so close!so close!
tomorrow we go camping for a few days - tonight I worked quite a bit in the studio so that I can relax & enjoy camping, hehe..
11 August 2010
conjured mansions
so close!so close!
tomorrow we go camping for a few days - tonight I worked quite a bit in the studio so that I can relax & enjoy camping, hehe..
05 August 2010
new starts
10x10" eachWas going to make these abstract, but already they are looking a lot like cities! The idea is to get away from recognizable imagery... I am not always successful at this. But it is just the beginning, we'll see what happens after a few layers and some oil pastel bits.
26 July 2010
into the blue
24h x 53w17h x 47w
So I've got these two up to here and I kinda like them like this. Unfinished?
But if they look good now, do I need to then pile more layers on until they are all worked up and dense and... "finished"?
8 x 9"oil paint, oil pastel on canvas. This one is definitely finished.
Waiting for the bus after a good studio day.
22 July 2010
17 July 2010
and then
In between gesso-ing I worked on these:
thinking somehow the colour is flat here, needs a bit of work yet.
maybe mossy greens and some more reds.... or maybe going into purples...?
this one also needs some little thing, not much now.
can't see it too well in this pic but the colour's really vibrant.
thinking somehow the colour is flat here, needs a bit of work yet.maybe mossy greens and some more reds.... or maybe going into purples...?
this one also needs some little thing, not much now.can't see it too well in this pic but the colour's really vibrant.
in stitches
This week I've been stitching canvases:
First came this one, nothing very different.
It's quite big at 33h x 69w
Then I thought
!!!
and began to stitch clothing tags into the next ones:
a diptych, these two measure 34h x 39w and 45w
this almost-square one measures 53h x 49w
a close-up of the tags, now all stitched up.
Today I gesso'd them all, leaving the tags uncovered.
They look interesting now, with the bits of tag colour amid the white field of gesso... how to paint? Same old same old will not do, I think. We'll see what happens.
First came this one, nothing very different.It's quite big at 33h x 69w
Then I thought
!!!
and began to stitch clothing tags into the next ones:
a diptych, these two measure 34h x 39w and 45w
this almost-square one measures 53h x 49w
a close-up of the tags, now all stitched up.Today I gesso'd them all, leaving the tags uncovered.
They look interesting now, with the bits of tag colour amid the white field of gesso... how to paint? Same old same old will not do, I think. We'll see what happens.
14 July 2010
exploring the possibilities
an empire of my own begins to take shape
setting up for further oil pastel work
and the landscape has now got to this point - a little more work on the foreground and it'll be finished, I think...
05 July 2010
02 July 2010
An Accumulation Of Changes
oil on stitched canvas62w x 22h
Just finished yesterday, I really like this one. Now it's gotta dry for a few weeks before I put a protective isolation coat on it, then dry for a few more months before the final varnish.
28 June 2010
whoopie!
Just got another art rental client, they're taking 2 paintings for 6 months ...and then Kurbatoff (my gallery in Vancouver) phoned to say they'd sold a painting! Cheque's in the mail. Funny how a little cash lends inspiration. Now I can pay my bills AND continue painting.
heehee!
heehee!
24 June 2010
art for art's sake
money for god's sake!!
Haven't sold a painting in months. Total financial nose-dive compared to this time last year. AND we just bought a house..... eek!
But I will prevail.
I will prevail with smaller paintings.
Like this one:
It's an itty-bitty little thing, part of the "Lens" series I've been working on, all 10x10", all quite abstract. I'm having a lot of fun getting back to the more abstract aesthetic.
In fact, because my work is not selling much, I am not under so much pressure from the galleries and it feels lovely to work on something a little different without thinking about the business of whether they'll sell. Heehee.
Here's another one, before & after:
This one measures about 12x22". Not sure if I like the progression here, the "before" is maybe more interesting because it's less defined...
