travelling and drawing and painting

Staying entertained on an airplane is not too difficult when I have a sketchbook with me.  During each flight I decided to make drawings with my eyes closed, and I quite like how some of them turned out.  

These drawings were done in a 4x6" book of 90lb paper, using a fine-tip Sharpie marker and a gold Slicci pen:

I also made some portraits of fellow passengers during my flights.  One must be very surreptitious in order to avoid anyone realizing they have become an artist's model and so begin to "pose".  People who are just being themselves are generally more interesting to draw than people who are trying to hold still.

Finally, a few portraits of family members and friends which I made during my stay in Ontario.  These were done in a 9x12-inch sketchbook of 130lb paper, using the Sharpie marker, oil pastels and gouache paints in quinacridone red, raw sienna, pthalocyanine green and cobalt blue:

Whew!  That was a lot of art-making over the course of one week.  It's always exciting to be somewhere different, and I prefer drawing over taking photographs as a method of recording my experiences.  Drawing takes more time and so contains more feeling, and in that way is a more "accurate" record for me.

Returning home, I'll be teaching a couple of classes straight away next week and working a shift at the art-supply store.  

Then, finally, I will get back into the studio to install some lighting and finish painting the ceiling.  Have I mentioned that I am in the process of moving into a *new* studio?  My studio will now be in the garage instead of in the basement of our home, which is a great improvement.  Having a work space separate from the house - even if only by a few meters - feels so wonderful.  More on that in my next posting, if all goes according to plan.

:)

Ontario Landscape #2

This one was done from near the top of Harold Town Conservation Area.  Another gorgeous spot with lots of trails and varying topography.  After making the painting, I realized I had chosen a view that is similar to what one might find in Southern Alberta... with a few more trees.

the view

the palette

the beginning

the middle

the finish

the artist

Ontario landscape #1

I'm in Ontario, and I brought my painting kit!  This was made in the Miller Creek Wildlife Area, a beautiful wetland-and-woods type area full of birds and beavers and gorgeous views.

"En Plein Air" upcoming exhibition

Two days ago:  Yet another landscape painting!  Autumn is here, the weather is very fine and I want to spend as much time outdoors as possible before the wintry cold arrives.

This week I do some final prep, and then on the weekend we go to hang our landscapes at the Western GM Gallery in Drumheller, AB.  It is the first time I show my landscapes here in Alberta, and quite special for my husband and I to be showing our paintings together.  We are quite excited about seeing our work up in this beautiful gallery!

sketchbook patterns

Exploring patterns in a 9x12", 212 gsm sketchbook.

The heavy paper makes a perfect base for collages.

The sketchbook has its own integrity and appeal.

It becomes a collection of explorations, a unified thing between two covers.

An intimate thing which needs to be touched to be experienced. 

Paper is so versatile, so welcoming.

Alberta landscape #95

the view: flat, semi-arial

the palette: limited

the layout

the beginning

the middle

the end

In preparation for an upcoming exhibition, I am framing a few of my plein air landscape paintings.  I have seen works where the frame is an integral part of the painting.  That approach appeals to me far more than the standard black gallery frame, so I'm following suit with a simple but colourful framing of my small works.

This will be the first time my landscape paintings are shown here in Alberta and I'm feeling excited!

Nourishment

Making art is definitely nourishment for the soul.

I have resumed painting some of the canvas plates that I printed a few weeks ago.  While rolling on the ink and making the prints I had been imagining different ways of finishing the plates.  

In between the imagining and the doing, I got caught up in making books!  Somehow I was inwardly compelled to print 5 editions of 75 prints in 5 sketchbooks, before I could come back to painting my stitched canvas plates.  *laughs*   Well, that's how it goes.

I really like the visual effect of painted canvas plates beside their prints.

As I may have already mentioned, these plates and prints are part of a larger project that will take several more months to complete.  My excitement about this project is on a constant low simmer; it's a bit like making a really good stew.

