To Wreck A Painting And Find It's Path

What does it mean to be willing to wreck a piece you love to find the brilliance you stopped short of? A few years ago I painted the piece below as part of a sister/brother pair called "The Sentient Twins," and I LOVED them. They are part of the children's book I am ever so slowly percolating forward and at the time, I felt I would never change them. I loved their connection to Colonial portraiture and the odd proportions they had, as well as the push of contrast. 

 Over the course of a couple of years, this piece began to give me a creative itch. I couldn't put my finger on it but something about him just didn't rest well and when that happens in my creative heart I always trust it. The time frame was key though, letting him rest, spending time with him, allowing him to share his story with me. It was clear it was unfinished. After my trip to Italy, I returned to the studio with completely different lenses, and a deep love of gelato :) As soon as I saw him I knew it was time to let him go. Below are a few steps in that visual process of wrecking and reclaiming.

I actually loved this stage, but still....not ready.

Working on the gaze and beginning the initial back lighting.

Her ghostly face captivated me, but at this stage I knew her story and it called for warmth.

Oh the look....right?

The warmth, she called for it, she resonated full of life. 

Here is the before and after, all along I believe she was there.

"She Found Her Muse On The Isle of Skye" 

This piece is complete. She holds tremendous presence for me in her creative narrative not only from her expression but also from her dress and the energy of her spirit. I couldn't be more happy with the outcome as is the new owner. I have this saying when I teach, "Never marry your base coat." Although this piece was well beyond base coat, it just visually connected to me as not evolving as it was called for. I listen when my heart shares that. 

For some of my new works heading forward I am offering a signed, limited edition print run of 25 on Epson Hot Press Bright Giclees with pure pigment, archival inks. They are gorgeous, ship for free, and I have a few left at $140. 

 

LOOKING AHEAD! 

A huge week ahead for me is filled with exciting changes and workshops. This week the Grand Opening of Sophiella Gallery takes place here in Mobile. They will be representing my figurative works and I am beyond thrilled to be represented by them. Stay tuned for details on that! 

I also head to Donna Downey's Studio this week to teach my studio workshop with an emphasis on Distortion. It is my last workshop of the year and is sure to by one of my faves as her studio is always a joy to work in. 

To Dream In Color Solo Show by Ardith Goodwin

A vivid imagination is a terrible thing to waste. 

I think about this phrase often when I am creating my figures and the stories that go along with them. There are moments that I wonder just how many friends I carry with me in the nooks and crannies of my creative heart most days. Figures and faces and personalities feed my soul, and I am thrilled to have a show sharing some of them with you. "

I sketch and paint a lot of figures. From the simplest line sketch to the most complex ones, each mark serves an important purpose in building the stories that the characters exist in.  "To Dream In Color" is a showcase of 12 of these characters conveying a range of studies that I create for my much larger complex pieces, and which feed the images in the children's book I am writing.

June 1, at the Institute of Fine Arts of Edmond, Ok., the opening will begin at 6 pm. which will coincide with my four day workshop, The Imaginative Face, which I am teaching there.  Sharing my love of Framework and practice with others, especially young ones, is part of what I adore about being a working artist so I hope to meet and chat with many of you there. 

The Institute of Fine Arts of Edmond
27 E Edwards St., Edmond, OK 73034
June 1, 2017 6-8 pm. 

You can view my current figurative and abstract works at www.ardithgoodwin.com and follow me on Instagram or FB as well!

 

 

To Honor The Wednesday 9

Today was an emotional day. When the news of the shootings in Charleston landed through my ears and on my heart I immediately sank. Another senseless shooting, another makes no sense act, and this time not only in a place of worship but due to the color of their skin. It simply brought me to my knees. As a human being I am heartbroken. Here are the nine and their names. 

Cynthia Hurd

Susie Jackson

Ethel Lance

Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor

The Honorable Rev. Clementa Pinckney

Tywanza Sanders

Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr.

Rev. Sharonda Singleton

Myra Thompson

37 years ago my mother and I were victims of gun violence. The guns were held to our heads, they clicked over and over and over, but by a miracle, they never fired.  We lived to tell about it, but the mark, the impact, the future was changed for me.  We also learned that a woman in the exact same spot a few days earlier was shot to death. 

