Abstract Art Blog

A Year of Making Art, Day 362: Four More Days

This morning I finished the top and bottom of Canvas #39 and spent the rest of the time on Canvas #40.  This is the first time I tried to paint a "culmination" series painting in blues instead of red, orange and yellow.  I mixed some shades of light blue, brilliant blue, and cobalt blue to fill in the lines I had drawn:

  Canvas #40  30" x 30"

Then I did a simple black-and-white sketch for the day's drawing:

  Drawing #369  9" x 12"

Now I've got to do the grocery shopping because Adrian is still wearing a boot cast and limping around.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 361: Five More Days to Go

April 15, 2008  Day 361

Since this is a leap year, I have five more days to go in order to finish my "year of making art."  It is great to know I will make it, because too many times in my life, I did not stick things through to the finish.  I always get restless and want to move on, perhaps as part of my bipolar disorder.

Today I finished painting Canvas #39 and did some work on Canvas #40:

  Canvas #39  30" x 30"

In my drawing, I made a frivolous, spring-like floral:

  Drawing #368  9" x 12"

It is definitely spring today.  The temperatures are only in the fifties, but daffodils and crocuses are out, all our neighbors are gardening like mad, and birdsong at dawn is a cacophony.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 360: Culmination Series

April 14, 2008  Day 360

Today I worked on Canvas #39, drawing and filling in circles, and then additional lines that I will fill in tomorrow. I am working on a series of Culmination paintings, attempting to capture that sense of bubbling up and exploding that was in the original:

  Canvas #39  30" x 30"

  Original CULMINATION  48" x 48"

I also worked on several more backgrounds today, for three canvases that will follow the culmination tradition, but in blues rather than red, orange and yellow.  I'm not sure if it will work as well, but if not, it will be something different.  I'll find out as I paint.

In my drawing today, I began with brown lines, gradually building up a strong center that flies out to the edges.

  Drawing #367  9" x 12"

Then I had to get my teeth cleaned, which I hate.  Does everyone feel that way?

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

   

A Year of Making Art, Day 359: A Final Attempt on Canvas #37

April 13, 2008  Day 359

When I looked at Canvas #37 again this morning (see previous post), I decided there was too much contrast around the edges of the large circles in the perimeter of the painting.  I began to fill in these areas with the orange I had mixed yesterday.  Then I covered over the circles completely with the orange to tone them down.  After that, I began working with the lighter orange, again toning everything down in the next group of circles.  After that, I refilled all the small leaf-like spaces, beginning with a pale yellow and working my way to red around the edges.  This pretty much took all morning, but I was finally satisfied:

  Canvas #37, 40" x 40"

I ran out of 14" x 11" paper, and opened up a 9" x 12" pad in which I found an old drawing with no date on it.  I loved its sense of playfulness, and tried to get that same effect in my new one.  The old one was made with mixed media, including ball-point pen and pencil, which gave it a lot more interesting set of textures.  Here's the old one:

  Found Drawing  9" x 12"

Here's my new one:

  Drawing #366  9" x 12"

After that, Blixy and the kids came over and we went for a great walk in the woods.  It was brisk, but mostly sunny after a bit of rain and snow flurries this morning.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 358: Fixing Canvas #37

April 12, 2008  Day 358

This morning I tried to "fix" canvas #37.  I mixed a yellow, an orange-yellow and an orange-red wash (diluted with water and gloss medium), and wove bands of color around the circular shapes, filling in all of the pale background.  When I got done, I liked the painting much better, but there is still something bothersome about it.

  Canvas #37  40" x 40"

In my drawing today I focused on blues and purples, with fine black lines for detail and a slash of yellow for highlighting:

  Drawing #365  11" x 14"

Adrian and I went out to check on Laura and Jim's house again.  They will be moving here permanently next week, and I am looking forward to that.  The house looks great, and there were no open doors or windows this time (see previous posts).  Almost all the renovation work is complete.

Adrian was wearing his boot cast for his Achilles' tendon, and I thought we might take a walk in the park, but he said it was irritating him, so we went straight home.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 357: Taking a Break with Sharapova

April 11, 2008  Day 357

Today I spent all morning finishing Canvas #38:

  Canvas #38  44" x 44"

Later I made a drawing in reds, which seemed a bit too contained:

  Drawing #364  14" x 11"

I took a break in the middle of the day to watch Sharapova win the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb tennis championships.  I yearn to get out on the courts myself, and hope that sister Laura will be up for that when she finally moves here next week.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 356: I Throw Away a Bad Drawing

April 10, 2008  Day 356

Today I filled in the lines I'd drawn on Canvas #37, but after all that work, I didn't like the results:

  Canvas #37  40" x 40"

Then I went to my ophthalmologist's office to get "computer glasses."  Lately I've noticed I have to bend my head back in order to see through the middle part of my glasses, which has the prescription for seeing at that distance.  New glasses which have the computer prescription all the way to the top should help ease this strain.

The first drawing I worked on today was so bad that I'm throwing it away.  After that, I did a quick whimsical piece--the opposite of the tedious one I'd been working on:

  Drawing #363 14" x 11"

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 355: A Real Spring Walk

April 9, 2008  Day 355

Today I continued work on Canvas #38, adding some colors with my palette knife and brush, and then drawing lines in red, blue, brown and white.  Unfortunately, I did not photograph this step in the process.

My neighbor and I took our first real spring walk--there was absolutely no snow or ice anywhere!

I didn't get around to my drawing until late, working with browns, tans and a little black:

  Drawing #362  14" x 11

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 354: Tired of Wave Drawings

April 8, 2008 Day 354

I had enough wave drawings (see previous posts).  Today I made a red-green-blue-yellow design with calligraphy pens.  It was very soothing to work on:

  Drawing #361  14" x 11"

After that I worked on canvas #36 and #37.  Here are the two steps, with more work to follow:

  Canvas #36  44" x 44"

  Canvas #37 40" x 40"

Tonight is our bipolar support group meeting, and I'm glad I don't have to facilitate this time.  I always feel I am either two rigid or not rigid enough in enforcing timing rules.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 353: Working Overall

April 7, 2008  Day 253

I just couldn't give up on wave drawings (see previous post), so I tried another one today.  Putting in the details took a while, and then I felt it didn't have enough focus, and added some stronger lines.  Here it is when I quit working on it:

  Drawing #360  14" x 11"

I did some more work on canvas #38 today, working overall with a brush, water, and colors straight from the tube:

  Canvas #38  44" x 44"

And that was it for the day.

(Note: There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)