Abstract Art Blog

Revisiting Two Paintings

Last year I had painted two mostly green canvases, each 24" x 24".  At the time they seemed as finished as I could make them, but their images continued to haunt me.  I am not used to painting in this small size, and often have difficulty coming up with something that works for it.

Recently I got them both out and decided to have some fun with them.  Here are the originals:

Choose Life One, 24" x 24"

  Choose Life Two, 24" x 24"

Here is how they look after I revisted them:

  Choose Life One, 24" x 24"

  Choose Life Two, 24" x 24"

Painting a Series

In my last group of paintings I worked on a series which began with one painting called Culmination.  In the series, I used a similar method of preparing the backgrounds, then drawing circles and filling them in, and finally drawing a leaf pattern and filling it in.  Each layer is somewhat transluscent, allowing the previous layers to show through:

  Canvas #42 40" x 40"

  Canvas #41  44" x 44"

  Patchouli 30" x 30"

  Earth Songs  40" x 40"

I had to go back several times and change the shade of color I used in each of these, until I felt the blend was right. 

A Year of Making Art, Day 366: The Final Day

April 20, 2008  Day 366

I have completed my project:  I made a drawing a day for an entire year!

What have I learned from this year?  First, that I shouldn't necessarily jump full speed into every project I think of.  Second, that I do have enough fortitude to carry out a long-term commitment like this.  Third, it is better to write a blog when you have something to say rather than filling space every day just to do it.

As a bonus, I now have 373 new drawings.  While many are so-so, I think there are a good number that I can be proud of.  Some day I might even add them to my website (another huge project).

Today's drawing is celebratory:

  Drawing #373  9" x 12"

I also painted today, finishing Canvas #41, though I may go back and change a color or two:

  Canvas #41  44" x 44"

I plan to keep writing this blog, but two or three times a week instead of every day.  Thanks to those of you who stayed with me through this year and gave me encouragement along the 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 365: One More Day

April 19, 2008  Day 365

Last night my sister Laura and her husband, Jim, arrived in Ithaca permanently.  A moving van loaded everything from their house in Kansas City last week and will deliver it this Monday.  I still can't believe I'm lucky enough to get my sister to move to the town I live in.  With families spread all over the continent and further these days, those of us who can live near each other are very fortunate.

This morning I finished Canvas #42 by filling in all the lines I'd drawn yesterday.  I may still decide to change one or two of the colors, but I am basically pleased with it:

  Canvas #42  40" x 40"

After that, I made my drawing in browns and tans.  I finished with a black brush pen, and a few strokes of yellow.

  Drawing #372  9" x 12"

(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 364: Two More Days

April 18, 2008  Day 364

This morning I got up at 6:30 a.m. because Blixy was coming at 7:00 to drop off Mike and Rachel.  They have no school this week.

After breakfast, Rachel and I helped Mike put up the badminton net, and then we played for an hour.  I was wiped out then and suggested a table game next.  We did, and then moved on to ping-pong.  Then another table game, and Dance Dance Revolution.  After lunch we visited the Museum of the Earth, which did not have their air-conditioning on.  It is in the 80s today, and the museum was so stuffy that we didn't stay long.

After having an iced-chocolate drink, Mike and Rachel played computer games while I got my work done.  Today's drawing was an experiment, where I first made all the short pen strokes in reds and oranges, and then began to shape it.

  Drawing #371  9" x 12"

After that, Blixy arrived and we played some more badminton before dinner.

(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 363: Three More Days

April 17, 2008  Day 363

I have no idea why I woke up in a bad mod this morning, but a sense of foreboding and self-pity has tainted everything I've done.  Instead of having compassion and patience with Adrian's foibles, I reacted as if he were weaving a noose around my neck.

So what if there were spots of dried red cherries all over the kitchen floor when we got up this morning?  Cleaning it up only took ten minutes.

At least I weaseled my way out of going to the doctor's office with Adrian this morning, and it only cost me a bucket of guilt.  "You should have gone with me," he said when he got back.  "I forgot everything."

