"Paz" (draft 1)

(draft 1)

The Spanish word for peace is "paz". The quote you will see in the final is from Psalm 29:11. There is nothing quite like soothing blue colors to capture the spirit of "peace".

The previous couple of postings with a tighter weave (muslim) did not yield great results. That piece of fiber is now in the garbage and I returned to my lightweight linen type fiber with a looser weave. And for those who say..."You could have saved it; why did you throw it in the trash?"....that is not always true.

To create these very textural kinds of looks by deconstructing fiber, it is very important to have a fiber that is deconstructable. Otherwise, you can "beat a dead horse", but it will not be revived. It's dead!

So I began this piece with black gesso on one side and allowed it to dry thoroughly over the weekend. This morning I sanded it, and the deconstruction yielded some nice frayed areas and a few holes. And that is excellent, because I plan to adhere silver leaf to the area of the support where this will be placed and that silver will come shining through.

The next step was to spray the fiber with Palette Wetting Spray (Liquitex). The spray is different than simply spraying water because it consists of a polymer emulsion that is designed to keep the acrylic paint wet for a longer period of time, but it also helps blending and moving the paint around. (I have found that "chip brushes" are the very best brush for applying fluid acrylics to fiber.)

The mixture used for this base color was Cobalt Blue, a bit of Raw Umber, and a lot of White. (Fluid Acrylics) This dilute color causes a color vibration with the more intense colors stamped over this background. Cobalt Blue (straight from the bottle) and Cobalt Turquoise + White are the colors of the chevron pattern. (Color was brushed onto the stamped with a chip brush.)

And just in case you haven't noticed, chevron patterns are the rage right now. So let me take this opportunity to give a "shout out" for my daughter Alice, who is creating some fabulous wrist bags and tote bags, and also makes custom t-shirt quilts.

Check out her products at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChevronBagsUnlimited. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Autumn Red" (final)

($400.00....12" x 18"....Water Soluble Oils on a Flat Gessobord...Presented in a Custom Frame from Balcones Frame)

The end of a painting is always a bag of mixed feelings...especially when there is an inspiration photo to compare side by side with the painting. Because of the abstract and painterly effect of palette knife painting, it is best to withhold judgement and simply place it on a easel in the studio and leave it there for a few days.

The emotional appeal of these types of paintings has nothing to do with exact representation, but has more to do with the amount of paint and the "gestural" quality of the strokes. At the end, I did leave my image on the full screen of the computer and made a side by side comparison. There is no question that the painting was inspired by the reference photo, but there are also some obvious differences.

So I guess my advice is to make sure the color notes and shapes are reasonably correct and then enjoy the movement and direction of the palette knife strokes. The absolute beauty of this type of painting is the way the light hits the painting which is due to the extreme texture and movement of the strokes.

Because I am using so much paint, I use coupons "ad nauseam" and every time I am near a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels...I buy paint. Winsor Newton Water Soluble Oils are still my favorite because they are a thicker viscosity than other brands of regular oils. It is also quite nice not to deal with Gamsol or any other type of mineral spirits.

So I now feel as though I am getting my "sea legs"....so to speak and encourage anyone to at least give it a try. It's very addicting and you might just find a new way to communicate visually. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Autumn Red" (draft 2)

This might be laborious for some of you, but I do have a few palette knife compadres out there and we are all curious about how each other creates our work. There is still a lot to do, but it has dramatically changed since yesterday.

The biggest problem in showing a painting in progress like this.....is the outcome. If I don't like it, it will be another "wash" and I will start over again. I do want to keep these experimental pieces rather than scraping them off because it informs all of my future work. But so far, I am not throwing in the towel yet. And those who know me well....know that I am one determined "little 'cus"!

The only thing to say about today's work is that I am continuing to mix color and lay down paint. The touch does become very important since too much pressure on the knife will disturb what's underneath. So "one swipe" in one area is it!

