Back To Painting Again - Creative Process

Hello! After two weeks of travel, we have reached Colorado where we will be for the next couple of months. It's familiar territory for me, since it was home for many years. I feel so blessed to get to spend time in two places that have such natural beauty and yet are so different from one another.

When we reached Denver, that city was almost at the end of a 25-day streak of 90 degree days, and incredibly they have only had a bit over three inches of rain this whole year. The afternoon before we left there was a big fire in the grassland of Green Mountain which came so very, very close to a neighborhood of expensive homes. As we drove up in the hills we could see the charred remains of the fire which covered somewhere around 900 acres on the east side of the mountain.

Today I got to paint with my friends in the Glenwood Springs Art Guild and enjoyed chatting with them and catching up on what had happened since I last saw them. I did make some progress on the Italian wash job painting that I previously shared on the blog. This is the painting I had started before we left on our trip. The first few steps in creating this painting can be found on the blog dated July 12th entitled Creative Process. (Click to refresh your memory).

Today I started adding watercolor to the inside squares (the background is all acrylic). I could hear Pink Floyd singing Just Another Brick In The Wall
as I painted the stones using many different colors, mixing bits of cobalt blue, burnt sienna, quinacridone gold, Winsor purple, brilliant orange and a little caput mortem from time to time. But first I painted the sky in the left panel and all of the windows.

Of course, after I stepped back from the painting I could see some issues I will have to keep in mind in the next painting session, the most bothersome to me is the almost "kiss" at the left bottom edge of the roof. I am also going to have to be very cognizant of the colors of the stone and not let everything blend together into the background. I am now thinking about making the right square more blurred so that the effect would be like a camera tightly focusing on the left square. Also, I'm not finished outlining the squares and creating the shadow effect I want.

Taking a photo of your paintings when they are still unfinished and looking at them on a computer screen helps also to point out any color issues. I found that the window reflections are not reflecting the sky color, and I will need to address this also.

So, that's where I am after this painting session. There will be more to come. Stay tuned.

Coconut Palm Designs

It's Five O' Clock Somewhere, and this sign just has that laid back flavor that reminds me of the song. I can hear Jimmy Buffet and Alan Jackson singing now. (Makes me want to be there too. )Alas, the sign is available to customize if you don't live in Jamaica.

Joanne, owner of Coconut Palm Designs, is a Canadian living in Belize who is a graphic designer that now specializes in making signs out of wood native to Belize, whether hardwood or softwood. Parts of them are carved out by Dremel, and parts have been hand-painted. Signs are Joanne's latest creative venture. This one is hung by a ribbon, braided with wire for durability has been sprayed with an acrylic spray to protect it against whatever the elements can dish out.

Two examples of lovely ACEOs created by Joanne.

Help Joanne carry on with the fine, high adventure of living the life of a Stranger in a Strange Land by visiting her at:

http://CoconutPalmDesigns.etsy.com
http://coconutpalmdesigns.blogspot.com/

Multi-Faceted Kalicat Creates Varied Gems

Kalicat (Catherine Marche) is the designer of jewelry created to be "stunning and elegant." This multi-faceted lady has achieved success in both left-brained and right-brained activities. Early on she graduated in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Orléans in France and Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, Conservatoire National de Musique and later from the University of Vermillion in the USA in Computer Science and Music. From there she branched out into Photoshop, etching and web design at Central St. Martins where she also studied jewelry design. But we're not done until we also learn that she is also an accomplished fashion illustrator, having studied at the London College of Fashion. I found her web site http://www.catherinemarche.com/ most interesting and wondered if there is anything she doesn't do well. Her paintings are also wonderful.

> The Eleni sterling silver ring shown above is completely adjustable and will fit any of your fingers. The three spheres can be seen as symbols of friendship.

After Catherine had worked in the Information Technology field for 10 years, and at the same time drawing, painting and exhibiting her work, the tug became stronger, and the right side of her brain more demanding as she "took the plunge into freelance illustrating.

> The Nefertiti massive turquoise necklace shown here with authentic turquoise nuggets which measure 1/2" to 1 inch each are believed to be lucky in Egypt and Arabic countries and was highly regarded by the Incas and Aztecs as well. Who wouldn't adore this beautiful piece with the added gemstones spilling down the back?

Catherine's artwork can be seen in public collections at Museo municipal de Ourense (Spain), Museum Tayali (Zambia), and paintings in Hospitals in the UK. She also has work in private collections in France, UK, USA, West Indies, Netherlands, and Spain as well as in several galleries: a very talented lady who also plays the saxophone, skis, does whitewater rafting and dances. (This makes me think that Catherine is actually 8 people! How can just one person find the time?)

> Isn't this purple rhapsody bracelet a beauty? It's a selection of fine gemstones: amethyst, rose quartz, smokey quartz and citrine dangling and jiggling away on a sterling silver belchior chain. (length: 6.5 inches).

I hope you will make time to visit Catherine's Etsy shop and her blog, but be sure to look also at her website. You can click the link mentioned above.

http://kalicat.etsy.com/
http://honeyandsweets.blogspot.com/

Painting of the Day: Reclamation Project

Today was painting day for a group I belong to, Studio1212 Gallery, which I thoroughly enjoy. I brought along some old paintings, thinking I might either paint on the backs of them, or add some collage materials to them. Once there, one of my fellow painters came up with the suggestion of combining paintings together. That's a very good reason I paint with other artists -- the exchange of ideas and helpful critiques. The other obvious benefit is that painting with others is a social event in the otherwise solitary, painting life of an artist.

Going from there I cut one painting roughly in half, deciding it might make two nice little paintings or a good card and a painting. The first one was a mountain scene which I tore into two pieces, thinking each would make a pretty nice little painting or perhaps a card. Then I put them aside.

The other one was a painting of a rooster I had cropped at some point. The chicken's head was clearly too close to the edge of the painting. I placed it on top of a couple of other old paintings that were primarily abstract background pieces, one after the other, to decide which one I would glue it onto. When I had made the decision, I tore the edges of the watercolor paper to give a deckled edge effect. Then I glued the one with torn edges to the background painting. Then I put it aside while it dried and worked on the mountain painting. Later I worked with a brayer and acrylic gold and purple, and then I added additional brushwork to get the two paintings to mesh.

To prepare for the mountain painting , I painted with acrylic paints on some textured materials to be used as stamps on a clean sheet of watercolor paper. After drying, I mounted the second painting onto the now textured paper. This project didn't require as much blending, but needed something to interrupt the straight line of the tree as it went straight up, so I put a little texture on that too.

I still have the other portion of the mountain painting to use.

Try it sometime. You might be surprised at the results.