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. 

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 

Art Journal Technique Playing Through The Lines

Teaching my students the importance of play when it comes to understanding the heart of an artist is one of the most important lessons I can send forth. So many times they want to capture the realism of an object to help their minds reinforce the "I am now an artist" mindset, but I nudge them in the direction of learning they are an artist because they can create, especially when they play as they create. Realism, if their heart wants to take them there, will come.

Art journals give the creatives in the world a playground to let their true spirits soar! Modeling this, especially for the young, shows them they have their very own space to explore, learn, make messes, and find what makes their hearts buzz with excitement. Today, during Free Sketchbook practice, I modeled taking a page with random marks and turning into a raw, whimsical piece having to do with friendship, diversity, and connection. It was also a great lesson to show that 'mistake' pages can be redeemed with great value.

To Begin:  

 Use crayons, oil pastels, and graphite to make random marks on the page.

Alternate your marks using text, lines, and colors. Using fluid acrylics, start adding thin glazes of color wherever your heart leads you.

Once your page has the first layers of colors and marks, give your inner child permission to find the little beings present in your artwork. Googley eyes, big heads, crowns, or sweet lips are all elements that can enhance your these figures. Don't over think them by trying to make them look "right" just let them look like they had a romp of a good time on the playground. If it helps, use your non-dominant hand to draw them.

Once your figures are drawn, use your background to layer, mark, and glaze using blocks or chunks of color. If your figure's heads are light, make the background darker so they will come forward and vice versa. Use lines and patterns to add juicy tidbits, and pay attention to contrast as you play. 

Up Close Image of the page

My finished page  below shows my version of two best fine friends hanging out. It brings to me memories of how eclectically odd we each may be, but when we find the friend who loves us for our weirdness and has a little bit of weirdness too, we know they are meant for us and us for them. A little part of me knows that type of friendship is very rare in life, so this page, for me, celebrates the knowing of that.  

Art journaling is all about play. There are a million or so ways one can work within the pages of an art journal, but the most important one is simply to begin. Leave rules and expectations outside the book and dive in. 

Tips for Fine Artists

If you are already an artist who is working on building a body of work and achieving a looser look in your mixed media pieces this style of journaling is the PERFECT place to try some new color palettes, marking techniques, and strategies before you land on your canvas. If you look in the up close images, you can see I have glazed at least 3 different layers to achieve some of these colors. I fell in LOVE with the striped contrast and the glazing effect on the bottom of the page so I will use those again in some larger pieces. 

Using water soluble graphite is a great way to add contrast and value changes in your mark making. The black bleeds which gives a subtle greying effect to a black bleed. Deliciously yummy. 

Daily Practice of Setting a Timer and Sketching

Simple Tips Post! 

I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase,"But I want mine to look like that," when I teach adults. I totally get it, we want our work to look like we have accomplished something, look like a finished painting, look like it should in own own minds. The biggest problem with that way of thinking is that many years of practice and study, not necessarily formal study, have gone into those inspirational paintings and that 'leg work' must be done to create at a level that 'looks like that.' 

With that said, there are tons of strategies new artists can use to help build confidence in their own mark making, their own designs, and their own artistic voice. 

(Ardith turns and grabs her bag of 'MUST DO THIS' items)

Kids are instinctive mark makers, especially younger kids. They lack the sinister voice in their head saying 'they are doing it wrong,' and they simply create with reckless abandon. I am lucky enough to see this process every day because I teach little ones, and I so wish I could bottle that ability and share it with my adult students. One of the best ways, and I call this one of my MUSTs, is to set a timer EVERY DAY and draw something. 

If one wants to master drawing faces, sketch faces, weird faces, pretty faces, long and short faces. Just sketch faces. Set the timer for 10 minutes tops and go! If one wants to master the palette knife then just use a palette knife. Work on gessoed paper, in small sizes or one large size over several days, but work consistently, 10 minutes tops and stop. If one wants to master color theory then play with colors. Set the timer, choose a palette, and mix and play for 10 min. then stop. Does that mean you can't paint the rest of the day....of course not. 

What this does, if one commits to it every day, is build up "leg work practice" which every practicing artist must have. Matisse and Picasso did study after study of the same image before committing to a final piece, the leg work had to be done. Every artist must come to terms with that and it is especially hard for new artists who really want to be successful from the get go. 

