This little work (6″x6″) was inspired by the latest challenge in the Abstract and Contemporary Art forum on Wet Canvas. It is a step away from my typical painting, in that it is almost entirely collage. I was glad it came together so precisely, as the precision is a nice contrast to the flowing lines of the acrylic skins collaged into the piece. Hopefully it will be received by someone that appreciates it.

This is a study for an abstract portrait triptych of someone in my life that is very beautiful. If I decide it works, I’ll paint something very similar on 3 cradled panels 8″ x 24″. I’m interested in whether the three images stand on their own as well as together. I’m tossed about adding some of the lime colour into the leftmost panel. Rumination time…

I really enjoyed watching Brent Laycock’s demos at the workshop last month. There is a rhythm that some artists have that is almost dance. This realization has made me recognize my own tendency to “dance” while I paint or draw.

So now I’ve started to have my MP3 player with me at figure sessions, always playing an energetic song. It naturally speeds up my movements and my drawing becomes more intuitive and loose, and surprisingly, more accurate at the same time. This was done to “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas – a 10 minute sketch with pencil crayon on craft paper:

Recently I decided I wanted to be able to backlight semi-transparent acrylic paintings, and initially I thought about simply painting on a thick mylar, but I came up with a better idea. Here is an 8″x8″ study, a sculptural painting made by collaging acrylic skin and painting on the resulting idea: an acrylic painting support made of acrylic medium and a mesh. It can be bent/molded into a variety of three dimensional forms in addition to maintaining some transparency.

Try to ignore the hideous composition. If I thought it was worth naming it would be called “I Grew Up in the ’80s”. Instead, I’ve labeled it “Mesh Study I” and will just keep it for posterity as a first. I’ll have to hang it in a cluttered corner of my future studio. Heh.

Here is another workshop piece. For this one, I intentionally pulled a “not-very-pretty” picture from Brent’s collection. His afternoon demo was amazing, in that he used a photo for reference that was very complex, and found the heart of it to paint. So I was trying to do the same sort of simplification. Not nearly as successful, obviously, but a good start.

Enjoyed a very satisfying workshop today, presented by Brent Laycock. This is one of the pieces I created at the workshop, the first time for me to create representational works in acrylic. It is on 1/3 of a sheet of watercolour paper, recycling the back side of a terrifying watercolour disaster. It is no masterpiece, but I am happy with the result. Brent gave us an introduction to the use of acrylic in four forms: watered down for transparent washes, mixed with medium for transparent glazes, straight acrylic for opaque painting, and mixed with heavy gel for opaque impasto painting. He is an excellent instructor and artist.

I got word this morning that both were accepted! Big amazing surprise, as there are only approximately 15 spots and about 60-70 paintings submitted. The show will be in the foyer of Scotia Place in downtown Edmonton in October/November.

I just got the news that one of my paintings was juried into a show with the Society of Western Canadian Artists. I submitted Trance and Dogfish Dreams (retitled “From the Deep”). I still don’t know which one was accepted, because I had to drop off my paintings and run to teach a dance class with Mo. A friend, Karen Bishop, who was wonderful enough to offer to take my paintings home with her after the jury was done with them, sent me the news on Facebook.

This would not be big news for most of my artist friends, as most have been in numerous shows before. But for me, this is my first show as a professional artist. It’s a significant milestone. I haven’t experienced childish giddiness for a long time! It’s wierd being this proud of a relatively modest accomplishment at my age.

Here is my latest “bubbling up” image, inspired by the trancelike state you can enter when dancing.  It is also an homage to op art, in particular Carlos Cruz-Diez, whose work I really love.   It is mixed media this time, primarily acrylic, but also including an archival digital ink drawing.  Very pleased with the way that this turned out.  Not sure if it is painterly enough for most viewers, but it works for me!

The latest in this series of acrylic paintings about things that bubble up.  10″x10″x1.5″ on acrylic on cradled wood panel.  The composition for this one is primarily carved, collaged, and poured acrylic.  I felt like carving, but didn’t want to create a print that I’d feel obliged to edition, so a bunch of colours were layered on mixed with acrylic mediums – modeling paste and pumice gel.  Then most of the circles were carved out.  Add some collaged, poured, and painted acrylic pigments and this is the result.  It was inspired by hanging sculptures (mobiles) I saw many years ago in the Smithsonian.