New Abstract Painting: Dance in the Sunshine

"Dance in the Sunshine", 9x9" Mixed Media on paper

Over the past couple weeks I've been experimenting with different types of movement, and trying to relay the experience of movement of different living things. My diving experiment from last week had me looking back to a subject I've worked with before…. dancers.

The drawing for this piece started while watching a couple dance at a late summer event. It wasn't like swing dancers…. that would be interesting and probably a lot more complex… I'll make a note to try that one. These people were just moving to the music and responding to each other. The color palette came from the surroundings: yellow for the sunshine, purple and turquoise from their clothing. I did a bunch of drawings… I'm drawing things all the time now, and by the time I get to painting them I probably won't remember what I was looking at at the time. They are all just shapes and movement. I'll have to remember to make notes in my sketchbook. I'm sure it's more interesting to read about the inspiration behind a piece of abstract work than just "Here it is. Look, isn't it pretty?" What do you think?

My life outside of my art seems to be settling down a bit… oh, work is still insanely busy, but I'm managing to keep my stress levels from spinning out of control. Something about losing someone close to you really clarifies your priorities. Work is just work, it's a way to pay the bills while I pursue something that i enjoy. There are days when I'm glad I have something that forces me out of the house and to interact with people. Left to my own devices I'm pretty sure I'd have spent the last couple months in my pajamas and not left my house. Can't do that if I want to keep a job…. although I have had days where I think maybe getting let go wouldn't be such a tragedy. Except that I would still need to eat, so I'd have to find something else. And that would suck.

New Abstract Painting: Escape Velocity

"Escape Velocity", 5x15" Mixed Media on Paper

This past summer, Toronto hosted the Pan Am and Parapan Am games. It was a big deal. There were events scattered all across the GTA. Everyone I know got into it somehow... they went to events, watched it on TV, a few friends even volunteered to help out. It pretty much took over the city for a good chunk of the summer.

I'm not much of a sports fan. I was never much into team sports until my son started to play hockey, and even then I couldn't really follow the game. I just looked for his number and crossed my fingers he didn't get hurt. The few sports I have taken an interest in over the past few years are olympic type events. Things like high diving and ski jumping. While I was watching the divers compete this time around, I found myself watching their movements intently, and wondering how I could possibly translate a dive into abstract shapes.

This small painting started off as one of many drawings done while watching videos of the divers.... obviously vertically rather than horizontally. When I started trying to translate the drawing into colour and shape I flipped it because the shapes work better for me this way. I think I lost the downward pull of gravity somehow in this one, and that's why it feels better turned. I think I'm happy with this piece visually... if I just focus on the feeling of movement from one side to the other I think it works, even if the sense of a dive is lost. But I will have to try again... just to see if I can do what I intended. It's an interesting concept to play with, and one that can be expanded to include so many things.

And now I'm wondering.... what would a hockey game look like if I was just following the movement?

New Painting: Infinity

"Infinity", 18x24" Acrylic on Canvas. Private Collection.

Regular readers will know my life has been in a bit of chaos lately. Anyone who has followed my progress for a while might also recognize that birds are a subject that I tend to go to when I either a) don't know what to do or b) am stressed. I draw them, I photograph them, I paint them, I abstract them... they are a subject I don't seem to get tired of.

My older bird painting,
"In Harmony". Private Collection.

A while ago I was contacted by someone who really liked one of my earlier bird paintings, but as the one she connected with was already sold, we talked about creating one especially for her. Larger, to fit her space. Her anniversary was coming up, and it was an occasion for something special. I thought it would be fun, and since I had recently started working with birds again, I had lots of reference photos at my fingertips.

I started working. We decided on colours and I laid the background in. Then my dad got sick. Things happened quickly, and my weekend away to help out my mom turned into a week... and suddenly my dad was gone. Then my uncle. Then it was over, everyone returned home, and there I was with a half finished painting and my motivation level at an all time low.