And here's one of the big stitched ones, still in progress but liking where it's going so far:
Yes, I am still working on the big stitched pieces for my show in Vancouver. Not till February next year, but these things DO take a long time to make, so it's gotta be an ongoing thing.
Hope they sell something soon because I am about to be flat broke, in the literal sense of the term.
Haven't sold a painting in months. Total financial nose-dive compared to this time last year. AND we just bought a house..... eek! But I will prevail.
I will prevail with smaller paintings.
Like this one:
It's an itty-bitty little thing, part of the "Lens" series I've been working on, all 10x10", all quite abstract. I'm having a lot of fun getting back to the more abstract aesthetic.In fact, because my work is not selling much, I am not under so much pressure from the galleries and it feels lovely to work on something a little different without thinking about the business of whether they'll sell. Heehee.
Here's another one, before & after:
This one measures about 12x22". Not sure if I like the progression here, the "before" is maybe more interesting because it's less defined... And here's one of the big stitched ones, still in progress but liking where it's going so far:
Yes, I am still working on the big stitched pieces for my show in Vancouver. Not till February next year, but these things DO take a long time to make, so it's gotta be an ongoing thing.Hope they sell something soon because I am about to be flat broke, in the literal sense of the term.
22 June 2010
once upon a time,
a long, long time ago,
I made these two paintings
from photos I myself had taken.
They were an attempt to translate the prairie, to which I had just relocated my life and which I still find incredibly beautiful, into paint. The only way I could fathom this emptiness was framed through a construction of windows inside an abandoned house. Always some reference to the built environment.
Later I removed these paintings, stretched new canvas, and they became the Summer In The City...
A couple of days ago I had been going through the old "Why do I make paintings? Why not do something that more directly involves/impacts people in a positive way?"
And then Jocelyn came into the art store where I work, and told me about how she'd bought one of my paintings (one of the Building Blocks) and how much she loved it. She derives great joy from her art collection, and my piece is part of that milleiu.
How lucky is that?
I'm feeling much better now.
I made these two paintings
from photos I myself had taken.
They were an attempt to translate the prairie, to which I had just relocated my life and which I still find incredibly beautiful, into paint. The only way I could fathom this emptiness was framed through a construction of windows inside an abandoned house. Always some reference to the built environment.Later I removed these paintings, stretched new canvas, and they became the Summer In The City...
A couple of days ago I had been going through the old "Why do I make paintings? Why not do something that more directly involves/impacts people in a positive way?"
And then Jocelyn came into the art store where I work, and told me about how she'd bought one of my paintings (one of the Building Blocks) and how much she loved it. She derives great joy from her art collection, and my piece is part of that milleiu.
How lucky is that?
I'm feeling much better now.
17 June 2010
Drift and Settle
The oil pastel is my new love.
It seems to finish/fix paintings beautifully.
That drawing thing contrasted with the brush thing underneath. A limited palette too, I like not mixing them, just let the colour sit on the surface without smearing or working into it.
It's a bit like crayons...!
these are 8x10" canvases, very small for me.
It seems to finish/fix paintings beautifully.
That drawing thing contrasted with the brush thing underneath. A limited palette too, I like not mixing them, just let the colour sit on the surface without smearing or working into it.
It's a bit like crayons...!
these are 8x10" canvases, very small for me.
10 June 2010
04 June 2010
black and white world
Some experimenting with materials has led to these.
First I used black India ink on rice paper. Then with acrylic medium I adhered the paper to wood panels. Then I painted over a bit with white acrylic ink. Lastly, a thin coat of spray varnish.
Acrylic ink is very nice! Thin like ink, highly pigmented and lightfast. However it is not waterproof and will smear if brushed over, therefore the spray varnish.
First I used black India ink on rice paper. Then with acrylic medium I adhered the paper to wood panels. Then I painted over a bit with white acrylic ink. Lastly, a thin coat of spray varnish.
Acrylic ink is very nice! Thin like ink, highly pigmented and lightfast. However it is not waterproof and will smear if brushed over, therefore the spray varnish.
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