Visit me on my NEW WEBSITE

Hey, people... i don't hang out here anymore, but you can still follow my blog at mariannemorrisart.com. I still post on Sunday mornings, and I'm doing new projects all the time. Come on over and check it out!

Speaking in your own voice

"Passion" Ink on Paper. Private Collection. 

This is a recent drawing. I finished it last week. But it’s taken me years to get here.
Years ago, before I started my music series, I was part of this little art group. Only a few people, very informal, none of us doing any showing. I had started working on a few drawings in a similar style to this one. I did a bunch of small ones in my sketchbook, and a couple at a larger size on watercolour paper. I took it in to show the group.

There was one artist in the group, and while she worked in a style drastically different to my own, she was very skilled and had excellent taste. I respected her opinion. So when she told me she really didn’t like these drawings, I took it to heart. And I stopped.
Fast forward a few years. I’ve been posting a #paintingoftheday to Instagram pretty much every day for a while now. I have a large inventory and have been painting regularly for years. But still… after a year of daily posting, I was running out of images. So I dug out these drawings. And you know what? They got a pretty decent reaction. I even got a commission out of it.

So why did I stop? I thought these drawings were pretty good. But I didn’t have the confidence to speak in my own voice. I was relying on other people to tell me my ideas were good enough. That I was good enough. But somewhere along the line I have figured out that I can trust my own instincts. If I think something is good, chances are there will be someone else around that agrees with me. Undoubtably there will be a few that don’t, but I know now that I don’t need to be everything to everyone. I’m ok with who I am. And I will speak in my own voice.

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I've discovered that publishing duplicate posts on two different platforms is really time consuming.... I basically have to format it paragraph by paragraph to get it to look even remotely the same. Ugh. So this will be my last post here. Go over to mariannemorrisart.com to see any future posts. Thanks. 

5 Books that Made Me a Better Artist

I had a conversation with a friend last week that got me thinking. She asked what university was like for me, and had assumed that I had spent the few years I was there happily painting away all day under the watchful eye of my oh so helpful professors. Not exactly... apart from the fact that to get a University degree in Canada I had to take a load of courses that were not at all art related, my actual art classes were big on the theoretical stuff like composition and colour theory, but not so big on instructional stuff like how to actually apply paint. Or how to come up with ideas. Or how to market yourself. She was surprised... and asked how I managed to learn all that? My answer? Books. The library is a fantastic resource. There are books to learn practically everything. And now of course there is youtube... you can find professional artists demonstrating techniques that you can watch until you get it, without having to leave the comfort of your studio. But not in the 80s. Anyway, I thought I'd list my top 5, for any beginner artists looking for somewhere to start.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards

Book by Betty Edwards

This was one of the first art books I went out and bought after borrowing from the library. We took drawing in school, and even learned some of the same things she goes over in the book, but it helped me immensely to understand what I was actually learning when I was doing a contour drawing (how to see the edges and understand the shapes), or wtf the prof was expecting me to do when he went on about "drawing the negative space".  I hadn't had any real art instruction before uni, and I needed to start at ground zero. This book seriously helped.

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron

Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

I picked up this book on a whim when my son was a toddler and I felt like I had become the invisible mom. I worked my way through it chapter by chapter, and started following some of her suggestions like journaling and going on "artist dates". I've gone back to this book from time to time and reread some of the chapters, as a reminder to myself that if I can't invest the time it takes to nurture my creativity, I will never get where I want to go. This isn't a easy book to work through... it dredges up all kinds of crap from childhood onward that you may think is best forgotten, but if you don't understand where your insecurities and limiting beliefs come from, you will never be able to defeat them. It's worth the effort.

The New Acrylics - Rhéni Tauchid

New Acrylics technical book

If you are going to paint in Acrylics, you really should grab yourself a copy of this book. Rhéni has experimented extensively with anything and everything, and covers so many interesting techniques. She and her husband own Tri-art paints, so she has had access to pretty much any kind if medium and pigment. Get the low down on the best way to get to most out of your paint, with this clear, concise resource.

Experimental Painting - Lisa Cyr

The first book I picked up on mixed media, it is a great idea book on ways to stretch your limits. Lisa Cyr mixes powder graphite with oil paint, makes stencils, builds levels into her substrates, uses found objects for printing, transfers for background patterns... all kinds of stuff I had never thought of. And she has the technical know-how to pull it off. This book is a wonderful way to stimulate your imagination and  get you going in a new direction.

Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon

This book was recently all over the internet... and there is good reason. I got it from the library, and promptly went out and bought a copy for both my son and my niece. It's a short book, an easy read. But he deals with an issue artists face every day... where to get your inspiration.  I've read it a few times now. And I'll probably read it again. It's a good one.

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I've discovered that publishing duplicate posts on two different platforms is really time consuming.... I basically have to format it paragraph by paragraph to get it to look even remotely the same. Ugh. So next week will be the last week I do it. Go over to mariannemorrisart.com to see any future posts. Thanks. 

Art Journal: Emerging Selves

Spread in my Masks journal. Handmade book using heavy watercolour paper. 

