Chucking some paint

I had a strange day in the studio the other day. I had some nice things going on with three paintings in progress, but somehow I pushed them ALL too far to the point of no return. I got some good ideas about what I'd like to do in the future, but I was disappointed that there was no alternative but to get rid of the current ones.

When I entered the studio yesterday, things had been left in this unsettled state. There was a lot of cleaning up to do before I had the space and presence of mind to make anything new. I was almost out of paint and really needed to buy some new colors, then take the time to mix them, then stretch some new canvases. But I wasn't in the MOOD to get organized; I just wanted to chuck some paint around!

So that is just what I did: I used the few incompatible colors I had left (a weird beige, dark brown, and some tomato-y red), on the only prepared surfaces I had available (blank sheets of paper). I just flung the paint onto the paper and then pressed the various sheets together in a sort of free-wheeling printmaking process. Here are a few of the many pages that resulted. They aren't going to change art history, but at least I had fun and released some pent-up creative energy.

Small Works blog updated

I have just updated my Small Works Blog for the 2009 holiday season.

Please stop by!

I also recommend paying a visit to the Small Art Showcase, an online shop of fine artists who are making their work accessible and affordable to art lovers and collectors, where I am a participant.

My painting in video review

How nice -- I just found that my work in the "Icons + Altars" group show (shown in my last blog entry) has been mentioned in a video that was linked to a review in yesterday's edition of the Metrowest Daily News.

Please click here to watch; you must scroll down to the middle of the article to reach the video. The show is discussed by Ceci Mendez, the art center's exhibitions director and also one of the participating artists.

Icons + Altars 2009

I am showing a piece in Icons + Altars, an annual benefit exhibition for the New Art Center in Newton, MA, which opens today. A very cool show (which kindly splits the proceeds 50/50 with the artists). You can view the entire exhibit on line and find out more about how to purchase an artwork here.

It's fun to see what the participating artists have made in response to the theme of this small-works show, which is interpretation of an "icon" or "altar."

The work I entered, "Berry Lines," (10 inches square) is shown below. I always think of Christmas and holidays at this time of year, so I usually make a piece that contains this "holiday red." I've been a participant for the past 7 years.

Paper on panel

I am experimenting with mounting works on paper directly onto a cradled board, since I'm not a frame person. Seems to be working well. This is a new piece, 18 inches square. I applied a layer of Utrecht gel medium onto the panel's surface, pressed the paper onto it, put down a clean sheet of paper and rolled a brayer over it, put it in front of a fan, and trimmed the edges against the sides once the piece was dry. Neat, easy, and no glass between the viewer and the work.

Good lighting

I'm definitely on a budget, and although I love the work of the professional photographer I've been hiring, it's $20 an image.

Enter my resourceful husband. He purchased a series of clip lights at KMart at $7 apiece, affixed them to two no-longer-working halogen lamp poles (as shown below), and took some great quality images of my latest paintings.