Orange-haired girl ~ 5 x 7 acrylic study



Have just looked back at a few "recent" posts, and noticed that I have posted only encaustics since October.  I am so enjoying doing encaustics, but, honestly, I haven't stopped doing acrylics or watercolors.  I teach both every week, and certainly paint for the classes!

So, in an effort to get my groove back, I intend to post a mix on a more regular basis again.

Here's a little one I am doing as a part of a "mini-series" of female figures, some dressed, some not, some from life drawing, some figures that couldn't be identified if you tried, from old magazines.  All I am doing is trying to get the gesture and dress them [or not] the way I want.  The hair, face, features, clothes, etc. are all from my imagination. 

I am doing a few of these, all with orange hair, because I love them.  Will post a few others soon.

Under Every Painting There is an Abstract Painting

 

 

Acrylics Texturized Mixed Media ~ 12 x 12 ~ Still Life

 

 

Acrylics ~Texturized Mixed Media ~ Abstract ~ 12 x 12

 

Here's how that paradigm worked for me.  I did the abstract in a workshop and was not really thrilled by it, even though I folloowed the instructions pretty much as the instructor gave them.  For me, it lacks heart or "honesty."  I like absracts and I like trying to abstract [verb] my work sometimes, but this missed the mark a bunch. 

So, over the course of July and August, I have been doing classes I have called Art Camp for Seniors, in which we "played" with paint, gels, mediums collage papers, texturizing "tools," and, of course, buble wrap!  I told the students at each class, to think of these pieces as underpaintings until we arrived at a place where we were happy enough with the results, that they were no longer underpaintings, but "finished" pieces.  This gave everyone permission to let go of their expectations to leave each class with a finished piece, and to loosen up.  It worked very well for most everyone. 

As we neared the end of the series, I chose to do a set-up in my classes of fruit, wine bottles and glasses that they could do, only if they used some of their previously texturized surfaces.  I used the one above, and the results are at the top of this post.  I am pretty pleased with my fruit and bottle on a texturized surface, with the addition of a wine label, also texturized and "patina-ed" with Quin Gold and Quinacridone Burnt Orange.   Along with my students, I am beginning to really believe that a painting is indeed an underpainting until I say it's done!

Pink Tutu Project

The first of my tutu project series ~ Acrylics
5" x 7" on paper matted $35 plus shipping and handling ~ Portion of proceeds to go to the Tutu Project

Two in pink tutus ~ Acrylics ~ 5" x 7" in a mat ~ $35 plus shipping and handling ~ Portion of proceeds to The Tutu Project

I don't know if any of you saw a clip about the Pink Tutu Project on any of the morning news magazine shows recently, but I saw this, and it really touched me.  Mr Carey, a professional photographer, started the project nine years ago, as much to make his wife, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, smile.  Mr and Mrs. Carey have started a foundation to help fund care for women with breast cancer who can't afford treatment.  Click here to see more ...  http://thetutuproject.com/. 

Photographer Bob Carey in Pink Tutu as part of the Tutu Project funding care for breast cancer victims who can't afford care

As a result, I thought it might be fun to do a little series of pink tutu figures, and donate some of the proceeds to the Project.   Fellow Artists ... What do you think?  Would you do a tutu or two?

Great Weekend, Great Show!

Am just winding down from the Whatcom Art Guild Art by the Lake Show that was part of the Ski to Sea weekend in Bellingham.  It was a good weekend over all.  First, I was awarded a first and a second [shown below],  and, I sold three paintings.  Woo hoo! 

For the first time, I had a half booth, which worked out to be just the right size.  I am getting a bit long in the tooth to commit to a full booth, in terms of staffing and in terms of building a larger booth by myself.  The thing I knew even before doing this half booth was that I don't ever think I will be doing another booth outside again, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where the weather can ruin your day!

In any case, the booth was good and I enjoyed myself.  I was pleasantly surprised that I ran out of business cards, because people were interested in taking classes from me.  Neat!  Now if they all follow up!

Anyway, with a good booth experience, and sales to boot, the awards were icing on the cake!



Carolina Girl ~ Watercolor Batik 18" x 24" mounted on canvas 1 1/2" deep sides
Awarded First Place WAG Art by the Lake Show  SOLD



Northwest Shopping Day ~ Acrylics 18" x 24" canvas 1 1/2" deep sides
Awarded Second Place in WAG Art by the Lake Show
$225.00

The Dowager

The Dowager  6" x 8" Acrylics
$45 on watercolor paper in mat

Just entered this in the  Daily Paintworks Yellow Challenge, because I am finding that a number of my recent paintings have yellow backgrounds.  For me, yellow is light, happy and warm.  Am loving New Gamboge, Indian Yellow and Naples Yellow in my recent acrylic paintings. 

