SKETCHBOOK CHALLENGE

The theme for July is circles: I used colored inks to show the lights and shadows of a child's face. A friend said it looked like the kid was sick...thanks. Moving on.

MINI COLLAGE WORKSHOP

     Art Mundo had a summer workshop taught by Lee Whitridge where all you brought was an apron. There were four creative people and  bags of mixed media goodies that we used to create our  collages. Lee talked about design formats, tools, techniques that she uses and then summed it up with...there really aren't any rules; just have fun!

     
     I was able to finish one monochromatic collage using the diagonal design pattern. The background was fairly detailed so I kept the top layers very simple.

The second mini was four layers of minimal design so  I added a coin and a touch of Chinese red.
It was a good therapy session for me :)
                                                   

                                                                             

Painting WithYour Mind's Eye

Today I am going to try to talk about something esoteric and ethereal. It happens infrequently but it  is delicious when it does happen. I don't know why or how but sometime I "see" a painting on the canvas. I don't use my eyes  but instead I use my mind's eye. The shapes are in front of me and the paint flows without thinking or  a struggle.
   The best non art related example  that I can give is after my older brother passed away I visualized  him. He was walking down the hallway of his house to the kitchen for morning coffee. I felt the sound of the corduroy pants, the soft causal long sleeved shirt he wore on the weekends, his face, his hair and beard. His entire spiritual presence!                                 Wish you were here Tom, I still really miss you.

Obidos, Brazil

This painting of a church on a cliff just plain happened. Here are some other paintings that just flowed onto the canvas from my mind's eye. Even I can see a commonality of my style when I am painting from a place without critical boundaries.  Have you ever had such an experience?

Hills of Heather

Frozen Lake

Tourists in Italy

Progression of a Geometric Abstract Painting

              The color orange appealed to me that day and I had a vague idea of a painting in my head.  Clamp a canvas to the windmill easel and  get out the brushes!               

     One of my workshop instructors once said; "every painting goes through an ugly stage". As I kept painting I slipped into the same old trap,  too busy and more is  better. I have not worked through ugly to gorgeous yet.

     I  think the lesson to be learned  is that I only had a vague vision of my end product but I did not have a plan for this painting. Normally if I am in the "zone" a painting will flow Ala Prima but not this time.

To rectify my over worked and under interesting acrylic I began to delete shapes by painting white over the blocks that did not please me.

                                

My next thought was that I did not like much of anything in the painting so more white Gesso was added.

Painting is sometimes an exercise in problem solving so it will be interesting to see what I come up with.   I have been adding hand made paste papers to the blocks and am building the composition.

Finally this seems to be turning into a paste paper human form. I have given up any preconceived notion of what it should look like and am going for a whimsical whatever it chooses to become. What a plan!


Below is as far as I have been able to take this mixed media collage. It either is finished and I am a wonder to the art world  or it went down in flames!!
Wish someone would give me their opinion.
Thanks for reading and sharing my latest creative attempt.

                                                                                                      

        

THE BUSINESS SIDE OF ART

    

 

SNAIL TRAILS

     Today I attended a free workshop presented by Art Mundo in Ft. Pierce, Florida.  I actually got up early on a Saturday to listen to their speakers and it was time well spent!

     The founding group of artists saw a vision of a creative center that shares, teaches and fosters..setting artists up for success. Four years later Art Mundo has grown  and touched artist's lives for the better; but they have never wavered on their mission and do it with a warm welcome and a free spirit environment. 

   Although I have danced around the business aspect of marketing my art, I needed some concrete steps that I can take to jump start my job of making and selling art. Art book keeping, tax regulations, suggested web sites, blog sites, selling on Facebook. Artist statements, bio's, least expensive web sites to research and the final presentation of your work: framing. 

Well done and I thank you for truly sharing with an open heart!!

 Did I mention they presented this for free; coffee, doughnuts and handouts?

 

 

    

Window Beads!

                                                             Thank heaven for flea markets.
    Where else can you buy silly stuff and not feel guilty? Here we are in my studio with my new treasure hanging in the window. Why? The only answer I have is that .... it tickled my fancy. The same reason I drew circles of various sizes on my studio walls and painted them a rainbow of different colors.
    I am making up for the sobriety of my youth.

An Art Deco Clue.

 These are two experimental paintings from  my Art Deco period and they are the next two clues to my Mystery Build favorite movie.

The challenge gripped me so that I could not put it down; so after many, many hours I have finished the project and have sent in the photos of my results.

Do you know the movie that I chose??