Scatter

16 x 12 acrylic on canvas
Hope this doesn't create motion sickness The scan muted the colors in such a way that perhaps the motion of the painting is diffused. I had fun using dry brush strokes, spatter paint and a penny to put this together. The yellow lines, which were created by rolling the edge of a penny over the surface, are actually much brighter. It's those vibrant lines that provide the movement. Other than that I don't find any other significant point of this one. I do like the colors of the real painting better than I do of the scanned image.

Jubilation

12 X 9 Acrylic
This is what happens when I get slap happy with a brush. Confetti. It must have been one wild celebration. Well, if it's not confetti, what is it? Help me out here.

Garden

17 x 11 Canvas
All that scanned was the center portion. The blue block is bordered by an illusion of a brown frame. In the center block I painted the flower petals with a quarter and a penny. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use a fine black line to border the white petals. If I do, I'll probably make a mess. Creating fine lines is not something I do well as is evidenced by the green stems. As I created this batch of primarily flowers, no philosophical thoughts came into play. All I intended to do was to play. So I did.

Poppin' Poppies

12 X 9 acrylic
One of my nurses from my last hospital stay inspired this piece when she told me her favorite flowers were Poppies. Thick layers of red have been glazed with orange and then the whole thing was washed with green. The initial background was yellow and the centers of the flowers were white. I couldn't figure what kind of leaves Poppies have, so I faked 'em.

Pearl drops

9 x 12 acrylic
Green flowers? Why not? Green flowers on a green background? Whatever. I wanted to play with green. The white centers are pearls that add a color contrast and a dimension to the work. To keep the pearls from falling off this piece is encased in a clear acrylic box frame. The acrylic cover affected the scan in such a way that much editing was required to brighten up the colors. The actual painting is not so muddy and flat. Nor is the center section that dark. The glare from the frame created a shadow that is non-existant.

Field of Flowers

12 x 9 acrylic
Still stuck on green, but here I've added purple and red. Still stuck on flowers. I forget the name for this flower, but something like it really exists. Perhaps the next set of paintings will stray away from flowers and green. We'll see.

In the Pink

11 X 14 Canvas
Ok, it's been six months since I've added anything to this blog. I sent the muse on vacation because the last set of paintings were too much alike and the last January painting was too ugly to scan. But when someone wanted that Fluff Flop, the muse was sending vibes that she wished to return. Just as I was prepared to welcome her back, I experienced a brush with death. But after a touch of grace and a long stay in the hospital (May 7 -18), I wanted to paint spring; a rebirth perhaps. This is the first piece I've painted in six months. It's in the pink just as I am.

Puzzling

11 x 14 Canvas
Ah a puzzle of who knows what. The scanner shows the thin borders, which many might wonder how I created. But it does not show the texture of those green lines that were created by left over grass from Austin's Easter basket. The remainder of the colors were added to fill in the shapes created by the grass. A close inspection reveals that I didn't manage to stay within the lines. The piece was too large for the scanner so the solid green edging is not visible. The canvas background was green and that color affected the color of the paints applied over it. Also the actual painting is not so muddy; it's quite vibrant. (I have plenty of grass left over. Who knows what I might do with it next.)

Byways

11 x 14 Canvas
What's this? Could it be an overview of my neighborhood with its twisty streets and deadends? Or is it a map of the paths I've taken throughout my life with varied starts, stops and start overs in new directions? Or is merely some paint slapped onto canvas? Does it matter what it IS? What do you see in this combination of blues, purple and yellow?

Yellow Blooms

6 x 9 posterboard
More of my usual flowers in yellow this time. Spring remained in my heart as I created the climbing vine of yellow. The background is a wash of blue applied over the flowers and dabbed off with a dry paper towel. The dabs cover a multitude of sloppy brush strokes created by my sometimes shaky hands. Someday I'll figure out how to make a thin line.

Reflection

6 x 9 posterboard
As I reflect on this piece, I really don't know what I was thinking. Honestly, I wasn't thinking; I was playing around with the colors of orange, yellow and purple and a variety of paint applicators. I sponged on the orange, dabbed on the yellow with a cloth and dry brushed the purple, and ended up with this. I couldn't decide what to do next, so stopped and called it finished. I learned that KISS works and I should stop before the next step makes a mess. Oh yeah, a relection of light was added by the scanner.

Too Tall

6 x 9 hardboard
Even though the tall flower is supposed to be a tulip, I'm reminded that tall poppies are set up for trouble. If you don't want attention, don't stand out in the crowd. The safest flowers in this batch are the ground cover. Somehow I've never figured out how take cover and usually stand tall. Hmm that explains why I often felt like a target and ended up with hurt feelings.

Pain

Here is a quick look at last week. I had a toothache. Can you see it? I certainly felt it and the week's work reflects it. One piece was so painful to look at that the scanner refused to record it. I decided that I didn't need to post all the paintings, especially if they are stinky. This piece is hot stinky, but it is representative of my toothache. The painting was too large for the scanner; therefore, much of the red border does not show. Thank goodness the pain has subsided.

Perky

I had such fun putting this together. I started the collage with coffee filters. I wanted to see what kind of texture would be created and what could be done with cones. This is the largest piece I've done as it is 18 x 24. I finally had the courage to put paint on the canvas that came with the retirement gift. The complete painting was too large for the scanner, so this shows a central portion of the whole piece. I think I'm ready to take on larger supports.

Enlightened

I couldn't decide between calling this Enlightened or Epiphany. Since I really made no great self-realization, I settled for Enlightened. I do like the bright points of light that surfaced as I played with some of my new colors. I do see a face on the left side. Do you?

Pillars of Light

AARGH. This piece is so bad that Blogger refused the first attempt. I was practicing shading techniques. I give myself a D. The composition sucks; I forgot to add shadows; and the shading of the tall candle didn't work. I do have some nice flowers and a rectangular shape that looks like one. I really like the lavendar wall paper. I was also much happier with my paintings before I tried to learn something about painting. Ignorance IS bliss.

Party Time

The balloons just floated off the paint brush. When I ordered my last set of supplies, I had them toss in a Sampler Tablet of various types of canvas materials. Each sheet is 6 x 8 and the pad includes two pieces of five different canvas surfaces. I never knew about such a variety of "canvases". The canvas used in the tarp for the boat is not the same as any of my samples. This piece of canvas is linen and not cotton duck. The boat tarp is neither. I also learned this week that the Mona Lisa is painted on a piece of wood. Who knew.

The Hunt

A small rabbit hides in this painting. He is also near an egg shape. I wonder if he is the Easter Bunny. Mr. Bunny was not an intended outcome; he simply showed up as I played with a variety of canvases. The description claimed the sheet was primed, but as I worked with it, I wish I had started with a fresh layer of gesso. The wet canvas curled up on every edge. I found the rabbit as I worked to flatten the canvas.

Out of Shape

In January many folks consider themselves out of shape and vow to make improvements. Well, I'm definitely out of shape, but I have no plans to get in shape. I guess I'l stay out of sorts as well. My toothache was really bothering me during the paint session.... and it shows.

Smashing

Finally, my long awaited new painting supplies have arrived. I have several varieties of canvas supports and eight new colors to play with. I also got some new very wide brushes, but I did not use a brush as I sampled the new colors. I squirted dabs of each new color right from the tube onto the canvas. As usual, the dabs took varied shapes. Since I'd used a pallette knife to mix the first sampler, I knew I needed a new tool. Thus, I took a paper plate and smushed the paint dabs. Not only did each dab take a new form, but every time I moved the plate to smash a diffeent area, the colors moved to create some interesting blends. The paper plate also created varied textures. I had no plans to create any image in particular, but I can spot some very colorful flowers in the finished piece. Isn't that just smashing? What do you see?

River Styx

Welcome to Hades. At least that's what I think I created by using a pallette knife to test my newest color additions to my pallette. As I blended the colors, the canvas got muddier and muddier. What a gunky mess. The texture here is interesting with lines and globs here and there. As I looked at the finished piece, I did spot some creatures of the deep. Can you see the dolphin rising? I try to ignore those things that slither, but I suspect they are native to the River Styx. (Can you guess who might have been reading a novel set in 40 BC Rome? Anthony and Cleopatra by Colleen McGollough was a good, informative read.)

