Bouquet Without Stems

Bouquet Without Stems   oil/canvas   12 x 12 x 1.5

was not a planned project.  Sometime in March, I started seeing lots of primrose plants in the stores.  Primroses are on my list of "poorly painted subjects from the past" that, eventually, I have plans to attempt again....along with swans and pumpkins.  And so, I laid a plan.  On the way to class, I stopped to pick up a primrose plant...three stores later, I was still being told that they had all died.  And so I ended up with one of those fairly nondescript bouquets that is a mix of lovely separates with no particular theme.  Attempts to put this bunch in any vase at the art center created a leaning, skinny bouquet with no rhythm.    Considering all of my options, I chose to paint each of the kinds separately on a flat two-dimensional, tile-like plane.

No stems.

Graphic Grass

Grass Border...linoleum block print

I am working on a large mixed media painting of a tricycle and wanted to have some simple graphic-looking grass at the bottom. Painting it on resulted in visual confusion. So I carved a small linoleum block to print it on. The marks were made with a 5.0 calligraphy marker that I twisted as I moved upwards from bottom to top, thus making the marks gradually thinner. I found that the negative spaces were as important as the marks themselves here. I wanted the spaces to be intriguing and playful as well. Painting is almost too direct at times.....i.e. one stroke is almost too bold, too important, too direct. Sometimes the printing medium is what I crave.....that secondary application of pigment that doesn't quite cover everything, leaving a bit of background peeking through. Pure bliss. And, I might add, a fun foray into something different.