Thursday, May 28, 2020

Art-itude VI 2


Finished the prompts plus... sometimes I can't stop fiddling! Blame Cookie! Where do these figures come from? Reuven says don't go with them but I sort of like them! The yellow is not so ochre, it's more of a dirty greenish yellow. I will try to capture a better shot with my better camera.


WIP
Oils on cut canvas 
19.5" x 27"

Reminder

Got rid of that hair!




Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Art-itude V oils 2

Finished all the prompts, not in the same order because of the oils. Have to make compromises. Looking back I can hardly recognize that this is the same painting. Happens!

WIP
Oils on heavy brown board
20" x 20"

Reminder




Monday, May 25, 2020

Art-itude VI Oils on Canvas

 " Studio Ghosts: When you're in the studio painting, there are a lot of people in there with you. Your teachers, friends, paintings from history, critics...and one by one, if you're really painting, they walk out. and if you're really painting, you walk out." Audrey Flack Art and Soul

That is how I feel sometimes, mostly after I have been working. I look and ask who did that?
However not with this piece!

WIP
Oils on cut canvas
19.5" x 27"

First marks Oil Pastels

Not a happy camper with this piece. I think I'll start all over again. I have been staring at it all week and somehow escapes me. Maybe I will let Cookie have a free hand!





Sunday, May 24, 2020

Art-itude V Oils

"The object isn't to make art. It's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable." Robert Henri

How wonderful it was to go back to my weekly workshop.  Brought 2 substrates to work on, one heavy brown paper board and cut canvas wrapped around cardboard. Not all the prompts are compatible with oils so I had to compromise but getting back to oils, the creamy consistency and smells were delightful. Loved working on the paper, less on the canvas. Both are still in their first stages, only did half the prompts, so hopefully, on Tuesday I will continue.

WIP
Oils on heavy brown board
20" x 20"

First Marks Graphite Pencil
Oils on heavy brown board
20" x 20"

For the first marks, about 69, one for each day in isolation, I was inspired by the simple drawings of Paul Klee.  Done with graphite on the paper and oil pastel on the canvas. I like the minimalistic feel about this painting. Probably won't do much, but at the same time I don't want to get attached. Hard sometimes to distinguish between attachment and work done!




Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Art-itude III IV

My lockdown, I prefer stay-at-home, started around the end of February beginning of March. There were not many cases as yet but Israel had started closing its gates and many citizens coming back had to go into quarantine. As days melt into days it was hard to locate the exact time frame but found this article in Wikipedia.  You don't have to read it its more for my reference.

What I did remember was that I decided well before March 11 not to attend our tri-weekly meeting of Death Cafe in Tel Aviv.  Our last workshop was on the 10th of March. From 11th of March to today the 18th of May 69 days! WOW!  I did venture out to walk the dog, sometimes more than 100M allowed. Visited my artist friend Lea, sat outside with 2 M distance.  Did go out for shopping, pharmacy protecting myself with mask and gloves even before masks were mandatory. Made some from heavy-duty paper towels and placed a pad ( allways} for an extra filter. I did try ordering online and going for a pickup but that didn't work so well.  End of April Yael visited with the boys, We all sat safe distances but I did squeeze in some hugs. May 9th we had all family to celebrate Uri's 11th birthday. We all sat the requested 2M apart... didn't hug the older grand-kids because they had already met up with their friends. It was a happy day!

Yesterday had an eye appointment so ventured to the mall where the clinic has its offices. Some stores were open but not a very happy atmosphere.  Why this megillah (long story)? Well tomorrow our workshop re-opens so this will be my first real social meeting, wonder how many will attend.  We did keep in contact with Reuven through Zoom. I did create an album of work that we did over this 2 month + period! I added most of the images so my name in on them, by clicking the image, and  (i) you will get the artist's name. We all seemed to get out of our "boxes".


WIP
19.5" x 19.5"
Acrylics and other media
240gm Cartridge Paper

WIP
19.5" x 19.5"
Acrylics and other media
240gm Cartridge Paper

Monday, May 18, 2020

Art-itude II

Heat wave
Hard to concentrate
Want to slip in cool water
When will the pool open!

Poet, I am not, an artist maybe


WIP
19.75" x 13.75"
240 gm cartridge paper
Acrylics  Oil Pastels Graphite pencils charcoal

Art-itude II Used Ozo yellow light. There is a strong presence of muted yellow, large circle shapes, and a sort of pathway on the left. Not too happy with the circle on the bottom left section, keep seeing a face and that disturbs me. I like the flower-like presence at the top left and thought to echo that over the face.

