Elizabeth Bauman Art Blog

100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery

2012-01-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to be a part of the last 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon. The idea of the show was to send a letter to another artist and they to send one to you. And each artist was to then create a piece of art inspired in some way by the letter. You can read a more in depth explanation and see the amazing pieces of art in the show here. For the art, just scroll down past the text. And if you can, come visit the show. It opens tomorrow and will run through the end of February. The art is not for sale in the traditional manner but there will be a silent auction for each piece running throughout the month. This is my favorite show at the gallery, for years I hoped and dreamed of being a part of it and am so thrilled that this is my second one.

Here is my piece, inspired by a letter from Anna Magruder:

"It was at that moment she started thinking bigger"
Acrylic gouache, pencil, paper, and collage on 6 x 8 inch panel.

There and Back again, Page 7

2012-01-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Page 7

From - There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 7 - "...there came a tremendous ring on the front-door bell..."

Colored pencil, pencil, and acrylic gouache on paper.

Have a great weekend! I'm off to work on another Hobbit page...

There and Back again, Page 6

2012-01-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

Page 6

From - There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 6 - " 'I give it you. In fact, I will go so far as to send you on this adventure. Very amusing for me, very good for you - and profitable too, very likely, if you ever get over it.' "

Acrylic gouache, colored pencil, collage, and pen on paper.

That quote is Gandalf talking to Bilbo, in case you were curious. Poor Bilbo, he has no idea what Gandalf is getting him into. Half the fun of this project is reading the book, one page at a time.

There and Back again, Page 5

2012-01-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

Page 5

From - There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 5 - "I am Gandalf and Gandalf means me!"

Acrylic gouache, colored pencil, pen on paper.

Every once in awhile in this project I plan to do some words instead of images (or in addition to) and as soon as I saw this line, well, it was perfect.

There and Back again, Page 4

2012-01-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Page 4

From - There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 4 - "He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist..."

Pencil, acrylic gouache, collage on paper.

There and Back again, Page 3

2012-01-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Page 3

From - There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 3 - "...and Bilbo Baggins was standing at his door after breakfast smoking an enormous long wooden pipe that reached nearly down to his wooly toes..."

Pencil, colored pencil, acrylic gouache, collage on paper.

I've been a little under the weather this week and am looking forward to the weekend to rest and get back to normal. We've been experiencing a lot of rain here and there is some flooding (thankfully we are fine where we are, so far anyway!), I hope everyone has a good and safe weekend.

There and Back again, Page 2

2012-01-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Page 2

From There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

Page 2 - "...and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly)..."

Pencil, colored pencil, acrylic gouache, collage on paper.

I've now set up a Flickr set for this project so they can all be viewed together if desired.

There and Back again, Page 1

2012-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Page 1

From "There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit"

Page 1 - "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...It had a perfect round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the fact middle."

Pencil, acrylic gouache, collage on paper.

So excited to start posting these! Each time I do, I'll include a link back to the introduction post and also include the inspiration from each page I used (a word, phrase, etc.).

There and Back again, An Illustration Project of The Hobbit

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

I decided last year (several weeks ago) that 2012 I was going to learn more about illustration. To do so, I needed to study and to practice. But how to practice? I needed a project. I was inspired by all the daily or weekly projects being announced around the beginning of the year, like by artists Lisa Congdon and Cathy Cullis. I was driving up to Portland not long ago and was listening to NPR and an interview with Matt Kish who talked about his project of illustrating a page every day from Moby Dick (over 500 pages, wow!). I thought at the time about if I did such a thing, what book would I choose? Immediately, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein came to mind. I had just re-read it the previous summer and had fallen in love with it all over again. Every page was full of descriptive details and there were so many adventures to be followed. But at the time I dismissed the idea, I just can't do daily projects. I lack the stamina. I know myself too well, it wouldn't have worked out.

The idea stuck with me, though, and soon I realized that I do not have to treat it as a daily project but a year-long project. True, with 303 pages in my little paperback copy of The Hobbit it would nearly end up being a daily sort of thing, but that didn't mean I had to sit at my studio table every single day cranking out an illustration. Which works better for me, especially as I still need to do other paintings as well (in fact, I'm still figuring out where I'll find the time for all of this...).

So, what this all means is that starting tomorrow I will begin sharing illustrations with you. Each illustration is inspired by one page of The Hobbit, starting with page 1. These illustrations, at least at this point, are not going to be super representational. Probably more abstract as I will be taking a word, a sentence, or an idea from the page for my inspiration and doing whatever I like with it. I'm keeping them purposely loose so I can play with different mediums and techniques, see what I like. After all, this is supposed to be about practicing. And they will likely change throughout the year as I try new things and try out new ways of illustrating. Plus, since I'm not sure yet where this whole illustration thing will take me, whether I will actually do professional illustrations some day or maybe it will just add to my fine art practice, I want to keep this all open and flexible for myself.

All but perhaps 3 illustrations will be small, simple, and on paper. So 300 illustrations will fit that description, more or less. I plan to do 3 larger paintings over the course of the year. Each will still be an illustration inspired by a particular page, I just plan to do it larger and more complex like one of my larger paintings. I will also be keeping a sketchbook for the project (photographed above) so I can plan ahead a bit.

So there it is. Here's hoping I can keep it going. Hopefully by sharing here, it will keep me inspired. I've had a lot of fun with the project so far and am excited to start sharing it with you!

The ice collector

2012-01-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

"The ice collector" is on an 8 x 8 inch panel, painted in acrylic gouache, and is now in my shop. Thinking about another ocean, icy, ships sort of idea for my next painting too.

I am very preoccupied figuring out a large illustration project that will take most of the year. It is sort of a daily project but not and I'm still working out the details but soon I hope to start sharing, assuming I don't scrap the whole idea. If I stick with it, I'll fill you in on the details maybe next week? I'm hoping to get a good idea of it first before I totally commit to it.

In 2012

2012-01-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Being a new year, there has been naturally a lot of talk about resolutions and goals. I have some as well, but I wanted to share a few things I just hope to work on this year in the studio:

Have a great weekend!

Inspiration

2012-01-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

We received a couple more inspiring books for Christmas. I say "we" because my daughter actually received one of them and I'll have to borrow and drool over the pages.

The first is this Mammals of North America which should give me some great references for my drawings and paintings:

I wanted great images of animals and it turned out this had some wonderful illustrations and photographs, including some fascinating skulls (I tried to include photographs but it is quite glossy and it is a sunny day, not a good photo combination).

And here is what I'm jealously coveting of my daughter's:

The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals by Lisa McGuinness and Leslie Jonah and illustrated by the super talented Lisa Congdon (which is why I made sure this book was on my daughter's wish list).

Check these out:

So cool! Lisa has even been selling some of the originals from this book in her Etsy shop.

Illustration Loot

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but the holidays wiped me out. Which is why I've been so quiet here. Hoping to get back to business as usual, but I'm still a little tired so we'll see how that goes.

