Project Motherhood

“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.”   Donna Ball, At Home on Ladybug Farm

Last weekly workshop for the season. Crit on last project "motherhood" a subject that has been used for creativity since the beginning of human existence. After doing some basic research of how others dealt with this subject and collecting images from the Renaissance and more modern painters such as Chagall and Cecily Brown, statues and photographs as well, especially Dorothy Lange's famous photo journal of the migrant workers in the 30's I decided on two icon images. Matteo Giovanni Madona and Migrant Mother photograph by Dorothy Lange.

Matteo Giovanni

Dorothy Lange

Migrant Mother

Photo Montage 

In photoshop I was amazed by how the two faces merged together and I used this as my "inspiration"
A play of negative and positive. Went a bit over on the metallic gold!

Migrant Madonna

17.5" x 20.5"

Graphite and acrylic on heavy beige paper

What is more interesting was the discarded piece on the back that I am thinking of pulling out.

       Inspired by Cecily Brown and a bit of Chagall. Think it will be a good push and pull exercise!

Mothers WIP

20.5" x 17.5"

You Are In for a Big Surprise

Giving lots of thoughts to Jen's post on extra-ordinary! We all get into the day to day living pattern without much thought, just ordinary stuff. Feed the cats, and Bella the chicken. Make porridge, do the laundry... all done without much thought. Mundane, boring... but the ordinary can be extra.

Friday

An early trip to the bakery for Shabbat Chala, pitots and borakas!
No traffic, lots of parking space, and the smell of fresh baked goods  EXTRA!

Feeding the cats and Bella... Lady begging for some hugs and petting... EXTRA!
The cool air  EXTRA! Even the smell of freshly laundered clothes  EXTRA!

Coming home from Natanya after a condolence visit,(shiva) Waze took us home on a road near the sea.  Glimpses of the sea between the buildings EXTRA.

I am certainly going to try to look for the EXTRA more!

Tuesday  workshop always EXTRA

This painting was done over another rather unsuccessful painting below.  I had added another blue layer which made it worse. At first, I just wanted to sort veil it with light gray tones but it sort of had a will of its own and all sort figures began appearing.

When You Go Into the Forest

Oils and Cold Wax

Cut Canvas

24" x 19"

Workshop New Life For

Today when visiting my daughter, she brought home a sculpture that my grandson, Uri 8 yrs, made. I just had to shvitz (brag) a little.  It was chosen among others to be on display at the Dept. of Education in Jerusalem.

ארה יקינטונית

Macow

WIP

Oils and Cold Wax

Masonite Board

12.5 x 19.5"

Start

Detail

Detail

This has many layers, I sort of lost control. Has to sit around a bit till it tells me what it needs.

At Reuven's suggestion, the masonite was not gessoed. I really missed that texture

All images are clickable for a closer look! 

All the Best to Riva

Introducing Riva Rasin bat (daughter) of Braine and Joseph Rabinowitz

This morning at my workshop we had a real treat. Riva put up here series of political portraits that she has been working on. They are all marvelous and the whole group together makes a very strong statement. I thought that I would introduce you all to some of the artists that are part of my painting workshop every Tuesday morning. Not only did we enjoy the paintings but Reuven gave a critique.

One of the interesting things that Reuven said was that when we are working on a series of paintings we should also have in our mind's eye of how these paintings would be shown on a gallery wall. With Riva's first way he suggested that she should make them closer to a more mixed up fashion. He was correct as you will see in the photos I took.

KOL HAKAVOD RIVA
(kohl hah-kah-vohd; Literally: All of the respect.)
You can use this little phrase when you want to say all right, way to go, or a job well done. Kol HaKavod!

Riva Rasin

Reuven Tishrey

First Layout

Second Layout

Trump  Menachem Begin

Golda Meyer

Top: Bibi Netanyahu  Ben Gurion

Bottom: Moshe Shamir   Reuven Rivlin

Moshe Dayan  Shimon Perez  Bibi Netanyahu  Itzhak Shamir

Click on images to enlarge

Except for Trump, who acts as if he is President of Israel, all are well known political figures in Israel. Riva has made a strong statement with her series and of course, there was a lively discussion.

Reuven, our mentor, says that the more noise pro or con then the artist has succeeded in her statement. 

I will continue to introduce you to my artist friends.

Workshop A Day of Sketching

This week we really had a treat. A new instructor Ariella Goldman, was going to bring a model and instruct us in drawing the human figure. Well the model got sick and there was no time to contact another so Ariella brought a head and child's dummy to sketch from, and we took turns posing.  We had basic instruction on the measurement of a human figure, and tips on measuring. It was the morning of my fall and I almost didn't go, but glad I did. I am going to have to find more opportunities to do figure work.

