Thursday, May 14, 2020

Art-itude

What's on my desk and easel. My bedside table is one great mess. pamphlets, Lily's medications, random writing tools, toilet paper (for tissues), tablet, remotes, clock, even my pot of cold wax medium. Everything and the kitchen sink.  Took a photo but ashamed to even post it. My desk is almost the same.... small table easel, wipes, real tissues palette, stapler, pens, earphones, mouse, you get the picture. On the small easel my latest work.

Joan gave us a new set of prompts she called Art-itude.  A way of maybe expressing what we all are going through. She first told us to write down words that describe our days, which of course I didn't do.... my ongoing battle for words that don't seem to come. Then a new list of prompts. In the end, she asks us to photograph our work and try to write about our work. Another word problem! But, today I decided to sit myself down and tackle this "word thing" obstacle.

I Will Follow My Dreams
Acrylics on cartridge paper 14" x 19.5" 


Some of the words Joan wrote helped me describe my work.... connection, expansiveness, pathways, strength, and new dreams.

The main yellow figure like shape is almost in the middle, dividing the work into two main sections, one lighter and one darker. The figure has a light echo in the lighter area and seems to be coming out of a circle with many circles of bubble-like shapes. These could be thoughts and feelings. She is rising to new heights strengthened by the black and white verticals. I feel there is a sense of survival to this figure that maybe a new strength! 

The composition has two main sections, dark and light, monochromatic, and with color. In the dark section is also divided into squarish sections opposite the lighter area that has a thin vertical rectangle and a rising subtle balloon shape  The balloon may symbolize rising hope!

A Syrian artist, Khaled Hussein, uses this symbol in his wonderful work describing the horrors his homeland is suffering. 





Saturday, May 9, 2020

Reason to Continue

"consider the desire to make progress reason enough to continue"
A small quote from Sara Genn's biweekly newsletter that I so enjoy reading. Each week I receive 1  from the archive of her late father's Robert Genn newsletters and one of her own.

To progress, now that's a good question...  where am I going and why? I find no real answers in myself except that I enjoy doing what I am doing in my creative journey so I continue. How, well as Sara says " The first order of business is applying paint"

In my intuitive creative journey, I hope to find some answers about myself.  Meanwhile, I will continue to progress.  


WIP
Acrylics on paper
13.75" x 9.75"  


This painting started with a group of prompts that I found on Joan Fullerton's page.  The two colors, most of her BossyPants prompts deal with 2 colors + white , black, and sometimes Titan Buff, I chose were Hansa Yellow and Chrome Green. All neutrals came from those colors. Bottom layers may have graphite pencil, watercolor pencils, oil pastels, charcoal, etc, of my choosing. My paints are just regular paints, nothing fancy... can't afford Golden.

Feel this came out pretty strong so I am going to let it sit before I decide how to move it forward or not as the case may be, 




Thursday, May 7, 2020

Let it Rain

In a recent post from Dotty Seiter I saw that she is adopting a policy to share her daily activities and creativity. What she was reading and painting etc.  Thought to myself, wow, that's a great idea.  First to focus that I am doing something and not falling into the path that days are melting into one another without much direction.

I do try to go into my studio daily, well that's where I have my computer so obviously that I will go in because I like the big screen and not tablets and phones. So I do pass my long studio table, can't miss it as it takes up all the room. So first I check mail, blogs, etc and sometimes get caught in a short video. Yesterday that was the case when I got a link from a high school classmate that has been sending posts to help our moral. I  really enjoyed the video so I watched it again this morning.


Not that I will be doing Qi Gong in the near future, or maybe will who knows, but one thing stuck, and that was "Let it Rain" 

So after checking mail and blogs that I follow I allow myself to time to play.

\Let it Rain
Acrylics and collage on paper
13.5" x 9.75"