"Lines and Edges"

(unavailable)

There is no quote associated with this image. It is simply a study in lines and edges. It is a two layer glass collage with three firings involved.

As in the other piece called "Transformation"...this 6" x 6" was created by first texturing several pieces of glass with white and black glass line paint and black powder. My purpose was to show different types of line work and different shapes and edges.

I began with white glass line paint and used an empty Pentel pointed brush to make marks in the paint that were a bit larger than the smaller lines. This was a new technique for me because most other tools have not been effective in moving the paint and having it stay in place and it is crucial to write into the paint while it is wet to achieve larger letters or marks. Using this brush has brought another technique into play which will be useful in future projects.

The other writing and line work was created after the paint was dried. I used a corner of a palette knife to etch into very thinly applied glass line paint. In several areas, black glass line paint was applied over the dried white areas with a palette knife. Black powders were then sprinkled into the glass line and then fired. Some crystal clear course frit was also placed in some areas creating the round circle patterns you see.

After the first firings. the glass was cut into different sized strips and placed on top of a yellow opaque piece of glass. After the second firing, a lot of the white glass line faded away so I made a decision to experiment with additional glass line on top of the piece and also place some additional crystal clear course frit within the paint which created an echo of the more subdued circles in the background. I also sprinkled crystal clear powder over the entire piece so that it would be shiny.  (Glass line paint has no shine after firing unless powders are added.

 I do like the erratic shapes which include several types of edges....some soft and some hard with a variety in between. I am now focused like a laser beam on edges. They are much more important than anyone might think and they can change the work dramatically. Achieving a variety of edges in glass is also a challenge and requires a skillful selection of colors either very close in value or glass laid next to other glass with a strong contrast.

To achieve a range of edges requires the use of powders and a knowledgeable selection of any stringers used. All hard and high contrast edges can cause a few viewers (like myself) to not look at the work for more than two seconds. It is the variety of contrasting edges that most viewers will find pleasing. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Heaven Flowers"

(unavailable....5" x 5".....Mixed Media....Mounted on a 1.50 depth Clayboard)

"Flowers were birthed in heaven and scattered upon the earth." Flowers possess all of the perfect elements of design...so of course they came from heaven!

This small mixed media piece is another experiment and practice session in laying down text pages that look like they're embedded in rice paper. By allowing the edges of all of the layers to be visible, a sense of depth is achieved. 

It also helps to have text pages with red or gold on the edges to define them and use that element of line to be a more dominant part of the piece. I haven't tried this yet, but it might be fun to paint the edges of the book pages before tearing them out to make a more creative statement. Since I haven't tried that, it might not work, but I expect that it would help to have the book closed tightly with perhaps a rock on top to make sure paint didn't seep between the pages. It would help to have the paint thick enough to not be "runny" and cause bleeding.

My mind goes wild thinking about this because there are other beautiful colors as well as other metallics that could add that bit of sparkle and line work that is so appealing. So if you haven't already purchased your stash of books, you might want to get to the antique stores very soon because these old books are becoming a "hot commodity"!

Of course, I already have enough to last me a lifetime, but I still keep looking. Poetry books and old Bibles are especially good. However, my friend Sue seems to be enthralled with numbers and odd books with architectural or mathematical type drawings. It's up to you. There's plenty to choose from. And unbeknownst to me, some of the Half Price Book stores have an old section that is promising.

As technology sweeps us off our feet, actual books that you can hold in your hand may become obsolete. And this is all the more reason I have personally gravitated to anything having to do with books. They make wonderful additions to artwork and provide a visual history of all types of books. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"On The Wayside"

($125.00.......6" x 6"......Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord.....Presented in a Custom Frame)

"Beauty is often found on the wayside." The wayside refers to the land immediately adjacent to a road, highway, path, etc. The reference for this painting came from the wayside near Santa Fe. This type of brush with the pretty yellow flowers is everywhere and the color of it is quite lovely. Don't always look in the obvious places for beauty, but check out the wayside.

There is nothing like painting trees and weeds to give you an experience with lines and their direction. Yesterday's posting was abstract, but the reference of marble with all of its lines was simply a different type of line work. There are actually several types of lines. There are long and short lines...thick and thin...solid and broken...straight and curved...uniform and irregular...vertical and horizontal.

When analyzing the type of line work you see in other artist's work or even in your own, it is good to accurately describe what you're seeing in your analysis. If you can describe it in any of these ways, you will more likely be able to incorporate it in your own work. Learning to analyze what you see is a skill that will help you learn design more than any other way besides doing it over and over again. The problem is that you need to know what you're doing because accidentally creating a well designed piece is not a very efficient strategy.

As you hone your own analytical skills, you will soon discover that many of those design things you observed will be cropping up in your own work. It is really quite fun to dissect a piece of artwork by taking each element of design (line, color, shape, value, direction, texture, size) and describe in detail how each is used in a particular work. 

Frankly, it is a shortcut to learning design because you are observing something that's already done rather than trying to incorporate things you don't understand in your own work. Why not "cut to the chase" and see it in someone else's piece first. For instance, if I tell you that one of the color contrasts that is the most effective is the use of a direct complementary scheme....will you understand it better by reading what it is or will you understand it better by seeing it in a particular work? And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Etched In Stone"

(unavailable....6" x 6".....Experimental Piece......Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"Lines etched in stone are abstract." This is a totally experimental piece based on a slab of marble. It clearly shows that God believed in abstraction because it is ever present in our created world.

Lines and their direction create shapes and sometimes the lines themselves are the focal point. There were tons of lines in this piece of marble. There was no way to include them all, but I tried to include enough to make it convincing. There are many artists who choose this element of design as the foundation to all of their work. And I must say, even though there is not a recognizable image involved, it is extremely compelling. 

Juan Iribarren is one artist who uses different sized bands of color going in many directions and often creating a grid which forms little cubicles where gestural mark making can be included. It's quite fascinating. Just google his name and you can see for yourself. 

Another artist who likes to paint abstract landscapes by reducing the imagery to slashes of color is Brian Rutenberg. He is prolific and his work is extremely compelling. 

And, of course, there is Yves Leterme (lettering artist from Belgium) who also uses gesso, line work, and some color to create small compartments with the line work and also a lot of gestural writing with a pencil. 

So if you like sketching, line work, and abstraction, these are definitely artists you might want to check out. They are all on the internet. If you like Roman lettering and line work...it is fun to incorporate angled and manipulated monoline romans into a piece that is based on abstracted line work. All in all, it is different and might open up your horizons. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.