"A Broken Window" (sold)

(SOLD)


"A broken window gives clearer vision." Brokenness in life has a good side if it is viewed from the right perspective. This image of an old window shows how clearly the foliage can be seen with the window broken. It's a visual metaphor of the flip side of brokenness. If you have been hurt badly in relationships or physical suffering, you are the ones who can see life quite clearly.

Windows are one of my favorite visual metaphors, especially if they have several panes. This one is especially charming since it had been sitting outside of an antique store for quite some time. When looking for just the right kind of photograph to include in your art work, don't overlook those things which are not included in the obvious choices. This image not only gave me the perfect metaphor, but it has a wonderful poetic quality with the leaves sitting in the sill and the "fogginess" of the glass. The choice of image left me with very little to do.

However, I did add some pencil lines and created a monoprint with Caran d'Ache Saffron colored ink on the paper before printing the image. After the image was sprayed with Acrylic Coating and adhered to the panel, I added Black Charcoal Powder and black erratic lines with a pointed pen. The piece was then secured with spray acrylic coating again....prepared for lettering with diluted gel matte medium with the final quote and white lines done with pointed pen and Winsor Newton Bleedproof White. And that's how it's done! Just something more to think about in transforming a photographic image into a piece of art.

"Reflections"

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

"Reflections of trees in the window caused me to reflect on memories past." This image reminds me of something out of Little Women.   Leave all the bad memories behind and reflect on all the good ones!


If you have been following along, you will notice this is a photograph printed on Arches Text Wove after creating a monoprint with Walnut Ink. The Pouring Medium was mixed with white rather than Titan Buff. The gradated effect of the Pouring Medium is a wonderful contrast against the sharp lines of white lettering. The "white on white" effect is very exciting to me so I decided to place the flourish in the upper right hand corner to add to the ethereal quality of this piece.

There is one thing I have not mentioned in doing these pieces with photographs. Even after you spray the photograph 2 or 3 times with Spray Acrylic Coating, the Pouring Medium followed by spraying with water will cause the image to bleed a bit. It is prudent to do this part as quickly as possible or the photograph will fade too much. This seeping into the image continues because it must be dried flat and you cannot use a hair dryer until the medium is almost dry.

Also, it is difficult to achieve the "press / release" technique on this surface so I wrote the quote with no pressure and came back in to ink in the shaded strokes...just in case you were wondering how there was a shaded part in the "R" on what would typically be an upstroke with no pressure. All is fair in love and lettering. Just something to try or think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"The Fragrance of Nostalgia" (sold)

(sold)


"Lavender fills my senses with the fragrance of nostalgia." It's one of those fragrances that never seems to go out of fashion. I even have spray starch that smells like lavender! Yes, it 's nostalgia that perfectly describes this scent.

In this piece I began with a very dilute yellow and alternated that with Transparent Raw Umber (Liquitex) and dilute applications of gesso. Throughout this process, I made sure my one dominant window of darks remained that way.

Everyone that's taking a script class from me knows I have a love affair with pencil. Most of the time, I use a Bic mechanical pencil (.5mm) and sharpen it on a sandpaper block. Graphite and gesso go together well, so it's a great choice in those types of pieces.

There are several reasons to develop the pencil habit. First of all, it's extremely portable. It can also be used to write in any direction with no resistance. It enables you to practice and develop muscle memory without having to think about pen and ink at the same time.

Here is a hint or two. If you do decide to pick up a pencil, turn the pencil in your hand after every letter or two in order to be writing with the sharpest part of the point. Hold it vertically to make sure you're writing on the sharpest part. After every few letters, twirl on the sandpaper block again. Just something to do or think about.

"Creative Thought" (sold)

(sold)


This quote is like a commission to all creative people to open up the window of their minds, pay no attention to the internal critic, and let creative thought blow in.

The dominance of vertical lines in this piece is offset by the expressive brown marks running vertically and the use of white glazed diagonally over the window. The horizontal and expressive script also help. As you may have noticed, I do trend towards ethereal looks. Soft pastels, blurring of edges, and the use of white are great tools in achieving that look. If you like that look, it is always instructive to notice how other artists create that mood.