Study in Orange

Purposely left a small piece of cut canvas taped to a kappa-board on my worktable.  It called out to me. 

Cadmium Red + Yellow Ochre  Paynes Grey, my new black, white, and Buff

Ice Cream Anyone

15.5 x 15.5 "

Oils on Cut Canvas

Another underpants

 Work seems to come in spats... than a lag.. then another push.  As I write another cut-canvas awaits on the table and a few watercolor sketches also waiting to be finished or not. Too much time and not enough PUSH! So here I am instead of painting, writing!

Looking Toward New and Greener Pastures

Oils on cut canvas 21.5" x 15.5"

Collage

Decided to choose two colors of the same hue for my main color choice along with Paynes Grey, instead of black, white, and buff. The orange is an oil pastel. Felt good with this one so gave it a title influenced by Milton's Lycidas

And now the Sun had stretch'd out all the hills,

And now was dropt into the Western bay;

At last he rose, and twitch'd his Mantle blew:

To morrow to fresh Woods, and Pastures new

Love for Carmine and Turquoise

 With a few new cut canvas pieces from my friend Traudi. Back to oils and prompts!

Hidden Face. Adorned with happy flowers!

Oils on Cut Canvas

10.5" x 15" 

Traveling. Through Floating Galaxies and Stars

Oils on Cut Canvas

10.5" x 15" 

In Middle of the Night

Intuition comes very close to clairvoyance; it appears to be the extrasensory perception of reality. (Alexis Carrel)

Our weekly workshops have started, masks and all. So great to meet with my artist friends. We are so fortunate to have a huge space for our meetings and having a relatively small group. I hope it won't be cut short with this second wave, which is totally out of control here!

Took a cut canvas, my prompts, and oils. Great to work in oils again. This is what Joan calls the underpants. That is no editing after the prompts! As usual, I took it home and placed against my chest of drawers, guess I must have flipped 180. Looking at it fresh this morning I saw that my friend Jen had crept into my painting in the middle of the night!

A Secret Visit in the Middle of the Night

17.5 " x 25"

Oils on Cut Canvas

Detail

Tread Lightly on the Stones

“ The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them.” American

Treading Softly on the Stones

WIP

20" x 20" FSC Organic paper 350gm

Acrylics and Mixed Media

Bossypants#4 on toned canvas

Corona August Summer Slump

To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

“In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver, 

Been having a hard time concentrating, staying focused and the summer heat hasn't helped much! Lots of new stuff but can't remember how they got started and really what is going on. Guess I will just have to move on and what is there is there.  Really doesn't matter how I got there.

Isolation

19.5" x 19.5"

Acrylic on 240 gm bristol

Sometimes We Need a Push

We are now experiencing a second outbreak which has really got me down. Not a complete lockdown but they closed our small community pool, which was a sort of lifeline. Diving into the cool water, swimming my 16 laps, resting, and reading for another half-hour really helped me get through the day, it was almost a ritual. And then they closed the pools except for hotel pools which really p....d me off! I felt safer there than when  I do my weekly shopping at the supermarket!

Well after lots of discussions and shouting higher up they are opening again at 14:00 TODAY!

Some more good news is that I have an AC unit in my small computer/studio YAY!

I ordered some new paper through the Printing place where my daughter works. I was getting down to the last heavy cardboard substrates that I got from when they emptied Archie's studio. The new paper is not as heavy but quite sturdy, 250gm. Bought 10 sheets in offwhite and 10 sheets in dark brown. These sheets are 28.5" x 40" so had them cut in half.  Have a great supply!

Main colors where Ultramarine blue and chrome green. Collage pieces from dried palettes. Added some pale gold and lots of mark making with graphite, colored pencils, and oil pastels

Just Wanted A Touch of Orange

28.5" x 20"

Brown paper 250 gm 

Acrylics and Collage

The start!

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

Diptych in Purples

Art is a rare pursuit where participants have to learn to ring their own bells.

Robert Genn

When working in oils I usually work one two or more pieces. This allows me not to get bored or wrapped up in one painting or in one section. Putting work aside and looking at it even after a few minutes often allows a fresh look.  Sometimes in my workshop when I take a coffee break, way across the room, and look at the work really from afar I also get a new perspective. So I worked the green diptych together with the purple one using the same color palette. Only the underlying collage pieces were different. The color palette is Azo Gold, as close as I could get, black, usually chromatic, white, and buff titanium. These were the colors given by my "bossy" instructor!

