Spur of the Moment

I need a little something by way of 'presentation' for a couple of cash gifts we'll be handing out on Christmas Eve. Without even realizing I've set an intention, I find myself in my studio, sheet of sandwich paper pulled out, paints selected, brush in hand, audiobook playing.

wrapping paper

wrapped!

Like Skipping

Painting this piece gave me the same feeling as skipping did when I was a child—the joy of being in motion, light of heart, agile, and playful.

I put down watercolor. Let it dry. Scribbled with an acrylic paint pen. Let it dry. Scribbled with ink. Let it dry. Created light and shadow with Neocolor crayons. Added dots with my white paint marker. All with no more thought than skipping down a sidewalk on a summer morning.

Patchy with Grey-Green Lichen
4x5"; watercolor, paint pen, ink, and water-soluble crayon on canvas paper
abstract
2018

Chain Reaction

A little chain reaction that started right around the first of the year:

• Simone tuned me in to Instagram so I began posting;

• Sheila pointed me in the direction of some tips on how to use Instagram at my computer vs. on my phone which suddenly gave me much easier ways to connect with other artists and have conversations;

• Betty painted a painting that was very compelling;

• I admired another Instagram painting and wished for the umpteenth time that I could/would layer and veil more freely when I paint; and

• out of the blue, Marielle encouraged me to participate in a 100layersofpaint challenge.

Nah, I thought. I've got way too much going on.

And I did have too much going on. Still do.

But just hours before I headed on my midMarch vacation, I impulsively grabbed an old painting done on gessobord. I felt tenderness for that early investigation of whatever it was that abstract painting might be.

But, well, buh-bye. Secrets of a Bayside Barn served a purpose then, but now it had a new purpose. It officially became Layer 1. I knew it would be easy to add new layers without hesitation.

layer 1/100

I grabbed a Posca paint pen and wrote 100 layers of paint all over it. Layer 2.

layer 2/100

About half an hour before we left for the airport, I just had to add another layer. Total fun. Then I washed brushes, scrambled to stuff last-minute items in my suitcase and backpack, hoped I wasn't leaving anything behind, and headed out the door.

layer 3/100

Awesome. Totally love it.

Feel Gratitude

My friend Bo sent me some cool info recently. Turns out UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb has some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life. One finding: the most important question to ask yourself is, What am I grateful for?

Feeling grateful activates the brain stem region that produces dopamine, a chemical released during pleasurable situations. 

Feeling grateful can boost serotonin production in the anterior cingulate cortex. Serotonin is a chemical responsible for maintaining mood balance.

Awesome.

I am grateful for the fun of spreading some acrylic paint, making a bunch of marks, making another bunch of marks, affixing collage, making a few more marks, and playing with chalk and oil pastels. Oh, and paint pens, too.

pmmp-2 with ; work in progress

Go Way Inside

I started this current series with the idea of playing with the interaction of paint, mark-making, and pastels to see if a more specific idea for exploration might arise.

What calls out to me again and again when I look at the art of others are the paintings that feel the most free, the most uninhibited, the most childlike.

I want to go way inside to that deep place of spontaneous creativity within me.

I carry that awareness into today's studio time, continuing with pmmp-2.

Work in progress:

pmmp-2 with India ink linework, work in progress

pmmp-2 with pencil and pen lines, circles, scribbles, and tracings,
work in progress

detail

detail

Keep Going

I keep going with the paper I activated yesterday—no plan beyond paint, mark-making, and pastels.

Verbs: mark, brush, spritz, turn, imprint, scribble, drip, veil.

Nouns: acrylics, graphite crayon, water, texture sheet, fan brush, foam brush, rubber brayer, charcoal pencil, chalk pastels.

pmmp-2 detail, work in progress

pmmp-2 detail, work in progress

pmmp-2 detail, work in progress

pmmp-2 detail, work in progress

Activate

I activate a new canvas today to further my paint/mark-making/pastels (pmmp) exploration.

A childhood counting rhyme comes to mind. I used to say it when I needed a little self-push to take initiative with one task or another. It'd give me a few moments' pause while reciting, and then the oomph to go when I got to the final word. I recite it today:

One for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to make ready,
And four to go!

I cut a sheet of 9x12" watercolor paper, tape it to a support, wet it with water, and rotate it multiple times as I work. I apply neutral paints, spray water to start drips, make marks with graphite crayon, use a sponge roller and white paint, scribble with a charcoal pencil, scribble with a gum eraser, use a brush to veil areas with white, make patterns with a texture sheet (thank you, Sheila!).

pmmp-2, work in progress

pmmp-2, work in progress

pmmp-2, work in progress

pmmp-2, work in progress

pmmp-2, work in progress

Finding My Brave Spot

If my nephews got fearful when they were little guys, my sister encouraged them to find their brave spot.

When I stopped painting Friday, I thought, Done, and I was pleased to have stopped before getting past a point of no return.

But …

But …

But I knew this piece needed just a little more wind. A little more fresh air. A little more something to blow through it with a sweet pop!

Instant freeze. What if I wreck it? What if my ideas don't work?

Had to find my brave spot.

Fresh Air
9x12"; acrylic, graphite crayon, charcoal pencil, pastel pencil, and oil pastel on watercolor paper
abstract
2017

detail

detail

detail