Bouncing around

Clematis
watercolor, watercolor pencils, Caran d'Ache
8x10

Here's the last of the 5 watercolor flowers I've been working on. I should really call them water media paintings, since I'm not using only these lovely Windsor and Newton watercolors.


I've also been using Derwent watercolor pencils and Caran d'Ache watercolor crayons again, bouncing around between these three water media at whim. I've found that I really like to switch between painting and drawing to get the result I'm looking for.

(detail)

So now I'm ready to bounce over to something really different. A new idea is brewing, but I don't know exactly what form it will take yet.

Someone else who is bouncing around at times is our old dog Beau. (I wrote about all his health troubles a few posts ago.) Automatically giving him two pain pills a day is helping him quite a bit, but I still don't like the idea of an animal being constantly medicated. He's so smart, though. Because he can't count on his hind legs all the time, he has started to sometimes use them together, rather than one-at-a-time. So when he wants to run a few steps, he actually hops, or bounces, with his hind legs together until he gets his legs going the "right" way.

All I can say is that animals are amazing! Bouncing is working for our old Beau, getting him where he wants to go. Bouncing around seems to be working for me, too.

I'll also be bouncing around the internet in the next week or so, visiting all my favorite blogs. It's been too long since I've taken the time to do that, so I'm really looking forward to it.

"Change
is a bouncing ball
on the circumference of a circle."

~ Kin Hubbard

Begin

It's the first day of a new year- what a perfect day for new beginnings!

Not much has gone according to plan since I posted here last.  As a result, I've been keeping a low profile online.  And I'll continue to do so for a while.

Maybe I'll use this forced interruption as an opportunity to begin doing many things differently this year.  Beginning to do something differently can start as a whisper, after all.

(detail of ink and thread on painted muslin)

The important thing is to begin.

(detail of ink and Intense pencils on painted muslin)

And to simply be, sometimes. 

I've been slowly beginning to work on my muslin rags.  Letting them tell me what they want to be.

"Be willing to be a beginner

every single morning."

~ Meister Eckhart

Happy New Year, everyone!

xo

The final three, together at last

Here are the final three 12"x12" landscapes.

I gave you a sneak peek of the center painting on in the previous post.

I didn't have to do too much to enhance the dried, pressed leaf.  The colors were already perfect.  Before I collage these leaves to the paintings, I seal them on both sides with matte medium to protect them.

I also collaged some dried grasses to the center painting.  Love that texture!

Everybody who does landscapes seems to be painting birch trees lately, so I had to paint at least one.

Years ago we had quite a few in our neighborhood, but they have all died and been cut down.  I actually like how dead trees look and have been taking pictures of them lately.

I added a fainter, paler purple line along the horizon of the birch painting.  It reminds me of how the fog sometimes hovers over Lake Michigan, while the shore area is sunny and bright.

acrylic (faux) encaustic, acrylic, mixed-media, collage, pressed leaves

The light was perfect this afternoon, so I took advantage of it to take these photos outside.  You can probably see how the first painting, on the left, looks a bit mellower.  That's because of the acrylic (faux) encaustic finish I experimented with.  I'll be doing the same to the other two paintings the next time the natural light is bright enough for a longer period of time.  Then they'll have a more muted, organic look, too.  The leaves will also have additional protection after I do this.

I want to do something completely different next.  There are so many things I want to try, I'll need to see which idea pushes its way to the top.

"It is the spectator,

and not life,

that art really mirrors."

~ Oscar Wilde

A sneak peek

Here's a slightly blurry sneak peek at the landscape I'm currently working on.  It's been very overcast here, so my camera wasn't letting me get crisp photos.  This leaf/tree has only been pressed, the colors have not been enhanced yet.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  It's a leaf from the forsythia bush after it was touched by frost.   

This painting has more texture than the previous landscapes I've done recently.  I do love that texture!  But my challenge to myself is to keep it simple, and that's not as easy as it sounds.

Today I'm working on adjusting the colors quite a bit, so it can be a companion to this painting,

which I described in a previous post  here.

