The Power of Glazing Acrylics

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 

Henri Matisse Acrylic Workshop

As a painter, I was drawn to Matisse's work for two reasons: 1. I found his use of color to be extraordinary and 2. I was fascinated at his ability to to create such profound collages using paper cutouts. Matisse's work is recognized with a distinct style, and his body of work as a whole drastically altered the art world and society at large.

This 5 hour workshop will be a celebration of all things Matisse. We will learn juicy tidbits of Matisse as a young artist, what motivated him to become a painter, and delve into this myriad of styles throughout his career. Students will create two paintings in Matisse's style. First, an 8" by 10" collage on paper using his paper cut out technique and second, a larger, 16" by 20" acrylic painting based on his front facing portrait styles with color blocking. We will approach this workshop in a fun, loose format, perfect for the beginner to advanced painter.

Students will need to bring a 16" by 20" canvas, tube paints in their favorite color palettes, and their own brushes if they have them. I will supply paper, brushes, specialty paints, pastels, and texture tools, as well as gel medium for the collages. Details about  the lunch break will be provided upon registration as well.

This class will be limited to 10 students and the cost is $60 per student. This class is full!

Beginners Mixed Media Art Class

My 6 week beginning mixed media class started this past week at The Art Center at Lavretta Park! I was so excited to launch this class because it is longer than most I teach which gives me lots and lots of time to share some of the coolest mixed media techniques available. This first class was one of introduction, sharing exactly what mixed media is, and then giving the students a chance to explore 8 different simple techniques of making textures with paint on paper. Once they 'played' around with the the studies, they cut out their test plates and constructed a booklet with their descriptions of each on the back which is a great way to remember how a particular technique works. Can't wait for week two!

Judy uses a 'hair color' tool to make swirled lines using a scratch out technique.

MarthaJane practices her sponge stamping technique.

Julane is laying a second color of acrylic glaze on top of her base layer.

Once dried, students cut out their test sheets, wrote a description on the back, and constructed this booklet. They can add to it as they learn new techniques.

Painting With A Credit Card Class at Art(ology)

The night was cool, the gallery was festive, and we had a grand time in the "Painting With A Credit Card" class. During the holidays, I am choosing to teach one day workshops that will give students experience with painting and mixed media techniques but not require vast amounts of skill knowledge or supplies. Students, though skeptical at first, loved the process and were quite surprised how the finished paintings were turning out. 

Here is one of the samples I used for this class. 

Here is the other. 

Gallery is all set up!

Class in action. Nancy is standing, asking questions about the process.

I love this shot of the gallery. Being surrounded by so much art is inspiring. 

Laura laying down base layer for her flower.

Laura adding more details to her sunflowers.

Yajaira laying down base layers on her two flowers.

You can see that Yajaira is adding depth using values to her flowers.

I am explaining a swipe technique to Nancy. (I am sitting)

Nancy working on her flowers, using complimentary colors.

She added a burst of white which set off the center.

Carol loved adding texture to her piece using the scratch out technique.

Although Carol isn't quite finished, her piece is going to be gorgeous.

Phyllis painted yellow daisies which are lovely!

Before the students began to paint on canvas, they practiced stroke techniques with the credit card with acrylic on paper. These abstracts always turn out wild and great!

Carol's abstract, looks kind of like a ship!

This class was wonderful! Art(ology) was the perfect setting for slinging paint and I can't wait to teach another one!

New Art Classes for the Holidays!

I am thrilled about my new classes lined up during the holidays! After much thought, I am offering a 6 week class through the city at Lavretta Park for mixed media/collage, several one day classes at Lavretta Park, and a couple of night classes at Art(ology.) That way, if you can't attend a day class or an ongoing class there are options for everyone. Each flyer below has the basic details of the classes but if you have questions just shoot me an email at ardithgoodwin@gmail.com. Because the Lavretta classes are paid for through the city, they are at a hugely discounted rate and will fill up fast. To register and pay, click on the buy now button and sign up through Paypal. When the classes are full I will remove the "buy now" button and mark them full.

Looking ahead as well:
Torn Paper Collage Class Sat. Nov 17th (Tentative)
Paint a Kandinsky Abstract Dec. 15th (Tentative)

THIS CLASS IS FULL!

THIS CLASS IS FULL!

If a class that you wanted to take is full, message me and I will add you to the list of those wishing to notified first for the next class, thanks!