Progress on the Works in Progress

I did little updates to the 9"x12" paintings I started on Friday.  I don't know if they are finished yet, but I thought I'd share what I have.  I'm posting each piece followed by a sequence image that includes its previous stage, in my previous post.

 

 

The above actually started here.  It was one of my speed paintings.

These 9"x12" pieces done on cheap drawing paper are sort of like Big Fat Art, but on a different scale.  My Big Fat Art Weekend, which takes place March 27 - 29, 2015, is now open for registration.  There are only eight spaces available.  100 Drawings on Cheap Paper is being offered again next September, and that is open for registration.

Back in the Studio - Works in Progress

My studio is in transition right now, so I'm a bit limited.  It's always fun to work in the 9"x12" pieces, on the cheap drawing paper.  You can see previous posts on this "100 Drawings" idea here, here, and here.  And here and here.

I found some really great greens by mixing Indian Yellow Hue with a little black, also with Manganese Blue Hue and Cerulean Blue.  A little Naples Yellow is in there, and some Pthalo Turquoise.  And of course white.  I also used a bit of Payne's Gray and Anthriquinone Blue.  See my Favorite Materials page for my favorite paints. 

These are all just "starts".  Many of them started on paper I had used to blot paint, or use up excess paint.  NONE of them is to be considered a finished piece.  I'll work on them more and post the results of whichever ones speak to me. 

As you may know, I'm offering a new ten-week online course in January, called "100 Drawings on Cheap Paper".  It filled REALLY fast, so I am offering it again starting September 9.  I know that is almost a year from now, but I thought I'd give you a heads up.  There are other online courses in the meantime that are NOT full, and whether you take one of mine or work on your own, I highly recommend getting a ream of this cheap drawing paper and just putting some marks on it.

Studio Notes

I have been spending most of this week on a big reorganizing of my studio.  This seems to be necessary every couple of years as my work changes and evolves.  The current challenge is that I would like to continue working larger (up to 3'x3' so far), and I have very little vertical wall space (my studio is under a gable, think attic with knee walls).  I'll take pix when the project is done, or at least workable.  Meanwhile, I continue to work on "100 Drawings on Cheap Paper", which is just an idea, not a real goal.  I don't care how many of these things I do, it's just fun to work this way.

A dozen in process.  Some might be finished.  Each 9"x12"

Another shot of same.

#31, 9"x12", acrylic, crayon, graphite, ink on cheap drawing paper

#32, 9"x12", acrylic, crayon, graphite, ink on cheap drawing paper

#33, 9"x12", acrylic, crayon, graphite, ink on cheap drawing paper

#34, 9"x12", acrylic, crayon, graphite, ink on cheap drawing paper

#35, 9"x12", acrylic, crayon, graphite, ink on cheap drawing paper

Previous posts on this topic include An Attitude of Practice, Addressing Your Inner Critic (speed painting demo), More Stacks of Shapes, and more.  Each one of these links to a previous post on same topic.  For information on materials used in these pieces, see My Favorite Materials.

I will be offering a "100 Drawings" class online starting in January.  IT IS POSTED NOW.  Go to Online Workshops, and it is at the top.  Extreme Composition and Sketchbook Practice are scheduled and open for registration 100.  "100 Drawings" will run concurrent with Extreme Composition, but it will be a 10-week course, not the usual 6-week format.

An Attitude of Practice

Here are a few examples of pieces that started with Speed Painting.  These are on 9"x12" Cheap Drawing Paper.  I consider them practice.  Practice making marks, practice working in series, practice questioning and exploring*.  Paradoxically, though not surprisingly, when I work with this attitude of practice, I loosen up and make my best work.  Continuing to cultivate this approach, in all my work, is what I strive for.

 The following are demonstration pieces I made in Santa Fe.   These are the fall out from the same approach to the speed painting, though using different techniques.

Any approach that gets you going, gets you making marks without trying so hard to make Good Art, can be used to cultivate this practice, help you get out of your own way and find a freer path to creative expression.  We explore lots of these exercises in Big Fat Art and Art Therapy for your Inner Critic, coming up in October.  See Drawing Blind and Stacks of Shapes for two other ways to explore mark making on cheap paper.  It's FUN!

*If they turn into "pieces", pieces I would keep/exhibit/sell/frame, I simply coat the back side of the paper with acrylic matte medium.  This makes the piece archival and sturdy.

More Stacks of Shapes

Here are a few more, some of which have nudged me in new directions, or picked up on previous themes:

9"x12" To me these have a similar feel to the Shapes gel printed pieces I did last spring, which techniques I feature in my Stencils and Masks workshop.

9"x12"

9"x12" These first three remind me of the work of Meredith Pardue, whose work a very much admire.  She works on a much larger scale.

9"x12"

This last one reminds me of some earlier Big Fat Art, below.

19"x25"

22"x30"

19"x25"

This week at Omega we are going to begin with a series of "stacked shapes".  It's a good way to try out a lot of different materials and techniques, and get loosened up.