"Rhythm and Spacing"

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

"Rhythm and spacing are keys to success." Everyone has their own particular rhythm and must figure out how to space their lives in such a way as to maximize that personal rhythm. Today, mine feels a bit syncopated...and I'm okay with that.

In order to progress and experience success in creating artwork, it is often necessary to shake up the rhythm and spacing in your work. For instance, I had an overwhelming urge this morning to take the palette knife and make one large gestural stroke across my carefully painted piece. I did resist that urge, but did swipe a few places because I don't like for anything to look too predictable and contrived. That experience helped me to realize that I need some time and space to follow those impulsive moments...preferably when I don't have a deadline of posting, even though it is a self imposed deadline.

I simply did not have time this morning to start over if everything "went to hell in a hand basket".

However, this is a very important point for every artist to consider. There must be enough time and space to create a different rhythm and follow those impulses. I also realized that it will serve me well to work on some larger pieces so I have a bit more room to be inventive and "crazy". So I guess my whole point is this, keep working on the basics, but also allow for spontaneity in order to break out of comfort zones and watching your work become more contrived by the day. It's a matter of rhythm and spacing! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Soft Whispers"

($60.00.......6" x 6"......mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)


"Soft whispers in my heart release the wildest color in my art." This is just a fun piece to show that I'm not always serious. It's a wild and crazy kind of piece to simply enjoy.

Since the first part of this year, I discovered that my pieces came together in a much more cohesive way if I simply had fun with technique(s) and then came up with the quote or final touches at the end with no preconceived concept in mind. Only a mood. I always think about the mood of a piece which governs the color selection and selected techniques.

However, there are times when writing freely in the background with a pencil that a phrase or particular word will come to mind. In this case, it was "whispers in my heart". And since those words are discernible, I thought it wise to actually include them in the quote. It has a decidedly Spanish feel with the color selection and ornate "S" and that was the most intentional part of the process.

I know there are artists who will balk at the idea of working this way and still want to plan out their concept to the "hilt", but experience has taught me that the more spontaneous I can be in the beginning, the more spontaneous and cohesive the piece will be. It also allows for surprises to happen along the way. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Honor and Integrity"

($80.00......5" x 5"......mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard and floated on a linen mat in a custom frame)


"Lasting friendship is crowned with honor and integrity." These two character qualities seem to be in short supply these days. This is a good day to be thankful for any friend in your life who possesses them. (The quote was inspired by an inscription in a book from the 1880's.)

This is a pouring medium piece which I manipulated to create a marbled paper effect like the end papers found on the inside covers of many old books. I began by covering the entire paper with Titanium White + Pouring Medium. (You will need to hold it up over a cookie sheet and turn it repeatedly to get good coverage over the whole sheet.)

The other colors were poured over this first layer of white and then I picked it up by diagonal corners and let the colors mingle together by tilting the paper slowly in several directions until I was satisfied that the strong color blocks were dissipated. My intent was not to have such bold and solid color shapes in this background, but a marbled look instead.

I knew I wanted to create a "library piece" so I turned to my collection of old books until I found this dedication to a friend in the front of the book. The actual torn piece of this quote was covering too much of the background so I opted to print it on silk tissue paper for the purposes of transparency. But I did decide to include the embossed seal which is opaque because of the texture. However, it looked a bit out of place until I figured out that I needed a line engraved transparent print over laying the seal. Once that was done, and all the pieces were in place, I then wrote the quote. Experience has taught me to establish a particular look or mood in the piece first before coming up with a precise concept. Everything will flow together better and look a lot more convincing than trying to force a particular concept in the beginning.  It's all about letting go and responding to the passion of the look and the spontaneous techniques that bring about a strong visual. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Bridges"

($40.00......5" x 5" ....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)


"Bridges of thankfulness are the connectors to life." A bridge is something that connects one thing to something else. And so it is with thankfulness. Being thankful for every small thing and deleting a spirit of complaining is a bridge to the abundant life.

In this pouring medium piece, I did some very effective "cropping" by placing my mat (with a 5" x 5" opening) on the diagonal over several areas of my larger sheet. This allowed me to have more options than I would have by keeping the mat straight in front of me.

