"Blooming Landscape"

($125.00......6" x 6"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord...presented in a custom frame)

"The blooming landscape is fully alive!" I might be projecting ahead a bit, but I was in the mood to paint a cactus bloom today in spite of the fact that it is very cold outside for Central Texas.

In this piece, I was looking down at the cactus when photographing. It was photographed last year since our cactus are not quite there yet. And when they do start blooming, the plein aire painters will need to get out there right away since the deer will eat those blooms. So get prepared with easel or camera or both!

Today I want to talk about what to do when you feel blocked. There are many reasons for it and one of the best antedotes to "blockage" is having a close network of friends who understand the problem. Blockage most often happens because the artist is isolated and doesn't have enough skill, experience, or confidence to carry on. However, if you have just one friend who is working with the same medium, a simple phone call might be all it takes. 

If you wonder why I have chosen to work in several mediums, "blockage" is the main reason. So if my well of enthusiasm seems to be on the wane, I simply change mediums or try something completely new. The advantage of this is that you will then notice how the techniques or design knowledge in one medium will carry over to the others. It's quite fascinating and there is enough information and workshops to keep you busy for the rest of your life.

Another thing I do is look at a lot of other artist's work who may be working in a similar style to myself. For instance, I regularly look at (3) artists who paint exclusively with a palette knife. It always stirs up something in me that makes me want to go paint. 

So if you're feeling apathetic or "blocked" about your art process, simply talk to another art friend...learn a new technique...work in a different medium...look at other artist's work...and don't forget to pray. I cannot tell you how many times I have specifically prayed that I would see what I needed to see. Try it for yourself and see what happens. There simply is no need to stay "blocked" in your process. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Familiar Places"

($40.00......6" x 6".....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Familiar places are the most endearing." This painting was inspired by a scene that I see on a daily basis. Sometimes the real visual treasures are right in front of us.

The images all around us provide the most logical places to hang our hat (at least most of the time) because we see them in real time on a daily basis. When I came back from North Carolina, I looked at the Texas landscape and thought it was utterly boring...until I started painting it. The neutrals we have here in Central Texas are fascinating and provide a very warm feeling for the viewer. We don't have high mountains, but the hill country really is beautiful with streams of water and large bluffs. So after painting of few things around here, I have been pleasantly surprised to view these paintings as my personal favorites.

And this reminds me of an important analogy. Just because something is familiar doesn't mean we know that particular thing as well as we could. This is the perfect time...at the close of another year...to think about going back to the basics. That's what I have done in the last several months. I've known how to mix paint for a long time, but I have learned so much more by setting up my palette the same way every single day and mixing the same double palette with a warm and cool of each primary. 

Every day can become a "grind" unless you decide to learn something everyday by focusing more intently on how you mix colors and how close you can get with the right hue, value, and intensity. There is nothing quite so efficient in clarifying a process like doing it every single day. It may not seem like missing days affects the flow of the work, but it does.

My own personal goal for this next year is to paint larger and more abstractly with the inclusion of more gestural marks and lettering. So now that I have defined my goal in very specific terms, the only thing left to do is to develop the strategy that will get me where I want to go. By sharing my thought process with those of you who like to read them, I hope it will inspire you to also write down your goals very specifically and then develop your strategy. It is absolutely necessary to choose the time(s) of the day that works best for you with as few interruptions as possible.

Even if you work full time outside of the home,  you can have a specific place (otherwise known as a studio) where you spend at least (30) minutes a day on a specific technique or way of working. If you want to work in a specific way and don't know where to start, then go find the person who does know how and see if they will teach you. It's the only way to move yourself forward. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Jubilant Praise"

($40.00.....6" x 6"......Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Jubilant praise from the Texas landscape." We have our share of colorful surprises in the Central Texas landscape. I have even seen Christmas wreaths made from prickly pear cactus. What a great way to have a Texas Christmas!

There was a deliberate attempt on my part to create this "jazz painting" by imposing a time limit of one hour. It was a bit difficult for me to stop fussing, but I did manage to finally stop within my time frame. 

And this is an excellent way to keep yourself from over thinking the process. You will surely see things you might want to change, but by changing the speed of the painting by sometimes speeding up and sometimes slowing down, the happy accidents will surely come. 

This is also a concept that is used to practice difficult pieces of music. By practicing slower than is really necessary, the fingers master muscle memory. And then there are times to set the metronome a bit faster to see where you need to go back, slow down, and try again.

Another thing that really helps with all of this is to make sure you keep your supplies and your palette arranged in the same place. It will be the surest way of getting to your easel every day. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Special Perch"

($40.00.....6" x 6"....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Everybody has a special perch." If everyone followed their heart and stayed in their own "lane" (as in a race around the track), each person would discover their very own perch. It's like a fingerprint. No two people have the same one.

