Cc is for Clematis and Color

The end is near, two more days to go. I am on a tear with my new inspiration. Today's work is a drawing of a clematis enhanced with zentangle patterns.

However, I got a new pen today, and when I added a touch of color to the background with inktense pencil and water, the ink ran. BOOOO.

If I have learned anything in my life, it is that mistakes and problems are often the gateway to new discoveries and highly satisfying solutions. So....

A little help from my digital pal Photoshop allowed me to drop out the background. Then I added a gradient layer, just to try, and knew this was the background intended to go with this flower.

My final November post will appear on Saturday ... then, on to who knows what.

Bb is for Bold Blooms

I am inspired. The combination of flowers, lines, zentangle patterns and time to be creative allowed me to spend an entire day at work on this. I love the foreground flowers and the leaves, and the little patterns near the table top. Oh, and zoom in on the vase.

This is fine point markers, black and color, and inktense pencil for some POP. 9x12 on watercolor paper.

More tomorrow. Its great to have something new to focus on.

V is for Variation

Variations on a Fall Theme

Happy Thanksgiving - one day late.

Sometimes I like to simply mess around with Photoshop, photos, filters and effect and see what appears. This is today's ... variations on the same photo, layer upon layer, sliced and colored and combined and recombined. FUN to play sometimes ... my holiday treat.

This began as a simple image of autumn leaves on a table. This is one of my favorite ways to play with images. I never know what I will find, and I find it amazing to discover what can appear. Most of all, I like to give myself permission to simply play with no goal. This feels festive to me ... perfect for my favorite holiday.

I hope yours is a good one.

U is for Up

 My "senior class" today was a delight. My preparation, which included printing a collection of large, vibrant flowers, and even pre-sketching a few, resulted in truly lovely work, and a relaxing  pre-Thanksgiving afternoon. To start the class I demonstrated how to mix and blend and deepen colors when working with Caran D'ache watersoluble crayons (which everyone loves). As my classes progress, my students (my "aspiring artists" as Lillian refers to our group) are growing more independent, and more skilled.

When things go well, and everyone enjoys themselves, and real learning has taken place,  I feel happy ... UP ... and I express that good feeling with color. This is pastel on black paper and lots of digital fooling around to bring even more color and texture to the piece. 

T is for This and That and Trumpets again

Today is Tuesday - the day I try to set aside for class project development. I have been very creative all day, working on three different projects, making changes to existing work, taking a drawing in a new direction and trying new techniques.

Tomorrow, in class with my elder students, we will use Caran D'ache to draw and then paint large flowers on watercolor paper.

I think my lesson will include a demonstration of the  way I build the colors, by layering, first the dominant undercolor, and then building one over another until there is depth, darks and lights, and drama.

So, to practice, I revisited one of my favorite florals - The Trumpets. This is from a photo I took in a botanical garden, and I have always loved the composition of the three flowers.

This time, instead of using pastel, I drew and then them colored with Caran D'ache NeoColorII water soluble crayons. Then I wet it all - blending the colors with a brush and adding more, dry over wet, and then more wet, as needed.

R is for Rose

Wild Rose

I have been thinking about creating a new series of paintings - or continuing to work on the one I have already begun with the hope of having enough related work to create a show.

I've also been thinking about, and teaching about Georgia O'Keeffe.

When I look at my drawings and paintings, and at my photography, and when I think of what comes easiest to my hands, and what looks best on my canvases,  it is clear that I am once again headed in the direction of flowers.

This renewed urge to start something new, coupled with the Georgia focus has resulted in time spent poring over my floral photos, as well as past paintings. Looking at my digital pix, I began to enlarge the images seeking detail, depth, patterns and ideas. Look what I found in a simple (incredibly fragrant) wild rose that grows in my front yard. By enlarging the image, I found a whole world (a universe?) - so today, R day, is about the redolent red rose.

O is for Orange

Kitchen Window: Apricots in Blue 

I am off to an art show today, bringing a stack of paintings and lots of drawings all matted in classy black. Wish me luck. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to United Way - so its good for everybody.