I started using a 2B pencil but quickly changed to a charcoal stick.
All were sketched on newsprint 35 x 50 cm.

Almost a Month

Every person is born into life as a blank page and every person leaves life as a full book. (Christina Baldwin)

This past month has been one whirlpool of emotions. It almost feels like a year or more. My sister's sudden death, my bazak trip to the US to say goodbye, my new bond with my sister-in-law that graciously  open her heart and home to me. All are still swirling around in my head. Since my return, I have been more or less in a robot state. Not really being able to sit and do one thing for more than 10-15 minutes. Jet lag should have stopped already. Today decided that I have to post and get back to my creative being and hope that this will help move ahead while keeping these new feelings close to my heart. I am grateful that I have this blog and my art and to be able to get these feelings out.

On the Tuesday after my arrival home, our workshop was held in a nearby park, Park Shoham. It was a good feeling to be back and with all my special artist friends. This is a special place with antiquities along with shade trees and picnic tables. We had visited this place previously on a Passover break in 2015

Park Shoham 2017

Click movie icon top right

As you can see the park was alive with wild flowers and thistles. We were lucky with the weather as well, a cool day after several very hot days.  I did take a lot of photos and a few sketches. What a surprise that one of the yellow flowers was also growing in my "garden"

Botzin Mifuratz

Image from Park

Sketches

Pencil and crayons

23 x 33 cm

Ammi visnaga

From Park

Ammi visnaga

Charcoal and conte

23 x 33 cm

Rock

Out of the Box

When you come to a roadblock, take a detour. (Barbara Bush)

Each year Heleni prepares a special project that we work on at home and bring in for a general critique.  This year was a bit different. We were to prepare a presentation verbally and visually about a subject, concept, or idea, not necessarily about art. We all drew lots and each week, we take a break from our work for the presentation. On the 18th of April, my turn came.  

Instead of giving a talk about getting out of the box I decided that it would be better to have them do it as part of an exercise.  I brought paper, crayons, colored markers, charcoal etc. So I told them to start a drawing and timed it to 5 minutes. Then instructed them to tear the paper in two sections. Place one section face down and continue on half that was shown for 2 minutes. Then do the the same for the second half. Then I asked them to cut the halves in half and gave another 2 minutes on each quarter. 

Neomi and I made a collage of the work on a cardboard format. 

100 x 70 cm

We mixed them all up for this collage,here is an Album link where you can see the work as well as some general images. All had a grand time and I hope that somehow I helped them look at their art with a new perspective.

My Visual Display

10 x 20 x 6 cm

I got out of the box by making small statues in small boxes. Haven't done this type of work since my college days!

Workshop Patterns II

Still experimenting with oils and cold wax.... love the process... each layer  I discover different aspects sometimes a completely new painting emerges from the original concept.  Lots of surprises along the way.
The palette used is brighter than what I usually use. Again I used some cut stencils but opened them up.
I find these painting have been greatly influenced by my trip to Morocco.

30 x 25 wrapped canvas

Oils and Cold Wax

Have posted some photoblog-posts of my recent trip and will continue. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

An InLinkz Link-up

Workshop Patterns 1

Still working in oils and cold wax.  Experimented with cutout patterns in this one to pull it together. Still feel a bit lost in this media but the more I paint I guess the more I will learn.

Format  40 x 40 cm gray cardboard without gesso.

Oil and cold wax 

Patterns

Workshop New Mish Mash

Continuing to cover some old paintings with oils & cold wax.  I have been working on several paintings simultaneously, find this a great way to rest from one to the other and come back with a fresh eye.

New version

Oils & Cold Wax

Oils with textured mesh

Cardboard 28 x 37 cm

Workshop Oil & Cold Wax

Well after a very hot summer,  September 30 x 30 , a trip to Morocco( I am slowly blogging this trip), I have finally returned to my weekly workshops. The way back to painting has not been easy. I have decided to experiment more using oils and cold wax and painting more intuitively in an abstract manner. Not an easy task. My first project was to paint over a collage that was made when we met for brunch at one of the workshop artists, Traudi.  Thinking back it wasn't the best choice.  Haven't a full image of the collage before I started messing around.

Colored Paper Collage

As usual I took pictures of other's holding their works but neglected to have  someone take a picture of mine. After 2-3 sessions  and making a mess, not really knowing where I was going with this we decided that it was complete.  