WIP
Each panel 6" x 18"
Oils on cut canvas
Collage
Digitally Framed

Collage Start

WIP

Still unseparated

Diptych Greens

Had some strips of long narrow cut canvas and decided to make a Diptych. Taped them with a border on cardboard in order to work with them together. Started with collaging with some colored blobs from my stack of acrylic palette papers that I save, I use regular sandwich paper.  Then started working  with prompts in oils

WIP

18" x 6"

Oils on cutcanvas

Collage

Digital Frame

Collage Start

Still Taped WIP

Reuven suggested that I keep it as one so I separated them in PS and added a frame to see how they would look. Thoughts

What Ever is on Hand

This week at workshop we celebrated Tu B Shevat. which is "The New Year of the Trees". Neomi brought a cake which she described as what I had on hand, a little bit of this and that. It was delicious! 

That description certainly fits this piece I am working on.  I found this board that I had pasted pieces of newspaper collage. I couldn't remember what lesson or why I did it, thought it would be great for some of those leftover paints that I hate to throw away. Already has about 3 or more layers and I am not counting!

A Little Bit Of This and That WIP

16 x 10.5 x 0.625 "

Oils on Sandwiched Board

Click to enlarge

Neighbors

Concept creating can be very challenging. One word, neighbors can be interpreted in many ways.  That was our challenge for December. I was really blown away by some of the entries,

Birds of a Feather

10 x 12.75 "

Acrylic + photo transfer on Paper

Experimenting with printing blotches of acrylic paint added a photo transfer.  Reuven wants to see more of these.

Waiting by the Doors

13.75 x 10 "

Watercolor + collage on Paper

Love Sitting at the Doorstep Watching the World Go By

13.75 x 10 "

Watercolor + collage on Paper

 These started out as just plain watercolor studies. Browsing through some of my magazines I found these interesting images to make them fit my "neighbors" concept. Reuven liked these especially making a study into a work.

Watch Out You Never Know Who's Out There!

11.5 x 16.5 "

Acrylic on Paper

 A little abstract which I really had fun with. Reuven wasn't so keen. Not really my style of work but may try more in this direction. Neighboring colors and shapes and the envious eye of the neighbors!

Sharing some of my fellow artists work.

Chana made expressionistic portraits of her neighbors which can be anyone's neighbors!

18 x 13 "

Lea made an interesting tree of her neighbors using a section of a palm branch.

Each neighbor is represented with an empty box of pills.

For example, the neighbor's son plays the trumpet too loud and I need headache pills.

50 x 40 cm

Malka made this photo of the parking lot in the Barkan Industrial center.

This industrial center has Israelis and Palestinian workers side by side. 

Note the four cars' license plates in the foreground.

Far right and far left Palestinian plates!

Sadly recently there were two murders at this center!

16.5 x 11.5 "

Neomi's work describes the isolation of neighbors. Each in its own world of social media!

27.5 x 13.75 "

Pnina's work showing peace armchairs with not so peaceful neighbors!

Shoshi's abstract connecting neighbors and gates with neighboring colors!

100 x 70 cm

Tal made us a lovely 3 dimensional game with styrofoam balls with neighbor icons on a styrofoam board.

Peg Solitaire

Traudi's two young girls speak for itself.

Two hounds were made from rubbings excess paint from face above!

Vardina's parody on the children's book Flat for Rent

Our mentor Reuven!

Riva Eyes

Collage

I am so fortunate to be part of this wonderful group of artists! An also thankful for Reuven's challenges that make us get out of our BOXES!

Ingres A Mash-Up

Our first class project! Aesthetics and beauty, on the border of kitsch.  To help us out Reuven gave us an article written by Kant on the subject. I brought two entries, first one of my figure painting done in the e-course Feel the Pose see post, and a mash-up of Ingre's Reclining Venus. This is the second mash-up that I have done and really enjoyed the process.

The critique on my painting was favorable but my mash-up did not "do it" in Reuven's words. Needed a twist. Put on my "thinking hat" sometimes referred to as my Dotty hat.

Today I brought in the result and this time hit the bull's eye!  The only suggestion was to push the golden bed back so the figure gets the attention! I used several techniques in the process. Manipulation in the style of D'Vinci of the figure and black background transfer, transfer of view of the room behind which didn't turn out so well so I painted over in metallic paint, plus collage pieces crayons, acrylic, metallic paints, in short, all but the kitchen sink.

