Starting a new work and possibly a new series

I have been tossing around in my head the last while how I might make a subtle, slow transition into painting and mixed media work.  I have often been incredibly attracted to the work, but overwhelmed with the complexity.
Through my artistic career, I have often relied almost exclusively on drawing - not daring to venture into the mixy, mushy, lovely world of paint and other media.  Teaching has totally changed that for me.

I don't know what happened or why, but ever since I started teaching art and encouraging students to try new things - I have really started to think the same for myself.  Rather than staying simply with something that is "safe" - I am really looking to venture out.  After all, if I tell students that sometimes the most interesting things are the little mistakes or the accidents they make, why do I not give myself the freedom to explore in the same fashion?

So I am really hoping to get some new works going.  Some I am sure will be incredible failures, some will hopefully be amazing successes.  There is so much that I don't know about making art and I feel like it is really time for me to start exploring.

This piece may well be the start of a new series....but there are many things that I will need to resolve before it is a finished work.  It has mostly been an act of experimentation.  I was recently gifted some painting supplies from a wonderful friend who moved off to Europe to follow her dreams, and it turns out....I LOVE gesso!

I think it looks incredible on wood, and I really enjoy how it plays with drawing media.  I also spent a bunch of time experimenting with using gesso to make lace imprints on the canvas/board.  It took some fussing, but I am VERY pleased with the results.  Gesso also really reminds me of bone, something about its texture and tooth.  So from there I began thinking about skulls and bird bones.  They are SO delicate.  I chose to work with charcoal, and I do kind of wish that I would have stuck with graphite for the lightness....but I will keep on working with what I started.  Like I said - its all an experiment.  I might end up glossing the whole thing after....we will see!

Any comments or feedback would be wonderful, this is just the begining!  (Remember though, it is not done at all.)
That is all for now!
xoxo