Never say....final

Realizing that i went too far to the left on my last grisaille I decided to go back to the drawing board and refracture the piece. I think sometimes you need to go too far in order to know how far that is so you can come back to a place that is moderate. That is what happened to me with the last work posted. As i began to add color i came to the conclusion that i had overdone the fracturing part of the work and needed to go back to a stage where i had not fractured the space enough. From that is was able to come to the two works below. After weeks of dividing up space i think i now get the importance of fracturing with variety, rhythm and unity in mind. Not an easy task for someone who has just gone with her intuition. So much to think about! But i found eventually you are able to keep more than one element in mind when working. It just takes practice, practice, practice!!

Final grasaille, really!

A bit more (ok maybe a lot more) fracturing of the shapes before adding the glazes. This one became so much more complex than i could have imagined. I added a few circles for good measure. I'm not sure if i will keep them or not.

The learning curve on this one was how much further i could take it than i thought i could. Kathy kept gently nudging me to go a little more. I think it is really fractured now!

So I will begin adding glazes now. I think i am going to start with an analgalous palette so as not to get into trouble quickly. This is new way of using acrylics for me. While i love layering colors i believe this technique can add many many layers of glazing before complete. It will also be interesting to me to see if i can get down to my original design or if it morphs into something better. We'll see.

Two final designs....now here comes the color

Making the final revisions to the designs has really made a difference. The first one i ended up turning upside down. It seems to have more of a dynamic feel to it in this orientation. The second one needed a few more changes that i think gives it a look of design moving off the surface, that maybe there is more to it not shown that may invite the viewer to want to see more. At any rate by the end of the week i should be adding the glazes. this is such a new way of working for me. Very deliberate and thought out. I was never one to want to spend too much time in the planning stage, but i actually enjoyed coating the watercolor paper with gesso to get it ready to transfer these designs over and then repaint in gray scale. It seems like a lot of work but it also seems to prepare my mind for what may come. Sort of like waiting for Santa Clause!!

Happy New Year and Here's to Learning New Things

What better way to start the New Year than learning something new. This past fall I have had the privilege of working with one of our areas most creative artists, Kathryn Carthwright. Many of you may know her by her "All Cracked Up" eggshell series. Kathy has opened some very important doors for me and has helped me to fill in the gaps of being a self taught artist. These gaps are basic art foundations that i feel will allow me to really improve my artwork vs. having self imposed limitations because of my lack of knowledge. Being an intuitive painter most of my life, which many people might agree is very freeing, I found just the opposite was true. By having the basic knowledge of the principle elements of design I am ecstatic with the thought of what i can create. So, i have posted here two of my first value paintings. They are near ready to begin adding color and I can only imagine what they may become. I hope to post the final works as soon as they are ready! Stay tuned!!

p.s. for some really great art discussions visit Kathy's blog at http://k-cartwright.blogspot.com/

Meet Dave Lewis, Artist of the Month at BCS

Dave is a client of Brunswick Center Services and an artist in his own right. He will be presenting his first solo exhibit at Mochablend Cafe on Hoosick Rd in Brunswick for the month of December. Please stop by for a great cup of coffee and some great art. Notecards of Dave's work will also be on sale at the cafe. Dave also has one of his seasonal artworks displayed at the Brunswick Community Library on RT 2 in Brunswick.

Mochablend Artist Luncheon

Last week I had the dubious honor of lunching with some of America's finest gentlemen on Veterans Day as we celebrated their first group show at the Mochablend in Brunswick. If you have a chance, please stop by and see their work which will be there until November 30.

Student Art Exhibits

Spreading the word of two student art exhibits at Mochablend Cafe, 720 Hoosick Rd in Brunswick. In honor of Veterans Day during the month of November the work from students in the art program of Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany will be on display. David Lewis of Brunswick Center Services of ARC will be featured during the month of December at the cafe. Stop in for a cup of coffee and some great artwork. Doesn't get any better than that!!