I'm soon to become an empty nester. The thought scares me. I only actually gave birth to one child, but over the years our house has become the place where his friends come to hang out and practice. Especially this past year, when his high school friends have gone away to school and the new ones come from elsewhere. Coming home to a bunch of kids making music in my basement has become a regular, and not unwelcome thing. I've enjoyed it.

The thought of the house being empty makes me a little lonely. As much as I enjoy the quiet, (especially given my new "open concept" working environment... I don't even turn on the radio in the car on the way home), I'm not sure a 24/7 kind of quiet is all that appealing either. But whatever... I'll just have to get used to it. I'm sure he'll come home now and then to visit his mom. And get food.

I have read a load of books on ancient cultures and their ceremonial masks, and the the concept of transformation comes up again and again. Actually, that seems to be one of the themes I'm drawn to... all my favourite books, movies, and even tv shows have to do with transformations of some kind. Right now, I am watching my baby boy transform into the an adult. He's emerging from that protective cocoon of his childhood and setting off into the world. I remember fondly how exciting everything seemed then... this is a wonderful time for him, and no matter how sad it makes me, I have to suck it up and let him go. Hopefully, I've done my job well.

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I've officially moved over to mariannemorrisart.com. Remember to bookmark that site if you enjoy reading my blog...  posting here will end in August. Thanks.

When feeling intimidated, just forge ahead.

Screen shot of my new website. Finally. 

Technology is the bane of my existence. I work in a technology heavy field. Every day, Monday to Friday, I deal with computer related issues. Stuff doesn't work, fonts won't load, computers crash, software doesn't quite live up to the demands of the job... anyone who works on a computer day after day will understand exactly how frustrating it can be.

For the last year, my website has needed to be updated. Ok, maybe the last two years. I put it together, uploaded it, and promptly ignored the damn thing from that day forward. It was not my first website by a long shot. My first one was on "Geocities". Anyone remember that one? Yes, I am that old. The next one I actually HAND CODED. In notepad. Talk about tedious. Then one done in Go Live. The most recent one was in Dreamweaver. Software that I only had because it came in the Adobe bundle I bought for work. It was clunky and unintuitive, and didn't really work like any of the other Adobe software that I use daily. But I struggled with it, figured it out, and got up a reasonably decent looking site. Good enough. (I'm sure the software has improved, since it still exists and presumably still sells).

I know I need to update my website. I have an entire body of work that isn't properly represented. I post stuff here, but then when someone goes from my Facebook page, which is primarily abstracts, to my website, which does not have one single abstract piece on it, they think they've got the wrong person. I know this, and yet I still procrastinate. Why?? Because in order to do my redesign, I have to learn new software. And I'm bloody tired, and just don't want to. I don't. Really.

So...

I decided last week that the time was now, and no matter how intimidated I was with having to learn yet another software program, I was just going to forge ahead and DO IT. And you know what? It was really easy. Holy cow, has web software come a long way in the past few years. It was so simple that I have gotten the majority of my site up and running already. Amazing.

Go check out my new site here, at mariannemorrisart.com. And please, if you see any spelling mistakes or typos, please let me know so I can fix it. Proofreading isn't necessarily my strong suit.


Now comes the time for the blog transition. I'll post for the month of July in both places, but come August I will only be posting on my website. If you subscribe by email, you have the option of signing up at the new site... I won't be transferring my subscriber list over. If I can figure out how to do the MailChimp integration, I will start sending out my blog posts to my newsletter list, but that might take me a little while. One thing at a time.

Boxed In Opening: Video

I wanted to do a better walk around so I could really show off the talent here in Port Credit... but the gallery was crowded (awesome!) and I was late arriving, so it just didn't happen. But what a fantastic show! I am continually amazed by the diversity and quality of the work of the artists I meet here. The work was priced to sell, so I wasn't surprised to see a couple pieces had sold. I actually was surprised that more hadn't sold. This is the kind of show that really should sell out.

In 2011 we had 713,445 people in Mississauga. We have 5 dedicated art galleries, one being the public, city-run gallery, and another being the one at the University. Two of the commercial galleries don't carry the works of anyone local (that I know of... I've been following them for quite some time and have yet to see it, but I could be mistaken). That leaves one... and I've submitted my portfolio and wasn't even graced with a response. We have artist-run initiatives: Imagemaker (not counted in my tally of galleries), who keeps it's doors open by holding classes, Pazan gallery, who survives as a framing shop with a display space for the locals, and Promenade Gallery, which has some interesting events centering around the South Asian community. We also have the wonderful Visual Arts Mississauga, who offer all kinds of artists programs and also have shows in their space. I know there have been other galleries open in the past, but they have had to close their doors. I've often wondered why this is, given the amount of money that resides around here. Houses by the lake go for over a million bucks. Some way, way over. Even a condo will set you back over half a million.  So there are people who can afford to have original art in their homes, yet they do not seem to buy it here. My guess is that they go into Toronto. My son has noted the same thing as a musician. There are very few venues for live music here these days. Most of the young people trek into Toronto to catch a show, because nothing much seems to happens here.

