Maelstrom

Ok, I haven't posted for a while, but life got a bit crazy, and I've gotten out of the groove of painting.  Life isn't going to get much calmer in the near future, but I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of things.

So here is the picture I put in that auction.  It didn't sell which is too bad, because it was for a good cause, but now you get to see what happened when I added colour to one of those black texture paintings.

Maelstrom

8 X 8

You busy on Sunday?

So far it's been quite east of downtown on this G20 weekend.... so if you're looking for something to do, drop on by and support the Make a Wish Foundation!  I put a little 8 X 8 painting in the auction, but it was such a rush to get it dropped off I forgot to take a picture!!!

I'll try to get one tomorrow and post it.  But it's one of the black gel painting that I added colour too.  

The Evolution of "Colourful Grid"

As I mentioned I was fighting with "grid". So I've ended up with a few versions kicking around.  Most have gotten painted over, but I think this one ended up working out.... I wasn't too impressed with it at the beginning.  It was fun and colourful, but that's about it.  

Colourful Grid - Part 1

12 X 24

I liked some of the more subtle squares where the paint was all scraped off, so I figured, what the heck... and took the palette knife out and went nuts.

Colourful Grid - Part 2

But it still wasn't doing it for me, so I coloured outside the lines a bit, and now I think I like it! 

Colourful Grid - Part 3

It's weird,  some pieces I work on and it's obvious when I'm done.  But there are other times, I have no idea if the painting is finished or if I should keep working on it.  I'm thinking this one is done now, but I'm gonna let it sit around for a bit just to make sure.  

Grid and Woofstock

Metallic Grid 

12 X 24

Ok, so I finally got around to the random words.  To be honest, I've been working on a few versions of "grid", but none of them were working for me. Which I didn't understand, because I like grids, cause they are so nice and orderly....   but that was the problem.  They were looking to sterile and flat.  So I loosened up a little.  And things worked much better!

 Metallic Grid - Close Up

Ok, now on to something completely different.... Woofstock!    

And I went out to woofstock this weekend.  No, I don't have a dog, but I do love them, so this is an easy way for me to overload on puppies!!

Ok, you can't really tell in this pic, but even his tail has wrinkles!!!  

Did you notice her toes are painted??

So tired.  Must nap until next Woofsock.  

Bloodshot

So I'm still playing with these glopy paints... and I didn't plan it this way, but this one sort of turned into something you could call "bloodshot".  Guess part of my brain was thinking of the random words, which is good, because I haven't been doing much with those lately.  

Bloodshot

7 X 9

Don't know if this is going to be the final version of bloodshot, or if this is just a study for it.  It does look  more gruesome as it dries.  The reds have been darkening up, and it really is looking like blood.  

I may have to post an update to this one, because even though I did this last week, it's not 100% dry yet, and I'm not sure how much more the texture will change as it dries.  I'll just have to wait and see.  Sigh.  I'm not very good with patience; that's why I paint in acrylic!

Paintings from class

Here are a couple paintings from the acrylics class I took.  

24 X 18

No surprise the portrait that I like the best is the one where we abstracted the background before starting on the portrait.  The more traditional portraits I was painting started to look better as the class progressed; but I the abstract background helped me have a little more fun with it.  Something about a pristine blank canvas seems serious and intimidating, but once you've already "wreaked" it with newspaper and burlap, then it's not so scary.  I don't know, maybe it was just me.  

20 X 16

And in the last class we did a landscape from a photograph.  Again, I had a lot of fun with it, hmm, I 'm sensing a theme here.  It's when I take this art stuff too seriously that things don't seem to work out.  I'll have to think about that.  

Fun with extra paint

18 X 14

A while back a friend gave me some old crappy acrylic paint, which has slowly been drying out in it's containers.  This stuff really does have a strange texture, especially as it starts to get all goopy.  But it was lots fun to play with!!!  

I thought that was the last of it, but I just stumbled on some more, so maybe I'll come up with another one of these.  Ok, now here is the hard part.... any idea what to call this thing?  

In case you missed the Don Valley Show and more words!

I know not everyone could make it, so here are the pictures from the show.

A Warm Wind Comes

12 X 12

Tomorrow's News

12 X 12

And I know I didn't do too much with the last set of words, but since "oven" was such a debacle, I think I'll start fresh.  

