studioWERX blog » mixed media

New artwork available!

admin — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:30:27 +0000

Hello all…
Just a quick note to let you know that all my new giclees are now available exclusively at the Velvet Room Boutique in Vancouver, on 41st Ave between Yew and Vine. I delivered them myself yesterday and are currently being hung in this exceptional, Canadian oriented designer clothing store.

All of my new pieces are based either on my botanical photography or on antique 1950s imagery from 1950 Vogues and Officiel fashion magazines. The Botanika Series is based on hand-altered photography in combination with 1890s ledger book sheets and the new retro fashion collages are timeless, elegant and beautiful – perfect for any young woman’s bedroom, a powder room, or anywhere you want a little bit of Audrey Hepburn style. The 1950s collection are 24×36 and the Botanika pieces are 12×18 archival, museum quality giclees on canvas respectively. The giclees are gorgeously printed and have a minimum expected lifespan of 100 years!

Here is an example of the artwork you’ll find at the Velvet Room Boutique:

The store location is: 2248 West 41st Ave Vancouver – Kerrisdale 604-264-8664
HOURS: 10am-6pm Mon – Sat and Sunday 12-4pm

how to deal with a migraine…

admin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:16:32 +0000

I’ve suffered with migraines for most of my life and for the most part my migraines are pretty much under control these days. Between twice annual Botox injections, vastly improved health, diet and controlled sugar intake I have had only a few migraines in the last 6 months; considerably less that I would have had by now on an annual basis. Today was an exception to that new norm. A BIG exception.

I woke up at 6am with a pounding head, nausea and shooting pain through my left eye. Needless to say, staring at my office computer today was NOT going to be fun. Coupled with the extreme heat we’ve been having [and the lack of sleep - probably also contributing to the migraine today] I decided I would take the day off work and wallow in self-pity at home.

Most of the day was spent in a moderately cooler home [as opposed to the last 4 days of sweaty-hotness around here], with an ice pack on my neck and feet, sucking back ice-cold Coke Zeroes and Advil. The pain was pretty bad until about 3ish this afternoon. Sometimes, when it’s this bad, I’ll do something low key like beading a necklace to take my mind off the pain. ‘Distraction’ therapy I call it. It’s mindless, drug-free treatment and shockingly, it can help out more than a handfull of Advils.

Well, today, I indulged in some ‘distraction therapy’. Since I’ve become a mehndi design freak lately, I decided to doodle in an art journal I’ve started exclusively for that purpose. Doodling. That’s it. No collage. No additional stencilling or painting. No deep thoughts. Nothing but a simple watercolour wash, maybe a few paint splatters, some mehndi doodling with my Copic 0.50 and 0.35mm pens, and a little colouring with my growing collection of Copic markers.

Ahh… It helped tremendously. Surprisingly, I feel considerably better than I did a few short hours ago and well enough to at least look at my computer monitor briefly. Since I’m a person who likes to share the good stuff in life, I thought I would post the results of my homespun migraine ‘distraction therapy’ here on my blog. A scan of my ‘distraction doodle therapy’ is below. Give it a try next time you feel crappy. Distraction therapy – my family physician, Oprah, Dr Oz and Dr Phil would approve!

art journal in the last 3 weeks…

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:00:13 +0000

1. AJ001, 2. AJ002a, 3. AJ002b, 4. AJ003a, 5. AJ003b, 6. AJ004a, 7. AJ004b, 8. AJ005a, 9. AJ005b, 10. AJ006a, 11. AJ006b, 12. AJ007a, 13. AJ007b, 14. AJ008a, 15. AJ008b, 16. AJ009a, 17. AJ009b, 18. AJ010a, 19. AJ010b, 20. AJ011a, 21. AJ011b, 22. AJ01—page7, 23. TimeLapse 2-poster, 24. AJ01—page6, 25. AJ01—page5, 26. AJ01—page2, 27. AJ01—page1, 28. AJ01—page3

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

art journal backgrounds…

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:51:55 +0000

Art Journal Backgrounds from Christina Lazar-Schuler on Vimeo.

These pages form the base for a new and first attempt at working in a BOUND art journal and not just individual loose pages.