The Mississauga Arts Council is aiming to change all that. The Interim Executive Director spoke at the opening, and he had some inspiring things to say. Plans to make Mississauga residents more aware of the local talent we have. Programs to help Mississauga artists actually sell their work here. And combined with the planned conversion of the Small Arms building into a cultural hub, this should be a huge boost to the cultural community in this city. I have high expectations. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Oh and if I've missed something, please let me know in the comments! I love finding new, local spots to visit!

New Abstract Painting: Soul of the Siren

"Soul of the Siren", 6x6" mixed media on wood panel. Private Collection. 

It has been an incredibly busy couple weeks. But YAY!!! My mom has been successfully moved, it all went pretty smoothly, and she's settling into her new apartment. It will be a big change for her... she's been in a big house for many years, and no matter how comfortable her new digs are, it's still an apartment. One level, one bathroom, a small kitchen. it will be easier to keep clean, but it will take some getting used to. Luckily there is lots of family around. Having social contact will definitely help. The house was beautiful and peaceful, but really, really isolated. 

My son is also preparing to move house. He's going to be moving in to a house in Toronto with his friends... he'll be closer to school, will be able to practice more often with both the bands he's in, and will be able to try out the whole independence thing while still being a shortish trip home for a mom cooked meal. It's an exciting time for him.

Things are going to be a bit weird for me though... the past year I've had kids constantly in and out of my house. We have a somewhat soundproofed room in the basement, and Clairvoyant is a serious band and they practice constantly. I had always enjoyed having the kids around. It's been fun. The house is now going to be oddly quiet. I'm sure I will miss it. But hey, it might actually inspire me to invite MY friends over. It's certainly been a while. 

This painting I finished up a bit before all the mayhem. As you can imagine, I haven't had a whole lot of time to paint in the last couple weeks... I'm getting a bit antsy to get back to it. I've committed to a habit of daily creativity, and I've actually done nothing in the past week. Nothing. I do have a couple projects that I will be getting to later today. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands dirty. This little cradleboard has been sitting on a shelf in my studio for over a year. It started as a collage that didn't work, was covered with paint for a bird painting that didn't work, covered with an abstract that didn't work. As a result, there is so much texture and colour that it didn't really need a lot to create something that did work. I just needed to know what I was looking for. I am going to give this little piece to my son when he moves. It will be his first piece of original art (that he didn't do himself). He has always been surrounded by it and I'm sure he will miss it. And if I'm lucky his friends will be ok with my using their walls as storage space and I can get some of this stuff out of my closets. If I'm lucky. 

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I know I was going to post a video of the Boxed In opening. Didn't forget, I've just been busy. I actually arrived late and so didn't get my wifi set up in time to go live, and the place was so packed I couldn't get close enough to do a decent walk-around. I do have a bit of video that is uploading to youtube as I write this. I will post it here mid-week. See you then. 

Anatomy of an illustration

Samples of my hand-drawn lettering

A couple weeks ago, when I was still in the midst of my Boxed In project, and my mom was getting ready to move, my son asked me to do an illustration for his band's upcoming CD cover. Normally I would be thrilled to have been asked. I'm his mom, and therefore old and decidedly uncool. This time though, I raised an eyebrow at him.

I thought you had someone doing that for you, I said.
Didn't work out.
When do you need it by?
Friday.

It was Monday, around 10 pm.
Crap.

Any other client, I'd probably say no. Creating something I'm proud of, from concept to print ready art, takes more than a couple days. But this is my kid, and he's been working hard to get this recording done, and I want him to have it for the string of live shows they had lined up for early June. So, ok... I'll do what I can. But as a client in a hurry, decisiveness is key.

1st Rough concept for the album cover.  

We started with concept. The name of the album? Rot. Oh. Goody. They don't want something gross. Ok, so no skulls or bugs or rotting vegetables. Crumbling concrete? No, too cliché. Also struck down... assorted vegetation, and kids sitting in front of a TV set. They finally decided on a crow. Subtle, but the association is there. Crows eat dead things.

Next up, the wordmark. Typeface or handwritten? What impression do you want to give? I did a couple handwriting samples of the band name and album title, just to give them an idea. Hand drawn typefaces are all over Instagram, so it is very current. Current is good when you're young and you're target market is young.

I did a few quick layouts with images I already had... two from my sketchbook, a couple using photos I found online... just to give them the basic idea before I started drawing. That part takes time, and no point in wasting time drawing something that they ultimately don't want. They picked one layout, which I then used to start my drawing.

My initial computer drawing. I kinda like it, but the boy
wasn't sure about the white background... even though that
was what he had asked for... sometimes you can't tell
if something is right until you see it.

When I do illustration work, I usually start out on paper. I know people who go straight to the computer, but I can't seem to work that way. I need a pencil and paper to work through the basic stuff, then I do a final drawing, scan it in, and work from there. I guess I'm old school that way... and being an artist in the traditional sense, I feel like I can be more creative with a pencil than a stylus or mouse. I use Adobe Illustrator at work. I also use Photoshop, but the main part of my job is in Illustrator. I prefer Photoshop for actual illustrations. I could probably get the same effects and a bit more flexibility if I used Illustrator, but I haven't invested the time to be really good at it. Anyway, once that drawing was done I did a little mockup to show the kids.

