Stripes in Sequence

Here is "3'x3' Stripes #1", FINISHED:

See it in my online gallery here.  See the whole Stripes Series here.

And here are some process shots:

This is already many layers into the process, and I hadn't thought of it as a "Stripes" piece yet.

After much deliberating, painting, painting over, etc. the piece is still trying to be a grid.

When in doubt, drip some High-Flow paint.

First I thought I would just make the right margin into stripes, red on red-brown.  But then the black and gray made their appearance, and the piece was in serious danger of becoming Mostly Stripes.

At this point I could see that the Stripes were taking over.

And here is the finished piece again, as you can see, All Stripes.  This is 3'x3', acrylic on canvas.

Thanks for visiting. 

Movable Walls

Some of you have asked about my movable walls.  I got this idea from Melinda Tidwell, whose work I adore.  She has a new website that is the inspiration for the re-design of my gallery site.  THANKS, Melinda!

You start with wire shelving racks, which I actually got on Amazon.  I got the ones that are 48" wide, 72" high, and 18" deep, WITH casters (wheels). 

These are easy to assemble if you have two people working on it.

Then you fasten a partial sheet of homosote,  which is a sheet of material that is similar to drywall, but much more porous, easy to stick push pins into.  It comes in 4'x8' sheets.  I used one sheet and used a 4'x4' piece on each wall.  I primed both sides before mounting.

Here is the second movable wall.  I did not tack paper over the lower part, as I did in the other one, so you can see how easily you have access to shelves beneath.  I used bolts and large washers to attach the homosote to the shelving unit.

Each unit has five big, deep shelves.

A view of the other side.

Two of these units plus a large easel are plenty for me.  As you can see, my studio has knee walls and slanted ceiling, so wall space is limited.  Hope this explains adequately.

Photo Shoot

I am re-designing the front page of Jane Davies Art Gallery, and making the navigation easier.  In preparation, I had a photo shoot today with George Bouret, who is not only an excellent photographer, but he is fun to work with.  I'll post some of the studio shots he took next week, but meanwhile, here are a few shots of him, and of my studio rearranged for the shoot:

Photographing the Photographer

George took photos of me dripping paint on these canvases, so they had to dry flat.

After the studio shots of me working, George took photos of some finished work, including the stripes you see here on my movable wall.

Thanks for visiting.  

Wax Day - the first in 2016

I spent a day recently with Jeri Macdonald working in encaustic.  Fun fun!  Finished up a few pieces in process, and did some new ones as well.  Here is a peek:

5"x5", encaustic on panel

5"x5", encaustic on panel

5"x5", encaustic on panel

6"x6", encaustic on panel

6"x6", encaustic on panel

6"x6", encaustic on panel

6"x6", encaustic on panel

I guess I am still in the STRIPES mode.  You can see two other posts about encaustic here and here.  These two posts have links to further information and resources.  Thanks for visiting!

3'x3' Canvas finished!

I finally finished "Scaled Up #1".  The process is discussed here and here.  I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to scale up a small piece (10"x10") into a large piece (36"x36").  It was an interesting journey. 

"Scaled Up #1", acrylic, graphite, collage on canvas, 36"x36"

I will be putting this piece up in my gallery along with other larger works on canvas, as soon as I get a group of them ready for the photographer. I am updating my online gallery, but it is open for business in the meantime. However, if you can't live without the piece, it is available now for $2550, which includes shipping to anywhere in the US.

Scaled Up #1

$2550. USD includes shipping to USA

Just for fun, let's take a look at the same image in gray scale:

Scaled Up, desaturated

Works pretty well, I think.  I am reluctant to say that a piece has to work in black and white in order to work in color.  For example, some of the colorfield painters' work depends on values being very similar.  See my post about that here.  However,  value range is one thing to look at if your piece is not working.  Here is a previous stage of Scaled Up, which I discussed in this post, along with its desaturated version:

Desaturating the piece in Photoshop was just one way to get a fresh view of the piece.  And just for kicks, let's look at the original piece on which this is based, which is called "Grid #7":

Just another look at the piece.  I think the black and white version could us a little more black.  But I like the actual version.  It is 10"x10", acrylic and collage on panel, and is available in my online gallery. 

Thanks for visiting!

New Beginnings

Anyone out there do New Year's Resolutions?  Sounds drab, doesn't it?  How about New Year's New Beginnings?  Just starting something new sounds more fun and exciting.

A friend of mine, Joan Ruben-Deutsch, who has taken some of my workshops, just started an art blog after thinking about it for years:  Art and More.  Take a look and write her a comment.  When I first started this Collage Journeys blog I had no idea where it was going, or why exactly I was doing it.  It turns out to be a fabulous way to have ongoing conversations and develop an art community that has no geographical boundaries.  Just put something out there, and see what comes back.

To start a blog, click on "Create Blog" and Blogger will walk you through the process.

To start a blog on Blogger, go to the top right corner of my blog (or Joan's), where it says "create blog".  Click there, and it will take you through the process.  Make it really simple so you can get started, and then you can gradually add more features or update your design as you get comfortable with the process.  Here is a Blogger Tutorial that I give to online students, that shows how to post on a blog.  Starting your own is only marginally more effort.

Another friend, whom I've had the pleasure of having in my workshops, Rozsi Moser, has opened a studio and gallery in Acton, MA, called "The Artists Corner and Gallery".  Take a look here.  This is a brand new venture, and I can't wait to offer a little workshop there!

 

I also have some work on display at The Artist's Corner and Gallery.  Here are a couple of examples:

The above are all 9"x12", framed, and are $350 each.  Contact Artists Corner and Gallery to purchase.

Tell me about your new beginnings for 2016!

Color Class Is Now Downloadable

Happy New Year!!  

Unlocking the Secrets of Color was the first online workshop I ever offered, back in May, 2011.  As you may know, I am "retiring" my older online workshops and making them downloadable.  In this format, you get all the lessons and access to all the videos, and work on your own, at your own pace.  Now, Unlocking the Secrets of Color is available for you to download.  Click here for details and to purchase.

These are two color study pieces I did to demonstrate using different proportions of two complementary colors. 

In my "regular" online workshops, I create a group blog, and everyone gets individual feedback from me on everything they post.  The group gets the benefit of seeing each others work as well as comments from others.  This year I will be adding some new online workshops, including "Beyond the Color Wheel" (sorry, it's already full, but I plan to offer it again in the fall), and a course on Black and White. 

Hope you have a happy and creative 2016; I'm sure you will!