Abstract Flowers

5 x 7, Alcohol Ink on Yupo

"There are always flowers

for those who want

to see them."

-- Henri Matisse

This is just a small section that was cropped from a larger painting. I thought it looked like an abstract flower. I adhered it to some nice black paper, attached it to a blank card and mailed to a friend.  

Have a great weekend everybody!

Wrestling with Angels

"I have wrestled with the Angel

and I am stained with light

and I have no shame."

-- Mary Oliver

This is a page from my journal that I am going to also paint onto a canvas. I'm still playing with color combinations, paint choices, etc. I am taking the most awesome class by Kate Thompson called Fractured Angels and am learning so much! 

I have always loved the poetry of Mary Oliver. Kate used this quote from Mary in her class. So glad Kate passed this on! It's a very inspiring verse to me.

You will probably see this image again in many forms before the final painting is complete.

Moongazing

Moongazing, 8 x 10, Alcohol Ink on Yupo

One of the things I like about this technique is that you can often see different images every time you look. I see a figure on the right gazing at the moon. It looks like a face shape, wearing a tall headpiece and a robe. That's what it looks like to me.  My husband saw something entirely different. So it becomes whatever you see when you look at it. That's pretty cool!

None of this is planned ahead of time. The paint flows where it flows. It's later that you look at your piece and see what you have. Then you crop to that image. This one is now hanging in my living room. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Mixed Media Warhol

Young Warhol, 12 x 12, Mixed Media

I searched through the archives of my many Warhol images and found a photo of him when he was younger. He was leaning against a wooden post and a dilapidated building was in the background. The photo was in black and white so I took some liberty with the colors. 

This was an image I had sketched many times in my sketchbook. I settled on the one I liked best. Translating that onto the cradled wood and then painting it (mainly with the Pebeo mixed media paints) was all very challenging. Then I decided to just go for it and throw in some mediums I rarely use: fiber paste, light molding paste, foils, etc. This is truly a mixed media version of my sketch. 

I'm learning how to manipulate the Pebeo paints more, mix colors with them and see how the different types of paint interact with each other. Always experimenting! It feels good to be back in the thick of it again...

Linking this to Paint Party Friday. Enjoy your weekend everybody!

I'll Take You There...

I'll Take You There, 7 x 5, Alcohol Ink on Yupo

I Know a place

Ain't nobody cryin', ain't nobody worried

...I'll take you there

-- I'll Take You There, The Staple Singers

Every once in a while I like to TRY and figure out alcohol inks. They are beautiful colors that really pop on metal, plastic, glass, etc. Paper... not so much. EXCEPT on YUPO paper! (which is a kind of plastic) The trick is to get them to move around like you want. For me, very challenging...

June Rollins has an entire series of paintings with these inks called Dreamscapes. I have her DVD and attempted to do things her way. I did get much better results than when left to my own devices. :) So, here is a dreamscape done in all my favorite colors!

Enjoy your weekend everybody. I am also entering this in the Paint Party Friday lineup. 

Amazed

Amazed, 12 x 16, Oil

This is another oil painting I completed recently. I have to laugh every time I look at it. Her expression! I didn't plan it that way. It just happened as I was fiddling with the mouth. So, you go with it... I wonder what she is seeing that has her so captivated! ;)

Linking this to Paint Party Friday. Check it out! 

Have a great weekend everybody!

Remaining an Artist

Digital Journal Page

This is a part of a painting I'm working on. The girl is my drawing scanned into Photoshop. The rest is digital. I thought she would fit nicely on a digital background. When I finish the canvas I'll post here. And yes, this is part of my new banner.  :)

Warhol in Charcoal

Warhol in Charcoal, 9 x 12

The idea is not

to live forever, 

it is to create

something that will.

-- Andy Warhol

Continuing with my Warhol obsession, this is done in charcoal and pastel. I love working on the black toned paper. The whites just pop!

I was invited by my art buddy, Valerie to link this to Art Journal Journey. Their theme this month is Inspired by the Masters. I will try and do that, thank you Valerie!

