Artists I discovered in Arizona

We got home yesterday from our holiday in Arizona, USA and I must say it was deliciously sunny, hot, dry and relaxing! We hiked up a mountain, toured the Biosphere2, and saw "Da Vinci - The Genius" exhibit at the Arizona Science Center. And of course, we also saw some great art! Here are a few artists that really caught my eye. I saw their work at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg.

"Honest Day" by Maura Allan. This is not the piece I saw but I couldn't find an online image of the painting I saw. This paintings is from another gallery that represents her, Gallery Mar.

"Night Light" by Martha Pettigrew

Amy Ringholz I didn't see this piece but one that is similar. I couldn't find the one I saw on her website.

There were some stunning photographic pieces printed on aluminum that I was quite taken with. Especially the piece "Grace" by Bev Pettit.

Last but certainly not least I came across Andrew Carson's pieces at the Tempe Arts Festival. If I had a spare 10 grand I would snatch one of these up in a second. They would look fabulous on our yard. I saw photos of his sculptures in various parks and I must say they are out-of-this-world!

In the studio + an elegant explanation

acrylic on stretched canvas / 11"x14"

This is perhaps the most elegant, succinct quote on appreciating/understanding abstract painting I've ever come across. This is an excerpt from Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art by Iris Nowell (published by Douglas & McIntyre). Nowell states:

Crucially for me, I learned that appreciating Abstract Expressionist art begins with surrender, by allowing a painting to possess you. Once this occurs, you stop looking for symbols or messages or meanings and experience instead rhythm, energy, power, grace.

She says more, which is also quite wonderful, but for today I'll leave it at that : )

My work today

Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or any end. He didn't mean it as a compliment, but it was. ~Jackson Pollock

I read this quote today and I just ♥ it.
acrylic on canvas / 10"x12"

Workshop

Acrylic Abstract Painting Workshop

Saturday, April 13th, 10am-4pm • $55

We’ll start the day with a demo, look at various Abstract Painters and explore techniques. The afternoon will be devoted to your final piece. Please bring your own painting supplies, easel and lunch. Coffee/tea + sweets provided. Microwave and fridge are available.
Location: Kim’s studio at 4860 Union Rd, Beamsville, ON
Please email Kim to register: cre8@vaxxine.com
Let’s paint!

New work + new class

This is a piece I began some time ago but finished off today. It is acrylic, 18x24.
Just to let you know, I'm holding an abstract painting class Saturday, April 13 at my studio. I'm excited about it - details will follow shortly!
I also wanted to promote a fundraiser for the Grimsby Public Art Gallery. Saturday, April 6th at 7pm they will be holding their annual Silent and Live Auction. The theme is Artists in Wonderland. There will be live music, hors d'oeuvres, door prizes and speaking from experience, it is a lot of fun! Something different for a night. It is a FANTASTIC place to purchase art at a really good deal. You'd be amazed : ) I will have this painting there to bid on, "Bella Lake, Muskoka" although unfortunately this year I can't attend. So...don't delay - call the gallery and order some tickets!

Monster Quilt - DONE!

Three years ago (!) on my blog I posted pictures of these monsters I was stitching to be sewn into a quilt as a keepsake. They were made from drawings my kids did on paper with marker over the course of 2008. Finally....the quilt is now done and hanging. I am so happy! Plus, they don't draw like that anymore so it's a great memory of a stage in their lives.

I have three people I want to thank for help in this project. The first is Iris. It was at her house where I first saw an embroidered picture she had done from one of her children's drawings (who is now a man). It utterly charmed me and it was her work that inspired the whole project! Then I have to thank Donna who taught me how to stitch (and who before that told me: Sure I could make a crazy quilt (which I made before I began this project) even though I didn't know how to sew or own a sewing machine! She also took all these finished squares and sewed the muslin trim around them. Then I have to thank Mary for taking it back to Alberta with her and sewing on the trim, tabs and backing. It was now ready to hang! My husband put it up on the weekend and I am so glad it's finally done.

For the quilt squares I tried to stay as close to their drawings as I could. I really wanted to be true to their visions of their monsters. So for example where they outlined things in orange, and coloured in purple, I found threads and fabrics to portray that. There were some drawings that they made in pen and I asked them what they had envisioned for those and then used my own judgement. I also embroidered their initials beside their monsters so that years down the road we could remember whose was whose.

New work

A few people have asked about my process on these - whether it's mapped out beforehand or primarily intuitive. It's pretty much intuitive. I start out with a lot of colours on the canvas, which don't necessarily make sense with each other or even indicate how the finished piece will look. Then I grab my charcoal and begin drawing a few random shapes and lines - quite free flow and calligraphic. And then it is a series of layer upon layer, scratching, washes, and more drawing. A large percentage of the time it scares me as I'm pretty sure I've lost any colour sense or composition completely! But then I step back and look for larger shapes and then begin the process of unifying.
By the way, I am teaching a class on abstract painting this Saturday in Niagara-on-the-Lake. If anyone is interested mesage me for details!
acrylic / 12" x 12" on gallery wrapped canvas

New work

So this is the one (with a detail immediately below) that last looked like this (two images down). Progression. And I am done! 

untitled

Here's what I've been working on the last couple of days. Above it's on my wall, below, just the image.

New work

I am still working on the piece I posted Monday. It's getting there...
This is a piece I finished last week. Thanks to Allison who told me to STOP. : )
acrylic / 12" x 12"

Work in progress

So this is the latest abstract painting in my "In the City" series. It is still a work in progress. Parts of it are working. I'm liking what's going on in the very bottom right corner and in the 4th quadrant in general, but the whole still needs work/much thought.
I got hit with a nasty cold + fever but am on the mend - except for the cough, which seems to have worsened - but I'm working on it. Thanks for the tips by the way. I am already a big ginger tea drinker and I'm trying all the other tricks too. On a positive note, spring is definitely in the air! Birds are chirping, snow has melted and temperatures are above zero. Happy March.