Running out of my favorite brown heavy cardboard-like paper so I bought 3 sheets of 240gm cartridge paper. Most of our papers come in huge sheets called giliyon which is about 1000cm x 700 cm. 
Cut on in quarters.. 4 pieces  50 x 35 cm and the other 2 in 50 cm squares for this project. +  8 small sheets
20 x 25 cm.. Not bad for 6 shekels... $1.70









Thursday, May 14, 2020

Art-itude

What's on my desk and easel. My bedside table is one great mess. pamphlets, Lily's medications, random writing tools, toilet paper (for tissues), tablet, remotes, clock, even my pot of cold wax medium. Everything and the kitchen sink.  Took a photo but ashamed to even post it. My desk is almost the same.... small table easel, wipes, real tissues palette, stapler, pens, earphones, mouse, you get the picture. On the small easel my latest work.

Joan gave us a new set of prompts she called Art-itude.  A way of maybe expressing what we all are going through. She first told us to write down words that describe our days, which of course I didn't do.... my ongoing battle for words that don't seem to come. Then a new list of prompts. In the end, she asks us to photograph our work and try to write about our work. Another word problem! But, today I decided to sit myself down and tackle this "word thing" obstacle.

I Will Follow My Dreams
Acrylics on cartridge paper 14" x 19.5" 


Some of the words Joan wrote helped me describe my work.... connection, expansiveness, pathways, strength, and new dreams.

The main yellow figure like shape is almost in the middle, dividing the work into two main sections, one lighter and one darker. The figure has a light echo in the lighter area and seems to be coming out of a circle with many circles of bubble-like shapes. These could be thoughts and feelings. She is rising to new heights strengthened by the black and white verticals. I feel there is a sense of survival to this figure that maybe a new strength! 

The composition has two main sections, dark and light, monochromatic, and with color. In the dark section is also divided into squarish sections opposite the lighter area that has a thin vertical rectangle and a rising subtle balloon shape  The balloon may symbolize rising hope!

A Syrian artist, Khaled Hussein, uses this symbol in his wonderful work describing the horrors his homeland is suffering. 





Saturday, May 9, 2020

Reason to Continue

"consider the desire to make progress reason enough to continue"
A small quote from Sara Genn's biweekly newsletter that I so enjoy reading. Each week I receive 1  from the archive of her late father's Robert Genn newsletters and one of her own.

To progress, now that's a good question...  where am I going and why? I find no real answers in myself except that I enjoy doing what I am doing in my creative journey so I continue. How, well as Sara says " The first order of business is applying paint"

In my intuitive creative journey, I hope to find some answers about myself.  Meanwhile, I will continue to progress.  


WIP
Acrylics on paper
13.75" x 9.75"  


This painting started with a group of prompts that I found on Joan Fullerton's page.  The two colors, most of her BossyPants prompts deal with 2 colors + white , black, and sometimes Titan Buff, I chose were Hansa Yellow and Chrome Green. All neutrals came from those colors. Bottom layers may have graphite pencil, watercolor pencils, oil pastels, charcoal, etc, of my choosing. My paints are just regular paints, nothing fancy... can't afford Golden.

Feel this came out pretty strong so I am going to let it sit before I decide how to move it forward or not as the case may be, 




Thursday, May 7, 2020

Let it Rain

In a recent post from Dotty Seiter I saw that she is adopting a policy to share her daily activities and creativity. What she was reading and painting etc.  Thought to myself, wow, that's a great idea.  First to focus that I am doing something and not falling into the path that days are melting into one another without much direction.

I do try to go into my studio daily, well that's where I have my computer so obviously that I will go in because I like the big screen and not tablets and phones. So I do pass my long studio table, can't miss it as it takes up all the room. So first I check mail, blogs, etc and sometimes get caught in a short video. Yesterday that was the case when I got a link from a high school classmate that has been sending posts to help our moral. I  really enjoyed the video so I watched it again this morning.


Not that I will be doing Qi Gong in the near future, or maybe will who knows, but one thing stuck, and that was "Let it Rain" 

So after checking mail and blogs that I follow I allow myself to time to play.

\Let it Rain
Acrylics and collage on paper
13.5" x 9.75"