Carnival (in progress), Dahlias and Bees

"Carnival" - In progress

30"x40"

It's misting here in Portlandia.  Perfect weather for easing into a three-day weekend after three rather intense weeks at work, but not so great for those who have been looking forward to their last camping adventure prior to the beginning of school.   The weather is a welcome reprieve from the heat and it buys me a break from exterior maintenance work that demands to be done before the relentless rains arrive.  I'm hoping to finish "Carnival" (which already has another oval appearing inside of the large white oval and a yellow band beneath the white rectangle), and perhaps one other painting.  Maybe I'll break out a new canvas, too, and I'm also hoping to get some hand stitching and machine work done.

I've been spending more time in the vegetable garden this year.  Turning the compost continues to be my favorite activity, but I've also been enjoying hand watering in the evening and visiting the garden in the early morning to watch the bees at work in the dahlias that, amazingly, are now towering over the vegetables and bringing merriment to the garden.

Thank you to those of you who continue to blog and/or post to Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr or Facebook.   Your work inspires me on a daily basis.  And as always, thank you for your interest in my  slow but steady artistic journey.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Metamorphosis of "Red Oval Rings"

In progress (and somewhat skewed)

acrylic and graphite on canvas

"30 x 30"



Frost on Moss -- a delightful microcosm just beyond my window 

 

Well, what can I say about "Red Oval Rings"?  A couple of people made a couple of comments about the painting and offered a few ideas regarding changing what I had considered to be a finished work.  I decided to move forward with altering the painting last Saturday evening, but attempted something different than the ideas suggested:  I added an orange glaze to a portion of the lower part of the painting but immediately considered it a catastrophic decision.  Unfortunately, I couldn't remove it all; so. . . within the matter of an instant, I had to make a bold decision to treat the entire painting to the orange glaze, (albeit, much diluted).  What happened next was a series of relatively quick decisions to further alter the palette which had just shifted appreciably.  

I was not a happy camper when I finally called it quits late that night.  It wasn't so much the fact that the painting was now headed in a different direction; it was more about loss and frustration. I was sad to have "lost" a painting in the sense that the former image was now gone; and very frustrated that a painting that I had considered to be finished was now going to require many more hours to finish -- hours that I had hoped to be investing in a new piece.

The next day was spent deliberating about whether to add graphite lines to the perimeters of the figures in the lower half of the painting and if so, whether to handle the lines differently on the white stripes than on the muted colored stripes (I did).  I also deliberated about whether to add lines to define the vertical bar in the lower half and embellish the bar in the upper half, and whether to add a light grey glaze to the lower portion of the vertical bar. (I did.)  Since then, I've been observing my "new painting " deliberating about my next step and specifically, the possibility of lightening the blue and/or adding some areas of "aged pomegranate" hue. 

 The irony of all of this is that prior to deciding to lay down that pesky orange glaze, I talked to my husband about the "gravity" of such "no way back" decisions for artists -- and the boldness required to take the flying leap and risk losing hours and hours of work, and in some cases, a fair amount of expense in materials.   But, on the other hand, there is the notion of "nothing ventured, nothing lost" and also, "no pain, no gain".  Which leads me to this wonderful post on the subject of taking risks by one of favorite painters, Nicholas Wilton   (Yes, I've mentioned him more than once here, and have no doubt provided a link to his post on risk, before; but it's been awhile and the post is worth reading again and again.) 

Here's hoping for a wonderful week ahead for everyone!

Switching it Up

 Found carving by unknown artist.

Time to switch it up in our little house.  Time to take down this painting and put this beautiful carving, found for a song many moons ago in an antique mall, away so as to make room for a fresh-cut tree.  Time to get up in the attic and bring down the holiday boxes in order to begin the process of metamorphosis.  Time to clear off the dining room table of fabrics -- laid out in anticipation of productivity -- and the myriad stacks of prints that clutter other assorted surfaces.  Time to switch out the current mix of CDs for holiday favorites and to keep apple cider and cinnamon on low on the back stove burner to fragrance the house.    And yes, I might be just a little behind . . .  :)



Hope the season is treating you well.

Cheers!

Flower and Dots . . . to the Shop

"Flower and Dots"

acrylic on canvas

24"x 24"x 3"

Detail

This painting has found its way to the shop.    

Thanks for visiting!