Have a great week, everybody. 

Finding Balance

I started playing with Photoshop again after a year or so of not using it. I forgot how fun it is to just play! The girl on the box is my drawing that I scanned and then painted in Photoshop. The background is from a Deviant Scrap kit. I think I will use her in some journal pages!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

First Steps

First Steps, 8 x 8 Enamel

"Step with care and 

great tact, and remember

that life's a great

balancing act." 

-- Dr. Seuss

Portraits: Variations on a Theme

Breathe,  12 x 12 Oil

I've finally been able to get back to my art. There has been much drama and life has gotten in the way over the summer but now I'm back in the studio. 

Portraits are my main love and I've been dabbling with those lately. The painting above is done in oil (still loving working with those) on canvas board. Here is another variation of that face (also done in oil):

Relax, 12 x 12 Oil

Same color palette was used for both. I love the softness that oils bring. Both are faces I've drawn just to experiment.

Then I discovered Pebeo enamel paints. Aach! I am really loving experimenting with those! 

 Micael, 12 x 12 Enamel

This is my feeble attempt at a portrait of a dear friend, Micael. The intensity and the sheen of the enamel paint is like nothing else. No need to varnish as the enamel seals itself. Yay!

Another variation of this theme: 

Warhol Abstract, 8 x 8 Enamel

I had a contour drawing in my sketchbook of Andy Warhol that I did months ago. I thought it would be fun to paint it with the enamel paints. Love the different effects that happen when you mix the various kinds of paint. Here is a side shot so you can kind of get an idea of the sheen from these:

I am working on some more paintings with these paints. It's my obsession at the moment. Stay tuned.

Playing with Oil Paint

In From The Cold                                    12x16

I've been afraid to try oil paints for years but I've always loved the look of them in paintings. Finally, I just jumped in and decided to give them a whirl. It's nice to know there are odorless solvents and some paints are even less toxic than the old kind. 

I LOVE them! Still learning how to manipulate the layers. And they dry S-L-O-W. But that's a good thing. Now you just come back to the painting the next day and the paints are still wet and the painting is easy to blend. 

I've got another painting started and may stick with this medium for awhile. :)

I'm including this in the Paint Party Friday site. It's been too long since I jumped in there. Check it out if you like looking at a gallery of art! 

Have a great weekend everybody!

Hello Charcoal, My New Friend!

I am taking an awesome class right now taught by Misty Mawn. Last week I was introduced to toned paper and charcoal. Specifically, how to manipulate the charcoal on the paper. LOVED it! So I've been experimenting. These photos are in order from my most recent (top) to my first attempt (at bottom). I finished the top photo last night (my favorite so far). I don't know why there is a green tint at the bottom of the photo. I don't have any green in this.  :/

Here I was experimenting with more loose strokes; something that is very hard for me. I immediately want to blend, blend, blend! :-) But I love the raw look of the effect when other artists use it. I have a lot of practicing to do before I get it the way I want it to look. Still not enough marks on this one:

Here I was going for tones and blending. I actually like this one:

This was my first attempt with the charcoal. Kind of rough but I was happy to be playing with it and seeing a face come "alive" as I worked:

Now we are working on painting our sketches. I will show my first painting soon.

I hope you are all well. Spring is making a brief appearance here in the next couple of days, then it's back to temps in the mid-30's next week. :'(  Have a great weekend!

Skyline in Winter

Hello! Remember me?  ;) I have had a Looong dry spell with my art. Ugh. That is why there have been no posts. Nothing to show.  :'(

But I am slowly getting back into it. I'm taking a few art classes right now that have really inspired me. This painting came from a lesson in creating backgrounds. It's called "Skyline in Winter". Speaking of Winter, I am OVER it already. Come on Spring!!  :-)

If there is still anybody out there, I'm glad you stuck around. Thank you so much! I am definitely working on more pieces even as I type this (waiting for the paint to dry). More to show soon... Hugs to you all. Have a great weekend!