Lifelong Learning

While attending one of my first weekend painting workshops, my friend and I made an observation. Forget the "Fountain of Youth", just continue painting. We met hundreds of artists, many of whom were so excited by their work that they had trouble finding enough time in the day to bring to fruition the new ideas they had. Guessing one's age is a risky business at best but we were mentally guessing many of these artists were in their late fifties, early sixties until one woman proudly announced she had just celebrated her 87th birthday!

There is something to be said for getting up in the morning, looking forward to creating something new. It exercises the mind and the body but most of all it enriches the spirit. Trying something you have never tried before holds a special sense of adventure. (Like when I bought roller-blades for myself when I turned 50).

When I look at the evolution of my painting, I realize that I really haven't developed a distinctive style nor have I limited myself to one type of painting or medium. Instead, I continue to be eclectic and experimental and I have no plans to change, even when I'm 87!

This weekend I will attend a mixed media workshop with a new group of budding artists. Who knows what new adventures I'll have?

Phat Tuesday

In my search for something new and innovative to paint/create/produce, I came across the fact that it was "Phat Tuesday" last week. Never having been to New Orleans, I've never experienced the celebration called Mardi Gras. I had planned a trip with some friends before the devastation of Katrina but we had put it off for another year or so. Unfortunately, we'll never see the New Orleans that was.

I've always been fascinated by the masks worn in the parade and I decided to incorporate them into a piece of art. Like most of my pieces, just the shred of an idea is the beginning point and then the piece takes shape from there. Since I'm experimenting with Mixed Media, I will continue to try different photo transfer techniques as well as collage.

Maybe in my meanderings, I'll uncover some of the magic that is Mardi Gras.

Art and Literature Interconnected

Travel and art and literature can connect in unexpected ways. I travelled to Havana a couple of years ago. While there, I took pictures of some of the historic buildings like this one I painted of the Cathedral of Havana. I also visited the Bodeguita del Medio, the old hangout where Ernest Hemmingway drank many a mojito. Little did I know that I would stumble upon a book of historical fiction, The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons. I have not finished the book but it tells about Hemingway during the early 1940's in Havana when he decided to do some counterespionage work for the U.S. government. Through reading this book, I've discovered the existence of Camp X which was at one time located on a farm between Whitby and Oshawa, Ontario. This was a place set up by MI6 (Great Britain) to train spies and both Canada and the U.S. sent people there for training. Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond series) was heavily involved as well.

If I had not taken such a liking to the history and architecture of this wonderful city, I would never have picked up this book and I would never have done a painting that will forever renew the memories of my walk in that Havana square.

Memories in the Snow

This past weekend we had a visit from our grandchildren. What was once pristine snow untouched by human hands and feet is now (as you can see) full of little footprints and intentions. I can see the place where my grandson started building a snow fort on our deck and the place where our granddaughter was valiantly trying to catch up to her brother in our front garden. No longer are the drifts undulating. Now, they are full of huge chunks of possibility. I went out to get our newspaper this morning, and I was able to re-live the wonderful memories of a winter weekend filled with tobogganing, skating and ice-fishing.

Transitions - Photograph to Painting

It's Valentine's Day and what better day than this to turn our thoughts to Spring and to the beautiful flowers that appear? This is a painting of our local B&B which of course is covered with snow right now. Living in this part of the country, we are treated to the wonders of each season as it unfolds with an endless array of raw material both for painting and for photography. Here is an example of the transition between a photograph as it becomes a painting. Artistic licence gives us the opportunity to embellish where we see fit. The camera helps us to see the mechanical delineation of the architecture while the artist's eye interprets it through the stroke of the brush. This was not a commission but rather a painting done because of the love of the subject matter. Who wouldn't want to visit this garden!

Enlargements and Resolution

These pearls originated in China. The photograph was taken using a macro. In my Photoshop instruction book, it tells how to enlarge to poster size without destroying the clarity of the image. I have yet to test this with an actual print but my plan is to send it through to Shutterfly to see if this works. Using my old (2.0 megapixel) camera, the site would not accept a picture to be enlarged claiming the resolution was not good enough. I then print a thumbnail of the photo, scanned it at high resolution and sent it back. They accepted it and the 30 x 40 inch result was quite acceptable. We'll see how the pearls stack up.

Metamorphosis

The journey continues. Here is the state of my mixed media piece. On the left is a photo taken without the overhead light and without a flash. On the right, light from outside is shining on the piece. Metallic and interference paints have been used in combination with colours coaxed by various instruments (including fingers), I've added some garnet gel medium (extra course) for more dimensionality. I still need to add the finishing varnish. I'm not yet sure what that will do to the luminosity but it will be fun to find out. Stay tuned.

Towards Introspection - A Work-in-Progress

Why is it that when we visit a gallery and look at an abstract piece we hear comments like "I could do that!" and "It looks like a five-year old did it!" or "What the h--- IS it?" I guess it's because we really don't understand either the process or the product. In the latest edition of Watercolor Magic (April 2007)in an article by Caroline Purtell, Elaine Daily-Birnbaum says she "leans toward abstract at this point in her art life because of it's subtleness, its ambiguity and its highly personal nature". She says, "It's not 'in your face'; it requires some thought, some rumination; it encourages introspection."

It is true that with an abstract piece, it finds its own way. The artists adds, subtracts, manipulates and agonizes over which direction to take next. When painting a basic landscape, it is evident which direction to take and what steps need to be taken to achieve the finished product. This is not so evident with an abstract.

Pictured here is my latest abstract - in progress. Who knows what will come next?

The Nuances of Snow

What colour is snow... or is a combination of all colours, which many say is the true definition of white? When it is photographed like these taken in the early morning as the sun makes an appearance, so many colours show themselves. Does the camera actually break down this combination? Snow creates its own art and to an artist trying to duplicate the effect, it is a daunting task.

My camera has a "snow" setting so when the photo is taken, the camera is supposed to take away the overexposure related to reflections from such a bright surface. More experience with the camera will prove that premise. In the meantime, the sight of snow clinging to the railing on the deck is truly a magical sight. Can any artist truly duplicate that? It is highly unlikely.

PhotoTransfer

From the same book (The New Acrylics) mentioned in the previous post comes the technique for Photo Transfer. My plan is to combine it with painting/collage/mixed media. I am using this photo along with a couple of others to try out the technique. Friday seems like a good day to experiment.