To get myself back to the proper frame of mind to work, I had to think about all the things these birds were representing to me. They symbolize freedom, they represent the idea of flight... not just the physical but the emotional and mental. They are alone, but they are together. They are really the perfect subject for an anniversary. And the perfect symbol for those we've lost. Love, to infinity.

I hope she loves her painting.

Jazz Legends | Dizzy Gillespie

"Legends | Dizzy", 16x20" Acrylic on Canvas

Feels like I've been working on this series forever. I was checking to see how many portraits I've posted so far, and realized this one somehow got missed. It was actually the first one of the series I did, and the one that set me off doing these portraits in the first place. I had intended to post him in between some of the earlier ones I had working photos for, but somehow he got shuffled to the back, and never made it onto the blog. 

Dizzy had so much style... He had a look that wouldn't necessarily be out of place today. In fact, my son has glasses very similar to the ones he wore. It was fun working out this piece. I had a couple photos of him without his cheeks puffed out.... although that is how he is most recognizable, I was pretty sure I would manage to mangle it if I tried to do it that way. I found an old photo with an interesting angle, and drew in the glasses and cap he sometimes wore on stage. The frantic, almost chaotic background that I started with was an attempt to convey some of the energy of the music. I continued on with this type of approach with the other pieces, but somehow I think this one has a unique feel... maybe because his music is different from some of the other performers I've done. 

I've got a couple pieces left in this series, and then that's it. I don't know what's next... I've been working on my little motion abstract pieces that will probably be worked up into a few large pieces, but at some point I know I'll get back to painting people. Maybe I can figure out a way to combine the two. I've got lots of time to figure it out. One piece at a time. 

New Abstract Painting: Elusive Muse

"Elusive Muse", 9x9" Mixed Media on paper. Available.
This is also the title of a popular art website that I happen to love. I'm using my pile of already started pieces
to get myself  into a suitable frame of mind to do more creative work. The title somehow fits. I have a feeling it's
going to be a long haul...

This past week I've had the unfortunate experience to witness the grieving process from a couple of differing viewpoints. While still dealing with the loss of my father less than two weeks ago, my uncle passed away from colon cancer. Two family members in two weeks. I feel like curling up in a ball in front of the TV and staying there for a while. It's a little bit overwhelming. 

My dad didn't want a funeral. He was adamant. He thought it was too hard on the family, and he didn't want everyone standing around feeling sorry for him. That's how he was. We honoured that. My uncle's family took the traditional approach, with a visitation and a service (which is tomorrow). An opportunity to connect with my extended family and support my cousins who are experiencing very much the same thing I am. It will be sad, but good at the same time.

I have always been the type of person who had a lot of things on the go. Throughout my life it wasn't unusual for me to be working full time and taking classes at night, or volunteering at my kid's school and working nights and weekends, or (like the past couple years) having two careers going at the same time and spending what feels like full time hours on both. I stay connected with my immediate family and have always been there for my husband and child, but my connections with my extended family have suffered. I don't know my cousins as well as I should. I haven't spent a lot of time with my aunts and uncles over the years. I don't know my cousin's kids at all. Until the age of social media, I didn't even realize what I was missing. I think it's time for me to change this. With my son being in University (and let's face it, not wanting me around...), I don't have hockey games or band practices to fill up my weekend afternoons. I could fit in a visit here and there, maybe trek out to Quebec for a couple days to visit family out there. They won't be around forever. This has been made painfully clear.

For now though, I think I'll go paint.

Art as Therapy: New Abstract Painting

"A Pensive Spring", 9x9" Mixed media on paper. Available. 

I've had a hellish couple of weeks. Without going into too much detail, my dad was diagnosed with a serious illness, and passed away shortly thereafter. It was fast and suffering appeared to be short-lived, as he seemed reasonably well up until quite recently. I don't think everything has totally sunk in yet... I still feel a bit disoriented and... well... off.

