Digital Dabbling on the Road

Travelling this past week with a car full of packages, suitcases, and extra passengers meant that I had to leave my paints and papers at home while I visited family.  I was fine at first and kept busy with the holidays, but by the end of the week, my creativity bones were itching.  I found myself playing with the digital tools in Photoshop and eventually created this square format collage.  It was a delight to play with colors, shapes, and lines and I am happy with my abstract creation.  The image has been uploaded to my website and is available on fine art paper, stretched canvas, or as a framed print.  I'm also happy to say that it can even be reproduced as a pillow  or iphone case .

Lines and Colors

Creating handmade papers and using them in collage resulted in this abstract work.  Layering paper, ink, and paint was part of the process.  Lines of color, both warm and cool, helped me choose the title for the piece.  I've been experimenting with paper supports hoping to find a surface that works well. This design was created on an 9x9 inch 90 lb. watercolor paper.  The biggest challenge has been finding a paper that will lay flat.  At first this support curled just like the rest, but about half way through the creation process, I coated the back with acrylic matte medium.  It helped.  The paper tried to curl back upon itself, and in the process, is almost flat.  Framed, behind a piece of glass, it is beautiful. Reproduction prints are available at this link to my website or you can click on the prints tab at the top of the page to view more of my work.

Roads of Life

One of my favorite things to paint in the landscape are roads.  They imply so many things, literally and metaphorically.  Roads take us places, give us choices, and help us accomplish our goals.  I have recently finished a series of small paintings that focus on roads. This little 6x8 inch oil painting is one of my favorites in the series.  It leads viewers to wonder what is ahead and question where we are going.  I love that!  This series will begin to appear in my Etsy Shop as the paint dries.  Some of the paintings will be available as reproduction prints, so visit the Landscape Gallery of my website to view available prints. Another option is to click on the tabs at the top of the page to view my small original paintings, prints, and abstract works.

Birds, Birds, Birds

On my usual rotation of subjects, I have gravitated to birds.  I like to paint these little fellows on small canvases.  Small birds, small canvases seems appropriate, so this week I went bird crazy. As they dry, the originals will be listed for sale in my Etsy Shop.  Of the five that emerged from my brush, this little Chickadee is my favorite.  I love the neutral colors and the warm pink glow as he sits on a branch on watches the world go by.  The original is 4x6 inches and was created with oil paints. Since the paint is still wet, he isn't for sale yet, but keep checking my Etsy Shop and the Birds and Animals link. He and some of his siblings will be showing up soon,  If you can't wait, reproduction prints are available from my website or you can click on the Prints Tab at the top of the page and explore the Birds Gallery.

Magazine Photo Shoot

A couple of months ago, my painting took a trip to Georgia as part of a photoshoot for This Old House Magazine.  I am excited to announce that the January/February 2015 issue debuted today and this painting is a part of it.  The article, Fresh Start, is about the remodeling of a 1940's home in Georgia and the family that owned it.  This little 8x10 inch oil painting added color to an otherwise mostly white bathroom.  It looks great propped up on a shelf just above the bathtub.  You can see it here and if you scroll to the bottom of the text in the link, there is a credit to me and a link to my Etsy Shop.  Needless to say, I am thrilled that my little painting is a part of this endeavor. Reproduction prints and posters of the painting are also available here or by clicking on the "Prints" tab at the top of the page.  The original is for sale at this link.

Magenta Splash Paper Collage

Second in my recent series is this collage composed of paper, paint, pencil, and ink.  I used a variety of media in this experimental work.  The original was created on 140 lb Strathmore paper.  It is the best I have tried so far with minimal curling occurring in spite of a liberal use of wet paint, ink, and matte medium.  I used Decocolor Acrylic Markers, Golden Fluid Acrylics, and some home made alcohol ink.  That bright blue shape was created with a Caran d'Arche Neocolor Artist Crayon and a liberal passage of water and there are some scribbles done with Prismacolor Watercolor pencils.  As you can see, it was a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of fun.  Reproduction prints of this work can be purchased here, on my website.  If you would like to see more of my abstract works, please visit the Abstract Gallery at my website or click on the prints tab at the top of the page.

Collage Exploration

Recently my art has moved away from traditional subjects to the abstract.  This is my usual cycle.  I love to paint representationally, especially with oil paints, but inevitably, I need a break.  This is when I move to the abstract.  I like to explore new techniques and work with old media in new ways. This image is a mixed media collage that I recently finished.  It incorporates paper, ink, pencils, and paint. Arranging paper shapes, embellishing with other media, and piling layer upon layer eventually results in a composition that I find pleasing.  This image is one of a current series I am working on. I am exploring different grounds and have made some great discoveries.

This image was created on an 11x14 inch mixed media paper by Strathmore.  It is 140 lbs with a vellum surface and works better than most of the others I have tried so far.

Reproductions of this image are available from my website, here, or by clicking on the prints tab at the top of the page where you can select abstract work from my galleries.

Limited Palette Oil Painting

This minimalist painting emerged from a limited palette of burnt umber, burnt sienna, English red, and white.  It began with a wash of turpentine and umber and slowly built with touches of the other colors. Thinking about how the old masters were able to create beauty without the modern palette helped me appreciate once again the delightful compositions they created with just a few colors.  The original 6x6 inch painting was created on a stretched canvas and is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop, here.  Larger sized reproduction prints on canvas and paper are available at my website, here. You can also click on the tabs at the top of the page to view more of my original small format paintings, prints, or abstract works.