impressionistic
Branching Out
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Branching Out and Conifer, each 6 x 6 x 2 Inches Encaustic, sides continue with the same work.
Branching Out also indicates my recent venture into Encaustic (painting with beeswax). I’m not usually intimidated by trying any new medium, but wax is so unique and there are so many possibilities for it, I was a little overwhelmed when I took an introductory course with Deanna Wood. She offers her students workshop days where they can use her supplies to continue experimenting with the medium. Although I’d love to have my own supplies to work at home, the encaustic process is so messy I may just continue taking her up on that offer. Today’s studio work produced 4 small encaustic paintings, and 2 are successful. Compared to other media, wax is so verstile it can be scraped off to whatever degree, reworked, layered, carved and manipulated as much or as long as you wish.
Encaustic – painting with beeswax
Friday, January 16th, 2009
10 x 8 x 2 inches encaustics 1) design inspired by Flambouyant Tree seed pods, white beeswax inlay on black 2) using a print of an old painting ‘Dahlias’ as a base, techniques were more spontaneous and experimental than in the previous piece. Below: Windy Maples, same size but still in progress. Looking more like a batman symbol more than a design of leaves, the beeswax has black inlay, next the plan is to build and remove layers of greens and blues.
Encaustic Artist Deanna Wood offers her studio space and supplies to her students on days when she’ll be there working. It’s a bargain for $30 per day so I went yesterday and finished the two pieces above. Painting with wax is a messy process, and Deanna’s studio is all set up for it, so it’s a perfect arrangement for artists who work primarily in other mediums, who don’t yet have their own supplies and wish to continue exploring encaustics. BYOS – Bring your own surface!
With a FAQ page on her website, Deanna outlines a brief history about encaustics and herself. Her most recent solo exhibition displays a portion of the extensive amount of encaustic works created around the theme of tornadoes. Including a few multi-media pieces as well, the show runs January 10th - February 29th, 2009 at the Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery in Lawton, Oklahoma.
The Fourth Of July – almost finished
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
The Fourth of July, central detail of 36 x 48 x 2 inches Acrylics on wrapped canvas
Sept 26: Yesterday as I added a few final brushstrokes a blue streak showed up unintentionally from some color left in the center of the brush. It was one of those rare details that happen accidentally to change the course of the entire painting. There are similar angular strokes that were starting to build up from color washes, but that tiny spark of blue brought all the others to attention, so today I added a few more in different colors. It was exactly what I was searching for. It is now indeed The Fourth Of July. Over the course of time I may see areas where more tiny streaks need to be added to balance out the composition, but it’s otherwise finished.
Sept 28: Alright, maybe it isn’t finished after all, but this is the stage where the painter needs to step back, set it aside and start another. Finishing a painting is like a drive through the mountains; you see the enormous mountain before you…seems that you’re so close but because they are so large, as you watch the mountain the illusion is that you are not getting closer. It seems to take forever to reach it, as if you’re on a tread mill.
Finishing is the stage where every single tiny mark makes a difference. You’ll want to rush and make the call, but those final marks can make or break your painting. I was so excited about the sparks of color last night — interesting how you can’t see the field for the flowers if you’re working up close to the canvas too long!
This morning after a bit of study I’m thinking maybe the buds, central foreground, are too defined. I also see too much division over-all, and there’s not as much flow as is possible. I played with some possibilities digitally, right thumbnail.Here is where I will use any feedback and criticism anyone has. Extra eyes are really helpful at this point, so fire away if you have any suggestions!
The 4th of July on the 22nd of June
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
Added darkest values, mapping out the composition more clearly, now will define a few blossoms in the foreground by washing off dark areas and paint with pure colors from the tube and bring back to the cheery lights and brights that were present at the start.
A New Day – finished
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
A New Day - 20 x 26 inches Dry Pastels, finished. Framed size approx. 23 x 29 inches. The above image was taken as a photo, and the colors are not quite accurate, so see details in the following thumbnails - scanned; colors accurate.
A New Day
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
A New Day 20 x 26 inches Dry Pastels on scarlet orange charcoal paper - Day 1 and Day 2 (work in progress).
Using pure color has an incredible effect and change on the mood; mine, and in the work. Metaphorically, it feels like a brand new day!
Gold In The Mountains #1
Sunday, November 4th, 2007
Gold In The Mountains #1, finished - 20 x 16 x 1 inches Acrylics on stretched canvas. Mounted on a box-frame, extending out 2 extra inches on canvas-covered background, with rustic barn-wood finished edges.
This is one of those paintings that never felt truly finished until this week. Started late in 2005, it has evolved through many changes. The first thumbnail shows the painting at a stage where I thought it finished and entered it into Artjury.com’s 2006 Spring/Summer online exhibition, and it was accept ed. At the time I liked the larger areas of flat orange-gold, but about six months later after it had been stored out of sight I felt that the work needed more depth, so began a long process of repainting, scrubbing off, build-up, scraping, etc. The painting reached a few different stages where it could have been called finished, but I was not entirely pleased, so continued.
One never knows beginning any painting, how long it will take.. The image above shows the painting as it is today, now well and truly finished! Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge and view a few stages in the life of Gold In The Mountains #1.
Firewheels
Saturday, October 13th, 2007
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1. Firewheels 18 x 24 x 2 inches Acrylics on canvas, see previous post for more details.
2. The masking medium was rubbed off, revealing marks that were hardly noticeable when placing them there (applied with a toothpick). The abstract scribbles are interesting; the fresh pure life in both marks and color will stay.
3. I’ve set a time limit for this one for the end of today, something I don’t normally do, but the restrictions should ensure that it doesn’t get overworked.
4. Firewheels finished. All the detail drawing I’ve done recently is almost the opposite of this painting in every way. Feeling successful in that I was able to stay away from the desire to perfect everything, because the original intention was to loosen up, grab some life, and create an impressionistic pure color painting.
Post-dated note: This painting was accepted into The 23rd Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition, April 26 – May 24, 2008, Irving Arts Center, Irving, TX.
Firewheels – WIP
Friday, October 12th, 2007
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1. Started a small painting last night that I’ve been wanting to do since Spring, of Firewheels (Gaillardia). Masses of them come back every Spring in a nearby feild. I started with dots of masking medium, and am fascinated these days with dripping water over damp paint…also determined with this one to maintain the very loose open brushstrokes and marks.
Texas Paintbrush
Saturday, May 6th, 2006
11 x 14 inches Oil Pastels on paper, framed 22 x 26 inches
Impressionistic style using soft, blended technique with the pastels, portrays the feeling of walking in a dry sandy field on a warm Spring day in northern Texas.