sometimes art finds you

Do I believe in art by accident? I'm not so sure...I mean, when it happens it's really fun and exciting but is it okay? 


I struggled with these various ink paintings for weeks it seems and when I finally had enough and peeled the tape away, ripping them off the flimsy acrylic boards I used for backing...something interesting happened.


Those silly boards became art to me. I looked at each one in different light and wondered why they were so cool. They really are fascinating to me...they almost feel intentional.


Maybe the struggle was all about these final art works...maybe this was what was supposed to be all along and when I finally stopped fighting the process something new and incredible was revealed.


What do you think?


Are accidents in art okay?


I stuck them against white drawing paper to see what they would look like against the white background.


I was speechless.


There is movement and color and feeling.


There is the ghost of the original intention, still there, but no longer the focus.

art cures the monday blues

imperfect

bits and pieces

I have a ton of scrap pieces of paper and canvas. I will trim the edges of my canvas after stretching and because I usually apply most paint to my paintings pre-stretch there are usually some interesting, beautiful, weird and random leftovers.

I typically keep these bits and pieces so I can re-use them later. You never know what creative inspiration might strike from a leftover bit of painted on paper...


Here are a few of them!


And check out my cute chair! on clearance...and the perfect color too.

hello spring

It is officially spring...although it still feels wintery today in Colorado...


in honor of the transition from winter to spring here are a few old pieces that represent what spring feels like to me.


I'll admit I prefer rainy gloomy weather (if I can't be on the beach) but I am ready for a new season and all of the colors and wonder that brings.

motivation

from now on this is what I will see every day when I come down the stairs...

it's a good reminder don't you think?

Thank you Jenn :-) Now I can carry it wherever life takes me...

why do I keep hanging on?

I promised myself I would do this one kind of big thing after we moved this year...and now on the very last day of the year...done.


It's so funny because as I was in the process I was listening to my new favorite artsy mix that includes Olivia Broadfield ( I think I professed my love already, probably for this song too)


The words:


when all is lost
when all is gone
why do I keep hanging on?


just give me space
I'll give you time
why do I keep hanging on?
say you will
just hang on


I won't let you go this time


Okay, so I definitely get this is probably about a relationship but I am relating it to my art work.


I have this kind of, buildup of art you could call it. A mass of colorful, nonsensical pieces that I have stacked in my various basements/storage rooms/closets for far too long.


They do reflect my history as an artist. My growth as a painter and my shift in both technique and talent.


But they gotta go.


I started doing series of artworks a while back, a way to get myself on track and create pieces that work together in one space and are generally cohesive for me, as the artist. I have kept all of those pieces as well as the first two abstract pieces I ever did ( in all of their lime green and primary color glory) I also kept my first landscape that made me love painting. Of course there are also the various pieces given/sold to friends, family or donated to other causes...they still exist to that represent that history.


So here we go...I started with this stuff pictured below (this isn't everything, some things were damaged or not archival worthy so I scrapped those and recycled the canvas and bars.) I have also purged or re-used several things throughout the year. These were the remaining ghosts of my art graveyard that I couldn't seem to bury.

yes, that is me in all my own glory snorkeling... my senior year I chose to paint a series of snorkeling/underwater things...it was fun but why hang on to them now?

I labeled everything with sizes. my starving artist budget needs to have standard sizes for framing works...in my art student haze I stretched canvas to any size I could imagine. Anything not standard or without 1.5 inch bars that I can gallery wrap had to go. Custom framing? I wish but no thanks.

Now my pile of random work looks like this:

I am ecstatic. I actually really enjoyed slapping the gesso over everything. I am so excited to finally let go of the things that kept me hanging on. I have heard of artists burning their old canvases and while that would be very cathartic I am so glad I can create all new work that fits with my recently defined style.


See this one? I worked and re-worked this one sooo much. I never really liked it but I could never let it go.

I painted over it with white and went back in with some lighter blues and greens. It is literally ghostly and it fits perfectly with what I wanted to achieve. Now I want to hang it on my wall instead of burying it behind a bunch of half finished works.

This doesn't mean I won't touch bright colors again. (I admit I am in a blue/cool mood right now) I love color, it is the essence of what I do and what makes me happy. I love the fire and the light, the depth of a brilliant purple and vibration of colors that don't seem to fit but somehow work. But the difference is there will be unity and purpose in the work I paint for me to show and hopefully sell, and for that, I am beyond thrilled.




I will definitely see you next year. 


Love,
me.

oh yeah, my finished painting

This looks lovely in the living room...blank wall no more!


All the birds were done using a transfer technique that I talked about in a previous post. It worked kind of okay, not perfect. You can see the halo around some of the birds where the paper didn't quite come off. Overall I am happy and love the soft, hazy greens contrasted with the lines of the flowers and the black birds. 




total painting is four pieces...I wanted it to be kind of funky and in different sizes but still have a flow



see all the tiny dots on the bottom? those took a while.

birds on a wire detail

bird detail

bird detail

not quite finished...

I made some fun progress on my paintings today. This will go together as one large piece. At the last minute I was feeling daring and threw the reddish line in on the top left piece. Taking risks. I kinda love it.

I am also thinking about moving that piece to the bottom but not totally sure yet. I kind of want it to be one large abstract landscape-esque type space and that risky line really makes it seem like a totally separate space and painting. I already switched around the two smaller ones to create more of a bookend to the total painting. As long as I love it that is all that matters right?

I'll post a picture when the final painting is hanging in my living room, I promise!

still here...still dreaming

I am still here, somewhere. I am getting through my last week of classes and finishing up my first quarter of my grad program...yes!

My mood has been low and faltering and I realize what I need to do is let go...

Letting go is never easy for me because I cling to thoughts and feelings obsessively.

Right now I have a huge desire to create and I am about to be gifted an abundance of time so the challenge is to use it.

I am definitely still here and will bring new creations to the table as quickly as I can make them happen.

art in natural light

seeking inspiration and love

A while ago I painted over this odd little landscape with white paint and stuck on the word "passion" cut out of a magazine. A few weeks/months/possibly years passed and I tried to pull off the glued piece. This is the result:

I kind of enjoyed how it looked, envisioning raw passion just emerging from the rubble of...something. It was a little dry and fungus looking though so I added some more paint and other words to the painting, including a note that Jenn had given me a long time ago. The note was intended to inspire writing topics so it's definitely fitting. Here is the final version:

Love it. It moves me and motivates me. I liked the playing and mixing of paint with words so I decided to do another painting in honor of my love, Jeffrey. I have been going through old letters, cards, love notes, lots of memories lately. I found an email that he had written me when we were still in college, busy writing papers and doing a thousand things, missing each other always. In the email he wrote: "Even though I can't talk to you, I'm thinking about you Allison. Constantly." This is before we ever said those three significant words or maybe even totally knew how deep our love really was/is for each other. I included some other notes, a piece of my diary from that time and a postcard that has the word "talk." Communication is obviously a really important part of any relationship and my communication with Jeff has always been special and constant, right from the very beginning. I have boxes of letters and emails to prove it! I also found a map that Jeff had made for me to find him when I came to visit him one of the first times at his school. I still love the little trees he drew. The colors are a blend of colors we both like, some cool blues and greens and some more earthy tones. The vibe is kind of hazy which fits my floating feeling of falling in love and melding together with another soul.


This piece is for me and it fits right in with the desire for inspiration. I call it "Constantly."