I coil bound the book using solid core black, acid-free backer board and inexpensive, 90lb watercolour paper. Then, using a workflow similar to Teesha Moore, I started with glazing/colour-washing 10 single-sided pages then once dried, went back and added additional layers of paint, patterned paper to the backs of the painted pages, stencilling and some small collage elements.

The next step is to finish the pages. I’ll go back and will add further to the collage elements, incorporate some additional imagery and will add my ‘journaling’ in and around the artwork. At least that is my plan… for now.

doodling in 5.3 minutes…

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:12:57 +0000

My Doodling Obsession… from Christina Lazar-Schuler on Vimeo.

I’ve become addicted to doodling, particularly mehndi style designs and patterns. Here is a video of me building a mehndi design of lotus flowers, paisleys and leaves from start to finish. I hope it inspires you to use some of your own illustration and doodling in your artwork.

MUSIC: Speed of Sound by Chris Bell [from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack]

a girl and her stencils…

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 04:37:57 +0000

My Stencils from Christina Lazar-Schuler on Vimeo.

Reviewing my growing collection of hand cut stencils.

the doodling bug has bitten me…

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:05:59 +0000

During this newly evolving process with stencilling, spray painting, etc… I’ve developed a serious doodling bug and I’m now obessively doodling mehndi [or at least MY form of mehndi] designs the most.

In my OCD way, I started looking for stencils obsessively to use in my spray painting.

Since I started the Stencillry Online class I’ve been taking, I’ve created and hand-cut damask stencils from fabric swatches, graphically bold and geometric stencils, even wacky portrait stencils. In my web research for ready-made stencils, I thought the beautiful henna patterns on Indian women’s hands during weddings and special occasions would be beautiful to work into my art. The henna mehndi designs are so beautiful and complex AND nearly impossible to handcut without going blind LOL. So… I started playing with the idea of creating my own designs that I could scan, then print and image transfer onto my artworks. Cool! That plan could/would work. And off to doodle-land I went.

Here is some visual inspiration so you know where I’m coming from…

Inspired by Henna Tattoos - aka "Mehndi"

Isn’t the design work lovely? So beautiful and feminine… For a week or so now, I’ve been practicing this style of illustation and have been doodling using Copic pens and marker pads. However, in my slightly OCD way of doing things, it’s now appearing on/in all my notebooks at work using Sharpies and Pilot Felt pens, on notebook pages from staff meetings, on loose papers at home [while I watch the boob tube] and where ever a pen, paper and I happen to meet. Sad I know, but I can’t help myself… When something inspires me and lights a creative spark, I just have to go with it, I really have no choice LOL!

Tonight, I’m going to video my doodling and will share some of the results tomorrow. I hope that my little self-indulgent video will inspire YOU to try doodling… Doodling on anything, with anything and no, not specifically mehndi designs – anything your creative heart desires! I hope to start a doodle-nation with this little bit of video art and if I cannot start a doodling-nation, perhaps I can inspire a small duchy ;^)

Come on people… Get your Doodle On!

To create the cool INDEX CARD thingy on the right go here…

7 minutes…

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:29:40 +0000

One hour and fifteen minutes crushed down into 7 minutes. Enjoy the process…

Music: DeadMau5
Song: I Don’t Know What Planet

The Words from Christina Lazar-Schuler on Vimeo.

Colours used include: Quinadricone Magenta, Quinadricone Violet, Payne’s Grey, White Gesso. Stencils include handcut damask pattern stencils [cut by ME!], Maya Road Sheer die-cut 12×12, 1/4″ and 3/8″ Punchenella [aka sequin waste]. All marking and illustration lines created with Copic art brush pens.

new page…

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:29:39 +0000

I’m really enjoying this art journaling stuff… again, no deep thoughts, just lots of fun playing with colour, texture and shape.

Did U Ever

6.5 minutes…

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:26:29 +0000

to complete an art journal page – after I’ve compressed 60 minutes worth of images! Enjoy…

Art Journal Time Lapse | No. 1 from Christina Lazar-Schuler on Vimeo.

Time lapse video of me creating an art journal page.
Supplies used include Kroma acrylic paint in Arylide Yellow, Dioxazine Violet and Gesso, collage ephemera from Papaya!, hand cut stencils by Moi, label strips, Copic pen and markers. For more information about me, please visit my blog: http://www.lazarstudiowerx.com/blog/

music by: The Ting Tings