Further inquiry about the painting I found that it is a copy of the same nude by Titian for the sculptor
Lorenzo Bartolini 

But what is the real story behind the scenes? Who is the woman in the background, and why is the child seemingly crying. The woman, perhaps a handmaid, seems to be consoling the child! The naked woman, although called Venus, is perhaps awaiting her first client?

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Reclining Venus

Mash-Up # 1

Mash-Up # 2

Mash-Up # 3

My first mash-up was done for an online course from Cousera in Art History from 

• California Institute of the Arts, 

  A History of Art for Artists, Animators, and Gamers

• 
  

The best course so far that I have taken. The assignment was to do a mash-up of the famous painting by Valazquez. Las Meninas! I just looked at my folder for the course and YAY I have ALL the videos. I can now retake the course.

Mash-Up Assignment

Photo Montage

Valezquez

Las Meninas

After much thought, I felt that Las Meninas reminded me of the pageants for young girls that exploit

their femininity and sexuality. At my weekly workshop I noticed two Barbie dolls that my friend

Riva was working on and photographed them to use on my assignment. It is a riff on some of the

themes, exploitation, reflections, looking in and being seen and in this case the "photographers"

process

Flown the Coop Day 30

Day 30  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

Dealing with Instagram.. down to 657.... following... most of the time when I open my feed I do get my artist friends first...

Another jumble of shapes and colors.... actually enjoying the freedom of not having to please anyone and just go for it. Brayed background, collage pieces, inktense pencils, neocolor crayons, and Posca pen. Everything but the kitchen sink! Last day of the challenge.... I've flown the coop!

You Can't Catch Me Cause I've Flown the Coop

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

  Inktense Pencils NeocolorI Crayons  Posca Pen

Click to enlarge

We Are With You Day29

Day 29  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

My experience with Instagram really pulled the rug from under me.. Today, however, I am more relaxed about the situation.

A sort of mixed up piece, a jumble of shapes and colors trying to get out! Veiled it with white and the wetness revealed the figures that were hidden. Win some lose some! A bit tired from the challenge, holidays etc...

Being Flexible and Adaptable You Will Remain True to Your Purpose

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

  Inktense Pencils NeocolorI Crayons

Click to enlarge

The Hardest Part is Waiting Day 28

Day 28  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

Second, of the photographs, I saw in the album in Eye of the Photography  A young boy waiting to get the institution uniform. Could feel his loneliness in the harsh photo, hope I succeeded as well.
Brayered background, drawing with charcoal and pencil. collage Gelli printed tissue paper, inktense pencils.

Be Gentle with This Boy He Will Rise

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

 Charcoal Inktense Pencils

Click to enlarge

Hoping the next and last two will be lighter!

Hope They Will See the Light Day 27

Day 27  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

It's hard to see youths behind bars! Not a happy image but hope will come through the window.
Brayered color, charcoal, and pencil drawing, collage printed tissue paper, and inktense pencils.
I subscribe to the Eye of the Photography and found these haunting images of a detention center in Hungary.  Every day I get to view interesting photography albums.

How Sad and Solitary They Must Feel

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

 Charcoal Inktense Pencils

Click to enlarge

Shouts of Joy Day 26

Day 26  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

Layer 1 random brayer marks. Collage pieces covered with Gelli-printed tissue paper. Inktense pencils.  The green sketchbook ribbon sort of got in the way!

The Path Before You is Being Cleared and Reward Lies Ahead

I-Chang

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

Inktense Pencils

Click to enlarge

All That Light Day 25

Day 25  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

I am really loving working with the printed tissue papers. Like the veiling effects.  A layer of random brayer marks, usually cleaning my brayer added collage pieces tissue paper pieces and added a bit of inktense pencils.

The Light Will Always Shine Through

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

Inktense Pencils

Click to enlarge

Time Is Running Out Day 24

Day 24  30 in 30

Mixed media on watercolor paper. Continuation of the main concept of "jail" from a previous post.

Collage of Gelli-printed tissue paper pieces on a background of brayer marks plus magazine collage. On the original background, I had tried to do some transfers which didn't come out the way I wanted. The magazine page way too heavy and the watercolor paper started to peel. They can faintly be seen,  

Hickory Dickory Dock, It's Not Yet One O'Clock

9 x 7"

Sketchpad Watercolor Paper

Acrylics  collage Tissue Paper Gelli Prints

Click to enlarge