Blush Rose, WIP- The Set, Coral

Blush Rose

Oil Mixed Media on Vellum 

  24 x 18

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing.  Same technique that I used on yesterday pieces just on a larger scale.  This piece fought me tooth and nail.  I began by drawing it out in dry pastels and coloring it in oil pastels. Then I came in with turp and blended everything.  It looked washed out so I came in again with the dry pastels to add more color.  Then I decided I wanted the drippy look I had in my exercises so I added more turp.  It was missing something so I came in with a purple nupastel and sketchy outlined the whole thing.  I like it now but it was quite a struggle to bring it here.  Reference.  

 The Set (wip)

oil on canvas

  40 x 30

 For Surrealism, Stylization & Expression.  The final project. Create a surrealist painting.  Soo not what I do. Way out of my comfort zone with this.  The is the setting for my painting the next step is to add the "actors."  I am interested to see where this goes. 

Coral (wip)

plaster carving

approx 10 inches

 For Sculpture 1.  Abstract sculpture in plaster. The larger piece of this maquette. It is slow going here in my studio with this.  I pound and pound and pound and I dont feel like I am making much progress.  I guess I just have to keep with it.  This process certainly give me loads more respect for the Old Masters and their marble sculptures.  Marble is much harder then plaster. 

In other news, to put all of my actors in the same photo for my Surrealism, Stylization & Expression final project I downloaded GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/).  It is like Photoshop but free. I studied some tutorials to figure out how to do what I wanted to do and then did it.  Very exciting.  I hope to play with this program more.    

 Questions: Have you ever used GIMP or Photoshop?  Do you like surrealist art?

Oil on Vellum- Sea Star, White Flower

Sea Star

Oil Mixed Media on Vellum 

  18 x 12

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing. A new technique experimenting with using oil based media on vellum.  It was fun to melt the oils with turp because it created a cool drippy texture but I didnt like the lack of overall control.  I may need to experiment with this technique more to see if I may like it better.  Reference.

White Flower

Oil Mixed Media on Vellum 

  18 x 12

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing.  Same as above.  Original title I know.  Naming every piece gets hard.  As I look at it now there is this purple line that I put in to create some background but it is distracting.  I either need to add more lines or get rid of that one. Reference.

So I have officially hit my end of semester slump.  There are 4 weeks left of class and I dont want to do ANY of my work.  These pieces were actually due a week ago and I am just doing them.  Yeah not good.  Motivation has left me.  I need to find it quick because Ive got to get through these next 4 weeks.  Ack!  Wish me luck.  

In other news, I submitted 7 pieces to my schools spring show and 3 to a local galleries juried exhibition.  I have not yet heard back from my school BUT one of my pieces was chosen for the exhibition!!! The theme is "Floral Anthology" and my piece Roses are Red was excepted!  My work is going to be hanging in a gallery for the first time!! And someone may even buy it!  Can you tell I am excited ? :) 

Questions:  How would you name your art work?  What do you do to motivate yourself/ get out of a slump?

Finishing- Harrods Gelato, Build Your Own Surrealist Landscape

 Harrods Gelato

oil on canvas

  48 x 36

 For Surrealism, Stylization & Expression.  Finishing this piece. I love it.  I think it turned out so well.  When it is dry I am going to hang it in my kitchen :) I have painted this subject twice before in watercolor when I was trying to paint every day.  They are here and here.

Build Your Own Surrealist Landscape

oil on board

 30 x 60

 For Surrealism, Stylization & Expression. Finishing this.  I added the lines.  I think it turned out awesome.  It was quite a bit of tedious work but it is done so I am happy.

Gillette Cherry Tree Study

 Gillette Cherry Tree Study 

oil on canvas

10 x 8

Done in art class with Lynn Gertenbach. We met at a local cherry blossom orchard and I spent about an hour plein air painting this tree.  It has a nice soft ethereal quality about it.  I would like to refine in a little more in my studio.  

