New Studies

I was determined to make some time to paint and experiment during Christmas break.
I made the time--and totally enjoyed the exploration!
Looking for images, I stumbled upon a pic of a beautiful Gandharan Buddha head.
I really became obsessed with the shapes that make up the head. (I think it is a fragment of a larger piece)
I wanted to try it in a few different styles:
This one is loosely based on the style of an artist named Ann Gale. I tried to make nothing but (mostly) horizontal brushstrokes to create the image.
I was pretty pleased with this--it needs a second layer worked over it to bring out the image more. I like how the image appears and disappears at different points into and back out of the background.


This next one was one in which I was interested in achieving a certain sense of immediacy to the painting. I also wanted to try to portray the energy of the piece. Attempting to portray the movement/feeling of energy that I can feel/see when I see/feel an object.

It's not all about seeing something...it's about feeling it.
And to feel it you have to see beyond what is immediately available to be seen,
and feel what it is made of from it's core moving back out to what is immediately seen.
I look at something until I feel it.
What's immediately on the outside isn't going to give you all the answers.
I have grown to be more interested in creating something imbued with feeling and energy, than in creating something that only fulfills some ideal of perfection. Although I still feel that there is nothing wrong with creating that bit of "perfect" when you desire to. This can be very fulfilling also.


For the next one, I was mostly really exploring the use of many lines to create form. I also chose a monochromatic color scheme which I really enjoy.
I really like the openness and linework. There is softness, yet also good line and solid form.



This one was a slight take on some of the work of Lyonel Feininger. I really wanted to capture his way of faceting the images and light. I would like to try this again, I think maybe with a different finish with the gessoed surface.



All four--I like to see them together. :)

Finals Painting Project

For our finals project we were assigned to create three paintings with something that tied all three paintings together.
It could be subject matter, or style, or an object---there were many possibilities.
Right away I thought of my wooden artist's mannequin, and once I got back to my studio I started coming up with ideas.
We were to take around 10 photos of each possible composition for each painting--when applicable.
So my original idea was to set up the mannequin in three different scenarios.
Originally, I was going to use a different scenario for each painting.
The first had an "In the Artist's Studio" theme:

Then a "Tea Break" sort of theme:

Thirdly, an "In the Garden" theme:

After reviewing the photos and going over the photos and concepts with the professor, she convince me of what I already knew, and that was the the Garden theme concept was the strongest, and would stand strong as a theme for all three paintings.
So the next step was to complete full size drawings of each of the three compositions that I decided upon. This was the first time we had performed this step as part of the process. So the drawing was 16x20, the same size as the canvases. It was interesting for me to see that the growth I was experiencing in painting had also improved my drawing skills.

The final paintings:

The Discovery.


The Embracing.


The Contemplation.


All three together:


All work assembled for critique.

Locust Pods

This was a study of locust pods (At least I'm pretty sure they are locust tree pods) that I discovered lying on the ground outside the Fine Arts Building last Fall.
I was really intrigued with their twisty shapes and dark tones.

Hollyhockin' with Venus

This was inspired by a small copy of the Venus Di Milo that I have, and dried Hollyhock branches--leftover vestiges of a monolithic hollyhock that had been growing in my back patio all spring and summer--and then began to renew and grow all over again at the end of summer into the fall, until the first really hard frost put an end to it's long glorious life. It towered over me, as at one point it was probably 8-9 ft tall.
I was kind of obsessed with it. Well...ok. I'm still obsessed with it.
Left behind from it's former glory were these equally cool dried/dead branches that carried curling orbs in different stages of unfurling, filled with seeds.
In some ways the dead branches are really as beautiful in this state as they were in life, but in a totally different way.
Also how interesting that the dead branches support these dried out pods...that carry all these seeds...and that within those seeds on that dead branch are all juicy stuff needed to create new life.
So inspired by the the crustiness of the branches and the smooth qualities of the venus, I put them together and painted this.
I suspect that I will revisit these subjects again, as this was a quick study.

Color Still Life Paintings

This one was the first "full color" still life we did as a homework assignment. As a homework assignment, it may not be quite as polished as I would like but I think I achieved some nice things happening in this piece.This is one of my favorites. I was especially pleased with the color harmony in this one.

This piece was also a homework assignment. Again I can see room for a bit more refinement, but overall I was very happy with the results. I was especially pleased with the rocks--trying to capture their look--as they were in water inside the glass container.

In Praise of the Still Life

I have to say a few words in praise good old fashioned still life painting. Before returning to school to paint many of these, I had drawn a few and painted even less, but had enjoyed them at the time when I did do them. As part of academic training, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about doing so many of them. I was used to seemingly more exciting subjects, and lots of free-form expression, and faces and figures etc. So a part of me thought that it may become boring with a capitol B. Boring. In the end, my appreciation for the still life has grown tremendously. I actually really love doing them--I have surprised myself with how much I enjoy them. There is something about the "purity" and "simplicity" of a still life that makes it so appealing. I use the words purity and simplicity more in terms of describing the "emotional weight" of a still life, not in the complexity or subject matter of the still life. Being free of a human figure, or animal or another living thing--except perhaps a plant or something like that, the emotional or mental effect of only objects can be very calming and clearing in some way--as the subject simply is what it is...and the act of painting that can feel very centering and clearing. At least that has been my experience. Not that a still life can't be imbued with a story or even an intended emotional charge---to make the effort to make one read that way can be interesting. Actually my still life series that I created for finals were still life paintings with a story.

Dutch Still Life

A study in the classroom studio with a traditional dutch still life palette. This is the first exercise in which we learned about glazing. This is done on gessoed paper. I really like painting on this sort of surface. We students broke up into two groups and each set up our own still life. I was really pleased with this one--however it could be improved. The challenge of a limited palette can actually be an enjoyable one.

Then there is this additional "Dutch-ish" study done at home in my studio. It Could use a bit more refining, but still a favorite. I especially enjoyed the glass dish and was pleased with how the metal scoop turned out. I glazed the glass bowl green later as it was originally more golden in keeping with more traditional dutch palette. The tabletop surface was an interesting challenge,due to the fact that it was awash with light, yet it was mostly dull surface. The bowl was filled with quite a bit of light, and the apples almost appeared to float inside it. Some of these paintings are a bit of a challenge to photograph, due to the gloss of the oils and for other reasons---they often look better in person.