Third time's a charm

I just finished this mixed media on birch panel titled walk on the beach.  It's been quite the journey with this particular wood panel.  This is actually the third art work on the wood panel.  I experimented with different finishes with previous compositions and ended up having to strip them from the panel with an xacto knife.  I talk more about this process here and here.

This process of taking away and adding creates a very textured surface.  You can see some of the carved and layered details in the photo below. 

I've been thinking a lot about the beach lately.  I take it as a sign that I need to go back soon.  When I think about my last trip to the Oregon coast in November, I remember it like walk on the beach.  The beach grass had a lovely golden hue and the ocean and sky seemed to blend into one. 

To read more about my latest work, go to my Etsy listing here. 

I'm still painting on these old bingo markers I found on Etsy.  In addition to magnets, my friend suggested that I make them into push pins.  I loved the idea, and I happened to have a box of flat head tacks on hand! I'm wanting to sell the hand painted push pins as a set of six, so I need to come up with a couple more designs.  My guess is that I'll have the first batch ready in my Etsy shop within the week.