Collographs- Spring, Anaglyph

These are from today and yesterday.  I was too tired to post them last night.

Spring

collograph 

  15 x 11

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing.  Done by creating a collograph plate and printing from it.  A collograph print is created by attaching found materials to a stiff surface then painting that surface and printing from it. This piece was printed from a plate that contained various plants.   

Here are more prints from this plate and the plate itself- 

"Spring" was created by working back into this print with oil pastels and watercolor. Adding the watercolor was like using crayons and watercolor when I was a kid :) I actually used both of the plates I created to print this image.  One plate is the green the other is the yellow. 

I first painted this with a wash of light green oil paint and then printed the darker green over it. 

Anaglyph 

collograph 

11 x 15  
I really like the 3D effect this print has.  Happy accident :) 

Here are more prints from this plate and the plate itself-

Coral Maquette, Whale Tail WIP, Build Your Own Surrealist Landscape

 Coral Maquette

clay

 ~ 4 inches

 For Sculpture 1. Abstract sculpture to be done in plaster.  This was really free form and very relaxing to do. 

 Whale Tail WIP

clay

 ~ 12 inches

 For Sculpture 1.  Create a sculpture around your personal mythology.  This piece symbolize where mine and my husbands friendship strengthened and where our romance began.  Almost finished I just need to hollow it out and add a hole.  I almost dont want to add the hole but my instructor want me to make it more interesting.  

This is the maquette- 

Build Your Own Surrealist Landscape

oil on board

 30 x 60

 For Surrealism, Stylization & Expression.  Trying out Pop Art.  Pick something out of the newspaper and paint it.  I found a comic that I thought was very appropriate for this class :)  The next step is to do the outlines. 

Blue Hydrangea WIP- Day2

 Blue Hydrangea WIP

oil on canvas

11 x 14 (i think)

Done in art class with Lynn Gertenbach.  Further refining this piece.  I fixed the background so it isnt the ugly yellow anymore.  I also defined the flowers more and cleaned up the colors.  I think it looks light-years better then it did before.  To finish it I need to resolve the background a bit better, add a pattern to the vase, and drop some petals onto the table.  

WIPs- Gelato, Whale Tail; Foggy Clearing, Fail

 Gelato WIP

oil on canvas

  48 x 36

 For Surrealism, Stylization & Expression. 

I made some great progress on this.  It is HUGE!  I have only ever finished one painting is big and that was because it was a commission. I think it needs something more.  Maybe I should another coaster in the background? Bring more of that blue-purple through the painting?

 Whale Tail WIP

clay

 ~ 12 inches

 For Sculpture 1.  Create a sculpture around your personal mythology.  This piece symbolize where mine and my husbands friendship strengthened and where out romance began.  Im worried about the fins and having them hold up.  Hopefully it works.

I also did some more monotypes today but I havent taken pictures of them and I am too tired to.  It has been a long day.  

EDIT:  Adding the images of the monotypes.

Foggy Clearing

Mixed Media on paper

  11 x 15

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing. Done using a subtractive method.  I did not enjoy doing this nearly as much as I did the work from last week. 

Another image from the same plate, not worked into:

Fail

watercolor on paper

  11 x 15

For Mixed Media Painting and Drawing.This is an embarrassment.  I dont even want to post it.  I would label this "the ugly"  part of being an artist.  All paintings go through an ugly stage and I like to say that as an artist is is my job to bring paintings through the ugly stage.  There is no hope for is one. 

I dont feel like my work this week was as strong this week as last week.  These prints were just fail.  First I chose a hard subject (My dog sitting on a rock), then I decided to try a new thin rice paper.  It printed ok.  When I started working into it is when things got bad.  I forgot that my print is the inverse of my reference so I painted the yellow light on the wrong side.  Then I decided to go in with watercolor pencil and the paper ripped.  At that point I was done and decided I needed to walk away.  I like the rice paper but not for these printing techniques.  I think I will stick to the BFK :)

Here is another image from the same plate: