Acrylic - a little hope

Took a slightly different approach this morning. Sketched the scene (the old house with fire hydrant) again onto a canvas panel. Laid in darkest areas with a palette knife. Sprayed the painting with water. Dragged the paint around for various values. Applied a few details with a small brush. Sprayed it with water. STOP.

Acrylic again, step by step

One of my goals for 2016 is to become familiar with acrylic paint. Why, I'm now asking myself?
I think it is because I have a lot of acrylic paint:  Utrecht, Liquitex, Daniel Smith, M. Graham & Company, Golden and Golden Open and Chroma Atelier Interactive. Am I going to use them or are they just taking up space in my small studio?

I started the year playing with Utrecht acrylics then Daniel Smith and Golden, trying to paint a subject I know well - a still life. I didn't like the way the paint felt when I applied it to the surface and it dried too fast. So I moved on to Open Acrylics which were a little better but I continued to struggle and whine about hard edges and difficulty in mixing color. I watched an online video by an artist using Interactive acrylics and my hope was renewed so I started with a 7x 5 Gessobord® and changed the subject to landscape. Horrible, then OK, then too controlled, painted over it, tried to pull paint back off, changed colors, wiped the whole thing off and began again. Over and over, all day long.

Since the first of the year I've been pushing acrylic paint around on a couple gessoed panels. There has been an abundance of conversation in my studio between me, myself and I. Mostly whining. I've eaten my comfort food (spaghetti) twice, chocolate covered pretzels and homemade chocolate covered marshmallows many times.

Then I changed my approach from more paint to less paint. I started with a 6x6 white Gessobord®, sprayed it with water and started applying strokes of thin color. I was pleased with the interaction between the paint and the water but I can't see myself doing this time consuming glazing to finally achieve what I could accomplish more quickly in another medium.

Today I went back to the beginning and got out my big jars of Utrecht Acyrlics. Before I give these paints away, I may as well use some (again). Here is the story, step by step in photos up to the point where I actually got a little bit enthused and forgot to take photos.

Fire Hydrant, acrylic on canvas, 10 x8 inches

When I began painting in oil with Master Qiang Huang, he encouraged me to keep my first paintings to see, after a period of time, how far I had come. He was right and I'll keep this one for the same purpose.

Two step by steps for Friday

I spent the morning in the Studio on this rainy, rainy day. One of the tasks was preparation for my Friday afternoon painting session. I selected two reference photos, both in the same color palette to minimize the number of pastels needed, put in a few guidelines with a pink pastel pencil and then laid in dry brush acrylic foundations. Just enough information to give me a visual map for pastel work.

There is a house I have been driving past for nine months. The 1949 Chevy is always parked in front, in the same place. I noticed today it has a For Sale sign in the window. I wonder if it runs?

I've painted this scene before. It is a body of water called Gold Creek though it looked like a lake to me when we visited in early spring a couple years ago. Once again, a dry brush application of acrylic for the underpainting. I like the feeling of painting in acrylic on sanded paper but my paint brushes say "ouch."

Sunrise Fog and Morning Fog

Sunrise Fog, step 1

Sunrise Fog, step 2

I'm back to painting at the local Community Center on Friday afternoons. I can usually paint two small pastels in the time I am there depending on how much I visit with the other painters. Each of us have different art journeys but we all benefit from painting together. No one else is painting in pastel so it is fun to show them the relatively speedy progress of the medium as in the step x steps above.

This time I painted two views of our lake (see below).

1.8.16     Sunrise Fog     pastel, 5 x 7 inches
sold

1.8.16    Morning Fog      pastel, 5 x 7 inches
sold

Comfort Painting

Tonight I finally feel I have something to share in a post (besides photos of my comfort food).

I've been painting with acrylic every day, whining to myself about and wondering what I was thinking when I committed to explore acrylics this year. Today I discovered comfort painting - painting in my primary medium, pastel. The strokes came confidently and naturally unlike those awkward, tentative strokes when one is learning to handle a new medium.

Then, I began experimenting with varnishing pastels so they can be framed without glass. If anyone knows about this, I'd love to hear it.

Then, back to acrylic and surprisingly, it was not so bad! See the little slices below. The first two are pastel and the far right image is acrylic. I am overjoyed that it doesn't LOOK like acrylic! Yay, no hard dry looking edges.

 

Day 2, 2016

This is the pile of my comfort food I ate after painting in acrylic for two days. I have nothing more to say at this time.