Here is an image that I sketched in today's 10 minute practice session. I wanted to simply draw a character, but I had no pre-planned idea of what I would draw. I used Portfolio oil pastels and opaque paint for the background, a watercolor pencil for the lines, and I just played. Timer went off and I stopped. The result left me with a unique character that I could use in an illustration, in my art journal, or not at all. 

I went on to sketch him two more times, just noticing his outline, and his personality resonates with me. Over the course of the next few weeks I will share with you his evolution as I use this character in lots of other pieces, just to show you how important those 10 minute sessions can be. 

Giving yourself the time to evolve as an artist is so important and overcoming the voices or desire in one's head to 'paint like that' is a concept that new and evolving artists must come to terms with. If one puts the leg work in every day, their own artistic voice and style will begin to develop much more quickly which is really the path we all want to be on. It is great to have the ability to "paint like that" but what I love so much more is seeing an artist find their own style and painting like their heart is moving the brush....not the voices in their heads, :)  

*I want to give a shout out to my dear friend Gayle who is one of the many artists who daily strives to move forward in her new journey. She paints every day, gets frustrated, has 'aha' moments, and embodies the spirit of one who has chosen a path of creativity and is beginning the process. BRAVO TO YOU! 

29 Faces Day 15 The Gaze

I love grabbing a pile of magazine scraps, a few pens, a few tubes of paint, my ink, and setting a timer for 20 minutes. I don't have time to over think, I simply have enough time to sketch, glue, layer, and move color into places that create visual interest. These types of mixed media paintings are unexpected, not what you would consider 'pretty', and they have an artistic voice that beckons from that not so perfect place in all of us. There are days I wish I could create from only that place, as it seems fearless. 

Lorina, Lorina Art Journal Page

My Mixed Media Intensive class kicked off today so for the next 6 weeks, every Tuesday a great group of ladies will be applying the skills they have learned in the past classes and creating a body of work. This thrills me because nothing pleases me more than seeing artists find their voices, discover techniques they love, and create a cohesive series that shows their confidence and growth off. 

One of the things I had them try out today was using pipe insulation to wrap around their brushes for a much looser, painterly touch. The experience was good to show the difference in a controlled brushstroke compared with a looser one. I love the loose touch, especially for the beginning layers in a piece and I think they understood the value of the hand position shift as well. 

The heat was pretty oppressive today so as I sat down with my journal my thoughts turned to lemonade. I didn't have any, but I did have my lovely Lorina bottles so I chose the one filled with Pantone's color of the year, Emerald Green, to sketch. I wanted to stay loose, so I quickly sketched within a 2 min time frame each bottle with a Neocolor II crayon and then added water. I also wanted to try out my Valspar paint samples from Lowe's and I have to admit, I LOVE THIS PAINT! It is satin, goes on relatively flat, and my Chartpak Ad Markers glide over the paint like butter, as do the Neocolors and Golden Fluids. I may never use little, cheap acrylic paints again because for 3 bucks, this size and quality of paint can't be beat. 

This was the page I worked on.

I created a color swatch sample on my page to give myself a guide of color choice and used a limited palette of blue/green and pink/magenta. The tiny hints of red are juicy tidbits. This page was fun to do, no brooding ideas, no attempt to capture perfection, just a few minutes sketching and moving paint, while enjoying the beauty of this bottle and the thoughts of a great glass of French Limonade. 

Today was filled with beautiful people and art, two of my favorite things on the planet. 

YOU CAN VIEW THE ENTIRE JOURNAL ALBUM HERE

The Illusion of Beauty Painting

A friend asked me if I painted totally intuitively or if I had a plan and the answer was yes, and yes. What I mean by that is, I paint within a framework and then let the intuitive nature of the piece evolve, so I do both. When I first started just painting on the fly, I made a mess, not a pretty mess, and wasted a ridiculous amount of paint. That led me to rethink the process and consider how I could adapt my practice to still explore the intuition, but within more of a set framework, and I love this process. 

I had in mind three pieces of a framework for this piece, the color palette, the loose brush strokes and runs, and I wanted to sketch myself looking in the mirror. Past that, I was open to where my spirit would take me and where the images would as well. At first, it was simply fun to sketch, not a pretty attempt, but to capture the face quickly felt solid and done. I then began to reflect on my colors, and rather than force a mood, allowed the colors and line to influence the mood. 