Thought I'd share with you a couple of books I got for Christmas and I'm pretty excited about them. As I know very little about illustration and how it all works, I am so pleased to get these:

The Fundamentals of Illustration by Lawrence Zeegan/Crush. In addition to lots of information, it has some amazing illustrations.

And:

How to Be an Illustrator by Darrel Rees

I've only just begun to study both, but they look to be very helpful.

Tomorrow, I have a couple more books more along the inspiration side. One was actually a present for my daughter, but I secretly wish it was mine!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Have a great weekend everyone!

I'll be back next week (and hope to share the painting that I finally finished last night, yay!).

A little mouse

2011-12-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

It is a busy week and you'll probably only see one more post from me before the weekend. Next week might be a little light on posts too but then I hope to get back to more frequent postings.

I had fun with this little mouse (painted in acrylic gouache on illustration board). You've seen him before here. And I tried to keep in mind the previous illustration of this owl while working on him. I like where these are going and plan to try the same ideas on illustrating a person next. But first I want to work on another vintage photograph (like these) so I hope to share that next week along with a painting I am going to finish this week, by golly. Sometimes a painting will take me way too long and this is one of those. But I have to finish it now as I have to get to the next one which will be in an upcoming group show. So it must be done!

Much to do, have a good couple of days and I'll check in once more probably on Friday.

A doodle sketch

2011-12-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

A random little sketch and doodle from the weekend. Have a good and a not too chaotic week!

New Painting

2011-12-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

"Capturing the stars before they faded to memory" acrylic gouache on 11 x 14 inch panel.

New painting just added to my shop. A few details:

I enjoyed painting the not-fully-painted boy. Hope to do a few more like that.

Have a great weekend!

Owl Illustration

2011-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

A little owl illustration. Have a great day!

New Pens

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

New pens (new to me anyway): Faber-Castell Artist Pens. I just discovered these, which is why I have so few, and have really enjoyed using them. What I like: they don't bleed through the back of the page (unless I really, really saturate it), after applying the color I have a few minutes to use a wet brush to move around the color a bit but then once it is dry it is essentially waterproof (and I have found that helpful for layering the applications), and the tips are so brush-like and smooth to use.

Below is an illustration of a mineral, and other stuff, using these pens plus a little bit of colored pencil. This particular drawing is less than an inch so you are seeing it much larger here.

Owl sketching

2011-12-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

While working on an owl illustration I thought I'd sketch some owls. So many amazing kinds of owls and they are so expressive.

Some Paintings

2011-12-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

Milla

Some paintings to share. You might have already seen them on my Flickr but just in case. Each is painted in acrylic gouache and on 5 x 5 inch panels. I had so much fun painting these you can expect to see more in the future. The one above and the first two below are now in my Etsy shop.

Marcus

Marta

And the following four are at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery for their holiday showcase:

Minerva

Wendell

Ansel

Fern

And while I'm on the subject, I also added this painting into my shop just today.

Into the woods

Have a great weekend everyone!

Illustrating Vintage Photos

2011-12-08T16:36:00.001-08:00

A couple of new illustrations. Vintage photographs reproduced onto a nice paper for painting or other media. That chevron pattern, I think it is called, took me an eternity to paint (used acrylic gouache). And the lower one I did just a little bit of collage in addition to painting.

Inspiring

2011-12-07T13:13:00.001-08:00

I found this inspiring piece in a book I recently acquired from my local used/new book store called American Anthem Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum. Love this book, folk art is so inspiring to me for many reasons.

This particular piece jumped out at me because of the gorgeous color. It is called "Three Faces in Lush Landscape" by Minnie Evans and is oil on canvas with collage and is dated 1959. You can read more about Minnie Evans here. Her life sounds challenging and fascinating.

I will likely be sharing more from this book in the future and I hope you enjoy it. Every page is filled with amazing American folk art and designs. I can't seem to get enough of them!

The Studio Helper

2011-12-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

Most of you probably don't know I do most of my work with a little green bird on my shoulder. We got in the habit, he and I, of having him sit on me while I paint and now he won't let me do otherwise.

He knows the time of day when I normally paint and will alert me that this is HIS time. Mostly, it works very well. He sits, he preens, he tries very hard not to leave little presents on my back. Other times, he tries to bite my brush. But, after a gentle (or not so gentle) warning that he will be returned to his cage he reluctantly returns to his perch on my shoulder, nestling into my hair. Probably heaving a little bird sigh.

His name is Rudy and he is a green cheek conure. We call him a "he" but we actually don't know.

A little portrait I made for my husband this last year. Rudy immortalized.

In My Sketchbook

2011-12-05T09:46:00.001-08:00

A couple of sketches over the weekend. My sketches lately are either planning for an upcoming painting or practicing. I want to practice drawing and painting all different sorts of things but particularly nature and then doing whatever comes to mind with that little bit of nature. I just let the sketches go where they will which is why they might seem a little random. It is all about practicing and brainstorming.

It was a busy weekend of all sorts of holiday preparations and I'm already feeling that familiar holiday overload and am trying to ignore the fact that it is only the 5th. I do love this season, but boy oh boy is it exhausting!

The last beekeeper

2011-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

"The last beekeeper" Acrylic gouache on 6 x 6 inch panel.

Now in my shop, this little painting has given me some ideas for the next paintings. Simple background, something I've been craving with the larger pieces but unsure how to proceed until now (and by larger I mean 6 x 6 inches and up).

Have a great weekend!

Illustrations!

2011-11-26T11:45:00.001-08:00

Something new for me and I'm very excited. I'm trying out illustration. Don't know what I will do with it yet, where it will lead, but for now I'm focusing a lot of my attention on this new idea. I still need new programs for my computer to help, but I'll have to wait on that just a bit. I hope to share some new illustrations with you each week, a goal to keep me moving on this. Because it feels a little weird, frankly, making art I don't intend to sell. At least not yet anyway. Like I'm somehow wasting my time, which is crazy. It is never a waste of time to grow. So I will post some, if not all of it, here to keep me motivated and to feel like I am indeed accomplishing something.

So I don't know what my illustrations will look like yet, just playing around with ideas. I know it will resemble my usual work, but I want to use illustration to explore some other ideas as well. Here are a couple from the last few days:

Inspiration: Scandinavian Patterns

2011-11-26T11:40:00.001-08:00

I picked up a book at my local used, and new, bookstore (The Book Bin) called Designer's Guide to Scandinavian Patterns. I love Scandinavian things, I must have Viking in my blood somewhere (I'm almost all Northern European so the odds are good I'd say that at least one got in). Tomorrow I will share the other inspiration for why I picked up a book particularly about patterns.

Meanwhile, a few pictures from the book (had to use my camera for these so excuse the quality):

I tried out a few patterns in my sketchbook:

My favorites:

Especially that last one. For whatever reason, I'm suddenly in the mood for colors like hot pink, orange, etc.

New Studio!