This pastel painting is part of my Kitchen Window series. I put fruit into my blue bowl, arrange it around more of my blue glass pieces and set it in my sunny kitchen window to see what appears. I take lots of photos and then paint the ones that have the strongest contrast. Of course the warm complement of the orange apricots absolutely harmonize with the blues of the glass. The repeated round shapes and white lines add to the overall effect.

N is for Name

Name One

The Name Game

Once, in a painting class, we explored the idea of using graphic symbols to create patterns. I took this to mean writing. So, often, when at a loss for an idea, I will write a name, in different sizes and at different angles, all across a page or canvas.

Then, I simply begin to fill the shapes that result from the criss-crossing lines. I am always amazed that something that relates to the name I am working with, appears in the image.

I have given this as a design assignment in many different classes, and everyone always loves the idea of playing with their own name and seeing what happens. Its a great exercise for relaxation - allowing you to let go of any notions of what it should be, and allowing it to become whatever it wants to be. This exercise is fun with paint, and, as in the drawing on this page, I like to use fine line markers in a limited palette to create delicate and airy shapes.

M is for Many

Carnations

Last week the senior class painted in the style of Georgia O"Keeffe. One single flower to fill the page.

Tomorrow the topic will be many. We will draw  a bunch of flowers, real or imagined, to fill the space, using oil pastel on black paper. The challenge will be to draw big,  draw many, not too many details, and use lots of color.. There will be flower pictures for inspiration.

Each of the artists in my class has a distinct style. I look forward to the variety of bouquets that will appear tomorrow.

Carnations was drawn in oil pastels on black sandpaper.

L is for Lovely Lavender

Lavender Clematis

Last summer I was asked to design an art class for our local clematis test gardens. Lucky me.

To prepare, I spent hours in among the flowers, looking, analyzing and taking photographs.

Clematis grow on vines in lush clusters of blooms set on dark leaves.  They come in a rainbow of colors and sizes, from darkest purple to creamiest white. I took hundreds of photos. Then I spent many more hours learning how to draw them.

Today, a rainy and dreary day, I felt the need for some floral loveliness, and turned to my photos for cheer. Spending time among my floral photos was like returning to the summer garden. With so many choices, it was the beautiful lavender of these flowers, the soft red of their centers and the way they are set against that greens from light to dark that grabbed my attention and said, play with me in Photoshop. So I did. It brightened my day. I hope it does yours as well.

K is for Kandinsky

Inspired by Kandinsky  Tempered Elan 1944

One of the very best parts of my life as an artist is the classes I take. I have often raved about my wonderful teacher, Illa Guttman, and her outstanding Dynamic Abstracts classes, all rooted in art history. Each class is an opportunity to be introduced to another abstract artist, analyze his or her work, and take inspiration from the artist to create our own work.

I tend to fall in love a lot in these classes, meeting old favorites and discovering new ones. But it was Moscow born Vassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) who stole my heart. His use of color, his imaginative shapes, his vivid use of line, the way he works within a flat plane, and so much more, all  resonate with my own Russian roots.

This painting (18x24 acrylic on canvas) was done in class, inspired by a work called Tempered Elan. The flowing shape reminds me of the gorgeous Russian embroidery I so admire, and the little bird shape recalls a Matryoshka (those brightly colored nesting dolls) for me. The colors and the pattern are my own, but the freedom to paint this free flowing shape is pure Kandinsky.

To learn more about this artist, and see images of his work, visit this site Kandinsky 

J is for Jewel colors

Golden Apples Hang Like Jewels

Amber, topaz, citrine, tourmaline, even carnelian and a touch a jade and amethyst - these are the colors I see in this digital image of tiny, jewel like golden apples dangling from a tree on an autumn evening.

Several years ago, I knew it was time to stop sitting at a computer to write and create digital art. I knew it would be good for my health to work away from my desk.And good for my mind to learn something new. So I began to paint and draw. In the same way I would lose hours playing with color and texture and effects on my screens, I now work at an easel or a large table - often standing. This decision has enhanced every aspect of my life. But sometimes, on my daily walks with dogs and camera for example, I take a photo that calls out for Photoshop. These tiny yellow apples are a perfect example. As I walked by the tree in the evening light, the last rays of sun lit them like jewels. I could not resist playing with them in Photoshop to see if I could turn them into something abstract and emphasize the golden light.

