Evolution of a Painting

Earlier in the summer, I took a wonderful online class from Diane Culhane, " Between Speech and Silence." I'm planning to blog more about that course in a separate post. In this post, I'm going to show how two of the paintings evolved during the creative process.

Our goal in the paintings was to suggest a story or dialog by including figures. The beauty of this concept is that story is open to interpretation by the viewer. I love creating mystery in my work and this is a fun new way to accomplish that goal. Here is an early version of one of my paintings.

After setting it aside for a few days, I decided that the face was OK, but too big and heavy for the rest of the painting. So instead of the face, I added another bird. It's much more balanced and whimsical to to me now. I wonder what these two birds are saying to each other, don't you? 

This is another painting from the course, again following the idea of creating dialog with figures.

The more I looked at this one, the less happy I felt about it. I decided I didn't like the girl so much, and I wanted to create more interest with the tree. It felt like a children's book illustration to me, which isn't a bad thing, but it wasn't what I really was aiming for. I added some more collage and replaced the girl with an image transfer.

It's so much different now! Overall, I am very happy with the tree, but still not so sure if the bird and face 'go together.' But it's been good to try out the idea of creating a story in my work -- definitely a new concept for me, but a fun way to push myself in a new direction.

Identity Crisis

We all know adults who who still don't know who they want to be when they grow up. In fact, I find myself in that category from time to time.  When it comes to my art, I seem to be the artist who doesn't know what she wants to do, or conversely, I'm an artist who wants to do it all! At some point, though, it's time to focus more, to settle down and choose my own style. Or is it? I've been painting a lot lately, which is great. But a quick look at what I've worked on over this past week shows that I am clearly all over the place with my art!!

This is a page from an altered board book I started last spring while taking Carla Sonheim's "Flower Crazy Class." The technique involves using collage, gesso, watercolor and pencil. I love doing flowers, watercolor, drawing and feel like I could just keep doing these crazy flowers for the rest of my life and never get bored! 

Then I decided to try out the same technique, but with a different subject, resulting in this whimsical piece.

I really love integrating collage with my drawing and painting skills, but I also still love doing 'pure' collage. Before I knew, it, I'd done this little collage.

And then, to further complicate things, I've been working on this abstract acrylic painting! 

So, as you can see, I really am not very focused in what I'm doing. Following my whims is certainly fun, but is it wise? Is it important to settle on one style?

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments are always appreciated.

A Sadness in Late Summer

Let me begin by saying that I am not a poet. But this came to me on my morning walk a few days ago, so I decided to write it down. (warning -- it's a little depressing)


There is a sadness in this late summer day,
A brown leaf crunches underfoot,
An unsettling breeze stirs memories of cooler days.
Still, the hazy sunlight shining bravely through the trees
Soothes and envelopes
As I consider my father's failing health.
This glorious summer will come to an end.
Nothing lasts forever.

Index Card Art: For the Birds

There are many wonderful materials  that can be used to make art, but sometimes it's fun to just use humble, inexpensive materials we have on hand to challenge our creativity. That is the spirit behind the index card a day challenge I've joined for June and July. I'm thinking of these little cards as my sketchbook for the moment - perhaps they'll inspire larger, more serious pieces as I go along, or maybe they'll serve as useful practice for drawing and trying out new ideas. Unlike a lovely new sheet of watercolor paper, or new canvas, there is little pressure involved in working on an index card. In these little pieces, I was practicing bird sketches.

I'm finding that these cards are a great way to use up those little bits of leftover collage scraps! If you're interested in joining in the fun, visit the index card challenge for more information.

Where the Wild Flowers Are

Where the Wild Flowers Are
mixed media on 8" x 8" panel

I can't seem to stop painting these crazy flowers. My family and I watched "Where the Wild Things Are" recently and I loved the monsters in the movie. I've always loved Maurice Sendak's illustrations in his beloved children's book. Somehow, my strange flowers here in muted colors remind me a little of those monsters, which is totally weird, I know. But these are not the dainty flowers that beckon you to smell them and cut them for flower arrangements. No, these flowers are different - a little scary, maybe, as if they were from a slightly scary flower nightmare, with a happy ending, of course. Or maybe they're on their way to an audition for "Where the Wild Flowers Are" not coming any time soon to a theater near you!

Trio
mixed media on 4" x 6" panel

I don't really know where these flowers are coming from, but they sure are fun to paint! For both of these paintings, I began by adding some collage before gesso and then continuing with watercolor and pencil. I love seeing glimpses of the collage underneath. As I've mentioned in other posts, I learned this technique from Carla Sonheim. It's helped me figure out a way to combine my new love of collage with my old love of drawing, and watercolor. I may have to stop doing these flowers at some point, but I'm sure I'll be exploring this technique for a long time. 

B is for Bowl

B is for Bowl
Mixed Media page in hand made journal

Sometimes pieces come together so quickly. This is a page in my handmade cereal box/junk journal that I made back in January. I loved the background collaged with a variety of hand-panted and scrap papers, but every time I looked through my journal, I wasn't sure what to do with it. The simple bowl shape seemed like a good choice for an otherwise busy page. I chose a muted palette for the bowl, and used a box to make a more interesting and focused composition. The 'B' (upside down at the bottom) just happened to be there -- a happy coincidence.

Spicing up a Drawing with Collage

I've been participating in the Sketchbook Challenge off and on over the past year as a way to stay motivated with my drawing and develop a more regular sketchbook habit. The May 2013 theme was bowl. I don't normally draw bowls, so it was fun to do something different. Here is one sketch I did over a previously painted background.

Yet, the more I looked at this bowl, the more I thought it needed just a little something to give it some pizazz So, I sat down and added a few bits of collage. 

Bowl with Collage
mixed media
4" x 6' on paper

Now, that's more like it! I often begin with collage, and then draw, but it's quite fun to do the reverse and see what happens.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

It's been a flower crazy spring for me, ever since taking Carla Sonheim's wonderful online class in March. I've been doing more work with the gesso and watercolor technique, sticking primarily with imaginary flowers.

This one is actually a close up from an altered board book I've been working on. I've been doing collage before the gesso layer and I love the way it looks.

And here you can see the complete spread of crazy flowers.

I really love drawing flowers. I always have. But today, I decided it was time to branch out with this technique.

And before I knew it, this little bird stopped by for a visit. 

Another Day, Another Flower Painting

For the last few weeks, I've been immersed in painting imaginary flowers in Carla Sonheim's online Flower Crazy Class. This is one of my favorite paintings. It started as a purely abstract piece on a square piece of birch board.  In the class we learned how to use gesso to create wonderful texture and then paint with watercolor. The flowers gradually emerged as I added layers of watercolor, sanded, rubbed and added more paint. I love watercolor, but had never used it over gesso, nor on wood. It's amazing to me how beautiful and rich the results are. 

In this painting, perhaps my very favorite of the month, I  started with a collage layer before adding gesso and watercolor.

This one is also on an 8" x 8" wood panel. I am definitely going to continue use this painting method because it's so much fun to do, and I love the results!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I always appreciate your comments.