Maybe it is just because I am in love with the creative process, but I keep finding that in making one painting I am actually making multiple paintings. So I began to photograph paintings at different stages, only to realize that they are really separate paintings. With the way paint can be shaped and layered upon you can create so many different paintings on one canvas OR artist trading card.
I have been working on my painting, my abstract painting and I have some images. These are more complex than what I usually make. I’ve really enjoyed creating them. It is one painting at different stages and from different angles.
I bought this wonderful book on abstract painting techniques last summer. But before I could really start using it I suddenly became very angry, depressed, and discouraged about my creative process and I sold all my paints and painting supplies, along with a lot of other art supplies. I had bought all those paint the intention of really learning what to do and I had a huge number of them and I just got rid of them. But creatively I think I have healed since then and now I’m getting back into it, but I have had to start from the beginning with my paints. Starting out in painting is expensive. I had to buy all the bases to get paint texture, as well as gesso and palettes – on top of buying different colors of paint since I got rid of over seventy colors.
I am returning to this book to learn some techniques. I’m so glad I at least kept the book. I basically never throw out a book, and it looked so cool. I just wish that I hadn’t given up on Visual Arts back then. I would know so much more than I do now and I wouldn’t have lost money. Sometimes I just get angry and disenchanted. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was feeling untalented and upset about that. But I don’t know that that’s the case because I have never claimed to be a visual artist. I am merely someone who loves to experiment with color and texture. I am not a painter. I’m a writer. I may have been frustrated with everything at the time. Sometimes I just get angry or hopeless. Other times I tried to narrow the focus in my life, only to discover that I am not a person who can narrow focus. Despite being driven to create visually as well as verbally, I can feel extremely stymied. Like I’m just hitting a wall over and over again. But knock on wood that isn’t happening again so far. I’m beginning to get into the visual again with photo editing and with painting. And I may add some other things to my list as well. I will have to see. I feel like it improves my writing to work on the visual arts. That way my brain is kept sharp and creative all day long without focusing on my writing to the point of burnout or having nothing to say. So while I am not and never will be a painter, I can improve my writing with painting.
This is a painting I did a few years ago of a girl reading. I feel like I should name her. But I’m not sure what a good name would be.
I used to do experiments photographing Fabric and random ephemera. 1 series that I did repeatedly and enjoyed the results each time was a series of photographs of tulle. Tulle is so three-dimensional and can be molded and bent so many ways. And some of the colors that comes in are just divine.
I will start with my two favorites, the ones with texture. I like the third one too, the one where I use the Golden Fluid acrylics, but I’m really loving texture right now.
All the paint is dry.
The one in the middle reminds me of a bacterial colony. The one at the bottom I call Rage. The one at the top I think I’m going to call Alone Time.
These are my latest adventures in painting, although I already have the canvases primed over again with gesso. Once the gesso dries and the base layers paint, I’ll get started again on something new. I think I’m going to start using hair combs to spread the paint around. And maybe an extra hairbrush if I can find one.
My attempts at painting are continuing. I have three little canvas boards that I have been working on over and over again, photographing them at different stages. I’m playing with different applicators to get the paint on the canvas. Right now I’m using a metal Brillo pad. I’ve also got some toothbrushes to use with my paints. Haven’t used those yet though.
I have used all three kinds of acrylics that I have. I can’t wait to get more colors, but for now I will work with what I got. I’ve been flicking paint and layering paint and scratching paint away and using molding paste to make my paint stand up into sharp little points. I can’t wait to get some photographs of those. Hopefully I can capture the effect. I don’t know if anyone else will like them, but I’m having fun! I like texture and 3 dimensionality.
These are some images I painted earlier in the week. I wasn’t really trying to do anything fancy with them, but I think they turned out interesting. The first one, as you might be able to guess, it’s called Aquarium. The second one is called Night Out. I made the black underlayer extremely glossy, and used metallic paint for the gold flecks
Okay, so I absolutely love books. As should be apparent to Anyone who reads my blog. But the other day I did what was rather on thinkable, and the truth is it’s not the first time in the past month. I downloaded a Kindle book to read on my phone. Actually, three of them. I still ordered two normal books with wonderful scented pages and crisp covers. But the three out of five that could be purchased in an ebook format I purchased that way.
I will miss not having a hard copy of the books, but I ordered ebooks for a couple of reasons. Number one, my library is absolutely overflowing. I have over 20 books that need to be resolved and I have no idea how I’m going to fit them. We are going to have to get at least one new bookshelf if not to over the coming months and after that there’s simply no room for any more bookshelves. So something’s got to give. Some of the books I read cannot be accessed as ebooks. Like the other two that I bought. So for those kinds of books I’m just going to have to find some way to make the house work. But for any book that I can get as an ebook I probably should. We simply do not have the space to keep up with the rapid rate at which we read.
The second reason is that some of them are cheaper as electronic books. It’s not that I’m not willing to spend good money to have hard paper copy, but when you order as many books as I have been ordering recently if you can save 2 or 7 Bucks here or there it can really add up.
The third reason is that I like being able to read on the go. I do like to bring books with me when I go out sometimes, but you never know when you’re going to get stuck waiting at the car dealership or at the airport or get to the movie theater early or anything. And I just don’t always think ahead of time that I might need a book with me. By having these Kindle books on my phone I can read anywhere I am, since I always have my phone on me because it’s smaller and easier to lug.
I can’t wait to write about what I have read.
When Craig and I went to the art museum here in Colorado Springs, this was my favorite painting. There were many works of art there I loved. There was a 3D exhibit with all these tiny claymation creatures and an accompanying video that I really loved too. But of the paintings this was my favorite.
I love abstract painting. I love it when everything is about color and texture. That’s why I’m trying to learn to do it. It’s therapeutic of course, but I’d also like to create really cool images from colorful paints and textured substrates. Some people think of that as a cheap cop out because I’m not really somebody who can learn to paint tree that looks like a tree. But to make a good abstract painting requires every bit as much skill as a realist painting. It’s just very different. I’m sure I’ll never be as good as this and I will also never work on such a grand scale. I probably can’t forward to! But I love working on a small scale and I am really enjoying learning to paint. But I treasure this photograph because it’s a picture of me with something that I really fell in love with.
Miniature Moon 