Sunday, November 21, 2010

"No Latitude" (25 of 25)

 8x8", acrylic and mixed media on board

This is the final small painting I did for the show a few months ago. Now, I've continued painting, so I'll be posting more in the next weeks. 

Now, I seem to alternate between big textured abstracts and small still lifes. I don't know why. I just know that to do this authentically, I need to pursue it from my gut, and my gut says I want to do those kinds of work. 

On the abstracts front, I've been taking a class, and it's become the highlight of my week. The teacher, Stella Zhang, is immensely skilled and supportive. She also introduced me to using pigments. It's also interesting to hear her talk about pushing past her current status to the next level. So, for instance, I find I still want to do work on canvases, although I might add found things. But she pushes into three dimensions and installations.

On the still life front, I took a workshop taught by Michael Linstrom, who paints interpretively. When I do still lifes, I tend to paint tightly, and I find I don't just want a good product from my efforts, I want a good experience. Tight doesn't feel good. Loose and interpretive does. Michael takes the view that the painting does not need to accurately reflect the world, and he paints loosely to get there. There's a nice intro here. I'll be taking another workshop next month.

So, more to come.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

"Convects" (24 of 25)

8x8", acrylic and mixed media on board

Almost through posting these. Then I'm going to have to take pictures of and post the things I've been working on since then. In some cases, I've been redoing some of these.

However, strangely, at the moment I'm back to doing the small still lifes. Why? Well, I took a workshop where I got a hint about how to paint loosely and I want to try that more. Either that or I have a short attention spa.... Squirrel!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

"Tirade" (23 of 25)

8x8", acrylic and mixed media on board

As explained earlier, I did twenty-five of these for the show. A few sold! But there are some that have gone back under the brush! As it were. I don't necessarily use a brush. I'll be posting those in due course.

Monday, November 8, 2010

"Slash" (22 of 25)

8x8", acrylic and mixed media on board

Amazing to think that two months (and change) have flown by since I posted). But I've found that there's a pacing in these things. I started out all gung ho, but ended up giving short shrift to the other parts of my life. So I burnt out on the kind of art I was doing, since I was forcing myself. Then I played with styles, then Life Happened. And a couple of months go by.

However, I've started taking classes and a workshop or two, and I'll be posting things that come out of that. I have to say that my abstract class is the high point of my week. Even though I have to lug a box of supplies and some large canvases around, I still get excited about what I'm seeing and learning. I'll start posting things from those endeavors. Meanwhile, astonishingly, I still have a few more of my 20/20 abstracts to post.