2011-11-26T11:38:00.001-08:00

I'm thrilled to finally share my new studio corner. Let me take you on a tour:

Table made by my Dad, thank you! And the chair, shelves, and magnetic bulletin board from Ikea, installed by my husband, thank you! I'm going to use that bulletin board for inspiration and ideas but for now it has some artwork up of just a few of a my favorite artists. Nearly complete, still deciding where to put things (but I had to make it pretty for now of course!) and also I have a curtain to sew for that window (in part to protect the blind from paint spray but also because I wanted to) with this material from Ikea:

It will require me to finally figure out how to use my new sewing machine but I swear it will be done.

Hope I didn't overwhelm you but so excited to share. Happy happy!

Sketchbook

2011-11-26T11:36:00.001-08:00

A few pages from my sketchbook, trying out some animals.

I love mountain goats. I really need to include one in a painting some day. Tomorrow: studio shots! Just finished setting it up, at least for the moment. Can't wait to share.

In progress

2011-11-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

I'm working on a set of new little paintings. This one is one of the first I've finished. They are acrylic gouache on 5 x 5 inch panels and so far I plan on completing 7, hopefully by the end of the week. I'm calling them Small Ones for now, maybe it will stick.

If you haven't seen Olaf Hajek's work before, take a look here. Fantastic!

Around the studio and new prints

2011-11-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Things have been so busy, both in the studio and out. The biggest thing I've been working on is creating a new work space including a whole new table (a big thank you to my Dad for all his help!).

Just need to add some legs. I also have a couple shelves to hang and a few supplies to put away and I am all set. I cannot even tell you how excited I am! I'll be sharing photos of the new space as soon as I am settled.

Meanwhile, painting and painting. I'm about to start 6 little paintings (5x5 inches) some of which will go to the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery for the holidays and some will be in my Etsy shop. Sketches I've done preparing for these little ones:

On these panels:

The sides are painted and ready. Just one small painting to finish up first.

And speaking of my Etsy shop, I just put in a new limited edition print of "The long wait". I worked with Sebastian Foster to create these and they will also be selling the print. Hope you will take a look when you have a moment. I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Have a good weekend!

Here and there

2011-10-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of things to share today. Last week I spent the afternoon painting at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery on a collaboration piece. You can see several photos of my progress at their blog. I'm hoping to get back down there to take some photos when the painting is done (sadly I forgot my own camera on the day of my painting). Also check out the other blog entries for the other artists and there will be more to come. I had a lot of fun working down there for the day, they are so nice! I had hoped to finish my square early but alas, I was there to the bitter end. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

My second bit of news today is an interview I had with Creative Catalyst Productions. You can read it here.

Practice, practice

2011-10-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a little peak at my practice piece for my upcoming day of painting at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery next Thursday. Nine artists will paint one square each of Diego Rivera's painting "The Flower Carrier". I stopped in at the gallery on Wednesday and saw the first completed square and am so excited to get mine completed. You can follow the progress on the gallery blog. Mary Lou posts each time an artist is in to paint.

Mostly, my practice involved planning (i.e. measurement and math to make sure my lines will line up with everyone else, here's hoping the next person to paint will be next to my square, makes it a little easier). Using acrylic this year and this is just a rough sketch to get acquainted with the piece. The square on top is Mr. Rivera's and below is mine:

While I'm hoping to change a few things in the final piece (adjust a few colors, fix the hat, etc.) I'm overall pleased with the effort. The hardest part (well, one of the hardest parts) is not copying the original painting exactly. It is important, to me anyway, that my square represent how I paint and not just replicate what Rivera did. It is easy to get absorbed into matching colors and brushstrokes and forget what I'm trying to do, forget to have it look like my own work.

While working, I made some notes:

Here's hoping I can read these notes later... Mostly, I noted where I needed an additional measurement. The measurements are important (for me anyway, don't know what the other artists do) and challenging because the square the gallery sends is about 9 inches square and the section I'll be painting is about 20 inches square. I don't want to spend my day of painting with my calculator, so I figure out the measurements ahead of time. Of course if all the squares around me were already painted, I wouldn't have to worry about this but as only one more artist will be working before me I will be lucky if their square is anywhere near mine. On the plus side, I won't have to worry about messing up someone's work.

Here is last years finished piece, one of Frida Kahlo's self-portraits:

My area was around her ear, painted in acrylic and oil that time. I'll be sure to post about my day of painting at the gallery!

Show and a painting

2011-10-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Upcoming show at Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon. Last year I participated in Face the Public in which 12 artists painted one section each of a Frida Kahlo painting and this year I get to do it again. This time we are painting Diego Rivera's painting "The Flower Carrier". You can read more about the show here. If you are in the area, stop in for the reception on October 5th from 5-7pm, or on the afternoon of October 13th when I'll be painting my section, or towards the end of the month to see the completed painting. It is a fun project and the proceeds of the sale of these paintings go to help artists in need.

I will be practicing my section (which is basically a square around the man's head) and expect I will do a post here to share my progress and additionally I hope to share more about my afternoon of painting at the gallery either here and/or on my other blog.

Also at the show, each of the participating artists will have some of their own work up and my two newest paintings will be there (that last one I shared a detail of in my last post):

"When the snow fell" Acrylic on 10 x 10 inch panel.

"With the last tree but a memory" Acrylic gouache on 9 x 12 inch panel.

My new acrylic gouache paint has arrived and I'm excited to get started on the next piece. New colors! Love new colors.

I will probably duplicate some of this post at my other blog so please excuse the redundancy if you follow both.

Now time to get some business done

2011-09-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY finished the painting that I mentioned in my last post. Above is a little detail shot (not changed greatly from the last photo I shared). Hoping to get a newsletter out this week and it will include the whole thing. It needs to be varnished and such first.

I really enjoyed working with the acrylic gouache and have ordered more colors but especially white as I pretty much used it up on this painting. So while I wait for that to arrive, I am taking a short break on painting to get some other work done around here. I think I mentioned before, I'm totally behind on the business side of things. Ever since my computer broke (and perhaps just a little earlier than that...), I've struggled to catch things back up. So I'll take the next 4 or 5 days to get things in order.

In case you were curious about the acrylic gouache, here is a little bit about my experience so far. It is very rich in color and can do the tiniest of details. It works a lot like regular gouache but once dry it takes a bit of work to lift the underlying color. It can be done, particularly if you have a lot of water in place, but if you are careful the underlying coat can remain undisturbed. Also, it dries matte which I really like. So far, liking it better than acrylic and the matte affect gives it an organic feel that I get from oil paint (and missed with acrylic). Don't know if that affect will remain after I varnish. Speaking of, I'm hoping the painting will survive the process as I want to try a brush application. I plan to spray it first a couple of times, then begin the brush applications. So here's hoping. If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, whether acrylic gouache or regular gouache, I'd love recommendations.