Adrian always gets the brunt of my bad moods.  Who else will put up with them?

I worked on two canvases this morning, continuing my "culmination" series in blues:

  Canvas #41  44" x 44"

  Canvas #42  40" x 40"

In my drawing, I began with browns, adding black and tan.  I started with calligaphy pens and added lines with a fine point black pen for texture. 

  Drawing #370  9" x 12"

(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 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.)

A Year of Making Art, Day 352: The Second Time Is Harder

April 6, 2008  Day 352

I liked my wave drawing from yesterday (see previous post), and tried to do another one today.  Often, the second time I do something doesn't quite turn out as well as the first time, when it happens spontaneously.  I had to work a lot harder on this one to get it to the point where I consider it finished.

  Drawing #359   14" x 11"

Then I continued work on the backgrounds for three paintings.  Here's a sample:

  Canvas #37  40" x 40"

After that I began to hang art around the studio now that my new wall is finished.  I am not a very good curator--I have to try every combination before I can figure out which paintings work or don't work together.  In addition, since I had to limit the size in most places, I couldn't simply pick any painting I wanted to.  Most of my canvases are too large to fit in the spaces available. 

I ended my day with food shopping, a chore Adrian usually does for me.  Now that he's incapacitated, I'm beginning to appreciate just how much he did before.

(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 334: Painting vs. Drawing

March 19, 2008  Day 334

I struggled with today's drawing, but I've gone about as far as I can with it:

  Drawing #341  14" x 11"

I think it is easier to "fix" a painting on canvas than a drawing on paper.  Eventually, the paper you draw on can't take any more, and you can't really cover up your mistakes completely the way you can with paint.  You can't scrape it or wash it off, either.  So what you have to do is turn the drawing into something else, but while utilizing what you already have.  That's a greater challenge, I think, although it could be that I'm simply more used to painting than drawing.

I got another call from an artist looking for advice on marketing her art.  There seems to be much more concensus on how to succeed in the other arts than in visual art.  Not that it's any easier to accomplish a successful career in music, dance, or literature, but the paths seem to be clearer.  If you get an MFA in fine art and become an academic, then I think things might be more straightforward.  You present yourself in terms of what the academic curator wants to see, and try to build a reputation through exhibitions and gallery representation.

That, at least, is what I imagine an academic artist does.  I am not one of them.  For the rest of us, it is not clear how to proceed.  Or perhaps there are so many options, and so little time, that it becomes confusing.

So what is my advice to young artists?  Follow your strengths.  Try several paths.  Go with what seems to be working.  Take opportunities that come along.  Learn from what you see others doing.  Be persistent.

Every city must have at least one artists' organization.  Join it and talk to people.  Join online artists' organizations and talk to people.  I've gotten a lot of good advice over the years from artists I've met through the internet.  By sharing, we don't diminish ourselves.

(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 331: Visiting Local Galleries

March 16, 2008  Day 331

Yesterday afternoon we went to some local art galleries.  We enjoyed the annual juried photo show at the State of the Art Gallery.  Laura's husband, Jim Kirsner, is a photographer, so he was interested in the variety of techniques displayed.

Next we went to Belle Melange, a relatively new gallery in Ithaca.  There we were impressed with works by Mary Shelley and Kim Schrag.  Kim is an abstract artist who paints in intense colors, so naturally I was attracted to her work.  Fernando Llosa, another favorite, was also exhibiting at Belle Melange.

Today is a Sunday, so we slept in and I got a late start.  That's fine, because I've been too tense lately and need to slow down.  In my drawing this morning I started with black, but soon moved freely into more color:

Drawing #338  14" x 11"

Tomorrow I am shipping the original painting of "I Fancy":

  I Fancy 40" x 40"

(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 306: Tackling the Problem Canvas Yet Again

February 19, 2008  Day 306

I finally received my new drawing pads from Jerry's Artarama.  I used the 9 x 12 size for this one:

  Drawing #312  12" x 9"

Then I tackled Canvas #34 yet again, changing the yellow to lime green, and the alizarin crimson to a red/orange:

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

Last night we had our art marketing group meeting, and it was helpful to hear everyone's plans and hopes for this year.  Several people mentioned re-envisioning their work and how they present it to their clients.  One artist mentioned finding a narrower focus rather than working all over the board.  Still another found a way to bring his work in various media and styles under one umbrella by focusing on a  particular subject matter. 

