Spells of Calm

Every life needs spells of calm,

every life needs expanses of time when nothing much occurs, 

when one may sit for several hours 

in the same place and gaze upon static things, 

upon some waxen-leafed desert plant, 

perhaps,or a patch of dried grass. 

Alexander McCall Smith, The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

Nothing like going to the pool early in the morning. Quiet, not many swimmers, sun is not high, and if you are lucky, might catch a slight breeze.  After my 16 laps, I like to sit and rest with the book I am currently reading. (Trying to get more into the reading mode) One of my favorite authors is Alexander McCall Smith, he has several series, but my favorite is The No1 Ladies Detective Agency.
Set in Botswana I find the naive fresh philosophy enchanting and easy to read.

Background

20" x 20" cardboard

First layer from the previous purple and magenta painting  Keep adding marks and this morning I dropped a small container leftover yellowish-orange paint that a spread with a sponge, then another with a little thin magenta paint spread with the container's rim. (bottom right) So now I found a great quote and a nice background two good reasons to make a post!

I Try

A Home for the Soul...The pleasure of the soul appears to be found in the journey of discovery, the unfolding revelation of expanded insight and experience. (Anthony Lawlor)

I try to go to each painting with an open mind. I hope that each painting will somehow bring out what is hiding inside me. I try to recognize in the painting the signs that are reaching out. I try!

Art-itude xi Start

20 x 20"

Collage and scribbles

Art-itude xi WIP
20" x 20"
Oils over collage on cardboard

Archie II

I am not a mystical person. Capricon has me pretty grounded! But I do have a treasured deck of Oracle cards my late sister designed.  She always dreamed of publishing them but sadly it didn't happen. I received copies in high resolution from a close friend of hers and did print up several decks for family and friends. I also have her written guide describing all the cards. I like to play around with them and have come to the conclusion that every card will and can touch everyone in one manner or another whether consciously or unconsciously. So, in that way they work, getting one to think about issues in a new light. I also like reading her guide as some sort of connection. Pretty mystical for a Capricorn! Today my card was luxury!

Meaning: To have joy and take comfort in the things that one has is not a sin. As there are always those who have more than us and there are always those who have less, our enjoyment must come from the experience itself. A man who has lived in the streets will find luxury in a simple clean home. So it is more the perspective you bring to the situation then the situation itself that causes one to call a thing luxurious.  Asha

Flying to Outer Worlds

21.5" x 15"

Oils on cardboard

Off to the luxury of our community pool!

Please forgive me Archie

Archie was a neighbor. Archie was a friend. Archie was an artist, mainly sculpture but did paintings, sketches in lots of media. I inherited a lot of substrates, drawing blocks when the person that bought his house from his son, started cleaning his attic studio and threw them in the street. In some of his drawing pads, there are still some lovely charcoal sketches. On one of the boards, there was an abstract acrylic painting. I didn't have the heart to throw away. At one point I did cut it half and found one half and decided to use it as a background. It will still live on as part of new work. I am sorry that I didn't photograph the original. Now, where is that other half?

Started a few art-itude prompts Palette teal, chromatic black, white, and buff. Orange oil pastel for my first marks. Background Archie Talor! haven't really decided on its orientation,

WIP

21.5" x 15"

Oils on cardboard

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

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 " 

Found Myself in a Aquarium

I am always surprised by what comes out in the "underpants" paintings done by various audio prompts. I also find the editing process much more difficult than the intuition process with the prompts and turning the work between each prompt. This process keeps me from getting too attached and loving specific areas.

I am certainly surprised by the amount of these "underpants" I have piled under the bed, most with no editing, but at least I am getting more familiar with the wide amount of techniques. I am slowly getting used to working with acrylics, painting with paper towels, smudging with damp paper towels, making puddles of water and dropping wet paint.

I would certainly check out this class by Joan Fullerton. Only open till 29th February!

Found Myself in an Aquarium WIP

Underpants

19.5 x 20 "

Acrylics on Cardboard

Found Myself in an Aquarium WIP

Edit 1

19.5 x 20 "

Acrylics on Cardboard

Found Myself in an Aquarium WIP

Edit 2

19.5 x 20 "

Acrylics on Cardboard

Would certainly appreciate any feedback and suggestions!

Portrait of Amir

Last November.2018, we celebrated my grandson Noam's Bar-Mitzva. As usual, took lots of photos, wish I had taken more. One imparticular of my grandson Amir just kept saying "paint me" He was sitting with his mobile phone and looked up as I shot the image.

