A Coat of Many Colors

ג  וְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אָהַב אֶת-יוֹסֵף מִכָּל-בָּנָיו--כִּי-בֶן-זְקֻנִים הוּא, לוֹ; וְעָשָׂה לוֹ, כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours.

This painting started not with Joseph's coat in mind, and I doubt that his coat looked anything like these interwoven stripes, but somehow it got stuck in my mind after the painting was finished.

As you all know I am a bit obsessive when it comes to tutorials and online lessons. I have taken many classes and I think I could spend more than a year just re-taking them. This started with a free lesson given at  Jeanne Oliver , A Guiding Word taught by Rae Missigman.  I experimented with a way of putting down paint by squirting paint on the top in varying widths and dragging it down with a scraper, palette knife or whatever to cover the substrate. Don't know if this is now free but she does have about 35 Free classes online at this time. Of course, I went every which way!

WIP

Acrylics on brown paper

13.5" x 19.5"

This sat around for quite a while and then I saw a great tutorial by Jane Davies about stripes on paper bags. Brown paper,yes, stripes, my interpretation! 

Coat of Many Colors

Acrylics on brown paper

13.5" x 19.5"

Wish I had a rug like this!

Interested click here

Homebound but still going places

"I want a painting to take me to a place I haven't been before." Emily Mason

This is a new artist that I was introduced to by Joan Fullerton. I am "in love" with her work. Gifted myself a book about her work! Can't wait till it arrives

So back to my travels! Going far and wide, like I was on wings. This painting I started with a new BossyPants I found on her site. Hey give it a try.... it's just paper and paint..playtime!

Enchanted Forest

20" x 20" 

Acrylics on toned heavy brown paper

Generosity

I have always found that artists, in general, are very generous. In times like these, it is especially true. Almost daily I find from some of the artists I follow free tutorials to help inspire our creative process and help us fill the void and keep us focused.

One artist and one of my favorites is Pauline Agnew. She has recovered from Coronavisus and has kindly given some great free tutorials.  Finding Inspiration is a sort of meditative charcoal drawing exercise.  I did 2 on tinted pastel paper. Pauline suggests using these to find windows of inspiration. Pauline also has a FB page for Artists in Residence and can be found on Instagram as well.
The first charcoal on grey tinted paper. 

Charcoal on gray tinted paper

19.750 x 13.750 "

detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Evolution of a Painting

Painting using prompts often brings interesting outcomes. Never the same even when using the same recipe. Different colors, different substrates all come into the equation. I often use the leftover paints on a new substrate choosing different prompts as they come into my head. That is how this painting started. Edited in oil pastels using some tips from Pauline Agnew and here. I have ordered my first set on Senelier Pastels! YAY!

A New Day

Final?

Acrylics and Oil Pastels on cardboard

Original "Underpants"

Leftover paints and mixed prompts! Acrylics, large charcoal blocks, watercolor pencils (ink intense) oil pastels. 20 x 20 " 

Flipped 180 °

Started using oil pastels

Just lazy to start with wet paints

More editing

I decided to bring this into PS and use some filters in Topaz Studio2. Topaz studio also comes in a free-standing software so you don't need PS. There is a free trial. They have great filters called  "add a look" I chose a grunge look. 

Grunge Look

PS painted on a new layer

Used as an idea

Am I lost in Wonderland

Put it up on my easel to get a  better view. Did some tweaks with oil pastels. I don't have the best quality but may treat myself to some Sennielier pastels. Used some turps and cold wax as well.
Thinking it may need a bit of complementary color. There are some hints from under layers of the magenta oil pastel. May experiment with PS. Thoughts! See previous version  M

Am I Lost in Wonderland WIP

Composition in yellows

Acrylics on cardboard 19.250 x 20 " BP#1

Incarcerate

To improve my vocabulary and my spelling I subscribe to  Word of the Day by Mirriam-Webster. Today the word was incarcerate. Very appropriate for these trying times. Most of us are experiencing some sort of physical incarceration but isn't it true that we all suffer from some sort of mental incarceration? We tend to let negative thoughts, ideas linger locked in our brains. The same is true in our thoughts of our creativity. We box ourselves in.

In January I started a yearly journey with Paint Yourself Free. Best investment so far in online learning!  I have done a huge amount of work but haven't really shared much. Mainly because I suffer from the idea that I can't express my thoughts in words. A negative thought that I have to release.  Looking back I did one post here. Most are WIP because of the process I am learning. But I promise to share more with or without any wordy introduction.

After many days/ few days, they all seem to melt into one, I finally decided to get my hands dirty with my "inner child Cookie" in my studio. 

Decided on yellows,one of my favorite colors. Chose Hanza Yellow and Yellow Ochre as my two colors along with titan buff and black and white.  BossyPants #1 on cardboard. ( I will be soon running out)

The first was done using the prompts except when Cookie decided to do some extra stuff like pouring some liquid paint and making extra scribbles!

Now to add to my frustration I can't upload an image NADA NADA NADA! 

I will post the images on my Instagram account and my Flickr account

Sorry for the inconvenience! Comment here or there or not!

Any suggestion for a new blog platform if this problem persists?

Well after searching and searching found how to revert to the classic mode! Uploads WORK!

WIP

Composition in yellows

Acrylics on cardboard 19.250 x 20 " BP#1

WIP

Leftover paints and mixed prompts! Acrylics, large charcoal blocks, watercolor pencils (ink intense) oil pastels. 20 x 20 "