It wasn't quite the feel they were going for, so I did what I never do... let him sit beside me and go through some possibilities. Having your client sit beside you while you work is like some special form of torture.... anyone who works in a creative/visual field has probably experienced this. It only took a few tries to get what he was after, so ultimately easier than going through them all on my own and letting him choose. We made the printer deadline, and they picked up their CDs the day before their show in Montreal. And I've got a happy kid.

The final CD and cover. All done in a week.

My boy, playing in a Toronto club. Photo by the talented Haley Wheeler. Check out the band on their Facebook page, and their music on Bandcamp.

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I won't have a regular post next weekend... my mom is finally moving and I will be otherwise occupied. Have a good one, and I'll see you for the Boxed In opening on June 9th.

Boxed In: Final Entry

"Secret of the Ancients", 12x12" Mixed Media on canvas. Available.

Done. The final painting. Feels like it took a really long time to get these finished, but I suppose, with stopping to take working photos, and documenting everything in between painting sessions, it added on a bit of time. At least I made it for my deadline.

I'm going to be doing something a bit different for this series. Each piece looks best in a certain direction... in my opinion. But they can all fit together for something different. So to allow a bit of flexibility, I'm going to sign them on the edge of the piece, rather than the front. I will still have to put wire on the back, but that is easily changed if the eventual owner decides they want to hang them in a different direction. The gallery is actually going to hang the show with velcro instead of hooks this time. Makes it easier with so many pieces, and that way they won't have to fill a million holes in the walls when the show comes down. The canvases they gave us are small and light, so it should work well. I can hardly wait to see how the show comes together.... some of the work I've seen posted online is really wonderful.

Excavation series, lined up horizontally. These would look lovely in a hallway... maybe on a white wall? I found another
silver in my stash that was way more reflective (Golden... of course), so I went over the solid silver areas in all
three pieces. Anyway, that's why I have areas that look warm grey in that last photo. That's the new silver
reflecting the light.  I really should rephotograph the other two...

Now that I'm done this series I have a few other things I have to focus on for the next couple weeks. My mom is moving in a little over a week, my son has a million things on the go (some of which require my input), and I really, seriously need to clean up my studio. I don't know how it can go from clean to a disaster in a few short days, but it manages to happen. One misplaced object, and suddenly I need a couple days to put everything back together.

I will post a video of the opening on June 9th... I'll try to keep it short-ish. I'll have to do the walk around and maybe have a little chat with some of the other artists. If I can get that live stream thing happening, I'll let you know.

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 8 - Finishing Touches Canvas 3

"Escape", 12x12" Mixed Media on Canvas. Available.

This will be my last mid-week entry for this project. The end of the month is coming up, and I'm finishing up these paintings to get them to the gallery in time for the show. I was hoping to be able to live-stream the opening... I know a few of my followers who are not local would enjoy "being there", as much as they can. The easiest/most accessible version of "live" would be the new Facebook Live feature...... but alas, I still don't have access to it. Searching the help menu leads to the always  so helpful "some users may not yet have access to this feature". Awesome. First time ever Facebook has rolled out something new I actually want to use before it's available. 

I love this iridescent paint so much...

I do have other options. I'm on Periscope, but the one time I used it I got about 0 views. It's not like I've been on there much... most of my audience is not the 20-somethings that are up on every new app that comes along. So I think I'll go with the trusted YouTube platform... I can stream live (I've tried it out, but not exactly sure how it looks on the other end. How do you find live streams on there? I can't seem to figure that part out. Is it like a hangout?), and I can record it at the same time and save it to my channel. Yes I have a YouTube channel. My son was shocked.

Oh, and now it looks green! How cool is that?

I have another opening to get to this week... I was FINALLY accepted into the Artworks Oakville annual juried show. It's one of the local shows that is always really wonderful. Gets loads of entries, has notable judges, great prizes... all the things that make a juried show really hard to get into. I've entered repeatedly. To the point where when I fill out the entry form I feel like I'm making a donation to the group instead of actually entering a competition (it's the same with the VAM show, another really great juried show held at the AGM at the end of the year). Getting that acceptance email was a bizarre feeling... I walked around for a week thinking they surely made a mistake, and I'd be notified any day now. It's not that I don't think my art worthy of being in a show like that, it's more that my work is not so different that it would stand out when lined up against 100 or so other pieces. I'm make abstract paintings. Not unlike a plethora of other painters. It's just how it is.

Anyway, I will be posting the last of these paintings on Sunday. It feels like it's taken me forever to get these done.... but I've had a few other things going on. I'll fill you in on those at some point... I need to have something to talk about for these weekly entries.

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 7 - Finishing Touches Canvas 2

"Excavation", 12x12" Mixed Media on canvas. Available.  

From the side to show the interference.

