drastic times call for drastic measures

I know I haven't a touched paintbrush or drawing supplies for at least 6 months. And it's been over a year since my last blog post. VERY unproductive on the artistic front. In the meantime, junk has been accumulating in my studio. I wouldn't say, clinically speaking, that I'm a hoarder, but things were looking bad.

So, after a major purge, I'm back! I've signed up for a couple of classes to help me get back into rhythm. I entered a painting in a student show. And I actually played with an old acrylic painting this week, experimenting with acrylic skins as collage material.

And to really up the ante, I also started to gesso a huge roll of canvas.

Here's the painting from Shilo's class.

it's not over yet

It's getting there, but it doesn't seem to have the energy and freshness that I want. I guess that means I need to splash and slash and scratch on a few more strokes. But it's getting there.

just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in...

I was liking the direction the painting was going, with a lot of toned down and "whited out"areas. Much calmer than any of my previous works in progress.




But when I brought it to class, the reaction was decidedly underwhelmed. I couldn't really justify the reason for the change in energy and style (?) --other than I don't yet have one.

So, maybe my painting moods are bi-polar. All I know is that I liked the control I felt with the "whited out" painting. So, for no reason, other than peer pressure, I went back to the "wild" style. But perhaps a breakthrough - I am actually spending more time looking, and then applying strokes strategically. A few more scribbles, some yellow, some brown, more white and a big red line. Hopefully, the strokes haven't lost the wild and aggressive energy.

upside down?

JW thinks the painting looks better upside down.

more on painting

Maybe it's redundant to keep posting the same "before" photos of the paintings at each stage. But it helps me to see them all together and see how a few brush strokes can make a big change. DUH. I guess it also reinforces the helpful mantra "it's only paint."



Here is the original "Half Moon Bay Landscape" that I started in January this year! It was just too busy and I gave up on it.






Here it is at the "very green" after a few washes of greens.







It's now end of July and I'm seeing how it can be good to put away a painting and go back to it at a later date!







still in progress...

acrylic again

For tonight's painting class, I decided to go back to acrylics, since the oils are too difficult to transport while wet.

I decided to paint over an old canvas, the failed Half Moon Bay landscape that became too busy with many colors (shown at left.) I sanded down the rough spots.

Since it was supposed to be a landscape, I figured I'd stick to that idea. I mixed 3 washes of greens (a teal, an olive and an emerald green) and started to cover the old canvas. Then I added some "white" spots (thinned out white so it wouldn't be completely opaque.)

I'm trying to remember the process from the first class I took from Shilo. Thin washes in different shades of the same color, followed by gradually thicker washes in a harmonizing color. It is useful for me to try to replicate that process, since I tend to forget if I don't do it often enough. I think it was a bit of a mistake to switch to oils for the private lessons because I hadn't quite assimilated this process for the acrylic. But, I suppose I just need to do more of BOTH. "Mileage" as Shilo says.

So the painting is looking pretty green right now. The next step will be to go a little less watered down--maybe bring in the colors that are in the under-painting. I hope I don't completely obliterate the under-painting.

much too purple

The beets painting was way too busy, so I carefully mixed what I thought was a very neutral grayish purple and splashed a good deal of it to "unify" the painting. I even tested the color to match a spot on the painting. Well, it certainly looked different than I expected. Way too purple and way too much of it.
So I mixed a lighter and more muted brownish gray purple and then dripped on some off-white. Kind of "broke the rules" by going with very thinned down paint over very "fat" paint.


I'm not sure what I'm feeling about this painting...but I'm still not happy with it.