Blue Still Life

A few weeks back, I was thinking of how I could build my photography skills over the winter, since the cold makes it difficult for me to be outside for any length of time, although it isn't bitter cold, just enough to bother all of the symptoms I have. I thought about doing still lifes, but not the traditional kind with fruit, bowls and berries. Something different, something fresh, something.... hmmmmm.

I read a few things about shooting still life and realized that, according to the "experts",  trying to do a still life would be laughable, I had none of the equipment they said was required. Well! That was NOT going to stop me - I would rig something up and give it a try!

Our house faces due west, exactly, on a compass, so on the north side the light is dimmer, and on the south side, it is very bright. But I found that the cotton sheers in the windows cut the brightness just enough. I placed a small table at the end of the old iron bed and went upstairs to my studio to gather some objects together. But I needed a black backdrop. I had some black foam core board, which didn't thrill me, and then I grabbed my painter's apron. Perfect!

Back on the second floor, I tied the apron to the end of the iron bed and then started setting up the objects I had. I knew I wanted it casual, not stiff, looking like I was beginning a project. I had grabbed a couple of paint bottles in contrasting colors, and a small old French wooden child's pail with a duck on it in the same colors to bring the eye around, and then an antique English pitcher made in the late 1700's. I stuffed the pitcher with paint brushes, mostly very used paint brushes. Then a few oil pastel sticks were sprinkled about on the paper at the base and a tiny metal French gendarme was inserted in the arrangement for a touch of fun. It needed a bit of backlighting so I dug out one of those metal clip lamps people use to clamp to their car hoods if they were doing some work on the engine. It was clamped to the bed post, and tilted such a way that the light was indirect and had a gauzy piece of cloth draped over it. Then I set my camera up on the tripod and had fun shooting in different f-stops and ISOs. I moved things around, but I always like the first arrangement best.

After choosing the one I wanted from the camera upload to the computer, I put it through minimal post processing and then added it to my website. I was so tickled with it, I immediately ordered a 18 x 24 print of it on canvas and it is now hanging on one of our bedroom walls. I plan to do more still lifes soon! I have these ideas........

Play - Three Little Pieces Of Art

I enjoy the "what ifs" of creating - What if I try doing it this way? What if I add an extra step to this process? What about going in this direction instead the one I'm used to? It may not end up being a wonderful art piece when you are through, but I guarantee you will learn something!

A while back, I asked my husband to pick up some wall putty or plaster for me while he was out. It had to be the consistency of soup to try what I had in mind. He did, and later that day I took 3 tiny wrapped canvases - each 3 x 3 - and pried open the lid of the plaster. I then took a small trowel and covered each canvas with the plaster, leaving it with swirls and ridges. Then I rooted through some items for something to press into the plaster and finally settled on some shapes and numbers. I had hearts and stars, each a different size and shape, and the numbers 2, 3, and 4. I pressed then into the plaster and waited for things to dry and harden. Normally I would not use wet plaster on canvas, because after it dried, it could easily crack and pop off because the canvas "gave" when pressed. But since these were so small, the wood they were wrapped around almost met in the back, so the support was there for the weight of the plaster.

After the plaster hardened, things became interesting. The items I had used were a light grey, and the plaster was a dark grey, so I needed to spice things up quite a bit. They were meant to be encaustic pieces, so of course my next step was the waxing process. Then I carved in the wax, rubbed color over the carved lines, and added colored wax layers. It was beginning to look pretty interesting, but the grey hearts and stars still looked dull and uninteresting, even with the colors on them. I needed to make them pop out visually. So, using oil pastels and oil sticks, I played with them some more. Then I added a light coating of oil, rubbed it in and wiped any excess off. And here's how they turned out!
They look cute hanging on the wall, and I added some more tricks to my repertoire. 

(Click on any picture if you want to see details.)

Many Many Layers.......

One of my favorite acrylic colors is Alarizan Crimson, so I thought I would do my next painting with that as a base. I often add many layers to my paintings to create depth, and to give it age by pulling some of the color off as I go. After doing what I thought was a good number of layers, I then started my design on top.

Oh yuck, I hated it, what was I thinking????

So, I began to add more layers, and continued pulling some of it off to keep up the aged look. (The paints are all pretty transparent so it took a lot of layers to color those BLACK squares!) At night as I would drop off to sleep, I'd be imagining this or that new design. (In between each new application change, I would have to go lie down again, so this all took a period of days.)

So, I thought - flowers!

And after spending over an hour on 3 flowers, I realized realism was not my thing (there's a shock!) and wiped off as much as I could and once again started layering and pulling. When I had it once more to a place where I could add an arrangement of some kind, I was completely blank. At night, still blank as I drifted off to sleep. Discouragement followed. What? What was waiting to go on?

Then, an inspired moment as I was looking at some Japanese rice papers - collage! On each side I put a strip. But what next? What was Asian but a little different for a long canvas? I thought about a Chinese symbol for happiness, or something similar. Yes I know it was Japanese symbols on the side, but they would be under a layer of paint.

No, I felt flat about that. But....bamboo! All right, now I was fired up, but exhausted so I had to lie down again. I realized that I could do a pretty mean abstract bamboo, and so the next morning, I took a yellow colored pencil, drew in the lines, began to add yellow paint. And then that day was over - I had to go lie down again. But the next day, I went over the yellow paint with oil pastel, yellow then green and I was so pleased! I love it when God gives me the inspiration! And here we have, Bamboo On Red!

(click to view details)

So, how many layers total? I have no idea, and I would not even try to guess!

