More painting

Here's my week three assignment for Get Your Paint On. Week three was color week, so I played with a different palette than I usually use, one inspired by some of the colors Mati McDonough uses. I'm really loving all this painting. Even when I'm just filling in blocks of color, I get totally absorbed in what I'm doing. Wonderful.

Stuck!

Help! Feedback please! This is my Get Your Paint On week two assignment. I don't think it's finished but I am stuck, stuck, stuck. What do you think?

Getting my paint on

I love the work of Mati Rose McDonough and Lisa Congdon so when I found out they were teaching an online class together I signed up immediately.

This is what I painted for week one of Get Your Paint On. The inspiration was the Gees Bend quilts. I chose to focus on color and shape. This felt very different from what I usually do, but I love the whimsical feel and the graphic style. 11" x 14" acrylic on canvas

And now for something completely different...LOL! I actually painted both of these yesterday, moving back and forth during the background stages. I got totally absorbed in these and you know I love it when that happens! I'm also taking Misty Mawn's current online class, trying to figure out her soft dreamy painterly style. This wasn't a class assignment, just me playing around with this style. It's kinda crazy how different these are, but I really like both. I used to worry about how to integrate the different styles that I like or whether I should pick one in order to develop my "voice". I finally figured out that I could just make whatever I want to make and the rest will take care of itself. The important thing is to make stuff. Do the work. Except it should be called "Do the fun!" 11" x 14" acrylic on watercolor paper

Resourcefulness

Here's a gratuitous cute cat photo since a) I haven't posted one for a while and b) I don't have any pictures to go with the rest of the post. Please enjoy.

So what I really wanted to say is that I had kind of a crazy day at work. I don't write much about work here because, well, this isn't a blog about litigation. (thank goodness!). But when I took a deep breath at 4:55 today and started reflecting on the day I discovered a parallel to my art work. If there was a "theme" for me today it was Resourcefulness.

There was a lot to do and it seemed like every little thing had some little extra glitch. And so a lot of different people came to me with a lot of different glitches and I had the resources to help them. Yes, you can fix that by filing this and here's the form. Yes, I have that person's home # right here. Yes, I can find that piece of information on this website. Yes, let me call this person I know who can fix that. All day long. And here's the thing: It was fun! I love to solve problems and I've reached a point in my career where I have lots of resources at hand for solving problems. And that is such a satisfying feeling. The hard work I've done in the past pays off for me now.

So how the heck does that have anything to do with art? I'm coming to understand that a big reason why I love creativity and art making is because I love to solve problems. How can I put these elements together in an interesting way? How can I express this idea? How can I fix this painting that looks like vomit? And I've reached a point in my art making where I have lots of resources at hand for solving problems. I can balance that big element with these three small elements. I can stencil/stamp/draw these symbols. I can throw a splash of red paint right there to cover that awkward part and make the whole thing pop. The hard work I've done in the past pays off for me now. Awesome! Here's to experience and resourcefulness!

You never know what you're going to get

This wasn't at all what I intended when I started this painting. But my original plan wasn't working, so I started playing around with random collage bits that were handy. And came up with this. I've learned to just go with it when the paintings boss me around. They're always right.

I've been practicing faces. I signed up for the Faces class over here. Faces are a fun challenge. I'm always surprised by the expression they end up with.

Here's another little angel, one of three I'm painting for a commission (!). I've set up a painting station in the dining room since the basement studio is pretty cold right now. I've been painting in batches, starting several different sizes and surfaces at once, then having fun seeing where each one goes. You never know what you're going to get!