Pools of Inspiration

The docks and tide pools of Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island were very inspirational places for images to paint and print.  Amie Roman, Dave Roman, and Betty Cavin (Amie and Betty are friends from Wet Canvas!) were my most gracious tour guides on Vancouver Island.  Had a great visit with them in addition to exploring their area. Here are a few of the photos among the hundreds that I took for reference, that work as photos as well:

Slick Sea Star

Beady Eyed Crab

Blushing Anemone

Lemon Nudibranchs

Moon Jelly

Vacation

It’s been an inspiring couple of weeks for me.  I’ve been hanging out on the west coast while my daughter is at camp.  My wife was nice enough to let me bum around while she works at home.  I probably don’t deserve her…

While I’ve been out here, I’ve spent a lot of time at beaches and on rocky shorelines with my camera for inspiration.  I also did four life drawing sessions at a studio I highly recommend in the heart of Vancouver, called Basic Inquiry.  I took some new supplies with me that I picked up through the Swap Shop forum on Wet Canvas, called Art Stix.  I’ve been wanting to try them out, because they are shaped like conte, but are pencil crayons made by Prismacolor;  I love to draw with conte sticks, but I can’t stay away from colour.

Here are a series of drawings done with this new medium for me on 9″ x 12″ brown sketch paper:

1 minute poses:

5 minute poses:

10 minute poses:

30 minute poses:

Long pose:

Dogfish Dreams

My latest acrylic creation, inspired by upward streaming bubbles from scuba divers.  (as seen on TV and at aquariums, since I am not a diver myself)

Non-archival Encaustics

The kids and I had a really good time on Canada Day.  We took a giant bag of crayons that we picked up for free at a garage sale, attacked them with our pencil sharpeners, and then blow dried (melted) them into encaustic paintings, with Mom’s embossing iron (a mini extra-hot bow drier).  Here is my 3″x8″ creation – no masterpiece, but pretty interesting for crayola wax crayons.

Peace Bubbles

Finished my latest cast acrylic monotype the other day.  Happy with the process becoming more predictable as I understand the materials better.  Used a finishing layer of acrylic to stabilize the whole print for transfer to the support this time.  The finishing layer also made it look more like glass.  I printed the layers of acrylic gel to create the image as in prior acrylic monotypes, but on glass, instead of directly on the paper support,  to allow the finishing layer to be poured acrylic.  Cutting and adhering the final printed image to the support was more like collage than printing - I guess you could call the last step “skin collé.” (hehe – baaaaad pun)

Oh, and I cant wait to try my next experiment with acrylic gels.  I’m going to print digital images on transparent acrylic skins using my ink jet.  Does this sound like fun or what?!

Watercolour Workshop

Well, I am very glad that I spent time working on washes and other basic skills, because the workshop I attended in Jasper National Park organized by Gregg Johnson was phenominal.  Had a great time and painted a lot last week.  Here are three quarter sheet water colours done in the studio at Tekarra Lodge.  Hopefully you can see the progression of skill that occurred.

The mountain landscape was on the first day, the apple blossoms on the third, and the lighthouse on the fifth.  I see them as going from muddy, messy, and tight, to less muddy, less messy, and looser (but under control).  Heheh.

At any rate, I really learned to love watercolour, at the same time as I really learned to hate plein air painting!  I hope some day soon to be proficient enough with the tools and the flow of the pigments to feel that the additional challenges of painting outside aren’t completely overwhelming.  It is amazing how much impact wind, fast drying washes, changing light, insects, carrying and setup, and an unstable ground have on a painting.  And I have to include flipped palettes and easels, lost sunglasses, punctured toes, soaked feet, and pencil stabbed windblown paper in the list of distractions.  I have the utmost respect for any watercolourist that can head out of doors and deliver a half-decent painting!

Scriptscape IX

Not quite as dramatic as the last one, but the script is back.  A lot more representational as well.   Hmmm, what do you think?

Scriptscape VIII

This one only uses waveforms as script, but I am really enjoying my washes now.  Starting to feel like I’m in the right groove for a watercolour workshop at the end of the month!

Scriptscape VII

A little alien, but recognizably a landscape. 

Scriptscape VI – Update

Well, this one just didn’t feel done, so I updated it a few times.  I don’t think it is overworked, do you?