Acrylic Mediums - Friend or Foe?

This painting entitled "Russet Reflections", was my first foray into the world of acrylic mediums. It's a world where almost anything can happen and usually does. A while back, I came across an excellent book The New Acrylics by Rheni Tauchid. (She lives in Kingston, Ontario) In this book, the author/artist introduces us to not only the improvements in acrylics but to the world of acrylic mediums. These are the white jars and bottles you buy at the art store because it seems like the right thing to do. Everyone is raving about them but when you get them home, you have no clue what to do with them. Some are gel, some are more liquid, some are paste and yet others contain small pebbles and glass beads. In the painting pictured here, the pebbles are part of the shoreline and the glass beads catch the light on top of the water. Gloss medium helps to give the water a "wet" look. I am now working on a completely abstract piece where I can truly experiment. If nothing else it is relief from the tedium of a Northern Winter.

Back Away from the Painting !

The process of painting envelopes a mystery all it's own. In many fields of endeavour there is a clear beginning point and a clear end point where the project can be declared finished. Art is not an exact science. Even the depiction of something as defined as architecture gives the artist pause for thought. Is the wall aged enough? Is the atmosphere what I wanted to achieve? It becomes even more difficult to make that decision when the piece is not something immediately recognizable. When do you stop? When is it really finished? This is a question that haunts all artists. The best advice I have received is the stop before you think you're finished then you don't run the risk of overdoing some of the elements. The other piece of advice is to put the piece away for a while then look at it with "fresh eyes". There really is no definitive solution.

Blurred Lines - Art vs. Photography

Is it art or is it photography? Where do you draw the line? This photo of glasses in the sun was taken to capture the light, colour, reflections and shadows of fairly ordinary objects made beautiful by their juxtaposition. These photographs have not been retouched.

The definition of art certainly can take as many forms as there are people defining it. With Photoshop and other digital manipulation available to the amateur on home computers the assumption is that no photography is pure any more. If it is an amazing photo, the general public is never sure whether it started out amazing or became amazing through the magic of manipulation. The question is - does it really matter? To the purist it certainly does, but to those of us who are artists and who take delight in the creative process, digital manipulation is one more tool through which an image can be enhanced - a digital paint brush of sorts. Other programs such as Corel Paint take this a step farther where the use of the paintbrush is taken to new levels both as an original piece of art or in combination with photography. The line blurs as technology takes creativity in new directions.

Inspiration and the Blank Canvas

Approaching a new painting is both exciting and frightening. That first stroke of colour seems to take so long to materialize. Most of the work takes place before even beginning with the paint or art materials. It involves searching for that ever-illusive inspiration - lying awake at night because you've come up with something that "might" work - reading through a pile of art magazines or researching in those art books that have never been fully explored.

Because of my eclectic approach to my work, this state of flux is a way of life for me. I don't always do landscapes or portraits or vases of flowers. People ask, "What do you paint?". The answer is never simple because I do not feel I can settle into just one thing. I hope I never do. Experimentation is what keeps me going in new directions and that will keep my work fresh and original.

Mixed Media

A few days ago, I said I was going to try a mixed media piece. Here is a photo of the "practice piece". I will now try a larger one. This was done using acrylic medium, old sewing patterns and metalic and interference paint. The base is an old watercolour painting - you know, the ones you'd rather not display?

To paint or not to paint, that is the question...

Motivation takes many forms. When a commission is due, I paint because someone is counting on me to deliver the finished product. When I am working on a gift for a family member, the motivation to paint comes from a different place - a place that involves emotion. When shows or exhibits are coming up, paintings need to be completed and prepared for public consumption.

What about painting for the sake of just painting? Very often this involves lots of experimentation with new materials, new ideas. Some of the very best work comes from this type of motivation. It has a sense of the spontaneous, a freshness.

Since before the holidays, I have not painted for paintings sake - nor have I painted at all! Who knows why? I guess I just needed to take a break - do some photography for a while. I now feel like I can move on and get my hands smeared with those wonderful colours again.

Digital Darkroom

Digital Darkroom
I recently purchased a Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera. To help me learn how to use the camera and to process the results, I also purchased Photoshop Elements 4. I found The Photoshop Elements 4 Book by Scott Kelby to be a wonderful resource in my journey through the digital maze. This book takes you step-by-step through all the tools offered by this program and it provides photos for each step. Trust me, if I can do it anyone can! A student at Ryerson in the photography program also mentioned a FREE download from Adobe Labs - Photoshop Lightroom. I've tried it and it seems to do the job from colour correction to true black and white photos using levels, not just desaturating. This is available for only a limited time but it's worth checking out.

Mixed Media \ Collage
I've decided to do some experimenting with my Acrylic mediums and paints. I found some old sewing patterns and am going to try using the tissue as a ground for painting and collage. The colour is right and the print adds a different dimension. I'll post a picture after I get started.

Marketing and Exhibiting Paintings

On Friday night the Member's Exhibit opened in Parry Sound, Ontario. The gallery is the old Train Station. It isn't until you see a collection of the works produced by the many artists in this part of the Province that one realizes how much talent is right here at home. Marketing that talent continues to baffle most artists, especially those of us in regions away from the major centres. Contacting and finding gallery representation is a mystery to most of us. Any ideas?

This is the painting I have on exhibit at this show.

Snowy Beginnings

Welcome! You are among the first visitors to my Blog. Since this is my first venture into the world of Blogging I hope you'll bear with me as I learn the ropes. Please offer suggestions and criticism where needed. (This is a view outside right now)

I am interested in hearing from any of you about the new materials on the market - especially acrylics and mediums etc. I have purchased a variety of these and am experimenting. Please check out the links below to see examples of my work. I tend to be eclectic in my approach, in fact many people think more than one artist produced my work.

I get bored so easily and there is a whole world of ideas and materials out there.

Question: Is it a problem for an artist not to have a defined style?