I have no idea why this post was left.... time to post.
I enjoyed doing this painting but looking back I find things that could be fixed. He looks like he,s seated in the air! My constant critic!
Every painting a learning experience. Although no features are painted it is definitely Amir

Now for a painting of him drumming

Amir

Oils on gessoed cardboard

50 x 70 cm

Another Great PYHAS Lesson

I am beginning to pick and choose the lessons on PYHAS otherwise I am totally becoming overwhelmed. One of my painting goals is portraiture. Really loved this lesson and the process so much different from the way I use my oils. What I really loved with this demo was the calm soothing voice of Dominique Medici .  It really helped to keep my stress away.  This exercise was done with the Zorn palette. Black, my chromatic black of raw umber and ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, white, and cadmium red,  I dove straight in so my mixes aren't what I would like so I will go back to do a color study of the paints for my next portrait. Dominique builds the portrait in 4 majors stages each timed to about 20minutes. All done alla prima, wet on wet!  First, the proportions of the shapes and angles with thin black paint, next blocking in the darks. third blocking in the colors, and last, what she calls the edges, which include highlights and darks, soft and hard edges, textures and additional drawing with paint. When the buzzer buzzes... done! Now, how cool is that. You now know when you are finished. Dominique says that 1.5 to 2.5 hours is great for this practice. The demo was filled with lots of encouraging words. The key is to build your skills slowly. 

I think I got some of his essence. This is one process that I will practice again for sure.

Thinking of Times Gone By

Oils on Gessoed Cardboard

14 x 14.5 "

stage 3 & 4

Stage 1

Stage 2

Not complete I see

Reference

Now I see that I got his tilt wrong. Can't seem to shut up that inner critique!

Tel Aviv A City in White Assemblage Composition

My abstract interpretation of Tel Aviv as The City in White using assemblage as a medium. Materials used were cardboard substrate plus a pressed cardboard form, bubble wrap used with oils and cold wax medium.

City in White

16.75 x 13.75 "

Cardboard Bubble Wrap

Oils + Cold Wax

City in White  Side View

16.75 x 13.75 "

Cardboard Bubble Wrap

Oils + Cold Wax

City in White  Detail

16.75 x 13.75 "

Cardboard Bubble Wrap

Oils + Cold Wax

City in White  Detail

16.75 x 13.75 "

Cardboard Bubble Wrap

Oils + Cold Wax

Don't know if I rose above the kindergarten child making a cardboard construction?

Don't know if I even conveyed a city?

As an abstract I like it.

Would I try this medium again? I'll keep an open mind!

Next week Collage!

What Assemblage!

Assemblage, I had never heard of this art medium! Reuven asked me to search various artists working in this field for the summer group.  So first Wikipedia for more information.  One particular artist I researched was Anselm Kiefer, a German artist working in this field.  Below 2 short videos of his work.

14 minutes

 14 minutes

So for a week, I have been collecting various items that could be used.  Found an old cardboard that I had pasted strips of cardboard, a pressed cardboard wrapping piece that came with some item bought were my main starting points... Somehow white was the color running through my head. I also brought various pieces of bubble wrap that I had used in Gelli-printing.

My main concern was the feeling that I was somehow in kindergarten making constructions with cardboard item like toilet paper rolls etc, which I also brought along with my pile of junk. I had to overcome and go beyond. Reuven asked, what is the title... White City thinking of Tel Aviv.... work with that! 

WIP 

WIP

From the Side

Critique:  Needs a twist. The red is to obviously placed, the right piece in the right place! 

WIP II

Addition of another strip of bubble wrap. NOT ENOUGH! Don't want more elements, going back to kindergarten.  Actually, the answer is right in front of me. It's too gray! Painting cardboard tray white will test this option in PS!

Open for suggestions! I can't say that this medium really speaks to me. Maybe I need more JUNK!

No Paint Today

Whoever wants to understand much must play much. (Gottfried Benn)

Today at workshop I went back to kindergarten! Hurray!!!

Because Heleni wasn't able to come but had made sure the facility would be open, we worked alone. Only 6 -7 showed up so it was an intimate workshop, I started two new collage paintings and this week brought them to class for critique and further work.  Heleni said they were done. I think I can work some more, but Heleni many times stops me, mainly because I sometimes ruin them. This is a dilemma for me because in the online course I am taking there is a different philosophy. Later when I post these collages I will talk more.


Now back to kindergarten! Among some of the formats that I always lug along where formats in corrugated cardboard. I also had my new set of colored tissue paper and lots of collage material. Remembering about lesson 6 which is about formats and proportions thought I would start to tackle this.

Cut some of the formats into different proportions, decided on one composition format, landscape. Cut and pasted some magazine pieces on each. Then thought, what am I going to do with all my colored tissue papers. Decided to paint with them. Rip, cut, glue I was having a time! These are WIP.  On format 1  I pasted some transparent paper in an attempt to bring the bring that section together

Format 1

26 x 36 cm

Corrugated cardboard

Detail format 1

Format 2

25 x 26

Corrugated Cardboard

Magazine collage

Here Heleni stopped me. 

Format 3

13 x 36

Corrugated Cardboard

Detail 

Format 3

Format 4

36 x 13 cm

Corrugated Cardboard

Detail  Format 4

I loved the way I got variations of color with the overlapping of the tissue paper on each other and on the magazine pieces. Have to learn to control or perhaps not.