Speaking of stew, here's a basic recipe:

chicken thighs with skin & bone in

salt & pepper

butter

homemade crabapple sauce - really tart!

a good chunk of fresh ginger, grated

a bit of cayenne or other chilli pepper

a dollop of honey

an onion or two, chopped or sliced

Rub meat with salt & pepper, place in a buttered baking dish & brown both sides under the broiler.

Meanwhile mix applesauce, ginger, chilli and honey, adding water to make a runny sauce.

Remove meat from baking dish, scrape up any drippings and stir in half the sauce.

Layer onions and browned chicken pieces, and pour the remainder of sauce on top.

Cover and bake for 1/2 hour or so.

Or you can stew it in a crock pot if you prefer.

Last time I made this dish, I added smoked paprika, basil, a wee pinch of cumin and a chopped sweet red pepper.  

If you do not have tart applesauce you could use sweet, with a bit of cider vinegar or lemon/lime juice.

Note: If you make this dish in a crock pot in the morning, you can then spend all day in the studio nourishing your soul, and when you emerge from the studio there is your bodily nourishment.  A nice balance, n'est-ce pas?

paperwork and studio work

This morning I awoke at 4:30am, feeling fully rested and ready for the day.  This is not usual.  But what can we do, we have to listen to our bodies.  So I got up and made the previous blog post, then read for awhile, and when I noticed the sky lightening I went outdoors.  What lovely fresh air before all the city engines gear up!

Looking east and west from our backyard.

I spent most of this day doing paperwork and organizing image files and writing letters.  Finally by late afternoon I got out for a walk, and then into the studio for a couple of hours.  Many thanks to my lovely husband who took care of dinner for us!

In the studio I made faux-chine-colle prints.  Faux: because I did not paste the paper and pull the print in one fell swoop.  No, I pasted the papers many days ago, and just today printed over them in a whole separate endeavour.  My plates are not flat, and the resulting uneven pressure does not work very well for adhering the papers during printing.  It could work if I had a press, but I have no press nor space for one.  C'est la vie.

"Faux-chine-colle": say it quickly and it rolls off the tongue really well!  *laughs*

Visualizing how the printed image would look over the various shapes of collaged papers was a challenge for me.  Some turned out more interesting than others, but on the whole I like them a lot.  I can see much potential for exploration based on this simple technique of collage + print.  

Will I have enough lifetime to explore everything I want to in my studio?  Perhaps not.  But I keep notes, just in case.

Alberta landscape # 94

My husband has taken his work holidays, during which time we take a few local road trips.  Of course we bring our painting kits with us!  Here's one I did on the hills above Drumheller a couple of weeks ago.

the view

the painting

the perch

I had thought about painting with earths mixed with oil medium, but then the colours were so lovely, I did not want to do a monotone version.  

The clouds were so lovely, I wish I could've conveyed them better, but oh well.  It was the first time I ever perched on the roof of our vehicle in order to get a better view... and it may not be the last time!  

a deep joy

Among all the art forms, printmaking is unique.  It's very repetitive but then no two prints are exactly alike.  Creating beauty in this way is so calming, so meditative... a deep joy.  I am so happy to have taken it up again.  In the midst of this crazy old world, it's a very good tonic.

Today I pulled the last print in a series of 5 books I've been working on.  The books themselves are purchased - I've been printing on the pages, using collagraph plates and black ink.

I think I am now a bit more proficient at printmaking, and the finished books have some appeal despite their imperfections.  The plates after use are, as always, very beautiful.

Yesterday I rolled a leaf and printed it!  Nice discovery.

I have also discovered Nori Paste.  It is truly awesome for glueing delicate papers.

Cleaning up my image files this evening, I came across two drawings made last month during a visit to the Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild studio at Artpoint.

Looms are very beautiful and intriguing machines, and fibre artists are beautiful and intriguing people.  

Until next time,

:)