Rather than commenting on the particulars of my posting today, I would rather talk about something near and dear to my heart which inspired today's quote.

It is very true that we all receive inspiration from other artists and often long to paint like someone else or do lettering like someone else. And this is the big lie...no one can create the same thing you create and you can't create what someone else creates. We truly are that individual and have our own habitual marks, brush strokes, ways of seeing that no one else has. 

So much frustration could be avoided if each artist found their own expression and then did that particular thing with their whole heart. The world would be a better place and there would be no more habitual comparison that kills the art spirit quicker than ice water in the face. This doesn't mean that you can't learn from other artist's work and even attempt to master a technique you might like in their work, but eventually it all boils down to arranging your schedule so there is time everyday to create your own work and if you can manage some consistency....something "magical" happens. 

Your own work will grow and evolve and it will be your work...and your work alone. What an extraordinary thing to discover. And there is one more secret. No matter how excited you might be to try a particular style and go in that direction for the rest of your life, there will still be days when you find it difficult to pursue and that difficulty arises out of fear. It is the fear that you will be unable to create what you feel in your heart and that somehow you don't have what it takes. 

This is also a lie and the only way to overcome these feelings is to ignore them and go to your studio and create. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Cactus and Tenacity"

($40.00....6" x 6"...mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Cactus and tenacity are synonymous." Tenacity is the characteristic of keeping a firm hold of property, principles, life, etc. No matter what kind of weather we have in this state, the cactus plant prevails. Against all odds, it never goes away. It even overtakes a pasture. That's what tenacity does. It stays firm...no matter what!

Today's piece is very graphic. The combination of one color, silver or white, and black will yield a strong graphic look. Acrylic color was applied over a textured gesso base. At this point, it is difficult to imagine the end product because it looks so unfinished.

That unfinished look and sense that you might not know where you're going is the very essence of layering. It is very experimental and requires a knowledge of enough techniques to know how to bring the whole thing together. Always thinking about shapes is the best way to keep yourself on track. So after applying the green colors all over, I then laid down the silver which created my first shape. You cannot go wrong by thinking edge to edge. Now if the image is just floating in your design space, if will be much harder to bring it all together so establish a shape first and then placement of your image will become obvious. The cactus was a lino cut printed on silk tissue paper and applied over the silver leaf. Finally, the other shapes were established by using color that would contrast with the existing values. It all boils down to shapes and values. If you can get those two things established, you will be on a good track.

And there you have it. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Unexpected" (sold)

(sold)

"Beauty is often found in unexpected and barren places." When I am looking at a rather bleak and brown pasture, I am not expecting to see something of beauty. However, when the red "tunas" start blooming on the cactus, it is unexpected beauty. There are many other beautiful things that are unexpected parts of our days. Notice and enjoy those moments whenever they come.


This photograph follows the same steps as many of the others I've been doing. But something unexpected happened on this one. After mounting the photograph on a clayboard panel, I did spray it with Spray Acrylic Coating, but of course it was too cold to go outside and spray anything last night so I slightly opened and propped open the door with my foot, but my spraying wasn't even. There were a couple of places that received hardly any spray, creating a different response to the Pouring Medium + White that I applied afterwards. I do like the effect and am now wondering how I can do this on purpose.

Many techniques emerge out of this kind of experience, but you need to be very observant to what is going on as you work. Often, small things like this can be missed.

You may also have noticed that I have been lettering with white gouache for several postings and will probably continue that trend through much of December. White lettering is very elegant and ethereal looking and something you might want to try if you haven't already.  I have found a better Bleedproof White than Dr. Martin's...at least for my purposes on the surfaces I've been writing on. I am now using Winsor Newton Bleedproof which I found at Jerry's Artarama. It does not crystallize like Dr. Martin's and seems to have a better binder.

These are just a few more things to try or think about.

"Cowhide and Cactus" (unavailable)

(unavailable......in the permanent collection of dee day)

Those of you who have traveled very far in Texas have seen this "duo" time and time again. Frankly, I don't know how one state can have so much Prickly Pear cactus, but I love it! It's part of our persona. Pause today and thank God you live in Texas! (...and if you don't we love you anyway!)

This piece is a combination of acrylics, oils, and gouache. The paste paper background was the first layer and set the placement, tone, and texture of the piece. The second layer was the cactus...painted in oils "en plein air" on our property. The third layer was the cowhide...painted on a gesso base with gouache. And finally, the lettering was written with gouache.

The final piece was sprayed with a Krylon Archival Varnish intended for oils and acrylics and after the oil paint was dry. This is important because you cannot use a spray acrylic coating on top of oil paint. Notice also the division of space. That is the loveliest part of this composition and it just happened by reacting to the space divisions created in the cropping of the paste paper. Just something to think about.