Colors by the Dozen

"Lucky Me" 12x12 acrylic and mixed media on canvas panel

“Gather the best you have to offer and create a heartfelt, prosperous life full of purpose.”
Gail McMeekin

Happy first week of spring everyone! I was thinking about my upcoming color workshop this week and decided to try a series of 12 mixed media/abstract paintings that feature each hue on the standard color wheel. 

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day last week I began with green and green-blue. For more interest and challenge I also sprinkled in in some complementary colors and “spice” colors (as mixed media artist Robert Burridge calls them) rather than painting purely monochromatic.

"Look at Me" mixed media and acrylic on canvas panel

One hears all the time that you need a “play day” or if you have time “play week” in the studio. That sounds awesome but I often think I just can’t afford that kind of luxury...

But by working on a collection or themed body of work I stay focused and motivated from start to finish. And in the end actually have a lot of work to show for my time. I’m already looking forward to working my next set of colors (maybe orange or violet??) today.

I love audio books in the studio--nice purple too!

Coincidentally, while painting I was listening on audio book to 12 Secrets of Successful Women by Gail McMeekin (hence my quote choice today) a popular creativity coach. It was the perfect combination on a day devoted to color exploration. I've discovered listening to podcasts, audio books, etc. like this helps keep my busy left brain occupied while I work on more abstract paintings. Wishing you a prosperous week full of purpose!

P.S. As an artist I can’t image what it would be like to be color blind like many of the men in my life tell me they are. Have you seen these new EnChroma glasses designed to help the colorblind see colors they’ve never seen before? Check these out.

Challenge Day 20: Colors on the Fly

YUPO and watercolor negative painting exercise

Am continuing to prepare for my upcoming bird themed November workshop. Here’s how I painted this easy and fun “negative” YUPO painting in less than 10 easy steps:

Materials: YUPO pad (9x12), transparent watercolors, large and small acrylic flat brush printer paper (Legion Paper has a YUPO sample pack for just $3.00.)

1. I tape the back of my YUPO sheet to a foam core board so I can easily move it around without touching it. YUPO doesn't buckle so you don't need to stretch it.
2. To start, I applied a variety of transparent watercolors (blues, reds, golds) with a big flat (over 1 inch). A sponge brush also works.  Remember, colors don’t fade much on the YUPO so don't be shy!
3. For more dynamic color blends tilt your board diagonally at a 45 degree angle.
4. Paint rolls off the YUPO quickly so it helps to have an old beach towel, etc. handy to catch the drips or go outside.
5. When the I get the colors the way I want them I let the painting dry flat overnight (I prefer this to hairdryer).
6. Then I printed out a simple bird, branch, leaves shape on plain printer paper and cut around image to make quick stencil.  (You could also use heavier printer paper or transfer your design/drawing to stencil paper.)
7. Using  an 8x10 window white mat, I decide where I want the stencil over the painting.
8. When I’m happy with the placement, I gently tack on the stencil over the painting with a small piece of tape.
9. Then carefully use a damp (not too much water) small  acrylic brush and a tissue to “erase” around the stencil.You could certainly add more detail to the painting at this point as well.

Also, you can seal your YUPO on watercolor with an archival acrylic spray so it's protected from water. This exercise will also help to fine tune your negative painting skills which come in handy no matter what medium and subject you prefer. Thanks for stopping by, have fun, and keep painting!

Show Me the Art

Fall Raven-12x12 Oil on Canvas--Available on Daily Paintworks

Today's painting is for this week's Daily Paintworks challenge which is something inspired by fall. About a week ago I was up at our local park working on my Denver Plein Air Arts Festival entry when I took several reference photos of this raven since I wasn't able to paint him from life. I'm a pretty fast painter, but not that fast!

It seems fall is also the season when there are many juried art show deadlines. As an art teacher, I'm often asked about entering shows so I thought I'd share a few tips. First, obviously, you need to find an art show. More specifically, you want to look for an art show that's a good match for you--your style, your subject matter (animals, landscapes, figure, etc), your level, etc. Here are a few ideas to get you started in your area:

• Local galleries--particularly co-ops
• Art organizations and clubs such as your local watercolor or plein air society
• City or county art associations or councils
• Art stores often have a community board with flyers, post cards, etc.announcing shows
• Schools, churches, museums, community centers
• Other non-profit organizations such as zoos, botanical gardens, performing arts
• Also ask other artists (particularly those who know the local scene) 
• Local newspapers and other publications often have "Calls for the Entry"
• Craigslist (Check your Community/Artist section)

You can also Google something like "My city art shows" or "My city calls for entries" etc. There are also many websites that feature art shows and deadlines around the country such as as Artshow and CAFE (Call for Entry). In the upcoming week, I'll post some more tips for entering shows, in the meantime, it's back to the easel. In the meantime, get out there and enter your art!

The Night to the Owl

Happy Friday everyone! I'm thrilled to report the sun is out and we're warming up! My fingers can actually type again. Thanks again to my students who braved snow, freezing temps, and bad roads to keep on painting!