Day 1, 2016

Day 1, 2016  Getting ready to paint and thanks

I recently read that listening to music on a regular basis can lower systolic blood pressure. That's good. My new Bluetooth speaker is finally paired to my old MacBook Pro laptop in my Studio. I'm listening to favorites through Pandora.

I purchased a few new Rosemary brushes and found my old ones; started pulling acrylic paint and supplies out of storage. Getting ready to paint...

I would like to thank everyone who took a moment to read my last post. I received comments and emails -  words of encouragement and shared experiences. I also received a call from Pamela Harold who received a copy of my post from Sue who received it from Marilyn. Pam and I chatted about how being an artist has changed for us throughout the years. Pam is about 10 years older than I am and she is still going strong; her studio is filled with current work. She is inspiring - see below.

Watercolor by Pamela B. Harold

Pamela B. Harold

Happy New Year

 

Today, at the end of 2015, I am setting goals for the coming year. Perhaps a reflection of my age, I want to spend more time with family and friends and my flower garden. That leaves less time for painting. It has taken awhile for me to figure out the best use of my painting time but I have listed my thoughts below.

1. I find I am no longer as interested in comparing my work to the work of others so I have drastically cut back on entering competitions and exhibits.

 

2. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been represented for many years by six good galleries but I am now reluctant to use my time traveling to the rotate my work so I have “retired myself” from several of the galleries. 

3. Painting pretty pictures has become less interesting to me. I find myself gravitating to the essence and emotion of a visual story rather than a detailed description of each word/stroke. I know how easily I am drawn back into detail and traditional painting. To maintain my focus of how I might paint in the coming year, I have unsubscribed/quit following the online work of many of my peers.

 

4. For each new medium there is a learning curve, then a time that is comfortable with enough surprises to keep me on my toes. That is followed by a settling-in and a productive time when I think of it as my primary medium. This period may last for years but eventually I become bored. I seem to need a new challenge and switching to a new medium does that for me. I like to start a new medium with a know subject so it is only the handling of the medium, not the subject of the painting that I struggle with. I plan to try a new medium in 2016.

5. Painting is a solitary business. Teaching satisfies the need for interaction with other artists and I truly enjoyed my twenty years of teaching workshops. The past few years, I have mentored several students in person and online. I’m still interested in doing that in some capacity for those experienced with pastel. Perhaps a Suggestion Session for paintings near completion?

6. Last Fall I saw a notice in our local paper about a painting group at the nearby Community Center; the group turned out to be two people who paint “for fun.” I spent most of the first session asking myself what I was doing painting there, under fluorescent lights, amidst tables of chatting/card playing seniors instead of in my lovely studio. I was uncomfortable at first; it felt like I was giving a demo that no one was interested in. But once I let it go and focused on my work, I found that painting outside the security of my known space made me a more careful painter. Each Friday for several weeks I painted small pastels that I was very pleased with and I became acquainted with the other two artists whose attitude and perseverance I admire. I look forward to continuing the challenge of painting there.

7. One of my long time goals has been to write a book. I thought it would be about my life based on my nearly fifty years of handwritten journals but earlier this year when I began to review them I realized that to get to the happy and funny parts of my life I would have to plow through the sadness and struggle. I didn’t want to revisit those times so I shredded all but a few journals from the early years when my babies were born. I think a better idea for a book is to focus on my art journey illustrated with images. I’m working on it.

My online presence is important to me both as a communication tool and as a retrospective view. I plan to continue posting on my Art Journal and Golden Years blogs. I also will have paintings available for purchase through several online venues. Thanks to all who have followed my work this year. Let’s keep in touch!

Wishing you a wonderful 2016,

Barbara

Homestead

Another version of the tucked-away farmhouse we discovered last summer. "Homestead" is available on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

Speaking of homesteads, this will be our first Christmas in our new home(stead).  I have NEVER put the tree up this early. Big mess, but I'm done! Love the strange warm to cool light in this photo.

Sky View Afternoon II

Instead of Black Friday shopping, my fun for today was a trip to the Post Office to ship four paintings, thanks to collectors in the US and Canada.

NuPastels on Pastelmat is an especially good combination for paintings that need to be shipped because they are not as fragile as softer pastels on paper with more tooth. I have a few more small pastels to post on my Daily Paintworks Gallery but I have new Rosemary brushes that I'm anxious to try so my next series will be in a wet medium instead of pastel.

Meanwhile, from the Sky View series that has gone on for years now, see Sky View Afternoon II on my Daily Paintworks Gallery.

