A Thing as Lovely as a Tree and the Moon

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. -Pablo Picasso 

born Pablo Ruiz Picasso - Malaga, Spain - 25th of October, 1881 / Died - April 8, 1973   

As promised, I am making note of my ongoing process for the 20 + new paintings that are about trees and now trees with the moon behind them, above them, or reflected in water below. This is the influence of the last Full Snow Moon which rose on my daughter's birthday and has been visiting my artist's mind ever since.  Yesterday it was a grey and rainy day here in Central TX: great to see and feel after the extreme drought of the previous summer.  Perfect weather for studio work!  As I was working on applying gesso to 6, 24 x 24 x 1.25 canvases, I opened a new jar of gesso and pulled off the liner. I accidentally dropped it and when I picked it up I saw a perfect moon like impression left by the monoprint of gesso stuck to the liner.  You see the results of this happy accident!  Next step is to sand the moon image back to a "ghost" with my favorite new tool. I love to see the work as it starts to take on a life of it's own.  Monoprinting the moon image into the work had never occurred to me until the muse stopped by studio yesterday.  This is why artists must stay in process. 

New beginnings: Guest artist and new series start up in the same week!

2012 is getting off to a flying start! The entire body of original work from my Agave Series is on view and available for collection from Hill Design + Gallery in Georgetown, TX, through March 31, 2012. If you live in the Austin area treat yourself to a visit to this lovely hill country venue. If you are not in the area, you can view the series online.  Each of the images is scanned and proofed for high resolution giclee prints.  Visit my site link for more information on prints.
I also have a wonderful guest artist, Marilyn Fenn, in my studio at Austin Art Space Gallery and Studios, Austin, TX for the 7th Annual "For the Love of Art" Exhibition and Sale. 
I love the excitement and energy that a guest artist brings to my space. Of course, that means that I have to remove some of my work to make room for my guest, but this seems to me to be a useful tool in the process of new beginnings.  It always inspires me to get back into process, which is where the magic happens.

New work from guest artist, Marilyn Fenn

New Beginnings for Tree Series

I worked for several hours in my home studio today putting colored gesso on 17 substrates, 16 x 20", and 24 x 30 x 1.25".  This application process is a new concept for me and I am excited to continue with the process. I will be adding an additional 5, 24 x 24 x 1.25" canvases to the "batch" this weekend.  For me, this is an exciting step, when each canvas has wide open possibilities and potential.  I am continuing with my series based on tree imagery from the Rockies to Central Texas.  At this point, the canvases and boards are color fields, but as I view them now I see that each one has a personality.  I will post images as they evolve. 
Meanwhile, here's to new beginnings!

Hill Country Funk Artist's Reception

What could be more fun than seeing others view your work, getting direct feedback from viewers/collectors, meeting other artists, and enjoying the "fruit" of long days spent in the studio working?  This direct interaction between the viewer and the artist/artwork is, to me, the heart of creative work. Creative work is a circle that completes when the artist shows the work, gets the feedback that only direct viewers of the work can give. My heartfelt thanks to all who came out last night to share in the process!

Art and Music: Hill Country Funk at Hill Design+Gallery | Design Guide

An excellent online editorial for the upcoming show at which all work from my Agave Series will be featured in one gallery for the first time!

Pictured is the painting that I worked on today, one of four new Agave paintings, entitled "Agave Oceanic".  See my previous post for more background on how I found the theme for this new work.

I am working with oils on a substrate that I prepared

myself in order to create a  textured surface. A few more strokes and this painting will be complete.  See the completed originals at Hill Design + Gallery.  Meanwhile, happy painting!

True confessions: Keeping a "side kick" painting

(A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he (it) accompanies-definition from wikipedia)

side kick in progress

As is my habit, I keep what I call a "sidekick" painting(s) going while I work. This gives me something totally unplanned and spontaneous to work with at the end of a session.  In this case I was practicing glazing with oils, using what was left on the palette at the end of my session with four new Agave Series pieces to be shown at Hill Design + Gallery. 

Rainy day blues, things oceanic, and solitude

The holidays are officially over now.  Our "children", now young adults, have gone back to their lives, the house is empty of all distraction this morning, and it is raining.  The perfect day to paint.  Yet, getting back into the groove of solitude is not so easy.  Visual artists, even if they work others at times, must make peace with the solitary pursuit of creative work.  I have spent time this morning doing yoga, planning my next workshop, and looking at travel packages online...casting about to find a way out of facing the inevitable solitude that is both friend and foe.

During the past month I have been working on formulating a unique oil painting surface, doing the work in segments over the holidays and am coming down to the wire on my deadline for an upcoming show at Hill Design + Gallery in which all of my Agave Series will be featured together for the first time.  It is exciting that all of these original paintings will be shown together.  I feel as though they are children of sorts who have been sent out into the world without the pleasure of the company of family.  Some of them have found homes and some have returned from a variety of venues.  I worked on the four new paintings in this series when it was rainy. I felt the call of Hawaii where we lived previous to our move to the Austin area.  I wanted to capture the feeling of the ocean that was crashing on the shores of my artist's memory.  I didn't have to work hard to get the feeling on to the canvas.  In fact, there seemed to be no getting away from it.  Although intense color is one of my artist "trademarks", the cool muted tones of the new work describe things oceanic.  
I think I just heard the faint rustle of wings... my muse settling in for the day?  Happy painting to all. 

Happy New Year, resolutions kept , and time to paint

One of my 2012 resolutions is to use my time to paint.  Even if it is only 2 hours at the start of the day, or 3 hours after everyone else in the house is out, or asleep. It's as though I have to trick myself into the studio by sneaking off from the self imposed duty of "chief cook and bottle washer". In keeping with this promise to myself, I got up at 7AM today, and started implementing the use of my time in the studio.  The kitchen needed my attention, and the house was calling to be straightened for the company later today...there was cooking to do. But, I went into the studio with my freshly brewed coffee, and stayed here until I had accomplished my goal of adding a layer of black gesso to my 4 new Agave pieces.   I have discovered a unique painting surface which I love.  Ampersand board which I gesso myself in 8-10 textured layers.  My secret ingredient for today's session is Golden Flow Release.  I applied my gesso wet into wet in juicy washes which got increasingly loose as I realized that I had been painting for 4 hours!