(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 303: Better, Then Worse

February 16, 2008  Day 303

In this morning's drawing I used mostly calligraphy pens in browns and tans, filling in some spaces at the end with brush pens.

  Drawing #309  14" x 11"

After that I filled in the shapes I'd drawn on Canvas #34, starting with a dark purple in the center and working my way out to a lighter transparent blue around the edges.  At first the painting started to look a lot better, but by the time I'd filled in everything, it did not.  I'll tackle that problem tomorrow.

Canvas #34  48" x 48"

It is cold but sunny today, and Laura and I just had a brisk walk.  Jim drove all the way from Kansas City last night and arrived around 8 a.m. this morning.  They have found a small apartment to rent in Collegetown until their house is ready, so they'll be moving out tomorrow.  It was great having Laura here all this time, but better for all of us if we have our own space.

(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 302: No Peaceful Space

February 15, 2008  Day 302

I had trouble falling asleep last night and could not find a peaceful space in my head today.  One thing that didn't help was my new Imac freezing up on me.  That was scary, but after fooling with it, I realized the problem was with the mouse.  It turned out that it just needed new batteries, but I had thought that couldn't possibly be the problem since I hadn't had it that long.  So I wasted a call to Apple tech help.

With lots of interruptions, my drawing finally got done:

Drawing #308  14" x 11"

Then I tried to figure out what to do with Canvas #34, but I'm afraid my choice is just making it worse:

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

I did sell two paintings today, and that's always good for my mood:

Blue City, 36" x 36"

  Dancing In The Fire, 40"  x 30"

(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 301: From Loose to Sloppy

I attempted to be "loose" in today's drawing, but sometimes that translates into "sloppy," which I think may be the case here:

  Drawing #307  14" x 11"

Next I tackled Canvas #34, and I think I may have made things worse:

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

We are finally getting a little sun today, and I'm looking forward to a walk in the woods with my neighbor.  The trails will probably be a bit treacherous with the snow, sleet and freezing rain stopped with more snow we've had over the last few days, but we'll survive.

(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 300: Spider Phobia

February 13, 2008  Day 300

Today I used the wide tip of my Zig calligraphy pens to make criss-crossing lines across the surface of the paper.  Then I created a denser central area with finer lines and circles, finally adding texture and filling in some spaces for emphasis.

  Drawing #306  14" x 11"

Next I had to tackle Canvas #34, which was problematic because of the dark blue background.  I drew a few organic shapes in Alizarin Crimson, and then filled them in with a mixture of Alizarin Crimson, deep red, and gloss medium.  Now what do I do after this?

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

My studio is used to capacity, but we have a huge basement that I avoid because of all the big ugly wolf spiders that live there.  This week we have a contractor filling in all the cracks between the floor and the wall (the spider's favorite hiding place).  Adrian is sorting through everything and took a huge carload to the Salvation Army and the dump.  The contractor built shelves to hold my stretchers and rolled canvases on one wall.  So maybe I'll feel comfortable enough to use this space in the future.

Warm weather will be the final test.  I've had a spider phobia all my life.

(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 299: Door Locked, Building Closed

February 12, 2008  Day 299

This morning I started with brown and tan calligraphy pens, adding fine black lines for texture and then finishing with a dark brown.

Drawing #305  14" x 11"

After that, I had to complete the top and bottom edges of Canvas #34 (see previous post).  Still, I don't now what I will do with it next.

Our bipolar support group meeting last night was canceled due to a storm.  I know a lot of people are going to miss it, including one new person I wasn't able to reach with the information.  There's nothing worse than finally getting up the nerve to go to a meeting and then finding the door locked and the building closed when you get there.

