Late Afternoon Reset

I keep a steady, focused, get-things-done pace doing the work that is mine to do on this feels-like-summer day in June. Late afternoon finds me a little rough around the edges, the needle on my energy supply getting low, and my mind offering little by way of initiative or self-discipline.

But!

I take myself into my studio. 

In mere seconds the work of the day falls away, and little sparks of timelessness and joy ignite as I rummage through a stash of sandwich paper enlivened by off-loaded paint, open a brand new package of what Jane Davies refers to affectionately as cheap drawing paper, select a beat-up paint brush, and dive into a jar of Utrecht Acrylic Matte Medium. I lose myself in color, in texture, in using my hands to create, in process—heading I don't know where, entirely content not knowing.

work in progress

Something that Grew

Yesterday's something continued to unfold today.

My favorite parts during the unfolding:

• the see-saw process of making marks, painting over them, making marks, painting over them, making marks, painting over them, and
• painting mostly with my fingers.


What I like about what ended up unfolding:

• the delicacy, unfussiness, and scribbliness of the lines.


My current wonderings:

• done? or
• maybe needing some bold lines for contrast?

newest patch;
done?

newest patch, in the big picture;
working title: Core Values

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newest patch, with a test piece of acrylic skin resting on the surface …

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue?

Something old: a square on my Core Values work in progress, waiting weeks for its day in the sun.

Something new: a fine line marker.

Something borrowed:

(a) Simone's first-layer approach: do anything; it is early yet

(b) Jane's model of fearless veiling to create depth

(c) Betty's spirit of mark making on top of mark making

(d) Sylvia's vivid warm application of color

Something blue? Not so much!

This patch-in-progress is going to sit as is till tomorrow.

Finger Painting

Had a whole bunch of ideas in mind when I headed for Core Values today. Most of 'em never saw the light of day.

But I had a good time working out the 'problems' that showed up in front of me. 

Did most of my color mixing right on the foam core, squeezing directly from paint tubes. Jumped ship on brushes just minutes in. Loved using my fingers instead to mix, blend, create soft transitions between values, push, dab, and spread.

taped off a double patch that had
some drips and collage in place from weeks ago,
did some mark-making with a black paint marker

started finger painting with reds and black

played with analogous colors,
scratched through to earlier layers with a metal skewer

added collage,
brought in some pastel line work,
got some interesting textural stuff going in the green-blue area
(but, really! what is it doing there?)

ta da!
newest (double) patch painted onto grid-format work-in-progress

detail from new patch

new patch in big picture,
working title: Core Values

Breakthrough

oh!

Finding my voice …

starting to collage on top of paint layers

Forfeit

The players never even showed up for practice today.

They want a different coach.

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The good news is they said I could keep the 'field'—i.e. another terrific piece of hand-painted collage paper!

hand-painted collage paper
9x12", acrylic, water color pencil, and oil pastel on drawing paper

Another Day of Bigger

As I head to my studio, I notice what impels me today—a day when my focus is scattered and my studio time will be short; what calls to me is another day of bigger, another day of impulsive rather than measured.

So I respond.

free canvas #1
16x20"
work in progress

detail

detail