Escarpment painting progress

Didn't get as far as I'd wanted to today. I came down with a nasty cough/throat thing (if you could hear me  on a roll you'd want to disinfect your screen). But it's starting to take shape.

Park (In the City series)

Here is the latest painting in my "In the City" series. It is 16x20, acrylic on canvas.

What's on the easel today...

This is a new piece I've started - a painting of a section of the Niagara Escarpment. It's another large one - 24x30 and acrylic. I've seen pictures of artists in warmer climes plein air painting this week and I look forward to getting out there soon! I used to do plein air in winter but I've wimped out this year. Spring is coming!

Stacked (in the city)

So I am taking an abstract painting class and I have to say abstract painting is tough, tough, tough! But thoroughly enjoyable. This is acrylic on canvas, 15"x30". Below is a detail.

Bliss, Bella Lake

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished ~ Lao Tzu

Finished. This painting is acrylic on canvas, 24"x30"x1.75" deep and is $750. 

Almost there...

Hi friends. Here's what I was working on today. I began painting the coniferous trees and adding a bit to the rocks. Next steps are continuing to refine the pines (shape and value) and ditto the rock bed. Then tightening up a few more bits and I should be done!

In the studio

Thanks for your nice comments! It was interesting to hear that many of you share my feelings about unfinished paintings. There is a certain freshness and promise in them I guess. I'm always disappointed when I overwork a piece because it's almost like a physical heaviness sets in and the radiance disappears.
So I am continuing with this one. Today I began painting in some of the darks on the trees and a middle tone in the ground.

Step 2 - Work in progress

Blocking in shadows and painting highlights in tree bark. So torn regarding how much to paint over the existing canvas. I really like a lot of what is happening regarding show-through yet I've got to develop it! I guess as long as I am able to hang on to the variety and contrasts... It's odd but I really enjoy paintings that are half-done. Can anyone relate?

New landscape - work in progress

Here's what I've been working on the past couple of days. It's based on another picture I took in Northern Ontario. The goldish colour is the underpainting - it will basically disappear. I was asked why in the last painting of the woods, I painted the trees and branches before the sky. As you can see from this one, I do it a bit differently all the time! Generally I don't paint the sky completely across, and then trees on top because with the way I paint, I feel it would look like too much of a cut-out. I paint in sky around branches, and then go back to more brances and perhaps leaves on top, and then go back into the sky...a lot of back and forth. Thanks for asking and I hope it makes sense! ; )

Bella Lake, Muskoka - SOLD

Okay, I'm done! I enjoyed painting this piece tremendously. I took the photo on a beautiful day, when the air was fresh and warm and the sky shades of the bluest jewels. The scent in the woods **deep inhale** swirled with rejuvenating pine.
I loved it so much I am going to do another, but imagined in autumn.
Below is a picture of it to show the size.
acrylic on canvas / 24"x30"x1.75" deep / $750

Cedar in the evening

I am still working on the woods painting - getting close to completion. Hopefully I'll have something to post tomorrow. I saw this painting hanging in my studio and I can't recall ever having posted it on my blog, so here it is. It's from a few years back. Acrylic on canvas. 

Coming along...

As you can see, I got to the studio today! So, just plugging away on my trees. This scene is from a photo I snapped at Bella Lake in Muskoka, Ontario.

A little Redon + treasures everywhere

 Nasturtiums (1912) / oil on canvas / Odilon Redon

Two Young Girls Among Flowers (1905-1912) / oil on canvas / Odilon Redon

Although I've been itching to get back in the studio and work on those trees, one of my children has been sick the past couple of days so it hasn't worked out. Hopefully tomorrow. I decided what I needed today was a little Redon. As in Odilon. He popped in my head when I was taking the dog for a walk. And then when I was almost home I saw a few things that made me feel invigorated and happy so I returned with my camera.

Fantastic tire tread marks.

Wet, sunkissed gravel on our driveway

 Colour

Look at that skid on the left leaning against the chicken coop. 

Fabulous pattern. Art Deco-ish!

Next Steps

So today I added a middle value into the trees and began adding some leaves. I don't know if it is tedious to see the incremental steps and if I should just wait until a huge chunk is done? Anyway, I am feeling very good. Even just painting trees makes me feel like I'm breathing in the forest air : )

Stage 2

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer.  But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Yeah. I'm a tree hugger. I know not a lot has changed since yesterday but here's what it's looks like today. 

In the studio today

Thank you for the comments about my piece yesterday! I was going ot post a good shot of it today but the lighting was off so I'll wait and take a better picture tomorrow.
This is what I worked on today. The start of a woods painting.

In the studio

Today I was back in the studio painting and it felt great. Here's what I was working on today with a detail shown below.

-45˚

These are the last paintings from my time at Jay Peak in Vermont. It was -45˚C at the top of the mountain (hence why I was painting from a hotel window). The thing I couldn't get over - standing in this conference room - was the million dollar view! Who could ever concentrate on the business at hand with mountains are all around you! 

Below is a watercolour sketch I did from our bedroom window just as dusk was settlling in. I was taken with the rhythm of the trees and the cold and wanted to record the memory. Tomorrow - back in the studio!

Winter Trees / Watercolour / $150

Last of the sketches

Lettuce root ball

 Jay Peak Mountain

Mountain as seen through lobby window

I'm thinking I might add a wash of colour to the lettuce leaves. Well, I guess I'll sketch another one and try it as this isn't on watercolour paper. These are my favourites from the week.