Illusions of depth

Lavender Cascade

Pastel, 18X24

Yes, an underpainting serves as a fundamental purpose, to set the values, and overall color, tone and temperature of a painting. Used beyond the rudiment purpose, underpainting can enhance the energy and interest in a painting, creating a layered effect and the illusion of depth and volume.

Over the past year, I have been exploring the possibilities of underpainting in watercolor and applying it to pastel landscapes...some small, others much larger as this one is. The tone, value, and color are established in watercolor, allowing for the watercolor to do what it does best...create a wonderful mingle of little explosive color blossoms. Then, pastel is applied, allowing for some of the subtle watercolor creation to show through, enhancing the illusion of air and space.

I will have 10 or so of these pastel landscapes on exhibit at Kybecca September 1st through October 31st.

painting again

Finally...seeing again through 'painter' eyes.

Pastel 18X24

View from the island

As often as I can, I walk the path that leads from the neighborhood stables to a little island park nearby. The path encircles the island...and along the path...I see green, blanketing the water, the trees...everything.

From the island, I can see the bridge connecting and the mass of trees...a seamless transition from one land to another...through the island foliage and the haze of green, I see the path clearly...leading me to this point.

View from the Island

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord

9x12

Painting as I want

'One day seven years ago, I found myself saying to myself- I can't live where I want to- I can't go where I want to- I can't do what I want to- I can't even say what I want to...I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to...as it seemed to be the only thing I could do that didn't concern anybody but myself...'

Georgia O'Keefe, 1923

Hillside Bouquet

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 16x20

...painted as I wanted to

...with energy, fullness of color, and an unusual perspective...of one of my favorite places.

On exhibit March 4th-28th as one of the "staff's favorite picks" in the gallery at Liberty Town Arts

Ambiguity

Beginning the new year, my satisfaction has waned with the ultra-real paintings...those in which all the information is given. Where else in life is all the information detailed perfectly in order for you to exactly see the situation, draw the right conclusions and make the right decisions, and predict the future responses?...almost never...Similarly to the ambiguity in life situations and the excitement of not always knowing the outcome, curiosity and intrigue is created through an abstract arrangement of elements...visual elements in a painting that allow for exploration and personal interpretation.

For me, however, there is a point where patience is lost to the vague ambiguity, as is the case with completely abstracted paintings. Visually, I prefer some representation, allowing for degrees of abstraction in shape, color and edges. I need a few answers, some plan...some information...but not everything.

Untitled (for now), Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 16x20

And so, I find myself drawn to these pastel landscapes, responding to the watercolor foundation; those accidents that occur naturally when water and pigment react to the dry, pumiced surface of clay. Subjects still 'representative' but not quite fully developed, interpreted...standing just outside the rows of vines...seeing the vines, but not every leaf...appreciating the balance between the order and disorder of things...given just enough information to draw my own conclusions.

Goodbye colors of fall

Goodbye to fall...warm greens, golds, reds replaced with cool whites, blues, and browns...always in transition...and colors that reflect the transitions in life.

Colors of fall

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord

9x12

Blessings of joy, peace...and warmth...this holiday season!

Less Blogging, More Painting

Closing out the Thanksgiving week, I am reminded that 'Thanksgiving' is not just a holiday...but thanks giving is a state of mind that should be carried with us every day. I am thankful for many things this week...most notably, my friends and family who uplift and enrich my life.

Serendipity

9X12

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord

'Tis the season for small works... perfect for me, stripped down to the essentials of time, no time for large works, delay, analysis, procrastination...self doubt...only time for the fervor of work, and creative energy. In this fervor, I am finding a flow and rhythm in landscapes (that until now, I have unintentionally avoided), responding to the watercolor underpainting with a deeper sense of expression and intimacy... and with an efficiency that comes from the pressure imposed by time.

A few of these landscapes will be on display for the "Small Works" exhibit opening

Friday Dec 6th at Liberty Town Arts in Fredericksburg.

