Getting my Groove back!

Just a quick update here (I know it's been a while!):

I sort of re-discovered my painting groove a few weeks ago, only to "lose" it again when I started working my new job. Last Friday I started my new gig as a Visitor Assistant at the Science Museum of Minnesota, specifically for the King Tut Exhibit. The most immediate adjustment has been dealing with the aches and pains of the job--I stand for my entire shift (6-7 hours), save my lunch break. Not easy on this 50-year-old body! I bought new cushion-y shoes and 2 days later bought new cushion-y inserts for the new cushion-y shoes. It's helping, but at the end of the shift, my back and feet are hurting. (Other than that, the job has been great!)

So I've been heading to bed early and chilling (stretching!) before work. Oh ya, we also had a snowstorm (15+ inches) this weekend. It's been gray, cold, windy...might I say, a little depressing in the weather department!

This morning I woke up to the sun streaming through the windows...a definite day brightener! It's amazing how much a sunny day will put me in the mood to paint...and so I did...and I'm happy to report--Risa got her groove back!

The long wait is over!

a small abstract I recently finished--see note below

Late Thursday evening, after several days of being on "e-mail watch", I received the long (in my eyes) awaited e-mail with the list of Mentor-Protegee pairings for the WARM Mentor Program. I opened the e-mail with anxious enthusiasm. I quickly scanned the list to find my name and the name of the mentor that I will work with for the next two years.

I am over the moon excited to be working with an artist whose work I have admired for several years (I've decided that I will clear it with her before I give you her name and website information, so you can check out her wonderful work). I will say that she is an amazing woman with much creative energy. She has a deep understanding of the creative process and how making art can be part of a healing process. I am looking forward to working with her. I can't wait to get started (the program doesn't officially start until January).

I feel as if I am at the beginning of a journey. I am not quite sure where this journey will lead me. The unknown is not really scaring me, but exciting me. I feel that this is a beginning filled with possibilities. Much will change, no doubt, but I am open to those changes. 

For now, I am writing my preliminary "work plan" for the program. Already it is interesting work, as I identify my goals and what helps me achieve those goals and on the flip side, what gets in my way.

I am also looking forward to meeting the other protegees and all the mentors. This will be a community of women artists that I will be very involved with in the next few years. I have a strong sense that friendships will be formed that will remain intact long past the two years of the program. At least, that is my hope.

So here we go, on this amazing adventure!



About the artwork above--This is a small abstract that I recently finished. I was trying some new techniques and created this piece on a 9x12 cradled artist board. 

My first step was to apply a layer of crackle paste on the board. This was the first time I had worked with the crackle paste and even though I thought I had applied a thick layer, it really wasn't quite thick enough to get the affect that I was aiming for. It's hard to see the affects of the crackle paste in this photo, because the cracks are on the fine side.  

After I applied the crackle paste, I had to allow it to dry 24 hours before I could start the painting process. The crackle paste creates an interesting surface to work on, as you can achieve different affects depending on how wet or dry you keep the surface. 

If you want to try crackle paste, I would recommend checking out Golden's website, which includes a video about the product. I think I will work with crackle paste again...perhaps on a larger surface next time. 

Now I am working on a piece using Golden's Glass Bead Gel. I'll let you know how that works out!

Our first snow!

I don't do much painting of traditional scenes in traditional sort of ways, but there are exceptions. At this time of year, as the holidays approach and we enjoy our first snow, I usually try to capture the look and feel on canvas. Above is a small painting I finished last year.

Yesterday I started some new winter paintings.

work in progress, 12x24

detail of a work in progress, 16x20

 
And magically, today we are enjoying our first snowfall of the season. It was 70 degrees this past Tuesday, but we knew it couldn't last!

It's also a perfect day for baking! I'm going to make my Spicy Christmas shortbread. It makes the whole house smell like the holidays! I posted the recipe here. Yum!

Play Day!

Here in Minnesota, we've been enjoying an incredibly warm & sunny fall.  Anytime you can go into November without snow on the ground and hit temps in the 60's...well, that's something to enjoy...cause it will end soon enough!

So today I started out in the studio, with the plan to take a walk over the noon hour. It has been so bright in the studio...and a little too warm with the building's heat on!  I cracked open a window as soon as I got to the studio.

