Showing posts with label acrylic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acrylic. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
The Process
I am working on a painting as commission for two wonderful clients.
I sometimes photograph as I paint to see the canvas I've been working on from a new perspective. I do this when I am stuck on something or have the feeling that something is "off'" in my composition while working. When I snap that picture and see it through a different lens I can almost instantly see the problem and then figure out a solution.
With a commission I know more or less what a client wants and know where the end point will be but as I snap images of various stages of the process for assessment I find it pretty awesome how the image changes. I thought it would be fun to share with you the transformation that a canvas undertakes along the way.
There are stages that are pretty cool to look at and stages when I am filled with angst and wonder if I have a shred of skill left at all...but all in all if I keep showing up and working through the process I will inevitably arrive at a solution.
For now I am still a long way from completion but here's what 2 days of work accomplished! Kind of fun to see.
I sometimes photograph as I paint to see the canvas I've been working on from a new perspective. I do this when I am stuck on something or have the feeling that something is "off'" in my composition while working. When I snap that picture and see it through a different lens I can almost instantly see the problem and then figure out a solution.
With a commission I know more or less what a client wants and know where the end point will be but as I snap images of various stages of the process for assessment I find it pretty awesome how the image changes. I thought it would be fun to share with you the transformation that a canvas undertakes along the way.
There are stages that are pretty cool to look at and stages when I am filled with angst and wonder if I have a shred of skill left at all...but all in all if I keep showing up and working through the process I will inevitably arrive at a solution.
For now I am still a long way from completion but here's what 2 days of work accomplished! Kind of fun to see.
Friday, January 30, 2015
30 in 30....day 30
Finally.
I get a break tomorrow.
That's where I'm at right now.
I'm not at all pleased with this painting. Although there's someone out there that probably doesn't even know of me that if they stumbled across my work would probably think this is the most inspired I've ever done. Or not. I don't know.
I really don't know much at all.
I suppose that's what the challenge has taught me. Which I already knew -just for the record! I'm a student, learning, exploring...I hope I always will be!
I pushed the envelope on this one. I think I pushed too far. I think it was there (or at least closer) half an hour before I finished and I just spent the last half hour attempting to make the closest thing to an abstract more "identifiable" which I think missed the point. I took a picture during the process then deleted because I knew I couldn't get it back...but I should have posted that one. It was fresher, cleaner, more energetic less over-worked. Will I pursue a more abstract style in the future? I'm not sure. Time will tell. I know I can compare the colours of this one and see similarities to my more representational pieces but I am more pleased with the results of many of the others. I'm curious none-the-less. I cracked open a door I never intended to walk through. What's on the other side is intriguing, interesting, alluring, but is it for me? Time will tell.
For now. I will take a break. Maybe a day, maybe more. I will reflect, regroup, clean up my work area and attack some other aspect of my life with a bit more gusto.
When I return to my easel I will return with a bit more confidence because now I know I don't always have to wait for inspiration to show up, sometimes me showing up first calls inspiration and asks it to put in some time. Sometimes that scenario works too.
I'm happy I participated in the challenge and I will again. This has been an intense month but I believe it was a great learning experience and totally worth the time. Thanks for taking the journey with me!
I get a break tomorrow.
That's where I'm at right now.
I'm not at all pleased with this painting. Although there's someone out there that probably doesn't even know of me that if they stumbled across my work would probably think this is the most inspired I've ever done. Or not. I don't know.
I really don't know much at all.
I suppose that's what the challenge has taught me. Which I already knew -just for the record! I'm a student, learning, exploring...I hope I always will be!
I pushed the envelope on this one. I think I pushed too far. I think it was there (or at least closer) half an hour before I finished and I just spent the last half hour attempting to make the closest thing to an abstract more "identifiable" which I think missed the point. I took a picture during the process then deleted because I knew I couldn't get it back...but I should have posted that one. It was fresher, cleaner, more energetic less over-worked. Will I pursue a more abstract style in the future? I'm not sure. Time will tell. I know I can compare the colours of this one and see similarities to my more representational pieces but I am more pleased with the results of many of the others. I'm curious none-the-less. I cracked open a door I never intended to walk through. What's on the other side is intriguing, interesting, alluring, but is it for me? Time will tell.
