A Change of Art: September 2013

Online art class with Juliette Crane

I always have at least one going. I learn so much from watching others paint and from the collaboration that comes with online art classes. Each class has its own Facebook private group, a photo gallery where students post their work for comments (always positive!) and discussion forums. And then there are the weekly lessons.

Juliette is one of many mixed media artists who is published in art magazines and shares her expertise in her workshops and online classes. I am taking her Serendipity class which just started. This month she shared painting backgrounds using painted papers torn and collaged, then painted again and embellished with symbols. Out of the chaos, a figure (character) emerges, supposedly. It is all so loose and unstructured and was very difficult for me for some reason. I've done a lot of this, but by the end of my painting, I no longer have any of my background papers visible. This wouldn't bother me except I see all the lumps and bumps and edges of the collaged papers but without the patterns! I am hoping that I will learn this skill of incorporating collaged pages without losing them in the subsequent painting sessions.

Just for kicks I'll show you what my collaged page started out like.

And this is what came of that:

I have a bit to learn about the effects of bleeding art tissue and better use of collaged patterns.
But then, that is why I take these classes.
Check out Juliette Crane at http://juliettecrane.com

A Commission!

Nothing like a commission to make an artist feel like an artist. This was a fun one because I was able to see the space where it was going to go, talk with the client about color choices and her vision. It helps that she likes my work so it was so rewarding to work for her.

It is a large painting... 48 x 60" which is bigger than anything I have done before. My first challenge was finding a place to paint! After some rearrangement in my studio, I was able to cover the wall and prop it up on a table. Then paint to canvas.

Getting paint on the canvas. Whites, grays, buff and a few sprays of alcohol ink

Finished!

Limited edition reproductions are in my Etsy shop

A Birthday Present for a Friend

Inspired by my trip to the zoo....

August Retreat

view from the hot tub

I've taken four trips in the past year, two of them alone. Though I love good company, traveling alone is fine if you have the right mind-set. About an hour from my home is a rental cabin on the Skykomish River in Index Washington which I rented for 5 days in August. Initially it was going to be a girls' retreat with my BFF but it turned out to be a solo retreat. I knew it would be a great opportunity to get in a lot of painting, since there was no TV or wifi. I do love nature and nature did abound in this place. At least the flora... never saw a fauna. I did miss technology... sadly.