To me, cropping is a spontaneous technique because it is unplanned...meaning you cannot possible know the outcome ahead of time. So it is very important to work larger if you want as many options as possible.

Because of the quote, I was happy to place the ornate "B" over two color blocks as a another bridge or connector in the piece. The large red and black color block is the visual bridge that connects to two sides and slightly to a third side to create a dynamic division of space. This particular red was created with Quinacridone Magenta and Quinacridone Burnt Sienna. These would be two colors to have in your repertoire of Golden Fluid Acrylics. The Quinacridone colors are extremely lightfast and when dealing with reds and magentas, that is important. They are synthetic colors originally created for the automobile industry and they eventually creeped into the fine arts community. (Praise God!)

Some of the other colors that I have as a basic palette in Golden Fluid Acrylics are.....Raw Umber....Titan Buff....Titanium White....Carbon Black....Raw Sienna...Hansa Yellow Light or Cad. Yellow Light...Green Gold...Viridian....Cobalt Blue...Cerulean Blue...Cobalt Turquoise...Napthol Red....Quinacridone Magenta...Quinacridone Burnt Sienna...Light Lavendar...Iridescent Bronze. These are my basic colors and if you keep a "sharp eye",  you can use coupons from Michaels or other sales to receive the best price. Dick Blick is also a good source and often has a good sale. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Refresh"

(unavailable)


"Refresh your mind with creative thought." The power of creative thought cannot be overestimated. It takes your mind to a place of rest and frees you from everyday stress and entanglements. What a perfect day to enter into the creative process.

This piece is a bit smaller (5" x 5") than I normally do, and a wonderful way to use up extra pieces of leftover pouring medium. Cropping just the perfect spot is much easier and there are ampersand panels and 1.50" depth clayboards available in this size for mounting the work.

I am in Houston teaching the technique of pouring medium using Golden Fluid Acrylics and this piece represents one of the techniques we will be doing today. The first thing to know about doing a pour is that the "pour" itself doesn't take very long, but setting up your color and actually "thinking" about your color selection is the key to success. In this piece, I mixed up a substantial amount of Titanium White and Pouring Medium (ratio of 1 tsp. .....no need to measure...and 1/3 cup of medium) on a foam paper plate. It is very important to mix and use things that can be tossed. You will be hard pressed to get this sticky stuff off of anything. And it is also critical to wear latex gloves (the kind found in the pharmacy section and I have found that Curad fits most people better than other brands.)

Once the colors are mixed, you can thoroughly wet your paper under the faucet or dip it into a pan of water. Do not use thin paper such as Arches Text Wove. I have found that 140 lb. HP is a good choice for small work and move to 300lb. HP for large works.

The veiled effect in this piece was created by covering your wet paper with a base coat of the Titanium White, holding it over a shallow baking pan and allowing it to run while spraying with more water if it fails to move. Once the entire sheet is covered with white...lay it down and pour the other colors edge to edge. Leave a bit of space between the colors so that the white can seep through and create the effect you see here. Another choice you will have is how much of one color to pour. It can be a thin line or you can go more slowly as you pour allowing more of the color to create a wider band. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Ethereal"

($60.00......6" x 6".....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard panel)

"White awakens the ethereal more than any other color." Ethereal is a big word with several meanings. It means light; airy; highly delicate; heavenly or celestial. It is a favorite word of mine and describes many of the looks or moods I like to create visually. The word itself evokes a more spiritual state of mind and being and nothing conveys it better the white.

The white in this piece was my very first consideration, so I mixed up a great deal of Titanium White with Liquitex Pouring Medium. The purple lines of stamping that you see underneath the color were done prior to the first pour.

On very wet 140 lb. HP watercolor paper, I covered the paper with the white mixture, spreading it around with my gloves (you must wear the latex, surgical type gloves to do this) and then held it up and sprayed a bit more water to keep the color moving. Keep rotating the paper until it has a good even coat of white.  (Hold it over a shallow baking sheet to keep it from running off of the table.)

