Blue & Beige Collages WIP

No need to shop for a better you, or to work overtime to make bigger promises.

Keeping the promises we've already made is sufficient.  Seth Goldin

I feel that my head is splitting. I am working on a writing course through Coursera. Actually, Academic writing, I feel like I am back in college. That's not so bad but research and reading and picking the key issues are taking me away from painting more at home which I miss doing.

 These collages were made last week in my workshop. Cold wax and oils and collage pieces. I am using a limited range of colors. Heleni says they are finished but I feel I can work on them some more, and even if I make mistakes I will take them in my stride. So back to class they go and will go with the flow.

Will prepare more cut canvas as well. May try some cold wax on paper.

33 x 33 cm

Oils & Cold Wax

Collage

32 x 35 cm

Oils & Cold Wax

Collage

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