:)

Autumnal Mixed Media

Mixed media on canvas

9" x 11"

sold

Autumn is unquestionably my favorite season.  Still, I am not quite ready for summer's wane.  The above mixed media piece suggests "deep fall" to me (if there is such a thing.)  It's in my shop now. 

Such busy days here with very little time for art.  Hope you're not in the same predicament. . .  

Have a wonderful day!  And thank you very much for visiting!

Water and Sky.....Paintings by Catherine Freshley

Willapa Bay Field

30" x 40"

Float Plane on Lake Coeur d'Alene

24" x 30"

Lost Lake

18" x 24"

We had a chance to catch up with our daughter, Catherine, last weekend.  She continues to paint landscapes and she had a large work -in-progress in tow.  She is focused and disciplined, and somehow managed to add a couple of layers of paint during a very busy weekend.  If you're in the Spokane area, you can see her work at The Elk through mid-September.

I managed to spend a little time doing relief printing on Saturday.  I was working with a very limited palette again -- this time pthalo green and sepia -- and I used various bits of vegetation.  I imagine some of the prints will eventually find their way to this blog after I go back into them with additional colors and mediums.  Printmaking is so satisfying.  Always so many surprises along the way.  Alchemy, perhaps. 

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Thanks for your visit  :)

 

Painting In Progress.......Suspended Ovoids

In progress - "Suspended Ovoids"

Acrylic on canvas - 30" x 40"

So I stared at my blank canvas for a good part of the day and evening last Saturday, and finally took the plunge on Sunday-- beginning still another painting in my "Ovoid" series.  By mid-morning on Monday,  the painting was at a good point:  suffused, somewhat evocative, a bit brooding, and in a simple palette akin to  the bark, leaves, and lichen of our blueberry bushes in early summer.  Two simple, warm-white ovoids commanded the center of attention.  By Monday afternoon, I had managed to lose the suffused feel and my background palette had shifted.  Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were spent studying the painting; comparing and contrasting it with others in my midst and deliberating about whether to try to recapture the early essence of the painting, or to pursue an alternative, more graphic approach.   Last night, as the light faded to darkness, I literally sat staring at the painting.  Finally, I made several decisions:  "Yes" to using bright orange.  "Yes" to stripes.  "No" to the dark, dark background.  "Yes" to the larger end of the ovoids on the bottom of the painting. "Yes" to "suspending" the ovoids.  And within a matter of an hour, I was well on my way!  Now, it's a matter of adding more color interest to the orange stripes (ala the citrus oranges); adding refinements here and there, and perhaps adding some graphite.   Cannot wait to get back to this painting in the morning light!

And then, I think I'll try to recapture the early essence of the earlier "lost" painting in a smaller version.  :)

Art = Happiness

Cheers!

Milestones and Moons

"Moon Discs"

Acrylic on canvas 30" x 40"

Life has been very full recently...of immediate and extended family matters and milestones, short trips here and there, and of course, work.  Producing art and blogging have temporarily taken a back seat, although I continue to visit others' blogs, shops and flickr sites regularly, always eager to be inspired by the creativity and beauty displayed there.  

Our yard is ablaze with rugosa roses and the air is heavy with their lovely scent.   A grown chicken, raised by our daughter while away at college, temporarily resided in our yard.....a first for me.  And yes, within a day, my husband and I were attached to it and talking to it as though it were our "beloved" beagle, Harley. 

I recently had photos taken of some of my paintings. Some of the resulting images are closer approximations to the works than what I had previously been able to capture, so I have been uploading a few of them to my flickr site.  The above painting was done a few years ago, but I had not previously posted it anywhere. I wasn't thinking of moons when I painted it, but "Moon Discs" seems to fit.  ( And 'discs' rather than 'disks' because I think the roundish "c" looks better than the sharp "k" in the word, especially when it pertains to moons. )

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for the work you are producing!

:)

New Landscapes by Catherine Freshley

Untitled - by Catherine Freshley

22" x 30" 

Untitled -- by Catherine Freshley
 15" x 30"

Untitled -- by Catherine Freshley
18" x 24"

Untitled -- by Catherine Freshley

 15" x 30"

We're doing a little celebrating this month as our daughter, Catherine, has just hung her first solo show at Picabu Neighborhood Bistro in Spokane, Washington.  "Northwest Landscapes: The Pacific to the Palouse" includes twelve paintings comprising scenes from a pristine estuary, the Willamette valley and Cascade range in Oregon, and the grasslands of eastern Washington.   Here is an excerpt from Catherine's artist statement for the show:

"I have been fortunate to live the first couple decades of my life in places of particular natural beauty; whether that helped spawn my deep appreciation for place and home, or I have such a feeling for the water, the land and the sky because of it, I am not sure. For quite some time I wrote about the places that are important to me – attempting to recreate them, and preserve them as I know them, with words. While I have always been making art, it is only in the past year or so that I have taken to recreating these places (and some equally pretty, but less personally significant places) visually.

