Sometimes when I am working on a painting I find that life gets in the way. This is not necessarily a bad thing just a delay in painting, chores, yard work, friends. It is at times difficult to prioritize life. There is always something important to do. But I get it done and pick back up where I was. Last night I was determined to finish the painting and I think I did, barring a few last brush strokes. "Sophie"
I thought I would take you along on the creation of this painting, since you were here from the beginning. I work in approx. 3 hour time blocks and depending on the photo I am working from, the painting either emerges slowly if the photo is not so clear or very rapidly if the photo leaps off the page at me. This photo is clear but took awhile to speak to me. 4th session of work on painting.
I have come to the conclusion that if I am painting and not happy with the way something is going that I need to change it, even if it is a drastic change. Fear sometimes stops me or at least makes me hem and haw for way longer than I should. I am currently working on a painting and the space in it has been bothering me. So after looking at it for 4-5 days, I bit the bullet and painted out the dog and moved the image on the page so that it was more centered. It is almost as though a ray of sunshine came out and shone on the work. Where it was driving me crazy before, now it feels like I have a clear direction to move in. It's funny, how when something feels right you know it. I almost feel like my subject in the painting is arguing with me and yelling at me, when I get it right there is a calm silence.
I seem to always be looking as I walk either with dogs or myself or with others, or as I drive... there are so many things to see, amazing things.
I stopped and pulled over when I looked up and saw the jet trails the other day, I don't think I have ever seen them make a 5 or 6 pointed star in the sky.
One day I was in the back yard getting ready to mow the lawn and looked down and saw the remains of a slice of a log , definitely a tree. On a beach I was looking for shells and ran across what looked like a petrified duck foot. The self portrait of the dove sadly is not unusual, as this was one of three from last week. I am working on a solution to keep them from thinking it's an open patch of sky. I passed this graveyard several times, while on a creative journey in upstate New York. The shadows of the tree trunks had such I pull on me I had to stop and visit it. I didn't notice the undulations of the fence till I was editing the photo, and saw the wave like motion. So fluid, so fascinating. Then I wandered around looking at the homes of the residents.
A Time of Color Fall when there is a glow from the golden light in the sky, to the hills painted in reds and orange and yellows.
The colors lick up the mountainside, like flames climbing to the top, without heat. There is a change coming, sometimes quick, sometimes slow. There is a spice in the air that only appears at this time. The smells of leaves and crispness with the foreshadowing of white stuff soon to come. I recently attended a workshop in Cambridge, New York. It was attended by an amazing group of creatives, launched by the New York Times, Bestselling Author Jon Katz. We are a group of painters, writers, poets, musicians, photographers, fiber artists, and more all coming together to encourage one another in our various endeavors.
It was suggested that we construct an Intuition Doll and bring it along for the weekend. We could use any materials we wanted and there were no boundaries whatsoever. This challenge was put forth by the inventive fiber artist Maria Wulf, creative spirit and wife of Jon Katz. In my mind I saw this as being a totem like the Native Americans, pulling different elements that inspire me in my work. I for many years have felt a connection to Orient, perhaps from a previous life; the fabric I chose for the body reminded me of a Kimono. I added other elements that inspire me, a pin that has dog elements, another with the base of an Asian coin, A shell to pull in elements of the oceans, and a paintbrush as a weapon as I consider this my warrior for Art. The head confounded me for a time, until I realized that I wanted it to have cat's eyes and the head just followed suit, one of my inner spirits is definitely feline. It was a challenge I was glad to have accepted, I haven't worked in 3-D for quite some time, but I feel this will help my work grow in ways I haven't even dreamed of. |
I am a painter of animals. There has always been a connection for me and this is how I share it.Archives
January 2024
Categories |