1. supportable
2. oily
3. grid
4. altitude
5. bloodshot

Oven and Paintdrops Blog

Oven

24 X 24

Acrylic

Hi Everyone!  Ok, I think I'm done with Oven.  I can't say I'm all that happy with it, but I figured that would happen sometimes with this random word experiment.  I like areas of it, but overall it just isn't working for me.  

Oven - Close Up

I'm not usually too hung up on things being perfect, it's a bit lopsided even for me. This one is a bit bigger then what I've been doing lately, and though I like working flat, I think an easel would have helped.  Not that I have space for an easel, but that's another issue entirely.

Ok, to help redeem this post a bit, I'll send you off to another blog: Paintdrops Are Falling On My Pants is a blog by another Toronto artist Jaqui Michells.  She's recently started her blog and also to dabble in abstract.   Go check out what she's up to.

Don Valley Art Club Show the next two weekends!!!

It's so exciting, another show!!!  

Don Valley Art Club Annual Spring Show 2010
Todmorden Mills, Pottery Road, Toronto, Ontario

Show Dates April 30, May 1, 2, 8 & 9, 2010
Opening Reception Friday, April 30, 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Weekend Shows Dates and TimesSaturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 8, Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 9, Noon to 3:00 p.m. (Last Day of Show)

There is some construction at Todmorden Mills, but keep going down the driveway and you'll find parking.  

Hope to see you there!! 

Oven Part 2

Oven - Part 2 (Work in Progress)

24 X 24

Ok, still not done yet, but it's coming along.  We'll see where it'll end up.

Oven Part 1

Here is a work is progress. It's been turning in my head for a while, and it's starting to come along.

My current plan (subject to change without notice) is to use the shape of an oven.  A darker square within a lighter square.  As you can see I'm still on the lighter portion, there are a copule of layers down, and I'm starting to like it.  

Oven - Part 1 (work in progress)

24 X 24

As usual it took a while to decide on a plan.  Could have done a new life theme from the phrase "bun in the oven", and I guess the colours are sort of spring like right now.  Also thought about doing something with lots of warm cozy browns to try to capture all the yummy baked goods that come out of ovens.   But so far it's the square shapes, we'll see what happens.

Playing with Line

Thanks to everyone that came out to the George Brown Opening!  It was lots of fun, and it was great to see everyone.  

I don't know if you remember the old post I made in the winter when I was looking for colour in my world.   That one was larger (24 X 24), and I thought I'd see if it would work in other sizes.   These ones are 8 X 8.  Don't think they work as well as the larger work, but I still like them. 

Religious and April's Random Words

Religious

11 X 14

Acrylic

Ok, I didn't plan this for Easter, but the timing just worked out this way.

This piece really evolved from where it started.  I've driven past a church a few times lately that has one of those lit up red crosses.  When you drive past it at night or twilight, it's quite striking, especially since the surroundings are rather empty.

So, I started with a bold geometric red cross, but it just wasn't working.  So I let the painting sit for a few weeks while I was distracted by shows and whatnot, and then fought with it until I wrestled it into submission.  This is what I ended up with.


Ok, time for another batch of words!  Let's see what Coyote Cult has for me today.

1. doctrinal
2. oven
3. two-time
4. COLA
5. irritable

Too cute!

I went to icanhascheezburger for my cute fix and look what I found!  

It made me laugh so hard I had to post it.  Cheers!

George Brown Show information - Opening Reception Date Moved!

Opening reception is now on April 9th!  I hear that the reception was pretty crowded for the last student show, but I say the more the merrier.  

If you can't make the reception, don't worry, the show is on till April 30th, so feel free to drop by the studio.  It's on Adelaide by Jarvis.  (ignore the 209 on the side of the building, look for the George Brown banner above the door and come on down the stairs)

George Brown Show is coming together

The theme of the George Brown show is "From Portraiture to Abstraction", so I decided to stretch myself a bit and do some portraits.  I don't do too many, so I thought it would be a fun challenge.

Water

Acrylic

12 X 16

Since they wanted some works from class, I submitted Water, which was part of a series from the Abstract painting class I took a few terms ago.  We had to do the four elements in portrait, so I thought it would be perfect.