(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 298: Following a Myth

February 11, 2008  Day 298

I covered the whole sheet of paper in today's drawing, using the full gamut of color in loosely drawn lines made with calligraphy pens.  Then it needed toning down, so I added some bold lines with dark brown, gray and black.  I'm not completely happy with the result, but it is at least bold:

  Drawing #308  14" x 11"

Looking at Canvas #34 again, I didn't like the pale blue organic shapes sitting by themselves in the amorphous background, so I painted in the background with a darker blue.  Now I may be stuck.  What can I possibly do with this painting next?

Canvas #34  48" x 48"

Later Laura looked up the author of Never Cry Wolf (see previous post), and we discovered that the story may have been mostly fiction.  The romantic idea of this man's bold adventure living among wolves in the freezing tundra for over a year was dashed.  Adrian had been following a myth, not a reality. 

Does it matter?

(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 297: Never Cry Wolf

February 10, 2008  Day 297

Today was a day for blues in my drawing and painting:

  Drawing #303  11" x 14"

The painting is at an early stage:

  Canvas #34  48" x 48"

When Adrian came back from his walk through the woods with Roxy, Laura said I'd better see if he needs help because his pants looked bloody.  Well, he had fallen in the woods and when I helped him get his boot off, it was full of blood, which spilled and splashed.  He wanted to use bath towels to stand on and clean up with, but the thought of bloody towels  did not appeal to me, so I used paper towels, wrapping them around his leg so he could make it to the bathroom without trailing blood behind him.

A few minutes later, I checked on him in the bathroom, which was now covered in blood.  He wanted to use regular band aids to stop the bleeding, but I put on gauze packs and tape, with Bacitracin to prevent an infection.  He's resting now.

Because Adrian's skin is so thin (he's 81 years old) and he takes anti-stroke and blood-pressure medication, he bleeds easily and profusely.  Combine that with his indefatigable determination to hike in the woods with Roxy for hours at a time, and you are bound to have a bloody mess occasionally.  The good news is that he heals fast.

Last night we watched Never Cry Wolf, a movie about a scientist studying wolves in the Arctic tundra by living among them, and Adrian said he was inspired by the lead character.

(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 296: A Resolution and Peace

February 9, 2008  Day 296

Today I feel much better (see previous post).  After I broke down crying, Adrian and I had a good talk, and he agreed with me about the necessity of my having some peaceful time in the studio, and keeping our "stuff" separate.  It will take some work, but at least we agree on the goal.

In this morning's drawing I started with a brown calligraphy pen, adding black, then some tans: 

  Drawing #302  11" x 14"

Then I completed Canvas #35, filling in the rest of the spaces I'd drawn with brown and dark-brown paint:

Canvas #35 48" x 48"

I finally solved the proportional problem I was having when uploading images to this blog.  By saving them in Photoshop's "web" option as a GIF file, everything worked fine.  So now my square paintings will look square again.

(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 294: Black and Yellow

February 7, 2008 Day 294

Today I used a black calligraphy brush pen to draw with, adding a slice of bright yellow at the end:

Drawing #300 11" x 14"

After that I filled in two more browns on Canvas #35:

Canvas #35 48" x 48"

This afternoon I have to pick up Mike and Rachel from school and take them to the orthodontist. Blixy is out of town, but will be back to pick them up after dinner.

(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 293: Drawing Edge-to-Edge

February 6, 2008 Day 293

In today's drawing I went edge-to-edge, filling the space with red-blue-green-yellow and then adding brown later. The last step was to fill in some spaces with brush pens:

Drawing #299 14" x 11"

After that I worked on Canvas #35, filling in some of the yellow and tan spaces:

Canvas #35 48" x 48"

We were promised freezing rain today, but at three p.m. my neighbor called and asked if I wanted to go for a walk in the woods since it wasn't raining at the moment. There was still ice on many of the trails, and we had to cross a raging brook twice. We came back with feet wet up to the ankles, but it was worth it.

