I fought painting abstracts for many, many years - a small part of me thinking it wasn't really art, for whatever silly reason. I can tell you it's really, really, fun to do and really breaks some barriers into creativity. And makes you remember the basic rules of composition such as color, shape, movement, texture, line and value! I'm pulling out books and DVDs I've had for a long time - have watched and read them before, but wasn't ready for the lesson! So here I am - and having a ball! These are the latest 3:
0 Comments
I like the way these come out, but I honestly don't like the time it takes to do them - and they could use several more layers but I am done! Patience never was my strong suit. I'm going to play with abstracts and flowers w/abstract backgrounds and have fun painting this year!!
I have 5 paintings of realistic flowers in the works in various stages of underpainting and the beginnings of the flowers, leaves and backgrounds. Working on Arches 140 lb hot press paper and using Susan's very slow, but very effective process! So then my heart skips a beat and I jump over to some 140 lb cold press Fabriano Artistico paper just waiting for me to play with it and off I go playing with some more abstract ideas! I am having so much fun!! Here are the next 2:
I've been totally enjoying 2016 so far - just been playing with art rather than feeling the pressure to produce for a show! These two are made from old paintings with splashes of color on paper behind them. What do you think???
I've just been playing and enjoying my free time before the anticipation of being accepted as an featured artist at the Kirby Gallery in Roxboro, NC. The "before" paintings are done on Fabriana Artistico 140 lb cold press paper. The "after" paintings are done on Arches 140 lb hot press. The advantage of the cold press is that I can mask off the flowers with tape and masking fluid and just go wild with the background. The advantage of hot press is that it allows many, many layers which is wonderful for flowers, but not crazy about having to be so careful with the background and making sure I don't go into the flowers!
Today was the Open House of this wonderful club - my first visit - and I enjoyed it very much!!! The attention to detail is amazing - can't imagine the amount of time it has taken to put these various exhibits together! Each of the Club Members I spoke with had such joy in their eyes as they talked about their passion! I look forward to visiting often and enjoying the progress of their labor of love! This is our third Christmas Parade and each one is unique and very special! This year Santa's sleigh driver was injured in a horse/buggy accident, so the Chamber had to scramble to find a driver - they came up with putting Santa's and his sleigh on a huge flatbed truck that was led by 8 reindeer, including our Executive Director of the Chamber! Love the parade, the floats, all the bands - it's the most wonderful time of the year! Auntie Di moved to Raleigh from San Diego 1272014! I've been promising her a painting for housewarming gift since then. She understood that I was painting for the show at the Prizery and under the wire to get lots of paintings done for the show! I finally had time to do it and did it on Archers 140# hot press paper using Susan Harrison-Tustain's techniques. It's a very long, slow process, but worth it in the end! I sure hope she likes it!!!
What a perfect outing for us gals! The food was really good, the company was divine....the fashion show was perfect! Jennifer Orendorff, owner of The Wild Petunia did a great job of selecting the clothes AND the models to represent her beautiful boutique! And our friend Tina McClellan was one of her models and she was the best one of the show! And I believe she had the most fun!!! After the show we viewed all the lovely Christmas trees - most had sold tags on them from their very successful cocktail party last night! And to cap it off, we took Betty downstairs to see my art show! The smallest city we have ever lived in (pop 1200) with a heart the size of Texas! Christmas is proudly spoken and written everywhere you go! The merchants go ALL OUT and decorate so beautifully! Here is our little town with decked halls! I'm so happy with the turnout of friends for my Artist Reception and official opening of my art exhibit at The Prizery! Feedback was wonderful and we all had such a great time! Truly a highlight of my career as an artist! Here are some pics for you to enjoy! If you were unable to attend, you can view the art gallery anytime between now and 12/18 - just ask to see it at the front desk and they will gladly take you downstairs and open it all up! There are many events at the Prizery in this time frame and the art gallery will always be open and available during the shows! I had the pleasure of being one of the artists for the Patsy Boswell Memorial Hospice Art Show! Rosemont Winery is a perfect setting for this. The artwork was amazing, the fellow artists were so nice, excellent food, great turn out - a good time was had by all!!! Busy weekend - yay!! Boydton Days was great - excellent turnout, lots of arts and crafts, and the parade was awesome! This was our first Halloween Celebration in Clarksville (we usually spend it in Philly). We were surprised and delighted by the amazing turnout of wonderful families and not surprised by the support of our downtown merchants! They even had live music, a scavenger hunt and more!! Sit back and enjoy the photos. WE LOVE THIS TOWN!!! Whew! Finished the paintings for this show!!! And still have to matt/frame these and then attach strap hangers and wires to these AND all the paintings for the Prizery! I can do this!!!