It took me years of therapy to get through it and there are still moments...especially when I hear of mass murders due to hate, that are difficult to contain. Those men had a sickness of their heart...they were connected to the evil that moved through it, and that is the nature of the brokenness we call the human condition.  This act this week was connected to it as well...the evil that does exist in this world. I could have allowed the hate connected to fear to alter my life forever in a negative way. Instead, I chose to forgive. 


So last night and today I was faced with how, as a human, I process this? How do I not turn a blind eye, not become ambivalent, and not choose to let apathy take the place of action? I prayed about it, long and hard, and what I felt led to do was paint about it. I wanted to honor those 9 beautiful humans who chose to meet, study about the God they loved, and welcome a stranger into their midst because that is what love does. I wanted to say their names but more than that, I wanted to picture them in heaven, around a beautiful table together, as friends, sharing the love of God that they held dear and like they were doing here. I also wanted to create a visual reminder of the souls they would impact and watch over by the faces in the walls. I didn't know these nine humans, but I can tell you people will be changed because of they way they lived. 

A few years ago I attended a bible study on Wednesdays just like these folks. We met, we studied, we prayed, and one day I opened my art journal and recorded the event as a marker of how beautiful it was that women could come together, create, and share their faith. The image of that day left an impression so when I went to paint this piece, which was much more emotional and difficult, I turned to my art journal to connect the days. 

We gathered, they gathered. We prayed, they prayed. We welcomed anyone, they welcomed anyone. They lost their lives because of their skin color....we did not. Hate is an emotion that is taught I believe, from a very young age children are taught to hate. They are taught that in the subtle ways of the idea that they are better than others based on their color, their social status, where they live, what they wear, who they are friends with, and what their faith is.  I don't believe most parents set out to teach hate, but some do...and I also believe that children learn a ton from their peer groups despite what they parents teach them, good and bad. But hate like was shown this week was learned.

I don't know what the answers are, except I know LOVE must prevail. I know our world is sick, we have a disease of the heart that is pandemic. I know that well intentioned folks camouflage hate as Christian love. They camouflage it as liberal ideaology. Yes....they do. I also see huge amounts of hate disguised as political humor, religious humor, satire...it breeds a system...it breeds a system of hate that is like an invisible wind blowing through every inch of the places we call home. Guns are methods of hate spreading, knives are methods of hate spreading, words are methods of hate spreading and we must address those as a society but honestly, at the core of all of this...is a sickness in our hearts. What are we doing as a society to treat the heart? 

My heart is heavy, What these 9 souls did was model that love for God and love for others is what it is about. They gathered to study and pray...may I never, ever forget that. I am heartbroken at the racial divide in our world. Despite my history, I don't hate anyone. In fact, I have developed this beautiful love for others because that is what I believe Jesus calls us to do. 

I am one human, one human called to love others as myself. I will live that, I will teach that, I will paint that, and I will spread that light into this beautiful world we have. These are my thoughts here, my choice to do something rather than nothing, to speak out for love rather than hate, and to tell any other person of color, race, religion, or status that they are loved...dearly loved and valued by this one human. 

To Love Even One Giveaway

There are times in an artist's life where giving back means more than any monetary price a painting could garner. I am not talking about a donation, although those can be impactful, I am talking about a choice to gift a piece of original artwork simply for the sake of having a love fest for the day....which is exactly what happened. 

My world has been spinning in such great directions lately and that makes me deeply thankful. I was taught, and choose to life my life putting that thanks into action. As I woke the other day, I felt a nudge to show my gratitude in some way and as I did, I began to paint...and ponder...and pray. While the brushstrokes danced across the page I realized I wasn't trying to find the perfect idea, it was being created as part of the process...right in front of me, and I knew I was meant to gift it. 

The lines swirled, the paint was fluid, and I clearly saw the image of two figures, one large, one small. Now, if you know me, you know I have this thing about love. It is the force of why I paint, what I paint, and who I paint for. When I tap into this, I tap into the belief that it will change us, one person at a time, one act at a time. This painting resonated that...To Love Even One....

As the painting came close to fruition, I gave a lot of thought to how to gift it. What I landed on, and am beyond grateful I did, was to ask in my FB stream for folks to simply comment on my post how they would creatively love at least one person in their path in a 24 hour time frame. The words began to flow from folks sharing their heart, their hopes, their choices to send light into the world. I could not have asked for a more powerful response. 