So, when this one is done, there will be one more 12" x 12" landscape to finish before I begin to work on something more portable.  When I paint these acrylic pieces, I need to move everything to the kitchen table, and then put it all away again.  Something easier to work on in short bursts would be a nice change.

Before and after

(detail)

I think this landscape is finished now.  I didn't do too much more to it.  Just highlighted parts of the leaves with a little oil pastel, adjusted some of the colors, and added some texture to the bottom portion.  It has an acrylic encaustic finish, to protect the leaves and to give the whole piece a warm, more organic feeling.

(detail)

The broken purple line along the horizon reminds me of Lake Michigan, of how it looks when you're driving toward it and suddenly catch that first amazing glimpse of the water along the horizon.  It never looks the same twice, ranging from the palest gray to the most intense Mediterranean blue.  And it's gorgeous every time.

This landscape is my interpretation of Wisconsin's golden corn fields, the Lake, and the short but glorious fall foliage.

So here it was before:

and here it is after:

Wisconsin Landscape

acrylic encaustic mixed media collage with leaves

on 12 x 12 wrapped canvas

Two more 12 x 12 landscapes to go, and then - who knows?

:0)

Portrait of my Mr. C (also known as "the big guy")

Mr. C

Here he is.  Finally!  The big guy, my husband, portrait #4 in my family portrait series.

(detail)

Like the other portraits, it has lots of texture and many layers of acrylic washes, many of which were wiped back to create layers of color.

 (detail)

Each portrait tells a little story, too, and on this one I included collage elements relating to his job as an engineer.

While it was fun to do these portraits, I never realized how challenging it would be to paint people so near and dear to me.  Some days, when I was ready to paint, I realized I was too annoyed with them to paint them.  Especially the boys.  Ha!  That was something I never expected, but there you go.  It's true confession time.

So here are all four portraits, together at last.

Mr. C, the big guy

self-portrait, the dreamer

Katrina, the linguist

Chris, the philosopher

As I look at all four portraits together, I can't help but notice that my head is bigger than Mr. C's head. In real life, I am not nearly as stern as this, and his head is really much, much, MUCH bigger than mine. Ha! But he does have killer dimples.

Now that this project is finally finished, I'm moving on to the many other things I've been wanting to do. Can't wait to get started!

The Philosopher

Portrait of Chris

acrylic mixed media

on 16 x 20 wrapped canvas

Finally!  It seems like I have been working on this painting forever!  This is #3 in my series of 4 family portraits - my son, the philosopher.

All the background details of this painting reflect that - like this definition of the word "philosopher" and this window, open to things as yet unknown.

As you have probably noticed by now, I'm not an assembly-line artist!  In case you've forgotten what the first two portraits look like, here they are:

Portrait of Katrina

self-portrait

I'm really, really happy with how these three paintings look together.  And it won't take as long for me to finish the next painting.  I promise!  I've been working on the painting of "the big guy" already, and it's coming along nicely.

In retreat and moving forward

Energy #1

acrylic and mixed media

on board

I can can honestly say that I can't remember the last time I felt so at peace and so pampered as I did last Friday during my first SoulCollage retreat.  The location, the people, the weather, everything was absolutely perfect!  For several hours we were all enveloped by a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired building, surrounded by gardens and woodlands.  The only sounds to be heard were soft music, singing birds, and the gentle breeze rustling the Autumn leaves and a wind chime.

Over the weekend I debated whether I should post images here of the SoulCollage cards I made.  They turned out to be much more personal and revealing than I ever thought they'd be, so I'll be keeping them private.  The intuitive process of SoulCollage is incredibly effective, much much more so than I ever imagined.

I'm still trying to process everything I learned on Friday.  There was one thing I noticed again right away when I returned home Friday night, though. Whenever you learn something new and uplifting, you will be tested and challenged somehow, by someone or something.  

I was able to carry that wonderful positive energy with me until this morning, when I let something I perceived as negative get the better of me again.  But I found that I could relax more quickly by remembering how peaceful I had been on Friday.  So, for today, I will not let the negativity take hold of me.  That's progress.