Seeing it on a computer screen tells me I need some more very dark areas, so that will come tomorrow. Now I am out the door to do some photography and enjoy the beautiful weather. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Autumn Red" (draft 1)

Today's posting is the first draft of an oil. (12" x 18") It shows the stroke direction and values created with the palette knife. This is representative of app. (2hrs) worth of work. Most of the time was spent mixing paint. It will eventually look like autumn in the Texas Hill Country.

Selecting an image to spend a lot of time with is very important. If there is a lukewarm response to the inspiration photo, the process will become very laborious....very fast. So the first thing I endeavor to do when out with my camera is to find shots that show a great deal of contrast and contain colors and texture that resonate deep within me.

And the fall is a very good time to go out with a camera and look for those shots that will inspire you back in the studio. The particular photo I am referencing for this piece was taken last fall on Cow Creek Trail. (Only in Texas do we have such fabulous names for back country roads!) I have almost exhausted my supply of photos, so I am ready to go out and do it again.

Since I am already familiar with the palette knife, I am now trying to be more creative with the palette knife strokes by using different sizes and changing directions slightly with each stroke. Because the paint is thick, it will reflect the light better with this approach.

This type of painting is not for the impatient person. It does take practice and confidence to lay down those strokes of paint in such a way that it communicates a semblance of the landscape.  Deciding on what values get laid down first is the hardest part.  It's almost like a chess game....calculating the next move.

I must love it because I keep doing it! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"The Quiet" (draft 1)

(draft 1)

Even though this watercolor will end up with a serene and peaceful image, the strong diagonals will also keep it dynamic. I must admit it is a bit "scary" to post watercolors in process because it is not always possible to correct things that could go wrong in successive layers. Oh well....it's only paper and I could start over again.

I could also have begun two pieces at the same time and same size, but I am out of 8" x 8" Fabriano CP. This much I can say....there is a reason why Fabriano Artistico is preferable to Arches. The Fabriano has a finer texture and a better feel. At least that is my opionion so far. I did begin a similar one in a smaller size because it makes me more confident to test my pigment to water ratio on a test piece first.

You may be wondering why I chose this particular layout and division of the design space. I am working from an inspiration piece. And what you will see tomorrow (hopefully), is a large transparent glass bottle that will overlap both blue areas and look as though it is sitting in a window sill.

My objective in these first two glazes was to show a variety of values with a variety of techniques. In the first glaze, I scrubbed the paper on both sides with water and a sponge brush to remove the sizing. I then squeezed all of the water out of the sponge and removed any excess water puddling on the top of the paper. With a mop brush, I laid in the first blue bands of color and created a bit of gradation by coming right behind the first swipe of the brush with water only to allow the color to fade out. I also left some white of the paper in both sections as well as the large middle band of untouched paper. The color did bleed a bit and created a diffused edge.

While all of that was drying (without the aid of a hair dryer), I busied myself reading and looking at things. After about (30) min. I finished drying both my small and large pieces with a hair dryer. It has been my observation that is best not to use a hair dryer right off the bat because it stops the spontaneous result between pigment and water. But alas, time is always of the essence, and no harm is done if you finish drying it after a sufficient amount of time....(i.e. when the water and pigment are no longer moving at all)

I also wrote into the pigment with a Speedball C-5 nib (no pigment) very lightly. If you press too hard, the subtle effect will not be achieved and the paper will be seriously marred. The second glaze was painted with a flat brush on dry paper and losing the edge of one side with a mop brush and water only. Take the water brush clear to the edge of the paper to avoid a hard line or at least until the pigment fades out to nothing.

So all of these techniques are the ones that must be practiced over and over until they become second nature.  My ultimate desire is to combine watercolor techniques with gesso techniques and of course....lettering. It's great fun and I hope that by sharing my journey, you will be helped in yours. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Variegated" (final)

(image 1)

(image 2)

"Variegated thoughts are running through my mind." Today is the final for this piece. In the first draft, I began two pieces and posted one of them yesterday, but did not like the outcome. So today, you are viewing the second one of those pieces which has become the final.