Promote! Promote! Promote!

That is the mantra on the art discussion threads I have been reading. Have a blog! Send out tweets! Send out Facebook updates! Send out emails! Give your business card to everyone you meet! On the main website for my art - Bellesouth Studio -in the discussion area it's been stressed over and over to comment on other artists! Like their work! Moves you up in the ratings!

So, I started trying to do as much as I could - promote, promote, promote! And that's what I have been doing all month. Have I gotten any sales because of my work? Not yet. But I did get a relapse, and realization that I was becoming anxious about the whole thing. So, with prayer, I had to stop and regroup. Here are some things I realized:

*Yes, some promotion is vital, but I am not a "normal" so I pay.

*I pay with my energy - it was all being used up in these endeavors.

*I pay because I cannot create new art, my energy is gone.

*It takes time to create a following.

*Am I doing this to become rich and famous - no.

*What was my purpose in creating? To worship and praise God for my gift.

*I have to choose wisely about how I use what energy is given to me.

*One thing I cannot do, which is one of the best ways to promote, is to do art shows. I cannot set up, sit all day long, and break down everything. Perhaps I can find someone who would be willing to share my art in their space.

I've neglected my blog, I've neglected my art, and some art I have done has been the crummiest I've seen come out of my brush. They immediately got a coat of Gesso so I could start over.

So, find out what is best for you. There are no rigid rules. What is the most important thing? For me, it's being in the mindset to create when I am able!

After They Left

(click for details)

Sometimes when people leave, the space they filled seems so empty. A little bit of you goes with them, and their echo is all around you.

Click on any photo you would like to see closer!

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!

The Latest Commissioned Piece

I mentioned a few blogs back that I was going to be doing another Pear picture, because a couple saw the first one I did:

(click to view)

and really liked it so much that they asked if they could have a similar one done. We all knew it would not be the same, because they needed to fit a specific narrow area in the kitchen. So the canvas was 10 x 30 and rather than having one pear, as originally planned, we decided on having three! I love that it has its own personality and I think they will like the way it came out:

(click to view)

This was made using acrylic paint, gel medium, oil pastels and ink.

 Long and skinny, but fits the requirements!

Click on any photo you would like to see closer!

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!

Two More Pieces Finished, Oh, And A Commission!

Remember the Pear Whimsy? What!! You don't! Well, here it is again:

Well, I've been asked to do another version of the pears, and I won't tell you anymore than that, but I'm excited about this because it's a commission of something I enjoy doing, rather than having to do something to someone else's specification.

I finished these next two today, and they are listed in my art page at Fine art America, and the originals are for sale as well in my Etsy Shop.

BURIED LEDGER

This is done on a 11 x 14 canvas panel, mixed media and collage, with gel medium and a stencil and of course, acrylic paint, and oil pastels.

THREE FISH

Done on 12 x 12 wrapped canvas, this is collage, mixed media and dry wall seam tape, for texture, book pages, oil pastels and acrylic paint. After it had cured for a few days, I added natural color beeswax for an encaustic effect on the surface. And yes, I know the middle fish is upside down! This is a picture of an antique plate and the ancient potter made it that way! 

If you have a chance, tell me which ones you like best! I will be sealing them over the next couple of days and then they will be ready to hang in your home or office!

(Today's Tip - the brightly colored flowers are cut from a dried baby wipe which had been saturated in alcohol inks!)

Click on any photo you would like to see closer!

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!

A Little Doodle

I was really feeling parched, artistically, and wanted so badly to indulge in my art. For various reasons, I just have not been able to (mostly because of my health), but today I was determined I would at least doodle in my journal. I also had some issues pressing on me, and thought playing with my art would divert my mind. And it did!

Some of my brushes and my water pail had been patiently waiting for me to begin.

This is the journal doodle. I started out using a leaf stencil with oil pastel sticks and found out quickly that that wouldn't work, so I colored in and added the lines later. Acrylic paints, Stabilo pencil, torn pages of a Shakespeare play and some doodling and some press-ons, and I was pleased to be once again doing something artistically!

My husband and I made a donation to Water Missions International as our Christmas Gift to each other and to Tabitha. They are a fantastic organization which helps to supply water where ever it's needed - third world countries or when disaster strikes in any other areas, such as Hurricane Katrina. John knew the couple who started it and once they organized it, he served on their board until we left Charleston. They have saved many, many people's lives by providing safe drinking water.

I'll share some of the fun things we received:

Tabitha gave me a great book about the painter Renoir, written by his son. Renoir has always been one of my favorite painters and this is a very thick book, blending what was happening in the world with what was happening in Renoir's life. It's a used book, she knows I like used books because there are so many choices to be had for so little money. 

Tabitha also made four lovely stationary cards for John, each one an original ink print of different leaves. She had inked up the leaves and rolled them face down once she had them arranged the way she wanted. They turned out beautifully! She also gave him several bags of boutique popcorn flavors, as that is probably his favorite snack.

One of my sisters gave me a brightly colored, sturdy tote bag and a fuzzy pair of slippers. The slippers had to be exchanged because they were a size too small, so they weren't available when this photo was taken. They have since arrived!

Tabitha surprised me with postage stamps made of one of my paintings! This picture is a bit fuzzy because I scanned the whole page, and then realized afterward that they were too small to make out. So I cropped them to this size.  I've been busy using them, so that's why there is not a better picture, they are mostly gone!

And now I am very tired, but glad I could share a little with you!

Click on any photo to see it closer.

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!