We had a great time today at this event in Henderson, NC. We met up with our dear friends, Leroy and Kathy (1932 Model A), along with their daughter Kimberly and husband David (1929 Willy). We saw LOTS of fabulous cars and talked to some really, really nice people! Grab a cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy the show! Oh - for more info, click here I believe I have mentioned - maybe 1,000 times - how much we love living in Clarksville! I recently joined the Chamber of Commerce as a Business Member and attended their 45th Anniversary Celebration. The fellow members are fantastic and each and every one of them truly loves our community and does their part to help make it better. They recently had this incredible video made and I just love it! Once again, I am abusing my blog as the easiest way to share photos with family and friends who are not on Facebook! :-) We had a fun-filled 8 days visiting our family in Montana - and as a special treat, my sister, Jacqueline and I got to have lunch with our cousins in Missoula - hadn't seen them since 1972!!! It was WONDERFUL!!! And Jacqueline's kids, spouses, and grandkids came for dinner and boat ride one evening - and that was very special, too! Every day was special - no matter how you look at it! The forest fires were nearby in Glacier Park, ID, WA and OR - it took 5 days for the smoke to clear enough that we could see the mountains - was very weird to not be able to see them, knowing they surround the area! And it was wonderful when they appeared - like dropping scenery curtain for the play! :-) Anyway, sit back and enjoy the show! I was given the opportunity to do a commissioned painting of a dog from very nice lady who was on our Savannah Bus Trip over New Years. It for her sister's birthday. The dog has passed and she loved it so much! Anyway, I tossed and turned over which method(s) to use. I'm really liking pouring the backgrounds - very messy, but it sure creates some cool designs! I didn't know whether to mask the dog and pour the background; or throw down primary colors first and then mask the dog and pour the background. So I did both! Please tell me which one you like the best:
So for two years, I faithfully stood on the bridge 5 am - 9 am Fri-Sun mornings during Lakefest in hopes of catching photo of the balloons flying over the lake. None of us can control the winds and unfortunately, the winds didn't take them over the lake. So I took my creative license and combined two photos - one of the bridge over the lake - and one of the 6 balloons giving tethered balloon rides! Voila!
At the Occoneechee Pow Wow, Joseph Epps announced that his tribe would be having their Pow Wow 7/25. He is the Director of the MacCallum More Museum and Gardens and has been so very good to me. I met him when I did my art show there last year, and we have been back to see him many times. We always bring company we have and he always gives us a wonderful tour and spends so much time talking with us. Wonderful, wonderful man - and he has lead such an interesting life. So we get the program at the Pow Wow - he's not only a member of this tribe, he is the War Chief! How cool is that??? We are very glad we went and we had such a nice time. So much passion in the dancers. Several are the same dancers from the first Pow Wow - this time with different outfits, and one couple has 3 children that also dance! They are the "lead dancers", Osceola and Tina Mullin. Sit back and enjoy the pictures!! It's been awhile since I have painted - finished my 30 day challenge in time for Auntie Di and the 4th of July weekend - then hustled to get ready for sister RaNae and played with her for a week - then Lakefest was upon us - busy month!!! But wonderful month and I wouldn't give up a second of any of it!
I finally finished the last 2 that I began in the 30 day challenge: Well, this is our second Lakefest we've been to, and this year is just as wonderful as the first! So many activities - so much preparation by the Chamber and all the Vendors - so many people involved. And the massive crowds (60K??? 80K???) are well behaved and having fun! We don't attend all the activities - night time concerts....but have hit most! Please relax and enjoy the show - I will post more pics from tonight's firework show - and tomorrow's hopeful sunrise hot air balloons! II took a rather long break from painting to work in the yard. We have a circular driveway and in the middle is a huge area - probably 60 feet by 40 feet that was filled with leaves and very old trees. I cleared out the leaves and created a path out of cut tree stumps and put in a bistro setting so they had something to go to. Then I made a small Hellebore garden - and soon came along 4 more Hellebore gardens, then some more ferns....then I got the bright idea of transplanting moss into the circle as it is mostly shade, you don't have to mow it, and it just thrives here! Then Jim had an old stepping stone cement form - 1 60 pound bag concrete per form - 39 bags of cement later, we have a winding path that goes from one side to the other. It's been such fun and quite addictive! I gave myself until 6/1/2015 to finish and once again begin painting. I'm having such a hard time sitting still and painting - need to water the moss - oh, wouldn't a ladybug spin thing look cute there - oh, and she needs rocks painted like lady bugs....doesn't take much to distract me!
So, here I am again, with my best solution to getting serious. Another 30 day challenge with painting each day and posting my results. It's like I have someone to be accountable to and it really helps me do a better job!!! The statue at MacCallum More is finished, the 3 Pow Wow paintings are just beginning - I think they are going to be very fun to paint! I often do the backgrounds first in case I screw them up - I won't have ruined a painting! :-) Here are my first 4 new paintings for The Prizery Show: |
AuthorAndrea Burke, WVWS Click on this if you'd like new blog posts emailed to you!
Categories
All
Archives
January 2024
|
'This world is but a canvas to our imagination' - Henry David Thoreau