Dd is for Done and Done and some Digital too

We've made it to the final day of the Challenge Month. November is almost done and December is just ahead with all the busyness, bother and pleasures it is sure to bring. So, I am glad that I have completed this task, but I will miss the daily-ness of thinking, planning, writing and creating.

Though I worried about my ability to fulfill my personal challenge of using the alphabet to structure my month's work, I find that I  have once again learned a great deal about my art, process and need for structure by doing things in this way. I still find that using the alphabet to organize my posts results in creative ideas - I don't fight myself, just let the words and themes appear. Then something always works out.

Today's piece combines monotype printing and some interesting digital tweaks. I won't share the process - just the results.  Thanks to all of you who have been following my work, and especially for the comments and connections. I am grateful to you all. Till next November ...

Cc is for Crazy for Caran D'ache Crayons

I first encountered them by accident. A practically brand new box of 15 Caran D'ache were part of a garage sale hoard of art supplies.From the first time I used them I was thrilled by their intense colors, and the variety of ways I could use them. Wet, dry, combination of both, rough surface or smooth - always a great result.

They have become a staple of my senior art classes because they are both easy to handle and bright enough to see, even with vision problems. And they ability to see work get better by adding water is always a huge hit.

So, if I wasn't crazy for these cool crayons before, my newest application for them would have put me over the edge. They are an amazing tool for use in monotype printing. I can use them to draw on even the smoothest plates and surfaces, and their water soluble nature allows them to transfer beautifully when wet paper is laid on top. I can't stop experimenting.

This is one of the pieces I have created. It is based on a favorite painting, and the colors are a close match to the original. The first print was a little light, but because the paper was wet, lightly going over the shapes restored all to full color.

Monotype with Caran D'ache on Arches paper. 16"x20"

Bb is for Bright Blue

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Among the myriad things I am thankful for today, a bright blue sky adds to the bliss. Here's hoping it sticks around for the whole day.

This is a photograph, no adjustments needed. Just an ant's eye view of Queen Anne's lace on a beautiful day.

Aa is for Art Accomplished

Today was a busy day. Art class in the morning resulted in three monotypes.

This one was created in class two weeks ago and I just got it home. It is the second print, created on the ghost of another. It carries the background greens and yellows, which I enhanced and then added the imprints of the flowers I carved and a butterfly stencil I altered to add more round shapes. This is a very interesting process - I have so much to learn ... yay.

Art class for my seniors this afternoon resulted in some "gourdgeous" work as we created patterned pumpkins and squash. I am always fascinated by the variety of images created, and how, once we get started, past the initial confusion and lost looks, silence and focus descends, and art is made.

I love this one by Betty.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Z is for Zephyr

Definition of zephyr (n)

Bing Dictionary

• zeph·yr
• [ zéffər ]

1. mild wind: a light warming breeze
2. delicate fabric: a delicate, usually woolen fabric or garment

Z is a tough letter to work with in the context of this alphabet blog - but it certainly fits with today's piece.

Not only does this little painting (9"x12" on canvas board) feel light and breezy - but I used delicate fabrics with a light weave to create the texture and foggy feel.

To create this, I played with different media on each layer - oil pastel, dry pastel, watery acrylic and, to create the sunlight on the water, I used gold spray paint and netting. Very fun. Maybe even a little bit Zen.

Y is for Yellow

Red used to be my favorite color for my paintings. Cadmium red medium to be precise. But that is so yesterday. Today, I am in love with yellow - cadmium yellow is my new favorite. I buy it in the extra large tubes. I especially love the shades that I get when I add white to the mix. Pure sunshine.

Today's painting was done in my Dynamic Abstract class. The assignment involved a set of complicated instructions - including standing outside holding a flower in the sun to create a shadow and sketching that shape - repeating it, adding a prescribed number of lines and circles, and limiting to only one color with black and white. Lots of fun to do. Art projects may be the only time in my life where I enjoy being told what to do :-)

This is "18x"24, acrylic on canvas.

X is for eXpress Yourself

Every so often I have the urge to paint a face.

This one, though it does not resemble my actual features, is called Big Idea - and somehow expresses my inner self. And my white hair.

 I really enjoyed "fracturing the image" to create the light and interesting lines. So, painting a face, and abstracting what I find with color and line is one way I like to express the artist in me.

This is acrylic on canvas - "16x"20.

W is for Woman in White

It feels like winter today - clear and cold. But, this is a special day. We are celebrating the third birthday of my favorite boy.

Today's image is Woman in White. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have been playing with torn paper collage. This wide-eyed woman is built on a drawing I sketched onto canvas (18"x24"). I especially enjoyed creating the swirls in her eyes and her curls. I added warm colors to the background. Looking at it now, I wonder why.


This is the birthday boy. He tells me he will be very tall when his birthday comes. Today's the day.

TUV is for Tripped Up by Virus

Or maybe by the vaccines I took on Tuesday to prevent flu and pneumonia. All I know is that two days are gone and I am finally starting to feel better.

In case you did not know, creativity is not necessarily enhanced by sickness. I missed my printing class, and two that I teach - but lying in bed I did have time to THINK UP VARIATIONS (get it? TUV) and the part they play in my art.