The other colors were poured over the white base in thin bands going from edge to edge and leaving a slight space in between. The base coat of white seeped up into the other colors creating the white hazy lines that look almost like smoke. I did tilt the paper a small bit by holding it at diagonal corners. However, if you do this too much, it will cause "over blending" and ruin the effect completely. I then laid it down on wax paper over a glass covered table and left it to dry overnight.

It is important to emphasize (since I haven't been posting pouring medium pieces in a while) that you must lay it on wax paper and allow it to dry naturally. If you try drying with a hair dryer while it's still very wet, you will ruin the pour completely. (And don't keep manipulating it or you will also ruin the effect.) It's best to occupy yourself doing something else, like going to bed and leaving it alone for the night. I've noticed that there is an overwhelming tendency to keep fussing with it! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Play On" (sold)

(sold)


"Play your life with passion for it is the food of life." Energetic and gestural marks are all the rage because of the quick and passionate movement as they're being made. A lackadaisical approach has no energy. So it is in life. A positive and energetic approach is always more attractive.

The foundation of this piece began with acrylic paint and a palette knife. The shapes here are very free form. Basically, all it takes to create shapes is a value and color change. Inscribing into the wet paint with the corner of a credit card created the gestural writing as well as stamped lines to echo the bit of music collage.

I am working on a larger piece with these same colors so I knew the lettering would need to be white. (The Quinacridone Magenta did not show up well in the hairlines of the lettering) For that reason, I chose to include some white of the paper when cropping from a larger piece to tie in with the letters.

This piece is a reminder that it takes a spontaneous technique to create a spontaneous result. And in this day and age the use of spontaneous techniques is essential to set yourself apart in the art world....or at the minimum, using energetic brush strokes or including a bit of diagonal movement, etc. All of these things, plus an ever growing sense of design, is what will help an artist grow. Painting and creating what thousands of others are doing will not do it anymore because we are inundated with visuals every day. And there you have it. Just a few more things to think about.

"Energy and Power"

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


"Deadlines create focused energy and power." Deadlines are generally viewed either positively or negatively. In my own personal experience, I've discovered that deadlines are a change agent that force me to work with focus and power.

This piece is permeated with energy and power because of all the diagonals. The direction of the diagonals all seem to be directed at a central focus where the black is intersecting from three sides of the piece. This is the power of cropping. At first I didn't like this piece because it seemed a bit overwhelming. But when you consider the quote and look at the piece, it makes perfect sense.

If you have never tried working on smaller pieces like 6" x 6" or even smaller, I strongly recommend doing so, especially with pouring medium. It will give you many ideas for larger abstract works and simply transferring the same division of space to another medium altogether. I recently took a week long class in kiln formed glass primarily using glass powders and frit. It was amazing to me how many of the same textures and glass collages were so similar to what I was already doing in mixed media. We all want our work to look spontaneous and gestural in nature with lots of movement, but that will never happen unless there is a spontaneous working method.  Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Associations and Connections"

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

"There is power in the associations and connections found in art and in life." Whoever or whatever we are around on a regular basis will affect us. There are associations and connections in art and in life that must be given attention. The great thing about art is that it can be changed. In life, we often need to learn to negotiate the things that cannot be changed.

The colors in this piece are pleasing to me because of the light raspberry color juxtaposed with the orange. If the orange and black are next to each other by themselves, it can be somewhat overwhelming. The raspberry color cools down the hot intensity of the orange.

It also makes a difference in this particular technique to pay close attention to the space between the bands of color. By allowing the white or titan buff color to separate the black and pick color, a connection has been made with the other light color areas. Because this color moves after it is poured, it is wise to allow a bit more space between colors unless you want them to totally mingle together.