I decided to make today a Play Day. Sometimes it's good to take a break from working on paintings and do something creative to get the creative juices flowing. Today I cut up some canvas paper, with the plan to make painted envelopes and bookmarks. After I cut up the canvas paper, I started painting background colors.  When that got done, I pulled out my plastic doilies
that I love playing with and used them to create background designs.

Lunch time came and I headed home for something to eat and then a walk with my hubby. It was an incredibly beautiful day outside...just gorgeous! It was so nice to enjoy the day spending some time with my hubby. After walking downtown, we headed towards home. I was planning to head straight to the studio for more play (painting)! Less than a block from the studio, I hit some uneven sidewalk and took quite a tumble! You know, it was one of those embarrassing falls...I went down hard, in public, and just couldn't move for a bit. Really, I wanted to be invisible and disappear. Eventually I made it to my feet...I bummed up my left knee pretty good and twisted my right ankle (a mild sprain). Drats. I can be such a clutz.

I hobbled to the studio and decided I could continue painting...but sitting, with my feet propped up.  Tonight I'm definitely taking it easy.


Not quite the Play Day I envisioned, but it was still lots of fun. I think I'll do it all again tomorrow--minus the fall.

Dancing with the paint

Another week nearly done. Not as much painting time as I would like, but I think that will be remedied next week. I did start work on a few new canvases (along with continuing work on others). 

Earlier in the week I had my second WARM interview. Phenomenal experience. The interview process alone has influenced my studio work. Talking about my work  with the potential mentors has helped me think about the direction I want to go with with my work. It has also influenced how I'm doing some of my work...encouraging me to experiment and play a bit more.


And so I did just that...this week I pulled out some watercolor paper and paints. My goal was to do some quick studies...to loosen up, explore colors, subject matter...When I first started painting (back in high school!), I did a lot of work with watercolors...not so much anymore, but I still like how it feels working with the paint so wet.

After doing a few watercolor studies, I pulled out an 18x36 canvas that I had prepared earlier with gray gesso (love that stuff!) Doing the previous work in watercolor had an impact on how I started things...I was using the paint on the canvas as if I was doing a watercolor...keeping the paint very fluid as I applied it to the canvas. (detail pic above, larger view below) 

For a little bit, I was in my painting zen state...loving how the paint was flowing on the canvas...I felt like I was channeling my inner Georgia O'Keefe. But in a flash, the moment was gone...reality shifted, and the paint just wasn't flowing as easily.


Painting is like that...sometimes it goes smoothly...and sometimes, it's hard work...it's a back and forth process really...the good mixed with the bad...a constant questioning of what to do, how things should look...and then sometimes it just happens...the brush leads the way.

I'm a long way from a finished painting with this one, but I'll keep dancing with the paint...and let the brush take the lead.

Today at the Studio

I spent a good chunk of today at the studio. When I opened the door I was pleasantly reminded by the sight of a clear table that I had cleaned my work space. I should have taken a picture, because it didn't stay clean for long!

I worked on a number of projects, going back and forth from smaller projects to this larger (20x24) painting. She is far from finished, but I like how she's coming along. This picture doesn't really show how vibrant the colors are. And I bet you're wondering about the "hair wings" ... you'll just have to wait to see how that turns out. She's going to be quirky and fun.

 

Phases

I had a productive day at the studio on Saturday. Five-plus hours of painting--that's a lot of painting, standing on concrete, leaning over a table to paint. (I frequently paint with my canvas on a table, rather than an easel.) 

Some days go easier than others. Thankfully, Saturday seemed to go rather smoothly. I finished a few smaller pieces and then moved on to this bigger work. It is actually two canvases--each 24x30 that will complete one piece.

I often think about the different stages in the creation of my paintings...and how the work and my feelings about the piece can change many times during the course of the painting.

 
The beginning stage includes the visualization of the piece. I often visualize a piece long before it comes to fruition. And many times those visions first come to me as I'm falling asleep at night. The beginning stage is very exciting...and filled with hope and optimism. 


Once I decide to start working on a new piece, the beginning phase moves into the physical creation of the piece--with the prep of the canvas. For me, that means applying gesso to the canvas and multiple layers of base colors. It might also include, as it did in this piece, applying gel mediums such as light molding paste to create texture.  During that work I am still visualizing how I see the piece evolving. As I apply the gesso and/or medium, I feel as if I'm "mapping" out the painting. It's like I'm trying to transfer my vision to the canvas as I apply the gesso with my brush.