Elizabetta

Acrylic

12 X 16

Sorry for the glare on this one (Guess you'll just have to come down and see it in person to get the full effect!).   I'm sure there is a way to edit that out, but I'll have to figure that out another day.  I finally my new mac set up (yippee!), and I'm still learning how to do things the mac way... I know it's supposed to be intuitive, but all the years using PC's has trained me to to things their way.  

And the last one that's in the show you've seen before, but I thought I'd post him again, all nice an cropped.

Intense

Acrylic

12 X 16

I dropped by the studio yesterday, and all the works are hung, just the finishing touches to be added.  If you can't make the opening on April 16th, feel free to drop by the studio in April and see all the different works.  

• Opening Reception Friday, April 16 April 9, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Location: 207 Adelaide St E, Toronto, ON   It's at Adelaide just east of Jarvis; look up and you'll see the George Brown banner above the door.  

Fun with Gel and Texture

Hope you like the new format of the blog, might still play with it a bit; but I like that I can put the Shown Information in tabs up at the top.

A bit of an update on that front. The opening for the George Brown show will be on April 16th 5-9pm. I've been having fun doing some portrait-like paintings (the show is called "From Portraiture to Abstraction"), I'm curious to see what ends up in the show.

Black Texture 1
8 X 8

As you can see this week, I've been having fun with gel and texture. I've started a bigger paining using the black gel, but I wasn't satisfied with it, and wasn't sure what to do next, so I started to experiment on these smaller canvases. (I know, I know, you're supposed to start with the small stuff first, and then do the bigger work, but as always I'm doing things backwards)

Black Texture 2
8 X 8

Black Texture 2 - Close Up
8 X 8

Don't know if you noticed, but I'm not very good with "subtle". I tend to get bored. But I have learned to simplify things, and that was part of the aim here. Black gave me the drama, and keeping it simple then I explored various textures.... but of course I'm wondering if these would have the same impact in different colours.... or if I added colours (so much for limiting myself!)

Black Texture 3
8 X 8 

Baud & May Show Details

Baud

Acrylic and Collage 

11 X 14

I was looking forward to this one as soon as I saw it come up in the random word list.

As I said I am a bit of a geek, and I had visions of circuit boards, old telephone modems and binary streaming in my head.  I prettied up the colours and made it a bit more girlie then your typical trip into the land of geek. 

I also started to distress it, and I loved the way the paper would soak up the colours.  It's evolved into something up a bit apocalyptic looking. I think I like it better this way.

Baud - Close Up

The Don Valley Art Club updated the show detail.  The opening reception is April 30th, and the show is the first two weekends in May.  Check out their site for the details, or I've also got a new Show Information section, you'll see the link over on the right.  Hope to see you there! 

Save the Date! I've got Shows in Toronto!!!!

All the details aren't available for these shows yet, but I'm so excited I couldn't resist posting this.


George Brown Continuing Education - Student Show In April
The details on this show are still being worked out, but here is the overview

• it'll be in the Continuing Education Studio/Gallery which is around the corner from the downtown St James campus
• Wheelchair accessible is not a problem, it just requires a little coordination with the staff, since the elevator isn't in general usage. 

Don Valley Art Club Annual Spring Show - May
They haven't posted all the details on the DVAC site yet, but I'm sure they will soon I'll keep ya posted

• It's just east of downtown at Todmorden Mills.  They are doing some construction, and their site says "partial wheelchair access" so I'll have to check out what that means. 

I've only been to one of their shows (I'm a new member), and it was great. I love shows like this... there are a million different artists and styles.... you're bound to find something you like.    



I'll let you know when the details are up.  I hope I see everyone at the shows!!! 

Cud and a new batch of words

This was one of the random words for this month, and it was a bit of a challenge.  I had visions of cows chewing peacefully in a green field, maybe some strange anatomical drawings of a million stomachs, and I was a little frightened to find out what cud actually looked like.  But I bravely went forth onto the internet to do some research.

And as usual, the web provided too much information. CUD is an acronym, for a genetic disorder, a scholarship program, and the name of a a band.  I could go on, there was lots more, but then one caught my eye....  Did you know that a cud can be an error in coin making?  It occurs on the edge of the die causing a blank spot occurs on the edge of a coin.    Bingo!!!      I have coins.     I have paint.    And this is what happened: 

I think the colour scheme is an unconscious response to all those Halloween nights carrying around UNICEF boxes.  And I'm sure something profound can be said about the fact that a lone US nickel shows up almost dead center in a sea of Canadian coinage, but it's becoming gorgeous spring day, and I'm heading outside.

