A Glowing Summer of Art

The summer has passed quickly and by the look of my postings, it seems I have not been working very hard. This is only an illusion. I've worked hard and played hard. This 18x24 inch abstract mixed-media painting is one of a pair in a series I call my Glow Series that was created this summer. I call it glow because there is a reflective sheen in the design. Photography doesn't show it off well, but a layer of foil creates a surface that bounces light in a delightful manner. Reproductions of this work are available here. Please contact me at smallimpressions@hotmail.com if you are interested in purchasing the original or check out my "available" tab at the top of the page. I will post more of the work I have developed this summer, so please stay tuned.

Rabbit Convention

A rabbit convention took place recently in my studio.  Pets and wild rabbits from the neighborhood all came together in my mind and started rambling their way toward my canvases.  This little bunny is the most recent to complete his stay.  He was created with oil paints on a 6x8 inch canvas.  You can find him hiding here with some of my other animal paintings at my Etsy Shop.  If you miss him, reproductions are available here at my website in a variety of sizes on paper or canvas.  You can even get him framed and ready to hang.

Rotation Distraction Abstraction

The first rainstorm of the fall season hit hard today.  Pouring rain, fog, and a dismal sky have coerced my thought patterns away from landscape paintings to the confines of my studio.  As I tried to get myself moving, I found this colorful abstract I created a few weeks ago.  The bright colors, the movement and the textures are motivating me into a expressive world of abstraction.  The original mixed media painting was created on a 12x12 inch square format canvas.  It can be purchased by contacting me from my website or as a reproduction up to size 36x36.  Now I'm back to the studio to create some more abstract circles paintings.

Autumn Abstract Landscape

The autumn season has arrived.  Sunshine and cool temperatures make September one of my favorite months.  Strolling along a country road, noticing the changing colors of the vegetation, and feeling good was the inspiration for this square format landscape painting.  It was created with oil paints on a square canvas.  Although the original was a 12x12 inch canvas, reproductions up to 36x36 are available from my website.  I hope you will stop by for a visit.

Harvest Time Painting

August and early September are one of my favorite times to paint still life.  The produce is coming on fast and furious and I am constantly inspired to paint the harvest.  Right now I have green beans and tomatoes that I can hardly keep up with, but the most beautiful of all produce is the fruit that is available.  This painting was inspired by a rich red Bing cherry.  The full juiciness and color caused me to create this 6x6 inch still life oil painting.  That's it!  A single cherry!  The original can be purchased here at my Etsy shop or reproductions in all sizes are available from my website.  Now, I'm off to gather more inspiration from the wonderful season of fall harvest.  

Circles

On the road for the past month, my travels have created a big challenge for keeping my followers updated on my work, but I'm finally home and it feels good to get back to my usual routine.  I created this original 16x20 inch abstract before my travels began.  I was inspired by of Jane Davies and the abstracts she creates.  We have a lot of similarities in our work and a lot of differences.  It seems we are both intuitive in our creations and work with organic shapes, colors, and designs.  However, from my research, it seems she works on paper most of the time.  My work tends to be on canvas.  If you explore our work, I think you'll see some of the similarities and differences that I discovered are apparent. Reproduction prints of this painting are available from my gallery at Fine Art America.  I'm working on some companion pieces in this series which I will be posting soon.

Alpine Lake Landscape Painting

This weekend it snowed, so I suppose when I painted this image, it was the ice and snow in the back of my mind that caused it to emerge.  The painting is entirely from my imagination.  Creating the snowy mountains and the freezing foreground of water was fun.  The painting developed over an under painting of red that gives it a nice warm glow.  I also imagined a strip of yellow  trees on the edge of the lake.  The yellow and red were just enough warmth to keep me happy in this freezing winter scene.  Reproductions of this acrylic landscape painting are available here in a variety of sizes and on a number of different surfaces. 

Cruciform Abstract Painting

A sloshing good rain storm hit my town this weekend.  Twelve hours without power.  I couldn't think of anything better than creating something exciting.  So, while the heat was off and the studio got colder, my paints kept me warm.  I painted and scraped and splotched, and dropped and concluded the day with this wonderful painting and a good attitude.  Reproductions are available in a variety of sizes up to 33x48 inches from my website here.  If you are interested in purchasing the original 9x12 inch painting, please contact me at smallimpressions@hotmail.com. You can view some of my other work at this link.

Road Conditions

This is one of four paintings in a recent series I just completed that focuses on road conditions throughout the year.  This is an autumn road, a season of rain and slippery pavement.  Water trickles along the edge of the street and slops across the surface, providing plenty of opportunity for splashing.  The original painting is 6x6 inches and was created on a gallery canvas with professional grade acrylic paints.  The sides are painted black, so it can be hung with or without a frame.  The original can be purchased here and reproductions in larger sizes are available at this link. 

