Two more...

Smaller pieces, can be rotated any way you want... these were shot with a top light and are a little bright on the top...

Different marks on paper

A friend gave me a huge sheet of paper, beautiful thick yummy amazing paper, at least 10 years ago, if not more.. As a paper hoarder, I have been saving it, waiting for the right opportunity to use it..It has been rolled up in the closet, stored under the bed, and hung on the wall, accumulating all sorts of nicks, scratches, cobwebs and cat hair along the way.. And then the right image finally appeared.. 

About the image: I saw some Aboriginal artwork a few years ago in a magazine by a elderly woman named Gloria and was immediately attracted to the technique of white brush strokes on black and the exciting combination or form, light, and movement.. So I finally decided to just go for it and try it myself...

Because I couldn't paint it on my wall easel (not rigid enough) I ended up working on my hands and knees in my small studio, placing a piece of shelving across the paper to kneel on... Once the general image was done, I hung it on the easel and worked on bringing it to life.. It was so much fun and has opened up many new possibilities...as well as reminding me just how much I love black and white! 

I have called it "Glorious eyes" -a play on "Gloria's eyes", homage to the inspiring woman who sparked this work in the first place..

"Glorious Eyes"  acrylic on paper 48"x75"

Impulse post

I have been in the limbo between paintings, actually it is more like purgatory or the bardo....A familiar and very unpleasant space to occupy...What do I do next??? My head is filled with all the images I want to do and because none in particular stands out, I end up doing nothing and just "wasting time" ... Hmmm , maybe the point is to do nothing and to be ok with it... I have read that this plateau, although unpleasant and dull, is often a necessary step along the way...
 There are a few painting ideas, and even more not-so-serious painting projects... like painting an old surfboard top, painting on driftwood, painting a graffiti-like image on our garage door before we get a new one...then, working in my art journal, continue with  "faces" sketches I have been doing to see if I have a particular style that is obvious, as I am so influenced by what is "out there"..

Updated website

marywagstaff.com

A two month process, with interruptions.

"Giving way to Light"

oil on canvas 48"x48" (This is the second largest canvas I have painted..The other was 48" x 60")

 The process goes something like this:
1. choose photo to work from
2. grid photo and canvas and transfer as an underpainting in a wash of raw umber or something similar. This is often the most exciting part of the process as I watch the image appear on canvas. I also love the loose "drawing-like" slightly crude quality.
3. Start applying color.
4. agonize over color..do I want it to actually look realistic? This so far has been impossible, but it keeps driving me.
5. Mom visits from Maryland. Spend time with her. I paint only sporadically.
6. Daughter graduates from college, spending time at home before and after before she disappears to Papua New Guinea for the summer. Time to be with her. I paint only sporadically.
7. Life quiets down. By now I seem to have lost my momentum and can't remember what colors I used and where.. I start plugging away, but with none of the intensity of the beginning.
8. Painting too big to see properly in my small studio.
9. Take painting outdoors where I immediately see all the spots in it that need adjusting. Fix them.
10. Finished! Take photos for blog.
11. See in photos all the spots that don't work.. I am impatient.
12. Fix the spots.
13. Proclaim it is as good as it can get without ruining it. Take new photos, which NEVER depict the true color.
14. I am SO DONE!
15. Blog time

This process took place over about 2 months..I wasn't painting all the time and I try to keep track of my hours...but once the process gets interrupted, I start to loose interest or just forget to do it. (People are always asking how long it takes to paint something like this..

I am planning on updating my website as soon as I have a good day for outdoor photos and a good camera. Soon I hope!

What if?

Giving Way To Light

"Giving Way To Light"  oil , 36"x36"

Yet another professional photography session... and I wonder why the color is always off. Will take more care for the website...

Onto the next painting!  More water!!!