T is for Three Layers (twice)

Student sample

Three layer paintings are always a big hit in my painting classes. We start with a line - a pattern, a word, a energetic feeling. Then everyone receives a palette with red, yellow, blue and white paint and a test strip so that they can experiment with mixing the colors. This is my favorite part of the lesson, as shades and mixes begin to appear. This is basically a color-field painting.

Students paint each area - taking care to keep colors separate.  Then, when the paint is dry, white and black markers or oil pastels are used to draw patterns and lines on top. The results are always fabulous and everyone is successful.
Just for the fun of it, I doubled one of my three layer paintings in Photoshop, flipped one and then blended the two images.

R is for Ready and Results

I am ready. Finished the ten pieces I am submitting to the Big 500, Peoples Art of Portland show. Finally.

This project which I thought would be easy was a challenge for me on a number of levels. Now that I'm done I am pleased with the results.

When I first started to work with them, I found it very difficult to make acrylic paint look good on the 10 8x8 boards provided by Chris Haberman who runs the show.

Though I had some ideas for images, nothing I tried out was remotely working for me. So, I tried to search online for examples of other works created for previous Big 500 shows, I did not find much.

To add to my angst and fear of failure, my very dear dog, Rosco, had passed away leaving me sad and not creative. I needed inspiration.

Then, as so often in my life, two times in a day, from two different people, the same advice - paint all the boards as one piece. I could begin - though I had no theme or plan beyond the most basic and easiest - take a line for a walk across the surface of the 3x3 square of nine blocks. I gessoed as recommended. Then brought out the colors.

I thought about what thousands of art covered squares in a gallery would look like - and how I could get anyone to see, let alone buy, my paintings. COLOR! Its what I do best. Limited palette, paths of color flowing over the surface. Hot and cool. The paint looked horrible. I felt absolutely discouraged.

I experimented with adding water color crayon on top of the paint layer, rubbing with pastel, over painting with a single color, nothing worked. Until I thought about drawing lines and patterns with acrylic paint pens on the surface of the paint. Finally !  Once I got started it was easy, and I really enjoyed the freedom to just play with the shapes and patterns.

So, here are four of the ten pieces. The moon picture I showed yesterday is also in the collection. The pieces will be displayed randomly throughout the show - which is too bad because I think they look awesome in a group.

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"

H is for "Highly Realistic" (or maybe hope)

I created this image with the Oil tools and brushes in Art Rage.

After downloading and playing with the free Art Rage Oils app, I invested $4.99 to purchase the full program. This is clearly the premier painting program available for Android users, described as "natural painting software." In my opinion, it totally lives up to its promise of "highly realistic" painting tools.

To create this sunset (sunrise?), I played with various brush choices and of course, colors. I loved the way this tool allows me to blend colors, choose hues and tints within the color menu, highlight parts with thin and delicate overlays, scratch through the paint with a thin brush, and all in all - have a very satisfying and higlly realistic painting experience.

Just what I needed on this horrific election day - here's hoping for a happy outcome - for all of us.

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.

A is for App

Welcome back November and Art Every Day month. This is my seventh year of participation. This year my plan is to focus on a new art form that has me intrigued. I look forward to another great month of creativity, work and sharing. So, on to the art.

I have always wanted a gadget that I could use to draw directly on the screen, something that would let me be creative while traveling in our camper. Also, I am always looking for tools that let me work in different ways.

I wanted a way to use a stylus and I need a large enough surface area so that I feel as if I am actually  drawing or painting directly.

In August my husband gave me an early birthday gift, a 10" Fire Tablet by Android. I am hooked. I am thrilled. I can't stop playing with it.

Simply by playing I am learning new approaches not only to working on the tablet, but finding ways to apply what I am learning in this digital format to my work in paint and other materials.

I am also understanding how this tablet allows me to combine my graphic and digital skills and tool knowledge with my fine art hand skills. Fascinating.

My first task, after an arduous setup process was to explore the art apps available. There are not as many as I imagined, for Android, but after reading reviews I knew that one, ArtRage is the standout. (I will be writing more about the full app in later posts.)

To give it a try, I began with ArtRage Oil, a free, limited version of the ArtRage for Android app. The website says that it was “created to allow people to try out ArtRage’s oil paints easily, and for children to use.” It doesn’t say how much pure fun it is to work with.

August was hot, but I spent hours in the shade of our grape arbor experimenting, first with only my fingers, and then with my new stylus. I am awed by the ease of use, and the amazing way that the paints in the app react like oils in reality - moving and blending and creating dense or smooth textures. The art on this page are both finger paintings. For the one the top left, I  set the paint options to metallic, the lower right was in matte. Amazing? I think so.

And, I showed this app to my five year old grandson. He was making art in seconds - moving around in the tools seamlessly.

For this year’s challenge I will be working with, comparing and writing about the art related tools I am discovering, as well as focusing on the other (numerous) projects I am involved with. I am so glad to be back doing Art Every Day. I have lots to share.

Happy November. Art On.  

Spring Break Camp at Multnomah Arts Center: Register Now

Young Artists—Drawing And Paingting Camp

                                     Ages 8 - 13

M - F 9:30 am - 12 pm Mar. 21-25 $120 [5 classes]

1047975

Action! Brushstrokes! Beautiful lines, gorgeous colors, wild shapes, and  interesting composition! You will learn about all of these as we experiment

with paint and pastels and try out techniques such as painting, drawing, and printing. Create amazing faces, places, flowers, fish, abstractions, and more.


To register,
please drop by the office or call us at (503) 823-2787. 
You may also register online by going to
Portland Parks & Recreation.

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".

F is for Flowers

I love to paint flowers - simple abstract flower forms, botanical reproductions, single flowers, lush pastels, huge painted bouquets, I love them all. My flower paintings line the walls of my home and fill me with joy.

