Today at the Studio

Not everyone gets how excited I am when I receive a shipment filled with art supplies...but I know you do! Thanks to my recent painting sale, I was able to purchase some paints and acrylic mediums from Dick Blick. The box arrived today! I was a little giddy!

Here is my shelf filled with goodies. I ordered some new mediums, like Crackle Paste and Clear Tar Gel, to experiment with. Oh, the fun I will have.

But before I dive in and start playing with new stuff, I decided to stay focused and work a bit more on my Ladies in Waiting. (That's not really their title, just my fun personal reference). I worked on a lot of faces today. It's amazing how each feature added changes their personality in some way.

What is hard to show in a photo of my Winter lady-in-waiting is the background...it has an iridescent finish with a snowflake pattern. 

I decided to add a quote to this one: "There came a time when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." (Anais Nin)

But Autumn, pictured below, is my favorite... My inspiration for her background came from the Starbucks mug I drink my coffee from each morning. See, inspiration can come in a cup of java. Could it be a business expense?
 

Here they all are at the end of the day. Not quite done, but getting close.  

My Ladies in Waiting

This morning my Facebook status update was about these "ladies in waiting" waiting to be finished. These five 10x20's were started months ago and I work on them every now and then. They have been sitting on my studio's heating element all summer, faceless-yet staring at me, and seeming to say,  "We'll sit right here till you make us come to life."

Believe me, seeing their faceless faces has been nagging at me. But there is a reason I put off painting their faces. It makes me uncomfortable, because it scares me a little. I don't feel particularly good at it, but I keep trying it anyways. Because I want to keep challenging myself. It's good to step outside your comfort zone now and then. And even though I feel so unsure of myself, I keep painting them.  I think I might be done with this series, but then I think this is just the starting point. I think they will evolve into something very different...eventually. (I finished five of these 10x20 woman paintings last year--check the label "four seasons".)

This morning I headed to the studio and decided to put my anxiety aside and work on finishing these "ladies in waiting". It's time. I didn't finish any of them, but made enough progress to make me want to keep going.

Even if I'm not "in love" with how each of them turns out, I think it's time to finish them and move ahead. One of the hard things about painting their faces is that sometimes when I'm done I feel completely different about the painting...and not always in a good way. And then sometimes it just takes a while for the finished result to "grow on me".

It's not always comfortable stepping outside of your comfort zone, but it is a good thing.

Just keep painting...

It's been a glorious week here--sunny, unseasonably warm (we hit 80 today!)--a wonderful week for Spring Break. I've enjoyed some time outdoors, but lots of time in the studio painting.

Just a little over 20 days till the Spring Art Crawl...I feel good about all the work I've been doing. The real question is will I have enough time to get everything done (in time for the Crawl) that I've started. Probably not...but I'm going to keep painting like crazy!

Sunrise

 

What I love about having a little extra time off is that I feel a bit more free to explore multiple projects at the studio. I can let my "creativity-ADD" loose, so to speak. So this weekend I was working on my poppy series while also applying gesso and background colors to different canvases.

This morning I set aside the poppies to begin some new work.

I decided to kick off by starting on a second series of Women/Four Seasons paintings. Actually I've had "Autumn" nearly done for quite some time...I've been waiting for the time and inspiration to continue...

I worked a little more on "Winter"...

I was ready to head home for a little lunch...but then I grabbed another canvas that had some paint on it and started throwing on paint....it took off in a totally different direction than I expected. I wish I had taken a "before" pic, but I just kept going till I was done. A little over an hour later, I was done. Sometimes it's nice to do something fast...and different. I'll take a better pic later, but ...

I'm calling it "Sunrise".
(18x24 / acrylic on canvas) 

Art Crawl prep continues

 

 

 

It's been a good week...still riding the high from the MN Women's Press coming out. It's a thrill to be out and about around town and see my painting on the cover!

