Getting Ready for Painter/Photographer Exhibit

I worked out drawings a few weeks ago.  This week I finally started to work on the paintings.  The drawings were transferred to the watercolor paper and a wash of color was poured over both pieces that I’m thinking of entering.  These are the two drawings….

I did the transfer drawing so light that after the first pour I couldn’t see it anymore so I spent the morning untangling those buoy lines.  I was finally able to put the first mask on this afternoon.  Now to dry and do another pouting of paint.

Same problem with the second one, tomorrow I will have to find all of those buildings again. 

There is a fine line between having the drawing too dark causing the graphite to mix with the paint making a mess and have the drawing so light that it gets lost when paint is applied.  Time to get back in the groove of doing this type of painting because I do love watching the colors mingle.

More of the Challenge & Some Therapy

I was behind but caught up with my dailies… Here are a few more of them….

 

 

 

The color one was done with pen, ink and watercolor. 

And the therapy… I spent yesterday afternoon making acrylic skins… only because I love watching the colors mingle.  Here are two that are simply black and white, one with a bit of gold.

 

I will probably use these for collage, then again, maybe not.  We shall see

The Challenge and more on Etsy

I’m a day behind on the pen and ink challenge but I plan to catch up tomorrow.  Today has been a play date with my grandson.

I’ve also posted more of my daily sketches on my Etsy site.  This is one of them,,,

More of the pen and ink coming when I catch up…

An October Pen and Ink Challenge

This is day 3 of an October pen and ink challenge, one pen and ink drawing every day.  Here’s a link to the challenge if you’re interested in participating. This is my day 3 and the most complex one I’ve done to date.

This one is from a photo by a photographer friend, Ed Post.  He and I are participating in an exhibit in December – the artist paints the photographers photo.  This one isn’t going to be the painting I don’t think, there is another more complex one that I really like and plan to see what I can do to simplify it.

My usual practice is to do a careful pencil drawing first to work out what stays, what goes and where the values are.  When I finish that drawing I’ll post it, meanwhile here is 2 of the challenge

Day 1 was a flower and I lost it somewhere in cyberspace.

Some things have to go

Some of you know, I do daily (almost) sketches.  They are piling up so I decided it’s time for some of them to go away.  Some will go in the  Etsy Store I’ve opened and some will go in the recycle pile. 

Prices for those in the Etsy Store are $5 or $10 depending on size and time.  They’re quick sketches as is, no mat, no frame.  Check it out, here’s a link to my store.

The recycle ones will get a coat of gesso and a new sketch.  I hate the idea of wasting good paper.

Delivering My ArtWalk pieces

I’ll be delivering my work today, a day early.

This one isn’t official but if there is room at Calico Cat “On Harbor Island” will be there along with “Artisan Gallery” …… which is my mixed media piece.  If there isn’t room Harbor Island will go to the gallery uptown.

Echoes of a Sacred Past will be at J. Morgan Ltd.  Due to a mix-up this one won’t be in the program but it’s in the painting category and will be at J. Morgan.

Almost Ready

Next week Art Walk opens here in Grand Haven.  I have entered in two categories, painting and mixed media.  The painting has been done, just needs a title and then photographed and framed.

This morning I finished the mixed media piece…

It’s a monoprint with collage added but this time I did a little experimenting.  I added some copper, the door.  To hold it in place I used industrial strength double sided tape, a carpet tack for a door handle and small nails opposite the door handle and to add an accent to the window,  It’s small, just 8’' x 8”.  The framed is 1 and 7/8th” deep so it can either sit on a shelf or hang on a wall.  It will be at Calico Cat along with another piece that isn’t officially part of Art Walk.  The price is $95.00

I’ll post the other one here when it’s finished.

A Door Challenge

Once again, a challenge on Facebook, 5 days, 5 doors.  Here they are.

Same gate, another view and reversed

And this week I brought back a piece that was in a show at the Gallery Uptown… a departure that I think I’m going to visit again. This is Aunt Agnes, I had so much fun making her that I think I need to do more dolls.  She has lots of embellishments that were great fun to add.

And I have a few images that I’m wanting to do larger paintings of, it’s time to get back to that too.

Art Retreat Week

For more than twenty years my friend Terry and I have done a summer art retreat.  At least twenty of those years have been at Spider Lake.  We paint, swim and eat.  A lot of work gets done and this week is no exception.  Some of my work is experimental, like the one in process above.

And there are morning sketches like these three…

Since we have been painting together for so many years we decided it’s time to consider each of us doing at least one painting of the same subject whenever we paint together.  We do two retreats every year and frequently get together to do some plein air painting so it won’t take long to have enough to put a show together.

We’re starting today.  Last night we bought some Sunflowers and we will both do a painting of them.  I’ll try and get photos of both to post.  Meanwhile, I did one as my morning sketch but haven’t taken a photo of it yet.  I’ll post that one when I post the others.

Here are a bunch of starts I’ve done so far this week.  They will eventually be mixed media pieces and some of them are done on fabric. I’ll be adding collage elements to the black and white pieces.  As for the two with color, I have no idea where those are going but it was fun playing with the color.

Another Opening, Another Show

Am I remembering correctly, Ethel Merman sang that in a movie about show business and I can’t remember the name of the movie.

Anyway, there is another exhibit opening at the Gallery Uptown on Friday, August 7.  I’m fortunate to be part of the show though I won’t be at the opening, this is the week of my annual Spider Lake Art Retreat.  However, Aunt Agnes will be there.  She’s one of my dolls and she’s dressed to the nines and making an appearance. 

There’s some wonderful art in the exhibit, Fiber; Content Varied.  If you are in the area, go see.

Getting Ready to Hang A Show

It’s a pop up art show curated by Maggie Bandstra and it will be at Loutit Library tomorrow evening.  A Window At Lavender Hill Farm is one of the pieces that I will have in the show…

It’s one of the pieces I worked on when I was up north.  Two more of those pieces are also going to be in the show, Conch Cottage #2

and The Garden Gate

All three are 8”x8” and 1 3/4” deep so they can either hang or stand.  The price of each is $95. 

I’ll also have 6 of my 4x4 pieces in the exhibit.  And, if you can make it to the show do come because there are 9 other outstanding artists in the exhibit.

Still More Of Last Week’s Work

This time more of my Little Gems Series.

 

The Little Gems are 4x4’', all non-representational.  I’m learning to just let go and let God.  One idea leads to another as the series continues.  This one is similar in color and pattern to the earliest gems.  As the progression continues you can see it evolving…

I also finished three more 8 x 8’'” pieces…

and finally this last one… I have no idea where she came from but I do like her…

You can see, it was a productive week.  And it was a fun week!   Now to get everything mounted and ready to sell.