Moving forward.  One day at a time.

Now that I've found SoulCollage, I know it's something I will enjoy continuing to work with.  I even found a local group of women to meet with.  You have no idea how thrilled I am to find some kindred spirits close by!

"Sometimes our light goes out

but is blown into flame 

by another human being.

Each of us

owes deepest thanks

to those who have rekindled this light."

~ Albert Schweitzer

Fossils

Fossils 1 - 3

mixed media 

on 4"x4"x1-3/8" wrapped canvas

Many years ago, when I was very young, I used to take road trips across the U.S. and Canada with my parents.  On one trip we went to the Pacific Northwest, where I was amazed to learn that there was a place called the Yakima Desert in Washington State.  Yes, there is a desert in Washington!

thunder egg agate

Here's the thunder egg agate I bought in the souvenir shop at the time.  I've always loved how the agate looks like a maple leaf with a seascape inside.  Nature never ceases to amaze me.

The poetry of the earth

is never dead. 

~ John Keats

So it made perfect sense when these three little canvases I've been working on turned into fossil paintings.

click to enlarge

It almost felt like a fossil hunt when I painted them, too.  I applied layer after layer, wiped away paint here and there, until the fossil images emerged.

Adopt the pace of nature:

her secret is patience.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I gently wiped the layers of paint so much, the result is a burnished look I've never seen in one of my paintings before.

Fossil mixed media painting (detail)

Can you see the texture?  I don't know if I'll ever be able to duplicate this method again.  Maybe these will just be three unique little paintings, pale imitations of the fossils they represent.

In wilderness

I sense the miracle of life,

and behind it

our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.

~ Charles A. Lindbergh

Interior landscapes

I came across this quote recently, and it really made me stop and think.

Excellence can be obtained

if you:

care

more than others think is wise.

risk

more than others think is safe

dream

more than others think is practical

expect

more than others think is possible.

~ author unknown, 

(although I suspect it may be the words of some motivational speaker)

:0)

I'm more than happy to let go of striving for perfection.  I'm certainly never going to do most things perfectly.  Perfection is so subjective anyway.  But excellence.  That's something else.  That's something I can work toward in life and art.

I already care, dream and expect a great deal, for myself and others.  But risk - that's a tough one.  When I started blogging, I think I really began to open up to risk more than ever before.  I put my ideas and art out there, for better or worse, for all to see.  So, yeah, I'm taking more and more risks, trying ever-more new things.

Spreading my wings.  I'm even back on facebook. 

When I started working on these three 4"x4" canvases, I thought it would be easy to quickly paint something on them and move on to something else.

Ha!

These little canvases had other ideas.

Interior Landscapes

textured abstracts

acrylic, found papers, oil pastel

on 4"x4"x1-3/8" wrapped canvas

For weeks, I kept returning to them.. Tweaking this. Covering up that.  Trying something else.

But, man, did I learn things!

During the process, I found this quote:

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then,

is not an act,

but a habit.

~ Aristotle

(384 BC – 322 BC)

This is why I love quotes!  I know some people don't like them, but I really, really do.  When you find the right quote, at the right time, you know you're not alone.  You don't have to recreate the wheel.  Someone else has put your feelings into the right words for you already.  You can say "YES!"  or "AH HA!" and move on, knowing there are others out there who have felt and still feel just like you do. 

So while my art will never be perfect, I will gladly devote the rest of my life to creating something excellent whenever possible. 

After all, I also found this quote, just this morning;

Excellence

is not a skill.

It is an attitude.

~ Ralph Marston

Oh yeah!

 

The fullness of time

I finally finished a canvas I had prepped many weeks ago.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that it seemed to have mind of its own, so I was leaving it alone until I was able work on it without my mind and my expectations getting in the way.

I'm so glad I waited!  It is my absolute favorite piece so far.