The advantage of working on two similar pieces at the same time...especially with watercolor is that you have an extra one available in case the first one got overworked. I observed both pieces from a distance during the course of the day and decided to leave this one and not put all of the leaf detail in place. It is simply a suggestion of the leaves and by stopping before I thought I was finished, I managed to capture the luminosity.

And this is the trick with watercolor in particular. It also provides shapes you might not have imagined in the final. So my big "take away" by working on two pieces is to have both of them in front of me to compare and contrast. It's an exciting way to work.

In this piece, I also have minimal glazing. Not more than three glazes over any of the leaves. Also notice that I left the edge of the previous layer showing which gives it depth. The two gray spots in the background were created in the very first wash by slinging a slightly darker value over the piece with the brush. One "sling" is quite sufficient. If you do too much of any technique...(i.e.....saran wrap...bubble wrap...or splattering)....and the viewer notices the technique more than the overall piece, it will look contrived. In this case, "less is more".

 If you are a lettering artist and you want to have some subtle or soft lettering, use a very sharp pencil (sharpened on a sandpaper block) and write on the piece before spraying with acrylic spray coating or varnish. If you don't, the spray could create a resist and not receive the graphite. If you choose gouache....the paper will need to be sprayed (3x) with spray acrylic coating and then prepared for lettering.

Watercolor is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating mediums to work with, but does require some perseverance and close observation to what is happening between pigment, water, and the wetness or dryness of the the paper. Most of the leaf glazes in this piece were applied with a brush with most of the water squeezed out and then dipped into a "juicy" puddle of pigment and water.

After making one pass over the desired area....I banged my mop brush in the water container to remove most of the pigment ran the brush over a sponge and then quickly softened the right edge with water only. This gives the desire "lost edge" effect and also helps with luminosity and a balance between hard and soft edges. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"The Coast" (draft 1)

(draft 1)

There is no quote for this piece yet, but there will be after all of the other color blocks are added and arranged into a larger piece. Hang on for the ride!

Technique is defined in the dictionary as a manner of artistic execution in music, painting, etc. And yet it is so much more. It is even more than simply practicing a skill, because any skill practiced wrong will not yield the desired result.

For me, piano and art have come together in my journey. There are so many similarities. For instance, the speed at which the piano keys are struck has everything to do with the beauty as well as the loudness and softness of the tone. The same is true in palette knife painting. It's the lightness of the touch as the knife skims over another layer of wet paint that determines the quality of the edge or the revealed color underneath.

So it is instructive to practice on a scrap bit of paper or canvas and watch what happens when you press down harder while applying wet paint on top of wet paint and then compare that to doing the same thing with the lightest touch you can manage. It is the degree of attention to the touch that makes a hugh difference in both art and music.

Those lettering friends of mine will know this to be absolutely true in hand lettering as well. The graduated stroke with a pointed pen can be one of the most exasperating things to learn, but oh how lovely it is when it is done well. So part of our studio time must be spent on perfecting some of these skills by isolating them one by one. When learning a new hand, it is better to begin with pencil so you can isolate and perfect the form of the letter. Trying to add in the press/release technique and loading a pen, maintaining a consistent pen angle will drive you insane if you're not familiar with the form of the letter first.

And the same is true for the palette knife. It's all about which color is laid down first, the touch involved with the next layer, and how much paint to apply as well as the viscosity of the paint. And then trying this over and over again....every day. It is also helpful to remind ourselves that visual art means to observe with the eyes what is happening as the work is done. And then analyzing how others have accomplished similar techniques.

All that I have said today is precisely why I blog every single day. It's the act of doing it everyday before distractions pop up that speeds up the progress. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Behold the Lamb (1)"

(unavailable.....6" x 12"....Water Soluble Oils on 300 lb. HP)

"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." This is an experimental piece to add to my collection so that I have many choices to choose from before submitting the work for an upcoming Easter exhibition. My intent was to showcase very light values against very dark ones to visually describe the Lamb of God who is also the Light of the World.