A little studio time

2011-09-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still here. Sorry for the long delay in posts. My old computer finally gave up and between learning a whole new system (I went from a PC to a Mac), transferring files, and just more technical stuff than I care to think about I am very behind in all things computer. It has slowed me down considerably with blog posts and newsletters, but I'm hoping to get back on schedule very soon. The upside is I am just that much closer now to being able to make my own prints (soon I hope!). And I have a very fun, new computer.

While that has been and continues to be going on, I've been working like crazy on this new series of paintings. They continue to take me longer than I expect but I'm just letting them develop as they need. I've finished one since my last post (I'll share that later) and I think am close on another one. Here is an in progress shot:

This one is fun because it is my first piece in acrylic gouache. So far liking that medium very much. It is super matte, hardly shows brushstrokes, and has a very organic feel to it for what is basically an acrylic paint. Unlike acrylic paint, though, if working with a lot of water it does tend to pull off the previous layers. Not as much as traditional gouache, but one does have to be cautious. So far, so good and I'm seriously considering buying some more colors.

That's it for now, I hope to stop back in a little sooner next time.

Finally finished

2011-08-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

"Into the woods" Acrylic on 8 x 10 inch panel

Finally, the painting I've been posting about is complete. So many ideas percolating on this one (and more to come on future paintings) I just had the hardest time finishing it. Returning to some ideas I've had before about layers of meaning, layers in general, touches of the surreal, and a simpler approach to the figure. A little detail:

With that complete, I'm excited to get to work on the next one, though I hope it will go a little faster this time now that I have a better idea of where I am headed.

A little more about this painting, the inspiration for it came from here. In the 1800's, Elizabeth Parker stitched a sampler but rather than full of flowers and letters showing her embroidery expertise, she writes in delicate letters of her traumas and attempted suicide. That needed a painting.

A little update

2011-08-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

A little detail shot of that work in progress I shared before. It is taking considerably longer on this painting than I anticipated but that is so often the case with new ideas. Loving this little section so far though it has changed just a bit since I took this photo. A little more translucent paint, having fun with layers. I'm hoping in just a couple more days this piece will be done (I promise to show it here when complete). I'm excited to try these same concepts on another piece and see how that goes.

By the way, in case you were wondering, this is all acrylic on panel. I just picked up yesterday some Golden Acrylic Flow Release. Still tinkering with it, but so far I like how it allows the colors to flow with less brushstrokes. I have found myself using mostly Golden fluid acrylics in this piece which is a return to my first acrylics. I like the fluid paint, though it does dry so quickly.

Visit Habit of Art today for an inspiring artist interview by Callie Thompson. I particularly liked her advice for artists just starting including this very important reminder for all artists, "You can make a whole new rubric just by making what you make confidently and abundantly. Allow your work to evolve, each piece informs the next." Think I'll have to clip that and the rest of her answer to that question above my work table.

Work in progress

2011-08-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am working through some new ideas with larger paintings this month. Here is a work in progress with still much to be done:

This is an 8x10 inch panel so when I say larger I don't mean very large. This I hope gives you an idea of where I'm going though much detail and refining still to be done, obviously, as well as some details hidden by layers of paint. Many ideas I've had are at work here and it feels a bit overwhelming at times but I'm hopeful I'll like it in the end.

Speaking of overwhelming, whenever I'm trying out new things my workspace can get a bit chaotic:

Soon I hope to have a larger work table but I suspect it won't get better with more space.

In the studio

2011-07-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

This week I moved my "studio" from one room to another. The light isn't as good (south side) at my new window but the space is better:

I have a couple projects in mind for my new corner and I will share photos of the space after those are done (new work table, etc. Big plans! So excited.).

A new project I started this week on little wood blocks:

And here almost complete:

A three dimensional painting, I've painted something on all but one side (the base). Just a little more work to be done. Pretty pleased with how it is turning out and it gives me some ideas to use on the two dimensional pieces so more on that in the future I hope.

Before that, though, I am on to a small batch of little portraits. Have a good weekend!

A couple things

2011-07-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well hello summer! I think we might actually see a day or two of it before the clouds come back. I cannot believe how cool and rainy it is here while other parts of the country are sweltering. Even for the rainy Willamette Valley, this is odd weather indeed for July.

More doodles in acrylic gouache:

The acrylic gouache does not bleed through when painted over after it is completely dry. Which is most of what I was experimenting with here. Also tried using some Golden mediums mixed in and it worked though I liked the extreme matte quality of the gouache by itself better though I need to try it with some more matte mediums to be sure.

Found a great new podcast to try from the blog My Love for You. The creator of that blog is hosting the podcast and although I believe she has only done a few so far they have been so amazing and I hope she does more (go to the blog, you'll see the link there for the podcast). I listened last night to her interviewing Lisa Congdon. It is funny how, for me anyway, just when I'm struggling with something in my work along comes something that I need to hear or see or read that will answer some questions or solve some problem. I loved listening to Lisa's journey as an artist. Her openness and honesty were truly inspiring and gave me some insight into my own work.

Experimenting

2011-07-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post I bought some Ampersand Aquabord panels to try. They are interesting to paint on. It does really feel like painting on paper, at least the texture of some papers, though there is a hardness. I'm still trying to figure out an effective wash, particularly with the lighter colors, it tends to end up a bit blotchy or streaky for me so far. And just to make my life more challenging, as if trying new materials isn't enough, I had to try out some new ideas I've been thinking about in terms of subject matter. Sigh. So things keep moving around and changing, which makes this panel kind of handy because you can almost totally remove the paint off it (a plus and a minus as you'll see if you keep reading). I'm liking where things are now, but we'll see later today when I get to work again.

I did research these panels a little further and found that though Ampersand seems to recommend them primarily for watercolors, people have enjoyed using gouache and acrylic on them as well. I found this comforting because there have been several frustrating moments when trying to apply color over an existing color I essentially end up removing both right down to the white panel. Can't use too much water apparently. I will keep trying, but it is nice to know that should I get to the point of no return I can just go over it with acrylic.

Also playing with Holbein Acryla Gouache (acrylic gouache):

This was done on paper, seeing how much blends after the paint is dry. Still blends a bit, but much less so than watercolor or regular gouache (going to go over it again today to see if drying overnight changed anything). And can I just say I love the look of this paint? It is totally matte when dry And so rich in color. Course the three colors I bought (seen above) would be that way, but still. I need to try an actual painting, or at least something a bit more than splotches, but I'm seeing more of this paint in my future.

In the studio

2011-07-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, another journal has been added to the stack. We won't talk about how many I now have in use (I'm not even sure). This one just for daily practice, as I'm sure you noticed.

I also purchased a few Ampersand Aquaboard panels. I'm so excited to try these out. I love working in watercolor/gouache/etc. but the thought of framing work has always been daunting. Don't have to frame these panels so I'm hoping I fall in love with them.

With the new panels, thought I'd try a new color on the sides. Usually I use a black/brown paint or sometimes dark brown stain, but this time I'm going light. A little creamy white with some dark accents. A little tricky with these Aquaboards as I didn't want to get any of the acrylic paint on the top. Lots of careful taping. I am curious to see how it looks with the painting complete.