Well, the first of the three canvases is finished. I didn't actually have to do too much to finish this off. I just added in some bright white highlights and did a bit of drybrushing to accentuate the texture (if you want a reminder of what it looked like, you can see it again here). After looking at it turned in all directions, I decided it looks best this way. Even when I join it up on either side with the others it looks best this way. So, I still need to sign it, touch up the edges and attach the hanging hardware, but otherwise it's done.

 One of the wonderful things about interference paints is the way the colour changes when the light hits it. How to photograph that is a bit of a mystery.

From another angle. Now it looks green. 

Here I've taken a couple shots on different angles. You can see how it looks purple from the side, but green if the light is on a different angle. As I've only used it in accent areas, it is really something that can only be fully appreciated in person. But then all original art is kind of like that... right?

If you are in the GTA, this promises to be a really great show. I've been following along with the progress shots from some of the other artists, and have seen a few of the finished pieces already turned in. Wonderful. AND, if that wasn't enough, at $100, these pieces are a steal. Most of these artists would have work this size going for considerably more... myself included. I imagine a few of the artists will take the opportunity to buy work from other artists they love but could never afford (likely myself included here as well...). If you are in the area, be sure to stop in and take a look.

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 6

 

Canvas 1 continuing. Photo taken with my phone, and therefore not colour accurate. 

This weekend was a little nuts. I haven't had time to do much since my last entry... but since I said I was going to post, I'm going to post. 

My mom is going to be moving soon. It's a huge job, packing up that house.... and now that she's on her own it's a bit overwhelming. My husband and I went out there on the weekend to help get things sorted. Her moving date is approaching quickly, and packing is slow and difficult when you're mobility isn't the greatest. Two days and we made a lot of progress. Still not quite there, but definitely got a good chunk of it done. She does have other help... I am the youngest of 4 kids, so she's not alone, but it's a trek for all of us. I for one will be happy when she's closer.

As for this painting...

I've obliterated that awkward block in the middle. The shape is bigger now... not sure it's necessarily better, but at least it isn't smack dab in the middle of the canvas. I lightened up that curved shape on the left. It was kind of a mid-tone grey... I decided it had to be either light or dark and light felt better to me. I got rid of the pointy, arrow-like line. I also changed that shape on the bottom... it felt like it was too much the same size as the shape at the top, so I made it a bit smaller. Again, not sure it's necessarily better, but it's different. That area on the right I haven't dealt with yet. I still don't know what to do with it.

That's all I've got right now. So here's a cute picture of my dog.

Because dogs. 

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 5

the join between canvas 1 and
 two really bothered me...

 I'm back to canvas 1. If you don't remember quite what it looked like, you can refresh your memory here. The image is at the bottom, but it's upside down. When I'm working abstractly, I will regularly flip the canvas around to get a different view. Sometimes it works better in a different direction. It's definitely a good way to check if the image is balanced.

Once I had that dark area blocked in, I saw I
needed to add some interest to the bottom section. 

Stacking up 1 and 2, I can see they don't really meet up any more. It's not too bad, but this area (left) really bothered me. Since I like the top one, and I don't like the bottom one, I decided this was the ideal place to start.

My three Boxed In canvases, all
still in progress. 

I still had that big blocky shape in the middle of my canvas. I don't like that too much, so I'm going to change it. Once that's done, I rework the rest of it to balance out that initial dark shape. It seems to lean heavily to the left here, so I added a few shapes to the bottom section to make it more interesting. I will have to do something to that section on the middle right... don't know what yet, but I can decide that as I go along.

By the time I'm done this session, I've really taken this canvas in a different direction. It looks really different... there are still a lot of areas I don't like, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to spend a few more hours working on this. Luckily the other two are in decent shape, so I have the time to rework this until I like it. I still have a couple weeks before I have to turn the canvases in to the gallery. Of course I have to allow time to finish the edges, apply a layer of varnish, and attach hardware and wire to the back. I can't leave it right to the deadline, or I may end up turning something in I'm not satisfied with. Not my style.

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 4

Canvas 3 in progress. Now that I've got all 3 going, I can make my decisions looking at the grouping and keep them unified.

With canvas #2 being somewhat close to completion, I figured I had to move on to canvas 3, and try to get it to a stage comparable to the first painting. This one is going to be a challenge... when I started it I thought it was going to be a mask image, so I experimented with some pouring medium to get some organic looking forms to work with. While I scrapped the mask idea, I had these raised shapes on the canvas that I was either going to have to work with, or sand off. Sanding was unappealing... I decided to leave them and see what I could do with it. 

Set of 3 images, taken when I
was just starting on this
canvas. 

I also have a lot of colour on this canvas. It was going to show through unless I used a really opaque paint, which is not something I usually do. I figured I'd just go with it, and if it bothered me I would just keep layering until it didn't. 

The obvious choice for a focal point was the big splotch in the top right. Dividing the canvas into thirds, it is in the exact right "golden" section. And because I want to keep the series light overall, that area was going to have to have some dark shapes to draw the eye. Running the shape off the side of the canvas is something I've started doing recently... I read something about how composing your image as if it is larger than your actual canvas improves the way the image flows. (I really don't know why I don't bookmark these blogs I stumble across... sometimes these ideas are so helpful, and I can't share because I can't for the life of me find the post again. I will try to keep better track in the future). 

