Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Love the black....


"Embrace"
Contemporary Abstract on canvas panel
8" x 10" Acrylic

Lately, I have been under painting with black gesso and have found that I really love beginning a painting with black rather than the standard white canvas. It seems to make the colors more brilliant and it makes sense since with acrylics I'm usually working from dark to light. This painting especially looks good with a dark frame.

This is a bunch of irises we picked up along the side of the rode on our way home on Sunday. The wind was blowing them around and they would have gotten pounded on by the rain that night, so we stopped and cut a few to make a bouquet. I decided I would paint them with the black canvas, to see how it works. I love it! and I really love the flow and feeling this painting has.

In a few hours we'll be picking Emma up at the airport who is flying in from L.A for the RVA workshop this weekend and to spend a few weeks. We miss her so much and are so excited to spend some time with her. She requested her favorite Springfieldian food for tonight. That is chinese food from Korean Garden in Willard! yum yum!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Weekend work....


"Impression"
Contemporary Abstract
8" x 10" acrylic on canvas panel

This painting is my impression from a recent photograph that I took last Friday at Wickman's gardens, a local plant retailer. It's a small painting with lots of thick paint and color. I enjoy working in this style a lot. It's the mixture between the abstract and the realistic. I just listed this one on Etsy.   And....

we also planted a big garden this weekend as you can see in the photo. Gigi helped!! actually it was such a warm day, that she spent most of the time in the shade. We planted corn, tomatoes, squash, zuchini, watermelon, eggplant, cucumbers, honey dew, peas, cabbage, brocolli and brussel sprouts. We've always planted a garden, but this year we are really serious about cutting that grocery bill down. We'll see as the weather gets warmer and the weeds begin to grow. Anyway, it was great being outside and playing in the dirt! Rain, Rain, Rain....

Thursday, April 23, 2009

hello...

"Sea Shoal"
Contemporary Acrylic Abstract
36"x 24" (3x 12"x 24") 

Well,  I've not painted much this week due to my slump or what ever you want to call it.  I did finish up some touches on this painting, though.  And... it's been a good week to paint the sides on paintings, finish final touches, seal, wire the backs, view other art work, clean the studio, learn how to use the iphoto on my macbook and think.  I am beginning to feel like I want to pick up the brush and get back in there again!  yea!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

"Green Garden"
Watercolor Collage
Image size is 8" x 10"



SOLD


I am in a bit of a slump right now and so this morning I've just been going through and looking at my past work. This was one of the first ones I did several years when I started working with watercolors. I would cut these shapes out and then use them like a stencil, overlapping shapes, colors etc... in the end I discovered that the actual stencil(s) I was using could also become a part of the design and I began gluing them on the painting as in this one. I've always loved the greens, blues and textures with the hint of red violet implying a white flower in the background.

From this stage I went to painting realistic florals in which I really enjoyed the cropping of the flowers and creating paintings that were semi-abstract- the flower was definitely recognizable, but it was more about how I was using the space that challenged me. I really did enjoy painting these with transparent watercolors. Then I went to the abstract stage of the last few months. I so enjoyed the freedom of expression with the acrylic paints and a palette knife on canvas. Many of these were pure abstraction and others have recognizable images. I painted everyday for 8 months with purpose and confidence.

So where am I now? well it appears to be in a slump. I've enjoyed working in so many ways, but just feel as if I need to choose. I haven't painted for a week and am looking for inspiration but nothing seems to be happening. I keep thinking this is just a part of it and need to just accept and embrace this time. I've always believed that if I just kept painting everyday in time my own niche would emerge. So perhaps there is something to come from this. I hope. I also know that discipline in painting everyday is so important and am hoping to get back in.

I began this blog as way to record my journey and a part of that is where I'm at today, so I thought I would be honest and post that presently there isn't any flow of creative energy occuring. I'm giving myself some time and so may not be posting as often to work through this.


Thursday, April 16, 2009

Evolved from.......



"Rose of Bethlehem"
Contemporary Palette Knife Acrylic Abstract
20" x 24"


Celestial Rose to .......Thought it might be interesting to show how this painting evolved. The first painting is the under painting to the second painting. I wish I could say that I planned it all this way, but I can't- The first painting was an impression of a rose from a photograph. I really like it at first- and we had even titled it Celestial Rose- but I just was never satisfied with it. At times it reminded me of cotton candy and there just didn't seem to be enough, so I just kept thinking about changes that could be made. I decided that I wanted to keep the center of the rose, so I began by painting around it. From there one change led to the next, then to the next and next.....then wala! there it was...... Rose of Bethlehem.


