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.