Water Lilies II

Last August I was painting this view of our noxious weeds (water lilies) and sold the painting to an artist-friend who saw it on my easel. Sometimes, when a painting leaves the studio so quickly, I find myself wanting to spend more time with the scene so I paint it again. Here is Water Lilies II, on its way to my Daily Paintworks Gallery for purchase (where you can also see the first version). Happy Thanksgiving.

Dry Spell - the second time around

I don't think I have ever reworked a 6x6 inch pastel before but there's always a first time. I LOVED parts of this painting but not so much on other parts. Much happier with it overall now. Scene of a dry creek bed in the Gold Creek series. Sold

Four little paintings

These four little pastels will be available for purchase online in the next few days.
Visit Barbara's Gallery on Daily Paintworks.

Inspire Yourself

 

Inspire Yourself

Inspiration to try harder

October Sunrise, pastel 16.5 x 23.5 inches

I'm getting ready for a group show at Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA, December and January. I am scheduled to show pastels and I just finished October Sunrise (above) for that show.

Below is the color study for the larger painting. I painted the study last week when I spent a few hours painting with artists at a local Community Center. Since I don't teach classes anymore, I am usually around painters who are quite accomplished. I had forgotten how HARD it is to make a medium do what you want it to when you are less experienced. My heart hurt for them but I was impressed how hard the artists I met at the Community Center work at their art and I think it made me "try harder"  - as my daughter tells my teenage grandsons.

Study for October Sunrise, pastel, 5 x 7 inches

Winners announced

Leavenworth Pine, 17th Annual Pastel 100 Juror's Image

I recently had the honor and pleasure of judging the Abstract and Non-Objective category for the 17th Annual Pastel 100. Winners names have now been posted! I'm especially pleased that my First Place choice in this category was moved up to the Bronze Award. Take a look at the list. Reproductions of all the prizewinning paintings, as well as artist interviews and juror comments will appear in the March/April 2016 issue of Pastel Journal.

Initially, I was surprised to be invited to judge this category. Though my landscapes have become more abstracted I haven't focused on this genre for a few years. I'm grateful the folks at Pastel Journal remembered my Abstract/Non-Objective period about five years ago and my images that were published in the Pastel Journal and other publications. Below are a few of my paintings from that period.

Foreseeable Future, pastel, 11 x 15 inches

Tuesday's Child, pastel, 17 x 24 inches

From the East unto the West, pastel, 13 x 14 inches

Slow Slide Into Pink, pastel, 13 x 14 inches

Out of the Blue, pastel, 11 x 15 inches

Silver Lining, pastel, 11.25 x 11 inches

Sweet Hush to auction

Tidying up means keeping only what you need and use.

I am (once again) moving to a looser style of painting. Two years ago, the strokes in this painting were loose for me but now the painting style doesn't fit into a current body of work I would show...so, it has to go.

"Sweet Hush" is a 12 x 10 inch oil and is currently framed but I will unframe it and post on my Daily Paintworks auction. It may go for a ridiculously low bid but that is the chance I'll have to take.

And, I may (again) receive emails from other artists concerned that I am selling my work at prices that don't reflect the value. I agree, especially for a piece of this size but I have to let that thought go and instead hope for a new loving home for it.  Sold

A favorite thing

Continuing with the theme of tidying up and praising a small studio, I spent the day moving stuff around...again. This is my oil painting corner and I have a new favorite thing: a stainless steel 24 x 48 inch work table.

I purchased a second table of the same size for my studio storage room. This table has the shelf moved down to within a few inches of the floor so I have a place to store empty metal frames. It also gives me a 24 x 48 inch flat work surface to work on. Love this table!

Someone requested purchase information. Here is a link to my table.

October 2015 - checking in

The rain has finally started here in Washington state after a record-breaking dry summer. Garden chores are coming to an end and I'm ready to get to work in the Studio after a fun summer. Annie is content to keep track of the yard from her bed in my Studio. Today I painted SourceTek and Masonite panels with Daniel Smith Venetian Red Gesso in preparation for small oil paintings.

My longing to knit again is being satisfied through a gift of lovely hand-dyed yarn from my friend Ruby. (Ruby's)

I love our local library! I'm not very far into this book but it has already inspired me to make some changes in my Studio. In my tidying I came across two oil paintings that need a new home. They'll be going to my Daily Paintworks Gallery for online purchase.

Leavenworth, oil, 10 x 8 inches  Sold

Sub Rosa, oil, 10 x 8 inches Sold