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Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Ledge

Ledge
by Kay Ryan

Birds that love
high trees
and winds
and riding
flailing branches
hate ledges
as gripless
and narrow,
so that a tail
is not just
no advantage
but ridiculous,
mashed vertical
against the wall.
You will have
seen the way
a bird who falls
on skimpy places
lifts into the air
again in seconds --
a gift denied
the rest of us
when our portion
isn't generous.

This is my painting for Paint Party Friday. I tried a new technique that involved LIGHT molding paste; something I've never used before. I loved the results it gave for the background. Unfortunately when you add water it reactivates the paste. I don't think that is true with regular molding paste.  Anyway, I wasn't familiar enough with the medium to paint over top of it without "messing up" my background once I had it the way I liked it, so I had to improvise. I painted my bird on watercolor paper and collaged both the bird and the branch. So this week it's a mixed media piece! Be sure to check out the other artists tomorrow. The entries grow each week and there are some awesome artists out there!  ;)

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Puck, ya know in all our convos I dont think I ever told you about Russell...he is my stuffed crow that sits on my desk...

love this painting.

peace and light my friend;)

Pam Tucker said...

David: Ha! Now how did you EVER leave that important fact out? ;) I must get the details on poor Russell...

Netty said...

The texture paste really gives a great look and your painting is gorgeous, such wow colours and love your bird.
Have a great paint party. Annette x

Crystal said...

love the texture of this piece! Just beautiful! :-)

Martin said...

Great colours here! And the contrast between the "dreamy" background and the realistic bird and branch gives your painting an effect of spatial depth (don't know if this is the right English expression).

Pam Tucker said...

Netty: Thank you! See you at the party! ;)

Pam Tucker said...

Crystal: Thank you! See you at PPF!

Martin: Yes, that IS the right expression and that is exactly what I was trying to show. Thank you! :)

Corvus Ven said...

on the bird's right (our left) i see just a hint of a face peering through the torrents of color.

Pam Tucker said...

Ven: Ooh, I see that! Totally unintentional but very cool! Thanks for pointing that out! :)

Marlene said...

Wonderful painting. I love the texture in the background and on the bird. I am just getting into mixed media and find this a beautiful example.

Bill said...

Obviously a wonderful learning experience. The colors are just remarkable and the painting radiates the beauty of a bird's world. Maybe I need to find a branch, because I feel stuck on a ledge with the urge to jump off.

Pam Tucker said...

Marlene: Thank you so much! That's what is so fun about mixed media; all of the possibilities! ;)

Bill: Thank you, my friend! Don't jump! I think you DO need to find a nice BRANCH! Somewhere to perch and admire all the beauty out there! ;)

Tammie Lee said...

Hi Pam, this piece is wonderful, i love how you have used color and enjoyed hearing about the modeling paste.

Hybrid J said...

The background is just gorgeous. The texture and the color works very well together. Great work! ;)

Pat Tillett said...

Pam, I REALLY wish I had even just a smidge of your talent!
Very nice...

GlorV1 said...

The whole painting is just so full of beautiful texture. I like the title too. Real good job Pam. Happy PPF!

Deanna said...

This is fantastic! I love everything about it from the textures to the colors and if you've visited my blog I'm sure you've read how I love using birds as inspiration. Beautiful piece.

Mixed Media - said...

Wow Pam this new style and technic looks fantastic.
So colorfull, harmony.
I love this piece

Rosie Kaplan said...

Really striking and beautiful Yeah to mixed media!

Anonymous said...

This is fantastic. I love how the branch really 'pops' out of the painting-hurrah for unpredictable mediums (or is it media, i never know!) that make us improvise so successfully! Beautiful.

Å olanje na domu-Waldorf said...

The painting is awesome! Love the bird.

Jenny said...

Its always such a pleasure to come and visit you!! Your work never ceases to blow my mind!! I just ADORE your use of colours and texture..and this piece is no exception! LOVE LOVE it! :)x

not displayed said...

the glorious colours remind me of a silk scarf i had once. Such a wonderful contrast

Heather said...

oooh, ooh, ooh, I love the background sky!!!! Just gorgeous. the colors work perfectly! have a great friday!

Yvonne said...

Love your style. The bird and branch just jump out at you. Love the background colors as well. Wonderful painting and collage. Happy PPF.

SHERI COOK said...

This work is simply BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much for sharing it with us today. Happy PPF!

Melisa said...

This is so interesting! I like the results. I had no idea that molding paste would reactivate with water. I guess that would necessitate some planning, if you didn't want to collage.

