Fresh Paint Friday #6, on Monday

So here it is, the Fresh Paint Friday video I promised.  I decided to leave in the original sound rather than add music.  Enjoy!

The piece is 10"x10" on paper.

The original is available for $195, including shipping.

Or  buy a print; choose from many different print sizes, materials, and framing options.  
Thanks for visiting.  

Tuesday, April 30

Here is a response to a few of your comments, including this one:

Could you explain a little bit about the process?
Why so many layers, and what kind of paints you use, they look so rich and thick.

Why so many layers?  Well, the first layer is a starting point.  I generally try to throw out an idea, without planning where it will take me.  In this case the idea was that I wanted some intense warm red peeking through layers of neutral colors.  So I started with red, and then started layering neutrals over it.  Then I let the piece lead me to the next step, and then the next.  I don't set out to achieve a specific outcome, but stay focused, in the moment, paying attention to process. This piece took the whole afternoon; I taped 25 segments, totaling about 30 minutes of video. 

See my Links page for the materials I use.

In my workshops I emphasize a focus on process, and demonstrate ways to shift your orientation so that you can get out of your own way and have fun making art!

If you enjoy Fresh Paint Fridays, please support them by buying originals or prints. THANKS!

Fresh Paint..... Monday

I am postponing Fresh Paint Friday until Monday, as I will not have time to edit the video.  I'm teaching  Abstract Painting: The Big Picture tomorrow at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH.  My Fresh Paint #6 is completed, but I'll wait until Monday to show it to you.  Meanwhile, here are a few things I've been working on; they are all 10"x10" on paper:

I will not show you all the sequences of the work, but, believe it or not, these all started out with the idea of line and soft color washes:

I love the process of creating a series from a simple starting point.  I have no particular intention or idea of where each piece will end up, but I throw a visual idea out there, and then develop each piece individually.  Fun fun FUN!

Thanks for visiting.  Stay tuned for Fresh Paint Monday.

4"x4"x400 Project

Well, it's been a while since I posted new 4"x4" "teeny tiny art", though I have been making them here and there.  To see the Flickr group, "4"x4"x400 Project", click here.  To read more about the 4"x4"x400 Project, click here.  In the latest group of 4"x4"s I played around with using only black and white.

Creating a series of 4"x4" pieces is a great way to work out an idea.  It doesn't take much paint, doesn't require a lot of space or expensive paper, and it's WAY FUN!!  FYI, I use Blick Matte Acrylics for my black and white paints.  They are beautifully opaque, and very affordable.

Fresh Paint Friday #5

Well, it's late in the day, but it IS still Friday, at least in my time zone.  I've been cramming to get this video done!  In this piece I set out to see how busy and colorful I could get without being "too busy" and confused.  As you can see, I did have to cover up a lot of the bright saturated colorful parts in order to get it into focus.  It was a fun challenge.  The pieces is 10"x10" on paper. Enjoy!
                 

 buy a print; choose from many different print sizes, materials, and framing options.  Thanks for visiting.

The Postcard Project, Update

I am STILL getting postcards, and they are just fabulous!  What an outpouring of creativity and caring response, from ALL over the world.  We're at about 2000 now, and I'm a little behind on scanning and posting, though most of them are up in the Facebook albums and in my online Galleries.  I'll get caught up in the next few days. 

The USPS will make a decision in early 2014 about the fate of our post office.  The data from 2013, which includes volume of mail, will count towards this decision, so any mail coming in this year makes a difference.  YOU HAVE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE ALREADY!!!  For which all of us in Rupert are grateful.  I read every card, and wish I could respond to every one individually, but there are so many that I'd have to quit my day job (teaching workshops and making art) to do so!  My chickens are particularly grateful for all the chicken-themed cards and those that acknowledge them as an integral part of the postal service (they certainly consider themselves indispensable to the distribution of mail in Rupert).

Stay tuned  for another Fresh Paint Friday, posting sometime tomorrow.

Fresh Paint Friday #4

Another Fresh Paint Friday video!  This one actually has no collage in it; I didn't plan that, it's just that the piece didn't seem to call for collage at any point.

                  

Here are a few different stages of the piece in progress:

Covering over all that area with opaque white!

Adding line and shape

What changes to you see between this one and the final piece?

This is the finished piece.

 Fresh Paint #4 is available for purchase here.  You can buy the original or choose from many different print sizes, materials, and framing options.  Thanks for visiting.

New Workshops

I just got back from Art and Soul's Kansas City retreat a few days ago, where I had FABULOUS students and also got to see my fellow teachers.  I took Liz Kettle's class on creating papers and fabrics using a gelatin plate (real jello, not the gelliarts plate).  Jill K. Berry was there.  I've known her from The Sketchbook Challenge, and from her book, Personal Geographies, but had not actually met her in person.  It was great to spend some time with her.  The venue was VERY comfortable and accommodating, so if you are looking for a retreat for next spring, consider Art and Soul Kansas City.

Now, back to the present.  I'm brainstorming new workshop ideas for 2014.  Yes, it's time, as applications and proposals are due in the next few months. Here are my ideas, and I would LOVE to hear yours!

I thought I might change Fabric-Paper Collage into a project-based workshop on making prayer flags:

These involve fabric, paper, painting, collage, stitch, and beading.

 In October I'm teaching at Art and Soul in Portland, OR, offering a new workshop on Layering with Transparencies.  If this interests you for 2014 let me know.

In this piece I've used my hand-made transparent collage materials, which include drawing, painting, and printing on deli paper, tissue paper, and other substrates.

I would like to do something on Working In Series in a one-day format.  Maybe it is also Teeny Tiny Art, working in a small format, like my 4"x4"x400 series.  Or maybe not.  Your thoughts?

Postcard Art anyone?  This could be a one-day workshop or an evening. 

And finally, I've been teaching Unlocking the Secrets of Color and Keys to Dynamic Composition as six-week online classes.  What do you think about Intro to Composition, and/or Color as one-day workshops at 2014 retreats?

So here are the new workshop ideas:

1. Prayer Flags
2. Layering with Transparencies
3. Working in Series (teeny tiny or not)
4. Intro to Composition
5. Intro to Color (with a better title)

Thanks for any feedback or suggestions you can offer!

And The Winner Is....

Thanks to all of you who participated in the drawing that I posted last Monday!  I'm delighted with the amount of interest in my online classes.  Thank you SO MUCH to the generous donor who made this possible.  There is a little surprise in the drawing, given that it is April Fool's Day.

So the winners - yes WINNERS plural - are:

• Kathy W, who posted  her comment on 3/25
• Karen Isaacson, who posted on 3/26, and
• Jane S, who posted on 3/27

Please e-mail me so I can get you set up for the classes you requested.  Thanks again for your participation!  For the rest of you, there are still a few spaces left in Extreme Composition, and plenty in the other classes that start later in the year - Sketchbook Practice, Text and Image, Unlocking the Secrets of Color, and Keys to Dynamic Composition.  See my Online Workshops for dates.