New Work, new moves

Between moving and the onset of the holiday season, I have managed to get some work done. I have also been able to be consistently open for three studio tours, and see more in the future. It is rewarding to get feedback on my work, and interesting to see who is drawn to what pieces, with a couple of pieces often stealing the show.

Another new development for me has been the entry in to Whatcom Art Museum's volunteer docent program. I will begin the twelve week training in January, where I imagine I will hone in on my public speaking and research skills, and hopefully learn more about the inner workings of the museum. Above all, I look forward to making new connections and getting more exposure of my own work.


Below are the newest pieces I have completed. All three in the Reglar series are posted together, in order of their completion.

New Works, Inspirations, Sketches

"Burning the Midnite Oil", 36 X 24" acrylic on framed canvas

"Shell and Bead Study" 20 X 20" Acrylic on framed canvas.

Since my last post in July, I finished the two pieces above. What fun! Exploring the shapes of the colors and the different hues within the shadows, shadows within shadows. It was a great discovery to find a different yellow, and both of these pieces utilized a lot of both Turner's Yellow and Yellow Oxide. Yellow Oxide is earthen, almost butterscotch in color, while Turner's Yellow is a brighter and more golden hue. I have a third yellow, Cadmium, which I used just a touch of in the upper left shadows of the "Shell and Bead Study".

I also enjoyed playing with size and perspective in both of these. The books in "Burning the Midnite Oil" have so many different angles and perspectives, the fonts were a bear. They shorten and fatten and I almost felt I would have needed some sort of gridding in order to get them spot on. I decided in the end that I was happy with the results, and that I was ready to move on. The "Shell and Bead Study" is an enlargement of a still life which would fit in the palm of your hand. The shadows cast in the background are actually those of a palm sized scallop, in which these other trinkets and mussel shells are rolling around. I particularly enjoyed painting the facets of the beads.

I have looked at some other photorealistic work that I really like. A movement that began in the early seventies, it is the use of photographs to paint heavily detailed, however stylized, works. Such artists as Chuck Close created oversized portraits that are either almost indiscernible as a painting, or heavily pixelated in order to draw attention to the digital nature of them.

Another pioneer in this movement, Audrey Flack, uses brilliant colors and dramatic still-life set ups. I Love her work. It is so sensual, and the palette and subject matter are quite attractive to me.

A modern day photorealist , Alyssa Monks, creates these paintings that are hyper sexy, intimate and almost dark in nature. The lighting makes the people look almost ghoulish, however the movement of the skin and hair in the water is cleansing and relaxing to look at.

Below are some other sketches, rough paintings etc that I have done lately. Thanks for checking it out, xo

Second of Reglar series finished in time for 4rth of July

Finished another painting! Below are two of the paintings in the series. 

While I rev up to work on the third and final in this series, I will be working on a painting depicting my love of books. Here is a photo reference for a sneak peak:

Visited the Elizabeth Colborne exhibit at Whatcom Museum Sunday. What a beautiful collection. An orphan who was raised in the Eldridge Neighborhood, she split her time working as a commercial artist in NY and spent summers in Bellingham documenting the spirit of our landscape in moody and affectionate woodblock prints.
If you are unfamiliar with this process, it is an arduous technique. After carving the relief of delicate lines and shapes in to wood, ink is applied to the "plate" and then stamped on paper. Multiple colored prints require either separate plates for each carving, or multiple stamps with the same plate. In any case, one must work carefully in order to achieve the desired outcome, planning ahead how colors will overlap or not, registering the image carefully each time.
These pieces show a love for trees, nature, the Bellingham city scape, and many other moments which most of us share in the community. If you have not seen it, it is a must! Below is an example of  her work, titled "Cedar Blocks".

Catching up

Moved in to the new space, and I can't believe it is already July! Below are photos of before and after. Magic abound! It is wonderful to have a place to call home, and my heart loves its new neighborhood.

Process versus Perfection

Last month I acquired a new space in the downtown Pickford Dreamspace Studios. So far, I have been spinning my wheels on all of the ideas I have for creating my own room. The aim will be for a public space to meet with people, be open during art walk, and display my paintings alongside mural work and decorative painting.

My original goal was to start work on the space the Monday after my Mother's Day art show up in Birch Bay (one piece sold, not bad!). 10 days have passed and I don't see much progress. The room itself has been primed, I have decided to paint the trim to match the wood work. For now, we are leaving the primer as the wall color, because I need to focus on some other things. The advantage of this is that it is neutral, and the colors in my paintings will stand out.

I found one set of track lighting at the restore for the display wall, but will need to figure out a light source for the opposing wall. The existing light is a hideous fluorescent, which I hope to unscrew. There is a second track at the restore, but it is missing the can lights to slide in. I may go get it anyway, and hope I can find some lights for it at the hardware store.

The floor is a stained carpeting. I bought some big pieces of particle board, and will be painting a funky wood grain on them. Perhaps the answer is to allow myself the time to focus on this one step. Once this is complete, and in, I can then look at furnishings and moving my paintings in.

I am hoping to paint a mural on the opposing wall. I also would like a sitting area and small bookshelf, along with a painting station. It's a lot! The mural wall can be rotated, or I can even make backdrops to hang. I hope to market these as art pieces in themselves, and also to theatres and photographers.

All of these decisions are swimming right now. I have to just take it one step at a time. I am struggling balancing all of these goals with going to work at night doing something completely different. Changing gears every day is frustrating and exhausting. I often wonder if I am missing something, some detail or strategy, that others have figured out, that would make this all a lot easier. I am really looking forward to meeting other people in the coming months, and see if all of my visions have a place here.

It is so scary to think that all of the work may lead to nothing, that I am nursing a dead litter. Having said that out loud though, it also isn't the end of the world if it doesn't pan out. It just will be really disappointing, and I really don't want to change careers. I want this to work really, really bad. Below are some pictures of the beginnings/ before. I will document any progress :)

Sign

I completed a pretty straightforward sign over the last week. My neighbor, Kurt Schoenberg, who runs a tool repair business from his home, hired me to basically reproduce his business card on to a larger 3X1' sign. If you are ever in need of his services, his website is here: http://www.ineeditnowtoolservice.com/.

The logo is an exact recreation. The most difficult part of this, besides the transfer process, was really matching the original colors. But I managed it :)

Sundance

I spent the remainder of April completing a commission for my cousin Linda out in CT. She wanted her lab, Sundance, immortalized in a painting. Her letter included a paragraph of lovely descriptives of Sundance, including his kohl outlined eyes, his creamy puppy soft fur. What a doll.

While painting him, I felt all of this love her family has. It was as though painting his fur, I was actually scratching behind his ears and snuggling up to him. The little black spots at the base of his whiskers were very important, the wet nose, the complacent eyes.

The background includes their very traditional New England porch, complete with white columns and a brick porch. Winter's ice skates adorn the deep navy blue door (my personal favorite color of the moment. I can't find enough ways to incorporate it!), along with a Christmas wreath. Sundance was a sport, with his deep red scarf.

I thank you Linda for sending me this project. It was truly a reminder of why I love art, why it it so important to give a voice to the things we love by showing their true colors.