Maggie said...

This is so wonderful! I'm glad I found your blog.

The sky, the way the bird and branch stand out, gives it such depth. Beautiful colors!

Modeling (or molding) paste is such fun. I didn't know it reactivates when wet.

Priti Lisa said...

The result is beautiful, so vibrant and begging to be touched.
I checked out last weeks painting too...you are amazing!!
xo

Kristin Dudish said...

Oh Pam - The texture is so fantastic (I clicked on it and it is even more amazing up close)! I really like the way the bird being created separately makes it pop off the page (I like to do that sometimes too).

So, so beautiful (Love those colors)!

xo
Kristin

Valerie-Jael said...

Great work, love it. I have a magpie visiting me every day now, love watching her sitting in the tree or on my balcony! Nice to meet you Pam! Hugs from Kaiserswerth,Valerie

Unknown said...

This is so gorgeous, and I love the fact that it's mixed media- it really enhances all your lovely texture! We have blue birds nesting right now, and so, I have birds that "blue" constantly on the mind. LOVELY piece!
PPF hugs to you!
Stephanie
P.S. I just noticed that I was inadvertantly inspired by your figure on the side bar with the circle around his eye- it showed up in mone of my face squares I painted for last week's PPF......

Christine said...

such beautiful colours, very striking.

Denise Mulligan said...

Wow, such fantastic work...love your blog, very inspiring!

Anne Butera said...

This is gorgeous! I like how you were able to improvise as you experimented with this new medium. Sounds like it was fun. And it turned out beautifully! The colors are wonderful.

WrightStuff said...

I love playing with different media. The colours in the background are so lush.

Victoria said...

Wow! Double wow!!I love this Pam..so very much!!...there is such a gentle mystical presence to it...and the bakcground lights and energies are brilliant and magical. I love the pose of the bird too..stunning...shine on..this is spectacular work!
Victoria~

Ileana said...

Truly amazing. The background beautifully accomodates the bird and the branch making the whole painting a complete masterpiece. Mixed media worked! I love it!!

Gerri Herbst said...

So beautiful love the texture with all that rich color!J'adore!

ger chouinard said...

Pam: I love your PPF piece. The colors are amazing! I've wanted to try mixed media and just bought my first jar of Gel Matte (something or another), but I'm afraid to open it. Thx for the inspiration ... maybe I'll just try it! Have a great week-end!

gatheringwonder said...

this is so striking - awesome

Jaime Haney said...

Beautiful mixed media painting. I think the fact that you cut out the bird and placed it on there adds so much dimension and the background is gorgeous it would have been a shame to loose it. Did you paint the colors on the background while the medium was wet?

Theresa Plas said...

Spectacular! Inspiring poem too Pam.

EVA said...

Beautiful Pam!!

I LOVE the background though it is a shame it was such a challenge to use that paste. The bird and perch are perfect with it!

Wonderful job!

Pam Tucker said...

Jaime: I waited until the paste was dry before painting the color on. That was what the technique book suggested. Once you paint a color and let it dry, each additional layer of paint will reactivate the paste. It's something to see! :)

Everyone: Thank you all so much for your comments. I really do appreciate all of them! :)

Carola Bartz said...

I love the textured background, it gives some wonderful depth to a beautiful painting. So far I haven't played with molding paste, but I want to!

Cynthia Schelzig said...

This is a fabulous piece!...love your work!!

Lynn Stevens said...

Your colors truly are amazing, Love what you wrote too.
Modeling paste is so much fun to play with. The heavier doesn't break down with water. Fun to mix paints into also.

Annabelle said...

Interesting technique, need to try that sometime. I really like how it turned out and the colours are so vibrant.

Beautiful piece.

Annabelle : )

zoogirl said...

Stunningly beautiful Pam! Love this so much!!! :0))) xxx Gorgeous!!!!!!

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

This piece made my heart sing. :) Totally in love with your bird´s expression. Super textured background.
I´ve been playing with molding paste too, but I´m still at the "let´s see how this thing works" stage, not a real painting. There´s so much to learn. Let´s play! :D

Carrie Martinez said...

Wow, Pam!! I love this piece! The strokes, the colors, the bird and the branch, the stokes on the bird, the bird's eye...I could just keep going. Truly stunning!

Maria Papadopoulou said...

I love it that you decided to talk about a bird. Birds represent the absolute freedom. I wish I could be one of them...

Shelley Whiting said...

Wow this picture is breathtaking. Love the textures and the bright colors.