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!

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!

:)

Giving Life to a "Dead" Piece and....Graphic Ovoids: Second State

Mixed media in process

6 1/2" x 9"

Well, here it is -- mid-afternoon on a Sunday.  The weekend window of opportunity is narrowing.  Yesterday was filled with errands, a long overdue and much welcomed visit with dear friends, and a little baking.  Interspersed, were trips back and forth from one studio "annex" (read: dining room table) to another annex  (read: sunroom table) and then back to the "main studio" (read: converted bedroom).  Mind you, this was strictly a "get re-acquainted with the 'this-and-thats' (sketches, surface designs, etc.), that might one day be useful in a work of some sort or another" kind of activity.  Nothing productive by any stretch of the imagination.  Late in the evening, I became sort of "desperate," if you will.  So I grabbed a very "dullish," "reject " monoprint.  "Dull" as in drab mauve and even drabber olive, and black.  Then, I grabbed my Prismacolor pencils, set up camp in front of the dying fire, and begin to color.  That's right -- color -- just like a schoolgirl.   And now, my destined-for-for-the-trash monoprint has become this colorful "doodle-print-sketch-ditty!''

Which leads me to a wonderful bit of advice that I gleaned from the extremely talented artist behind Non-Indigenous Woman.  NEVER GIVE UP ON A DRAWING.  This little gem came forth when she generously took the time to respond to a question I had asked about a watercolor process she had touched on in one of her posts.  (I've mentioned Non-Indigenous Woman on this blog before.  If you haven't visited there yet, I highly recommend it.  She  instructs at the university level and the focus of her own work is currently printmaking. She is a fabulous illustrator and her mixed media sketches are just amazing.

"Graphic Ovoids"  - first state

"Graphic Ovoids" - second state

Acrylic on canvas 36" x 36"

Speaking of schoolgirls (and boys), did you ever look at "Highlights" magazine in the waiting room of the doctor or dentist as a child?  Remember the "Can You Find the Hidden Objects?" feature?  Well, that's what these two photographs of "Graphic Ovoids" are like:  Can you identify the differences between the first and second states?  No? --I didn't think so -- :) -- because they are so darn subtle. So I shall assist:  The changes include "Xs" in the orange rectangle, changes to the hue of some of the "white" quadrants on the eggs, darkening of the grey/brown quadrants of the eggs, additional definition on the perimeter of the eggs, and a warming up of the lower field.  All that over the course of a few hours to achieve subtle differences!  So that's what I've been looking at for the last week.  And now, the time has come to garner my courage and jump back into the painting...   

Stay tuned, and have a wonderful week!

:)

                                             

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!



East Wind Blowin'

Mixed media

Recent makings, tossed upon older makings.

...as though mixed by an eggbeater....waiting to morph into something more.

And such a lovely eggbeater, at that, although this one is strictly for my viewing pleasure.

Acrylic painting 30" x 40" (detail)

 And these "eggs" .....also awaiting their final state.

And meanwhile, the cold, east wind bearing down hard on us; causing the stately six-foot Miscanthus "Early Morning Light" grass to hunker down and curl itself into a unified, scrambled mat...

...that blows en masse, like a tethered tumbleweed straining to break free.

:)

Happy December! 

Visit here to see the beautiful paintings and drawings of Art Goods,

and here to see Taylor & Grand's lovely vintage gifts and holiday decor.

 And if you're interested...I've added a few things to my shop......

Hope you're finding time to create!

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....

Patina and a Painting

I love the patina of well-used hand tools!

Acrylic on canvas

16" x 20" x 3/4"

Another weekend has come and gone.  I began a new 36" x 36" painting and have deemed the above painting to be finished.   It's good to have a painting in progress.  So much easier to pick up the paintbrushes after a day at the office, once a painting has been started!!  So much less energy... and thought ...and effort required to sustain the work compared to initiating the work.