This is my fourth sky scape in recent days, but I am still not quite ready to say "yes to the piece". I am just letting you all get a close up view of my process. 

Process is always on my mind because it involves a complex strategy of coming up with a concept and actually birthing it into a piece of art. I am learning a lot about painting a sky scape. One of the main things I'm learning is to have a strong contrast between very blended ribbons of color and some that are laid down in one spot with no blending. These are also much easier to do and more convincing (at least to me) if they are painted with a palette knife. 

The other very valuable thing to learn is that this is a pathway to creating full blown abstracts without using the typical color of the sky, but rather using any number of color combinations and staying with horizontal bands as the main format. And even placing a gestural stroke of intense color in one spot can send the piece into ecstasy.

So I am now thinking about devoting an entire afternoon with papers lined up and doing one right after the other with some very good music playing. It helps if it has a lot of passion with good rhythm. What this will do, is get rid of the internal critic and soon you will develop a rhythm.

If you choose to paint on unmounted canvas or 300 lb. HP Watercolor Paper.....you will have many cropping options after the paint has dried. For instance, you can have some narrow vertical pieces or some wide, but skinny horizontals that could even be viewed as a series. 

So if you're just starting out and want to see what the paint will do and give you some experience mixing color with a limited palette, this is a wonderful place to start. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"A Variation"

($50.00......6" x6".....Water Soluble Oils on Gessobord)

"A variation is a transformation of an existing image." This also has an application in real life if we consider ourselves or others as an existing image in the process of transformation.

This is my third variation of a hill country scene with a large bluff in the background and green water with reflections and a twig / tree in the foreground. The last time I painted this was on January 9th. The first posting was on December 3rd, 2012, just in case you want to see the progression.

This step by step "morphing" is an excellent way to step gingerly into the world of abstraction. I do believe I could do it one more time and lose even more of the bit of detail that is there. In a "nutshell", abstraction simply means to lose the detail. The color harmonies remain the same (although the bluish gray in the bluff is really a gray in the original) and the general placement of the color notes remain the same. It's the detail and blending that goes away. 

The technique of laying these colors down is a "one shot deal". One swipe of the palette knife...wiping off the knife...another swipe....etc. Trying to touch up anything is totally out of the question. I did use a rocking motion technique to create the relfections by keeping the knife in the same place to avoid over blending.

So I am quite sure that most everyone has enough reference photos to create many abstract pieces. The beauty of doing it this way is that you at least have a reference of what color notes to mix and where to place them on the piece.  And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Simplicity"

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

"Simplicity is pure poetry." It isn't always the "flashy" or complicated things that create the most impact. In a world of too much detail, it is often the simple things that create a calming effect.

The piece today is a simple hill country scene not too far away from where we live. The colors are not intense and there isn't anything truly spectacular about the scene, but it does have a calming effect because of the harmonious and "grayed down" color palette.

There is also simple and interesting divisions of space including the diagonal created by the hillside. The orange of a few trees plus the blue sky also creates a bit of a punch, but not too much. So these are things to remember when you are creating a restful or quieter piece.

Just place a lot of dabs of paint in the right places and you'll have it made. It's quite like saying, just hit the right number of keys at the right time on the piano and you will have played a beautiful piece of music.

Even things that look simple are always difficult before they are easy. What I am finding out after (55) of these small oil paintings is that the touch used in applying the paint is extremely important. All "wet into wet" techniques can be "tricky", but if you use the right palette knife, have the right color mixed, and you make ONE swipe of the knife on the piece before wiping it off...you will eventually have a hillside or a tree, depending on what you're painting.

It is also important to vary the direction and the size of the stroke to create more interest and keep the piece from looking contrived. It is also instructive to see how other artists use the knife because everybody's mark making and gestural strokes are different. One artist by the name of Louisa McElwain, will give you a whole different approach on palette knife painting. Her paintings are quite lively, large, and she uses a lot of paint. Another one is Sandra Pratt who paints very simple scenes with the emphasis on what the palette knife creates in the way of texture.  Always keep looking at what others are doing, what you are doing, and keep practicing to achieve your own special "voice". And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Light Source"

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

"Shadows are cast based on the light source." Painters love to capture the light by taking advantage of the cast shadows early or late in the day. It adds so much dimension to the artwork. Think about the light source in spiritual terms and you will capture a deeper meaning in this analogy.

