The Great Falls of the Potomac and "Purple is the New Black"

The Great Falls park in Virginia is an absolutely beautiful place that I visited in early October!  We went for a hike and I took a lot of photos with my phone.  This painting is a result.

What do I mean by "Purple is the New Black?"  We all know the TV series about the women's prison.  This has nothing to do with prison but it has everything to do with color.  So here is the second painting I did in this new series. (See post of December 19th for the first).   I changed my usual format to vertical (36x24).  I did not use any blacks or browns in the paintings.  This is an experiment for me and I am liking it!  One Artist who inspires me is the famed artist and teacher, Robert Henri.  His book The Art Spirit is on my side table.  I have read and re-read the book at least 20-30 times along with Wassily Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art.  Henri recommended using a palette that corresponds with the colors of the rainbow and I tried it.  I start with a red-violet to violet to blue to greens, yellows and ending with a cadmium red.   I mix colors directly on a large paper palette.  White is added for lightening and adding opacity on the second or third day.  I am thoroughly enjoying this new color palette.  I am currently working on the third in this vertical series.  I have a few more that are in square and horizontal formats that I might post soon!

Renewal of Negative Space

So I have not posted on this blog in a while and I'm wondering if there is still a viable audience.  I retired from teaching and I am now working as a full time artist.  I'm not sure if it is sustainable yet, but I love what I'm doing.  I've moved from pure abstract/non-objective painting back to landscapes with a new color palette.  No blacks or browns!  If anyone still follows, let me know.  I will either blog here and connect to my website or start a blog on the website. 

Above it All

I've been blog absent for too long. Primarily because I spent the last two years working on my MFA in visual art through Wilson College. For the first year and a half, I was teaching art full-time in a Pennsylvania public school.  I took a sabbatical leave of absence to finish my thesis exhibit from January 15th until the end of the school year in June.  I am now back to teaching full time and painting part time.

During my sabbatical leave I completed approximately 28 paintings.  I started nine or ten others that are still in process.   I exhibited 25 paintings at my thesis exhibit in York, Pennsylvania.  I worked with five mentors, local artists, who critiqued my work,  inspired me and shared occasionally shared their "trade" secrets.

I intend to post and write about the paintings I created during this amazing time of creative growth and transformation.   The paintings will not likely be posted in chronological order.  Instead I will choose a painting that I want to write about when it suits me.

I noticed a transformation in my work as I moved from purely representational painting to more non-objective painting.  I still do some representational work but it is more abstract.  I will discuss this and some of the other surprises I've found along the way.

The first piece I'm sharing is entitled, "Above it All".  It is large, 48x36.  I used both acrylic and oil.  The painting started as a forest from memory.  I began to add spirals.  I liked the painting in its early stages but felt it incomplete.  After leaving it alone for a while, I came in and added the winged looking shape.  I painted to music and began thinking more about harmony and balance and composition.  I was making marks.  It was a very joyful experience.    Here is the painting in the earlier phase,   I liked that phase, but it sat, unresolved for many weeks.  Perhaps I will revisit this on another occasion.

I'm writing about my process in painting in preparation for my MFA thesis.  This paint was one of the first I started in the fall.  It began as en plein air and morphed several times in the studio.  This was the painting about a month ago.  At any rate, I kept fussing with it and it became very over-worked.  I hung it up on the wall for a few weeks and I revisited today.  I have completely changed my style from this.  While I haven't totally abandoned landscape, my landscapes have changed.  I have also been making a lot more non-representational work.  Stay tuned. I'll be updating soon.

Chicago Visit - Journal Entry

I am in Chicago for my nephew's wedding.  I was not really thrilled about spending my Christmas break in Chicago but it is turning out to be a good thing.

Today we visited the famed Art Institute.  I was able to immerse myself in amazing art, visit with family and get lost in the process. The AIC is huge.  Their collection is at least equal to if not better than the MET in my opinion.    I could have spent at least another day there but the family was done.

My focus today was on the structure and composition of the great painters starting from around the mid-19th century.  I was not particularly interested in the Impressionists today although I thoroughly enjoyed Monet's London scenes and Irises.  I wanted to focus primarily on the structures and composition of post-impressionist painters.  I have decided that I want my thesis to more fully explore the lesser known painting movements such as Symbolism along with some of the  American and Canadian painters that I feel were neglected from the annals of Art History.

I was struck, literally boiled over by the huge canvasses of Vuilliard.  While researching them I learned that they were created to be "painted tapestries".  I am the painting nerd who takes photos of the details to see how they handled foliage.  Vuilliard did lots of foliage.

I am also interested in the symbolists, the Klimts, the Munchs, the art Nouveau of Mucha and the similarity of these artists to the Group of Seven.  There is a stylized method which these artists employ that I think is beautiful.

I will always have a sweet spot for Van Gogh.  I was astonished to find two paintings of his that I had never seen...the Drinkers and the Poet's Garden.

I studied Cezanne's compositions and gradations as well as Inness, under the recommendation of Bob.  I think I get it now.

I am also quite intrigued by the art that is hanging in our little Airbnb.  The textures are great.  Mostly non-representational but they are giving me ideas.  I thought they might be encaustics at first but alas I believe they are acrylic with the help of some texture gels and such.  Something I want to explore when I begin my practice at the studio.

I took photos.  I want to revisit some old paintings with a squeegee or some other such tool.  The oils I will have to top with more oils but I have that great set that Annelise gave me.

I have ordered some acrylics but I was disappointed in the size.  I  am ordering some student grade acrylics in at least quart sizes for quick studies.  I don't think they will be a problem with the integrity of the surface as long as they are the base layers.

Orange and Blue

This is Orange and Blue.  I painted this large 28x28 close-up of marigolds that were growing in my garden.  I am intrigued by marigolds because they are overlooked and considered "common".  I don't think the average person pays much attention to them.  

I planted them because they are a natural type of pest control.  At the time I didn't think they were particularly beautiful until I tried to paint one.  This painting was a labor of love and observation. I started with direct observation in the garden.  I picked them before the first heavy frost.  I photographed them before they wilted.   It took months.  The yellow-orange color was elusive.  I couldn't quite get-it right.  I finished it with a Thio violet glaze. 

I am intrigued by the symbolism and spirituality associated with the humble marigold.  It was named for "Mary's gold", implying most likely the blessed mother.  The Mexican people use them for El dia de los Muertos.  They decorate shrines and graves with marigolds which are in peak season in late October and early November.   They are celebrated in India.  

The exploration of certain flowers and plants has lead to more exploration.  I find myself researching symbolism in flowers and trees.  I think I'm going to continue on this path awhile. 

Giant Ass

So during my summer Intensive I created this giant ass.  It was inspired by a woman I saw at the Dollar General Store.  She had a disproportionate derriere.  I was working with spray foam insulation and it reminded me of cellulite.  I had to experiment with paint as many did not adhere properly.  I finally chose spray enamel.  I entered it in a show called "Instinct".  The dimensions are about 3' wide by 2' high and about 2' deep.

I am back to painting for the moment.