This piece isn't even close to done. It will be at least one more session, possibly two. I like the interplay of forms in the focal point, the rest of the composition needs a fair bit of work. The cluster of forms on the bottom left is messy and doesn't really work, and the interference needs to be brought through the entire piece and not just isolated in one main area. I'll get back to this one when I figure out exactly what I want to do. Sometimes moving on to something else, and getting a fresh look in a couple days works wonders. 

Boxed In: Project Entry Part 3

Boxed In, canvas #2. Still in progress. I took this outside to photograph it, because the lights in my studio make
the grey look really warm. Of course I took the photo with my phone, the colour is still not totally accurate. When I'm
done I'll take a proper, colour corrected image. 

If you need a recap of this project, you can read my previous posts over the past week. Part one, and part two.

Moving right along...

I've moved on to canvas #2, so that I can get a consistent feel to the 3 pieces. When I'm working on a set that I want to go together, I regularly switch from one piece to the next while I figure out the next step.

In an attempt to show the iridescent nature of this
awesome mother of pearl paint, I photographed it
on an angle. It looks grey straight on, but
changes from purple to green in the light.

Sometimes one painting will get way ahead of the others, and then I'm playing catch up trying to get them all up to the same level. I think this is what has happened with this one. I started working early evening, and by the time I thought to check what time it was, it was the wee hours the next morning. As much as I love it when I'm in that much of a groove, I was tired as hell the next day. But still, I could hardly wait to get back to work.

I really like the silver/grey colour combination, although at the moment I think it's still a bit too dark. It feels monumental. My lines are perhaps a bit too harsh... but I still kind of like it. It feels crisp, and ragged, almost like ancient rock, or ice that's been there for millennia. The dark areas carry the eye through the image, the shapes are different, it doesn't look too busy. I will probably make a few finishing touches, but I doubt I'll do too much more. It's pretty rare that a piece will come together this quickly (if you can actually call it quickly, given that it had two pretty terrible incarnations before this one).

Of course I might still change my mind, but for right now, I like it.

Boxed In: Project Entry part 2

One thing these pieces will have that my other movement pieces don't is a lot of texture. Since I started off using collage and thick paint, I figured I'd just go with it and got out the molding paste. The movement is built right into the substrate. That should make things interesting.

Wait... what day is it?

I'm going to be posting a little more often while I'm working on this project. My usual once a week works fine for the most part, but I don't really want these posts getting super long and boring, and I want to share every step. So I'm going to try for twice a week for the duration. I have to be done by the end of the month anyway, so I think I can manage that for a few weeks. 

Here's where I'm at:

I have numbered the backs of the canvases so I will always put them in the same order when I photograph them. Starting at the bottom, we have 1, 2, 3. Number 3 is going to be the most challenging, because I decided to try out that pouring medium that's been sitting on my studio shelf for the last few months. I've got these wonderful, organic forms, but I have no idea how I'm going to make those shapes work... yet.

Anyway, I set my erupting volcano video to play on my phone, while I tried to capture the forms on each canvas. Once this part is done I don't watch the video again... I have to work each canvas as it's own image without going back to my reference. I'm not trying to paint an erupting volcano, I just want to get the feel of something bursting from a contained area. Once I had my drawings done I stacked the canvases back up in order to take a photo... then decided the shapes had to join up. They might not join up in the end... I will decided direction right at the very end as I usually do, but for now, I want the shapes to create one continuous motion.

I decided to start off on canvas 1. I like it the least... there's an awkward darkish area right in the middle that is going to cause me a bit of an issue. I like that swoosh going across the bottom right corner, so I'm going to emphasize that area. That swoosh is a large brushstroke of silver paint. I think I'll try to leave that alone, and emphasize the edges by darkening the area around it. Of course every decision will affect every subsequent decision, but it's a place to start.

Here's where I'm at at the end of this session. I've flipped it over for a fresh view... I've got some really nice areas happening, but i need to develop it a bit more. I will start the other pieces before I get too much further, because I want them all to have the same feel. And maybe working on the next one will suggest what has to happen next on this one. Stay tuned...

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Boxed In: Project Entry part 1

Attempt number one. Ick.

A little local gallery recently put out a call to artists. They were having a special anniversary show, and were inviting artists who have shown there to participate in a small works show. Each artist would be given 3 12x12" canvases, and in the end the gallery would be filled with these little paintings, which would all be for sale for $100. They named the show "Boxed In".

There is a timeline. I have to have the canvases ready by the end of May. I've decided to document the entire project from start to finish.... warts and all. And I'm off to a brilliant start.

This was the start of my mask try... I got
further,but I didn't take any photos.

