Back From New Orleans

Last week I participated in the "Golden Artist Educator Program", with Golden Artist Colors, the people who make that fabulous acrylic paint that we all love.  The GAEP is not the Golden Working Artist program; GAEP's purpose is to give artist/teachers, such as myself, loads of information and tools to help us educate our students about all the cool stuff Golden makes. I will still stick with my Utrecht Matte Medium, and my Blick Matte Acrylics for particular applications, and I will not stop experimenting with different brands of paint and mediums (I am not married to Golden).  I do have, however, a more in depth knowledge of Golden products, and will be able to help students find the best ones for their purposes.  Also, I've discovered the immense resources available on Golden's web site.  Check out their video library, their YouTube channel, back issues of Just Paint, Mix More Media, which provides loads of information on combining painting with digital printing, Mark Golden's blog, full of useful information.

Here are a few pix:

my favorite fluid acrylics

The new "High Flow", replacing the air brush colors. These are as fluid as water, but with the same pigment load as the other paints.  Great for intense washes and spattering.

A plethora of paint

OPENs; use these when you need a long working time, or if you live in a dry climate.  These are great to use with the gelliarts gel plate.

We made DOZENS of sample boards that demonstrate the various qualities of the Golden paints and mediums.

In this project we each painted this peach on a plate using "traditional" painting techniques: an underpainting, a painting, and then glazing.  We used Open acrylics for this for their long working time.

This was one of my favorite exercises: we each made a color wheel using a different set of primaries.

I used Naples Yellow, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Manganese Blue.  I LOVE the greens I got with the Naples Yellow and Manganese Blue!

BTW, I added a new page to my website, under "Links".  It is Artist and Inspiration, and lists artists' web sites, blogs, tutorials, and Pinterest boards that may be of interest.

Thanks for visiting!

Red and Black Series Part 2

It seems as if Working In Series resonated with many of you, and I've had a lot of requests to offer an online course on it.  Thanks for your interest!  I will consider that for the upcoming year.  Meanwhile, my online course Extreme Composition, includes many exercises that require working in series.  And I am offering a one-day workshop at Art and Soul on Working In Series.  All my longer workshops in 2014 will emphasize series as process.

Here is Part 2 of the red and black pieces I started last week.  The transparent material I'm using on these is drafting film.  It is like vellum, but (unlike vellum) it works really well in collage.  It is also an interesting surface for painting.

And here are the pieces. They are still in process:

In this one I used deli paper scribble-painted with white.  No drafting film.

And here are the two sheets of drafting film I show in the video:

This is India ink applied with an oiler boiler.  After it dried, I applied a gentle thin coat of matte medium so that it would not smear.  It smeared a tiny bit, but will not smear further.

This is the one with dark gray Pitt Pen, and oiler boiler application of India ink over it.

Series as Process

What is a series?

Simply put, it is a group of pieces based on a common element or group of elements:  subject matter, technique, a particular set of materials, a group of visual elements, or a compositional format.  A series can be created in an afternoon – as in a group of quick collage studies – or last a lifetime.  Many artists keep several series going throughout their careers.

• Working in series allows you to explore ideas more thoroughly, give them some breathing room, and try out different solutions to visual "problems".
• Working in series gives your art practice focus and momentum.  Rather than face the blank canvas with too many possibilities to choose from, the parameters of your series create clarity of intention.
• By considering the series the basic unit of art making, you lose the preciousness of the individual piece, the fear of “ruining” it, which can keep you stuck.  Get un-stuck by working in multiples.

Some people find the prospect of Creating A Series somewhat daunting, though.  When I talk about working in series I mean to focus on the process: working in multiples as a practice, not as a goal.  When you begin just one piece, you have some investment in its Coming Out Right.  If you begin ten pieces in a similar way, you can try all kinds of ways to continue, and maybe resolve, the "proposition" put forth in the beginning.

I made this piece in my Layering with Transparencies workshop at Art and Soul in Portland:

This combination of elements seemed to merit a little more exploration, so I began a series using similar elements.  I haven't yet put the transparent collage pieces on, or developed them further (that is Part 2), but simply made some beginnings.  Here is a little video of the process:  

And here are five of the pieces of this series at their beginning stage: 

My workshop theme for 2014 is "Series as Process", so any of the longer workshops you take will incorporate working in series.  The longer workshops (2 - 5 days) that are not yet full include:

• True Colors: Collage Studio Adventure at The Rowe Center
• Abstract Painting: Series as Process at Pacific Northwest Art School
• Monoprint Collage at Pacific Northwest Art School
• Abstract Painting and Collage at Valdes Art Workshops in Santa Fe (NEW LISTING!!!) July 21 - 25 (will be listed on the Valdes web site in January)
• Big Fat Art at Pacific Northwest Art School

I am also teaching a one-day workshop specifically on Working In Series at Art and Soul in April.

Meanwhile, give it a try if you haven't already.  Stay tuned for Part 2, where I create some transparent collage materials and develop these pieces a bit more.

Back from Portland

Now I'm back from Art and Soul in Portland, OR, and I took absolutely NO pictures of the event!  Too busy teaching.  After teaching I spent the weekend with my Aunt and Uncle, who took me to Xico for dinner one night, and I took them to Biwa another night, Mexican and Japanese respectively.  I got a lovely walk in at Oaks Bottom wildlife refuge, and two yoga classes at Sellwood Yoga.

From Xico's Web Site

Biwa's Interior

Here are a few of the samples I made in Portland:

Monoprint Collage

Monoprint Collage

Layering with Transparencies

Layering with Transparencies

Layering with Transparencies

Next year's Art and Soul event in Portland is in April.  It is now open for registration.  I will be teaching:
Layering with Transparencies
The Art of the Postcard
Working in Series
Layers and Textures
Balancing Opposites - the Yin and Yang of Composition
Monoprint Collage

In the meantime, I am teaching a weekend workshop at the Rowe Center, in MA, which you can read about here.   It is filling fast, so register soon if you are interested.

Also, Art and Soul in Kansas City is coming up in March, where I'm teaching:
Layering with Transparencies
The Art of the Postcard
Abstract Landscape
Layers and  Textures
Stencils and Masks

I am taking a little breather before my online workshops start next week, Keys to Dynamic Composition and Text and Image. 

Thanks for visiting!