la la la

After many days of cold cold weather the Chinook winds have blown through and it is mild and sunny. We all have more energy and smiles!


Some small paintings:
Top row made a few months ago, used oil pastel which is lovely but a pain because it never dries and then has to be sprayed.
Bottom row finished last week, no oil pastel, trying for similar effect with brush.
10x10 each



More small paintings just begun, these made with acrylic.
No stitching the canvas, but texture underneath by "drawing" with modeling paste, then gessoing.
Also 10x10 each.



A whole shwack of small paintings!
Trying out new ways of working.
Some are on canvas, some on panel. Some stitched, some not. Some oil, some acrylic.



Newly made canvas: my traditional stitching but planning to paint a little differently.



Sewing seat in the friendly sun.


Also I have been doing some portraits, here is one.
approx. 14x15"

a project

I had an idea: to stitch cities into some canvases and ask other artists to paint landscapes on them. I got a really positive response from the artists whom I asked to participate!
The project should be finished over the course of this year. Then we will find a place to show our results.

Here are the first canvases which I made last night.
All the canvases measure 19x19"




And today I gesso'd them.

There will be 11 in total.

phases

(a small reflection faraway the well deep)

New year's day and I'm painting! Sooner than expected. I think I am addicted. :)

So:
20x20" canvas not stitched. Acrylic paint.
ARGH!
Change!
Automatically I am mistrustful and critical.
haha
Determined to bash on until I get something I can live with, though.
This one took about 3 hours.
Wow! 2 hours! Compare to 5-6 months of layering oil glazes!
!!!
But. It looks like it was done quickly. Slapdash, even.
Cartoonish, lacking depth.
???
Maybe I could do some layering on it yet, maybe I could make the colour richer, improve the line quality, maybe I could, maybe maybe....!

... maybe I could not be so hard on myself.
hmmmm.

both sides now

mmmmmm, new year.

Gonna start painting again next week - the paintings have been in my head (more or less) for awhile, and now it's time for the physical permutations! Feeling excited again.

Last year was pretty stressful - buying and renovating our first house (moving twice in the process), and preparing for 2 solo shows. In between all that I've become a bit of a low-energy couch potato.

I have made one new year's resolution:
Go for a walk by the river every day, get back to myself.

mmmm-hmmm!

love, peace and happiness all around