I thought if I posted another bird painting this week it should be at least my favorite bird, which is of course (big shock) an owl. This is mixed media on illustration board. Artistically, owls have a wonderful shape and they can symbolize so many things--wisdom, insights, mystery, intuition, longevity, bad omens, night, and even death. (My blog post title today is from Shakespeare's Cymbeline for my fellow English majors out there.)

Since I'm often asked about the origin of my studio name Scarlet Owl I thought this owl-themed post would be a good time to share the story. First, I probably should confess that one of my "other jobs" is a professional namer of products, brands, company, websites, etc. Have you ever eaten a Keebler Bistro Cracker? Yep, that was me. So as a "professional" brander I felt extra pressure to create an art studio name that I really loved and could live with for for a very long time.  

Basically, I knew I wanted a color or pigment name and an animal (or something natural) because I love to paint nature. So the brainstorming began: Mauve Moose, Cerulean Otter, Viridian Octopus, Cobalt Leopard, etc. But, believe it or not, this was during the dot com boom and many of these names were already business names or in one case, a Canadian rock band.

Finally, I thought I had a winner: Red Hawk Studio. I thought it had a sharp, robust, westerny sound. But the more I thought about it, it just wasn't unique enough. So I moved on to other reds and other fowl, and voila, there was like a red spotlight: Scarlet Owl. And a bit unusual but not too weird (at least I hope not) and for me at least it said: Creativity and Wisdom--a ying/yang balance that I thought was perfect for my panting and teaching philosophy. 

As always thanks for "giving a hoot" (sorry I couldn't resist) and stopping by. Have a great weekend and happy painting from my nest to yours!    




 

Nesting Time

Last Friday in Denver we were painting in the backyard, in tee shirts with high sixties temps and sunshine.  Yikes. Not today. Negative nine when I woke up this morning. Not good for running errands or working out but perfect excuse for staying in, "nesting" and painting in the cozy studio.

Last night, I demonstrated a multi layered mixed media technique using acrylics (both fluid and tube), gel medium, Frisket film ( inexpensive shelf paper also works), Crescent illustration board, and my secret weapon: a plastic fork. Thanks to my very patient and willing students whose "first time" paintings also turned out great! My palette was primarily crimson, turquoise, quin gold, white, thalo blue, and black. This somewhat limited palette still provides a luscious range of saturated and neutral colors.

These creative exploration paintings may take some patience--and a lot of loud hair dryer in between layers--but I find they are absolutely worth it.  Slowly, but surely, intriguing shapes emerge, symbolic themes are suggested (lots of birds for me lately...Hmm), etc. I find you have to nurture your painting along from start to finish all the while trusting your artistic self. Very different from painting an onion on a table.

For example, I rarely know what's going to happen next but it's this kind of mystery and surprise that keeps me coming back for more. Like solving an art puzzle, these type of paintings also help strengthen your design elements--colors, shapes, values, pattern. line, etc.whether you paint abstracts or representational subjects.


Quick thanks to all my visitors who helped make January 2011 my highest traffic month since I started blogging! I think it's going to be the one of the best art years I've ever. Namaste and happy nesting in your neck of the woods!

 

Call Me Tuesday

I started out early this morning painting on a small representational oil bird study (After my cardinal the other day, I've decided to paint my way through all the state birds this year. Next Alabama, which I believe is the Yellowhammer.)

Anyway, while I was painting the beautiful Eastern Bluebird (the state bird of Missouri and New York) I was enjoying one of all time favorite studio albums, Abbey Road. The intriguing and imaginative lyrics never cease to amaze and entertain. So when I took a short break from my bluebird painting (so I would not overwork him), I decided to start an abstract. For me, I an occasional creative break from representational work really helps to fortify my brushwork, design eye, etc. 

Getting back to Lennon and McCartney, one of my favorites lines on Abbey Road has always been "Sunday's on the phone with Monday, Tuesday's on the phone with me."  (The next time you are looking for abstract inspiration consider a visual interpretation of one of your favorite songs.)

In addition to listening to the Beatles, I had spotted my vintage Remington typewriter in the corner of my office this morning. It's become a giant dust collector and I keep thinking I should donate it, but I've always been drawn to the graphic design of the simple san serif black letter forms against the yellowed keys...

And so in this piece, I decided to combine the two as my inspiration. Here I started, as I often do, with an very quick gestural drawing in oil pastel on the primed (gessoed) Masonite. And then I start layering with some earthy, warm transparent acrylics and moved on to some nice rich, yet relatively transparent Ivory Black oil paint.  I rarely use tube black in my representational work so it's a special treat to have in an abstract like this. As with most of my abstracts, I'll continue to work on this some more but I wanted to post what I had so far.

As always thanks for stopping by. For more information about my Curtice Street Monday painting group which starts on May 3, please email me. All levels and subject matter are welcome. Have a wonderfully creative week!