P is for Painting

This little painting started as a way to use the extra paint on my palette but soon took on energy of its own, As with so many of my larger works, this is a mysterious place that invites me in to take a longer look around.

There is something about starting with no plan and letting the paint and the texture take its own path that I find endlessly fascinating and often results in my favorite pieces.

This is acrylic on canvas - 10"x10"

C is for Challenge

Last month I was invited to participate in  The Big 500, Portland's annual sale of art on 8 inch by 8 inch plywood panels. I was honored to be asked, and eager to begin creating the ten pieces I was asked to provide. It seemed easy-peasy - small squares. I thought about flowers, or faces , or ...

The show, a fundraising event benefiting the Oregon Food Bank, started 7 years ago with 100 artists. Now more than 500 artists make 10 works each, for more than 5000 works of art. All art is sold for $40 a panel. The food collected at the food drive at the opening and a portion of proceeds of art sales from this show provide several shelters with food for a few months over the year. Sales are cash (or credit, debit card) and carry - take the pieces you like as you go then bring them to the checkout.

Admission: free entry with canned food donation
              

Sounds great, right? And the show is. But for me, working on the  small, square plywood panels has presented a tremendous challenge. After asking for suggestions, I gessoed the boards and the edges, and began experimenting with acrylics. The paint looked terrible, chalky and flat. The images (my images) didn't seem to fit the space, and my fear of failure began to rise. I tried different media, collaging paper images onto the boards, combining paper with paint, painting directly - nothing was working. The one thing that seemed clear was that whatever I did needed to be bright and bold enough to stand out among the 5000 other pieces that will line the gallery walls.

Finally, last week, I decided to lay 9 boards out in a 3 by 3 square and paint a background pattern across all of them at once. I also promised myself that no matter what - I would follow through with this approach. The paint still looks awful, so I began to play with one of my new favorite tools, acrylic paint pens, working over the underpainting and simply playing with the lines and shapes. I have decided that each piece will  be a variation on the same theme and use the same colors.

This is one of the (almost finished) pieces. I have completed 5 so far. They are bright and bold, and I am no longer sick to my stomach whenever I think about them ... so, I guess this is progress.

The Details: The show is December 10th- Saturday. 2pm-9pm. The show reception will be at Ford Building (2505 SE 11th) this year, as part of Ford Gallery (hosted by building curator Ross Blanchard). The show runs through December 23.

Bb is for Beautiful Blues

Today's image (12x12) acrylic on canvas was created by playing with three shades of blue acrylic paint and white as a mixer. I love messing around with a limited palette because the results can be surprisingly strong.

To start, I flowed a line with a red paint pen - then I starting mixing the blues to create a variety of shades. The top patterning is done with a new favorite tool - a white acrylic pen made by Sharpie. I am very impressed with the quality of these pens - long lasting, a fine strong point and excellent flow control.

W is for White

W is for white. Titanium white acrylic paint that is.

I love to paint white flowers. I love to layer coat upon coat of thick white paint to create depth and texture. I especially love to balance the brightness of the white paint with deep or dark colors.

This painting (16x20 on canvas) is inspired by trillium that grow wild in the woods in the spring. While out walking I looked down and saw a cluster of them, surrounded by their glossy dark green leaves. I liked the idea of a painting from that perspective - looking down into the flowers.

Painting flowers is like preserving strawberries into jam. It is a way to keep the pleasure all year round.

S is for Sunset

Yesterday was about making it rain. And boy it did!  I hated driving home in the dark and torrential downpour. So, today I want sun.

I spent last winter traveling to warm places (and can't wait to leave again.) As I have written before, almost every evening was an opportunity to capture a sunset with my camera. When I got home, some of the images called out to be painted.

 This painting is one of my favorites because it captures both the light and the dark (and a place I long to be again.)

Acrylic on canvas - 12"x24".

B is for Background

I am experimenting with new ways to apply and work with acrylic paints. Thanks to methods I learn about in books such as Art Effects  by Jane Drysdale Green and in YouTube videos, I have been rubbing, scrubbing, scraping, sponging, salting and dabbing with alcohol. (Kinda like preparing a chicken.) The idea is to create an interesting background on which to develop the "stars" of the show.

Just to add to the challenge, I am doing this with old paintings that do not deserve canvas and closet space. These flowers were built on an abstract pattern that bored me. I began to layer paint and rub it back - a sort of glaze. As I repeated this process new lights and darks began to take shape. Suddenly, magically, a vase and flowers appeared. I am very happy with the results. I am fascinated by the background effects in the vase. Now the challenge is to figure out how to do this again.

This painting is 12"x12". Acrylic on canvas