For now. I will take a break. Maybe a day, maybe more. I will reflect, regroup, clean up my work area and attack some other aspect of my life with a bit more gusto.
When I return to my easel I will return with a bit more confidence because now I know I don't always have to wait for inspiration to show up, sometimes me showing up first calls inspiration and asks it to put in some time. Sometimes that scenario works too.
I'm happy I participated in the challenge and I will again. This has been an intense month but I believe it was a great learning experience and totally worth the time. Thanks for taking the journey with me!
24 x 12
acrylic on canvas
30 in 30....day 29
My math genius brother just texted me to point out a couple of facts... two can play the tormenting game, Andrew! ;)
Fact 1: I didn't post day 29 and it's already day 30.
Fact 2: There are 31 days in January not 30...so I need to paint an extra painting.
To address his concerns:
1: I slipped in under the wire on the link up to Leslie's blog for day 29...it's there now! I actually started this painting yesterday but didn't get far. Sam is having a birthday party today...will be starting in minutes and my house was, well, filthy!!! Because I've been painting all month...and sanding drywall compound didn't help the situation even a little bit. So yesterday I spent a good deal of time trying to wade out from under the dirt so the "8 year olds" didn't contract some dust borne disease on my watch!
2: There are indeed 31 days in January...but for the love of all things sacred! Enough is enough! I am very happy I took this challenge but -I WANT MY LIFE BACK! I've never done one of these link ups before but apparently we will be creating a collage of all the paintings I've done in the 30 days on day 31...not sure how that works but if I can, I will post the collage here! And, Andrew, to boast about my own awesome math skills...I suspect we had to end on day 30 because a gridy, collage thingy will only work with numbers that are divisible! 5 rows of 6 or 6 rows of 5 or something like that! ;)
Anyhoo! Here is day 29. I like how it looks but I want to add a little more once it is dry...build on some shadows and light. The image was snapped on a very dull winter day when I was sitting in the truck waiting for Scott to get something at one of the local lumber yards...the tree caught my eye because it is so tall but so spindly and wobbly. The light and colours I've added are entirely fictitious.
Off to party! Will post day 30 later....promise!
Fact 1: I didn't post day 29 and it's already day 30.
Fact 2: There are 31 days in January not 30...so I need to paint an extra painting.
To address his concerns:
1: I slipped in under the wire on the link up to Leslie's blog for day 29...it's there now! I actually started this painting yesterday but didn't get far. Sam is having a birthday party today...will be starting in minutes and my house was, well, filthy!!! Because I've been painting all month...and sanding drywall compound didn't help the situation even a little bit. So yesterday I spent a good deal of time trying to wade out from under the dirt so the "8 year olds" didn't contract some dust borne disease on my watch!
2: There are indeed 31 days in January...but for the love of all things sacred! Enough is enough! I am very happy I took this challenge but -I WANT MY LIFE BACK! I've never done one of these link ups before but apparently we will be creating a collage of all the paintings I've done in the 30 days on day 31...not sure how that works but if I can, I will post the collage here! And, Andrew, to boast about my own awesome math skills...I suspect we had to end on day 30 because a gridy, collage thingy will only work with numbers that are divisible! 5 rows of 6 or 6 rows of 5 or something like that! ;)
Anyhoo! Here is day 29. I like how it looks but I want to add a little more once it is dry...build on some shadows and light. The image was snapped on a very dull winter day when I was sitting in the truck waiting for Scott to get something at one of the local lumber yards...the tree caught my eye because it is so tall but so spindly and wobbly. The light and colours I've added are entirely fictitious.
Off to party! Will post day 30 later....promise!
12 x 24
acrylic
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