For the Guys: You Can Do It; A Kandinsky Study

 Continuing on my Altenew AECP journey, I enrolled in the class For the Guys” with Jen Rzasa. This class had numerous helpful tips for creating cards for the men in our lives. At first glance, I thought I would want to create with tips from the “Interactive” lesson, because I love interactive! But the lesson, “Pop Art” really resonated with me and I wanted to explore it as an influence.

I love visiting art museums. It sounds nerdy, but I really do love it. Seeing the artwork up close and personal is so much more rewarding than seeing photographs of the pieces. Several years ago I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Jamie Wyeth. Jamie is a third generation artist and son of Andrew Wyeth. During the Wyeth lecture, Jamie spoke about growing up around the pop art movement and growing up in the studios of Andy Warhol. He was an excellent speaker and recalled his experiences so vividly. Some of Warhols pieces accompanied the exhibit. It was a wonderful experience! 

The class got me thinking about Warhol, his life, and his influences. This lead me to think of Kandinsky. 

Wassily Kandinsky painted a series entitled “Circles” from 1923-1929. In these paintings, he explored color and texture using concentric circles. It is believed that Kandinsky is a pioneer in abstract art and indirectly influenced Warhol. And now, I’m talking in circles! 

Speaking of circles, my card is made using the Fine Rings set of dies and hot foil plates. Pop art is known for its bright colors, so I went BOLD. Instead of using colored Cardstock, I used a direct to paper inking technique. I left my strokes intentionally “rough” to mimic the feel of brushstrokes. I used fuchsia hot foil on the hand colored paper to give it a tad more personality. It’s difficult to discern the foil unless you hold the card at an angle, but it’s so worth it! Especially on the “Ride the Wave” Blue Fresh Ink. That combination is so energetic and rich! I will definitely be using it again.

The sentiment came from the “This is Your Day” stamp and die set. It has more of a 90’s vibe, but I loved the playfulness and thought it would pair well for a masculine card.

This has been my favorite Altenew class to date. Jen is an excellent instructor and I left the class full of ideas. There are so many directions that I could have gone with this class.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Michelle