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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

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

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

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

Monday, March 6, 2017

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

Layer 9/100 explorer

Next time I meet someone new who asks what I do, I just might answer that I'm an explorer.

What do I look for?

Where do I explore?

The inquiry is inside.

I watched a brief video clip at Nicholas Wilton's blog recently, and those words jumped out at me: The inquiry is inside.

Indeed.

No matter how much I look at, and wonder about, and exclaim over, and want to emulate, and try to learn from the paintings done by other folks—and believe me, I spend countless hours doing so—when I paint, the inquiry is inside.

Today, some teeny black circles, a few dabs using a white paint pen, asemic writing, and connecting marks made with a black paint marker.

Layer 9.

layer 9/100

Friday, March 3, 2017

Fresh Air

The wind that whipped up yesterday keeps offering up fresh air today.

I paint spontaneously and intuitively.

Windy 3317, work in progress

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Windy Day

The wind has really kicked up today, blowing vigor and freshness this way and that.

With a recent newsletter from artist Debora Stewart in mind, I take some internal wind into my studio.

I cut a 9x12" piece of watercolor paper from a new pad, tape it to a support, prop it on my easel, hold a graphite crayon with an overhand grip, close my eyes, and make some marks.