city streets

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Value study

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Angel’s Trumpet value study, San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas –12 x 16 inches Tombo pen wash on 140 lb. WC paper.

The Tombo pen is a two-in-one water-soluble marker available in colors as well as black. One tip is medium-fine and the other looks and behaves like a Chinese paintbrush, where thickness of lines can be controlled. What’s more difficult to control is that black once it’s on the page! It’s something to pay attention to when painting the colored version.

Preliminary studies are useful with watercolors because if, in trying to correct and re-work areas, the integrity of the paper is easily lost, especially on inexpensive papers. Still, on a traditional watercolor a lot can be done by adding water to pull out the dark where it’s not wanted, and push out areas of paint with dry brushes. Some places in this study have built-up 3D edges created by the paper bits because I pushed them around so much with a stiff brush to correct things, but traditionally this is not acceptable.

Actually, come to think of it, that might be interesting to deliberately sculpt the paper in strategic areas – like objects in the foreground – by saturating it with too much water, then while painting, brush the resulting paper bits into piles and mold them with a stiff brush. I may try that in the final colored painting of this scene. This proves once more that every single painting is an experiment to find ways to turn disadvantages and limitations into advantage and innovation.

Even though WC and Acrylics are water-friendly and watered-down acrylics is the method I use to start most canvas paintings, I’m noticing a few outstanding differences : 1) an off-balance composition seems to be more noticeable with WC, definitely not as correctable 2) improved attention to drawing, details and ultra-conscious 3) requires pre-planning and foresight to keep the work fresh and clean 4) commands enough confidence to swish the paint on quickly as if it was not planned.

San Antonio, Texas

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Buildings, San Antonio, Texas, 22H x 15W inches watercolors on 140 lb. acid free, cold pressed premium paper, white mat

Neighborhood Heron

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

Neighborhood Heron, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.

Sold but a similar piece can be recreated upon request. Please allow 7 days to paint before shipping.

Started with a base coat of very watered down translucent pthalos green mixed with cerulean blue. Spraying rubbing alcohol over a damp painted water-based surface then allowing it to dry without moving it will create starry, spotty textures. Salt shaken over wet paint allowed to dry, then wiped off with a dry cloth will produce similar effects.

Alcohol loosened up the entire surface of paint, so using fingernails under a damp smooth t-shirt cloth, I rubbed off areas to shape the heron and winter trees. This represents a super argument for the wingin’ it methods!
In college I took a pottery course for one semester, and the thing I remember most is the instructor saying how it’s a good idea to allow some of the raw characters of the materials we work with to remain and “speak” without trying to smooth over and perfect everything. She was of course referring to clay, but over the years I’ve found that it applies to many other mediums also. In Heron, the branches extend into the body of the bird, connecting it to its environment. The effect also does a subtle play on the motion of its flight too.

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.

City Streets

Friday, October 5th, 2007

Three Photos will be on exhibit and available for sale at the City Streets Exhibition at Studio 333, Sausalito, California October 25 – December 6, 2007

Burnt Offerings 01 – From Burnt Offerings the photographic series consisting of ten images of the devastating results after an explosion that rocked downtown Dallas on July 25, 2007, in an acetylene and propane warehouse. In the distance: the famous Reunion Tower.

Grey Phase – Dallas, Texas. With a history and reputation for competing with Houston to attract visitors to stay in a beautiful, safe, and interesting downtown area, Dallas makes room for new buildings and upgrades existing ones. This photo: Demolition on the corner of Commerce and S. St. Paul Street, across from the infamous Dallas Grand Hotel which has been vacant and in a serious state of disrepair for many years, now planned to also receive extensive renovations.

True Colors 63 – An original photo of one of the digitally manipulated images in the True Colors website series. A cow wanders the streets of San Antonio, Mexico. Nonchalantly meandering through the neighborhood, tether rope dragging on the road beside her, it’s as if this cow has simply left for a short walk and no one, even the owner, ought to worry about her finding her way home.

Rude Awakening

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Three quaint old apartment buildings in the Strathcona District on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta were demolished to make way for a large condominium complex — a shame, considering all the new windows that were just replaced a few years ago. To remove them beforehand would not be financially viable for the new builder, but it’s not the way things are done in oil-rich Alberta these days. Everything: fridges, furnaces… someone’s home the week before — smashed and crushed within 36 hours.

Individuals would gladly use these second-hand materials, even volunteer to take them out. China would kill for that wood. The trip to Mexico is still fresh in my mind, and of how they utilize everything, even wire frames of old mattresses as fence material. This destruction was wasteful, almost painful.

On the other hand, it was very interesting to watch! It’s these sorts of extremes that conjure up perplexing conflicting emotions, and all the travel this year leaves me with so much revitalized energy to draw upon for a long time. I haven’t been painting, but these kinds of experiences are where all worthwhile art originates.

City Mountains

Monday, August 27th, 2007

Mountains of houses as far as the eye can see in Irving, Texas. There’s a hill in Irving that looks down onto numerous cities in the DFW metroplex, where you can see miles of grey-black rooftops.

Travel

Monday, July 30th, 2007

Morrill, Nebraska

Driving up through Oklahoma, Nebraska, Wyoming, then Montana to Alberta. Awesome, awesome. Back to Dallas August 8th.

Lisco, Nebraska – The Lazy U Motel

Southeastern Montana, sunset

Southeastern Montana

True Colors photo – exhibition acceptance

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

One of the photographs from the series True Colors is accepted into the exhibition Visual Rhythms / Ritmos Visuales, an all-media juried exhibition that embraces the flavors and rhythms of Latin American influenced art and cultures] at the Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, scheduled July 28 – September 3, 2007.
The storefront photo was taken in Guadalajara, Mexico. Beyond the clutter of typical-style pottery and items for sale, a child in a high-chair peeks out from behind a shelving unit The chair in front of the child indicates that someone, probably Mom – no doubt also the store-owner- was there a few moments before, feeding him or her. Two dogs and some pigeons scan the floor for leftovers. The room has a courtyard open to the sky, typical of the area, and there are more pigeons up on the window ledge on the back wall. Available, white mat, black frame 23 x 27 inches.
Please visit the trucolors.info website to view the complete creative tribute to Mexico.

True Colors – a creative tribute to Mexico

Saturday, April 28th, 2007

This red bench is one of many on a newly built walkway along the shoreline of Lake Chapala in the small, charming town of San Crystobal De Las Casas. The True Colors photographic series and website is my creative tribute to the colorful landscapes, culture and style of south-central Mexico. One hundred of my favorite photos out of the thousand-plus taken have been selected for the website, developed separately from the main website to highlight the project as one complete and independent Art endeavor.
Using the Paint Shop Pro computer program I’ve isolated a main portion of each shot, then superimposed this colored image on top of a black and white version of the same photo. Altering the photos this way has a powerful effect on our impression of the subject matter. In some cases the true colors intensify so much against the grey tones the scene becomes surreal. The collection can be viewed at http://www.trucolors.info
Credit and many thanks to my husband for encouraging and co-creating the True Colors website, as well as all websites associated with my Artwork.

Linden Sunset

Monday, March 5th, 2007

Linden Sunset, Springtime in Coppell, Texas. Photography available as 11H x 14W inches print, 16H x 20W white double mat

It wasn’t until reviewing all the photos I took this evening that I noticed a tiny surprise on one of the Linden flower buds. Right place, right time. Thank you Universe!
Post-dated note: Linden Sunset is accepted for the Artjury.com 2007 Fall/Winter Juried Online Exhibition.

$50.00