When I am in teacher mode, flowers are a great way to teach about how geometric forms and simple shapes can combine to create dazzling beauty. And then of course, there is the color!

I like to work with a limited palette, and in my classes, this approach nearly eliminates the muddy mixes and disharmony that can happen with too many choices.

This little painting in acrylic is  9"x12" on canvas board. It did not seem to "gel" until I added the white lines and repainted the vase with turquoise (not in the original palette.) I'm the teacher, I can break the rules.

Cc is for Cute Little Canvas Covered with (Leftover) Color

I always have paint left over when I am done working on a piece. I hate to waste it, so I tend to keep a "failed" canvas around as a place to use up the leftovers.

When I am using up the extras, there is no particular logic to the color plan, or even the design. I use this canvas to mess around with effects, palette knives, big brushes or  whatever suits my mood.

This can go on for weeks until something appears. Then I move on to another canvas and begin the process again.

This one is 8'x10" and was the victim of many recreations. I like this result - unplanned and total happenstance.

Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of this challenge?

Y is for Yellow

This is just a little painting, 12"x12 but I think the color contrast and the way the flowers fill the frame make it seem bigger.

 I keep this one in my bedroom so that I can see its sunny face when I wake up. I love yellow and I love flowers.

I is for .... I

Initially my idea was to brainstorm possibilities for the letter I, but as I began to think, I pulled a sheet of drawing paper from a pad and wrote a large letter I in the center. Then I began to write the I words that were occurring to me, using the words to create the pattern.

This is not a new approach to drawing for me. I first found this in the work of Paul Klee, and have used this idea with my seniors to create a really beautiful project that told their stories in shapes and color based on their names and the things they value. But this was different.

As soon as I began to work with the shapes created by the words (all begin with I and are related to creativity), I changed course and started to add lines. The lines suggested a scene. I cropped out part of the image and began to add color using Prismacolor markers - thick and thin.

I loved the results, but was still inspired to go further, so I photographed this and brought it into Photoshop to continue playing. This is the result - words into picture. Get the idea?

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

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation: Art with Kids

It has been a very creative summer in my classes. Most of the work focused on learning many ways to paint and draw  faces (in the style of my favorite artists). Then, an awesome summer camp - five days of learning about the art of fashion.
The dresses shown are collages done with a fairy tale theme and every cool item found in our studio.


This video shows some of  the fabulous work done by my amazing young artist students. Really, I do not know who had the most fun.

Fabulous Faces and the Art of Fashion

I will be teaching the Art of Fashion again this fall, so sign up early. And, we will be painting fabulous faces in my Young Artists classes too.

To register,
please drop by the office or call us at (503) 823-2787. You may also register online by going to
Portland Parks & Recreation.

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.

A is for Art Everyday for a Month 2013

Its November again.  This means miserable weather and great holidays, and the start of yet another Art Everyday for a Month challenge.

This will be my fourth year taking part in a challenge that forces me to not only create everyday, but to put my work out there for the world to see and comment about. It is also  a great way to meet other artists, see and be inspired by their art and learn from their ideas and their struggles.

Looking back over the work and words I have posted on this blog over the last three challenges. I can see the progress I have made as an artist, enjoy the variety of materials and subjects that hold my interest or fade away, revisit my thoughts, ideas, struggles and adventures, and I can enjoy the comments made by others.

Looking to the future (or at least the next thirty days), I am excited to share some of the things I have been working on this year.  Some of what I will share will be generated in the process of preparing lessons for the classes I teach. And, there will be some brand new stuff coming out of the Monotype printing class I just began and which I will surely write more about. Printing is a totally new art form for me, and I am excited to be learning something new. After just one class, I can see fabulous applications of new techniques to my paintings and drawings.

So, lots to look forward to, and lots to do. Tonight, I will be attending the opening of the newly renovated Multnomah Arts Center Gallery. (Read all about it here. Please stop by the gallery for the opening celebrations tonight, or anytime - it is beautiful.) I have three paintings in the Instructors' Show, and am looking forward to a great evening, meeting other instructors, seeing their work, and having my picture taken in front of my paintings to share with you :-) 

Also, I will be offering a Fashion Art class for teens in January. I need to polish my sketching skills in preparation for that.

This cat painting is one of series I have been working on for months. The idea of drawing abstract cats started as an idea for students, and has resulted in dozens of great images done by kids and seniors. I have also "made cats" with friends and for friends. This patterned cat, 12 x18 on watercolor paper, is done with caran d'ache water-soluble crayons and water. I think this one is wishing you a slightly belated Happy Halloween

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.

I is for Intuitive Painting

 Always on the lookout for inspiring ideas, I saw a YouTube video about Intuitive Painting. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am trying to get out of my own way when painting - putting down lines or shapes or colors and seeing where it goes. But I had never heard of Intuitive Painting - which is essentially smooshing a bunch of acrylics paint onto the canvas, and in this method, covering it with saran wrap and pushing the paint around. When you take off the saran, you spend time looking at the image to see what appears.

This seemed like a great idea - which actually led to another one. I chose my colors, in a cool mood, smooshed and pushed the paint, but when I peeled off the saran I saw that there was plenty of paint on the wrap as well as some pattern. So, thinking about printing, I laid the paint covered saran back on the painting and smooshed and pushed some more ... and did it again, layering paint and pattern. The image on the right shows the work in progress.

At some point, my inner voice said stop. Staring at the painting I saw mountains in clouds, a stream, grass lands and lovely cool light. This all called out for trees - so I painted them in and the painting felt complete.

In my explorations of the Art Every Day Month Challenge, I came across this site which shows another version of this process and gives a good description of the method. Check it out this post about plastic wrap art technique at Art by Serena Go to My Art Projects.

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.