Informed Chaos...sends the work in a new direction.Pearody

Pearody   oil/canvas   8 x 24 x 1.5

For years now, I have been introducing a bit of chaos to my work.  Chaos in the way of subtle destruction, dripping, squeezing paint onto, scraping back, palette knife additions or subtractions, dots and lines.  This chaos provides a way of temporarily exiting the constraints of the reality of the subject matter.  New puzzles to solve.  Excitement.  The extra-ordinary.  I have come to realize that this chaos is not necessarily random...rather, it is informed.  Informed by all that I have come to be.  My experiences, my travels, my dreams,  my passions and, most importantly, the varied movements made with brush or pen on the artistic ground.  Keeping the tool moving without any particular goal while doodling, sketching and playing lets the confidence build in your own capability.  Play becomes the thing, the reward.  The more one plays, the more comfortable one becomes.  The more comfortable one becomes, the greater the possibilities.  Informed.

The right hand segment of Pearody reflects this notion.  The line work was scraped through to an earlier layer.  This process was planned so that the colors reflected, for the most part, the work that was happening on the left side of the canvas.

Chaos.  Informed.

Facing the White...warm up with small works...

Pumpkin Pie 1   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

Pumpkin Pie 2   oil/canvas   6 x 6 x 1.5

Facing a white canvas or sheet of watercolor paper is a daunting task in the new year.  Our strokes are timid and insecure.  Our rhythms uncertain.  Our confidence waning.  I have faced this problem year after year when the holiday festivities pull us toward celebration and fun, which is certainly welcome, but away from the daily practice that makes for good art-making.  No athlete in any sport would be able to turn out a peak performance without the constant  and daily training demanded of him or her.  OK, then.  This year I decided to keep a few small canvases on hand for the couple of here-and-there hours that are freed up in just keep my brush moving.  In the past, my preference has been a total clean-up of the studio area in order to complement the activities in the other rooms of the house.  Not this year.  I was able to find some in-between time to paint when my guests had other things to do and other friends to visit.  As a result, the gap between the years was not so wide and so daunting.

The two pumpkin pie paintings were the result.

Resolution...

Rick at the Wheel...sketch

'Tis the season for resolve!  We take stock of where we are and where we would like to go.  For visual artists, ideas are everywhere....on the web, in galleries and even in the newspapers that are heading to the recycle bin.  Goals.  Techniques yet untried.  Excitement for the doing.  My own resolutions include:

* to pump up more pure color in the work.....I have long been a neutral lover....primarily for their soothing nature.....but pure color grabs the attention and excites.  I will give it a try.

* to paint more from sketches.....one step removed from reality, painting from sketches allows for more artistic freedom and interpretation

* to incorporate more patterning into the work.  I am a lover of patterns - wallpaper, fabric and the like.  Why not include them?

There we have it............Happy New Year!

Holiday Greetings....

in the mailbox are another of the perks of the season.  My spirit is uplifted each day as I sort through the cards from those whose lives have touched our own.  I am lucky to be on the lists of a few artists who continue to craft personal greetings. That is always such a treat!  In addition, we exchange names in each of the classes for those willing to spend time on such a project.  (And those who choose not to participate are always always forgiven and, in fact, complimented on their ability to say "no" in this season of way-too-much-to-do.) The two I received this year were both complete surprises and works of wonder....I realized the tenderness of time spent in each effort.  I am amazed and pleased....these will be keepers.  The cardinal by Jackie Roberts has been worked on 140# watercolor paper to a standard envelope size and folded in half.  It appears that Carol Weigand's was worked on a watercolor postcard whose edges were taped down with artists' tape....this card was then mounted on a piece of colorful card stock which had been cut to a standard envelope size.  The taped edges became a crisp border. Carol attended my demo at Summit Artspace early in the month and I distinctly remember someone taking photos.  She has translated this photo into a charming little work.  While individual paintings would be out of the question for cards, there are other possibilities for sure:  linoleum printing; linoleum printing on printed paper; scanned and printed images on card stock; assemblages from craft supplies and rubber stamping.  Thanks to: Ann Emmitt,  Susan Mencini, Mo Mosyjowski,  Janet Neubert and Delores Zink for their handcrafted cards!!!!

I should also mention a yearly project by artist Norma Ott. She and her husband Dave do a lot of traveling.  As a result, she has lots of watercolors done at national parks.  Each year, she makes up a calendar (at Kinko's) featuring 12 of her paintings which she presents to friends and family as a gift.  What a wonderful idea!  When her calender arrives in my box, my heart goes pitter-pat.  Thank you, Norma!

oh, the memories...sketching during family celebrations...Nate in the car

Nate in the Car...a sketch

of Christmas 2011!  They came.  We ate. We played.  We enjoyed.  We hiked.  We listened.  They went.  All the people that I love in this world!  It is always so bittersweet!  The tree has been disassembled and the cookie tin emptied.  I keep in touch with my pencils during this time of altered reality by using small moments for small,  intimate and, hopefully, soft drawings of my loved ones that will sustain me while the merriment ends.  I never ask anyone to pose, so often the drawings remain imperfect and unfinished.  Sometimes that is definitely for the best.  Stopping too soon is always preferable in my book...sketchbook, that is.  Love.