Living life as a Creative who chooses to Push Past Ordinary in the most Ardithian way! I am a full time working artist, I travel around the U.S. teaching painting workshops as well as in my own studio, and I teach beautiful humans how to increase their own creative awareness and creativity!
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.
Have you ever seen a painting that seemed to glow or illuminate with color that was hard to define? Chances are the artist used layers and layers of glazes to achieve a luminosity that doesn't come out of a tube. Glazing is one of the techniques I use in every painting to achieve a depth of field that resonates with color, it is also can be a labor of love and patience as well because the process causes one to move forward at a slow and steady pace. Color is an incredibly powerful force in my world. It lured me in as a child and for a lifetime, I have been at its mercy. The lack of it makes my heart grow cold, the intensity of it takes my breath away, and the manipulation of it connects me with a knowing that I was created to dance with it. Glazing gives me the steps of the dance per se, along with mark making, and as I move and undulate my layers across the paper, I sense an experience beginning to evolve and come to the surface. In this piece, I first layered umpteen different colors almost as a watercolor wash but I used watered down fluid acrylics mixed with a bit of glazing medium. My goal was to control the colors so that they stayed true and didn't head towards mud, but for the most part, my first layers are always about play.
Glazing the next layers slows to a snails pace. I seek to add lights in places where the darks overpower. The dance continues as I pour complimentary colors and analogous colors to achieve a luminosity that creates its own light. These glazes are paper thin and I pour up to 30-40 at times in certain areas.
The final steps in the glazing process is to decide which direction to go in based on cool or warm colors. Here I opted to embrace both and glazed another 10-15 layers of them to achieve this intensity. The end result for me is total eye candy and the color evokes a power that hits me directly in the gut. Glazing is also one of the three Artistic Trinity techniques that I will teaching in depth in my online class because I love it so much. You can read more about that here.
As I have matured as an artist over the years I have come to respect the nuances of subtle color and realize that in every hue or shade or tint, beauty is reflected. We are created with the magical wonder of sight, through the lenses and rods that give us the ability to take in color and be moved by it. I remain grateful beyond words for being hard wired this way.
For those of us who are impacted by color in such a way that it brings us to our knees, I smile with you in that knowing. I also sense that we as humans are meant to find our true colors, through the pathways of creativity and through the power of love like no other. Today I shine mine brightly and celebrate the excitement of what glazing can do for a painting.
"To Reflect Love In Color" 22" by 30" acrylic on paper
This past year was a pivotal turning point in my art career as I decided, for the very first time since teaching myself to paint 11 years ago, that I would invest in myself and take a couple of in person workshops to help me better prepare my body of work for gallery submissions and to broaden my knowledge base for the students I teach art to at St. Paul's. With this decision came excitement and then trepidation as I set some really specific guidelines as to what type of workshop I was willing to attend, especially in light of being on a tight budget. Along with the budget, I was seeking out an experience which would give me the freedom to work on my own body of work, rather than learning a specific technique or style from a specific artist. I also wanted to apply all the fine art concepts I would learn to the lessons I use for my 3rd - 8th graders and.... I really needed him/her to have a reputation for having a big heart. I prayed about it, let it go, and payed attention to the buzz and goings on in my art world. Thankfully...there was a great deal of buzz around The Mentor Workshop from Robert Burridge, which just so happened to meet the needs I had for a professional workshop experience...and, everything I have ever heard about him was that he had a HUGE heart, that coupled with the workshop I have booked in October and... I was sold.
Unlike the workshops that he teaches as he travels, the mentor workshop is offered in his studio at his home, in a small group (we had 7), and over the course of several days.
I had shipped my supplies out to California, walked in the first day after flying at length, and felt at ease as I began to set up and met the fellow artists that would share this journey with me.
The mess was joyous, the energy exciting, and at the same time, my spirit felt right at home amongst the drips and runs and marks of color along the walls and floors.
Bob's Figure Studies
Over the course of the next 4 days we talked and talked and questioned and talked. We slung paint, lots of it, played with glazes, talked about master artists, watched Bob paint demos and work on his own body of work, and ate some of the finest food ever prepared by his lovely wife Kate and assistant Debra.
Between painting sessions, which started for some, at 7 am, we enjoyed the sounds of chickens laying eggs, horses asking for carrots, and a couple of times of day watched ever so gently as the deer came up to eat and take in all the excitement between the studio and house. The setting was idillic for an art retreat, and I soaked it all in.
Throughout the painting process I was open to trying new ideas and techniques within the scope of my own style. Because I was flying, I chose to paint on paper and opted for the 25 3/4" by 40" 260lb. Arches cold press which worked out beautifully. I was able to have full sheets, two 18" by 24" sheets, or two 12" by 40" sheets along with my smaller studies on paper.
One of the things I found extremely valuable was understanding the importance of the four C's before each painting begins. That intention made a world of difference in my focus and completion of each piece. It will be a concept I share with my students as well, which I believe will give them a much stronger foundation in their focus. Below are some of my pieces with intention, title and/or insight.