Playing with water

2011-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Thanks so much for stopping in and leaving comments! It is truly appreciated and inspiring.

Lately, I've been in the mood for some watercolors. I tend to be on the lazy side when using watercolor or gouache. I like to use lots of water, push it around, see what happens. And rather than being overly worried about the outcome as I often am (like am I taking the water too far or losing details I want to keep), I just went for it.

Minimal colors, in this first one just black. The next one I'm not as pleased with:

Little too much paint but I might be able to use it in something else. And then this last one is something I like to call a game changer:

Game changers are pieces that I feel have taken me somewhere new. It answers some questions I've had about my work and gives me some direction to where I want to go next. Sometimes I ignore the game changers, but I've found they have a way of coming back up again. Telling me not to ignore them. Here is another one that comes back to me frequently:

And actually it is particularly that lower section:

Not so much what is in it, exactly, but how I did it. It evolved. I also like the simplicity of the colors and all that thick texture.

I'm definitely going to do some more watercolors and gouache paintings and see what comes of it.

Slowly evolving

2011-07-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

These two paintings have had many starts and stops. I can't even count all the layers of paintings that did not make it underneath. Yesterday, when the most recent layer was once again not working for me and I contemplated throwing them into a cupboard for a very long time, I instead painted over them both with a light gray (acrylic) paint. After that dried, I painted over them with a darker gray paint and before that layer dried I applied wrinkled plastic wrap over the top. I pressed it in, rubbed it in a few areas, and then peeled it off. After that layer dried, and while keeping in mind what the intended subjects of the paintings were, I followed along the lines I found. I didn't follow them exactly, more inspired by them until they took off on their own. Then I thickly painted some more light gray around those lines. And I have to say, even the next day, I am pleased with what I see. Here's hoping this is the start of the final paintings. Not sure how many more layers the canvas will hold anyway.

Books and sketches

2011-06-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted something to document my progress with my Lord and Schryver Project. Something casual to sketch and make notes in but also keeping in mind I would share it with the project as its own artwork, so to speak. Despite never having done it before, and because I'm super picky about having just the right sketchbook or journal for whatever I'm working on, I decided to make one. So after watching a brief video on YouTube, I went to the art supply store and bought what I needed. After spending a couple hours ripping up paper (exhausting) and probably another couple of hours assembling, I had not one but four sketchbooks to use. I used the extra paper to make little books to go with the larger one. I think they turned out pretty well for my first time:

I sewed the pages with a linen thread. Inside the large one:

The large one is the main journal to document the project. Here is a watercolor sketch inside (it is a sketch of one of the completed paintings so you are getting a sneak peak of it, one of these days I'll share the original):

Speaking of sketches, I've been trying to get back in the habit of them. Here is one I did for a new, larger, little portrait I started today:

I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Here it is with the inspired photograph:

Aren't they a great couple? I didn't get very far on the painting today, unfortunately, as I'm a bit under the weather. Caught a cold from my daughter who keeps reminding me I need to add the curtain, window, and couch to the drawing. I'm keeping that in mind. I hope you are all well!

The idea grows...and grows...

2011-06-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

It is funny how certain events and inspirations have to line up, to occur, before I suddenly realize what I am working towards. I've had snippets, bits of ideas. I knew I was working on a body of work with a particular theme in mind but it wasn't until a couple of mornings ago that I understood the full scope of what I should do and perhaps how I should work on future projects. It was one of those moments where I wish I had the dramatic music and lighting of a movie.

I won't go into all the specifics now, but, in short, the Lord and Schryver painting series has just grown in concept. There will be more than paintings. I have ideas for all sorts of media. And while this started with only the beautiful gardens this pair designed it is now branching into them, the women, as well (of course the figure worked its way back in). You can see above a little sculpture developing. Some work left to do on that one before it dries. In the photograph, that is Elizabeth Lord (left) and Edith Schryver (right). This photo of them is iconic around these parts, or at least it seems that way to me. Aren't they lovely?

To help me get an idea of all the elements, I started working on this very preliminary plan:

I expect all that empty space to soon be filled in with ideas. Have a good weekend everyone!

Inspirations

2011-06-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

If only I could include the scent of this rose in my post. It is absolute heaven. I think it is called Deep Secret. I have a weakness for sweet smelling or unusually colored roses. Here's one in bud:

It starts out a deep, dark red. Perhaps the bright red inside is the secret? I can see this rose and several more out my studio window. A nice place to rest the eyes while painting.

I'm playing with some new ideas today. Broadening the scope of my current painting project (that everlasting Lord and Schryver series). Might include things like work on paper, handmade sketchbooks, sculpture, and perhaps a little book at the end? Basically whatever I want, wherever I feel like the work should take me. And I hope, when this series is complete, to follow it with another. The ideas are swirling. I like it that way.

In the studio

2011-06-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

I hope to do more frequent posting on this blog. Work in progress, inspiration, random little things. Little posts much like the little portraits so often in my work.

Something new I'm trying. Seeing how I like painting more detail in these little ones. Not trying to be accurate, just more depth perhaps? The acrylic stage almost complete here, yesterday, and then today I'm on to the oil paint.

It is suddenly getting warm outside today, finally, like it knew it was officially summer now.

Still here!

2011-06-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize just how long it has been since my last update. I admit I haven't been much in the mood for being on the computer and kept putting off a post. I suspect it is the nice weather we are finally getting. So let me update what I've been up to lately.

I have finished three paintings from the Lord and Schryver series I've been working on. I wish I was further along but I got sidetracked working on some new, larger portraits. Larger than my little ones anyway. Here is one in progress:

I have three of these finished (including now this one) and one more I hope to finish over the weekend. Then, other than one small project for an upcoming group show of sorts (more about that later) I am committed to finishing the L&S paintings. I keep thinking I'll post the completed ones here before the others are finished but then I change my mind. I think I want to share them all together. Which probably means I should wait.

That is about it. I hope to share more about that upcoming group show perhaps in a week or so, the details are still being decided but it looks like it will be interesting. Part of my preparation is to make two pieces which will be placed in a book along with the other participating artists. The theme, for lack of a better word, is Permanent/Temporary. So one piece for permanent and one for temporary. No clue yet what I'm going to do but I'll have to decide soon as it is due by the end of the month.

I'll try to stop in here a little more often despite the nice weather. Until next time!

In the studio

2011-05-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have finished one of the new paintings in the series I've been working on and I plan on sharing it here though only after I've finished one or two more. I'm so pleased with it but it didn't end up quite like I thought it might, especially since I gave myself free reign to do whatever I wanted, in whatever style. But that is alright, I'm happy with it and inspired to do more along the same lines and see where those end up.

Here I am working on the second (in a series of six, so far anyway):

This piece changed a bit already today after I took this photo. Some of the branches removed, another tree added in from the other side, part of the lower area changed, etc. But I particularly like this area and hope to keep it at least in part:

It is the area in the lower left I like with the scratches and scuffs (hopefully you can see them). Sort of an abstract bit yet fitting in somehow with the less abstract.

