Sense of Snow

Narrow Bridge   oil/canvas   36 x 24

Winter is my favorite season....it allows for quiet contemplation, a good book by the fire (currently Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg) and, most of all, the bliss of solitude.  It seems that my best work arises from this "perfect storm".

When you start working, everybody is in your studio - the past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideas - are all there.  But as you continue painting, they start leaving one by one.  And then you are left completely alone.  The, if you are lucky, even you leave.                                    John Cage

"Narrow Bridge" is currently on exhibition at Group Ten Gallery in Kent, Ohio.

How Victoria Spent her Saturday Afternoon

Victoria   charcoal and pastel on paper   16.5 x 11

I am lucky.  Teaching a few classes a week keeps me in tact.  I am a loner by nature.  That keeps me focused and in my own art world which I do love.  But the artists in my classes offer up so much, so many things to love.  They loan to me their energy and their intelligence.  Victoria is a sharp girl with many many interests.  She agreed to pose for me.  My goal is to plunge beneath the surface in order to reveal her essence....that to me, is secondary to likeness.  The portrait was rendered primarily in vine charcoal, which lends a softness.  The paper - a bit of a scrap which just may be Arches text leftover from calligraphy days.  Charcoal sticks provided a few notes of pure black strength.  An evaluation was made at home and details sharpened with the aid of a photo that was shot sometime in the middle of the original life session.  It seemed accurate, but without punch. Blue pastel was added and sponged into the paper. 

Thank you, Victoria, for an afternoon well spent...well enjoyed.

presents::presence

Cardinal   watercolor holiday card   5 x 7

Wow...oh the stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  On a recent trip to Trader Joe's for holiday goodies, I stopped in to the adjacent shops....Sur La Table, Anthropologie, and Barnes and Noble.  As most of my holiday shopping is completed online, this trip to the marketplace was a snap realization of just how materialistic our culture has become.  And, oh, the prices!  While I still enjoy giving a gift or two, especially to the little ones, the greatest gift of all, to me, is "presence", the beauty of being with loved ones and in the presence of nature in all of its winter glory. 

One of our favorite cards we have recently received quotes Calvin Coolidge:

To cherish peace and good will is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

In our watercolor class, we traditionally draw names....the recipient is then sent an original watercolor card.  This is my offering to Deb Z.

Happy holidays to one and all....may each of you experience peace and presence!

Delicious Apples

Delicious Apples in Vintage Pot   Watercolor   16.75 x 13

is a still life watercolor.  My inspiration came from a couple of things.  First, a vintage pot that has been in my possession for a number of years.  Its textured surface is a marvel, the patterning appearing to be random.  But, of course, it cannot be.  The second, my love of the autumn apple.  I decided in this case to "go for the gold", rather than the ubiquitous reds, the ones most often seen in paintings. The challenge was, for me, in this textured patterning...to suggest it in key areas rather than getting lost within it.  I guess I would have to say that this detailed and engaging pattern had to be sacrificed for the overall movement and visual "reading" of the work.  The white of the paper begins at the bottom and winds up through the work.  Any time that I am able to resist over-painting these whites is thrilling as well as rewarding.

I am satisfied.  (temporarily)

Dapper

Dapper   Watercolor   34 x 21

is a work done just as it was in the photo reference.  This time of year, from September on, is so chock full of celebrations and holidays that my work time is far from contiguous.  After even weeks, or even days, of inactivity, a tension sets in.  A doubting.  A hesitancy.  How do I know I can paint?  Problem-solving skills are laying dormant.  So...Dapper was painted strictly, with little maneuvering, just so that I could feel the paint beneath the brush....to remind myself of who I am.

The Green-Eyed Monster

Girl with a Green Balloon   oil   20 x 10

lies dormant in each of us, always ready to threaten our senses of well being.

I was able to procure a balloon....good for me.

But the balloon is green....that other guy had red....hmmmmm.

I think that red is better.

I am not happy and won't be until I have a red one.