(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 292: Sapsucker Woods: Swampy and Beautiful

February 5, 2008 Day 292

I've been very frustrated with Typepad since I started entering posts from my Imac. I wonder if it's the new computer, or Typepad that is the problem? When I insert a square image, Typepad changes it to a horizontal image. Even when I change the number of pixels in the html to correct it, the enlarged image does not come out correctly. Help!

In today's drawing I used a black calligraphy brush pen, a blue calligraphy pen, and a fine point black pen:

Drawing #298 11" x 14"

Then I finished Canvas #33, filling in the last two yellows on the top and bottom rows:

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

In the afternoon Laura and I took a short walk at Supsucker Woods, which is part of Cornell's Ornithology Lab. It was swampy and beautiful, with a light crust of ice in places. Most everything has melted here since the temperature reached 50 today.

(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 291: A Painstaking Process

February 4, 2008 Day 291

For today's drawing I used blue and purple calligraphy pens:

Drawing #297 11" x 14"

Then I worked on Canvas #33, filling in some of the shapes I had drawn. This is a slow, painstaking process, so I still have two colors to go before the painting is finished:

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

(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 288: Dealing with the Business End of Art

February 1, 2008 Day 288

Eric arrived last night from Baltimore, so we were up late snacking and catching up. During the night we had a storm of sleet, snow and rain, which left everything pretty messy this morning.

I used calligraphy pens from yellow to chocolate brown in this morning's drawing:

Drawing #294 11" x 14"

Then I did some work on Canvas #33, first mixing seven cups of colors ranging from yellow to dark brown. I filled in two of the browns, carefully painting with a small-tipped brush.

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

Eric has a business in the Baltimore area, and he showed me the Quickbooks program he uses for of his business bookkeeping. Sister Laura and Blixy have been telling me I need to get a better system for my art business, and I think this might be a good one. I tend to let that stuff go until I absolutely have to deal with it.

(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 286: Ice on the Trails

January 30, 2008 Day 286

In this morning's drawing I used brown and black calligraphy pens and a calligraphy brush pen:

Drawing #292 11" x 14"

Then I worked on Canvas #33, "drawing" the lines directly from tubes of paint with a cap attached (like decorating a cake):

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

In the afternoon I took a brisk walk in the woods with my neighbor. In spite of the sun being out, it was quite cold and there was still a lot of ice on the trails.

(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 285: Post-Holiday Consumer Exhaustion?

January 29, 2008 Day 285

In this morning's drawing I started out with a simple sketch in dark brown, which I liked. However, it seemed too simple, so I kept going, adding more lines and colors, and finally filling in some spaces with a dark brown brush pen:

Drawing #291 14" x 11"

After that I finished the background on Canvas #34 and took the next steps on Canvas #33 and #35:

Canvas #34 48" x 48"

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

Canvas #35 48" x 48"

January has been a slow month for my art business, and I'm wondering if the stock market crash and housing crash are the causes? Or if it is just post-holiday consumer exhaustion? In addition to some prints, however, I did sell two originals:

Yin Yang Block, 18" x 24"

Sleight of Mind Three 60" x 56"

(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 284: Applying Paint with a Palette Knife

January 28, 2008 Day 284

I used calligraphy pens from yellow to brown to create this light, airy drawing:

Drawing #290 14" x 11"

Next, I worked on Canvas #33, applying paint with a palette knife. This step will have to dry before I can go further:

Canvas #33 44" x 44"

Then I started the background for Canvas #34:

Canvas #34 48" x 48"

Mike and Rachel are here now. Rachel is playing an alternate reality game on the computer while Mike finishes his homework. Then we'll play ping-pong and Dance Dance Revolution.

(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 283: Neko Case Concert

January 27, 2008 Day 283

This morning I had trouble with a new Zig metallic calligraphy paint pen. I just wanted to try these pens to see what they did, but the ink must have been dried out. A bummer when the set is brand new. There is a little touch of pale blue where I tried to get the pen to work. Then I switched to a black calligraphy pen, and finished with yellow, plus a fine point black pen.

Drawing #289 14" x 11"

Then I worked on the background of Canvas #35: