Fresh & Spooky

Shocking   mixed on paper   34.5 x 22

I usually paint what I want to.........that's part of the freedom catch in being an artist....and....that is what separates fine art from commercial ventures where everything is dictated to you with the mass market in mind. Trust me on this. But earlier this year a call came out from Summit Artspace, our community gallery, for the "Fresh and Spooky" show juried by extremely creative and whacky teacher and artist Mark Soppeland. I love Halloween. I love spooky movies. And, I love candy corn. So I went about creating a piece specifically for this show in the hopes that my work would get in. The "Fresh & Spooky" show is on exhibit from October 3 - November 8 at Summit Artspace in Akron. I can hardly wait to attend the opening this Friday, as artists of all kinds were dragging in artwork of all kinds at the take-in. "Shocking" is my effort.

A Painting a Day keeps Trepidation Away

Cored Apple   watercolor   10 x 7

No one would expect a champion diver to score a perfect 10 without warming up. No one would expect 3-point shots from a basketball player who didn't practice daily. So it is with painting. Each fresh white sheet of watercolor paper and each spanking clean canvas is a source of anxiety until an artist can get into his personal flow. It seems that beginning strokes are often awkward and either under-or-over-stated. That is what happens to me. We recently began a new watercolor class. Each artist was given an apple to cut in her own personal way......then the paintings began. For some who don't paint often, the task is daunting. It is even difficult for those who do. There is an entire world in an apple........millions of possibilities and millions of creative decisions to be made. I loved everyone's efforts. "Cored Apple" is mine.

Painting by Seasons

Red Gold   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

I live and love in the Midwest.....our lives are marked by seasons......just about an even fourth of the year for each. I dress, cook and paint seasonally, and my feelings change as the temperatures and landscapes change. I always look forward to the next, but not without bittersweet feelings for the waning. Our garden has provided so much enjoyment this summer, color-wise, taste-wise and entertainment-wise. (watching the chipmunks eating cherry tomatoes right on the vine). The season for tomatoes is nearly complete....they are no longer coming in faster than we can use them and they have now taken on more preciousness. They are now like red gold.

Having Fun

Chocolate Cupcake   watercolor   7 x 5

Making art is lots of work. Painting is making some kind of order out of lots of chaos...a visual problem-solving that doesn't seem to get any easier. Then there is the hauling-factor....hauling supplies to painting class....hauling paints and canvasses to paint with others....hauling paintings to shows and to shippers. Work, for sure. My colleague and friend Susan, who also teaches art, shared a book with me about Wayne Thiebaud. He had fun! He made lots of paintings about lots of foods which he infused with fun. Paintings about shoes....more fun. The book, which was written for children, had many more pictures and less verbal history and justification. Right up my alley. To make it short and sweet, I was inspired by Wayne Thiebaud and his fun philosophy. "Chocolate Cupcake" is the result.

Over-ornamentation

Expectant   mixed on paper   34.5 x 21

I once read a while back that over-ornamentation results in the killing of the art form. I believe that is true. The further one moves away from the simplicity of "the thing", the further one moves away from its spirit, its soul. At the beginning of the summer, I started adding simple patterning via reduction prints to some large charcoal drawings. It excited me beyond belief. Each one became more and more complex. That wasn't my goal. It just happened. By the end of the summer, I had completed 6 drawings using that method. I used it up. I was spent. " Expectant" is one of the last ones. Back to painting now.....and to simplification of form and ground.

Neutrals or not

Concepcion Likes Vivid Colors   mixed on paper   35.5 x 22

As a younger painter, I learned about the value of neutrals in painting.....they allow the brighter, more pure colors to work their magic when placed side-to-side. I have always loved neutrals myself....they are quieter and less demanding. Nothing pleases me more than a color which must be described as blueish-orangeish-purpleish. But we all know that art is subjective and nothing is less solid than the rules. Concepcion is an artist that has painted in my classes for years. Whenever I lectured on and on about the values of neutrals, she would reluctantly give it a try. Then, she would confirm that she much preferred vivid colors. It simply is not in her genetic makeup to love neutrals. She wears colorful clothing and carries wildly beautiful bags. I, on the other hand, am a walking neutral, blending in with my surroundings. It makes me happier. This summer I had the opportunity to draw Concepcion in a native Mexican dress.

zen mind...beginners mind

Turnabout Carducci   watercolor/gouache   20.5 x 26

It is difficult to enter into a beginners mind when painting is what you do daily. What a paradox it all is! You spend hours and hours solving complex visual problems. It should then follow that painting would become easier and problems would be resolved more quickly.....more "quality works" would result...right? WRONG. In looking back over my many paintings, there are a few that have a certain something, a "je ne sais quois", that make them appealing, holding up to the years of work and accumulation of knowledge and rules. "Turnabout Carducci" is such a painting. It was painted in 1999. It is a painting of my friend and colleague, Judith B. Carducci, who is usually the one doing the painting rather than the posing. "Turnabout Carducci" is in the permanent collection of The Ohio Watercolor Society. The permanent collection of the OWS will be on exhibit November 7 from 6-8pm in collaboration with "Watercolor Ohio 2008". The collection will be shown at Fort Hayes Arts & Academic High School, Shot Tower, 546 Jack Gibbs Boulevard in Columbus.

Stand up for Painting

Mitzi   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x 1.5

I paint alongside some wonderful painters! We share the passion of choosing to spend our time with brushes, paints, papers and canvasses, all of which give us joy beyond measure. I listen to some mighty loud music as I paint and I am certain that there is some foot-tapping involved as I have been asked to stop bouncing on the floor.....I finished a few minutes early last Saturday night at the Akron Art Walk, and happened to observe my friend (and amazing painter) Mitzi Lai in action. Her stance is like that of a fencer, one foot in front of the other. Her brush is poised at-the-ready. Her concentration seems to gather up and when she hits critical mass, she takes a stab at the canvas. It was wonderfully revealing, and marvelously intense! I love that girl's style! I believe that sitting while painting creates a more passive work. Standing, on the the other hand, or foot as it may be, gives one a full range of motion.......Carry on, Mitzi! You inspire me.