My first thought was to do something a little different. With the canvases being $100 across the board, and my usual work at that size is quite a bit more, I didn't feel I could do my usual thing. My first image started with collage shapes and paint, and after 3 sessions struggling, I decided that just wasn't going to work. My 2nd attempt was to do one of my journal pages on the canvas. Maybe one of the masks I've been working on. I spent two days on that one. I was struggling.

So much for doing something completely different. I need to approach this the way I usually do.

Here's my thought process...

Theme: Boxed in

I hate that phrase. Nothing I dislike more than the feeling of being confined. I may put confines on myself, but if anyone else tries to do it, I rebel. And since that is who I am, that is exactly what I am going to do. 

Reversing the theme: Instead of Boxed In, I will Break Free.

Things that break out of their confines? Volcanoes, explosions, babies being born, birds hatching from eggs, air... in the form of balloons popping, popcorn, water bubbles.

Things of value trapped within their environments that are freed somehow: pearls, gold and precious metals, oil, gemstones... of course the value is assigned by humans, and it doesn't necessarily have any inherent value. But that's beside the point.

So. My shapes will be formed from things breaking out of their confines. And my colours will be silvers and hues of purple and blue, very light, reminiscent of ice or diamonds, and I'll use my lovely mother of pearl iridescent paint to accent areas. Because pearls. Here's stage one. Wish me luck.

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Abstract Painting: Just Listen

"Just Listen", 12x12" mixed media on canvas. Available. 

My son just finished up his first year of university. How I got old enough to have a kid in university, I don't know. It seems like a few days ago he was a baby, and now he's a young man getting ready to move out.

Or that was the plan, anyway. He wants to live with his friends, and given that he's very close to 19, I figure its about the right time. They seemed to have it figured out... to the point where I marvelled at how mature these kids are. But now it seems the drama is starting. There's an extra friend that needs to be included. A girlfriend that wants to move in as well. One kid going to a different school to be considered. They need a place where they can practice (they're all musicians) and all the neighbours won't complain. Seems like a lot to ask for in a city where ANY housing is in very short supply, never mind the affordable kind. They are adults and need to sort it out among themselves, so I need to keep my nose out of it. Difficult when it's your child. The best I can do is listen.

I've always been more of a listener than a talker. I watch people. Read their non-verbal clues and try to figure them out. I was obsessed with that tv show "Lie to Me", where an expert used facial micro-expressions to tell if people were lying. I've passes those online emotional intelligence tests with near perfect scores. I can usually tell when someone doesn't like me, and it's taken me many years to not care about that and just be who I am. I've tried to pass on some of these things to my child... particularly the "be who you are" thing. For the most part I think I've succeeded.... but he's only 19. As much as I don't want to see him get into a living situation where he's constantly stressed out by other people's drama, I need to let him make his own decisions and figure it out for himself.

I did remind him that in a pinch, he can always come back here. The commute isn't the worst thing ever.

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Art Journal: Class Demo

A demo I did in my recent class. Someone spotted a face in my random paint splatters, and I just went with it. I
think it looks vaguely Asian... like a kabuki mask. 

Over the month of March I taught a class at a local senior's centre. I wasn't so sure about the teaching thing... I'd done a couple workshops, but they were short enough that I couldn't really get to the core of my subject. It ended up being more like a step by step thing than an actual class where I imparted any kind of wisdom. This class was different... not only because I had more than a few hours to get all my information out, but because the class was based on the thing I have struggled with for most of my artistic life: how can we generate ideas?

That was always the thing that was my biggest stumbling block. When I was in school it was something we never touched on. Everyone else seemed to be overflowing with possibilities, while I doodled in my sketchbook and stared at my blank canvas wishing something... anything... would come to me. It really sucked. And it made me feel like I was somehow less than the others. Less of an artist. Not creative at all, in fact. And that, combined with all the other stuff... the brutal critiques, the absence of technical instruction, the complete lack of support... made me reluctant to label myself "artist". 

Twenty years later and I've figured out how my brain works. For me, anyway, it's about latching on to something that fascinates me, and working through all the crappy ideas until I get to the good stuff. Sometimes it takes a while. There's writing, there's reading. I am usually obsessed with something for a while before it starts coming out in my little books. The books themselves are like some little time-travel journey through my brain... a working through ideas until I hit on the thing that I think I can take somewhere interesting. I brought a pile of these journals with me on the first day of class, and everyone had a chance to take a good look while I babbled on about how important it was to work in a series so your ideas have a chance to percolate and the easiest, most obvious things get out of the way. It must have had some sort of impact, because everyone showed up on week two with a book started, and an idea ready to go.

One thing that really impressed me about this class was how open they were to everything. I have some pretty unorthodox ways of working, especially when I'm beginning a project... I start without any idea of what I'm going to do, I use all kinds of homemade and improvised tools, I work with what shows up rather than planning everything out. I'm a fan of painting over things that don't work. I got no resistance from this group. The tried everything. It was awesome.

I hope I'm like that when I'm "old". But you know, not one of them seemed old to me. Could be because I'm no youngster myself...the older I get the less a difference in age seems to mean. But I think it was more their spirit of adventure and openness to new ideas. That's the thing I need to hold on to.

