Exploring Art Techniques

"Summer River"
12" x 9"
acrylic on Wallis paper

Breaking away, exploring, experimenting, testing the waters of the strange and unusual -- sounds more like science fiction than art!

Last weekend I dedicated 2 whole days (almost) to working on some methods I had been thinking of for some time now. I wanted to combine the lush sensibilities of working on paper but with more "umph," shall we say?

I used some Japanese nujabi watercolor paper at about 185 lbs. and also had some Wallis archival sanded paper (200 lbs. also), which is meant for pastel work. Because of their heft and toughness, I felt I could truly abuse the surfaces more than usual.

"Summer River" is an example of working with acrylics, lots (!) of water and sprayed rubbing alcohol (just a bit), and continual layers of paint worked into the surface while still wet and dripping.

The acrylics seemed to love this sanded surface, although the brushes took a beating -- I learned that quickly and switched to old, stubby things just laying around.

This next painting -- "Grey Wetlands" -- was worked on nujabi paper, a handmade Japanese watercolor paper with beautiful deckled edges on all 4 sides. This I worked more thickly with less water and more opaque colors, but also using the spray method to obtain a less rigid appearance.

"Grey Wetlands"
16 x 12
acrylic on nujabi watercolor paper

On both these and other works (see my gallery "Coastlines & Waterscapes"), my vision was to achieve that hazy appearance one finds at the beach in summer when the heat drops a veil over the atmosphere and a lovely drowsiness descends, letting us drift into a state of reverie so difficult to find in the everyday world.

Did it work . . . ? I like to think so!

Art Blahs . . .

Reaching towards the Sun
11" x 9"
Mixed Media on Fabriano Watercolor Paper

We are now into our second week of (almost) non-stop rain. Has the East Coast switched with the Northwest Coast? I had to post this painting as I had painted it a few weeks ago when we were in the midst of an early summer heat wave -- hard to believe!

These were some early irises in my garden, tall and sweeping yet delicate. They only last about 10 days before fading away. I so wanted to "capture" them and now with all this rain and cold I am so glad I did!

Although this painting may be a bit too PINK, I am happy with the fluidity and looseness of it all, which was what I was striving for, combining the watercolors with wax and oil pastels. I had been viewing an excellent DVD by the British artist Shirley Trevena and was impressed with her experimental attitude towards watercolor and other media. It certainly made me think differently about florals, still life, etc.

And now I've added myself to an art challenge by Vivian Blackburn -- this one is about trees. I love trees and have been fascinated by their myriad shapes and textures, their colors and ability to sustain other life forms. Hopefully I'll be able to add some interesting work to the challenge!

Evoking the Intangible in Art

Curve of the Wind
8.5" x 11"
watercolor, wax, oil pastel & pastel

How do we evoke the intangible in art, in painting or drawing, in oils or watercolor? How do we capture an emotion, such as yearning or despair? Art is such a silent language. It seems simpler in writing or poetry, even in music. I realize I'm simplifying drastically, but still . . .

With this watercolor/mixed media painting, I was consciously going for that free-spirited thing -- outside the window early summer had erupted and I believe the season persuaded my choice of colors and of the large, scrawled curving lines and marks. How could it not?

I was experimenting with the use of wax crayons and oil pastels, as well as soft pastels in combination with the watecolors, beforehand and while wet.

It was difficult to "control" what was occuring, but that was my intent -- to allow the materials and mediums to show me the way, to guide me and surprise me.

This painting is truly a celebration of the season:

Warm summer breezes
whip my hair
the colors of birdsong spin
through the trees

Rainy Art Day

"Burst of Sunflowers"

11" x 9"
watercolor, oil pastel and pastel

I thought this watercolor painting of sunflowers would brighten things up a bit here in blogland -- so much energy and color! It's been raining here in New England, on and off, for weeks now. 2 or 3 days of sun and warmth, then a week of clouds, wet and cold. Everyone is wondering where summer is. Hard to believe Summer Solstice is only 2 weeks away.

This painting, also a watercolor with oil pastel marks, is probably more indicative of our current weather situation, although I envisioned it as a night scene in the dunes --

"Moon Walk in the Dunes"

10.75" x 10.75"
watercolor, oil pastel

It's interesting how the use of color can either be reflective of our mood, the environment/weather or can convey, without a word, these sensibilities.

Art is truly the silent language among peoples and across time. I liken it to poetry and especially haiku. Laden with potency in such a small space on a blank paper or canvas. Nuances must be traced and interpreted slowly, with care.

At least sometimes -- when viewing the Sunflowers above, I'm sure the response time is much quicker and immediate, mainly because of the color. It's bodacious and bold. It must be because a sunflower's life is short but potent, filled with hundreds of seeds soaking up that sunlight.

While sand dunes are quiet. They slumber by the sea, inviting slow walks and soft caresses behind sea grass, especially if those walks are taken with a partner at night! So these colors are muted with open spaces interspersed throughout the painting, places for the eye to rest, just like those lovers.

Ah, I wax poetic! I wonder if I could write an haiku about these two artworks? I'll be back . . . !

A New Slant in Artwork

"Observers"

11" x 9.75" on paper
mixed media

Sometimes we just need to move away from the familiar and explore another path, use another medium, a different tool just to shake things up a bit.

I've tried working abstractly in the past but mainly in oils on canvas. Somehow it never truly seemed to work, to feel good.

So this time I pulled out the acrylics, oil pastels and pastels and watercolor papers in the hopes that I could move past that sense of holding back, of trying to be "a serious painter."

I worked on about 6 or 7 paintings that day, all on paper and all some form of mixed media. I found myself losing my sense of time. Before I knew it, it was late afternoon. I went upstairs and had some coffee on the deck, then went back to look at what I had scattered throughout the studio space.

I liked it. Some were funky pieces of just java mugs and teapots with attitudes; some were bursts of summer flowers from shots of my garden last year. This particular one stood out as different and where it came from, I couldn't tell you.

I've always been fascinated by works of the abstracted figure or nude, from Matisse's odalisques to David Hockney's earlier paintings. But if I tried to do a portrait, I usually ended up frustrated.

Maybe I've turned a corner here . . . who knows? But I know one thing: that working freely with the acrylics, watercolors and pastels on large and lovely pieces of paper seemed to allow me the freedom to loosen up, to throw caution to the wind.

I liked that feeling. I must remember that.