After this one is finished, I'll have to move over to a couple of little portraits before getting back to these. I suspect I will probably miss the looseness I have with these while painting the tiny details on little faces.

Out and about

2011-04-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today I visited the Oregon State Capitol to view the extensive art collection housed there. I recently purchased this book:

Art of the Time Oregon's State Capitol Art Collection (I've linked it to an online version) which is a catalog of the State art collection. The physical publication is inexpensive (I think I picked mine up for $5 in the basement of the capitol building). There is a photograph of almost each piece in the collection (ones not included are either deteriorated or are missing...a mystery! makes me wonder). I purchased my copy of the book a few weeks ago then studied the pieces and made notes of where to find my favorites. I ended up with a lengthy list and spent the morning visiting all sorts of areas of the capitol building I've never seen before. I found all but three pieces and pretty much saw almost the entire collection as well (I'll have to go back for those last three, I was too tired to ask for help by the end).

I took notes on pieces I liked (and a few on ones that didn't do anything for me, still can learn something from them too). This is so helpful for me to grow in my own work. By seeing what I like (and don't like) in the work of others, I can better explore these preferences in my own work.

Afterwords, I made some progress on these paintings:

I think stage two on the Lord and Schryver paintings is now complete and onto stage three (and possibly the final stage?). Not exactly sure what I am doing next on each of them but I expect it will all come together in the end.

And then visited a local glass shop for a piece of acrylic glass (I guess that is what you call it?) to use in monoprinting. So easy and cheap, I can't believe I didn't get one sooner. So looking forward to using it.

This and that

2011-04-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about where my art is going now, particularly after my retreat. The last few days I've been working on some new little portraits but dreaming of other things. It is not that I don't like painting people anymore. I'm just wanting to work on other things.

Like this:

from my Lord and Schryver series, very much still in progress. I'm trying to decide right now how much to separate the different bodies of work on places like my website (people inspired verses Northwest inspired work). Tricky to know how much to split the two. I'm so excited about the new work! Just can't wait to finish a few pieces, see where they end up.

Meanwhile, received some new supplies in the mail including a new Sta-Wet Palette for my acrylics:

It keeps the paint wet longer, a good thing as I'm frequently interrupted. And one nice thing about my little studio corner is the view:

Many flowers to come and lots of wildlife viewing (though at this moment it was raining...again...). Nice big north facing window, the light is fantastic. Even on a day like today.

Retreat: Day 6, Final Day

2011-04-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the sixth and final day of my retreat. In the morning, I visited the Bush Barn Museum (Salem Art Association) with Mary Lou Zeek (of the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery) to see the current shows. So fun to visit with her and see the current exhibit through her eyes.

Then the rest of the day flew by with some more painting (the second half of the Lord and Schryver series and are very much still in progress):

Then I tried monoprinting with Golden fluid acrylics on my glass palette (really need to get some more appropriate tools) and I really enjoyed this much more than the previous ones with the Golden Open acrylics. Both are good, I just preferred working with the fluids. I just flooded the colors with water and moved very quickly as the paint dries quite fast. Here are the results:

Then I painted just a little the first two sculptures I made earlier in the week. Probably will do a little more with them but here they are:

(Sorry the second sculpture looks a bit dark in this photo.)

Thus ends the retreat. I was going to add some thoughts to this post sort of to sum up my time but I think I'll either save that for another post or perhaps pepper them into future posts. I want some time to digest everything and I really need to get this posted before the day is over (and almost is!).

Retreat: Day 5

2011-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon. A gorgeous museum and I highly recommend it should you be in the neighborhood. I went to see the new exhibits but also to study the Pacific Northwest art collection on permanent display. The new exhibits include the senior art show from Willamette University and there were some really interesting pieces (I'm shy about taking photos in a place like this but you can see some over on my friend Bonnie's blog). I was also impressed how many had already sold. Way to go seniors! When I went to Willamette, the Hallie Ford Museum was but a dream. I am so envious that the art majors have this amazing venue now.

My goal, though, was to study the permanent collection of Northwest art. Whenever I was particularly drawn to a piece, I stopped to take notes so I would remember what I liked and why. Then before I left I sat and tried to bring together my thoughts. Some of my favorites for this exercise? I will tell you but I'm afraid I can't find the actual pieces I saw but just some examples of their work: Constance Fowler (I found the painting I studied here, go through the slide show to "Low Tide"), Louis Bunce, Carl Morris, and my previously mentioned friend Bonnie Hull who's explanation of her work was my favorite (this quote might not be perfect), "Hull is interested in artistic process involving the transformation of materials." I noticed a trend with the paintings I was drawn to: abstract. Or at least expressionist. Interesting. I might do another post on another day about my conclusions, perhaps after I've thought about it for awhile.

In the afternoon I painted. I worked on the Lord and Schryver series. I was a bit nervous to get started on these as they were through stage one and stage two meant painting over some of what I had already done. A bit daunting. What if I regretted the changes? Keeping in mind what I've learned about my intentions from the retreat, I forged ahead and I must say I had a blast. I haven't been that freed up in painting for a long time. By the end I was quite pleased with my progress:

Stage two needs some more work, obviously, but I'll be moving over to the other three paintings in the series today and let these dry a bit.

I worked on another sculpture but it didn't go well. Instead I'll share this oil pastel sketch:

Today is day 6 of the retreat and my final day. Hard to believe, it went so fast! I'll be back tomorrow with today's events and a round up of the retreat. One other thing I am going to try later today is monoprinting with liquid acrylics. The previous attempts were using Golden Open Acrylics and they tend to be slower drying and transparent. I'm curious to see how the liquid acrylics work out.

Retreat: Day 4

2011-04-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stopped in at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon, to see the current exhibit by Doug Dacar and hoping to see Mary Lou herself, which I did. The show is really interesting with layered, textured mixed media paintings and ceramics. It was also fun to see the other sections of the gallery, it is always changing with new work by the various artists represented there.

I also worked on a bit of sculpture with my daughter. Her piece is on the right:

And a few oil pastels, though this is the only one not to end up in the garbage:

A little more work on the mixed media/collage piece which you will see on the easel in my little studio corner:

I also worked on a couple of paintings in oil which are nearing completion (one has been in progress since I think September...). But I'm not sharing photos of those today.

As it is so late in getting this out I could almost write Day 5's post but I'll wait hoping to work some more tonight. It was a good day, trip to the Hallie Ford Museum. But I'll wait to share until tomorrow.

Retreat: Day 3

2011-04-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

So for Day 3 I did get out for a little bit. I went to pick up some art supplies and also found out about a source for plexiglass to use on the monoprints. A good thing as I have been using a very old linoleum block (I think it was my great grandmother's if you can believe it). It works tolerably well, but glass or the like would be much better so I will have to go get a piece.