Another thing to remember when pouring color is to notice what happens in response to external manipulation. For instance, using a plastic fork running through the colors in a zigzag or circular motion will redirect the flow of the color. Notice what happens immediately after touching the color with any tool. Also notice what happens if you continue spraying the color with water as you pick up the sheet and cause the color to move dramatically. You can greatly reduce intensity by doing this and then lay the paper down again and pour a bit of the same color into the previous color, redirect the flow with a plastic fork and achieve a completely different effect. Remember to wear plastic gloves! Use a shallow baking pan to catch the excess medium as you turn the paper and allow some of it to drip. Just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Fascination"

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


"Creativity is a gift wrapped up in fascination." To be totally absorbed in something is to be fascinated. Most creative things do not get created unless there is a high degree of fascination in the process of getting it done. It essentially means to be held captive. Now that's fascination!

Whatever technique or process any of us choose to do to communicate visually, we had better be totally captured by the process. And some processes can be very intimidating and even daunting to tackle. However, the sooner we have the realization of what it takes to obtain that particular skill, and we can stay fascinated with it, the more likely we can overcome any obstacles along the way.

In this piece, I was intent on using Green Gold (Golden Fluid Acrylic) and Anthraquinone Blue (Fluid Acrylic). I also threw in some metallic white. When these colors merged together, the darker, warmer green was created. That's why fascination with the Pouring Medium process has been ongoing. No matter what is done to manipulate the process, there is always a spontaneous result. It seems to take on a life of its own.

In this cropped section, I ended up with a very contemporary take on an old format called horizontal bands. They do work every time they're tried, but the edges of these bands of color are far more interesting than they would have been had I simply ruled off three bands and painted the color in. Most artists I know work hard to hone their skills so that the work never looks contrived which is the exact opposite of spontaneous. If any artwork looks controlled and contrived, it will stop the viewer from connecting with your piece instantly. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Pure Inspiration"

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


"Pure inspiration comes from the inner spirit ignited by anything that produces creative thought." There is nothing quite like the surge of energy that accompanies a spark of inspiration. It is that sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea that prompts immediate action.

As I have mentioned in other postings, a gradual change has occurred in what inspires my quotes. In the beginning, I thought about the quotes first, often spending hours writing them down in advance of creating the art portion. I am happy to say that the whole process has flipped and now I create the visual first and then let that be my inspiration for the quote. It's much more natural and satisfying to me. I am quite convinced that artists working in any medium could benefit by working in this way. It allows for more freedom and inspiration when creating a piece. This is especially true when working from a particular concept or theme. If you get an idea in your head that something would be best illustrated by including particular materials or a particular shape...all of the wisest "design sages" on the planet will not be able to convince you otherwise...even when everything in the piece is screaming for a "do over".

For instance, if you are inspired by a particular color arrangement, it would be very inspirational to take those colors and try them in your own particular medium and enjoy that process without laboring over any particular concept. I promise that a concept will emerge from this process and it will seem much more spontaneous and much less contrived. So my advice, especially to artists on my team at church is to flip your process and see what happens. Quit contorting your artwork into some preconceived idea first. Do some experimenting, hone your techniques, and place more of your focus on good design...and the rest will follow. Just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Discipline Equals Freedom" (sold)

(SOLD)

"Discipline equals freedom: a good strategy for exiting an emotional roller coaster." Runaway feelings can land you on an emotional roller coaster unless a decision is made. The best decision is to stay disciplined and keep doing what you need to be doing to progress in life. The intense feelings will subside.

No process has been more creative for me than to respond to an image and actually attach a meaning to it...in my case, a one line quote. I am growing more fond of abstract art, but know myself well enough to realize I will inject realism again. What makes someone come into my studio and remark on the page of practice where I did my last 6 x 6? I realized it was the erratic pen marks made when I wanted to be sure the medium was coming out of the pen. They were going every which direction and then there was a word or two written when I was determining the lenght of the word or line before writing it on the final.

I have concluded that most people find this fascinating because you are allowing them to peer into your process a bit. And then there are artists who deliberately try to mess things up to create spontaneity. And then they will paint or write something beautiful on top of all that mess. It's quite fascinating to determine why this is so compelling to look at, but I am considering doing a bit more of that kind of thing...starting with the first layer.... including odd erratic marks made with different tools and then beginning the pouring medium process over that. Now that is something to think about and you just may see it tomorrow.