Here are a few: 

whisper kind words - Lanie


I do believe so. So often in this world, there is a sense that we are just taking up space and taking up too much of it, at that. We try to make ourselves small - we slump, we hold our magnificence in and when someone positively acknowledges our existence, it can be life-changing. Just that one "little" act of kindness. - Paulissa


I always hug like I mean it....a big solid squeeze:) - Felicia

I'm a oncology nurse. Finding the courage and taking a moment to ask a patient in pain if they would like me to pray is my way of loving those in my path even if it's only for a 12 hour shift. I've only been turned down once. - Jane

You can view the entire post on FB HERE

The time came to pick a winner so I used the random number generator and chose #43. Lisa Tynes won! 

When I looked over the list of almost 50 friends who shared their hearts with me I decided that I wouldn't leave them empty handed. I have been painting like mad the past few months working toward a goal to land a few galleries out of my geographical area. After 11 years, it is time, I have grown artistically and I am excited about the doors opening in my art career. Because of this, there are many pieces I have that I painted several years ago, prints I have held onto, sketches etc. They are markers of my journey, practices, baby steps filled with hope and love.

I am going to be gifting some of these over the next few months...and those who posted with me, they will be gifted first, as my way of saying thank you, keep up the loving. 

(If you were in on the original post, message me your address please at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com) 

Artists are powerful forces in this world. We can choose to use our gifts for many different reasons. I choose love, not only to be my anchor, but to let all other traits such as creativity, hope, courage etc. come from that. 

Whispers In The Wind

As I have aged I have learned to quiet my spirit and listen to the wind. Whispers are found there, of deep longings from my spirit, of answers to questions I refuse to ask, and of gentle nudges directing me in ways that I am blind to when my noise meter is on full blast. In the moments that I choose to slow down and listen, my maker sends the language of love and compassion my way, for that I am truly grateful. Lately, I have been spending more time listening and less time talking, and I can tell a huge difference in my serenity. 

Artwork is like that some times. When I rush through ideas or pieces because I can, the heart is more silent. It doesn't mean that what I think or create is wrong, it just means that it isn't connected to my heart as much, and the further away from my heart I go, the more I know I am spinning my wheels and pissing my bones off. I am convinced that my bones have a direct line to my heart, like they are on Twitter together or something because it never fails.... when I am doubting myself, being careless, or acting on disconnected information my bones get royally fed up and let me know that. When I am creating for any other reason than being altruistic, I feel it in my bones. 

One way I practice staying connected is completing what I call Quick Paints. I take 15-30 min, use paper that would ordinarily be discarded, and I create a painting from my heart, not my head. This practice does two things: It keeps me creating from a sense of flow and it keeps me loose in my style so that I don't over think a piece and create from redundancy. Over thinking is the black widow of the painting process and can be lethal to a pure creative event every time. Here are two pieces I created in this way and both characters have been with me under the shadows, waiting to see the light of day, and longing for me to slow down and give birth to them. They came from my heart, not my head...and I trust that. 

"Mr. Boudelaire's Hair Is On Fire" (sold)

"He Plays Jazz On King Street" 5" by 11" acrylic on paper, matted 

($75)

Because professional artists create to sell the majority of the time, we often get caught up in painting for purpose rather than painting from passion, or at least I do. Bills must be paid, supplies purchased, and marketing explored, but for me, that can't be an excuse to bail on why I paint. My soul speaks through the wind, it says, "Paint through me, not in spite of me." Painting from this inspiration, not matter how different or weird, will always ground me in being true to my gift, self, and God. I sit here with the deepest understanding that it is His voice whispering in the wind.... He speaks through others, and he speaks with strength. I am grateful today for those who spoke to me with encouragement, with support, and with nudges of staying brave and bold in my long term art goals. 

The artists of HeArtspace on FB are my whisperers as well, they speak the truth from a place of love. :) The incredible Jeanne Bessette curates this group! It is not a group for artists to share pics, although occasionally we do. Rather, it is a group for artists to share the journey of being and becoming an artist. If you are interested in joining, in actively sharing your experiences, good and bad, of living a life as an artist, then friend her and request to be added to her secret group. Best decision I have made lately....best!

The Impression of Proust Art Journal Page

Proust is not a writer I am well read in, not at all in fact, but I am aware of the quotes he is known for that appear in my streams on social networks quite often. When I turned my journal to the page showcasing the portrait done just before his death, it made me stop, pause, and wonder enough to take a closer look at his influence, and his impact in the written word. 