Abstract Painting August Ground Squall

Working on creating new art and photography skills has been my focus for the past couple of weeks.  This painting was inspired by some really hot days in August, those days when the sky no longer feels blue and the sun feels like it is melting.  I created the painting on a 9x12 inch canvas with acrylic paint and my goal, when photographing it, was to fill the view finder.  With the magic of digital photography, I was able to create an image that is reproducible up to size 35x40.  Reproductions are available from my website.

Red Texture

Experimentation with texture continues!  I had a great time with this 16x20 inch abstract.  Crackle paste, fiber paste, gesso, fabric, and a whole lot of red paint worked together to create this painting that I call Morning Grit.  It is fresh like morning yet gritty like the streets.  Contact me if you are interested in purchasing the original painting; posters and fine art reproductions are also available for purchase.  More details are here.  You can visit Fine Art America for more red abstract paintings.

Earth and Sky and Modeling Paste

Earth, sky, and some modeling paste for texture were the inspiration for this abstract landscape painting.  I am fascinated by the sky, the way it changes, it's infinite size, but I also am curious about all those things underground:  rock, dirt, minerals, pebbles, stones, fragments, fossils, and moisture.  All of these ideas worked together to help me create this painting.  The original painting is 16x20 inches on canvas, but I have also made prints and greeting cards available to those who might be interested in placing this work in your home or office.  Visit here for more details on price, size, and reproduction options.  Visit my website or my Etsy shop to view some of my other works for sale.

Exploration

Although my blog may appear as though my artistic life is slow, it has actually been a very busy summer.  I have done quite a bit of traveling and exploring new media.  Abstractions have garnered my attention and I've played a lot with acrylic paint and the incredible array of mediums available.  The abstract painting above is one that is appropriate for this back to school season because it celebrates handwriting in this digital age where young people no longer learn the art of using cursive.  You can read more about it at this link.  I've also been dabbling in digital art.  Visit again soon and you will be able to see more of my work. 

Story of the Red Fish

This red rock fish emerged from my canvas late one evening as I was spattering paint.  It began with a big swath of color; some yellow, some blue, some red.  The paint dried and I stared at it for a long time.  I rotated the canvas and stared some more.  The yellow and blue and pooled together creating a deep, rich green, but the red just stood alone and grumbled.  The next morning the faint outline of a fish began to talk to me.  It said, "Give me an eye."  With a little help from my brush and some yellow paint, an eye appeared.  Then the spots, then the fins. Eventually the fish said, "Thank you," and I put my brush down.

Visit here to learn more about this abstract fish painting.

As the Crow Flies

My experiments continue!  As I mentioned in my last post, I've been playing with textures.  This painting was created on a stretched canvas.  What I liked about the canvas was that it had been painted on before--many times.  It was a canvas that I experimented on and then just painted over again and again.  Eventually layers of texture built up.  I added some tissue paper, some gel medium, several more layers of paint with a final couple of layers of glaze.   Finally, I painted the silhouette of the crow.  I really like how the color and textures work together.  The original mixed media painting was 11x14 inches.  Fine art prints on either canvas or paper are available for purchase here. 

Little Fox

Today's painting is 6x6 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas.  He is another addition to my series of animal portraits.  It is so fun to create these little paintings.  My son is my biggest fan.  If it were up to him, I think he'd like me to just pass them all over to him.  He has a goat, a gorilla, and I can't remember what all.  Maybe for the holidays I'll have to create something just for him. This fellow has SOLD, but there are some more animal paintings available at my Etsy shop .  Original little animal portraits can be viewed here. If you are interested in a fine art print of this little painting, they are available here.

Grassy Beach Original Oil Painting

This 8x10 inch oil painting can be purchased for $125.00 plus $12.00 for shipping to US addresses by clicking here . It is painted on a gessoed hardboard panel that will last a life time and fit easily into a standard sized frame. Check out some of my other small landscape oil paintings at Small Impressions Online Gallery.

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Playing with Color--American Still Life

Yes, I played with color. Experimenting with new palettes is always fun. This combination felt quite pleasing. I like bright colors, but I need to plan a better composition. I've taken design classes, studied theories on composition, but still feel like I haven't mastered effective composition. Right now Composition by Arthur Wesley Dow is in my shopping cart at Amazon. I discovered it while rambling through Katherine Tyrrell's blog, Making a Mark. It is a classic text which apparently influenced Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings extensively. I've examined a number of texts on composition, some better than others. I'll let the book sit in my shopping cart tonight and decide tomorrow whether to hit the purchase button. This painting is 8x10 on a recycled hardboard panel.