Paintings will also be on exhibit in December...

The Workhouse Arts Center at Lorton

Merger of Art and Design: MAD Artist! Designer's Choice Exhibit

Nov 22nd-Jan 4th

as well as

The Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts

Small Wonders National Juried Exhibition

Dec 6th- Jan 28th

Happy Thanks Giving today and every day!

Poetic energy of underpainting

In pastel, my comfort in painting leans toward what I would term "ultra-realism" . I typically work spatially completing section by section, piecing together lines and shapes, that when completed, works as a whole.

Challenging myself for a looser interpretation (as I often see a landscape), I wanted, instead, to respond to the poetry of the underpainting, the poetry of shapes and mingled color. I began on white (which I almost never do) ampersand pastelbord that can handle alot of water, pigment, and pastel. Considering the harmony color, temperature, and with the goal of creating luminous contrasts of blue and gold, I began to add color...no worries about mess, details or representation, simply looking for a response to the energy of the landscape.

The watercolor "underpainting"

As a watercolorist, I found myself tempted to approach this underpainting as I would a finished watercolor, working light to dark, wet-into-wet, glazing layers...but then this will be a pastel, on pastelbord. The underpainting will only serve to create a base (mostly covered with pastel) of warmth and value and give direction to the pastel that will come later... hopefully a loosely interpreted poetic landscape.

The "later"... untitled

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord

9X12

Featured at Lorton Arts

Orchestrating lines, positioning, contrast of imagery, harmony of values, color intensity, analyzing compositional placement...I must be painting...

...Well not quite...today the show went up at Lorton Arts and will be on exhibit through Nov 7th.

I am amazed at all the factors involved in hanging a show (though I have done quite a few now), and how painful the process can be. Placement of paintings on a wall is an "art" in itself, one which I struggle with for every show. The most valuable lesson learned from today...never underestimate the value of help, everyone has a different "eye" and process for installation. Thank you Bonnie and Kathleen! I couldn't have done it without you.

Exhibiting Oct 4th-Nov 7th

Workhouse Arts Center

Gallery 16

Opening Reception

Saturday, Oct 9th, 6-9p

9601 Ox Road

Lorton Arts, Lorton, VA

www.workhousearts.org

703-495-0001

The curious world of Iris

There have been many "starts and stops" to this painting over the past few months. Each time returning to work, I find myself re-evaluating my intention..what is it I see here?...what is it about this painting that keeps me returning? After all, a new day, brings new perspective (both in life and in art)...new interpretations, new insights.

So I have to ask myself...can my intention be the same each time I return..what I see in the image be the same...when I have changed from day to day? I don't believe it can..exactly; the mood, aesthetic, and way of seeing have changed. I notice these subtle difference in the way I have approached different areas each time following a pause in work. The challenge is in finding harmony among the various "intentions" within the painting and exploring the curiosity that attracted me in the beginning.

So, what is the intention here? Of course, most will see "flowers"; the iris a symbol for hope, faith and wisdom. But today I see energy, curious wonder in the flow of line, lost and found shapes, and the statement of color.

The curious world of Iris

Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, 16X20

On Exhibit October 4th-November 8th

@

The Workhouse Arts Center, Gallery 16

Lorton Arts Foundation

Even Traffic...

...can be beautiful (thank you Stephanie).

I am amazed how we can experience the same moments day in, day out and not really "see" them...their simple beauty. Sometimes as artists, we spend so much energy searching for that "beautiful" composition, subject, landscape...and then sometimes (as is most often the case for me)...it finds us.

"The landscape listens and we hear it call our name."

Emily Dickinson

Simplifying Mass Shapes

Before focussing on the details and extra "stuff" in a painting, I first try to focus on the mass shapes and values...the simple [or not so simple] elements that make up the structure of the composition. As noted from my previous post, I have divided my landscape into 3 mass shapes of light (sky), middle (foreground pavement), and dark (mid-ground treeline) value. Breaking down the scene into abstract shapes, I am assigning color to those mass value shapes, disregarding (attempting to anyway) the smaller value and color accents.