There were a few quotes that resonated with me, especially those relating to illness, and I felt a quick connection to him for the simple commonality we shared in that regard. With that said, I wasn't ready to oogle over him until I had studied enough to form a better opinion, so I spent some time sketch and considering the limited info I had about him. 

I started with sketching the robot that I adore, and opted to look in the mirror and do a quick sketch of my face. Wasn't trying to nail the likeness, just wanted to get the structure somewhat solid. I then chose to give each figure a space ball helmet which reflected encapsulating ideas, thoughts, memories, and feelings. 

The more time I spent painting my journal page, the more I realized how much I wanted to know more about this writer. His words resonated with me, of illness, of love, of overcoming challenges, and of intellect. I thought the juxtaposition of the automated robot was tell tale in that living life to the fullest can not be accomplished if we simply go through the motions, so I was pleased with the play on images as well as words in this. 

The colors and patterns of text I find interesting on this page and I am swooning over the mix of pink these days. Not sure why, it is just a color that I am loving and get excited about lately. The use of satin acrylics and Chart Pak Ad markers are still my favorites, and I also threw in some Molotow paint pens as well. This journal is coming along nicely and is turning out to be a work of art that is revealing a bit about myself as an artist and opening the gigantic world of art history quite well. I am glad for both. 

You can view the entire journal here!

Intuitive Painting Within A Framework

Intuitive painting comes easily to some and others, not so much. For me, it is pretty much how I begin all my abstracts and I enjoy connecting with that artistic spirit from within. There are times though that my intuition gets cluttered, I stop listening, I get to painting, and I go way overboard when I should have stopped hours ago. For this reason I decided to first, choose which elements I really wanted to use in creating a mixed media painting and two, stick with a specific color palette. 

Using a framework before I began turned the mental organizer on in my head but it didn't seem to silence my creative spirit which is what I was hoping for. This morning, I set up my studio outdoors, cranked up the Indie Songwriter station on Pandora, and got my paint on. 

As the process started I made it a point to take many breaks, breathe through the process, and not rush the outcome. Within a few minutes of starting each piece I knew I would love painting this way. I could see my path, I connected with my inner child, and I 'played' through these pieces, which is about as much as painting nirvana as I can get. 

Below you can see the setup, a few stages of the process, and the finished five pieces. Four to five collage pieces were used on each one and painted papers as well. The framework that I gave myself is listed in this pic. Elements I love, simple enough to follow, but lots of freedom to explore color, line, pattern, and texture. I am going to paint many of this type of abstracts for a while as I tinker with more monochromatic color palettes and neutrals, which is something I struggle with and I hope to paint in this style using BIG elements, because it just lends itself to a celebration of it all on canvas or paper. 

Setting up my outdoor studio. Working in a series is easy on a round table.

Adhering collage elements and building layers.

Finished pieces drying indoors.

The titles come from a conversation I had with my hubs throughout the process. It gave me much fodder for thought and humor, ;)

"Yes Dear, You Had Your Keys This Morning."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"No Dear, I Don't Have Your Keys."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"Did You Check Your Floorboard?"
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"Gee, I Am Not Surprised."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"I Love You Dear, Always."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

(ALL OF THESE IMAGES ARE MY COPYRIGHT. PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND PASTE AND STEAL MY DESIGN TO TEACH, REPRODUCE, OR COPY. THAT IS STEALING AND NOT COOL! )

View of them drying after being glazed.

Intuitive painting is what I know as painting from the heart of the creative. With a bit of a framework, it freed up my spirit to spread its wings a bit and develop a specific style without being contained within a rules set. 

HandMade Watercolor Art Journal and the Perfect View

Somewhere between the dream of a perfect studio and the frustration of not exactly having one right about now gave me some new insight today in just how good I have it. Yep, there are artists who paint in about 4 square feet, some only have a milk crate with supplies, and some simply have to paint outside with their belongings in a bag....but they do it, and they do it well. Then there are those who have million dollar studios and ones where every wall, nook, and cranny matches as if a fashion designer whipped it out. Then...there is me, somewhere in between all of that my kitchen table has become my Nirvana. 