Sound familiar?  Questioning ourselves is, I'm afraid, a common human condition.  But I am a true believer in elevating the internal locus of control....I am an active participant in my own life.  So............I try to be aware of the green monster urging me on.  In admiring the work of another, I allow myself to see what is yet undone in me....what is yet to come.  Oh, the possibilities!

Check out the work of artist Katie Wilson!  I am an admirer.

Reference photos for "Girl with a Green Balloon" were shot at a local street fair. 

Boy with a Red Balloon

Boy with a Red Balloon   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

is a work currently on exhibit at Hudson Fine Art and Framing.  While working on a group of paintings designed around the concept of hanging on and letting go, my husband suggested that we see the delightful short movie The Red Balloon.  On the surface, the movie appears to be total whimsy.  But it packs a profound punch in terms of human behavior.  Seems that the boy has a red balloon.  The school teachers and administrators regard this balloon as a diversion from the serious needs-to-be-done stuff of which our lives are comprised.  The boy is punished for his magic.  Other boys become jealous of this object of wonder and go about the game of capturing and destroying it.  They do.  But the defeat is only temporary.  For me, the balloon is the magic that is within each individual waiting to be realized.  Becoming jealous of another's "red balloon" is self-defeating and a waste of time.

The lesson is clear.  Get thee a red balloon of your own.
Discover your magic.

Kitchen Strainer

Kitchen Strainer   watercolor   4.5 x 6.5

is a small painting...very small.  Taping the edges allowed for a small border.  The painting was done quickly.  Perhaps its small size didn't allow for as much "investment".  And it is one of my recent favorites.  The border ran into the metal rim (which I like).  The handle is rendered in a painterly way, which only implies reality.  The challenge was to imply the mesh bowl on the strainer without providing the lines that we know are there.  Instead, I used small dots of the background implying its translucent nature. 

Less emotional investment.  Less time.  An opportunity to play.  What could be better?  Making small paintings is a terrific way to spend time....when you only have a little of it.

Boyhood

Boyhood   oil   40 x 30 x 1.5

is a painting done from the heart.  Four boys are dangling from a cable over a river, into which they eventually plunged, I am sure.  Memories such as these are embedded in my soul.  Boys.  Dangling.  Fun.  For this work, the preparation was necessary and meticulous, as I wished for the group gesture to rule....I wanted to see these four bodies as one amoebic thing.  Everything related to everything else:  pairs of arms to pairs of arms; torsos to torsos; swim trunks to swim trunks; and legs to legs.  Not to mention the multitude of other relationships between the aforementioned parts.  The negative spaces were crucial for this to occur.  I wanted the feel of the moment to override any sense of reality.  I am reminded of this quote by Leonardo da Vinci:

Study the science of art.  Study the art of science.  Develop your senses - especially learn to see.  Realize everything connects to everything else.

Ah, yes.  Overwhelming but true.

Warts and All

Warts and All   Watercolor   4.5 x 6.5

Quite frankly, I think that the title says it all.

Here's to wabi sabi beauty...jolie laide, imperfection, dappled and the good with the bad.

Warts and all!

Come. Sit.

Come. Sit.    Mixed media on toned paper   20.5 x 15

I love chairs.  Especially those that beckon.  Each has a personality.  And each bears the weight of those who have sat before.  This large drawing was accomplished by means of several mediums.  The white conte accomplished most of the wicker, with the toned paper standing in for shadow areas and with the added benefit of giving the impression of wicker without the over-abundance of stroke-making which, in my opinion, lessens the power of the work.  A template made of tracing paper was used to isolate the pillow area where relief ink was used.  It was nice.

Too nice.  Why am I so attracted to chairs?  I guess it is because I rarely sit down.  On the day that I was working on this drawing, I kept notes of my own stream of consciousness....of all of the things on my "to do" list, all of them keeping me from sitting, from relaxing.  A soft graphite stick was used for the calligraphy....done quickly, unevenly, as if I had no time for the task.  T'is true. 

"Come. Sit." was made more personal by this addition, more meaningful.  More me. 