"Spontaneous"

($60.00....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)


"It takes a spontaneous process to achieve a spontaneous result." Most people would probably agree that the most special memories happened spontaneously or in a way that wasn't planned even it was a planned event. There just seems to be more emotion and more energy when things happen spontaneously. We can't always act on a "whim", but occasionally, it can be the beginning of many good things.

My entire goal this year is to explore spontaneous processes and to achieve a spontaneous look by improving my skill level. There are some processes that take considerable practice and even years to master, but once they're mastered, it looks spontaneous.

What doesn't look spontaneous is art work created by someone not using a spontaneous process and not having mastered a skill until it can be done with no hesitation. It's the hesitation that shows up in the art. Practicing how to lay down paint for an oil painting and learning how to be direct and decisive is part of the learning curve. Even in a process like Pouring Medium, the artist is the one who decides how long to continue allowing the colors to engage in movement and how much external blending with a tool needs to take place. I am learning to lay it down and let it be...sooner rather than later. It's about learning the perfect balance between decisive and quick action with the movement of a tool and knowing when to slow down or stop.

Another process that really helps is to do something with time constraints so that you actually begin to make decisions and movements quite unconsciously. That is precisely what blogging will do for anyone willing to submit themselves to the process. Time constraints will actually help shut down your internal critic and keep you moving forward at a much faster rate.

All of this pretty much describes where I am artistically and what I've learned over the past year. I am hoping it gives you a few more things to think about.  Today is posting 363.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Sunny Disposition"

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


"Lemons have a sunny disposition in all the seasons of the year." Isn't it pleasant to have friends who are always full of joy? I am blessed to have a few. They are like these lemons with a sunny disposition through all the seasons of life.

Theses lemons are the remains of the "bumper crop" from our lemon tree. It is an ornamental lemon tree with beautiful little white blossoms in the spring. You can imagine our surprise when it began yielding these beautiful lemons. The total crop was eighteen!

As most oil painters know, morning and evening light are the conditions most conducive to creating the most shadows, direct light, reflected light, highlights, etc. This photo was taken in the late afternoon light which adds to its drama. It's something to think about when drawing, painting, or photographing.

Cropping is the next most important thing. By allowing the lines of the image to go from edge to edge, very dramatic shapes are created. The more subtle shapes are created with pencil lines in the background. I've said it many times and will say it again, if you want spontaneous results, you need to use spontaneous techniques. Consequently, random placement of the pencil lines on the Arches Text Wove before printing the photograph will yield a spontaneous rather than a contrived look. Take a few shots today and practice zooming in and cropping. These are just a few more things to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Created Form" ($60.00)

(adjusted price.....$60.00.....mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Created form emerges from the ground in color that reveals the season." Fall has always been my favorite season and painting images that emerge from the ground in autumn brings me tremendous joy. The minute small decorative gourds appeared in the store, a bag of them came home with me...so there may be a few more postings before I get over this obsession. Of course, I hope it brightens your day!

The first layer of this piece was created in the color workshop this past weekend as I demonstrated Liquitex Pouring Medium. By allowing the results of the medium to speak to you without predetermining what you want to do is another way to achieve spontaneity. What I have been learning about spontaneous creating is that the process itself must be spontaneous. It is very difficult to achieve a look that flows without effort by predetermining everything in advance.

On the other hand, knowing what to do with the elements and principles of design (and color) will also help. So actually, it is a matter of beginning with a process that almost creates itself and then, putting on your "design" hat to figure out what to do next.

If lettering is involved, it also helps to be able to write something that goes with the piece after the piece has been created rather than designing a piece to go with the quote. And if you don't like writing....then you will need an arsenal of quotes at your fingertips (alphabetized, of course) so you can find just the right one.

For those who were in the class, this is an analagous color scheme with a bit of violet on the gourd and in the shadow. And, of course, violet is a direct complement of yellow and a split complement to the yellow-green. The violet used is Perylene Violet (WN)gouache. If you don't have that in your gouache supply....it is a good one. Also, the pouring medium resists gouache, so you will need to brush the surface with (2) parts water to (1) part gel matte medium before painting an image or doing lettering.

Just something to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.