Since there was a brief break in the rain, I stopped by the Union Street Railroad Bridge right near downtown Salem to take some photographs of the Willamette river. I'll post a few shots of that at the end of this post. The bridge was a railroad bridge originally but was recently converted into a pedestrian/bicycle bridge and I think it takes you to a park on the other side. I've never gone over the entire way but will one of these days.

Here is what I worked on for the day:

A monoprint (I worked on a second but it was awful):

I finished the first stage on the Lord and Schryver series:

Next they are getting coats of acrylic gel mediums before moving onto the next stage. I expect them to change greatly as I'm thinking about some abstract/expressionist elements layering over the existing paintings (I've probably said that many times before...).

And finally, watercolor sketches:

I read and watched a documentary called The Eloquent Nude about the photographer Edward Weston and Charis Wilson. Beautiful photography of course but I was captivated with Charis Wilson discussing their work and relationship.

Today I am going to the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery to see the new exhibit, playing with a new sculpture (I bought some more clay, still air-dry but not paperclay this time), more sketches, more painting (probably oil today).

And now for the bridge photos:

So glad they transformed the unused bridge rather than removing it.

Retreat: Day Two

2011-04-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Subtle shifts in thinking, in creating. This is what I am hoping for from this retreat. Of course radical changes could come too, I am open. Meanwhile, here is what I did yesterday on the second day of my retreat.

Another watercolor sketch no doubt inspired by the forget-me-nots of Cathy Cullis:

One more sculpture of paperclay (need to buy some more!):

Still deciding whether or not I will paint any of it after it dries.

Some more work on my Lord and Schryver series but not enough to bother sharing a photo of them today. I finished stage one on three of them and hope to on the rest today and then I'll share a photo of them all.

And finally I started a collage/mixed media piece:

Detail:

(Sorry the lighting is not great this early in the morning.)
Curious to see where that one goes.

That is it for creating but I also read some more, studied some more.

As of the initial writing of this post, I am still deciding what I want to do today. To stay home and work or study or to go out. I'm thinking at least a trip to the art supply store. Maybe. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Retreat: Day One

2011-04-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of my artist retreat. I kept it pretty open, moving from medium to medium. Just exploring and trying out things. I have collected quite a few mediums and projects to try over the years and they have sat and waited for a time like this. It is nice to allow myself to play around a bit!

As I had no specific goals with each project, I did whatever came naturally. Abstract, expressionist, whatever. Just let it all go.

First, a watercolor sketch:

Next, sculpting with paperclay:

Paperclay is really fun to work with. This was my first try and I loved the feel of it. The clay air dries and it might crack a bit but you can see these are very organic and I don't think cracks will bother me. The idea here is to fill the bowl with the objects and have it be a changing sculpture (of sorts). After the clay dries completely, I plan to paint a few of the little balls but leave most of it in the natural white of the clay.

Then I worked on some paintings. These are from the Lord and Schryver series I mentioned earlier and are all in very early stages:

And finally I worked on monoprinting with Golden Open Acrylics. I've had these in my cupboard for a couple of years almost unused but I knew I'd come back to them some day. I don't really have the rest of the tools I think one needs for monoprinting but I made do. My Dad gave me some leftover paper from a book he is working on and there are about 8 pages the same size and I plan to use them all with the monoprinting and bind them together. Here's what I did last night:

I need to practice a bit but it was fun. I made the first page first and then came back to it, layering over the top of the original. I was much more satisfied with the second page and only added a few details over the top of the first.

And with the leftover paint I did this rough sketch:

I particularly like the image on top:

As for the rest of the day, I looked through an art magazine and books, ate a wonderful meal, vegetarian gumbo, my lovely Mom brought by to help with the retreat (thanks Mom!):

and thought about what I'd like to work on for day 2 (today). More of the same except I am going to try a little collage with the cover of a vintage book I have and some papers. I hope to be back to update my retreat each day so I hope you enjoy! The retreat is 6 days so 5 more (including today) to go.

Inspirations

2011-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Borders and stocked up on some reading material for my artist retreat. One book and several artist magazines including one called Selvedge. Never heard of it before and although it is not exactly what I was looking for I just couldn't resist. Here is a sample:

An indulgence as was the book but as this really is my only expense for the retreat I decided to treat myself. The hard part is I am not going to look at any of these until the retreat starts on Saturday. Very difficult to resist! Particularly this morning when I stopped for a coffee at the bookstore after my purchase. Fortunately I had a book with me.

The rest of the stack includes: Acrylic Renovation by Nancy Reyner, Artforum, The Artist Magazine, and ARTnews.

You might have noticed those two little oddities under the magazines. The one on the left is a board I use to try out new materials. My daughter (who is 4) was fascinated by it. So many textures and iridescent colors. I let her create her own using various paints and mediums. This is a work in progress:

Although I helped, the creation is all hers. She plans to work on it tomorrow and paint over the top with some translucent and shimmery colors. It was so much for to show her the different things you can do with the paint like dripping and swirling. She says the working title is "Big Condition Manition". I'll let you interpret that one for yourself.

In the studio

2011-04-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to balance my time between finishing up some larger paintings and trying out some new pieces and new ideas. It is always challenging for me to finish the old before starting the new. If I haven't done very much with a piece, I often end up either painting over or putting it away. But when a painting is very close to being done I try very hard to push myself to finish.

However, it is so very difficult when I have all sorts of ideas I want to try on something new. So I'm doing a little of both right now. Below is something new in progress and I'm calling this stage one:

The under painting is done and now I'm adding various gel mediums to the top before I move on to stage two. Haven't decided yet what stage two will bring but I have a couple of ideas. There will be at least one more stage and those details are even more foggy. I suspect those stages will totally change the soft, pleasant landscape you see here. I have several more in progress from my Lord and Schryver-inspired series but they are not quite so far along. I'll share more about them soon I hope. Similar palette and stages so it gives you an idea. (And by the way, under this painting was an older, unfinished painting. One I set aside many paintings ago. At least the panel was not wasted.)

Here's a bit of my "studio" (aka corner of the kitchen). I'm using all sorts of mediums right now and, other than having to put one away before bringing out another (due to the space), it has been really fun having the variety.

This coming weekend I begin my "artist retreat". Still planning a few details but here's what my plan is so far. First, lots of painting and other art making, naturally. Next, visit museums and galleries for inspiration and education. Then, go hiking/walking somewhere in the area with my camera and take lots of inspiring photographs for later. And finally, I hope to peruse artist magazines, books, and watch some art documentaries. Really, just try to keep the focus on art as much as I can take it (and I can usually take quite a bit of art). I'll try to journal the whole thing here as much as possible.

