A Day of Play

"Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible." — M. C. Escher

Daily Painting: Day 10

Background on UART 400

I've had a few requests via my etsy shop to paint some new paintings of the saints.  However, I find myself in a bit of a dilemma now that I have discovered my new found love for pastels.  My past images were acrylics done on canvas board. They all had a bright, colorful, playful collage backgrounds.  The backgrounds began with ripped paper pasted to the board then layers of acrylics here and there, stamps and stencils.  Pastels would not work over such a background because they need something to adhere to especially when layer upon layer is being put down.  So I wondered how I could achieve a similar look but with pastels.  So, today was a day of experimenting.  I used my favorite pastel paper, UART sanded paper with a 400 grit.  I knew that this kind of pastel paper does take wet mediums.  I did want to be careful, though, not to use too much of any thick mediums that might fill the tooth of the paper.  I figured watercolors would work but wasn't sure how they would actually flow and react with this paper and with the various fun texture creating techniques that can be accomplished with watercolor.  Hence the experimenting began.

Quick Study on UART 400

I began with a quick study.  I just wanted to see, quickly, how this paper would accept and respond to certain things such as a detailed stamp and a few layers of watercolor.  Then I wondered how the pan pastels would go down on top of the painted background.  I even tried adding a few details with pastel pencils.   I was hopeful but felt I needed to do a larger painting.

watercolor on 8x10 Uart 400

Here I was playing with some watercolor techniques using salt and alcohol.  The watercolors did react but not as evident as it is on watercolor paper.  Also, I found the water doesn't flow like it does on watercolor paper.  To be expected for sure, but I was a little disappointed.

You can see some texture when I added some bubble wrap and saran wrap.  Actually it looked better in this photo than in real life.  And I will say the colors are much brighter and prettier than in this photo.

I continued to play.  I used my gelli print plate with acrylic paint to add the stencil of the rose in 2 places, I then watered down some white paint and painted over the top in some places to downplay the vibrancy.  I added some stamps here and there with staz-on ink (so there would be no bleeding).  I continued to add some more watercolor washes and spritz with alcohol and remove some by blotting with paper towel.

Finished background on UART 400

The next step will be sketching my image onto the background and beginning to color it in with pan pastels (something I have very little experience with so we will see).  More experimentation.

Do you need approval?

"The best way to get approval is not to need it.  This is equally true in art and business.  And love. And sex.  And just about everything else worth having." -Hugh MacLeod, cartoonist

Daily Painting: Day 9

Remembering Summer Vacation
5x7 Quick Study

Do you need approval?  Why?   Why do we so often seek approval of one sort or another?  Also, whose approval do we seek?  The approval from one is not the same as the approval from another, now is it?  For example, I know my father would look at this painting and probably every other one I've ever made and say, "it's amazing, you are so talented."  He was my biggest fan and I admit it is one reason I miss him so.   It is true I always wanted to please and have the approval of my dear father. However, his approval at least where art is concerned, was not the same as the approval of say a peer, a teacher, a mentor, a art juror.  His was the "unconditional" type of approval that comes out of love and relationship.  That kind of approval should perhaps be the kind we most seek and treasure because its a much deeper, wiser, kinder approval that really can lead to greater encouragement.  Instead we let someone who doesn't really know us, our journey, our process, or our work, judge us. Unfortunately, its that approval or disapproval that we allow to define us.  We can't let others define us according to whether or not they approve of us, or our ways, or our work.  Approval means we are doing something right.  But who is to say what is right?  Just keep doing what you love and you'll have your heart's approval and anything after that is added frosting on the cake.

Do what you love and love what you do!

"Whatever you like doing, do it!  And keep doing it.  Work hard!  In the end, passion and hard work beat out natural talent. (And anyway, if you love what you do, it's not really "work" anyway.) - Pete Docter, animator

Daily Painting - Day 8

Mountain Road 2
5x7 Quick Study

Same inspiration photo as yesterday but different approach.  I lowered the horizon line to put a little more emphasis on the clouds.  I also created the underpainting with cooler colors giving the entire painting a cooler feeling.  Still there is good contrast between warm and cool colors.  I also left out the tree(s) on the right side hoping the mountain range would help balance things out (not sure).

What goes before

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it.  Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." -Jacob A. Riis, social activist

Daily Painting:  Day 7

Mountain Road
5x7 Quick Study

This painting is what goes before (see quote above).  I got a little tired of winter scenes so thought I would try something new.  Was somewhat unsure and uncomfortable with this one.  May try it again soon.

Winter Color

"Your attitude is the minds paint brush, it colors every situation."  

Pastel Painting Day 6:

Winter Color
5x7, Quick Study

I LOVE color and looking at all this white stuff, especially on a very overcast grey day, one might lack inspiration.  Where's all the fun colors?  Sunny snowy days are better with shadows etc... but this is when its fun to be an artist with a huge palette of color and a little imagination. Purples, turquoise, blues, yellows, greens and a few neutrals.  Amazing how you can bring a boring scene to life.

It looks like its snowing in this photo but it wasn't.

May you always see the bright, beautiful and vibrant in your life!

Knowing when to stop

"If you decide to run the ball,  just count on fumbling and getting the shit knocked out of you a lot, but never forget how much fun it is just to be able to run the ball." -Jimmy Buffett

Pastel Painting Day 5: I ran the ball with this painting!

When I Grow Up
5x7, Quick Study

Knowing when to stop

It's always difficult for an artist to know when the painting is finished.  Experience has told me that less is more but sometimes you just wonder what if I did this, or added a little of that especially when you're just not completely satisfied with your painting.  Today, I wasn't satisfied.  I was trying to get the lacy white branches on the trees in the distance just right.  Then the foreground was boring so I tried a little bunny.  He didn't turn out.  Then I looked out my studio window and saw this little teeny tiny pine tree that we planted and decided to add it into the painting.  Then it looked lonely, so I added some friends.  I am finding with pastels, it is especially hard to make a change or addition and then "erase" it if it's not right.  Pastels are not as forgiving as some other mediums.  I'm sure it will get easier "to know" with a lot more practice.  But today I decided to run with the ball, perhaps I fumbled and maybe got a little shit knocked out of me but I sure had fun running.  Give it a try!

Satisfaction lies in the effort

Daily Painting Day 4:

Little Blue House
5x7, Quick Study

Here's yesterday's "failure" done again with, I think, more success.  I added more color and got rid of the tree in the foreground.

So today's quote:

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.  Full effort is full victory." - Mohandas K. Gandhi

photograph

yesterday's painting