H is for High Rise

High Rise

After weeks of drawing and painting rural landscapes with trees and mountains, when I sat down to play the other day, I turned my page from landscape to portrait ( or from hamburger to hot dog as my kid students say, ) and drew a few vertical lines. Then a curve and then another. Before I knew it, a city scene began to appear. I decided to just keep making lines and see where it took me.

I find that water is appearing in many of my scenes now, and  I am still fascinated by working flat - without shadow. This drawing was a great way to learn about creating depth simply by placing one shape behind another.

Is this a drawing of downtown Portland, aka Bridgetown? Is this an art deco city? My memories of home in New York?  Maybe, possibly, could be. Wherever this imagined city is, I am very pleased with the result.

I am learning that for me at least, my creativity is unleashed by NOT planning and predetermining what I am going to draw or paint. I regularly structure a project for myself -  by choosing materials and a method, and then just let  something appear and go with it.

Honestly, this has resulted in more than a few garbage liners, but, the more I let myself just draw and play, the more I discover unexpected faces and places and feelings.  And the more I love lines.

This drawing is 9x12. Sharpies and markers on watercolor paper.

G is for Georgia on My Mind

Dahlia ala Georgia O'Keeffe

One of the most effective tools I use to inspire and teach my senior students is a PowerPoint presentation. I regularly gather information and images to introduce and talk about an artist or a style of art.

My students all enjoy seeing the presentation displayed on a large screen TV, and for me, its a great way to show, not tell, what we are going to be working on in class.

Last week our presentation was on Grandma Moses. She, like many of my seniors, lived and worked in a farm community. Her work is simple and accessible, and very appealing. They totally "got" her. I loved sharing facts of her life, including that she came to painting in her 70's, and lived to be 101. In my research I learned that before arthritis made holding a needle too difficult,  she created paintings in needlepoint, embroidering in thread on cloth. Lots of my older students are or were very handy with a needle, so this small fact made painting landscapes is her style seem a little more possible.

Lillian Pakos

Today, my presentation is about Georgia O'Keeffe (lived to be 98). I have found, whether teaching kids or adults, whether aiming for realistic images or abstraction, drawing and painting flowers yields great results. So, the lesson today will be to draw just one large flower to fill the space of our page, and design and color it as we like. I will provide a wide selection of single flower photos from my own collection, and see what appears.

My dahlia above is an exercise in limited palette, 8x10, acrylic on canvas. The other drawing, by Lillian Pakos is a beautiful example of the kinds of work I see in my classes.

A is for Art Everyday for a Month Challenge AGAIN

Roller Coaster

November has begun, and so has the 2012 Art Everyday for a Month Challenge. This is the third year I have participated, and if the past two years are any indication, this month will be challenging, delightful and slightly terrifying. And, a great way to get in touch with other artists.

In the past, the work I created reflected my place in my own learning. Year one was more about drawing, last year was all about abstraction. This year, not only am I still deeply into my journey as an abstract painter, but I have also been studying color theory and working with a limited palette.

Aurora working on her roller coaster

Most of all though, this year I am teaching art. My students range in age from 5 to 95! Since I have such a variety of students and abilities, I need to spend considerable art time each week preparing lessons that can meet very specific and individual needs. This means less painting and more drawing. Fewer acrylics and more ... anything and everything. This also means a lot of practice and a lot of full sketch books. The process of regularly generating new ideas, practicing them, analyzing them for ease and accessibility has had a profound impact on my paintings. They are often simpler and much more fun. Add to this all my work in color theory  - my painting are evolving and my sense of my own skill is growing.

So, this month, I will be writing about painting, about abstract art, about some of the new and wonderful materials and media I have encountered this year, about my students, and the cool projects I am coming up with so that they can feel successful and able. I will also, no doubt, be using my digital camera and digital tools to help me share my work, and maybe, the work of some of my talented students. This feels like an ambitious list, but thirty days is a long time, and lots of pages to fill.

The drawing on this page is inspired by my young student AJ. He suggested we paint roller coasters. I love his idea and have done several versions. This one is color pencil on sandpaper - a WOW combination I discovered purely by accident.