Presenting to you the Ranger Designer Challenge

Each year, Ranger takes a product (or product line) and invites top-notch designers to create with it. The idea is to show the versatility of a line, that in different hands the same materials can look markedly different.

This year, the focus was Dina Wakley Media paints, stencils, and stamps. I got to hand-select a "dream team" of sorts. I wish I could have had more artists participate…but alas, they limited me to 23. So, without further ado, I present the wonderful artwork from this year's Ranger Designer Challenge!

I wish I had brought my good camera so I could get better pictures of these pieces. I just had to use my cellphone, so I'm sorry about the washed-out color and light glare and blur. You can see Ranger's post about the challenge HERE. Their pictures are better than mine, so be sure to visit. Also try visiting each artist's website…if they haven't posted their challenge yet (several have), then they may in the future.

Here's what the display looked like in the middle of the Ranger booth (I snagged these pics from the Ranger blog):

First up is mine:

I used a lot of my custom paint sprays (I mix my paint with some water in a mister and magic happens!) and my new masks.

Next up, Tim Holtz:

I love how Tim's is a piece of true assemblage art. He is such a master at combining objects in fascinating ways! I especially love the paint brush at the bottom. So cool, a visual feast.

Next up: Dyan Reaveley

Dyan is a master of doodling, and this piece proves that. It must have taken ages to do all that decorative writing. I love how the colors pop against the black. Love it!

Next up: Wendy Vecchi

Aargh, so sorry for the blurry pics. Do check the Ranger blog link above for better pics. Wendy's is delightful. I love how she used the birdies from Scribbly Birds. I wish you could see the dimension in the flower and leaves, it's really stunning! And how genius is the clipboard?

Next up: Tammy Tutterow

Tammy's is another piece that has lots of great dimension. She used my FAVE bee, too, from Scribbly Insects. Swoon! Love it.

Next up: Debbie Tlach

Debbie's piece is a portrait of her little kitty. I love the blue and orange (complemetary colors) and he just looks so sweet. She has really captured him well. Don't you think she could go into business creating portraits like this? So fun!

Next up: Lisa Pace

Lisa's piece has so many gorgeous layers. I love how she used the heart, both under and on the tag. So beautiful!

Next up: Traci Bautista

Traci did one of her signature portraits with my acrylic paint. I love how expressive it is, it just oozes energy and joy! So bright and cool.

Next up: May Flaum

 

To appreciate May's piece, you really need to be able to see it from the front and from the sides. There are sooooo many dimensional layers, it's really like a sculpture. So colorful and great!

Next up: Ronda Palazzari

Ronda's piece is an abstract work of art. Each section has interesting layers and textures. They all work together to create a whole that is really lovely.

Next up: Roben-Marie Smith

I love the narrative quality of Roben-Marie's piece (and it's so clever how she made a person with my Moon Faces stencil). You look at the piece and you can start interpreting the story, it draws you in and keeps you there. Love it.

Next up: Lorraine Bell

The analagous colors that Lorraine used in this piece give it such a calm, lovely feeling. The portraits are gorgeous and I love all the details, fab.

Next up: Mou Saha

This piece has some of my favorite things…color and texture! I love how she made the Affirmations stencil the focal point. Isn't it great? So many cool layers.

Next up: Kate Crane

I love all the little details and elements on Kate's piece (hello butterflies!). So many great pops of texture, too. Fun!

Next up: Tangie Baxter

Tangie's is another piece that you really need to be able to see from all sides. It is so textural and sculptural! I have to admit I had to reach out and touch the heart in the middle, it is like an artifact waiting to be discovered. Cool stuff.

Next up: Christy Tomlinson

Ugh, excuse my blurry pic! Christy did one of her signature girls…and get this. All of that pattern and texture is "custom painted paper" that she did herself with my acrylics. How awesome is that!! She is so sweet, love it!

Next up: Shari Carroll

I love all the layers on Shari's piece, they are luminous. She did the Mod mask in a textural way, too, so it adds such lovely dimension. So pretty, it was practically glowing!

Next up: Jim Hankins

Speaking of glowing…Jim's piece was literally glowing because it had little lights on it. How cool is that? The picture is terrible (ugh), but I wish you could see the little lights! Plus Jim's piece is sculptural, too. It has many great layers and wire and pops with color. An engineering feat!

Next up: Jennifer McGuire

How sweet is this? It is SO colorful and just looking at it makes you happy. This would be so cute in a kids' bedroom. Classic and cool.

Next up: Richele Christensen

Richele's piece is another one that literally glows…that little lantern in the box turns on. Aaah, so cool. I love the paper quilt in her background, and how her layers seem to blend so perfectly. Stunning!

Next up: Paula Cheney

Paula's piece is pastel perfection. Isn't it great how many looks you can get with my line of paint? You can bright and powerful, and you can get soft and subtle. Paula's piece is vintage pefection.

Next up: Jenny Doh

Jenny's piece is an expressive, layered painting that highlights her character FangGrrr. Here FangGrrr is playing the cello, and the word says, "Practice." I love how expressive this is, and that it is personal and meaningful…which what good art should be.

Next up: Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Julie's piece is so graphic and cool. I was chatting with her at the show and she said she was feeling inspired by Matisse. Can you see the influence? So great, I love it!

Next up: Mystele

Mystele is such an inspiration to me. She made an entire artist's book, with many painted tags and pages. They are so stunning and moving, full of grace and emotion. Don't they exude joy? I am so in love with this piece and hope Mystele will let me buy it so it can come and live in my studio.

Don't you love the pieces? I'm in awe of how great they are.

A HUGE thank you to all of the artists who made art with the Dina Wakley Media Line. Thank you, thank, you thank you!!!