These value masses, serve as a reference to relate other values in the painting. Now I can expand on the mass shapes, adding subtle value, color, and temperature accents. Supporting the value structure (and perspective) identified in my thumbnail sketch, will enhance the paintings overall "readability."

"The most important ally in the study of painting is the art of thinking."

Edgar Payne's Composition of Outdoor Painting

All together

Four Buds on the 'Sil
Pastel
11X14
Rarely (if ever) can I say I have finished a painting in one day. After spending three weeks failing at an underpainting for a previous work, I finally gave it up and decided to start fresh. I'm not sure if it was the freedom of letting go of something that just wasn't working, moving in a new direction, or that I had done this painting in my head over the past 6 months, but it just all came together today. The hand and the eye working harmoniously. My intention for this painting...loose approach and contrasting elements of design; contrast of color temperatures with dominance of warms, contrast of organic and geometric shapes, and contrast of textures.

Finding Value in Value Sketching

Almost 2 feet of snow and 2 blizzards over the past 5 days, I observed many "white out" views of the landscape. Snow covers the ground, insulating and simplifying forms and, at times, abstracting the landscape. The near "white out" conditions muted the color and also aided to simplify the value shapes.
In both my watercolor and pastel classes, I spend the first day of a session explaining (and often trying to convince beginning painters) the value of value sketching. For me, the "dreaded" value sketch is fundamental to the success of a painting. I am a value painter first versus a colorist. I use the sketch to evaluate and simplify shapes, identify composition structures, and describe, literally, the black and white design of the composition. The subject and details are not what it is important in this exercise, nor the representation of the landscape. I am simply testing the underlying design and value shapes created from solid masses of value.

The above exercise was done on white pastel paper using a method of constructing and deconstructing shapes with black pastel stick and various erasers.

Suffering...how it takes place while someone else is eating or opening a window...or just walking dully along.

"About suffering, they were never wrong, the old masters: how well they understood, it's human position; how it takes place while someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along." WH Auden

In light of recent tragic events and the people suffering in Haiti, I am reminded of this quote. Though I choose to interpret "Masters" as really anyone. I mostly connect with this statement as a nurse and mother, roles that help ground me in reality, but also often from an artist's view and the importance of being thankful for the beauty in what we see everyday.
And so this second week of the new year...and a new decade...I planned to re-organize and renew... my priorities... my intentions....my pastel box. I listed a few of these artistic "resolutions" below, but they seem lofty even as I type them remembering that others are simply "surviving". My real goal...never to walk "dully along".

1. Make better decisions when juggling competing responsibilities.
2. Focus more on the joy of creating and the journey.
3. Seek authenticity and work to develop a cohesion in vision, handling of medium, artistic touch and style.
4. Be confident in and value the of sharing my vision of art and the beauty in everyday, unlikely places.

Recommended by my friend who works at USAID:
Those interested in helping victims in Haiti can get more info by visiting the following sites (cash is viewed as the best way to help): Center for Int'l Disaster Info www.cidi.org; Interaction www.interaction.org for a list of credible responding agencies; www.give.org for assistance in making informed decisions when supporting charities; and www.globalgiving.org.

"Creativity Takes Courage" -Henry Matisse

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to re-examine artistic goals, personal priorities, and renew intentions. These aspirations provide a pathway to guide decision-making and help to clarify the directions we should take on our creative journey [and in life]. One of my most valued [and rewarding] intentions for 2010 is to continue to share the processes I have learned in art through teaching workshops. Over the past few years, I have had the amazing opportunity to teach and encourage the artistic growth of many developing painters of all levels. This month LibertyTown Arts is exhibiting artwork from Liberty Town "students" (aren't we all students of art) created in 2009. The Opening Reception will be Friday, Jan 8th from 5-9PM. Below are 6 of the paintings on exhibit by artists from my workshops this past year. Thank you all for participating in the exhibit and having courage to explore your creative drives. I am renewed by your energy and enthusiasm. For information and to view my 2010 Workshop Schedule.
Melange aux Fleurs by Sandy Staley

