Glowing

A side effect of using your innate talents and doing something you love. Glowing.

I've noticed life becoming easier. People are easier to talk to. Life is less struggle and more fun.

Painting is important.

The Artlantis show was a lot of work and stress, and I didn't sell any paintings. I had some good conversations with other artists, some of them struggling to make art again. I'm allowing the feedback I got to influence my paintings, and that is really exciting. Although I did not sell a painting to make the adventure monetarily worth the expense, the feedback is proving to be very useful!

My friend Chrissy (yes, same name) and I started a painting at Artlantis, and I started another one and worked on the Red and Turquoise from Artist Day. It's getting closer to done. They're not dry enough to photograph yet.

And my camera charging cord/dock died. Camera was too old (maybe 5, 6 years!), from when the electronics companies thought it was smart to make a different shaped charging port for every device...so I'll have to borrow or buy a camera. The camera on my HTC Evo won't cut it, even with the 3D on. Has anybody made good photos with that 3D function? Seems useless.

Going to ARTLANTIS in Atlanta on June 2

I was accepted to setup a booth at ARTLANTIS, a festival put on by Beep Beep Gallery in Atlanta, at the Druid Hills Baptist Church, June 2 from 10 am to 7 pm. Very exited!
I plan to bring a lot of paintings to show and set up a table to paint while I'm there. I doubt I'll have to be chatting with folks all day (but that would be amazing). 10-7 is a really long day. I imagine I can make at least 5 paintings, while I hang out at the festival. Transporting wet oil paintings is a challenge, though. I'll think of something.

Clover

Clover, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Made in early April over the course of 10 days.

I like what happened with the time lapse, drying and layering with this painting. The evolution from pure paint on a white canvas to finished painting continues to impress me. Just a series of moment to moment decisions, reacting to what has been done already and thinking about what else the painting needs. What would finish it. 

Some artists call spontaneous paintings happy accidents. They warn that happy accidents cannot happen all the time.

Although this painting was not worked and worked and crafted for months, I don't think spontaneous paintings are the same as happy accidents. They feel like manifestations of energy or consciousness, I'm not really sure yet. 

Artists Day at Barnwell Elementary

Artists Day at Barnwell Elementary in Johns Creek, GA, on May 4, 2012

Turquoise with Veridian, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Five classes of 3rd -5th grade students rotated through a classroom "studio" for a painting demonstration. When I found out I would be working with just the older students, I decided they might enjoy trying pallet knife painting with oils. It's like cake frosting or butter. We all enjoyed the experience.

Red and Turquoise, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

With each class of 30-40 students, I asked the students to give me 3 different starting colors. I put the paint on the canvas as if I was in my own studio and added white paint in the vacancies. I showed them how to use the pallet knife to spread the paint. Each student took a turn spreading and mixing the paint on the canvas. Some of the classes were more timid about the paint, and some had the whole canvas covered by the time it got back to me. 

Frog, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Before each class left, I finished covering the canvas and then switched to my smaller pallet knife to show them what happens when you change the marks and strokes. The wet paintings came home to my studio, and I worked on them over the next several days, painting out the edges and making them into finished paintings. 

Running the Dog, 24" x 36", oil on canvas

Untitled - in process, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

(I'm not sure this one is done, yet.)

Some photos of the children working with the pallet knife. 

More found photos

These are a bunch of completed paintings that I have in my house or at my office. Some, I have worked on more. About half I'm calling overpaintings; I decided to paint over the old painting but leave some showing through the top layer.

A Soft Whisper 24 x 36, 2009, Hays Hyre

Arancia Square, 24 x 36, 2009, overpainting

Naples and Cadmium Collaborate, 18 x 36, 2009

Converted Reflection, 24 x 36, 2009, overpainting

White Ribbon, 24 x 36, 2009, overpainting

Stacks, 24 x 36, 2008, overpainting

Cobalt Graffiti, 36 x 48, 2009

Carved Color, 48 x 36, 2009

About Face, 48 x 36, 2009

Swirled, 36 x 30, 2009, overpainting

Process - BlueBirds, 36x48", March 2012

Soft Spoken

Soft Spoken

Intended as an angry painting,

you grew

calm, springy, beautiful.

Frantic, frenetic energy transformed to

curvaceous, sketchy rhythms.

Modern dance between thick paint and knife.

a knife that doesn’t cut

but molds, spreads, mixes, carves.

Possessed,

revealing me


a woman speaking in tongues.

Missing Paintings

I am missing some of my painting documentation, here. There are many more with no photographs yet. I'll get on top of that soon.

Anyway, here are some of the paintings missing from this blog but made back in 07-09:

Viridian Mood, 40"x28", 2009

Blues Progress, 40"x28", 2009

Chrysanthemums, 28"x40" (Accepted to judged exhibition at Peachtree Presbyterian in March 2008)

Sees Jesus, 24"x36" (Accepted to judged exhibition at Atlanta Artists Center in Summer 2008)

Inspired by a September Dogwood, No. 3, 36"x48", November 2008

Events Upcoming

I've signed up for 2 events, trying to light a fire under myself to get back to creating artwork.

In April, I'm participating in a neighborhood art event, a gallery at our clubhouse on April 14 from 5-8.

In May, May 4th, I've volunteered to be an artist at Barnwell's Artist Day from 8-12. I'm so excited. Sam hasn't seen me be an artist much, but I feel like this will be important as his mom to step up. At the Artist Day, I'll have some of my paintings with me, and I'll just kind of show the kids what I do and talk to them about my process. I'm not sure how I will transport the wet oil paintings from the school to home, but if that's the only detail I'm worried about, I'm good.

Exciting prospects.