I have drawn and painted numerous variations on this cat theme - on my own and in classes - I like this one because the idea was to use only hot colors on the cat and cool colors on the background - and match the eyes to the background. He is a favorite because he reminds my of my beautiful cat Charlie who is no longer with us. So, this guy hangs in my studio. He is oil pastel and sharpie on textured heavy paper - 11x14".

Since Charlie always knew how to make me feel better - I thought he deserved a place on the blog today.

S is for Short and Symettry

Today I am short on time, short on inspiration and short on energy, but I do want to do something creative.

I have been teaching about symmetry in my kids classes this week - and this combination of drawing and digital imaging came to mind. This is the kind of art I do to relax.

Today's image began as a drawing that I copied and repeated in two positions - then I photographed it and played with it in Photoshop. The result is this double double symmetrical design - digitally painted. I love the colors.

R is for the Round Red Dot

One of my favorite lessons for young students came from a children's book I found on a random library search in a the school collection.

Apologies to the unknown author, and thanks, because that book proved a very fine inspiration for helping kids observe what is around them.

I no longer have the book, or even know its real title, but this sweet little book encouraged the children in the story to notice objects that were "As red and as round as a round red dot." I recall balls of red wool in a basket, and bright red apples on a tree.

I often send kids out with an assignment to spend a week noticing and listing all the things they observe that are as round and as red as a red dot.

The lists are amazing, because as time passes, eyes sharpen and those round red dots seem to  appear everywhere  - on pepperoni pizza, on Tylenol bottles, on dresses, on stop lights, and YAY, for me, on a painting in a show.

The round red dot means a piece of art has SOLD!!! So, needless to say, I am always looking out for my own. Here is one.

This painting of poppies in a blue jar  (18x24", acrylic on canvas) sold at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts. Seeing this round red dot has only made me hungry to see lots more.

Q is for Quit: Knowing When To ...

Is it done yet? Do I need to do more? This is constant question, both for myself and my students.

When I am asked in a class, I sagely suggest that my students become "a wise cabbage" - one who knows enough to quit while he or she is a head. They all get the idea ... but the question remains. How do you know when it is time to put down the brush or the marker and just call it DONE?

In my classes I tend to see students go in one of two ways - tread too lightly and never really get into the piece for fear of going too far. Or, endlessly add layers of color and lines until the image turns into mud. I wish I knew the answer, how to identify that magic moment when we have done enough - but not too much to bring our ideas from our mind to the page or canvas.

How do you know? Do you have a clue you can share?

The example on the page is a combination of water color paint, sharpie marker and caran d'ache. It was begun outdoors on vacation - a chance to play with color and my travel art kit. I  worked on it for a several hours, and suddenly, I knew I was done. I wish I could tell you how I knew - but I felt without a doubt ... it was time to quit.

P is for Postal

This summer I took a MOOC Massive Open Online Course - through Coursera.

According to Wikipedia a MOOC is a massive open online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for the students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.

The course I took this summer was called Introduction to Art, and as I mentioned earlier, though I am not a beginner, I found a great deal to learn in the unique lessons and projects. One of my favorites focused on the history and development of Mail Art.

Our assignment was titled Correspondence with Memory, and asked us to create the inner and outer art to convey a message sent by mail.

We were actually supposed to design an envelope and interior message, but somehow I came up with a two sided postcard, that really invoked a memory and all the emotions that accompanied it. 

Thinking of a letter or postcard also brought words (and puns) into the mix. These are the results - they are collaged from numerous publications and places, truly a gathering of ideas to send.

O is for Once in a While - Collage

Every once in a while, often in a class, I am introduced to a totally new technique. Last spring, in a class on creativity, the assignment was to work with torn paper to create a collaged image - color optional.

I actually did this assignment three times. I addition to these sunflowers, I did a face and an abstract.

For inspiration, I found a large and very old sheet of thick cottony paper in my stash. This had had been lightly drawn on long ago, and was not nice enough to use for any other project.

Though I knew any paper might be used to interesting effect, this thick and heavy stuff promised a good result because it tore into rough soft edges which allowed me to fit them, like a mosaic into a drawing on canvas.

This was the ultimate in sticky finger projects, but by using gel medium, applied with a paint brush in thin layers, I soon discovered that I could both fit and layer the tiny paper pieces to create both shape and texture. I also chose to add some color into the background that would show through.

This was painstaking and tedious work, but I just loved listening to music and playing around to build each work. It is unlike my other work, and therefore a fun thing to do, once in a while.

18"x24" on canvas

N is for Next

Today was my monotype printing class; my chance to be the student.

I am proud to say that I was much neater and made much less of a mess this week. I find working with oil based ink, and all the unfamiliar tools, and all the stuff you need - such as stencils and mark makers, and bits of textured this and that, a little challenging. I am not neat by nature, but I am eager to learn new stuff.

In this class I am learning to work with the paint knives and the brayers, and the different (unlimited) techniques for making marks on the Plexiglas plate. Its a little overwhelming, and as I keep saying, absolutely fascinating.

These two prints are from the last class. The top one was done first and printed. The second was designed on the ghost of the first - bringing some color, texture and shapes along. I followed the same process today - and the three prints I created are drying in the print workshop. You will have to wait a week to see them.

These are approx. 8"x11"





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M is for More More More Monotype

I am experimenting with different ways to create prints. I am especially thinking of ways to simplify this process to make it work for my Seniors.

So, this latest trial was painting with gouache on acetate. I chose a simple abstract pattern and light paper to print onto.

Once again I wet the paper and transferred the image - which turned out quite delicate. So, I felt the need to continue to play with the lovely shapes that appeared. I added lines and dots with sharpie - staying true to the printed underpattern and colors.



Acetate Plate

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L is for Learning Curve

I am completely fascinated by the process of learning how to create printed images. Everyday it seems that I am discovering more possibilities. I am interested in this not only for my own work, but as a way for my senior class to work as well. I think the element of surprise and the potential for working on top of the printed image have lots to offer this group.

So I have been practicing what I am learning (through classes, books and videos.)

To create this image, I reused the "ghost" of the earlier cat I painted on this sheet of Plexiglas. The ghost is the paint or ink that remains on the glass after the image has been transferred (printed) onto wet paper.

As I worked with the image I realized I could change and enhance and play with the earlier cat. Because the first image is on the bottom, everything I put on top will be stronger on the new print. This seems easy enough to understand, but I felt like I was discovering all these ideas as I worked along. I loved the sensation of growing understanding as I played with the paint. I learned, for example,  that the new layer of gouache paint adheres better to the ghost paint than to the plain Plexiglas (or other material.) I also discovered how much of the ghost makes its presence known on the second image.

I liked this process so well I have tried several more - using different patterns and materials. I also figured out that I could scratch or draw texture into the paint. I can't wait to play some more.

  

The Top Cat is the print - you can see the texture. The bottom is the painted plate.

 

K is for Kitchen Art

There is nothing as beautiful as the colors and shapes of fruits and vegetables in season.

One of my favorite ongoing art projects is emptying my farmer's market bag or garden basket onto my kitchen counter and playing with the produce, planning meals, and creating groupings to photograph. I love the strong colors (I believe in eating the rainbow), the variations in color (which orange is really orange?), the shapes and the compositions that naturally appear.

I have taken  hundreds of photos of my food groupings. And spent hours in my garden or at the farmer's market framing and shooting images. Some just call out to be drawn or painted; oranges and apples especially for some reason call out for pastels. Onions too.

The one on this page is just a collection of the fruit planned for the week. Yum. Pastel on Canson MiTiente. 9"x11"

J is for Jumping In (to something new)

Two new things have appeared in my art life this week. The first, I have already mentioned. I am taking a class in Monotype printing.

All of the new things I am learning here has been eye-opening. Thinking about printing is helping me see an entirely new way to create images.

Though we work in oil-based inks and use a press to create work in class, I had heard rumors about using watercolors to create beautiful images as well. I am interested in learning to do this because I think any of my students would find this a great way to work.

Then, some new materials appeared in the studio where I teach my kid classes. Little tubes of gouache. I have little experience with this medium, and my lovely program director suggested I take some home to experiment so that my students can get the most out of these beautiful paints. Also, and purely by serendipity, a sheet of Plexiglas appeared on my work table at home.

I asked Google "How to create monotypes with watercolor?" Google responded with several excellent UTube videos. It was clear I had everything I needed, from the all cotton paper that I would need to soak, to the high quality paints, and an abundance of  fun images to work from. I chose this cat because of the clearly defined areas I drew into the original pattern, and I like the contrast of colors.

This image (my first try) is created in gouache on Plexiglas, and printed onto Arches paper. I can see lots of possibilities for this method, and plan to revisit the "ghost" (the image that is still on the plate) and see what that will allow me to do.

I is for Individuality

There comes a point in almost every lesson where I stand back and look at the group of people, whether young or old, who are quietly working on the same project, following the same set of instructions, using the same materials, and I marvel.

For many years, my teaching, learning and writing focused on the subjects of diversity and cultural competence. Our schools are filled with children and families from different countries, cultures, languages, economic and social backgrounds. It was my job to create lessons or materials for teachers and community members to help them see, understand and teach to individual needs and characteristics.

My work always focuses on how to make everyone successful ... It is easy for me now, with my small classes, but  when you have dozens or even hundreds of students to teach everyday, how can you see them as individuals? How can you appreciate what each person brings to the class, the community, the world?

For me, the answer is simple. Watch a group make art. It is through the creative process that we can begin to understand how each individual sees the world; better understand their skills and deficits as they manipulate materials, and learn more about them as we see how each expresses ideas in their own way.

When our group stands back to admire the work that each of us has created, I am amazed at the differences I see, the beauty that appears, and the fact that language, money and home are not part of the equation. Art is purely a product of its maker - a true reflection of the individual hands and mind that created it.

Instead of sharing my own art work today, these photos show just some of the wonderfully diverse students I am privileged to teach, and their vibrant art.