Dappled

Dappled   oil on canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

is a horse of my own making.  Horses in paintings abound.  My goal here was to remove a bit of the usual way one experiences a horse, by means of color and by means of posture.  A bucolic horse scene is beyond my abilities, to be quite honest.  Each time I tried to add grass, a fence, a part of the barn, my own sense of correctness made me paint them over.  I am inspired by the horse paintings by Alex Kanevsky.  Yet I am not he.  Inspired, yes.  But taking my own direction.  Fellow artist Tom Auld, who frequently provides me with interesting artistic tidbits, provided the following list.

"Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn

1. Attempt what is not certain.  Certainty may or may not come later.  It may then be a valuable delusion.

2. The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued - except as a stimulus for further moves.  

3. DO search.

4. Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.

5. Don't "discover" a subject - of any kind.

 6. Somehow don't be bored but if you must, use it in action.  Use its destructive potential.

7. Mistakes can't be erased but they move you from your present position.

8.  Keep thinking about Pollyanna.

9. Tolerate chaos.

10. Be careful only in a perverse way. 

My favorite is the part about Pollyanna....cute girl but way too sweet.  Loses a bit of the genuine.

A toast to Diebenkorn is in order.  Cheers!

  No matter what you do, your work always contains elements from what came before.  I wish I could say, "I invented trousers.".  In the end, I have to give it new character.

                                                                                Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director, Lowe

To Market To Market

Mission Grocer   oil on canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

Harvest season is alive with color, texture, and all of the possibilities inherent in the preparation of fruits and vegetables that have completed their growth!  We just recently polished off a spectacular jar of bread and butter pickles canned by friend and artist Jance Lentz Hatch.  What a treat!  "Mission Grocer" was painted from reference photos and sketches done on a trip to San Francisco, where small mom and pop markets seem to populate most neighborhoods.  No vehicle necessary!  Baskets of wonders dot the sidewalks in front.  This work can be seen in the Group Ten Gallery 2nd Anniversary Exhibition currently on exhibit.  Colors and textures for all seasons...............come on along.

Opportunities

E. during nap   sketchbook

E. during nap   sketchbook

for sketching abound, albeit some are safer to me than others.  For me, drawing and painting are solitary endeavors, moments where I can truly feel that which is before me.  Sketching in public invites not only conversation, but judgement as well.  My R-brain wishes for solitude and the self-nurturing that comes from this silent communion.  And, yes, it is like a religious experience for me.  The subject is our 3-year-old grandson, an extremely active and rambunctious boy, who literally crashed during his nap time on the couch at the beach.  His body melded into the soft surface.  The second pose was more difficult.  As he moved and adjusted his body, his hat fell off, and his head was in such an awkward position that it appeared almost disjointed.  I checked and rechecked...all seemed correct.  What a beautiful moment!

Drip Castles

S and K   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

Some beach scenes are archetypal...they are repeated time and time again and hold a sweet place in our memory banks.  This painting was done many many years after my son and dear friend patiently dripped oodles of sand ribbons into piles of magic.  I think that these castles require patience as well as deferred gratification as compared to those using molds.  The sand::water ratio must be just right.  I spent some sweet hours recently recreating a castle of my own.  As it dried, the sparkling grains stimulate a sense of wonder.  Further drying creates small holes almost uniformly throughout, adding to their mystique.

I think that many life lessons are inherent in their creation.  Cook yourself up a bit of magic...try one.

Detours

take us away from the predictable, the everyday.  Although detours can take longer to get from point A to B, and open us up to failure, they can also offer us stimulation and a trip into the unknown.  I am first and foremost a painter.  But there is something in my soul that craves change, especially come summer.  These three balloon images were created by reduction printing on a linoleum block.  It requires backwards thinking and an acceptance of happy accidents.  This secondary medium offers less control, I think, that direct painting.  Working with unfamiliar paper, tools and mediums offers a different "feel" that my hands and my heart appreciate!  Color mixing is key.  So is the acceptance of imperfect shapes cut by blades that are unforgiving.  I am no Joan Colbert, a friend and colleague whose prints both defy, to me, what can be done with these crude tools, and challenge the intellect. But that does not take away my joy, my pleasure in the creating of these images.  I find that these challenges, these detours, inform the decisions I make in my drawings and paintings, as well as offer up an addition to my always-evolving sense of visual aesthetic.


These prints are on exhibition at The Open Door Coffee Company located at 164 N. Main Street in Hudson, Ohio.  Drop in to see them and to sample Deborah's new line of scrumptious bite-size cupcakes!

Dog Days

Three Hot Chicks   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

are upon us.  Some scenes are recreated again and again, generation to generation.  Such is the case, I believe, with the patio/deck/family reunion/lawn chair scenarios that one can see not only every weekend on a walk around town, but memorialized in photos albums everywhere.  As a person of Nordish complexion, I  have to say that summer heat is something to deal with, a bit of a template, on how I perceive the months at hand.  This work was inspired by an old family photograph.  I like the organic figures paired with the geometric chairs, a polar-oppositional composition that I cannot resist.  Detail was removed as much as possible.  The color palette was changed from cool to warm.  A sketch was created attempting to link the three figures, as well as to set up a playful rhythm of values, with the lights at the top, leaving the women susceptible to the sunlight.  Shapes were simplified.  Although most of the problems were worked out by the sketch, there were still problem areas, mostly involving the extreme foreshortening of the legs in the center figure.  Layers were worked and reworked Swiss-cheese style, while trying to retain passages that appealed to me.  I think I am finished.....now for a glass of iced tea.

Balls

Balls   charcoal, pastel and China marker on paper   8.75 x 22

Playing with balls is a bit like painting...a bit unpredictable...a bit out of control.  Balls are the tools of the athlete as brushes and pigments are to us.  And, although we set ourselves up for a successful outcome, the joy comes from the process itself...the playing, the painting.  Fluidity results from that wonderful place that lies somewhere in between control and the lack thereof. 

Swahili warrior song:  Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the gods....so let us celebrate the struggle.

Our project in drawing class was to be able to render the volume of a sphere by direct observation.  The brightly lit spheres in the "learning to draw" books are minimally useful, as the rendering requires astute observations culled from the light source (or sources) as well as attempts to understand the material from which the sphere is made, as well as its construction.  I used charcoal, with a bit of conte, pastel and China markers to achieve the effects that I desired.  The rendering is fairly tight, as the number of forms involved precludes a more expressive style....which, I think, would result in far too much visual confusion.  The two counterspaces between the balls at their base were necessary, I think for understanding, as well as a bit of vertical play to balance the extreme horizontal composition.

The struggle.  The athlete.  The painter.

Introducing Chaos to the Work

Daisies on Turquoise Ground   watercolor    8 x 8

One Happy Pineapple   watercolor   17 x 8

I love Wabi Sabi...things that are imperfect.  The regularity of reality hits me like a brick and not in a good way.  Therefore, I am always up for a bit of "destruction", a bit of chaos.  It creates a more complex problem to solve and keeps my interest.  There are so many ways to introduce chaos and there are different approaches and levels of handedness for various mediums.  These works are both watercolors which were begun as monoprintss.  A sketch was made....the plexiglass laid on top so that broad and wild applications of paint are made directly on this slippery surface.  (Some artists prefer to lightly sand the plexi and to add liquid soap to the paint, changing its viscosity, so that it doesn't bead up so much).  The "plate" is then pressed onto damp watercolor paper.  There are blobs of beautiful color and beautiful shapes that can be manipulated for quite a while.  Great fun.  I then continued to work on the painting, adding a bit of detail and refinement.  By beginning in this way, with less predictability, the painting benefits, I think, from having fewer deliberate strokes.

This is a wonderful way to approach inclusion of the background from the very beginning.  Of course, as in most successful works, planning ahead of time aids in the freedom.

"Daisies on Turquoise Ground" and "One Happy Pineapple" are part of the exhibition at Group Ten Gallery through July 18.

Sketchbooks...and Time Management

Time is the enemy of many artists....creativity simply cannot be turned on and off like a faucet.  Each day, every day, my schedule is designed to provide a large chunk of time for painting.  When traveling, I have found that bringing along art supplies not only makes the trip more cumbersome, but interferes with the experiences that are ripe for the happening.  My sketchbook is my friend in these situations.  Most of these sketches were made during restful moments during a visit to North Carolina to visit family.  Situations present themselves, all of which provide further lessons for study and for contemplation.  Sketchbook sketches are so sweet to me....more spontaneous, less staged.  Foreshortening provided further and further observation and some surprises as well..all for the simple cost of a sketchbook and some pencils. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Memory(K and S)   oil on canvas   9 x 12

The demands of parenthood are great, to be sure.  In between all of the tasks, all of the responsibilities, there are little gems of complete joy.  What seems to go on forever is over in a flash and those little gems form sparkling yet incomplete memories.

Happy Mother's Day, K!

Clay Pots

Clay Pots   watercolor   19.5 x 11

are truly a sign of the season.  There are glazed pots, hand-painted pots, and  plastic pots (yuck). Clay pots and their patinas of absorbed minerals, water lines, irregularities, chips and fractures hold the most interest for me.  From the earth.  Sublime beauty that allows the plants within to take center stage.  This time of year, true gardeners (not myself) line up to purchase the most beautiful, rarest and healthiest varieties of plants.  Recently, I have even heard of minor scuffles over the highly-desired varieties, from gardeners who must must must have that particular plant....mine, mine, mine....all mine. 

Clay Pots was painted in transparent watercolor.  The background was painted with a gouache and watercolor mix.  I love the juxtaposition of transparency:  opacity.  I also love stacks of things.

Clay Pots celebrates the glory of early summer and the inherent promise of beauty within.

Fill.  Nurture.  Watch expectantly.  Enjoy.

Eggs

Eggs On a Doily   watercolor   10.25 x 8.5

Yeah, I have a thing for eggs....paint them every spring.  I have painted them too heavily, too regularly and too solidly...but am always game for another attempt.  I picked up this doily from the thrift store and marveled at its translucence...the perfect foil for my eggs.  I am satisfied....for this year, anyways.

The alpha and the omega.

Hand Knit Torso

Hand Knit Torso   watercolor/mixed on paper   21 x 12

This past winter I spent several weeks studying the work of American artist Edwin Dickinson, who taught, among other places, at The Art Students League.  One of the lessons offered to his students involved the painting of their own torsos as a prelude to portrait and figurative work.  The goal is to understand the landscape-like undulations of the human body.  So I offered this challenge up to the artists in my class.  We had some very remarkable results!  My own choice was my own torso covered in my late-winter hand knit coat, full of knit patterning and loopy fringe.  Although I love to knit, this beauty was purchased and hand knit in Peru.  I added a colorful scarf to break up what I thought might result in a more static pattern-rendering.  My goal was to achieve all of this texture with as little detail as possible.  I worked until I was satisfied...first with watercolor, next with graphite pencil, and lastly with a white China marker.  I am satisfied, and actually pleased with this work that does not include hands, head and legs....more than I thought I  might be.

Beer and Peanuts

Beer and Peanuts   watercolor   13.5 x 8

is the result of a paint-a-bottle challenge..so many ellipses, and each one tilted toward the horizon line!  Not to mention the challenge of a label which also involves ellipses and the additional task of rendering typography in a convincing yet not-too-detailed way.  For me, the peanuts were rendered quickly and left untouched...those passages are usually the most convincing.  The background was the toughest.  The first pass was a cool blue-green hue which, along the way, seemed unsatisfactory to me.  The graded orange wash was subsequently layered over it.  I am satisfied. 

Ben

Ben   vine charcoal and conte crayon on paper   20.5 x 12

Bassham is an Emeritus Professor of Art History at Kent State University and one of my colleagues at Group Ten Gallery in Kent.  A few Saturdays ago, during our drawing exhibition, Ben agreed to sit for me while on duty.  My drawing, done in vine charcoal, was fairly complete after a couple of hours.  Actually, it might have been finished at that point...everything was in the right place.  I wished, however, to take the drawing to more completion, which is always risky, as too many details tend to detract from, and take power away from, the spirit of the work.  On the other hand, it can also lead to a more creative work, as contemplation allows for more push and pull, as I make decisions about which information is more significant.  (there is an absolute flood of information in the human face).  I also wanted to try my hand at suggesting his horn-rimmed glasses and his tiny-checked wool sportcoat.  Conte crayon was used for those passages.  A charcoal pencil, which allows for more concentrated dark marks, was used here and there for punctuation. A photo reference was used for this final session at home. I am pleased with this work.  Thank you, Ben!

Window Seat

Window Seat   watercolor   13 x 10

is a painting of an apple blossom geranium, a sprig of which was given to me by a friend not a year ago.  The plant amazes me and delights my soul daily.  Painting flowers is a bugaboo for me...I don't really enjoy floral works, but feel that their complexity is a great learning and re-learning experience...now and then.  In this case, the "reality" of the subject (the plant next to a southern-exposure window) was competing with my need for abstraction, and to diminish the importance of the support and the background.  Woe is me.  I did my best to meld the two stories.  It was also an extreme temptation to over-describe the leaves, when most were being burnt out by the sun's late winter light. 

I gave it my best shot.  Will see how I feel about it in another year or so....while I anticipate the growth of this organic beauty.

A Place

A Place   vine charcoal on paper   15 x 21

Drawing is a wonderful way to spend time.  Drawings help one to refine draftspersonship, and to explore all of the design elements and principles without the sometimes confusing elements of color and color relationships.  Drawings are faster and can be left for a period of time without fear of the drying up of materials.  As with any endeavor, the complexity of drawing slowly reveals itself, the more we practice it.  Vine charcoal is a softer material which allows for a slower contemplation of the subject matter.  Yet, it is not capable of the darkest darks which are possible with charcoal sticks.  Charcoal sticks are appropriate, in my opinion, for a bold and sure, as well as minimal, application.  Too much stick charcoal without a sure goal, can yield a muddied work, as removal of the charcoal becomes next to impossible.  Conte crayons are wonderful, yet cannot be easily smudged or moved around.  Papers matter as well.  A paper with much texture results in a drawing where texture reigns....good if that is your goal.  And yet a plate surface does not provide an absorption of the pigment. Newsprint quickly turns to acid. One figures all of this out as one continues to draw.

"A Place" was drawn from light to dark, similar to a watercolor process, where whites are cherished and left untouched.  I started with vine charcoal to move around the paper....it is relatively forgiving.  Darker darks were added later with charcoal pencils and sticks.  My eraser(kneaded)was used as a tool in order to achieve a push::pull relationship.  This application, I believe, was appropriate for this subject matter.  My use of materials might change given another subject, another desired effect.  Although I have many drawing papers, I chose a sheet out of a pad of Strathmore 400 series 90# drawing paper and am quite happy with the result.  This paper would not stand up to a more aggressive application.

"A Place" reveals a place at the table, a place of acceptance and of comfort.  I don't think that there could be a more important thing to have...a place.  I wish it for all.

Also Julie

Also Julie   watercolor   12.5 x 10

is so named, as I have, in the past, done another work of a different Julie.  This one, in watercolor, was painted from life with the model sitting two table-widths away from me.  She was painting me.  Facial planes were painted bit by bit, so that the facial features (eyes, nose and mouth) almost end up painting themselves.  It really does require a different way of "seeing", and is sometimes hard for beginning artists to grasp.  It was cold, cold, cold that night.  A few cools were added, as well as some minute details, when the paper was dryer at home.

I am pleased.

In The Grips

In The Grips   oil on canvas   20 x 10

we are....the coldest and snowiest winter on record here in Northeast Ohio.  One can feel a connectedness to all creatures in the face of such extreme weather.  I gain strength myself from this realization.

This small canvas was calling to be painted over.  First I sanded, then I toned.  My challenge was to use a space, a composition, that was a bit unusual.  Different problems to solve.  Other advantages as well.  Despite its smallish size, I am please with the power that this bovine has, and deserves, as a result of  its dominating volume in this composition.

As we, as a species, continue to evolve, and in due time recognize equality and respect for those of color, women and gays, there will be a time that we respect the animal kingdom as well.  The recently released footage from Mercy for Animals taken at the Wiese Brothers Dairy farm in Wisconsin saddened me beyond belief.

We::They thinking is toxic.

(The) Wood Pile

Wood Pile   oil on canvas   60 x 20 x 1.5

has been our best friend here in bitter-cold northeast Ohio this winter.  Throughout the late summer and autumn my husband carefully plans our "stash" and arranges it priority-wise by its seasoned past.  Large stashes of kindling are collected.  Because of our intimacy with our our wood, it became a lovely subject to me.  While, admittedly, painting stacks of things would probably be boring to some painters, I find the rhythms that abound and the individuality of the logs to be interesting and challenging.  "Wood Pile" is a slice of my life.  I offer it up.

Ten Below

Ten Below   watercolor   13 x 21

is a watercolor of my back yard around dusk.  It was so cold when I took a reference shot that my camera batteries died within minutes.  Because, for some reason or another, I am not quite inspired by landscapes, I felt that I had to "shake it up" one way or another.  Having just watched a video by Janine Gallizia, I thought I would use Winsor Blue, a strong staining color that, until this time, I would only have used as a footnote at the end of a work.  In addition, my ire was up due to spending a half hour in single-digit-temperatures trying to figure out the new lock box at the art center.  The work was approached with anger, I'm afraid, which is not my usual process.  The result is temperamental and moody.

Andrew Wyeth once said that one can create out of love or out of hate...i.e., extreme passion.  I prefer the love option.  At least my juices were flowing.

And, BTW, the art center had also changed the combination without notifying me.  The result is definitely passionate.

Snow Day

Snow Day...a sketch

New Hat Old Mirror Same Old Self

New Hat Old Mirror Same Old Self   charcoal and watercolor on paper   13.5 x 10

Standing at the easel in the new year is so very daunting!  The longer one has "holidayed", the more difficult.  Taking a self-assessment is, I think, a good thing...it provides a re-ordering and a re-prioritizing.  Other artists have told me repeatedly that my self-portraits don't do me any favors.  Beauty is not my aim...I have always known that.  I would rather the beauty come from the stroke-making, the artistic rendering and the overall concept. 

My son and daughter-in-law visited the Kirk Mangus exhibit at the Cleveland MOCA while in the area over Christmas and brought home a brochure.  Mangus' work was completely free and original and seemed to lack our prejudicial notion of harmony and beauty.  He said, "Beauty is a figment of the imagination.  It is also completely controlled by prejudices". 

From the brochure and the artist Soetsu Yanagi:

A true artist is not one who chooses beauty in order to eliminate ugliness, he is not one who dwells in a world that distinguishes between the beautiful and the ugly, but rather he is one who has entered the realm where strife between the two cannot exist.

This work was done from life in my studio while looking into an antique mirror with many imperfections.

Amen.

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!

Christmas Chaos

Christmas Chaos   watercolor on Yupo   8 x 8

Like it or not, the heightened festivities also come with more to do, more to make, more to feel.  And, yes, I send too many cards, put up too many ornies and bake too many cookies.  Untangling strings of lights and following unfamiliar recipes can be frustrating, for sure.  But when all is said and done, chaos gives way to the altered experience of the holiday season, and, briefly, takes us out of the mundane.

How fitting that this work was painted on Yupo paper, a synthetic paper with a surface not unlike wax paper....control is forgone.  Accidents rule.

Relish the chaos.  Relish the glitter.

Oh yeah.

Three Lads

Three Lads   conte/charcoal/relief ink on paper   19 x 14

was inspired in part by a vintage photograph in our family archives which features my father-in-law Luther and two companions on a boat ride on the Hudson River sometime in the 30's.  By subtracting detail and color, the three gestural shapes are emphasized and empowered.  White values start at the top and work their way down.  Just the opposite with the darks.  Ties were printed on later using relief ink, erasers and tracing paper templates.

This drawing was begun in a workshop "Using Value to Punctuate and Strengthen Drawings and Paintings".  I joyfully finished it at home.

Remnants

Remnants   mixed on paper   11 x 16.75

is a mixed media drawing utilizing some of nature's creations left behind in autumn.  This drawing was begun as a workshop demonstration on value.  In this case, the darks move from left to right helping to explain the objects in the drawing...a tiny unhatched blue egg within a twiggy nest, some sweet gum seeds in a jar and a pie pumpkin.  The objects themselves require planning and fairly good draftsmanship in the rendering.  I like to think, however, that there is something bigger, more important, than each of the chosen items....it is the rhythm between them that, for me, simultaneously simplifies and empowers.  So be it.  My final answer.

I used:  charcoal pencils, conte crayon, watercolor, powdered charcoal and gouache....quite the concoction!

Drawing Trees

Hawthorne Tree   charcoal on paper   8 x 10

is harder than one might think....and it was at the top of the list for further study in our drawing class.  Some common mistakes:  a too-dark value when relying on a photo reference; not considering the "counter-spaces" between the limbs; and using organic line to describe the limbs, making the tree appear to be weak and rubbery.  I believe that the best resolve for study would be an up-close-and personal sketching session of the joint between a tree trunk and its limb, revealing the play of light and shadow, the roundness and the structure that occurs during branching.  Trees are not created equally.  Each genus has a characteristic rhythm of branching and its own particular height:width ratio.  Of course, background trees can be treated more generally, but a tree portrait must have a likeness, akin to a portrait work.

This hawthorne tree in my neighborhood caught my eye.  We used to have one in our yard as well.  It branches low and sprouts long dangerous needles everywhere.  We also called it a "witch's tree".  My husband couldn't come close on his riding mower without fear of being spiked.  Still....I think the hawthorne is a beautiful and wild-looking tree.  Perhaps a metaphor for...............................

Elsie

Elsie's Winter Coat   charcoal/pastel   17 x 10.75

is a simple drawing.  My challenge:  using toned paper.  Using toned paper is something that appeals to many artists...it adds a twist to the usual black and white.  What we must keep in mind is that its inherent value must be considered as part of the drawing itself.  I started with a light midtone....values went up and down from there.  A band of ruptured color was added for excitement.  I tried to understate the spots while concentrating on the form of the cow.

Also a plus:  using a piece of paper that I had been hoarding for many years...its original intention completely forgotten.  That added some excitement to the mix.

Annie

Annie   watercolor/relief ink   9.75 x 9.25

is an enthusiastic volunteer at "our" art center who posed for our watercolor class a few weeks back.  It was a two-week pose, the first week relegated to drawing and familiarizing; the second to the actual painting.  My "spot" was way off to the side where I saw only the shadow side of Annie's face.  I decided to use only monochromatic cool washes for the rendering, partially because that told the story of her pose relative to my easel, and also to oppose her colorful floral scarf with the simplicity of the face. In the end, I decided to cut a template and print the background area with relief ink, again to oppose:  the light airy watercolor strokes with an opaque and solid rest area.  This is certainly unlike anything I have previously done....and, I can honestly say, I like it...this was the story that presented itself to me.

Thanks, Annie!

Words Can Hurt As Well

Words Can Hurt As Well   charcoal and watercolor   16 x 10.75

is the result of a class drawing project.  I find that drawing things inside a glass jar helps to be able to draw what you see, rather than what you know to be there.  The paper:  an unknown specimen from my stash....always a risk.  (Note to self: remember to label paper.....there is nothing worse than investing creative time and energy using a support that doesn't jive with your intent)  I chose sticks and stones.  It was rendered with a Derwent charcoal pencil.  The color:  slate.  These pencils allow for a softer rendering than pure black....and come in several earthtone flavors.  When getting my setup ready, I was disappointed that my Ball jar was a turquoise one....thought I would have preferred clear.  However, while completing the work at home, I added a light watercolor wash in a turquoise mix and was pleasantly surprised....and quite happy that the paper held up.

My usual process is so much more complicated.  This simple project allowed me to get back to basics...drawing from observation.  Discipline before freedom.  Here.  Here.