This interest in painting landscapes arose as a surprise to me, and suddenly, after driving across the country from New Orleans to Spokane. It started with a slightly blurry photo of a farm in Montana – taken one handed, eyes somewhere between focused on the road ahead and totally absorbed by the setting sun slinking across the backs of some cows and a low pond."                     

If you're in the area, stop by the Bistro to take a peek.  You can also find Catherine's work on her flickr site and in her Etsy shop.

It's been a lovely, "squally" day in Portlandia.  I managed to find visual inspiration while travelling through suburbia to get to the Department of Environmental Quality vehicle test station.  I saw gorgeous stands of bare poplar trees against an equally gorgeous sky; and a bonus stand of tall, dried cattails in a large wetland area.  A single red-winged blackbird stood sentry on the tip of one of the spent blooms; its form and colors in sharp contrast to the textures and subtleties of the browned cattails. Such a feast for my eyes!

Happy Saturday!!

Graphic Ovoids -- Finished (almost)

 "Graphic Ovoids"

Acrylic on canvas

36" x 36"

So this is where this painting ended up.  I just need to finish the sides. Although you really can't see it here, that white basket-weave texture that I added in the second  (third?) state is still barely discernible, lending a soft, suffused, and very intriguing green.  Although there is no red in any area of the green, it reads as though there is a hint of it.

I'm ready to move on.  I'll do one more ovoid painting and then it's off on another chase.  But before I begin another painting, I NEED to get back to printing, and collage. :) 

I am visiting your blogs, but I've been commenting less frequently as of late.  Hope my schedule will ease a bit soon....

                  

Here's to the week ahead!  Hope yours is great!

Gloria

Works in Progress and Artistic Process

Acrylic on canvas 

30" x 40"



Graphic Ovoids - third state

36" by 36" (in background)

Another one of my "Ovoids" paintings has come out from hiding, ready to be finished, (top photo).   I know where I'm headed with this and one more session should do it.   However, "Graphic Ovoids" is causing a little frustration.  I took the leap and added the textural element on the lower portion of the painting, shown above. I've decided to keep it.  But now, additional treatments to the horizontal band at the top of the canvas have me in a quandry.  I lost the soft ambiguity in the band that was present in the first two states and now I'll have to figure out whether to try to get it back, or to move in a different direction. 

Speaking of process and the protracted completion of works of art.... Shu-Ju Wang, a Portland artist, currently has a wonderful post on the stages of a mixed media piece that she recently finished.  Shu-Ju is a computer engineer-turned artist, having studied in multiple disciplines at Oregon College of Art and Craft. She is a printmaker (including Goco), book artist, painter and teacher who is always generous of her time and knowledge. Find out more about her, and view a lovely video showing her working on another painting, here.

Hope your week is off to a good start!

As always, thanks very much for visiting....

:)

In Progress.....

Ovoid 2

Acrylic on canvas (first state)

36" x 36"

Still pondering my next move on this painting, shown above in it's beginning state.  It's the second in a series of ovoid paintings derived from thumbnail sketches -- although ovoids are featured in a few of my other paintings, too.   I placed a few things on the table as color references.  I'm liking the current softness of this painting, which is very different from the one shown here, recently.  Think I'm about ready to take the leap.......will report back....

Happy weekend, all!

Graphic Ovoids

 Graphic Ovoids

30" x 30"

On a lark, I decided to try to photograph this painting again today.  It's been out of circulation for a while and recently found it's way onto a wall.   Haven't shown it on this blog or my flickr site before.  These shots are certainly an improvement over the ones I took a couple of years ago.  But....still not so great.



For example, you can barely see the graphite circle pattern down the center of this detail.  It actually appears on the entire right half of the white "field" (background).  Similarly, the fact that the lower white portion of the canvas is bisected lengthwise with a higher-gloss finish on the right side is totally lost here.  Still, the graphic feel of the painting does come across rather loud and clear, don't you think??   :)  And that big white "ovoid" on the dresser is the ostrich egg from Ecuador.  And the branches are willows that my daughter picked at Christmas, that are just now starting to blossom.