This piece was painted with two friends who are also captivated by the palette knife. We all painted from the same reference photo and all of our paintings were radically different. It was an illustration, once again, that every artist has their own "fingerprint" on the work. I pray that more artists can begin to let that truth sink way down deep. Without your "fingerprint" in the art world, something will forever be missing.

Notice in this piece how strong diagonals created a convincing image of trees on a hillside with cast shadows on the more isolated trees. This was a case where the palette knife really helped to create the illusion. Strong directional swipes with the knife with several different tones of the same hue can go a long way in making that illusion convincing. 

So once again, diagonals played a major role in the energy of the piece. I also used some values in the tallest trees closest to the sky that are very diluted with their complementary plus gray to create that "airy" look of more light showing through the limbs. And that is what is coming more into sharp focus for me by painting one piece right after another. Those slight variations in value are a key factor in making the piece more convincing. And even if you decide to paint more abstractly, noticing those "minute" differences will serve you well.

There's a lot to learn by painting the landscape with all of the atmospheric changes continually taking place. As it turns out, the Master Colorist created an environment that serves as a perfect classroom for that instruction. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Amazing"

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

"It is quite amazing that all colors originate from red, yellow, and blue." When you consider the hundreds of color combinations that derive from these three primaries, we have yet another example of the amazing creative power of God.

This reference photo was taken last fall in Santa Fe, N.M. And yes, the sky really was that blue. It was an amazing October day with the aspens in all of their glory. 

The challenge in this painting was to paint several of the aspens behind the evergreens. No easy task, and my process is different from the oil painters who use brush. I laid down the sky color first followed by some of the evergreens and then I alternated back and forth between aspens and evergreens. It's an interesting effect with some of the evergreens in front and some of the aspens in front. 

I rely primarily on the pressure of the touch to set those colors in place on top of wet paint. One of the advantages of using a palette knife is being able to get cleaner colors. It's much harder to clean a brush when changing color than it is a palette knife and I think that's one of the other reasons I've switched to the knife.

The trees originally went to the bottom of the board, but in the interest of being able to inscribe my lettering, I took a palette knife and swiped off some of that color. I inscribed the quote with a mechanical pencil and wiped the pencil after every stroke. If you really want to know how to learn about color, try oil painting. It's quite the challenge. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Looking Beyond"

(sold)

"Looking beyond reveals hidden treasure." The person who only plans for today and fails to plan for the future will miss life's treasures."

As I study all of the photos I took on our recent trip to North Carolina, I realized that I really do like a lot of foreground in my paintings. Even if there are distant things in the background, it's the foreground that seems to really give the piece some drama and depth. 

One of the most strategic things about creating a palette knife painting and using a "wet into wet" technique is deciding what colors get laid down first. Because branches can sometimes be hard to paint with a knife, I chose to lay a very dark brown over the entire gessobord first so that the limbs and the quote could be carved out.   Next came the background foliage followed by the water the then the leaves and foreground.

Besides making those decisions, it is then a matter of touch and practice to lay down one stroke at a time with just the right pressure so as not to disturb what is underneath. If you're the type that likes to "fuss" over things, this will get you over that in a heartbeat. One swipe is all you get before wiping the palette knife and doing it again. This is called the alla prima method of painting. The beauty of working in oils is that you can come back the next day and even the day after that to make additions...or subtractions.

And just as a recap, I first tried Gamblin Oils (one of the best on the market)...followed by Open Acrylics....regular acrylics with retarder added, but for working with a palette knife, I found water soluble oils to have the best texture for this application. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about. 