 

"The Fullness of Time"

mixed media

on 11 x 14  wrapped canvas

There is so much texture here again.  This time I used found papers, stenciled soft modeling paste, extruded acrylic gesso, and embedded dried ornamental grass.

(detail)

I'm really, really pleased with the complexity of colors, too.  And I think I've found my style now, a style I can eagerly expand on.

In the fullness of time, 
everything seems to fall into place,
somehow, 
doesn't it?

Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes for my son!  He only had one set-back, and is now well on his way to recovering from the removal of his wisdom teeth.

My time has been so full the last month or so.  My main focus from now on will be to get back on track again, especially with my creativity.

Lingering in the Shadows

"Lingering in the Shadows"

mixed media

on 11 x 14 wrapped canvas

I really don't know where the time has gone.  When I allow myself to dwell in the creative right side of my brain, I become a different person, it seems.  Time means little to me, and I become very absent-minded.  My mind is focused only on colors and shapes and ideas, not the minutiae of life.

I've been lingering in the shadows of creativity and memory and hope.

It's a welcome change for me, since I've spent so much of my life forcing myself to be almost completely left-brained.  

Now I'm not forcing anything anymore, and look what happens.

I wish you could see and feel the rich colors and complex textures of this painting!  I've left the top photo larger, so if you click on it you can get an idea of what I mean.

I don't know if I prefer it horizontal or vertical.

What do you think?

This time I started by covering the canvas with plaster cloth, an idea I adapted from the gorgeous art two incredibly talented blogger friends are creating.  Lynne Hoppe paints the most amazing faces on her own combination of muslin and plaster cloth.  You can see an example here.  And Annie Coe has been using Venetian plaster in her paintings to create fabulous textures, an example of which is here.

Armed with their inspiration, I decided to use plaster cloth instead of modeling paste this time.  I just can't get enough of experimenting with colors and textures.

(detail)

I really like the grainy texture which remained in many places, and the ridges formed by manipulating the cloth.  Many glazes of acrylic paint were added, and I was happy to discover that you can see previous washes of color peeking through the colors which were added later. In some place, the paint has the appearance of watercolor washes, and in others it looks like encaustic.  I crackled a few spots, too, just to see what would happen.

Another canvas is almost ready for some more experiments.  But I do plan to leave the comfort of the shadows long enough to travel through Blogland to visit a few of my favorite places during the next week.  

I know I've been terribly slow about getting back to all the wonderful people who have left me comments and e-mails during the last few weeks.  I really appreciate hearing from you, and I'm so grateful for your patience and understanding.

Wayward Wednesday

"Bluebird Fantasy"

acrylic and mixed media

8 x 10 gallery wrapped canvas
(SOLD)

I'm blaming it on the beautiful weather we're having today.  This painting insisted on being finished, even though I had too many other things to do.  It's more of a sampler, really, because I used this canvas to try out some new ideas again.

Yes, I feel very guilty about all the things I didn't do.  But I feel better about getting the painting done, especially because I was able to play around with more textures and colors, and the subject is totally new to me.  Not a portrait, not an abstract, pure fantasy.  Perfect for an early Spring day!

 The painting is continued on all four sides, including the texture and crackle of the sunflower.

(detail)

(detail)

I don't think I've ever seen a real Bluebird, although I think we have them in some parts of Wisconsin.  I rather like the attitude of this crackled  blue bird!  Chin up!

Now that I have this painting out of the way, I only have about 14 other art projects begging to be worked on.  I think it's time to relax a bit before I get too involved in those projects, so I can take some much-needed time to visit all the other blogs I've been meaning to visit .

:0)
(Which is a good thing, too, because I was going to write a TRUE story tomorrow, April Fool's Day, about how you must never, ever, mistakenly put your purse in the "sink" in a porta-potty (portable WC), because it is NOT a sink.  No, it's definitely not a sink, its a urinal.  I know, because I did this many years ago, and I felt like a FOOL.  And YES, I immediately threw the purse in the trash.  EEEEWWW! So, aren't you glad I won't be writing a story about that tomorrow?)
:0)

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