Building Light

Today, I was a little late into the studio. I came in around 9 am and treated myself to lunch with a long time friend at around noon. I had to ship a painting to the Rockies West National Watercolor Show in Grand Junction, CO, so I didn't really get much done today. Sometimes, I end up making several deliveries a week, not leaving much time to paint. This is so frustrating and can really confuse my creative process.

I spent today and last night working on two drawings of interior scenes, which I'm pretty excited to begin working on. I finally finished the drawings and began the painting. I hope to get two more paintings done by the end of next week...maybe.

I also worked on another painting that's almost complete. It isn't quite where I want it to be, so I stretched the paper (again), masked out the whites, re-wet the surface, and poured paint on top of the entire thing. I think I may like it now. Sometimes, it takes weeks or months to evaluate a painting, before I figure out the next step to completion....it's almost like a mathematical problem and there seem to be many ways to figure out these conundrums....

Every Day: I'm Working

Yes, I'm working every day, moving on towards new work and new ideas. All of the thoughts I have seem to merge towards painting light, light reflections, patterns of light and what happens to color when light is bouncing back and forth. I began at 6 am in the studio yesterday; today was a late day for me. I started working at 8 am.
Here's my latest.....

Moving Ahead: Light Patterns

I'm still working on "Quite a Pair."

I had an area that wasn't working, and I like to add humor to my paintings, so I hope you enjoy how this piece is moving along. I'm going to continue emphasizing the interplay of shadow and light. I still have a long way to go, but it's snowing and I'm happy to paint tonite.

LIght Patterns

Here's another painting that's on the easel. I usually have several pieces going at a time, so that I can keep it fresh and moving and spontaneous.

I'm teaching my students how to paint fabric; yesterday's lesson was how to paint quilts. Watch as I develop this piece.

I love to paint pears because they're such a classic subject and there's so much more than meets the eye, if the artist takes their time in observation......

Color, Light, Action!

I'm currently thinking about, and painting about: Things I Don't Need Anymore.
Society and clothing has changed quite a bit since my teenage days and I can see painting more lacey items that....are no longer fashionable. Of course, as always, I'm painting color, light and....action.

Yin and Yang

I'm trying to rest more, laugh more and play more, in order to replenish my yin, as advised. It's difficult for me to slow down, though, because I find real joy in multi tasking, organizing and pushing ahead to reach my goals.

I am finding, however, that my creativity is soaring. As a result of slowing down just a little, ideas are pouring out of my head. I now have three paintings going in the studio.

I'm teaching my weekly students how to paint fabrics, and in searching for subject material, I've begun to look through some of the items that I've been saving through the decades. The picture here is "Things I Don't Use Anymore," and it's in the beginning stages. I'm spending most of my time building glazes that glow in the shadows and creases. I won't even begin defining the lace until towards the end of creating this painting.

Replenishing My Yin

I have a solo exhibit coming up in late March at Bridge Gallery in Shepherdstown, WVA. I need to have twenty quality pieces completed by then...framed....competition worthy....I'm spending lots of quiet time painting this winter, which is nice.

Last year, I worked myself hard, but I did well even in a tough economy. This year, 2012, I plan to continue working but to be nice to myself. I'm going to replenish my yin. I think I'll feel better. I'm going to rest more, laugh more, and try not to set unrealistic goals for myself.

The picture posted here will hopefully be in the show coming up in March at The Bridge Gallery.