At some point, you enter what I think of as the middle phase of the painting. For me, this is often the longest and most difficult phase of the painting. It's often when the work takes on it's own life ... and sometimes that doesn't always match up to your "vision". It's the phase where as an artist you have to struggle with letting the process unfold itself, while also still managing the technical end of creating the piece. 

It's also the phase where I often no longer "love" the piece and wonder if what I'm doing is going to really look any good. Sometimes it feels like labor, not joy.  Sometimes I will even put the piece aside...walk away for a bit to gain some perspective and a fresh set of eyes.

But sometimes, like Saturday, I keep working right through the doubts and trust the process. In fact, the more I trust the process, the smoother the whole thing seems to go. And that always feels good...like a natural sort of high.


Which leads you, ultimately, to the final phase and the finished piece. Usually when I reach that point, my ambivalence about the piece has been replaced with, well, love. Ask an artist what their favorite piece is and they will often point out the last piece they finished. 

Not always. I'm learning sometimes to finish pieces that I'm not quite sure of, learn from them and take what I learn to the next piece. 

This piece is not yet finished. Getting there, but not quite. I hope to have it done before the Art Crawl in less than two weeks. 


Which means I'll be pushing through that middle phase this week.

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.

Having fun with texture!

In this past year of painting, I've had lots of fun experimenting with different gel mediums, adding texture to many of my paintings. This week I am working on a new series of abstracts (see yesterday's post) that will incorporate the use of light molding paste to add texture and interest to the paintings. I thought I would write a little bit about my process.

Applying the light molding paste is my first step. Sometimes I will add the molding paste later in the painting process-when I am using it to add detail to an element in the painting (see pictures at end of post). But in this series of abstract paintings, the texture I'm adding is part of the background--creating a more interesting canvas to paint on.

My favorite tool for applying the paste--a cut-up debit/credit card. A palette knife also works well.  I use the card or palette knife to scrape a light coat of light molding paste across a section of the canvas area. It's best not to apply too heavily--a little goes a long ways! 

Here's where the fun begins!

There is no end to the different ways you can add texture to the canvas with the light molding paste. Sometimes I take that cut-up card to scrape the paste over the canvas, frequently changing direction, to create an interesting pattern/texture. I have also used a shower scrungee, bubble wrap, or a sponge--getting different looks by pressing whatever I'm using into the light molding paste.

For my recent paintings, I am using this little thread/yarn (???) gadget that I got from a free pile at the studio of a fiber artist. That's it in the top photo...it has ridges all the way around it and it was easy to roll it over the canvas. If you look closely, you can see the affect in the above photo. 

A few tips:

--If you are not happy with the results, you can simply scrape off the molding paste (while it's still wet) and try again.
--Be prepared to make a mess. I like making a mess, but if you don't, you might want to wear gloves.
--Rinse your "tools" before the paste dries. You can re-use your tools if they are cleaned before the paste hardens.

Now it's time to allow the molding paste dry on the canvas--24 hours is good. Once the paste is dry, you can paint right over it. For these abstract paintings that I'm working on, the texture of the light molding paste adds a lot of interest to the painting. The texture "catches" the paint in an interesting way...creating movement and energy. I'll take some close-ups to give you a better look!

Here's one other interesting thing I did with the light molding paste on this painting--these are older canvases that someone gave me. The canvas has staples on the side, rather than having the canvas wrapped around the frame and stapled on the back. I used the paste to somewhat disguise the staples--still keeping with the flavor of the painting. Here's a pic ( I will still paint the sides to match the painting)--

This way the canvas can still be hung without a frame and the staples are not so noticeable. And it can still be framed at a later date.

I'll finish with a few shots from one of my recently completed paintings where I used light molding paste to create texture within the flowers I painted--

Here I applied the paste and used a palette knife to create texture.

 With this one, I used the tip of a paintbrush to create a swirl pattern.

And here I pressed a shower scrungee into the paste. And the finished product--

Abstract

Just a quick pic of a new painting I worked on yesterday. Taking a break from the flower and bird paintings (a series I'm thinking of calling "Embracing Beauty") to work on some abstracts. Regardless of subject matter, you have to be in the mood to paint whatever you're working on--even if it might seem like there is no subject matter.

