More Tissue Paper

... a habit that some artists might relate to. I like to start a painting off in a mess and then try to harness and control the thing.  Robert Genn 2004

I was just reading  The Painters key newsletter Ordering Chaos and it just seemed to jump out at me.
Starting out messy and putting things in order.  Just what I am doing, although I don't always get the "order" part.

Today I literally played with my tissue paper. Format was heavy watercolor paper with gesso. Wanted to see how this medium worked with layering the tissue paper. Had a LOT of fun and liked what came out. Thought of adding paint to them but I think I'll leave them alone for the time being.
The yellow did not photograph well it is much brighter.

Dead Sea

42 x 56 cm

Tissue Paper collage

Watercolor Paper

detail

Cutouts

42 x 56 cm

Tissue Paper collage

Watercolor Paper

Detail

Chain Reactions

It would be fascinating to wire up an artist with electrodes to measure exactly how many choices must be made during the process of creation. (Francis Boag)

Isn't it funny how chain reaction works? This morning while reading Dotty's blog that is exactly what happened. She wrote about the study made on gratitude and me, with sometimes my obsessiveness, had to find what study etc.  After about 5 search steps I did find an abstract of a study,  But one of the related options on the page brought me to the subject of laziness, which I get almost daily. From there to a few Youtube videos. From there to this site with lots of videos, Of course, signed up for newsletter getting some interesting videos and MP3 files. One on meditation that I always wanted to try and couldn't get the proper concept. Well to make this long story shorter I tried it out and have started my 30-day challenge of 20 minutes meditation. It was not easy, that I can tell you. I felt it was the longest 20 minutes ever, but I am glad I did it and will continue. What has all this has to do with my latest painting? Well just wanted to share what going through my head.

Spring is here and as usual here a very short season till summer and its heat.  Found some interesting cuts of flowers, bows, pink etc and this is what came out.  I am not sure that these are finished as Heleni says, but I probably will let them rest a while.

Signs of Spring

Collage Oils and Cold Wax

30 x 32 cm

On cut Canvas

Pink Bow

Collage Oils and Cold Wax

29 x 32 cm 

On cut Canvas

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.