Go out and do something new or reacquaint yourself with an old friend…

In art, we are creating our own perceptions of something. Whether it’s paint, music, poetry, sculpture, whatever art form; we are putting our mark to that thing. It makes it personal and we are describing that moment in time.

I’m in a weekly class on oil painting, and this idea of how something should look or the stereotype of how something should look is interesting. It can influence a person in how they should do that thing. In this class, I’m reacquainting myself with the oil medium. It’s honestly been decades since I’ve used oils (way back when I was in college). It’s been interesting.

I started out painting with a brush in this class. The piece that I did was okay. By using a brush, I felt that that was what was expected. (I was influenced by the stereotype of oil paintings.) The piece looked like a typical oil painting to me and I was not happy with it. It didn’t have passion, movement and quite frankly, I thought it was flat looking. I let it mull over the week and dry - took it back to class and decided to give it that passion, movement, depth and intrigue. I also decided that, “Why not use the painting technique that I’ve been doing the past couple of years with oils?” So, I got my handy credit card (it’s a coffee card) and knives and put the passion, depth and emotion into the painting. Making a much better painting.

Go out, do something or reacquaint yourself, and don’t feel afraid to mix it up. Do something different that is uniquely you.

Material Experimentation

The hazy days of a hot summer…

When the sun is scorching and you just want to hibernate, that’s a perfect time to think about various things. I know as I sit in my studio, when it’s hot, have my fan on, meditating music, the shade is drawn partway, a fragrant candle is burning, and an iced coffee at my elbow. Perfect for thinking up how I want to do more to a piece I’m working on OR need to start that piece I have the background done for OR just go with the flow.

Going with the flow seems to lead the pack.

How can I show the same stuff I do on archival paper, to reflect on canvas. Experimenting with that and making sure I get the same effect that I want with the colors and texture is the challenge. It’s taking the time to do it and to know, if I don’t like it, paint over it.

Again, it’s that experimentation of materials, applications and mediums that will determine how a piece will turn out. For example: using acrylics and watercolor crayon OR brushes vs pallet knife/credit card or a combination of all. It’s okay to combine different application techniques. By doing that, a piece will turn out in ways not thought possible.

Go out and have fun!

Emotions & Travel

What to look for as you travel?

In the past month, I’ve been traveling through the west and southwest. I’ve taken many pictures to use as topics for pieces to complete. The focus for this journey has been family and many of the pictures that I’ve taken do involve them. When you have journey’s that involve family, emotions come into play in a major way. From those emotions, art can be made.

When I do a piece, many times it is emotion, the fluidity of paint and the complexities of the paint and design makes itself known. I could say that it would be only for my abstracts, but I’ve often found that the landscapes, wildlife and flora applies to this idea. I’ve been playing and working on pieces that have a complexity of the actual application of the medium. Mixing mediums also come into play to accent a part of a piece.

There are a couple of avenues I’m starting to explore for the pieces to come in the next few days/weeks: 1. Is the landscapes of the deserts, high deserts, mountains, rocky mountains, rolling hills of the plains. 2. Emotions 3. Fauna & Flora.

As you travel, be it a day trip or longer, look around you. See the beauty in the places, people and objects around you. Think about the emotions that these images evoke. How can you use that to create?