Oh, but just before I head out, time for another batch of words.

1. baud
2. parochialism
3. streetwise
4. trill
5. religious

Think I could have some fun with baud.  I've been identifying as a recovering geek, but maybe this will help me merge my geek and artistic sides.  Well, I can only hope! 

Intense

 

I don't know if the face in this painting is due to the fact that people have really good facial recognition software in their brains, or if I'm picking up more then I think I am at the various life and portrait drawing sessions. Because I wasn't planning on creating a portrait of any kind.  There wasn't much of a plan involved in this painting, but since he appeared, and he looks pretty intense, that's what I called the painting.  

I'm assuming others see the face in this painting too, I've taken a very scientific poll, and 2 out of 2 people can see it!  I love the way he disappears the closer you get. 

  

I fought with this painting a lot.  I've made some paper and cloth mache creatures before, inspired by stumbling on a book by Dan Reeder.  I made simple monsters he calls Screamers; he takes it to a whole new level with dragons and all sorts of wonderful creatures.  Anyway, I wanted to create a bumpy 3D surface covered in cloth to paint on, instead of using a flat canvas.  

  

But once I created the surface, I didn't know what to do!!  I painted it black (which I seem to be doing a lot of lately), and just on it's own it looked gothic and creepy.   I quickly discovered that thick paint was the only way to go since the surface was so rough (yipee, I like lots of paint!), at which point I put on multiple layers until I sorta thought it was done.  Then I let it sit where I could see it.  Let it grow on me.  Soon the face appeared, and now I'm really liking it.  He's a little angry, but it's a nice strong image. 

Here are some pictures of little canvases I was playing with.  I'll probably paint over these, but you'll see what the cloth mache can look like.  

 

This is just cloth added to the canvas.  It looks kinda leathery (which makes it great for making those monsters), and the texture is great.  

Then I added some bumps underneath.  I probably overdid it on this one, it sticks out a bit too far, but it looked like some poor creature is trying to pull itself out of the primordial ooze, so I added a face. 

 

 Ok, and since that's too creepy to end a post on, here's a side view of Intense, so you can see how un-flat I made the canvas.  

Have a great week!

Suspend

 

Here is one of the random words for this month.  I probably could have pushed passed the initial image I had of the moon suspended in the sky, but I like the moon, so I went with it.  Unfortunately not all the background colours come out in the picture, so it looks a little flat here.  

I didn't just want the moon to be passively hanging in the air, I wanted it to have energy and movement. Have you ever seen birds effortlessly soaring in the sky, or someone doing acrobatics on a tightrope?  If you ever get a close up view, you see how much work and attention is needed to look so effortless.  They are constantly making minor adjustment to keep everything just so.  And that's what I wanted to convey here, I realize the moon isn't constantly adjusting its muscles to keep a stable orbit around the earth, but that's why this is art.  I can do what I want! 

And what if the moon did have to work to stay in orbit?  And what if it decided it wasn't worth the effort anymore, or it got distracted?  Would it fling off into space?  or plunge to earth?  What would happen to the earth if there were no tides?  Ok, this is getting far too deep for a Sunday morning.  But who knew... all this from one innocent word! 

Happy Valentines Day!

Okay, I couldn’t resist posting something for Valentines Day.  Nothing fancy, I whipped these up last weekend when I realized the timing of the start-up of the blog. 

As you can see I had some extra phthalo blue kicking around

And I think my inner 80's child came out in this one... This one reminds me of some big hot-pink heart earnings I used to have.  (were any earnings in the 80's small??)

Grand Opening!!!

Welcome to my weekly-ish painting blog!

I called this one Winter Exuberance, because I figured some colour would counteract the winter blahs. So I had some fun playing with line and colour; and I think it did the trick. Here's a close up...

A while ago I came up with the idea of using a random word generator to help with ideas (hey, writers use them, so I figured why not painters!).  The plan is to get a handful of words every month or so, and see what direction they send me in.  And I’m sure I’ll post other random creations here too. 

I found an awesome random word generator at Coyote Cult

So, let’s see, for this month I’ve got

1. skyrocket
2. won't
3. cud
4. suspend
5. protract

Hmm, maybe I can do something with those.