Bring a big stick ...
Okay ... when your art class is required to bring a big stick with them for the lesson you do have to wonder what the plan is ...
Actually, it was fun. We taped our paintbrushes to the end of the stick and did both the sketching and the actual painting of the still life standing about a metre or so away from the canvas. Such a lack of precision and control and I loved it!
For so many parts of my day and my world I am a rule follower and very fond of being in control (or at least aiming to do so). So trying to paint a menorah and a bunch of flowers while clutching on to what is in effect a VERY long handled part brush was great fun and very liberating. Admittedly I did have an crisis early in the project whereby I misjudged the whole sketching in (so tricky to do using only a long-handled paintbrush) and managed to have 8 candle holders ... luckily a little blue paint and a little more burnt sienna and voila back to 7!
I am not naturally drawn to painting still life style paintings but I do love doing them. If that makes sense? I would never choose a still life as a subject if I had my own way but the challenge of having to paint what is presented - the composition, the objects and the colour scheme - is such an excellent exercise - challenging and rewarding.
Negative not positive
Looking for the spaces and the shadows - that is the joy of negative painting.
The exercise today was to paint the space around the chair - not to paint the image of the chair - just the spaces around the chair. I enjoy approaching a painting this way. There is a challenge to see shapes in the negative space that I really enjoy ... maybe it is just a reflection of how I look at the world ;-)
I had the time to do two different studies of the chair - different angles, different spaces and different shadows. So much more enjoyable than just painting the chair itself!
Here are the two paintings:
Hands up!
I'm continuing my (slight) fixation with hands. Having finally decided it was time to tackle painting and drawing hands, I have been thoroughly enjoying the process.
I have been using a combination of acrylic paint and coloured pencils and just experimenting with different ideas and styles. Here are 3 in my series of hands:
And the hands have it ...
The prompt for Jessica Swift's Campfire this week was "hands" ... it was a good challenge to get me thinking about creating a pattern based on a prompt by someone else. I am still figuring out how to really incorporate my own artwork into my patterns in a style that works for me and then how to make the patterns work beyond a basic grid. Still, it's all about practice and more practice ... if you can call thoroughly enjoying being creative "practice".
Actually "hands" was a timely prompt - I am busily trying to learn to draw and paint hands anyway. Hmmm, I still have a long way to go in this particular area. I suspect it will take me years to finally master that particular skill ... but again, hey, years of painting and drawing ... I'm all for that!
Here is a first attempt (just so I know what to look back on as I keep practicing ...):
Everyday creativity
For another few days at least, the days are long and peaceful. Summer holiday-mode is on us ... and for me that means time set aside to be creative without needing to rush between activities and appointments.
I have been working small-scale (I don't have the room inside to work on anything particularly large and it is WAY too hot to go outside). So back to my journal I go. I have been using the gouache paint and prismacolor pencils I was given for Christmas. Nice, very nice. I quite like how they work together as well as on their own. In an effort to keep myself focused on just being creative, I have made an effort to upload each day's work onto my instagram account each day. So far, so good.
I suspect I will struggle to be creative everyday once work and general life obligations reestablishment themselves. But, for the moment, let the creativity continue!
Here are some of my efforts this last week:
Meet Davo | Canvas #4
I am so pleased I decided to take the BIA art class this semester. I wasn't sure if Painting 1 was going to be something that I would enjoy. Previously I have used a small journal for my art - drawing, collaging, writing - but all in a very small scale. This class has stretched me and my art - both literally and metaphorically.
I have just about finished Canvas #4 - I'm calling him Davo. He's morphed from a background of colour into a blue guy who bears a resemblance to a statue. I still have some work to do to finish the background but I think he's pretty much done.
The canvas is pretty big - over a metre in width and that has been the fun. I love working on a large scale. Who knew that would be the case? Each canvas takes hours of work, although admittedly the time just evaporates ...
I have only a week left in the class for this semester. I need to finish the background for Davo and finish up Canvas #5 ... could be a very busy week!
And yet more colour | Canvas #5
Out of your comfort zone; sometimes you just need to go out of your comfort zone. Well at least that is what I keep telling myself. With canvas #5 I decided to paint intuitively rather than try to paint with an end point in mind. Ok, I admit, I thought it would be easier than it is ...
Yes, the actual adding of paint to the canvas is particularly enjoyable. Blue paint, green paint, mix in black, stir it all around ... I'm not concerned with painting anything representational but there is where it gets harder than it looks.
Where am I taking my painting? What colours am I using? What message am I conveying?
Maybe the answer to all of those questions is: don't know, doesn't matter ...
I'm sure this canvas will continue to evolve. I'm thinking darker, moodier with splashes of white and green and pink ... or not ... :-)
And she is done | Canvas #3
Looking nothing like the original painting, Canvas #3 is finally done. This painting was an exercise in glazing - building layers of transparent paint to reach the final point.
I completely appreciate the technique ... and at the same time it was definitely not a technique that I would choose first over others. I love getting lost in the painting process. I love splashing paint around the canvas; painting more intuitively than with an end point in mind. Glazing works best slowly and methodically. Building layer on layer until the story is told.
My very serious friend here took me quite a few weeks to finish. I thought working in a square would be interesting but actually in many ways the shape challenged my plans for composition.
I learned quite a bit by completing this painting and that is really what it is all about: learning, creating, learning and creating more.
This is the evolution of canvas #3 (from original painting, then overpainted and turned into my serious friend):
Blue man | Canvas #4
He's blue. Well, more of a blue tint than completely blue but still, at the moment I am thinking of him as blue.
I don't know whether to keep him blue or go with a more lifelike colour. There is something interesting about the blue. Maybe I'll keep working on the shading a bit more and I might come to a decision about his colouring. I'm getting braver with painting figures and torsos and moving away from just a face. (I will always love just a face but a guess variety is a good thing ... you never know one day I might just paint flowers instead ;-)
Complete transformation | Canvas #3
Gesso is marvellous. The painting I started last week was a challenge. I didn't like the composition; it was off-balance and I wasn't sure how to fix it. Aaah, but there is always the magic of gesso. Sunday morning, a few coats of gesso and I'm on my way again. Still grappling with the idea of how to make glazing work to my advantage but at least I am happier with the overall composition of the painting.
Painting is challenging. I have an idea in my mind of how I would like the painting to go ... but it mostly doesn't end up looking like I imagine. That's where it gets fun. How do I make it work? How do I fix things? In this case, how can I use glazing to make the painting better ...
This painting still has a long way to go but I am enjoying the process. It will be interesting to see how it finishes up ...