"The Aspens"

($40.00.....6" x 6".....water soluble oils on gessobord)

"Give it up for the aspens." Many artists have depicted aspens and this is my version. They really are quite stunning when they light up the fall landscape. The reference photo I used was taken in Santa Fe, N.M.

Much can be learned about variety and alternation by studying the landscape. I chose this photo because I like the alternating effect of the aspens with the evergreens. I am continuing to push the depth by slightly changing each stroke. It takes a bit longer to do, but I believe it's worth the trouble. It would have been very boring to use one solid color for each tree. This is an important thing to remember whether moving towards realism or working in total abstraction. The repetitive and different strokes create variety. And by varying the direction of the strokes and using a fair amount of paint, the light reflects off of the surface in a beautiful way.

Notice also how the exposed tree trunks and branches create nice divisions of space and even an occasional diagonal. You might want to experiment by simply taking a palette knife and mixing up one color in its full intensity, then add a bit of the complement....followed by white, and then repeat this in different percentages and overlay the strokes and make each one going in a different direction. It's quite fun and gives practice in color mixing and how to dilute a particular color. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Pass It On!"

(unavailable)

"Share what you know and watch yourself grow." This quote is born out of my desire to teach. But even if you've never taught a structured class, each of us has a special gift(s) that needs to be passed on to others. So pass it on what you know!

This is a very compelling color combination. The orange color block is a combination of Pyrrole Orange and Burnt Sienna. The Burnt Sienna knocks down some of the intensity of the orange. The lime green is Green Gold (Golden) undiluted by any other color. And of course, the first layer of this pour was Titanium White over the entire sheet of paper which influenced the gradation of both color blocks and peeks through in various places.

The gestural quality of the black lines running through the orange and green were created with an energetic movement of a toothpick pulling the black out into the other color blocks. Pencil lines showing through the color also give energy with their underlying movement.

One other thing about percentages of color. In this piece, the orange and green are very close in the percentages they occupy with the green having a slight edge. When two color blocks are this close together in their size, the tension in the piece is much greater. It can be reduced by making one of those colors occupy a much greater area than the other. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Longing"

($150.00.....6" x 6"....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel....floated on a linen mat in a custom frame)




"Beauty creates a longing to be transformed." Noticing beauty in creation or in the smallest act of kindness is one of the ways the longing is expressed. Beauty transports us into a realm of spiritually connecting with God and with others.

In most pouring medium pieces, I have emphasized the fact that it is wise to include a light, medium, and dark color in the pour. Today's piece is an example of not having a dark value in the initial pour, but having it in an image that is included after the fact. The butterfly was my first choice of image because of the colors in the background repeated in the colors of the butterfly and the fact that the shapes of the color blocks look like "echoes" of butterfly wings. Printing that image on silk tissue paper works far better than printing it on opaque paper. In fact, these two techniques (pouring medium and collaged elements on tissue paper) work extremely well together. Not all techniques work well together and part of creating mixed media pieces is realizing that fact. For instance, gesso techniques don't seem to be compatible with this process so I have quit trying to beat my head against a wall by forcing them to work together.

Another technique that does work well with this process is light pencil drawing or gestural writing on the blank paper before the pour is done. You can see some of these faint lines in this piece. It is another spontaneous technique because you will have no idea where the pencil lines will be visible or how much will be "cropped" out of the piece altogether.

This entire process of pouring color on paper is the most spontaneous I've ever tried and also the most compelling. But having said that, it can also become tiresome unless you have some contrast. Because the edges and flow of the color in a pour are so erratic and often diffused, it is a good design decision to include an image that falls in the realm of realism since the pouring medium is totally abstract and very contemporary. Including this contrast is important to your continued interest in this technique. Stamping is also a good option, although you will have much better results if you prepare the surface with gel matte medium and if you use Speedball Printing Ink to create the image. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"By The Creek"

($100.00.....6" x 6".....painted on a gessobord...presented in a frame)


"A morning by the creek is perfect!" Getting outdoors early in the morning is a special treat. It's even better when painting with friends. This particular scene was painted at Brushy Creek here in Austin.