I'm not much of a talker. Never have been. I process things differently than other people. I can't be one of those folks who talk endlessly about their feelings and seem to just sort themselves out in the process. Oh, I do have a couple friends that I can explain my spinny, disjointed thoughts to, that actually seem to understand what I'm saying. Or they pretend to. I am visual, and I like to work out my issues in a visual way. It's just how I'm built. But this one... well, it's going to take me a bit before I can even start to process how I'm feeling. Until I'm ready, the best thing I can do for my mental state, is to go into my studio and get to work.

Luckily I have a pile of work that I have already started. I have 5 or 6 of these little abstracts that I've begun, a commission piece that is about 3/4 finished, and a large abstract that is in that I-don't-know-where-its-going stage. I've got a pile of art journals in various states of preparation... some board books that have had a few pages sanded and gessoed, a couple with backgrounds started, and a handmade book of watercolour paper that has been assembled, gessoed and ready to go. If I had to start something from scratch right now I think I would probably just close the door and walk away. I feel like I've got nothing in there to give at the moment... but pushing around some colour I can do.

This piece was at the top of the pile. It took about 2 hours to finish it... just enough time to get in the zone and really sink into what I was doing. I felt so much better by the time I washed out my brushes and put my paints away. The green was calming. It reminded me of days spent outside, in touch with nature and away from the noise of the city. It was good.

Art Quartet: Live Collaborative Painting Event

One of two paintings created during the event last weekend. We were only planning on doing one, but it wasn't
big enough for us all to work at the same time. And a bunch of artists are not going to sit around and watch....

Artist Christine Newman starting off
the first of the two paintings.

Last weekend I did something new and different for me. I worked on a collaborative painting with 3 other artists from the area, and since we were working in a gallery, we opened it up to the public to come and watch. I actually don't really know how many people came by to see what we were doing.... I get very focused when I'm working and someone could stand beside me and I wouldn't know they're there. But I'm told it was a pretty successful event and we had a good turn out.

Working with other artists is interesting. Everyone sees different things when they look at a painting in progress. There were a few times when we stopped to discuss what was working and what wasn't, and then between us quickly figured out a direction. When I'm working alone it can take me weeks to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it. To complete two pieces in a 4 hour time span seemed pretty amazing to me. And the fact that I thought they were both good even more amazing.

Overall everyone seemed to enjoy the whole thing and it was agreed that we would do this again in the future. The gallery has already started to plan the next event in September... I won't be participating due to family obligations, but it is sure to be a good time. If you live in the Toronto area and think you'd like to pop around to watch, you can follow either Imagemaker gallery or myself on Facebook for updates.

I had a drawing of a bird prepared in advance... just in case we needed something. Here Lisa and Christine are holding it in place while I paint around it. 

As we had only planned on doing one piece, we had a charity lined up to take it and give it a home. The second piece came about because having 3 artists sit around while one is working really isn't a reasonable expectation. We were bored in minutes, and rooting around in the basement we found an old canvas we could use for the second. You can tell by looking at the finished piece that this was the one I spent most of my time on. It has something of my "style" showing... though definitely not my usual colour choices. The smaller "Whirlwind" painting was donated to Interm Place, a local women's shelter. We aren't sure yet what we're going to do with the larger one... they don't have space to take both, so we're looking at other charities as options. Or possibly auctioning it off and donating the proceeds. We'll figure out something.

Artist Lisa Jayne Irvine is working on the smaller of the two pieces.
We all switched back and forth all afternoon, working on the piece that was
speaking to us at the moment.  

Graffiti artist Joseph Capobianco adding the lettering to the almost complete piece...

While he was doing that, the rest of us worked on finishing the other one...

And the second piece complete. This one has been donated to Interm Place, a local women's shelter.
Everyone needs a little beauty in their lives. Hopefully this will provide a bit for these residents.