Last of Mish Mash

Finished I don't know. This piece has history. Started back July 2015 and then in again end of November till I took it out of the closet and decided that it need revision/transformation. Looking at it on my easel as I write this blog I still feel uneasy especially about the middle area. Think I'll let rest for a while or chuck into the wood stove. This is the last of the 3 revised paintings.

37 x 28 cm\

Oils & Cold Wax

Cardboard

 Here are some of the stages.

From November 2015

Going bold

Calming down

Have been doing some exercise from the course I am taking from Jane Davies. Started before the January Challenge. This is a work at your own pace course. Hope to post tomorrow.

See ya!!

Catching Up

This past month has been a sort of roller coaster with the challenge and all that needs to be done to post and link. Also the end of the month with health issues that thankfully are better. So it's time to catch up with work done in my weekly workshop.

My weekly workshop is not like workshops that I have seen online, where everyone follows the demo of the artist.  We are a group of artists, each doing his/her own thing, at all stages of artistic levels, and in different medias. To look at the variety of work you wouldn't think that they came from the same mentor. That is what is why it's so great to meet and share. I plan to do a  photograph shoot and maybe post and introduce you to my wonderful group.

This piece has a long history. It started more than a year ago when I started to experiment with cold wax and oils in an abstract way. Then in December, I took 3 works that I decided to re-work. The first I posted several versions the last finished in January.  This is the second piece. The start you can see here. I called it metamorphous.

Metamorphous II

25 x 35 cm

Oils & Cold Wax

Early stage

Boldly added black UGH!!!

 Hope to post the third over the weekend. I also have a few from the challenge that I cut up and re-worked.  Move on or catch up? A juggle!!!

Red Abstract Finished

Finished this finally. See #4. I did add some faint pink oil pastels. Click images to enlarge.

37 x 28 cm

Oils and Cold Wax on Cardboard

This is the start!

Red Abstract #4

Here is #4. Actually, Heleni said that it was done at #3 but I felt I could push it a little since I wasn't satisfied with the red and yellow areas. So added a bit brighter red, alizarin crimson, from the tube.

Still not exactly what I want...

Abstract #4

Click to enlarge

Just looked at Dotty's #9 and decided maybe marks with crayons or oil pastels may make the change I need. Thanks, Dotty!!! The paint is dry so I hope the marks will work and not work as a scratch tool!

Red Abstract #3

 Sorry for the mistake of reposting #2 instead of #3. Here is the correct post. I had looked at both images side by side in PS I noticed a big difference in tones. I also sometimes photograph with my phone and sometimes with my Canon G11 which made the difference. Fixed it somewhat but then kinda got mixed up and forgot I posted #2 already. Senior moments!!!

So here is #3 in which I added some yellows to the reds and a different blue to the blue-gray area. When I went to class, Heleni said that it was working but I didn't like the red area so worked in that area which I feel is a mess.

Maybe I should have veiled the whole area and then gone back to reveal areas.

Red Abstract #3

Click to enlarge 

(

Red Abstract #2

I can't say for sure that I am really comfortable with this process. But I will continue until I really think that the piece is really working.  Looking at it now I see I have kept the main color palette, just moved the shapes and relationships.  I did try a new color but wiped it off real fast. Guess I am still a coward?  Previous post.


Second Phase

37 x 28 Cardboard

Oils and Cold Wax

click to enlarge

Trying Transformation WIP #1

Looking through my closet where I store some of my paintings, I found 3 that should be either thrown away or be transformed.  I am following Dotty Seiter and her transformations and I am absolutely spellbound, Easily said than done. First, since they were photographed I put them into photoshop to play around with. Bad idea so dropped that option. I have to somehow overcome my fear. It's only a "bad " painting on cardboard and some more paint so what's the big deal!!!!

Decided on using oils with cold wax because the wax makes the oils creamy and allows taking off, scratching extra. So mixed my favorite black paint, ultramarine plus raw umber.

So I dug in spreading the paint with a palette knife. Then scratching away and applying more paint. Feeling very lost and indecisive. I finally a shape caught my eye and developed into more shapes. The paint which isn't quite dry can be manipulated and also painted over,

Enough spiel!

37 x 28 cardboard

Starting Point

First Pass

click to enlarge images

Gray clips showing on the top .... not marks Don't know what to think, well I do but won't say! We'll see what tomorrow brings...

The Wall

This is another of my newsprint collages.  It took many turns pasting and removing elements. My original conception based loosely on a photo I took of a blooming pink tree with an interesting gate took a different turn as art often does. Don't know if it is finished but am posting while it still sits and I can read and tell if I want to tweak.  The last stage I went over the image with transparent oils, sap green and alizarin crimson to unify the image.

Newsprint collage + oils

50 x 35 cm

on cardboard

Various stages

started color

repasted newsprint

more color