Spent just a little time in the garden cutting down the rampant phlox and harvesting the last of the tomatoes before the deluge. It felt good.  (Way too little time spent gardening these past few years.)  And I spent some time visiting your wonderful blogs, where I find so much inspiration....Thank you!!

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!!)

Art vs. Art vs. Art

"Transcendence"

Acrylic on canvas

30" x 48"

I've been doing a fair amount of pondering on the ideas of  "art as psychological or emotional therapy" vs. "art as social, philosophical or political statement" vs. "art as intellectual exercise" vs. "art strictly for commercial purposes" vs. "art strictly for aesthetics," etc. etc.   And how these assorted motivations affect the artist's process of creating the art and the viewer's experience of observing and/or living with the art.  And then interwoven with these ponderings, have been ongoing conversations--both within my head and with others--pertaining to "art" vs. "craft" vs "design".   These ponderings, of course, have been made all the more interesting by the myriad of artists' blogs that I have begun to follow over the past few months, and by the blog "conversations" that I have had along the way.

Most often, my motivation for art is very simply aesthetics, and the results frequently have a graphic bent (although I have no training to speak of in that discipline).  The paintings shown here are really the only pieces that I have produced that were the result of any sort of psychological or emotional motivation.  "Transcendence" above, was painted several months after my mother passed away.  It is full of symbolism pertaining to beaches and deserts, and smooth river rocks and weakening bones; and the process of painting it was very therapeutic for me.  Likewise, "Catherine vs. Katrina"  below, is infused with symbolism; and it literally helped me to come to the decision to allow my daughter to return to New Orleans with the incoming Tulane freshmen, five months after they had evacuated ahead of Hurricane Katrina.

"Catherine vs. Katrina"

Acrylic on canvas

18" x 24"

I should note that I did not begin either of these paintings with any idea whatsoever as to what I was going to paint, and certainly without any intent of "working through issues".   I simply started painting.  But in each case, I was soon painting with a purpose.  

The other night, while catching up on my blog reading, I visited Heather's Studio, where Heather Kirtland had  posted some of her wonderful, abstract BFA paintings as well as some recent work.  And there, I encountered a painting--apparently still in progress, and accompanied by a single explanatory sentence -- that immediately brought tears to my eyes.  It was the posture of the small figure, created with a few deft brushstrokes, that struck the chord.  And so, my ponderings continue....

....and I'd be very interested to know your thoughts on the subject.

[I apologize for the quality of the images.  The horizontal and vertical lines in Transcendence truly are just that.  Also, in the process of attempting to lighten both images in PhotoShop, they became fuzzy and the collaged details of the second painting were totally lost. And...the field of that painting has undertones of yellow ochre rather than grey as appears here. :) ]

Jill Mayberg: Painting Good Cheer

I have a dog. And not just any dog, but a beagle. And not just any beagle, but a surrogate beagle -- a stand-in for the lovable, devoted, irascible, barking, bolting, BITING beagle that we brought into our home as a puppy and returned to the breeder two years later. Oh, we were so full of hope for the wonderful companion that Harley was going to be! And the day I put him in his portable crate and loaded him into the back end of the breeder’s car -- never to be seen again -- was, quite literally, one of the saddest that I can remember. (Ever give up on a dog? It feels really lousy.) Fortunately, a couple of months later, I met artist Jill Mayberg at Art in the Pearl in Portland, and brought home my new “beagle” who greets me daily from my kitchen wall.

Acrylic on canvas

Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Even now, nearly three years later, this painting continues to bring a smile to my face and only the fondest memories of Harley to my mind and heart. Jill’s paintings just have that kind of effect on people. They’re as cheerful and colorful as can be, with interesting layers, variations in surface dimension and quality, and small and intriguing collaged and painted elements within the larger compositions.

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Acrylic on canvas

Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Acrylic on canvas

Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg  - all rights reserved

Jill’s a full-time, self-supporting painter who travels to shows around the country annually. And although she lives just across the border, in Washington, I think of her as being a Portland artist because she participates in so many shows here.

Acrylic on canvas

Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

A nature and animal lover, Jill says she finds much inspiration while on her daily walks and that her ideas have "evolved over the years from a confluence of traditions such as primitive folk art, expressionism, and abstract modernism. "

Acrylic on canvas

Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Although I don’t yet own one of Jill’s original works, I have two of her prints and I have frequently displayed a half-dozen of her greeting cards on a shelf because they are so lovely en masse. Visit Jill's Etsy shop,  and her new blog to see more of her work and to find out where she’ll be showing next.

New Painting...

Acrylic on canvas (in progress?)

24" x 24"

Painting (or printing, or drawing...) is hard work. At least for me it is. Especially when I don't begin with a sketch and don't have a definite palette in mind. I started this painting on Thursday night and spent most of Friday and yesterday working on it. There must be at least 10 paintings of varying compositions beneath the surface -- some of them in glorious, deeply saturated colors, and some of them in pastels. (Afterall, this was an attempt to respond to an invitation to participate in Cathy Nichols' Found Art Friday, the theme of which was "Everything Blooming" (as in: spring). The intent of Found Art Friday, by the way, is to do something spontaneously. Well, since Friday came and went, and since my painting became a major project that went decidely autumnal, I did not submit it. However, several on-the-mark pieces, were submitted including Cathy's own, lovely encaustic piece.

Below, is the iteration of my painting that I awoke to yesterday-- before I started playing around with all the colors of the rainbow. The "gray" on the right side was actually white, so you can imagine how intense the yellow/ochre sections of the painting were.

Due to the inordinate amount of time fussing with the painting, I am now behind on my posts. But I hope to have a another post up, featuring the work of a wonderful artist, by Tuesday.

Portland's Eastside Esplanade

Best-laid plans to finish my painting and organize my "studio" were thwarted today when my husband announced he wanted to go for a bike ride. We hopped in the car and headed for Portland's South Waterfront Park and biked north and then across the Willamette to the East Esplanade. There wasn't much time to shoot photos, but I managed to get this interesting one of the shipyard from where the bike path crosses from the Eastside Esplanade over the Steel Bridge to Northwest Portland:

We finished the outing by stopping in at the Sunday Best Sale (see previous post) and all the goods were even better in real life!


So below is the current status of my Euro-Dresden-American folkcraft-schoolgirl. I'm afraid her right eye (left facing) has gone from bad to worse and now looks rather "cycloptic" (pretty sure that's not a word).

A Rough Start and the Beautiful Work of K. William Kaust

work in progress

Acrylic on canvas 16 x24 (cropped)

During the past month, I have been very busy at work. Like--work day and night busy. Artistic efforts basically came to a standstill and consequently, so did my blog. I now have a full week off, bookended by two weekends, and I'm bound and determined to get something done -- to have something to show for my days off. The above is my first effort, and what an effort it's been so far! This was supposed to be based on a very loose doodle-sketch that I did of a woman. The sketch was cartoon-like, and only three colors: yellow, orange/red/pink (mottled- which counts for one color), and black. The woman had big hair and an attitude. Somehow, I now have a Euro - primitive -Dresden schoolgirl who appears to have been painted with milk paint! In fact, the paint quality reminds me of carved American folk art pieces. Haven't decided whether to go with the current flow, fix the eyes (and a few other things) and wrap it up, or to add more color, more modeling and change the feel. Stay tuned. And meanwhile, check out the exquisite, new, American Folk art carvings by K. William Kautz. He's been on my "Favorites" list for several years and his work is truly amazing. My favorite piece in his website gallery is "Woman with Candelabra," which, by the way, is nearly 6' tall!

Acrylic paintings on canvas

24" x 36"

Acrylic on canvas

24" x 36"

Acrylic on canvas

Translucent Spheres

24" x 24"

Two very graphic acrylic paintings

24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas

24" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas

Acrylic painting on Canvas 20x24