Inspiring Artist

2011-03-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts. I came down with the flu a couple of weeks ago and the recovery process has been taking forever (and if this post seems a little scattered you'll know why). But I'm getting back to things and last weekend I had the pleasure of attending an "informal discussion" between the artist Henk Pander and art historian (as well as friend and my college professor) Roger Hull. It was the last day of Henk Pander's exhibit at the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon, and I'm so glad that I did not miss seeing the show. You can see some of his work here and some photos of the gentlemen at the event on my friend Bonnie's blog (Henk Pander on our left, Roger Hull on our right and Henk's painting behind). His paintings were gorgeous, surprising, and so large on some I felt like I could walk right into the scene. Not kidding. I would guess the larger ones were at least 15 feet wide by 10 feet tall. I might be way off on that, but it gives you an idea. I can't even imagine the logistics of painting that large. Makes my largest painting feel like a postage stamp.

Roger started things rolling by asking Henk some questions. Henk was more than generous sharing his thoughts about his work and process. I wish I had been able to take more notes but alas I spent much of the time paranoid of having a coughing fit (mentioned I have been ill, right?) so it was all I could do to just listen. I did jot down a couple of things though that struck me. One was on the topic of his very large pieces. I believe someone asked how he kept the momentum going on a piece so large and he mentioned having to forget about the subject and just treat it as a project. As I often lose momentum in paintings that are taking too long to finish (like a few I have right now...) I related very well to this.

The other note I made still is sinking in for me in relation to his work (and how to relate it to my own). Several of the paintings in the show were of difficult subject matter in one way or another. And he had an interesting way of painting that subject, rather indirectly I guess you could say. He made a difficult scene beautiful I thought while often still being somewhat disturbing knowing the subject matter. And the thing he said (and this is not a direct quote as I'm sure I missed something) was, "take the meaningless and give it meaning through making a work of art out of it." Or something along those lines. I rather liked that idea. Propelling the barely noticed into the spotlight.

I love going to artist talks or talks about artists and I really need to get to more. Not only do I learn so much about these other artists, I inevitably get insight or inspiration into my own work.

Inspired by another's artist retreat

2011-03-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by Erika Lee Sears and her idea for an artist retreat. Erika lives in Portland, Oregon, and creates wonderful oil paintings. She hopes to go to on an artist retreat to Hong Kong and has even created a way others can all help her reach that goal by setting up a site so please go check that out here. She even has things you can get for pledging various amounts. So cool.

I thought that was such a great idea. A break from the daily routine and interruptions and a chance to focus on art. I would like to do that too! However, I can't really go anywhere right now (bummer!). But I thought why not set aside some time, a few days or maybe almost a week, and really focus on art. Not just my own art. I think I will visit museums and galleries. Maybe spend sometime in nature. Play with techniques and experiment. And really give some thought to what I want to create and why.

I've cleared some time in my schedule for approximately the second week of April. I might have to change that, should something come up, but for now it looks good. So I'll get my house clean and the errands run before and I won't schedule any social events (unless with another artist, hey, that's a good idea!). I will just keep it as much about art as I possibly can. As much as my four year old will let me anyway.

And of course I'll share things about it here. Good luck Erika and thanks for the great idea!

One other thing, I attended the reception on Friday for the Parks for People show, in which I was invited to participate, and I did a blog post about it here.

New Project

2011-03-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am (mentally) overdue for a new art project. Something totally different (this will be in addition to my usual figurative work, not instead of). I am going to start a new series of paintings which will have, I think anyway, a loose expressionist (possibly somewhat abstract) base. I need to shake things up and frankly I need to paint something other than just people. Just to keep things interesting.

So with this in mind, I have bought a bunch of canvas just for this project. The ideas I have are to keep the inspiration for these pieces regional (which for me is the Willamette Valley in Oregon). Whether inspired by nature, historical, buildings, or people (though again not painting people) I am going to let this idea just go where it will. Perhaps nothing will come of it or perhaps it will, we shall see!

For this first body of work I decided to pull my inspiration from the work of Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. They were landscape architects who lived nearby and whose work was throughout the Northwest. They began their work together in 1929 and their influence seems to be throughout the city (and beyond). I love that these women were so influential during their time, a time when it was less common to find women doing this work.

Today I visited one of their more well known and maintained gardens in Salem (Oregon) and took about 100 photographs to bring back and get some ideas from. I won't share all of them with you. Just my favorites. Hope you enjoy!

This first group is from what I would call the natural part of the garden and includes lovely little trails and wild flowers. Also some wonderful moss, lichen, and rotting trees which I love.

Isn't this interesting? Some fungus, lichen, moss, and feathers stuck to a dead tree.

Another decaying tree (sensing a theme here?). I loved the shades of green on this one.

This is the same tree as the prior photo. Looks like this might have been the root system at one point.

Now into the more formal gardens. I love the ironwork.

Isn't this green gorgeous?

One aspect of Lord and Schryver gardens that I love is the formality of the trimmed boxwood and the wildness of the trees. They are allowed to grow as they will and they only seemed to be trimmed for their own health and longevity.

See that mystery pillar hidden in the tree? Curious.

I had to share this as I loved how the light poked through the trellis. Also, that is my little helper in the distance. She was looking for clues of fairies.

From inside that same trellis. I loved the knots in the ivy. My flash went off inside here which I think gave it such an interesting affect.

Are you curious to see what I paint from this? Me too. I'll be starting something later this week (I hope) and will keep updating here with my progress.

Welcome to My New Studio/Inspiration Blog

2011-03-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start this blog back up as a studio/inspirations journal for my art. I wrote a post on my other blog about how this decision came about and I don't want to repeat it all here so if you haven't seen that post, and are curious, please go here.

My idea for this blog is to keep it a casual journal of studio work, ideas, inspirations but not a showcase for my finished work. For that you would want to visit my other blog. I will keep that one strictly for finished work and upcoming show information. But there will be some crossover here. I will show some finished pieces, particularly if I have been sharing a lot of the process. I will also share upcoming show information because that is what is happening in my little art world.

So if you are interested in the process, the life, the ramblings, etc. of an artist I hope you will join me here.

The inspiration for all this, again without repeating myself, were my multiple journals. I thought I'd share more about them on this blog.

The stack above includes these journals (from top to bottom): 1. a mixed media journal where I glue things, draw things, complain, store ideas, and whatever else I feel like, 2. sketch journal for figure paintings, 3. a writing journal (for daily stuff and ideas), 4. new watercolor sketch book, 5. new abstract/expressionist paintings sketch book (more about those later), and 6 and 7 are more sketch journals for larger sketches. These are just the current ones. I have hoards of unfinished art/writing journals stashed around my cupboards but I am not currently using any of them.

One of my favorites is my mixed media journal. I love how it barely stays closed and I am curious to see how it looks when it is full. I stick all sorts of clippings, interesting papers, and doodles in here. Here's a look at a page:

I just do whatever I want in it and often go back over pages to glue on new things or cover up things I don't like anymore. I don't work in any of these journals with the intention of sharing them as I think that would stifle me but I am amused to think of someone in the future trying to piece all the journals together chronologically. Putting all the pieces together from each of the books. Assuming anyone would be interested in such a thing.

Thanks for joining me here! Can't say how often I will stop in but I'm hoping it will be fairly regularly.