Recent Animated Inspiration

In the mood for a movie, I came across The Monster in Paris. From the French story (romantic, quirky, imaginative) to the beautiful colors (as shown above - the greens of Emile's outfit complimenting Maud's magenta against the moody Parisian backdrop (my 2 favorite color palettes!)), I couldn't get enough and have since ordered my own copy for my collection*. Isn't it divine when such a whim of a mood is so fully satisfied?

  (if you can't tell, I would highly recommend watching this!) 

*my collection contains the movies that move me, most often artistically (i.e. Mary and Max or Alice in Wonderland or Coraline (to name a few). Though there are a few that hit the spot with their romantic nature (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day). And thus it appears my re-watching** of a movie dictates the mood I am in (according to my husband). Apparently he knows upon entry to a room....

**yes, re-watching a movie, in my opinion, only makes it get better and better. Yes, I know the story, but by knowing the story, I am able to better narrow in on and appreciate the details of the imagery when I watch it 100%. Though depending on my mood*, I find it can also be wonderful to have on in the background of the kitchen, as I bake or cook - whereas I don't need to know the visuals completely as I see it already in my mind - it is here I can appreciate and enjoy more of the language. Besides it is so delightful to revisit the imagery in my memory as I proceed through my days - a bit of escape, if you will.....

What's Black and White and can be Read all over?

Give up? It's a black and white photograph of an abstract painting!   :)  (perhaps a poor riddle, I realize!) My instructor said there is a reason why a painting would be reproduced in black and white. It is for the viewer, perhaps a student such as myself, to be able to see the balance and rhythm of it all without being influenced by color used. Of course that made sense!

And as I had my camera on me, I excitedly decided to give it a try. For the first time in this way, I used my camera as a tool. I set the setting to black and white so that when I looked through its lens the colors within a painting were no longer. As a result I found I was no longer influenced by the color I had chosen and found instead a surprising amount of neutral, unexciting, undramatic gray.......

Here are a couple of paintings and what happened along the way in class #6:

I was surprised to see how grey/neutral this was without color!! What I thought was bold and drama really wasn't working, at least not for me..... and so I decided to shake things up a bit......

It didn't take long before I had created some dramatic darks and lights. The grayness was disappearing...... 

This is the end of my work with this piece for today. Definitely a step in the right direction, I think. I'm curious to see it in color (which I imagine sounds strange as you would think I would be noticing the color as I'm actually painting with color and not with black and white. But now I am really able to use color to create depth (in values of gray through my camera's lens) in a very different way than before!)

Here's another:

This is the painting referenced in my post about class #5......

and the magic beings, layer by layer.....

I had no idea the variety of shades of gray I could achieve through the use of color!

And so the fun continues.....

layer by layer, value by value, a push and a pull

by large and small, papa bear, mama bear, and baby.....

inviting the eye to come and stay for (a long) while......

Stay tuned! I look forward to sharing what I learn next  :)

Abstract Painting - Day 1

I decided to take a painting class, an abstract one, to stretch myself beyond that of my comfort zone.  I also thought it would be perfectly timed after my recent color theory refresher and with my continued desire to loosen up my usually controlled brush stroke. 

Not knowing really what to expect, I arrived for my first day of class with the required materials: paint (I chose my oil), brushes, canvas, mineral spirits, paper towels, palette knife etc. I claimed a table and easel and proceeded to set up my work area.

Classmates in painting studio

As the canvases I had brought where some I had just lying around my home studio, I hadn't considered the process - really not knowing to. I quickly learned just how quick one can paint an area in, in an abstract way, before it needs to be set aside to dry readying it's self for the next layer.

Small painting #1 on easel

I also quickly learned there can be love found in a dirty brush! I had no idea that mixing paint, achieving a desired color, can be accomplished by starting out with a brush pigmented from the previously used hue.

Small painting #2 on easel

As the majority of my classmates, and the instructor herself, primarily painted abstractly in geometric forms, I found myself greatly influenced by these surroundings. I found my organic style finally coming through in my last and final piece of the day, despite its tiny size (4" x 6").

All 3 paintings at day's end

My instructor encouraged me to bring larger canvases the following week so that I would have plenty to keep me busy. I left with my mind all a buzz with what I had learned. Not only was there what I referenced above, but I was also introduced to the idea of scale of color within a piece and how to invite the eye to move throughout. I deemed this first day of class a success! and can't believe I still have 7 more to go (what more could I possibly learn!? (j/k!). Stay tuned, as always.....

Color Theory Revisited

Way back in my college years, I took the required color theory courses. At that time I did not paint and instead had focused my attention on printmaking (specifically creating intaglios) which was done using black ink. All that knowledge about color most likely went by the wayside as it wasn't put to any use.... After graduating, when I slowly started learning on my own how to paint, I choose my paints based on their ability to fulfill my desire for rich, deep, and intense color.

Jumping forward to the painting class I took last year, I determined then there was a lot I didn't know (or remember) from college and that I could benefit from a color theory refresher. My instructor offered to assist me in my motivation to learn..... 

Granted it turned out to be a year later from last year, when I finally felt ready to follow this intention and enrolled in one of her classes.  I had no idea what I didn't know! I first created a color wheel using my usual colors. I loved seeing how my palette related to itself!