If you're in the mood for "graphic," here's a graphically bold Treasury of some delightful works by some very talented Etsy artists.   If you happen to be new to Etsy, clicking on any one of the photos in the Treasury will take you right to the artist's shop.  I had a lot of fun pulling these wonderful items together!

Hope your week is off to a great start!



Purple Rings...

  

36" x 36"

acrylic on canvas



How Many Paintings Within a Painting? -- Work in Progress

Cropped images from "Purple Rings"

Acrylic on canvas

I'm currently working on a 36" x 36" painting.  It's been awhile since I've painted a canvas this large.  In fact, this is the first time I've actually worked on a square canvas of this size.  It always amazes me how many interesting images can be found within an image.  Erin Spencer is currently exploring this concept with her "little details" oil paintings.  You might want to check out her blog and Etsy shop. :)

I tried my darndest to capture raindrops hitting the surface of the rainwater that I have allowed to accumulate in this 12" high vase/candle holder.  Finally caught one, but the picture was blurry.  Well, this one is a little bit "soft focus", too, but I liked what was happening through the vase below the surface.

My neighbor's tree delights me throughout the year. 

It has the most lovely branching pattern (to say nothing of the leaves!)

Happy Halloween !!

 (I've eaten half our candy!  Well - almost, anyway...)

Thanks for visiting....

Etsy Shop.....Now "Stocked"

 "Ambitions"

Mixed media on canvas

10" x 10"

You might have noticed......last weekend I finally "stocked" my Etsy shop with a couple of mixed media collages from my June Remnants show.  (Mind you, it's only taken me FIFTEEN months to actually upload an item to my shop! )  So I'm in a bit of a celebratory mood because, you know what they say -- "Beginning is half done."  Not that I have a zillion more things ready to upload to the shop.  But I do have some possibilities, and I'm beginning to see that there could be a sort of rhythm to this process.  "Ambitions" will be in the shop sometime this weekend.

A heartfelt WELCOME to new and continuing followers!

Have a wonderful day and weekend!  And if you have small children in your life, be sure to check out Joel Henriques' blog.  I discovered this Portland designer months ago while perusing blogs.  Made by Joel is devoted to creative, artistic, play (and learning) activities for smallfries and I think it's awesome.  Sure wish it had been around when my children were small.  (Of course, Joel was around then, but only a youngster himself!!)

Joan McGuire's "Painted Drawings" at Gallery 114

"Painted Drawing #6" by Joan McGuire

38" x 48"

Acrylic on canvas

(photo courtesy of the artist)

As promised,  here are a couple of  photos of Joan McGuire's show, "Painted Drawings,"  at Gallery 114 in the Pearl District of Portland.  Her paintings, abstractions of fir cones on branches, were the main event (while my six mixed media works were tucked away in a small room in the center of the gallery). You can get a feel for the strength of Joan's paintings in these photos, but it's nothing like standing in front of them.  They're very active paintings with rich hues, wonderful line quality, and multiple layers of generously applied paint.  The oranges, for example, in "Painted Drawing #1" below, virtually radiate heat, while the varied deep, dimensional hues in several of her paintings recede rather mysteriously, beckoning the viewer to take a closer look.  In addition to her paintings on canvas, Joan showed smaller diptychs on wood panels that featured abstract close-ups of the cones themselves, juxtaposed in some cases with silhouettes of the branches. (A couple of them appear around the corner in the above photo.)

"Painted Drawings #3, #1, and #4" by Joan McGuire

60" x 48"

Acrylic on Canvas

It was only after I had seen Joan’s show twice that I read her very interesting statement about the paintings, which follows:

"Using two branches of dried fir cones plus a number of ink drawings as source material, I have repeatedly drawn the forms in an attempt to grasp their complexity. Rather than culminating in homogeneity, the repetitive practice led to variations and abstraction, and became a fertile launching of a series of paradoxical pairings. And ultimately, it is the endlessly fascinating qualities of paint that are explored and relished. Applied with primitive tools like brushes, bits of cardboard and fingers; at turns thick with impasto or thin and drippy, paint remains the focus of the show."

To see more of Joan's portfolio of paintings, graphic design and illustration, visit her website.  Her show, along with my "Remnants" show, will be at Gallery 114 through June 26. (Gallery info here.)