Arts on the Credit 2016

Thank you to everyone who came out to see the show this year. It was a lot of fun, and it was lovely talking to you all in person.

If you didn't get there, I had a wee walk-around before the doors opened on Sunday. It will give you a taste of what work was there, and the lovely people I got to spend the weekend with.

A special thanks to organizers Marie Payne and Elysia Prokopetz. You guys are awesome.

Arts on the Credit Giveaway!

Here are all 8 miniature paintings I am giving away. I haven't done anything this small in years... I had forgotten
how fast they go. And how fun they are. 

Arts on the credit is here in less than a week. So far this is the only art fair I do (but I am hoping to change that this year... I've got my applications ready and deadlines marked on the calendar. Bring it on). I'm on my 3rd year there, and I have to admit, it usually causes me a great deal of anxiety. I'm dealing with everything much better this year... I'm not running around looking for stuff because I put it away when everything was done last year. I got my display stuff out last week and set it up in the garage, so I'm sure I've got all the tools and hardware packed up and ready to go. I've got a bunch of prints I can take, I have way more art than I can possibly fit in my 10 foot booth, and I have something to wear that I'm sure fits me. I even managed to get a haircut. Yay me!

This is by far the largest piece I will have with me. If
you spot it, you're in the right place.

One thing I usually do, after the fact, is give something away to my followers. I always plan to have something posted during the show, but every year I am so bogged down with other stuff that I don't get to it. Well, people, not this year! Over the past two weeks I have managed to paint 8 miniature originals, all one of kind in a series, and I am going to have a draw. 

If you are planning to visit the show this year... and that's April 9-10... stop around at my booth. I will have ballots to fill out, and a box to put them in. Fill in your info, drop it in the box, and that's it. When the show is over I will draw out 8 names, contact you for your address, and I'll drop them in the mail. Easy peasy. 

For those of you who actually paint yourself, I'm going to tell you what I was doing here.... I've recently been refreshing my memory on the rules of visual art. I wrote about that last week. I stumbled onto a video on colour theory (sorry, I can't find the one I watched. I lose stuff on youtube all the time. I really should bookmark the good ones) and this guy explains it way better than any of my professors did in uni. So, I picked out three random colours that were sitting on my art table, added my favourite metallic, and got to work. I honestly didn't know how these were going to look. I don't know if I would ever have thought of putting turquoise, crimson and raw sienna together, but they were sitting next to each other, so there you go. By making sure there was a bit of each colour in every colour mix, the colours work together beautifully, even though they don't necessarily go together when you look at the full strength hues, side by side. Something I maybe figured out intuitively, without actually articulating it. It was a fun little exercise. 

Anyway, I'm hoping I'll have some time to post some photos from the show next week, but in case I don't, I'll be back to my regular Sunday posting the following week. Have a good one, and I'll see you at the show.  

Abstract Painting: Pheonix Rising

"Phoenix Rising", 12x12" mixed media on canvas. Available. 

I have recently been in touch with an artist friend I haven't talked to in a while. He asked to see what I've been up to lately, so I sent him a few photos.

"What happened to all the colour?!"

Ok, so it's been a long while. I think the last time he saw my painting, I was working on my music series.  So yeah, this stuff is really different. My friend is a very accomplished artist. He shows across the country and his work sells well. If he sees fit to offer advice, I am going to listen carefully... and take notes. He recommended I work on my compositions a bit more, add some colour, maybe loosen up a bit with my use of line. All things I notice in other artist's work, but haven't been focused on in my own.  I've been so intent on how a piece makes me feel that I've been ignoring a lot of the design stuff I've learned over the years.

I didn't have to consider what he was saying for long, I knew immediately that he was right. I got out some books and reread the chapters on composition. I watched a few youtube videos on the use of value and design in visual art. Refreshed my memory on the "rules". Then I prepped a couple small canvases and got back to work.

It's hard to keep all this info in the back of my mind while I'm working. I've very much an intuitive painter. For this piece, I asked a couple local artist friends to take a look and offer a critique when I was at a mid-point, just to keep myself on track. That's something I miss about school... oh, not those scathing critiques where everyone in the room tells you how you totally missed the boat on this one, but the helpful, thoughtful comments that direct you out of a problem when you are stuck and ready to get out the gesso.

Most artists work in isolation to some degree. It's helpful if you have other artists around to bounce ideas off of, to share information, and to just talk to. But I've found that since I left school, getting any constructive criticism is extremely difficult. People are so afraid to hurt each other's feelings that they won't offer an opinion that could honestly help the other person improve their work. Even in a workshop environment, I've found that instructors are quick to point out the parts that are working well, but tend to avoid the part that isn't. Of course any advice has to be welcome and considerately given. Not personal or confrontational. If things are done with consideration and in the spirit of helpfulness, the whole critique process can be pleasant for all participants. And we can all learn to be better artists.

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If you are in the GTA, I will be exhibiting at Arts on the Credit, April 9-10 at the Waterside Inn in Port Credit. I'll have a whole pile of new work on display, along with 40 or so other artists and fine crafts people. It's always a good show.

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