What occurred to me as the main figure evolved in comparison to the ballerina was that there was a juxtaposition between the concept of beauty, and how that might play out to someone struggling with their inner self. The expression can be taken in a number of ways, and I leave that for the viewer to decide. Ultimately, the dialogue of emotion and mood compared with the looseness of the line and color work to convey or move the viewer. Regardless of direction, I am totally pleased with the idea that pretty is not what I aimed for. 

This piece is 4 feet by 4 feet and is filled with many details that can't be seen digitally. If you are local and head out to Artwalk o the 14th, stop by Art(ology) and you can see it there, in all its beauty ;)

After letting this piece rest in the gallery over the past month I felt inclined that it had served its purpose but was so not meant to remain melancholic. I opted to work through it in a figurative way, keeping the name, but embracing the abstract nature of beauty rather than the melancholic approach to the painting above. I love my changes, always eager to not marry a piece of artwork before its time, and ever so willing to embrace change. 

Worked on the marks and layers at Art(ology)

Finally finished! 

3 feet by 3 feet acrylic on canvas, "The Illusion of Beauty"

Three Studies, One Size

Do blank canvases intimidate you? Depending on the size and the deadline they can emanate an ominous brooding in my world, and I tend to want to just squirt them with something to knock them down a notch. Today, rather than squirt paint, I grabbed my art journal and three smaller, much smaller (4" by 8"), canvases along with a few reference photos and sketched some ideas out. What you see here are the three studies, each completed in about 20 min because I didn't want to over think the process. 

What I gained from these three is that although the color palette in my journal works well there, for my larger canvas I want to go lighter, much lighter. In fact, as much as I like elements of these three small pieces, they make me want to grab the gesso and ghost them out. That tells me that the direction of my larger piece will go lighter. I will still use my charcoal and graphite, but I hope to use tints of color rather than pure pigment. 

I dig the obtuse lines and posture. 

Would have like to have captured more movement in the figure.

Love the posture of this figure, may go with it. 

The large canvas is 4' by 4', lots of room to move paint, embrace emotion, and make marks. Hope your Saturday is beautiful friends. Mine is swell! 

Hannah Hoch and Mixed Media May Art Journal Page

This book has a surprise on pretty much every page it seems and when I turned to the pages showcasing Hausmann and Hannah Hoch it did not disappoint. Although the bio was a bit short on both, it gave me enough intrigue to seek out her history and I came to realize that she and Hausmann were both some of the beginning pioneers in the art of photomontage, which is a type of collage that I adore. 

Their history wasn't the impetus for this page, the gathering of strong women was. This morning, our bible study group had its year end luncheon and as I sat there looking at all the women, listening to their stories of grace, of survival, of faith, and of connection, I realized rather quickly how blessed I was to be connected with such a strong, loving group of women....and I couldn't wait to sketch the moment as to hold it in my memory with much regard. 

Graphite Sketch

As I sketched, I read the paragraph about Hannah that explained how she lived in an enchanted cottage, surrounded by vegetation, fruit trees, periodicals from the 20''s, and various and many types of ephemera, almost as a record keeper of sorts, and I felt an instant connection with her. She was much more than that, was a woman who had strong convictions in the feminist movement and disregarded societies concept of beauty a great deal. It was those traits that I found the sisterhood with her, her strength, her boldness of creativity, her determination to not follow the status quo, and her love of collage.

Black lined it with marker

As my own art journal page progressed I gave a lot of thought to the connection we women have and found that it is probably one of the most important things we share with one another. My heart also goes out to those women who aren't blessed with a group of at least one or two really deep friends, or who were not raised by strong, loving women. This makes life a much more lonely walk, not impossible, but one where the lack of support is noticed at times.

Added a wash and collage element

 I enjoyed this page, learning about these two Dadaist's and most of all, making a visual record of a connection and memory that is sacred to me. Art journaling is far more than drawing and painting, it is visual form of record keeping that moves the reader, or creator, past the point of ordinary into extraordinary living. I am blessed to know it.

Added watercolors, acrylics, ink, collage, tape transfer, and neon paint pens.

YOU CAN VIEW MY ENTIRE ALBUM OF ART JOURNAL PAGES ON MY FB PAGE

As excited as I am about this page, I am over the moon, glowing with pride, and pleased as punch to let you know I was showcased on the Mixed Media May website today! For the month of May a different mixed media artist is showcased and I was interviewed. It felt great seeing my words, ideas, and way of life on a page with so many accomplished artists and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my process with you all. It's a great place to find new artists to follow as well, check it out! 

MIXED MEDIA MAY WEBSITE