Hawk by Shirley Buckler

Tortuga by Sue Henderson

Sun's Flower by MaryBeth Algert

Hydrangea Close-up by MJ Bradley

Canna by Charlotte Plaxico

Abundance

Summing up 2009 in one word...abundance... in heart-felt gratitude for my dear family and friends and the relationships that enrich my life each day... in opportunities both in art activities and as one of the founding caregivers opening a new hospital... abundance in life, the many challenges, lessons learned and occasions for personal and professional growth...and finally, abundance in joy anticipating all that is to come in 2010.
Abundance
Pastel on Pastelbord
18X24

From Life or Photo

This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with the juror of a recent show, of which I was a participant. The juror, a 3D glass artist and gallery owner in Alexandria, had chosen selections for the "Best of Showcase". (My painting was one of thirteen chosen out of approx. 100 pieces.) As the conversation evolved, she mentioned her process in choosing the "Best of Show" works and revealed that she had allowed a few of her "painter" friends to preview the works. One of her friends had been astonished that the juror had chosen a painting (or paintings) that may have been completed from a photo reference.
As a non-academic artist (someone who has not attended a formal art school) and as an artist who knows of many award-winning studio painters who use photographs as inspiration, I walked away from the conversation somewhat bemused. Is a painting created using a photograph as inspiration less valid than one created from life? ...even if the painting is the artist's authentic vision (her own vision, her moment, her photograph, unmanipulated)?
I continue to greatly admire those artists that can prop an easel in a field for hours and paint, or those who can perfectly stage a still-life painting and work for weeks from the same still life (and I have done so myself many times), but admittedly for me, working from "life" and "en plein air" is highly impractical to my process. Honestly, if I set a crate of apples out for 2 weeks to paint them, they would get knocked over during "hide-and-seek" and rearranged and eaten by my children on the first day (ok, maybe the second). I am proud to say, that I am a studio painter who works from my own photographic references. For if I weren't working from a photo-derived inspiration, in the bits and pieces of time I do find to paint; between being a mom, a nurse and the magician who maintains "good order and discipline" at home, I wouldn't paint.
No doubt this debate will continue without agreement. And just as I appreciate and respect the methods of other artists, I am thankful to the juror for choosing work that spoke to her "from the gut" and not a preconception that art created from something other than life is less valid and worthy of recognition.
For me, validity is in the vision, the translation from the spirit, and the courage in doing and much less about the method and process (though I find great joy in the process). The vision is from life, the process in between, merely a vessel on an open road.

Between Paintings

While most everyone I know is fervently creating "small works" for holiday shoppers, I have found myself committed to 2 large (for me), involved paintings; working one pastel (18X24) at home and a watercolor (22X30) in the studio at LibertyTown...and I couldn't be happier.
It might take me a month to finish each, but for weeks, I won't have that unsettling feeling of being between paintings...that short time before the beginning of a new work, where I am idol in planning, allowing time for indecision and self-doubt. I am content in the day knowing just where to start and what to work...no time for dilly-dally.

What could possibly be the same about these two paintings?... repetition of shape and pattern and trapped dark spaces... we'll see how it all works out...in 2010.

Paint On!

In the midst of the season's bustle...pressure for "small works," never-ending holiday demands, countless distractions and set-backs... I am driven to embrace a recently discovered statement (and very fundamental declaration). "If I never sell another painting, win another award, or get accepted into another exhibit, I will paint". I am reminded that something much deeper motivates me and there is a purpose to the work that fills my life (and fellow artists). Whether art serves as a language to communicate with the observer, or as a form of escape from everyday demands, or simply the realization that art is an important aspect in our common humanity, we... I ...feel better having art in our lives.