Well I finally made it back into the studio again after almost a month of a busy life that prevented that from happening. The downside of being out of the studio for so long (other than creative withdrawal) is that it can be difficult to get my creative juices flowing again. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I got into the studio. I had totally planned to paint, but instead decided on something that didn't involve paint at all. Flying by the seat of my pants in my studio is kind of how I like to do things anyway. This mixed media work on wood panel is what I came up with.
I used three different pieces of scrapbook paper for the background, and then I added some shading with a dark umber colored pencil around the edges. Then I drew my butterfly, also with colored pencils, and added a stenciled trail below the butterfly. I also stenciled on a doily design and added some fabric flowers to the center of that. And finally I added the faux stamps at the upper left, and the quote on the bottom right.
After finishing it I wished I'd made the butterfly lower on the right side. It's not as visually balanced as it should be and that bugs me. But not everything can be a home run where art is concerned. And really, as with life, it's more about the journey than the destination. And we just have to remember that "Life is a Beautiful Ride." :)