These are a few of my new paintings. I keep trying new things and new color combinations. I am usually pretty happy with my work, but I continue to strive to do better and to express more in my work. I continue to read books and watch videos in an effort to learn more about how to expand my technique knowlege and then put it on paper.

Well, this is the end of my blog for the week. I will hopefully be able to finish a couple of paintings that I have started while I am home this weekend and can bring them to work next week to scan. Wish me luck.

Have a great weekend.

Evolving

Crumbling

Black and Gray and Red All Over

Keep On Trying

Gelatin Monoprint Process

I love getting and reading Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors. Although I don't do much quilting, I love to read the magazines and dream of making something at some point when I have a place large enough to put out my paints and sewing machine. But back to the purpose of this blog...The front of the August/September 2009 Quilting Arts Magazine has an absolutely amazing quilt on the front. The article on the process starts on page 14. It is written by Frances Holliday Alford. In the process she uses gelatin molds to make monoprints on cloth which she then free motion quilts. The paint is put on the round gelatin molds and the cloth is put over the mold and she uses a brayer to spread the paint. The rest is magic and her great sense of style in making an art quilt. I read the article and thought that this same idea might work to make an abstract piece of art. It would work best with smaller sized pieces like my current size of work, 9 inches x 12 inches and 11 inches x 14 inches. So, I went out and bought some cookie sheets and some gelatin. This weekend I am going to begin the process of creating some new artwork. We will see how it comes out. I personally think it will be amazing.

The pieces should look a bit like the pieces I am currently making that I call Acrylic Watercolors. With them I spray the watercolor paper with an acrylic medium and tension breaker mixed with water. I then drop fluid acrylic paints onto the paper and spray more water to move the paint around even more. The result is often times more magical then planned out. The colors are dropped where I want, but the mixing is just magic. What I was originally trying to create was marbled paintings. My acrylic watercolor is what I got. Magic. LOL I will upload some of those pieces for everyone to see as well.

I am also learning more and more each day about the texture of paint I should use with each of my creations. I use structure or heavy gels for a lot of my work. I am finding though that some things I want to turn out a certain way require fluid acrylics, much less structure. I started working on some new pieces last night. I am still working on the last of my green paintings, but last night I was in the mood to start something new using fluid acrylics instead of structured acrylic. This time around it looks like violets and lavenders and purples will be my primary choice of colors. I don't know what other colors will be used except a buff color. That for sure will be used somewhere. I used it to mix in with the violets I used last night to change the shades and tones. So, the buff will be added somewhere in the painting.

You will see as this blog progresses that I don't know the exact terms for what I am trying to do with the shades and tones and hues of colors. I need to read up more on those terms so that I get them right.

Okay, I am going to stop for today. I don't work on Wednesday so I won't be writing tomorrow...not that anyone is reading this, but I will put more artwork up on Thursday when I return to work. I am thinking about opening an Etsy account to possibly sell some of my artwork. Well...try to sell some of my artwork. We will see. This whole process is a learning one.

Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend. We saw the Harry Potter movie & it was very good. Everything is winding down to the final movies. I heard from my daughter that the last book will actually be made into two movies.

I also went to church with my daughter & her fiance. This is the church that they will be married in this October. My daughter is doing all of the wedding planning & she just comes to me for money. Of course, she is 29 years old so I figure she knows what she wants & her matron of honor is helping her too. So...it is about 11 weeks till the big day.

The rest of my weekend was spent painting and watching a lot of DVRed things. There was a show on the History Channel that was really good. It was called Life After People. The season is over, but I hope they show another group of shows next season. It is amazing what they can do with computer graphics. In just a few years most of the buildings & towns would be so overgrown & in several hundred years there would be almost no trace we were ever here. I recommend that everyone watch the shows when they are shown again. Very interesting.

I am still kind of stuck in the green phase of my paintings. I am going to try something different though starting tonight. Color wise I mean. As of yet though, I don't know what colors I am going with. I have a few finishing touches to do on about 5 paintings that I have started & haven't finished yet. Sometimes inspiration is slow in coming. : )

I finished scanning my paintings to my computer on Friday. I will add more of the paintings to this blog, maybe tomorrow. Today, I have to get back to work.

Scanned Paintings

Going Green 1

Going Green 2

Above are two paintings that I finished last week. They are a first in a series of green paintings that I am doing. I use Matisse-Derivan acrylic paints from Australia & you buy them at Jerrysartarama.com. I love these paints. My detailing is not in the same colors all the way through, but the greens, browns, yellow (yes-yellow is used to get some of the different shades of green & brown) & white (also used in the green & brown colors) are all the same. I am working on a series of green, brown, & white paintings. I have three at home that I am working on that should be done shortly.

Well, this is my first art posting on this site. I hope that anyone who might see my work enjoys it.

Bummer

Well, I tried to get some of my artwork put on a website for abstract artists. It is a site where you agree to post 4 pieces of artwork each week. They said that my artwork had promise, but I needed more seasoning. Exactly what that means I don't know. In this case, to me, it said my work wasn't exactly what they wanted. They told me to try again sometime. Since I am not going to school & have been painting for about three years, I don't know when I will be more seasoned. I guess it will have to be more years down the road with more inspiration in my artwork. I guess as an aspiring artist, rejections are part of the process. There will be other chances down the road & I will "keep on trying" as the Poco song says.

And So I Begin

This is my third attempt at having a blog. I have such a hard time posting every day because I really don't know what to say. My blog will primarily be a place to display my work and possibly find a following for my type of abstract art.

The majority of my paintings are on paper and are not large, 9" X 12" or 11" x 14", but I occasionally try something larger. It is much easier to scan smaller paintings though. I just don't have the right light or the right digital camera set up to take good quality pictures of larger paintings. A friend of mine did take some pictures for me, but he is a professional wedding photographer & while the quality of the pictures is excellent, he didn't have the right set up or lighting for paintings. So, I go with the scanning.

So, my blogs might not be too wordy. I will try to describe my process and we will see where this adventure will lead. Posting everyday will probably not happen, but I will try to keep the artwork coming.