She then had me take the secondary colors and mix them equally. I then added white to each new color to create 4 lighter values. So many options of color! I had no idea I had this range of possiblitity in my paint box..... 

I, for the first time in painting, used odorless mineral spirits to clean my brushes in between colors. I also used a palette knife for mixing my colors (so much better than using a brush!), went through many paper towels, and got oil paint seemingly everywhere. Six hours later, I was so tired, but so very excited to take what I learned and apply it to my work. As always, stay tuned  :)

Summer's Inspirations

Okay, where or where has the time gone? I am finding myself in the middle of July already! There's been soooo much to post and I just couldn't bring myself to take the time to do so until now (instead I have been luxuriously! away from the computer and choosing to instead be out in the midst of it all). So to catch you up to speed, here are just a few of the inspirations (in their texture, color, or form) I've seen in my garden this last month and a half: 

Crazy cool roots!

This garden season (for me) is all about defining (which can also be interpreted as pulling growing things (weeds or flowers, it doesn't matter) and scrapping/composting those that no longer fit into the picture of it all for a given area. I have had to harden my heart, so to speak, to be able to pull the plug on these living, growing green things that I love! But it's all about balance and finding the negative space, the space in between plants can be just as beautiful). And so I was tackling an area that had grown out of control when I gave a pull and a yank and I came up with this handful. The violet appearance above earth certainly didn't reflect what I found connected below.

What in the world?

My husband's son, Art, came across this one day as he was visiting me in the garden. This flat, grey, with lots of long hairs caterpillar was on a rock wall under a bridge in our backyard. It's something I would imagine seeing in a far away place, someplace exotic, instead of central Minnesota. I guess it just goes to show you don't need to travel far to witness such natural wonders. They exist all around us if we just take the time to see.....

Caught

One morning I lifted a pot on the back deck to move it slightly when I spotted 2 tree frogs nestled together underneath. By the time I returned with my camera to capture the romantic spooning they had put space in between themselves. I think they don't seem very happy by the disturbance....

Lovely veins

It almost sounds like something a nurse would say as she is about to poke you with a needle..... This is from an ornamental oregano plant, new to my garden this year. The color and minute detail is incredible! Check out the flower:

Underside/Backside of flower

Frontside of flower

I hope you are enjoying this season as much as I! I look forward to sharing with you what else I have been up to. Stay tuned  :)

Play time!

This last weekend I participated in the largest art tour of the country, Art-A-Whirl. I am, nearly always, inspired by such an event; I love sharing and telling with others about the creative path I find myself on and the work that has resulted from this journey. In turn, I learn about new ideas, thoughts, and perspectives - all of which I find invaluable. It can be from a fellow artist down the hall or a someone I had never met.

My inspiration started earlier this time around. I left Friday evening with an idea from such conversations and went home to research the encaustic world further. With the whirl of the weekend, and then work, I had to put my play time in the studio on hold for a few days....

Jump forward to yesterday when I visited a local gallery to specifically see the work of Bethany Kalk. Combined with her wonderful imagery (inspired by nature - what could be more wonderful?) and painting with wax technique (oh! the layers and delicate line highlighting select forms) I was ready to jump in and play (though it was hard not to be fearful after seeing such work).

The following images are the result (please excuse the glare! (I may need to recapture to give justice to, what I think is, my progress made.....)):

I explored layers and colors

in a very different way than before.

      

But of course, there's a Tiny Little House....

The completed 6" square painting on wood.
I wonder.... what shall its title be?

What do you think?  I would love to know!

I'm curious to give this combination another try.... As always, stay tuned  :)

Walking through the garden

Crazy texture and gorgeous color!!

The other day I spotted the beginning of my last year's favorite plant (every year I gravitate to one that I am especially inspired by - last year it was this: a so very large-leafed plant that is of the rhubarb family).

The beginning of the stalks and leaves have started to emerge from the spring earth in their crinkle-like way. I love the depth found in their characteristics - don't you?

inspired by the world of yellow continues....

I'm pleasantly surprised by the duration of my infatuation with the color yellow and all shades in between. Thus it seemed appropriate to create new patterns that satisfied this need within. The patterns below are derived from my original oil painting, The Very First Hiccup of Life . Click here for a visual of this original (it is #31 of 31).



And because I was on a roll or the day rolled on or ideas needing pursuing, this second collection of patterns came into existence. The patterns below are derived from my original oil painting, The Apothecary's Love Potion. Click here for a visual of this original (it is #7 of 7).



I'm quite taken with both of these new collections and am excited to hear your response! What possibilities await!

yellow

"Of the color between green and orange in the spectrum, colored like buttercup or primrose or lemon or sulfur or gold...."

---Oxford English Dictionary

I've been inspired by yellow lately. Curious as that is not normally a color I'm drawn to. But over the last few weeks I've purchased roses and daffodils and tulips. With all of them I have enjoyed their transition from soft and full, warm-of-life petals that generate hope and cheer to petals fragile and brittle and serious in their droopy to dropped nature.

My kitchen counter is the catch-all for all organic forms. It's where I can daily watch them (the potatoes, kohlrabi, gourds, a section of leek, garlic scapes, avocado peels, flowers, kale....) morph; shriveling or expanding, fading in color or changing color all together. I love watching the subtle changes in their texture, color and form and find inspiration even in what most would call ugly, perished, and ready for the compost.