Tiny Dancer

Little Mermaid   charcoal, conte and gold leaf on toned paper   21.5 x 14

It has been so much fun to paint and draw from a live model again!  Due to the fine efforts of Cuyahoga Valley Art Center Center's new director Danielle Dieterich, young dancers from Ballet Excel OhioExcel Ohio have been modelling each Tuesday evening and will continue for some time.  We artists, mostly older, are treated to the movements and costumes of these young dancers. 

"Little Mermaid" was drawn in charcoal and conte crayon on a toned paper.  Gold leaf pieces were added later.  I had actually hoped for more covering on its application, but due to the fact that the adhesive was mostly dried up, and the high humidity, a more mottled effect was the result.  But I am happy. 

This pose, subtle yet powerful, is, I believe the result of a strong core and a slight curving of the small of the back.  I appreciate the strength and willpower of this young dancer!

All That Glistens

All That Glistens   mixed on canvas   24 x 18

I was the student whose reports the teachers hated.  I simply couldn't resist using glitter on the covers of all my book reports.  There was just something magical about the glistening and sparkling that tickled my fancy.  I was too young to think about that glitter that ended us on their coats and in their vehicles.  These days, I use glitter with more discretion....but I still love it.

The dark season needs the glitter of metallic surfaces and the reflections of brilliance off of glass surfaces.  It makes me happy.  And given the number of friends who have a hard time dismantling their Christmas trees, I don't think that I am alone.

The true brilliance, however, comes from the conviviality and love  of all the dear ones coming together to celebrate good food, conversation both serious and silly, enjoyment of nature, hugs and kisses.....from children, grandchildren, friends and the friends of friends.  Our home has glistened brightly....I am replenished with the goodness and love that it takes to begin another year of work and exploration through paint.

Glory be!

All That Glistens

All That Glistens   oil on burlap on canvas with gold leaf   24 x 18 x 1.5

was an experiment that, I think, turned out well.  I started out my fraying the edges of a piece of burlap that was roughly the same size as the canvas.  It was then glued down and rolled repeatedly.  Many many layers of gesso were painted on in order to allow the surface to receive paint, as well as to slightly (yes, slightly) smooth the very rough surface.  After painting the tree to my satisfaction, I realized that the image, although interesting, lacked a certain punch that I like.  The gold leaf circle was then applied.  That was very exciting and surprising, as the surface prevented a smooth application allowing for many small absences of the gold.  That pleased me so very much.  A happy accident!  Succinct and messy at the same time. All That Glistens is included in the holiday exhibition at Group Ten Gallery in Kent.

Are you in or are you out?

Who Holds the Key?   watercolor/mixed on paper   9.5 x 14

Making something out of nothing is all about design.  Given:  a random bunch of keys and locks.  They were arranged in a circular fashion before me.  I used a sketch to help determine lights and darks, and to illuminate the focal area which is the large lock on the bottom left.  My challenge was to paint brass and steel convincingly, as well as to adhere to the value and rhythm plan of the sketch.  I also wanted to provide a hard, scratchy feel that opening locks seems to give.  Some specks of gold leaf were added to the lock on the right that was in danger of disappearing.  Although I might approach this problem differently given a second go-round, I am satisfied with the feel of the work.

Locks and keys provide a barrier.  In or Out.  Something precious.  Something to hoard?  Keeping out others.  Pretty profound for a small bunch of tooled metal scraps. 

All That Glistens....stepping out of the regional

All That Glistens   oil/burlap/canvas/gold leaf   24 x 18 x 1.5

The bad news is that none of our children lives close by...so we don/t get to share time together on a weekly basis.  The good news is that we get to view art in galleries in major cities that are so very different than the regional art that we participate in  and view on a regular basis.  In this case...San Francisco.  Our last visit was comprised of a half a dozen galleries located in the downtown area.  The work yielded no surprises...it was all abstract, very very large and very very impersonal.  Designed to be impersonal.  The only commanding figurative works were in a series of photographic works taken of circus performers from Eastern Europe, I think.  While representational painters are often accused of working in a technique-driven box, abstractionists seem to work in another sort of box- line murmurations, squiggles and patches of bland hues ad nauseum.  My humble opinion, of course.  What I came away with, however, was the wonderful notion of possibility - simply anything goes!  I was inspired by patches of blue and white resembling a flow blue plate; fearlessness in the use of color; and, yes, works on burlap!  Carrying within them the knowledge of hard-won possibilities, these California works represented a great freedom to me.  I came away with new eyes.

"All That Glistens" is my post-holiday foray into a different world...one outside of my unusual regional recipe.

Secrets...from a garden statue

Secrets   Watercolor/Mixed   17.5 x 12.5

The subject of our last watercolor class of the year was architectural detail.  There were stained glass window, archway and garden post paintings.  As this has been a particularly busy time for me, I elected to search my photo archives....and chose a photo taken of this cement garden sculpture that I found on the grounds of an antique shop in Ravenna.  This lovely maiden was found lying down on a dolly.  I began by painting what I saw...the curves of the torso, the hand-carved clumps of hair and the motionless eyes.  A woman in stone.  Silent.  Wow.  My mind wandered to where this maiden had been, where she had been perched over time, and to the her future.  My only directive to myself was "pocked"...a surface characteristic that was, I deemed, essential to the story.  I was in luck.  This scrap of watercolor paper had been soaked and re-soaked...scrubbed and re-scrubbed.  In fact, as I soon discovered, the sizing was gone and pocking occurred each time the brush hit the surface.  Oh, the thrill!  It needed more.  Gouache and slight pastel strokes were added.  The calligraphy was added with watercolor pencil and with line direction in mind.  The small heart above the breast is applied gold leaf.  Silent as she was, she revealed her secrets.  I am pleased.

Secrets...we all have them.

The King Midas Touch...

Gerbera   watercolor/mixed on paper   9.5 x 12.5

Gold has a history of desirability, representing wealth and status.  As we define ourselves as artists, we gradually sort through what is us and what is not.  For the most part, I have rejected this notion of gold-status.  I do not like gold jewelry....or gold frames.  I much prefer the weathered look of worn materials of an everyday nature...flaking paint, rusted iron and speckled stained materials.  Me.  Years ago, however, when studying calligraphy, I often admired the gold leafing on ages-old manuscripts and holy books.  The reflective quality was beyond compare, even after hundreds of years.  In my art cabinet is a kit containing all the things needed in order to gold leaf.  It sat unused for so many years....simply because I did not want to read the lengthy instruction manual.  I am a doer...not a reader.  A few weeks ago a painting of a gerbera daisy just seemed lackluster, for want of a better word.  I pulled out the kit and read the instructions.  Yes, read.  It really wasn't so difficult.  I loved the addition of this material onto the painting.

Never say never.

Avoiding the precious

Pince Nez   mixed/paper   20 x 13.5

In my work, I really do try to avoid preciousness and perfection, which seems to kill the energy and, in the long run, the work itself. Playing with the media is a wonderful way to shake up the work and to push the envelope. Sometimes, of course, I am unable to retrieve the goodness of it all. But sometimes, by making the visual problem-solving more complex, I am surprised and delighted with the turn of events. In "Pince-nez", I knew that I would be working from a model. Ahead of time, I used watercolor to swash the surface of the paper in an interesting pattern. The portrait was worked over it with charcoal and pastel. Later I added gold leaf to the chain of the glasses.....I have had the gold leaf for many years in my cupboard and had not found a reason to use it. I am pleased with the results!