Roses

I much prefer yellow roses to red roses, but I have to confess that it's easier to paint red roses. I also want to note that I enjoy summer time to winter time. I don't think I could paint a snow scene. The pansies at the top are colder weather plants that provide an example of my problems keeping the paint brush steady and under control. The dark centers each took on a life of its own. Can I blame my shakes on the cold weather?

The Valley

Come walk with me through the valley. The mountains may be tackled later, but now is the time to rest and picnic in the bright meadow. This painting is a test of my newest paint colors as well as a practice of my use of washes, shading and glazing. A wash requires using paint thinned with water. Here I washed over wet canvas. Shading requires pushing colors around. I shaded varied values of color over wet washes. Glazing requires using a wash to paint over areas that have been painted previously. I glazed the surface after the wash dried. A glaze could be put over a wet wash. This step done over a wash on wet a canvas causes an unstretched canvas to curl up. I curled up for naps as I waited for the canvas to dry. Don't you think taking rests in the valley is a good plan?

Sunset

Summer camping trips featured many colorful sunsets. As the sun fills the sky with colors, I filled the page with colorful washes. My focus was on shading. I like the clouds, but am not sure I could recreate them. Can you smell the fresh air? Can you feel the light breeze. Go any marshmallows we could roast?

A Wash

That's all this is--a practice piece for washing. The shading happened naturally. I didn't do anything but paint the stripes on a wet canvas. The paint slid wherever it wanted to go. This hints at what happened as I played with washes. I ended up with boring landscapes. This was NOT to be a landscape. Oh Well. What else could it be? Does it have to BE anything?

Blue Hillsl

This marks a return to painting with washes and glazes. Wow, aren't you impressed by my new vocabulary. The purple hills were a glazed wash, but I thought they looked muddy. I used full strength paint which added the shimmer. I also practiced shading techniques but some of them got covered up by the purple paint. Do you think these hills might be alive with music?

Pinks

More flower play. I "took" myself off to free art lessons via web videos. Then I tried to practice what I saw demonstrated. I earned an F as my painting is a failure and is nowhere close to what the instructor was trying to show. But even if I did mess up my flowers, I like the results and will practice shading and highlighting some more. I will also attend remedial free web video lessons.

Oh Happy Day

Do you see all the folks celebrating a happy day? I painted this with abandon. I just let myself go and have fun. This is a reminder of why I'm painting. The joyfulness of getting to play restores my spirit and adds a sparkle to each day I get to play. The finished painting may be such a nothing, but the joy of creating it is such a something.

FanFare

This string painting began as a pair of snowflake prints. But as with several other snowflake projects, it failed. The snowflake flops provided a white background for the pink, red, and purple strings that I pulled between the two sheets of plastic. I was quite frustrated when pulled the pink string because of the problems I had had earlier with the snow flakes. The pink pull was a disaster. The red strings added some interest, but the purple strings added a point of interest. I almost didn't add the purple and was going to call the pair "Loverly". I like Fanfare much better. Can you hear the trumpets?

Inferno

Did you know I have a temper? The texture here has been created by a snowflake, which was to be more than simple texture. But as my plans quickly went awry, my temper flared. The light pinks soon turned in to warmer reds covered by thick textured swipes of purple. I hate it when a plan does not come together.

Happy 2009

I wanted to do a series of pieces with snow flakes. Those plans fell to pieces as none of the trials really worked very well. Here the "master" snowflake is glued to a green background. The white snow over the collage is my favorite part. I don't even like the snowflake, most of which has been covered by the purple. It was fun splattering on the white, so the whole experience wasn't a total bummer.

Forest Lawn

This is the last painting from 2008. It started with a nice orange wash over a rough texture (paper towels), but as I added the browns, the towels soaked up the new layer of paint and spread wherever and however it wanted to. The texture remains, but most of the orange vanished. I got slap happy as I dashed on the green and then merrily dotted in the pink. Who knows if pink flowers grow in a dark forest. But here they do. I doubt I'll be using much umber or sienna for a while