Jungle Variety Art

When I make art,
I'm all over the map.

Sometimes I'm down in Mexico,
Sometimes I'm in Japan,
At times I'm into wicker,
Though I used to want rattan,

In the morning I'm a peppercorn,
At night I'm more like salt,
For July I will drink milkshakes,
In August I'll have a malt,

I guess I like variety,
There's so much there to choose,
Pick this or that or them or those,
It's win-win, not loose-loose.

Perhaps that's why I can't resist
The experimental mental game
Of using odd and weirdo paint
To make fine art that's not too tame.

I duz art with ink & pen & chalk,
And water color and acryl,
Though lately I got paintly,
Went all out on all the frills,

I brought home wild jungle paper,
The oddest paper I ever brung,
It was mushed up bits of chewed up sticks,
Holy cow! It's elephant dung!

I illustrated The Boy Who Went Ape, written by my son, Ben. It was painted in Sumi ink and acrylic on elephant dung paper. The paper is super absorbent and is available in lovely colors (though some are not light fast). It was fun, challenging and weird to paint on. I had to kill the suckiness (thirstiness) of the paper with gesso where I wanted vibrant color. For soaked in color (infused with the color of the paper), I just painted right on the paper and let it drink in the paint. If you want to try this super "green" 100% recycled paper, visit Mr. Ellie Pooh.com.
http://www.mrelliepooh.com/