Today back to the studio to keep working--still trying to get this series of painting done in time for the crawl next weekend.  Here are some updated pics. Basically I'm at the point where I need to finish up by working on these ladies' lovely faces...not my favorite part! But I am enjoying working on these--something very different for me. It's good to challenge yourself sometimes. I am learning lots as I work on these and lots of new ideas are flowing from this work. Usually I am so wiped out following the crawl that I take a break from painting. I hope that this year I just keep working. Maybe I need another deadline or show to work towards. Actually I do, because my Jax studio will be open in November for Lowertown First Friday! (Studios throughout lowertown are now going to open on the first Friday evening of each month) And I am on the prowl for a show somewhere new. 

In my spare time (ha!), Joel and I are busy getting our studio/living space ready for the crawl. Joel is doing the last of the wall painting. We are both tidying up. Soon we'll start hanging the artwork. The Art Crawl is only a week away!

Down to the Wire

 

It's crunch time...Just two weeks till the Art Crawl--which means I'm painting like crazy over at the Jax studio. The above series of paintings (working title "Seasons") includes just a few of the canvases I'm working on and hoping to finish before the Crawl. I was working on 4-5 different canvases today (including 2 of the above)--painting at two different tables, music playing, and having a good time. Sometimes working with a deadline and that sort of intensity helps get the creative juices flowing. Today it was working that way. It felt so-o-o good.

And on a positive note...after several scary days, my stepdaughter's health is improving. She's awake and off the ventilator. Hopefully, she'll be out of the hospital soon. Thank you everyone for your support.

Painter's Block

one of the series I'm hoping to finish before the art crawl

Struggling with a bit of "painter's block"...feeling that urge to paint with the pressure of the art crawl deadline (just 3 weeks away) sort of stopping the flow of things. This was one of those days when too many ideas seemed to be flooding my brain and I just couldn't figure out where to start. Sometimes it's good just to sit in my studio, listen to music, journal, and think about the things I want to work on. And sometimes I just need to pick up the brush and paint. Anything. I got a late start today. I'm determined to get going early tomorrow and just pick up the brush and roll with whatever the muse delivers!

On a positive note, my postcards came today! For the first time I ordered postcards to use as a promotional tool. I will send some out before the art crawl, drop some off at coffeeshops...and have them out at the art crawl for visitors to grap. On the front is an image of one of my paintings (the one to soon be featured in MN Women's Press) and on the back are the dates for the Fall & Spring Art Crawls. I love grabbing postcards when I go to galleries/open studios. It's just another way to help people remember my work (and maybe decide to buy something!). Doing this sort of thing makes me feel so much more professional.

Four Seasons

Another beautiful Sunday at the studio. Today I started work in earnest on a series of 4 paintings--all 10x20--each one of a woman representing a different season. The working title for the series is Four Seasons--but please, jump in here with better ideas!

Today I worked on Spring. The above pictures show the progression of today's work. It's not finished yet, but I got a good start. I have also started Summer, but not much actual work done on it yet. I have a good idea of what I want to do. Fall & Winter have not yet been started.

I'm hoping this series will be done in time for the Fall Art Crawl. The idea for this series was born around the time of the spring Art Crawl, so it's time for this series to be born!

Again, I'm trying some new things--first off, they will be mixed media pieces. On Spring's head is a nest made from cut up vintage song sheets and eggs cut from paper as well. Also these paintings are part of my exploration into painting faces...something I haven't done much of and I can understand why--it's not easy and I struggle with it. But I want to give it a try. I'm not trying to be a portrait artist or even paint a face that's highly realistic...I am just aiming for something visually pleasing and interesting (and interesting doesn't always equal realism!)

So there you have it. I'm planning to take pics as I work on each "season" and when I'm all done put together a little video montage. Sometimes I think it's fun to see the progression of a work from start to finish. I'm going to try to take more shots, so you can see the paintings at all stages--even when it's not looking good!