Monday, April 13, 2009

Just finished....

"Cycles"
Watercolor/Acrylic on Watercolor Canvas
18" x 24"

.....painting the sides on this abstract painting.  A little bit different this time in that I worked with transparent watercolors on a watercolor canvas.   Most often when I paint with watercolors it is realistically, but this time I decided I would try working abstractly with the watercolors on canvas.  That was the only pre-conceived idea that I had!!  The painting has been sealed with a protective varnish, so there won't be a need to matt and frame this watercolor.  Ready to hang!
Spent the day wiring the backs and painting the sides of acrylic paintings.  Beginning to get things ready for the June art show.  I know it's a ways away, but I'm not a very good procrastinator. Besides it just seemed like a good rainy day project.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Generosity

"Generosity"
Contemporary Abstract Acrylic Palette Knife
9" x 12"

This small abstract was inspired by a photograph I had taken at an orchid show. Orchids are a tropical plant and how they grow is really interesting. The seed pod was growing out from this particular plant. The seeds which are generously planted will then produce a generous crop.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Dark Rose

"Dark Rose"
Contemporary Abstract
Mixed Media- Oil with acrylic overlays
9" x 12"

Lately, I've been working on these 9" x 12" canvases, which are much smaller than what I've worked on for the last several months.  It's a nice little break, but I'm feeling like I need to continue with the large canvases in order to complete the work for my show in June.  So, maybe back to them next week.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Natural Night

"Natural Night"
Contemporary Abstract Acrylic
9" x 12"

This one reminds me a lot of another one I painted several weeks ago. Ice Flower was a set of three panels, whereas this is a single panel. I really enjoy painting in this style. I was working from a photograph of an orchid- kind of a cross between the realistic and abstract.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Something New

"Something New"
Contemporary Watercolor Abstract
Watercolors on Arches 140lb. cold press paper
13" x 17'" matted

This watercolor was the last painting that I did from the "Snow Princess" series.  It was a series of realistic transparent watercolors of a white gladiolus photographed off of our back patio last summer.  The shots were abstract in that I had zoomed in and cropped the flower, but the painting was done realistically.  Most all of them sold and one of them became a Christmas present.  The last one #12, turned out to be so much different than all the others.  Something new......

Friday, April 3, 2009

A Weeks Worth....



"Secret Garden"
8"x 10" Contemporary Abstract Acrylic
Gallery Wrap Canvas

This has been a busy week with a lot of family events.... ups and downs.. more on all the excitement later. So, I haven't kept my blog up like I would like to, but I have kept my painting up. Thought I would post this weeks creations with a few explanations.

"Italia"
Contemporary Abstract Acrylic Palette Knife
(2x) 20"x 24" total measurement is 24"x40"
Gallery Wrap Canvas

I just finished this one today. It actually began with a preconceived idea for another painting that just wasn't working, and so finally I let go of it and began going with it and this painting began emerging. It reminded of a photograph I had seen on my daughter Elsie's blog this week. Her and her boyfriend went to Italy for a week to teach classes. She had posted this photograph of this town on a hillside with the night hours beginning to settle in. The buildings and houses with lights on sparkle against the dark background. It had taken my breath away when I saw it, so beautiful and it and I guess it must of stuck. So, I guess you could say that "Italia" is an impression of this scene. Also, it was so good to see them come back so refreshed and inspired!

"Deep"
Contemporary Acrylic Palette Knife Abstract
24" x 36" on a Gallery Wrap Canvas

This one speaks a lot to me... as we've had some ups and downs this week. I intentionally decided to work with blue, which is a color I don't often work with a lot. Other than that I didn't have many more preconceived ideas, I just started with the blues. I had a lot on my mind about this weeks family events as I painted this one. I began to see the waves emerging and then decided to add just a bit of the opposite color orange to set them off. My husband walked in as I was painting this one, and just loved it. He titled it "Deep" because of the water and waves and on a deeper level is spoken about in Psalms 42. This title was so perfect on so many different levels.

"Beautiful Scandalous Night"
Mixed Media
5 1/2" x 7 1/2" on Arches 140lb. acid free paper


"Untitled"
Mixed Media
5 1/2" x 7 1/2" Arches 140lb. Acid free watercolor paper


"Whispers"
Mixed Media
9" x 11" on Arches 140lb. Acid free watercolor paper

This week I began experimenting with another medium, but still working abstractly. These last three are combinations of watercolors, pastels and acrylics, finished off with a clear varnish.