Playing Favorites

I'm featured in The Pulse as part of the "Playing Favorites" series. Seth Apter of the Altered Page started a project way back in June 2011 asking artists to submit answers to questions, today's featured question is:  “share a picture of a favorite piece of art that you have created and explain its meaning to you.”  For my submission, the title seems to sum it up perfectly..."I want more out of life..." which for me means the world...I feel that it is necessary for me to be doing something worthwhile, creatively, my hands are rarely idle and my mind is difficult to turn off...this drawing became one of those special ones for me, I could never part with it...every time I look at it, it surprises me.

I Want More Out of Life..., 2008

There are many drawings that I love...so it was hard to chose from them for Seth's question...
My drawings are created through a stream of consciousness activity starting with random marks on the paper and from there I go with the flow and follow now formal plan or idea...they are intuitive and natural happenings. I use a variety of pencils, hardness and softness...on occasion I will "cheat" and use a ruler if a straight line is required...and goodness knows, I can't draw a straight line to save my life...or I'll use the round cardboard inner ring of a roll of packing tape to make a circle should I think one is needed, but most of my line work comes into being freehand...

A little bit softer now...2005

Lumina #1, 2006

Lumina #2, 2007

 Like children, each one is different, but they are certainly "family"...

Samhain, 2009

Pensive Storm, 2012

Winter Nights, 2011

 Music very often gives direction to my mark making...Beethoven has been a long time influence...but I have very eclectic taste...classical, alternative rock, folk music, blue grass, electronica...old stuff, new stuff...

Joy, 2006

The heart of everything that is..., 2007

For cello, 2007

June Wind, 2007

 Very often the seasonal shifts and weather events inspire the flow, summer storms, murky spring nights after a heavy rain...

Spring Night Haze, 2006

 Some of these feel like paintings...

Evening Song, 2006

Rite of Spring, 2006

Twister, 2007

I probably have hundreds of these by now, I very often work on more than one at the same time, so there are various sketchbooks that I've got lying about with work in progress in various stages of unfinished...some are better than others, but what is important to me is the act of making them...they're a meditation... a "reset button" for me to get away from color for a little while and to make something that requires no planning. I've always loved working in pencil...it's a beautiful, versatile medium, and perfect to learn mark making and experimentation...and learning about  control...learning about freedom.

Master Class at The Altered Page

 

http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/2012/02/master-class-13-final-fifteen.html

If I had a chance to study with Karl Schrag it would have been an honor...his paintings and prints are so stunning with vibrant colors and bold mark making...his translation of the night landscape turned pastoral scenes into a fantastic day where anything can happen...

Some of his influence has entered into my work...most of which are nocturnes...

Nocturne Forest, 2009

Walking In the Rain, 2008

Evening, Blue and Gold, 2010

Nocturne, Ice, 2009

River of Fallen Stars, 2008

Winter Solstice, 2011

A Mid-Summer Night, 2010

Painting some more...

There is more than blue going on in the sky... 627/2011, acrylic wash, monotype, rice paper on canvas, 40 x 16 inches

My latest painting evolves like all of my paintings do, with an under wash of color to add depth to the next layer, with my Blue Sky series, I select warm tones, burnt sienna, yellows, greens, turquoise, purple, orange...the washes of blue radiate differently...oh, but it was hard to paint over this under wash...it was so beautiful it almost hurt to cover it up...

"The Wash" stage...yes, that's my little portable studio table, it's just an old drying rack with boards on it, easy take down and put away...yup, my porch floor is paint spattered (that's okay, I need to repaint it anyway)

but I did...
Here are some detail images for comparison...

detail of top wash

detail of top finished painting

It was a fun painting to make, larger than I usually do...it's mighty pretty...it really glows in my dining room, can't wait to see it in the gallery!

I've been a busy lady this week, my vacation has been very productive...wonderful...a little bit of everything happening, a little bit of everything getting done...a show with my Fred and I is coming up this month at Szozda Gallery, Its Elemental! opens on July 20th with a reception on the 22nd, and runs through to the 28th of August...so I'm making more new work to add into the mix as the following week is yet another reception at our little Moonlighting studio...

Seth Apter at The Altered Page has the 5th Edition of The Pulse up and running this weekend, and as always, inspiring, beautiful bits of this and that to look at and read about...love it!

I recently found out about America: Now and Here, which is a traveling exhibition currently on view in Detroit until July 24th (was in Kansas City in May) that has pulled together artists of several disciplines, visual artists, poets, playwrights, filmmakers, and musicians, it's going to be on a two year tour of the country, it's going to Chicago in October. For more information where to catch the show or to join the national conversation here's a link to their website: http://americanowandhere.org/

There are more paintings on deck to work on, I'm feeling quite satisfied (mostly), yet itching to keep going...