Wednesday, August 18, 2010

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"

Monday, August 09, 2010

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"..