Girls Night Out Demo

Friday night was "Girls Night Out" in Fairhaven [Bellingham, WA], where women of all ages had a night on the town in shops and eateries, with portions of the proceeds going to cancer research.  The ladies migrated from one establishment to another with "passport" in hand to be stamped while they shopped.

Three of us Whatcom Art Guild artists demo-ed, and, below are the results of my four hours "mooshing" paint around, and chatting with those who stopped by the Art Martket.  Good fun was had by all!




Midsummer's Night Dream Girl
Arycrlics 7 1/2 x 11

Girls Night Out
Acrylics 7 1/2 x 11

Sangria Anyone? Acrylics 5 x 7

Poppies and Pods Acrylics 5 x 7

One Show, One Workshop Down, More To Go

I have been away from the blogosphere, as probably many of you have, busy with spring shows and a Robert Burridge workshop.  The "big" show that has taken so much time was the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley, where the various art organizations show for the full month of April.  A few of the shows are still held in barns, which sort of added to the "ambiance" and nature of the Tulips Festival.  The group I belong to, Art League North, used to do "Art Bash" in barns as well, but we have been showing in in a very civilized venue for the past few years, the second floor of a Valley landmark , the Farmhouse Restaurant.  We don't have to use space heaters or wear long johns to work, but the lighting could be SO much better than it is.  Even so, I was pleased to sell four paintings and a number of cards.  I sold the heron in Stalking at Sunset the first evening at the reception, which pleased me no end!

I also attended a four-day Robert Burridge Workshop at the beginning of April here in the Valley, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was supposed to be Putting the Wow in Watercolors, but IMHO ended up being primarily a workshop that had a half a morning in watercolors, and the rest of the time we painted a great deal with fluid acrylics.  Not a problem for me, but the watercolor purists were sort of taken aback.  In the end, everyone learned a great deal and left with lots of Burridge-like paintings.

To that end, I usually recognize work done in a Burridge workshop, and really like it, but I don't want to show mine, because so much of the student work is the same. Pears, landscapes, figures.  Love 'em, but you can track them back to Robert Burrdige workshops.

So, I will tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed Bob and the workshop, and learned loads from him, and have, and will, integrate those lessons into my own work over time.   Bob, in his workshops and his DVDs, is absolutely wonderful and consistent with his lessons and "Bobisms."  As those of you who have attended his workshops know, Bob starts with warm-ups and doesn't paint from references.  Perfectly wonderful lessons for everyone, no matter what the medium! 

He spoke of the value of journaling, which reinforced, for me, the need to return to journaling, with a focus on my art.  Good kernels of wisdom, and I am benefitting from "morning papers" journaling again.

I am trying to do warm ups pretty much every day before I paint, which producesa mixed bag of results.  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Below are a couple of today's relatively "good ones." 

Am hoping to get back in the groove of keeping my blog up to date, so you may see some more warm ups as I go along.

5" x 7" Acrylic Poppies Warm up #1

5" x 7" Acrylic Poppies Warm Up #2

Stalking at Sunset



Stalking at Sunset ~ Acrylic with texturized underpainting ~ 12" x 24" 

I started this last November as a demo at a local museum.  HATED it at the time, because it was just "off."  Since I have been modestly succesful with a few of my recent works post-Jacqui Beck Workshop, I felt brave enough to take this on again.  Have to say that, in real life, it glows.  The photo doesn't ... glow, that is.  Still not my favorite piece, but I like it much more now than the way it was back in November. 

And The Series Continues ...

Coneflowers ~ Acrylic on Black Gesso 12" X 12"

This is the sixth painting I have done since last Thursday as a result of taking a workshop on Experimental Acrylic and Mixed Media with instructor, Jacqui Beck, who is also a creativity coach in Seattle.  She helped me loosen up and access a better creative me.  Doing a series and "beating it to death" is not an original concept, but I "got" it this time.  As well, I read a recent post by Skip Lawrence on painting at least twenty paintings of a series.

What I need to try for my next "go" at a series, is to paint the same thing over and over again different ways.  I have heard that before, and, being an Aries, I get bored too quickly.  Jacqui suggests that we paint the first one, and then paint from that first one, and then the next one, and the next one ... etc., always asking "what if." 

When the student is ready, the teacher appears!   

Sunflowers and Poppies

Stylized Sunflowers ~ Acrylics ~18" x 24"

Poppies and Pods ~ Acrylics ~ 8" x 10"

Am still "in the flow" of all that I learned in last week's Jacqui Beck Workshop [jacquibeck.com], although I felt myelf tightening up a bit.  I planned to do another painting today with a promise to self to stay loose and to not overthink.  Can I do it?  We'll see.  Am still enjoying the process and still trying to not be wed to the outcome.

Daffodil Time Again!

Daffs ~ 11" x 14" Acrylics

Daylight saving time, spring equinox, taxes, art shows, and daffodils in Skagit Valley.  You know it's spring when the little green heads begin to pop, and pickers are out in droves cutting the "pregnant" stems just before they open, so they will be market fresh.

These have "opened" and are trumpeting the promise of spring! Part of me is SO tempted to get back into the painting and tweak and fix, but the new playful artist self in me says to leave it alone.

What if ...

This canvas is on its fourth iteration.  It has been trees, flowers, a figure, and now hydrangeas.  Isn't that a wonderful thing that we can recycle "bad" paintings by painting over them with acrylics?  The canvas has been texturized, stamped, stenciled, gessoed and re-gessoed, and I think this time it's okay.  Because it has been around the block a few times, I figured I would "play," and this is what I came up with.

Hydrangeas in a turquoise pitcher ~ 18" x 24" Acrylics Mixed Media

Even with all I learned at the Jacqui Beck workshop, I still drifted toward the traditional and ended up with the "star" hydrangea right smack in the middle.  So this morning, looking at my boring painting,

I said to myself, "what if," and started playing with my Dr Martins Hydrus watercolors.  I wasn't wed to the outcome, and enjoyed making squiggles with the droppers. Pretty soon, the main flower appeared to be a little offset, the painting winked at me and came alive!  Wish you could see it up close.

It's rainy today.  I think I will try some more!

Jacqui Beck Workshop

Just got home from hosting  two one-day workshops at two of my teaching venues, the Anacortes Senior Center and the Burlington Senior Center, taught by Jacqui Beck [click here].  Not only is she a wonderful painter of intuitive, sometimes whimsical, often symbolic, acrylic and mixed media paintings, she is also a creativity coach, who is generous of spirit aside from being remarkably talented.  The two classes were full, and almost to a person, they want more.  We are hoping to schedule a TWO-day workshop in the area in the early fall, if we can secure a venue.

Last fall, I went to one of Jacqui's one-day workshops in Edmonds, and was taken by the way she approaches her teaching.  She is not a "how-to" instructor, she really does coach the students, and certainly helped me unlock a few of my creative places.  I just knew my painting friends and students would get a great deal from a day spent with Jacqui as I had.  And they did ...

And I got to be a student and particpate both days.  Woo hoo!  I am so pleased with all that I learned, and hope to really punch through again.  Yesterday's work was good, but I'm not loving it yet.  Today's was much better, because I allowed myself to play with absolutely no intentions.

Here it is ...

Sassy Tulips 18" x 18" Acrylics Texturized Underpainting

This Week's Daily Paintwork Challenge

This week is stacked up with so much to do and so much on my plate, but I really liked this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge, so I did a very quick acrylic sketch.  Not great, but I was able to "play with the others," andpost my little sketch.  I so enjoy wahat Carol and David Marine are doing with the Weekly Challenges.  It gives us all an opportunity to connect through art, and share with others.  Good on ya, Carol and David!  Good marketing, too!

"Happy Hour"  Daily Paintworks Challenge 8" x 10" Acrylics

Good News Today!

Apparently, one of my paintings sold at the Whatcom Art Guild Art Market over the weekend.  I am so pleased, because I really hadn't expected it to sell at all.  It was a piece that has gone through a few false starts and a few experimental "what ifs" ... all of which ultimately "came together," to make a fun little painting.

I started this in a workshop in which we were experimenting with various gels.  I concocted and applied some Nova Lava Gel, then applied some gold leaf, which made no sense, then applied some black gesso, which made even less sense, then attached a high resolution laser print of a sketch I had done in a life drawing session, then I painted lava gel with some gold paint which really looked pretty good ... and then  oops, one gold drip right smack in the middle of the painting, so I dripped gold over the whole "mountain" and the figure.  All in the spirit of experimenting. 

Frankly, I really liked it, but never really thought it would sell.  Am so hoping the buyer will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

Mountain Goddess ~ Acrylic Mixed Media 12" X 12"

Still Playing With Backgrounds

Am still snowed in, but rain is washing it away and temps are rising .  Even so, today was not a good day to be out.  The governor declared a state of emergency, well justified south of here.  We, up here in Skagit County dodged the bullet, but snow and ice were still hazardous.

So, in an effort to not go too stir crazy, I did a quick sketch of my granddaughter who was a Flower Girl in her ballet school's Christmas Nutcracker production in Portland.  I want to do a more formal series of her as a dancer, so I was just testing the use of a black gessoed 'bad' watercolor painting as a background.  I thought it might be a little more theatrical. 

Well, I like the black, but still have to test how to treat the background by creating some interest without getting too busy or frenetic.  So, back to the drawing board before I start larger pieces. 

This is all like nailing jello to the wall.  Maybe soon, something will stick!

Another Challenge ~ Hot Air Balloons

You might have heard, the Pacific Northwest is snowed in today.  So, putting other chores aside, I dragged out a palette knife and my acrylics and fiddled with the Hot Air Balloon Challenge due at the Whatcom Art Gujild meeting on Monday evening.  I hadn't intended to do anything for this challenge, but what's a girl to do when snowed in on a hill that is covered with snow and ice, and no sled or skis?

I love playing with a palette knife, and enjoyed making curves with such a linear and angled tool.  Challenge enough, huh?

Tango in the Square

This painting was submitted to this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge  ... It's the Tangerine Tango Challenge.  Who knew?

I am playing with a technique new to me that I learned in a Jennifer Bowman workshop on Sunday.  Although I have used black gesso before [successfully IMHO], Jennifer showed me a technique of dragging a loaded brush over the gessoed  canvas, allowing some of the black canvas to peek through.  Clearly, I am having touble with it.  On the one hand, I need to load the brush with enough paint to not look wishy washy or "limp," but on the other hand, if I drag too much paint acroos, then I lose the black.  What to do.  Oh I know, war and world peace, the economy, climate change and other issues are way more important than my breaking the code with my painting, but dang if it doesn' just gnaw at my insides that I can't do this!  Promise to self to master in the next several weeks.

Here it is, painted from a photo I took of tango dancers in Pioneer Square in Portland in August.

Tango in the Square ~ 12" x 12" acrylic

A New Year Filled With Promise

Oh, I am glad to have "done" the holidays and all the related activities, both with art and with celebrations.  I have missed blogging, and intend to catch up by sharing some projects I have done and am working on.  I was probably most pleased to have finished two paintings for my son and daughter-in-law in time for Chirstmas.  They live across the country, and my son is currently overseas, so, painting something meaningful for them was a wonderful gift for me.  Then to hear that they liked the work was a double gift.

My daughter-in-law and her horse

My granddogs, The Boyz

I was told that I captured who they all were, which pleased me no end.  As I HOPE I have expressed on this blog, I am trying to get away from such realistic represntational work, but, in this case, I am glad that I did these, and happy with how my kids appreciated the work.

So, my intentions for 2012 are more art and more connections to everyone who is important to me, which, of course, includes you!

It's been a while ...

It's been a while since I posted, and I almost feel a little guilty.  But, like the rest of you, I have been slammed with getting ready for holiday shows, prepping for lessons, etc.  My blog just had to take a back seat to all of the rest!  I have missed my blog community.  Even though I haven't been around, I know all of you are here and will be here as I come and go!

I have held a couple of watercolor batik workshops in addition to my five weekly classes at three different Senior Centers in the county.  I have been painting up a storm, batik, watercolors, mixed media and plain old acrylics.  Love it all, but have felt the pressure!  I had to complete several new batiks to make a total of thirteen for my 2012 calendar.  Then, of course, Christmas cards, new projects, etc, etc and so forth!

One great thing I did for myself, well four great things since I have posted, I attended four mini weekend workshops that were wonderful.  Some more wonderful than others.  Funny thing, I didn't finish one painting in any of the workshops, but I was so inspired and really had a rush of creativity as I integrated lessons learned from all of them.  Will try to post a little more often as we near the end of 2011, and show a few pieces that were the result of some of my workshop lessons.

I'll start with a few of my new batiks, as those will be the first to make public viewing the first Friday of December at the Holiday Art Walk in Anacortes, Washington.

This is from a photo taken up at Shucksan in Mount Baker State Park  "December"  8" x 8" watercolor batik

Grapes on the vine from a photo of a friend's grapes on her deck "September" 8" x 8" watercolor batik

Watercolor Batik "November" for my calendar. November is when the snow geese arrive, and, yes, they are here! 8" x 8"