Nature has always inspired people and seasonal Powertex art or craft is a way to embrace this. When the seasons change we begin to notice beautiful details in our environment from trees and flowers to the skies and weather. We might mark special days or holidays that are connected to the time of year.
Why create seasonal art?
Seasonal art and craft projects come with a sense of connecting with nature, marking time or celebrations and feeling gratitude. Pieces can be created not only to provide decorations or keepsakes but to bring people together in the process of making something. In many cultures, for generations, families have gathered to work on seasonal craft projects that are steeped in tradition and meaning.
This article looks at how we can use our connection to the natural world to create Powertex art and craft projects that record this time and document our experience of the season.
Find your seasonal muse
Are you drawn to a particular season more than others? I really love Autumn with its falling leaves and the gorgeous colours associated with trees, pumpkins and bonfires.
Choose your favourite season or holiday and remember what this means to you. This might be a change in the weather or the trees or maybe a personal experience or treasured memory of the time.
Festivals and holidays are a wonderful place to start for a seasonal project. These could be holidays like Christmas but also family traditions, anniversaries or seasonal points like Summer Solstice. Which season or holiday inspires you the most?
Finding the emotional connection
Choose a time that has a special memory or feeling attached to it. Let that feeling be infused into your project through the colours, images and textures that you use in your art. This will give your project something special.
Gathering seasonal inspiration
Bring together your inspiration to guide your piece. Found objects like pebbles, petals or seed heads can create a lovely little altar of seasonal items that show your love of nature and allow you to feel your connection to it.
If you can’t gather natural items or don’t want to disturb your environment, take pictures or find photos online. Remind yourself of all the things you love about this time.
Take as much inspiration from these things as you can.
- What colours can you take from your inspiration?
- What textures do you notice that might be good to add?
- Are the natural elements growing, blooming or bare and calm?
- What is the mood or atmosphere you would like to create?
- Is the energy high and excitable or calm and peaceful?
What materials can I use to create Powertex art from nature?
If you have a bottle of Powertex medium your possibilities are already endless. Yes it’s nice to have a few extra supplies along the way but I encourage you to use what you have. Natural materials work best with Powertex medium, from fabrics to wood, cork, card or leather. Combine textures such as sand or structure paste. Most embellishments will work with Powertex. You can read more about materials here in this blog I wrote for Powertex UK a few years ago.
*A note about using organic materials such as leaves, flowers and seeds etc with Powertex. Organic materials are by nature wet and Powertex cannot preserve organic materials. When coated with Powertex, leaves, flowers and similar things could break down and decay inside the cured Powertex.
For this reason, it is advisable to thoroughly dry out any organic materials that you wish to include in your art. However, leaves etc can be used for stamping, masking, mark making and embossing without any problems.
Seasonal art and craft project ideas
Spring
- Mixed media art with seed heads
- Birdhouses or nesting boxes
- Altered bottle vases with fabric flowers or embellishments
Summer
- Beach themed jewellery
- Textured art seascapes on canvas
- Garden lanterns for LED lights
Autumn
- Halloween decorations
- Leaf and acorn inspired mixed media art
- Autumn wreath
Winter
- Tree ornaments
- Table decorations, goblets, glasses and LED candle holders
- Christmas wreath
- Stone Art Star decorations
Tips for seasonal Powertex art and craft projects
- Use Powertex universal medium with natural materials but avoid wet organic materials for best results. Faux leaves and fabric or paper flowers are a good option.
- Printing and stamping with organic materials is a great way to get organic textures. Use leaves, seedpods and twigs etc with paint or ink to make marks, stamp them into clay or texture paste or use them like natural brushes.
- Choose colours that reflect the time of year and the feeling you want to create. These might be your favourite colours but might also be colours you don’t use often. Choose a small palette of colours to avoid getting muddy results.
- Use the shapes or images that you associate with the time you have chosen. It might be flower shapes in Spring, gulls in Summer or stars in Winter. Use what feels right or memorable.
Meaningful art and craft projects
Seasonal projects can be a beautiful way to express yourself, gather with others and get in touch with nature. It’s a great theme to create with but can be deeply meaningful too. Add seasonal crafting to your family traditions, make long lasting art and create something heartfelt.
For Powertex beginners
If you are new to Powertex Universal Medium, I recommend you start with 10 things about Powertex.
You can also find my Powertex instruction for download on Etsy.
[Updated February 2024]