Figure Study with Acrylic Washing
Figure Study with Acrylic Washing Technique
Figure Sketches
Complimentary Color Quick Paints
Complimentary Color Quick Paints
Complimentary Color Quick Paints and Ink washes
Color Palette Study 12" by 12"
Acrylic Washing Technique
Texture Study 18" by 24" with glazing and Rembrandt Lighting Study
Mark Making, Glazing, and Subtlety Practice
Diebenkorn Inspired piece after studying his planes of color
"Headed For Change" 40" by 26"
"The Tourists" 18" by 24"
"Marks of Time and Place" 18" by 24"
"Blue Lemons" 18" by 24" (deliciously odd texture)
"I Am An Artist" 40" by 26" (test of black gesso vs. tar paper
"Pogo Sticks and Love" 13" by 40" acrylic on paper (sold)
As the workshop came to a close, we all celebrated our finished pieces and reflected back on the experience a bit. It was worth every penny for me in the first 30 minutes. Not simply because of all the joy that was found there, but the professional goals I set to move my career forward were met in spades. I felt confident leaving, sure of where my style lands, sure of my talent, better equipped to teach my young ones, and sure that investing in my career was a sound decision. On the heart side, mine was full to the brim with gratitude for Bob, Kate, and Debra holding that space for us and opening up their home. What a testament it was to living the life of a creative, being willing to share their knowledge, and give credence to the artists walking in their footsteps.
Many of you have asked me about my experience and I am eager to share more specifics if you wish to message me: ardithgoodwin@gmail.com. But first, if you haven't already, head over to Bob's website, www.robertburridge.com and sign up for his Artsy Farsty Newsletter and Bob Blasts. They are chock full of his vast buckets of knowledge, techniques, product reviews, book suggestions, and some of the best music options for painting I have found. You can also find their 2015 Mentor Workshop details there, and as I understand, spots fill up quickly.
Next month I head to my second workshop for the year in Raleigh with the also HUGE hearted Jeanne Bessette. I am looking forward to taking what I have experienced here, applying it over the next two months, and heading into that with rockets fired. Can't wait, :)
Breathe in Relaxation....Breathe out Everything Else..... That would be my prayer for the next two months because I am on summer break....or at least for the next 6 weeks. What this also means is that my outdoor studio gets set up which gives me the freedom to paint big, dance like mad, talk to birds, and make yummy messes. For the first time in 11 years, this summer is one I have looked forward to more than any of those, because....I feel really good and am over the moon excited about the artistic path I am on.
Painting outside is not for the fain of heart. I live in lower Alabama...and if you have been to lower Alabama in the summer you know that thanks to the humidity you begin to sweat at sunrise and often long after the sun lays its tired head below the horizon. Mosquitoes are as big as my head, noseeums are beyond a pain in the butt, and rain falls as unpredictably as the random brain fart whizzing between the ears. Still....I love working and painting outside, along with the challenges it brings.
My hubs has set me up in a really sweet spot next to the house, so when I need a break, I take one. When I need a quick exit from the elements, it's about 15 feet away, and my extension cord reaches nicely for a small fan and speaker....that way the tunes and the wind are my fellow studio mates. I also have waterproof storage for my essentials that has wheels so that I can move it in and out of the heat when the temps get too ornery.
Here is a video showcasing my studio and a peek into the Land of Ardithian as I like to call it.
Along with the outdoor studio comes the space to work on my new body of work which brings my art journal pages to a larger format. There is tremendous freedom in an art journal, with no expectations, no rules, just a playground to express ideas, concepts, and heartwork visually and through text. I have always found myself to be most at home in an art journal so when I considered what my next series would be I knew exactly where I wanted to head....into my pages.
"Diversity Should Not Be Feared" 3' by 5'
"Love Shifts The Heart" 24" by 24"
So far, I am 6 pieces in between different stages and what I am learning about the process is that it is incredibly challenging but the most rewarding body of work I have ever created. The message becomes more profound, the composition becomes pivotal to the meaning, and the execution requires an extraordinary amount of patience. At first, it seemed the antithesis of what a journal represents, but as I began to walk through motions, pray through the brush strokes, meditate through the meaning, I began to understand just how important these are to me. They quintessentially combine my love of writing, of painting, of structures and function, and of my passion for the beauty of life within each piece....exactly the platform my journals bring to me on a smaller scale. As this realization come to the surface and my spirit affirmed I am where I am supposed to be, I chose to embrace the challenge and go all in.
"To Capture The Love of Art, Teach The Soul" 18" by 24" acrylic on canvas WIP
These are detail pics below
The words in the forehead read:
"...because fragments of ourselves seek out the common bond, which is always love."
Over the next few months I will be constructing these pieces of artwork, some in my outdoor studio, others at the gallery, but all within the framework of art journaling. Giving myself the freedom to play, to express my emotions, to make a beautiful mess, and to refine my artistic skills will be the mantra of the day and I look forward where this journey takes me. Here are a couple of my finished pieces and another in progress. I will blog about each of them individually as well.
No longer am I captive to painting to sell, creating for a bottom line, or serving an expected perception. Today, as I sling paint all over the place, I am finally embracing the pure freedom of creating from that place most artists long for.....from the heart.