Searching

Oil & Cold Wax

Traudi with her Creation

Workshop # 59 Abstract Landscape

Workshop  # 59 Abstract Landscape

This painting has a history/story. It started out as an exercise from an online workshop by Richard Robinson but was discarded and put in the closet. Here is what I did with the lesson.  Well in short one day I was looking for something and came across one of  the studies and decided to over paint in a more abstract fashion and try to learn the use of some cold wax I had made.  More about how I got interested in cold wax under the work.

Oils on canvas

35 x 28 cm

Cold Wax 

Palette Knife

Canvas from Archive

At first I thought of using it portrait format but it didn't work so I scraped and continued landscape format

Final Painting

First I want to thank  a few artists that introduced me to this new medium,  Sue Marrazzo, Doris Vasek and 

Kathy Elliot  for their support and tips.

Last January I took part in Leslie Seata's 30 painting in thirty days.  During that time I met on line some very interesting abstract work using a medium cold wax. This perked my interest and I started to search for more info about this medium. I have had an interest in abstract work and love the palette knife so thought the technique would be a new exploration in my journey.  Couldn't find any of this medium in any stores but did find a site with recipes and luckily my daughter had some beeswax flakes so I made my first batch, probably not so kosher but that's what I have.   Made a few attempts that didn't really pan so it was put aside till I started on this old canvas.  

I am pretty happy with the result. Love working with texture and scraped and putting on. I am really excited about using this new medium!!!   

Workshop # 58 Potted Planter

Workshop # 58 Potted Planter

Fourth in the floral series.  May have been the first I started but worked simultaneously.  This was based on a crayon sketch of a potted planter that was done this past January on the 30 in 30 hosted by Leslie Seata.

Diluted oil washes with sketching and sanding for added texture. This is a WIP and I will update.

Early version

25 x 25 cm canvas on cardboard

Workshop # 57 More Daisies

Workshop  # 57 More Daisies

Third in the floral series... sun flower with daisies in a bottle.  Diluted oils and sketching sanding between layers for texture effects.

25 x 25 cm canvas on cardboard

Workshop # 56 Daisies in Bottle

Workshop # 56  Daisies in Bottle

This is the second of the floral series. Still experimenting with diluted oil washes and sketching.. Sanding between layers. All the florals were done more or less simultaneously.

25 x 25 cm canvas on cardboard

Workshop Challenge

Workshop Challenge

Heleni gave us 2 topics for our first concept challenge this year.  The first is Eretz Nehederet, which literally means A Wonderful Country.  There is a very popular TV show of that name which is a very satirical. In my work I chose to go the conventional way and try to show my love for my adopted land.

I also made the choice of doing both projects digitally.  The main reason being that I love PS and have neglected its creatives aspect mainly compositing.  At first I thought to find a painting by one of Israel's famous painters but  in the end chose one of my own landscapes.  I wanted to work with text so I chose a poem that expressed my feeling called Song for Love  words by Ayelet Zioni . I did some digital painting on my image plus placed the text in Hebrew as part of a frame element. I haven't worked much with text so this was quite a challenge and I learned a lot. Also since Hebrew is written from left to right I had to write it backwards... couldn't use copy and paste because PS mirrored the text.

Click to enlarge

 The second project was a phrase from the marriage vows:

Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel

I chose for this concept a wedding image from my daughters wedding.  I used the text from The Prophet by
Khalil Gibran on marriage.  I used Topaz simplify filter.

And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran 

I will be photographing all the work by my workshop artists and will put up a link here.

# 55 Pots on Traudi's Window Sill Workshop

# 55 Pots on Traudi's Window Sill

Brunch at Traudi's is always a special event.  So many surprise dishes and tastes.  Sitting in the kitchen nook and looking out at the pastoral views.  I took a lot of window shots for inspiration.  Loved how the curtains made an instant frame for the pots and mobile.

Oils on 45 x 34.5 wrapped canvas

Palette knife

Workshop #46 - #49 Small Birds

Back to the Workshop

During the January 30 in 30 I continued painting in my weekly workshop but neglected to photograph, edit and blog.  So before I jump into my "online " class given by Leslie Seata this month I am posting these small painting that I did of some very small bird statues that I photographed at my daughters' house.  These are very small not longer than 15 cm.  Played around with them photographing from various angles.  Some of the colors in the references were bluish so I went with that palette... they are actually various shades of browns... I was fascinated by the negative shapes surrounding the birds.

23 x 23 cm cut canvas that I mounted on a board. Oils mainly using a palette knife...