So often I feel like I sound like a broken record when repeating that it takes a spontaneous technique to get a spontaneous result. Such is the case in this piece. This is an oil painting created with a palette knife. It can be very tempting to pick up a brush, but perseverance will be rewarded if you don't.

The quote is inscribed into the right hand edge going up the side vertically. I used a toothpick to write the quote. The lack of detail and erratic marks are the charming things about this technique.

Once again, attention has to be paid to division of space and values. When painting wet-into-wet it is important not to lay down too much paint in the first layer. It is also important to lay down a stroke and leave it alone. Colors will become muddy and lose their sparkling appearance if you keep "fussing". This type of painting is all about capturing the "essence" of something and then leaving it alone. It did help me to work with a double palette of warm and cool colors. I still have a lot of practice to do with the palette knife, but a girl has to start somewhere! Just playing around with this method of application will give you lots of fun and lots of erratic edges. Just something you might want to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Boldness"

(unavailable)


"Boldness is the fearless attribute that attracts others with vivid and vigorous distinctions." Well, today's quote is quite a mouthful. I got all excited when I looked up the definition of "bold" and out came this quote. All effective leaders have this attribute.

The technique involved in creating this pouring medium piece has some distinct characteristics. I began as usual by mixing up my colors and wetting the paper under a faucet. Rather than covering the whole sheet with one light color, I cover about two thirds of it (in the middle) with the orange color, held up the paper, turned it and sprayed with water to get complete movement and coverage. I then layed it on wax paper and poured the red, greed gold, and black. My thought was to have intense color blocks with no external manipulation.

As I watched it began to move on its own and mingle a bit, I simply got the urge to use a toothpick and run it through the black and green. In that way, you will be able to have some detail and still have two other areas with no manipulation. Using different colors, and different textural tools in a specific portion will give you hours of productive fun. So now you have a few more things to try or think about.

"Listening"

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

"A quiet and undisturbed spirit is the prerequisite for listening." In conflict resolution classes, the most important communication skill is listening. We all need to listen more intently to what others are saying.

This is a different approach to the technique of creating a pouring medium piece. The colors here are much more subdued and textures are extremely subtle.

Begin by wetting the paper under the faucet on both sides. (140lb. HP) Have a light medium and dark color premixed and ready to pour. After pouring three or four colors on the paper. Let them blend to your heart's content, holding the paper over a shallow baking dish and spraying and turning the paper until you're satisfied with your background of gradated and diffused color.

Lay the paper on wax paper laid on foam core. Now choose two colors that you used in the first pour and pour them across the paper again, leaving space in between these two colors. Take a fork, toothpick, or corner of an old credit card and run it through these two lines of color. It will not be as blended as the first pour, but will create a very pleasing and subtle texture. (In this piece, my two last colors were raw sienna and brilliant violet plus a bit of raw umber and white.) Just a few more things to think about in manipulating a very spontaneous technique.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Determination"

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


"Nothing gets done without determination." In many books I've read, determination has been the number one ingredient every successful person possesses. The best way to get determination is simply to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

Texture is a design element that immediately produces a response. The danger of texture is that too much of it without a contrast of no texture can create chaos. I love the technique in this piece of texturizing gesso and then printing over it with a brayer and Speedball Printing Ink. To "dial" back some of the texture, I make sure there are clearly defined shapes. Don't every forget that paintings are made up of shapes. Shapes are created by strong division of space. Think "edge to edge" and aggressive "dark / light" contrast. The brayer will also help you to create interesting edges and then some of them can be softened by printing with less ink on the brayer or by wetting the edge with a brush and blotting with a kleenex.

By sticking with black, white, grays, and silver, you will not get into the weeds by introducing color into an already highly textured piece. Even if color was introduced, it would need to be limited to maybe one small spot or printing very "grayed down" colors with your brayer. After looking at many different techniques and materials, I have discovered that these particular neutrals are going to help give a "power punch" to any environment and they are interesting, but also easy on the eyes. I hope you will be encouraged to try and think on these things.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.