I started this painting actually in late June. I started by applying some texture to the canvas with light molding paste (more on that tomorrow). But when I got ready to paint, the inspiration just wasn't there. So I put this and another canvas aside.

Not sure what shifted, but yesterday I was ready to work on these abstracts. I had a loose vision for the painting in my head, but it's best with paintings like this to be open to what happens (for any painting really). The end result isn't quite what I envisioned, but I like it more. I'm excited to start a whole series I think I might call "Industrial Abstracts".

Eggplant Menage a trois

I've been spending lots of the time in the studio this week, painting like crazy in preparation for my two upcoming shows. I'm feeling a little pressure (self-imposed) to finish some new pieces. Or in some cases, finishing some new pieces that were started months ago.

A few weeks ago, I started to work again on two larger eggplant paintings (18x36) that I actually started last August. I worked on them for a month or so last fall and then put them aside as I started working on some winter paintings. (Eggplant-painting season coincides with their appearance at the Farmer's Market typically it seems).

I've always had a vision for how I wanted these two paintings to look. I playfully titled them Menage a Trois. 

My goal this week was to finish them so I could hang them at the Trotter's show. I thought a few paintings of eggplants in a restaurant that features locally grown food would be good.

I finished them (I think) yesterday. The last bit that I had to do was paint the stem/vines. These are just quick shots I took at the studio when I was finished.

I have to admit that I'm still struggling with how I feel about these two finished paintings. Usually when I finish a painting, I'm in love with the piece. But these...I'm not 100% happy with how they turned out --- I guess they're not exactly what I had envisioned (close, but not quite).

Still, I am trying to learn something from this...First off, I know that I'm done with these eggplants--at least, for now. I need to step back and let them sit for a bit. I can decide later if I want to work on them further. But secondly, I think that sometimes you just have to accept that not every piece can be your favorite. I will probably paint more eggplants, but I think I would be better off leaving these as is and starting fresh on a new canvas.

And I think I may still hang them at Trotter's. I hear eggplant is on the menu in August.

Today at the Studio

I thought I would share a bit of my painting process today. I worked on several paintings in this series today, but spent the most time getting this one started. I had previously laid down the base color on this 12x12 stretched canvas. The base color is actually several layers of paint...it's all a process! 

Today I started by using a white chalk pencil to lay out the design of the painting--just a light outline so I can image how the finished painting will look. I'm doing this more and more...it's easy to erase and it's only a guide. When I start painting, things sometimes change!

After I was happy with the outline, I started laying down the green of the leaves/vines...

I go back and add more color and detail to the leaves...it's hard to tell in the picture, but I used a bit of gold to highlight the leaves.

Once I was finished with the leaves/vines, I moved on to laying down some color for the flowers and laying down a off-white base for the bird. This included two layers of color to help me reach the intensity of color I'm after. I will still add another layer of color before adding the details to the flowers and bird.

At this point, I was done with the painting for the day. Sometimes you need to step back for a day...plus paint needs to dry thoroughly before you keep adding layers. 

But I switched gears a bit and continued work on some other paintings in this series. It was a productive day! 

My only problem--I still need a name for this series! Any suggestions?

Peace and Calm

Just a quick post before I head to the studio to keep painting on these small paintings. One of the joys (and there are many) of spending this summer painting is that I have been able to work on a number of different series, plus return to old, unfinished work (like in the previous post). I am not a fast painter, so having this time is a treasure. These paintings are primarily small--lots of 6x6's, some 6x12's and a few larger. Eventually I think there will be some larger paintings. They are a part of these paintings--

The colors--muted teals, purples, pinks-- and the subjects, flowers and birds, are lending a sense of peace and calm to me. I'm sure my blood pressure drops a few points every time I'm painting them. And I'm hoping those feelings will be transferred to the viewer as well.

I would also like to introduce you to my new studio mascot pictured below. He sits quietly atop a Sobe water bottle and encourages me to paint in peace and calm. He's quite regal don't you think? What should I call him?

Anyways, I'm off to the studio. It's good that I'm being so productive, cause I'm gearing up for some shows in August...I'll fill you in soon!