Art in Progress

Murphy's law has struck again!  After going for a few years without a cold or flu, I've been hit one after the other with both.  It all began the day after visiting with a couple of creative friends and I mentioned that I couldn't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu.  Well, now I can say the entire month of February has been dedicated to fighting with both!

"Rhapsody" in process 24 x24" 

I am making progress with my latest canvas, 'Rhapsody.'  Not sure about it though.  It's hard to have perspective about your work when you're not feeling well, tends to warp your thinking.  Olivia took a couple of pictures of it when she was home over the weekend, but it has changed so much as I worked on it this week that I hesitate even posting a picture.

"Whisper" Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 48"  

"Whisper" macro

A few photos of the completed piece, 'Whisper,' taken by Olivia (my daughter)

The Common Denominator: Art & Book Give Away

The Common Denominator: Art & Book Give Away

Do yourself a favour and check out Mary Beth's generous give away of her new book and custom designed stencil.  

Studio Time

I don't know if you follow Alyson Stanfield's blog, 'artbizblog, but she has a great post here on giving at least 15 minutes a day to your art.  Alyson wrote the book, I'd Rather Be In The Studio.  From what I can see it would be well worth buying if you are working on expanding your career as an artist.  I know her blog if full of great tips, insights and know how.  She clearly understands the power a 15 minute window can have on your art, she wrote her book by doing just that.

Then you might want to check out, MakeBigArt. Here's what they are all about,
Empowering artists...

• to think big about their art
• to think big about their marketing
• to think big about their lives  

I've given you the link to the MakeBigArt blog because it is full of wonderfully helpful posts on just these types of things.

I've begun the underpainting on "Rhapsody", the challenge is to take some of the ideas I liked on my test run on paper and get them to work on the textured canvas.  Ah the fun! 

Whisper

Well I do believe it's done and my daughter, Olivia, will come this weekend to get some shots of the finished piece before it goes to it's new home.

"Whisper"  24x48" acrylics on canvas

I've been considering names for this piece and I must say it is not something that comes to me with ease.  I had thought about a name, but as I began a new piece I knew the name I had thought of really belonged to this new piece.  That kind of threw me and I wondered, so what is your name?  What floated into mind was, "Whisper" "a slight trace, a hint, a mere breath of sound."  As the artist, it speaks of my developing voice, it's all so exploratory right now and I feel this piece has taken me to yet another developmental place in my journey.  

"Rhapsody" 

On the easel now is a small 24 x 24" gallery wrapped canvas called, "Rhapsody." "a free instrumental composition in one extended movement, typically one that is emotional or exuberant in character."  I guess that's how I feel about this new place I've come to with my painting.  The flow, movement and layered depth of colour all of it just streaming across my canvas.  


I'll post some of the pictures my daughter takes this weekend so you can actually see what the colour and full canvas looks like, again my camera does a poor job of capturing colour and detail accurately, but it will do :-)

On The Easel

Thought I would give a little update on how the new canvas is progressing.  Carefully. Slowly.

It's down to the subtitles now, the little adjustments in blending and brush strokes and maybe some bigger ones!  Standing back and seeing the areas that need more help. In general just living with what you've done for a time until you know you've taken it as far as you know how to take it.

I've really enjoyed this piece, right from the beginning when I was shaping and designing with glue in hand. I guess I feel it has that deep, old world/old masters tone to it and that alone makes me happy.

These are the best shots my poor camera can provide, soon I'll have Olivia take some with her eye and camera, but at least these give you an idea.

Like many artist out there, I'm asking myself what's next?  What's doable now?  What is of the 'wild' dreams department...

In Process

On the easel, or should I say table is this large piece, 24" x 48".  I love the design of this and am fighting with colour as I wrote about previously.  I'd love to be able to marry the colours I've got going on in this piece.  Worked on the underpainting using a beautiful hue of greyish purple.  It's added depth and will allow for greater contrast, I hope!

"The process of creating renews my spirit, and I find myself attuned to the details of life rather than being stressed by being overwhelmed. I find myself listening rather than shouting into the void. Creating art opens my heart to see and listen to the world around me, opening a new vista of experience.” Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art and Culture by Makoto Fujimu 

In the meantime, I'm beginning to do some of the insolation foam texturing on the canvases, grand-daughters, Grace and Lyvia will be helping me to complete.  They are anxious to get going and asked the next day when they stopped in before heading for Crabbe Mountain to ski.  "Are you working on our paintings yet?" So Nanny will get to work getting the foam down, way too sticky and hard to clean up for them to manipulate.

Speaking of Easels.  My first and only easel is on its way to me!  I've held out on buying an easel because of how I work.  It would require a rugged, manuverable, fun adjusting easel and I do believe I've found one in the Mirage All-Media.  My dream is to have the boys (Jean and his bro Francois) make a table that tilts, twirls, raises and lowers like Maxine Masterfield shows in her book, Painting the Spirit of Nature and DVD. (See my sidebar for link to her book)

The easel came with great recommendations from artists who put it through it's paces and the price was excellent.  So I can't wait to be able to put my large canvas on this thing and raise it up, tipping it and laying it flat as I work and twirl the thing around.  Sure will beat having it propped up on a big table or my small tilt table, and will save my back lots of painful episodes I'm hoping.

It Is Finished

It Is Finished- acrylic on 24 x 30" gallery wrapped canvas

Although I've had this done for some months now it's taken time before Olivia and I were able to work on getting some photos of the completed piece.  We did the best we could with the lighting and knowledge we have.

It Is Finished- acrylic on 24 x 30" gallery wrapped canvas

Working on this has been a little unsettling.  It was my second attempt at using insolation foam for texturing, ( Jan Sitts shares this in her book, Texture, Colour, Feeling)  I'd improved a little on my ability to control the sticky substance, not that you will ever have complete control when it comes to this stuff.  

Maybe that set the course, but as you can see I created a kind of cross effect with the foam and this piece seemed to know how it wanted to be painted from the beginning.  The cross section has a lot of detail, including gold leaf pieces, soft blending and these amazing lines and variances in tone.  I tried three times to go with a more antique golden hue in the areas surrounding the cross but every time the painting seems to push until it was back into all the shades of red you see here.  When I was done and laid the brush down all I could think was, 'it is finished.'  It had named itself and our journey was complete.

It Is Finished Macro

It Is Finished-macro