10/28/16

Much Needed Rain

I think if this election isn't over soon I am going to go insane. I try not to watch but I can't help myself. It is like watching a train wreck, It really is.

Thanks goodness I have my artwork to keep me from going completely over the edge. I am having a lot of fun recently with a variety of techniques. Next week I start my online class with Jane Davies so I am very excited about that. I always enjoy her classes and I find that she helps me change things up in my work. Always a good thing!

Here are some smallish ideas from my sketchbook. I love working in my sketchbook. I am much looser when I work in there. I wish somehow I could transfer that feeling of looseness to my larger pieces.

Enjoy your weekend!

10/22/16

Circle in the Sand

Well, here we are nearing the end of October. Soon all the crazy will be over and we can all get back to our lives hopefully. I know, for me, it cannot come soon enough. So much vitriol everywhere. My head is ready to explode. I can't even stand to go on Facebook any more with all the politics.

Anyway, the art and my swimming keeps me from going completely off the rails.

Speaking of art, the other day while I was hopping around the internet, reading all my blogs (I must subscribe to over 200 of them) but I don't always read all of them. I pick and choose by what grabs my attention. I learned a wonderful new technique from Caterina Giglio. The technique is monoprinting on aluminum foil. It is pretty simple. Just tape foil (the non stick kind) to a piece of cardboard and add some paint and print! You get some amazing patterns! All the papers on these two pieces were done on the foil plate.

Reflections

It is very different than printing on the gel plate. A nice change really. I like it especially when the foil is new. You get these snowflake patterns where the paint did not adhere to the foil. After a while the paint builds up and you get a different look.

I am also having so much fun with my circle punches! I want them in every size now! Oh dear.....

Have a nice week!

10/17/16

Red Rising

I have to be honest. Sometimes I am intimidated by color. I don't know why. At those times I revert to black and white with maybe one little spot of color for contrast. Like red. I like red with black and white. It is easy and it always works. And sometimes I need easy.

In a few weeks I start a new online class with Jane Davies, which is about color. It is called
Beyond the Color Wheel: Advanced Color Studies. I am looking forward to it as I am hoping it might help me get over some of  my color "issues"! 

That's it for today! Have a great week!

10/07/16

Gears

I have been trying out some new color combinations over the past few days. It feels good to change things up sometimes. I used colors such as Paynes Grey, Van Dyke Brown, Transparent Iron Oxide and Titan Buff. I also bought some paper punches. The kind people use for scrapbooking and card making. The are nice for making perfect circles and especially the tiny little circles. When I punched out the smaller circles  I thought they looked very much like gears. This piece has an industrial feel which is quite different for me and my usual flower/plant imagery. I have been trying to be more abstract but abstraction does not come easy to me.

Here are a couple others in that same color palette:

Lotus Flower

Moon Over Cactus

We have a really long weekend coming up. Not sure I like the idea that the kids are out of school for 3 days next week. I get it that they are off on Columbus Day and I get it that they are off for Yom Kippur on Wednesday, but Tuesday also? Are they kidding? I am not too happy about that. Oh well.

Have a nice weekend!