As I sat editing some work for a bit the sunlight began to peer in ever so gently and it illuminated my paints as if it wanted to try its own hand at a masterpiece. Over to my left, the sun ray caught a glass diamond which sits in testament to the magnificent iridescent moth perched in perfect form inside a glass case. The wall of windows showcases the myriad hues of green and the occasional Bluebird flits by, always followed by the Mockingbird in haste.  In essence, I have a gorgeous 'spot' to create in and I am blessed beyond measure. Cleaning it up each day is simply a no brainer, so I won't whine. This was the second part of the lesson I was to learn today. It wasn't about moaning over what I wish or don't have, it was claiming the POTENTIAL of the day and being content in this very moment. 

Days like this are important for me. They make me pause, look at where I am and realize, I could have it no better and I say a prayer of gratitude to the big guy upstairs for giving me a life I don't deserve. My art journal page was a celebration of the word POTENTIAL today. I spent some time enjoying knowing that I am surrounded by it, every day. The potential to create, to breathe, to love, to wonder, to discover, to give, to share, to experience....all of these make for viewing this day in a perfect light. 


Yesterday I joined Tamara Laporte's Lifebook Online Mixed Media Class! It is a year long celebration of all things mixed media and since I am joining a few months late I knew I would have a lot of catching up to do. I also knew the perfect journal I would use, an over sized Handmade watercolor journal. 


I use a small one of these for my weekly journal, but for this project, and those to come, I wanted a larger canvas to work with and this book is about as yummy to me as butter is to Paula Deen. It's an 11" by 15" book of pure POTENTIAL and I can't wait to begin filling that baby up. 

(You can get this at Hobby Lobby. It runs $30 but if you use the coupon you can get it for 40% off, and for a huge handmade watercolor journal, you can't beat that price. This paper is also extremely porous, so if you plan to use it just for watercolor, you might want to coat the pages with gesso or ground first. If you are a sketcher/doodler/drawer, then it is perfect.)


  

Tomorrow I will be down at Art(ology) and am tinkering with the idea of hosting a public Google+ hangout for a painting demonstration. That has tons of POTENTIAL as well. I do hope your evening is blessed, that you were able to create in some capacity, or at least dream of it. Peace friends! 

Product Review Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolors Part 1

As I was meandering down the aisle at my local art store hunting watercolor crayons, which they had not, I came across these new watercolors and their shimmer, and price, caught my eye. I do love to add a bit of bling to my art journal, so these little lovelies called out to me, especially at the price of $6.95 along with a 40% coupon. 


Before I start, let me say that for my fine art watercolor pieces I always use Daniel Smith or Holbein, but for my art journal, I feel pretty much free to try any medium and brand, just to test it out. I will walk you through my thoughts about this paint, and hope that if you choose to try it out too, you might share your point of view here. 


I first started out by creating a color grid in my journal of each pigment. Right away I realized two things: 1. I had forgotten to gesso my 'really porous' paper and 2. They were pale. As each square was formed and the water was absorbed though, the shimmer aspect of these paints began to appear and they were really lovely. 

Next, I tried mixing a few colors to see how they reacted on the paper. What I found was they really kept both pigments but seemed to set one on top of the other in a transparent layer. This effect could have great potential depending on how it was used. 

You can really see the shimmer in this view. If you open this up in Paint, it will give you the perfect view. 

Here is a close up of the 21 color palette. 

Next, I decided to create a journal page with them, just to see how they actually performed in a painting. Because my paper was so porous, sigh, they didn't blend at all like I had hoped and I found myself wishing they were a bit more opaque for skin tones, etc. Once again, as the paper dried, their beauty appeared. Because they are so translucent and pale, they wouldn't be my first choice for an intense color palette. What these paints were made for though, is adding a shimmer layer on top of bolder colors. In fact, when added to black, their pearlescent/interference qualities are simply stunning. 

I was not crazy about them when I first began to use these, but the paper was an issue too. 

As they dried, I could see their potential, but I missed the bold color.

I could have been ok with this, but I chose to add a few more washes of regular watercolors instead.

"Decapitate the Annoying?" 

I will continue to test these but use different papers tomorrow, along with mixing them with regular watercolors and acrylic glazes. Seeing how they move and react with glazes is something I am eager to find out. 

For the price and convenience, they are a GREAT value, especially for the art journals and mixed media pieces that lend themselves to a little bling. My journal page today was a lesson on letting go of what annoys me, which seems to be a lot lately. Knowing I need to stop, breathe through the moment, and chill makes it so much easier to accept things I may dislike....short of decapitating something or someone, :)