt sienna.

6.      Repeat step 5 using orange.

7.      Add the collage papers and fabric with matte medium.

8.      Repeat step 2 with yellow and copper.

9.      Add orange circles with stencil used in step 5.

10.  Add white squares using the large stencil from October 2015 StencilClub again.

11.  Add black scribbles using Rembrandt’s Words.

12.  At this stage I decided I hated the pages. Hey, it happens! So I brayered first black and when that was still wet, white paint over the pages and then used the stencil (from step 4) and a baby wipe to rub away the squares. Messy yes, but I was already a lot happier with the spread. Let this dry completely.

13.  The result reminded me of windows and an urban environment and of course I had many photographs from my recent visit to New York so I used those. Add the photographs.

14.  Add the large turquoise squares using the stencil from step 5. I also added a bit more texture in turquoise with the large April 2016 StencilClub stencil.

15.  Add photographs to the turquoise squares.

16.  Add the text using letters from Are We There Yet, Mixed Media Mail and Uplifting Words.

(C) Frieda Oxenham 2016. To see more of Frieda's work, please visit her BLOG.