One Drawing Gives Birth to Several Paintings

When I sketched out this idea, I really didn't have an actual painting in mind. I didn't have a chosen pallet. What I loved was the placement of the herons low in the rectangle with the close-up of the one bird. That led me to a lot of creative license to come up with an abstract design in the upper area. I was mostly thinking shapes with some symbolic references to orbs in a sky, rocks, branches--things that a heron's eye has access to. Mostly I was trying to break up the rectangle into interesting shapes.

Once the sketch moved onto watercolor paper, I chose to use a full sheet, 30 x 22, because I wanted to work big. This felt like a big idea.

I surprised myself with my first interpretation of this pair of birds, which I wrote about in my last post. This painting really was a reaction rather than a planned out piece and I liked the dramatic effect of my first effort. As I studied it, I also saw some elements I wanted to change. So I painted a second version which included the addition of a third vertical element, adjusting the smaller heron to the right, and ramping up the colors. I used the same techniques with transparent watercolor, mouth atomizer, stamping, masking out areas, etc.

If Herons Dream, Watercolor, 30 x 22

Ancient Dreams, Watercolor, 30 x 22

I have to admit that a second painting so similar is never my favorite thing to do, but I really thought this one was worth the time and effort. The methods I used in creating both pieces were somewhat tedious and making a mistake was very hard to fix. Needless to say, I was ready to move on to a new project. But I wasn't done with the idea.

For the third painting, I moved on to painting with gouache (opaque watercolors) on a metallic gold gessoed piece of paper. (Gesso is a type of primer used on paper or canvas.) I was determined to just follow my instincts with this one and have fun creating patterns and stamping. This piece was much more relaxing to paint. I had no deadline or pressure to complete it. I just let my creative juices flow.
What do you think about these paintings? I'd love some feedback.

Winter Dream, Gouache, 30 x 22

If Herons Dream

Sometimes I start a painting and am so surprised when it is finished that I am unable to claim it. It doesn't really feel like my work.

When I left this piece in the studio last night, I was thinking it would probably end up washed off or torn up, because I really couldn't recognize it as my own art. Also, I don't think I really understood all the levels of the painting. However, this morning when I stepped into my studio to view it with fresh eyes, I felt quite lured into the painting. There is a story here, one of mystery and outer-worldliness.

When I started this piece, it was all about design. I love high or low horizon lines, compressing a lot into a little space like when a photo or painting has 3/4 sky and 1/4 land or visa versa. So in my design, I put the herons down low even though they are the subjects of the painting, leaving a lot of space to play with above them. But then there is the dilemma of what one can do to make the large area interesting and tell more about the piece.

If Herons Dream
Transparent Watercolor, 30 x 22

As I worked on the painting yesterday, I saw the upper area as a backdrop to the life of these birds. The sky is their territory and this painting is about that. It is also about time and our predecessors in the Northwest both animal and human. As I added the stamps I've created after viewing pictographs and petroglyphs, my thoughts about this piece became deeper and almost mystical. I named the piece If Herons Dream, because I wanted the birds to have a collective consciousness allowing them to live both in the present and the past.

After the Hanging of Art

Getting a group of paintings done and prepared for hanging took a few of weeks of focused energy. Finally on Sunday afternoon with the generous help of my husband and sister, those paintings were hung at Pearl Street Cafe in Eugene. After attaching the art by wires, leveling and stabilizing each painting, then carefully placing the title/price tags and some informational tags about some pieces, I stepped back and was proud of the way the wall now vibrates with color.

Yesterday I felt a bit lost, without the drive of an immediate goal. As I cleaned up and organized my studio I started thinking about how much I hope to make some sales from this show. That led me to reflect on a post fellow artist Ruth Armitage wrote last week about the artist's ego. Obviously I have enough confidence in my work to think it is worth putting it out for the public to view. But will any of these pieces speak to a viewer and compel them to take it home to their own wall? And if, at the end of this month, nothing sells, what does that do to my ego?

And so it goes in my brain when I clean my studio instead of painting.




But I know I'm not alone in this web of healthy ego mixed with self-doubt. So many of us artist put in a lot of effort for little monetary reward. Whether it is setting up for an open studio, or hauling art to a festival, or putting together a cohesive set of paintings to hang on a cafe wall, we do the work, put our egos out there, and hope for positive feedback in the form of praise, sales, or inquiries.

Regardless of what happens with these paintings now on display, I will "show up" in my studio and paint because that is what keeps me centered and sane. I paint to express myself, constantly searching for even stronger messages as I have in my River Tapestry series.

And if anyone needs a nudge to buy, my daughter suggested a visual subliminal message.

Continuation of a Busy Week

Look who showed up at the end of my brush yesterday--The Collector.

The Collector
14 x 11, gouache on gessoed paper

I have spent time this week painting some of my favorite river creatures this week in order to have a wide price range for my exhibit at Pearl Street Cafe which I'll hang on Sunday. I was surprised to learn that two small paintings also sold at Excelsior Restaurant this week, so I realized I would need more small paintings than I previously thought.

So yesterday I went out to my studio without a plan, but looked through my empty frames to see what sizes I had. I found a nice antique gold simple 16 x 20 frame. Then I search for a clean mat that would fit the frame. (For those of you who live near shopping, you might go to the store. But for me, it's a two hour drive to go to town and get home. What I have on hand sometimes has to work.)

The gold frame led me to look in my flat files for a piece of paper prepared with gold gesso. Then I looked around at some of my reference photos and saw this raven I photographed in Yosemite last fall. He's appeared in one painting as the Yosemite Trickster, a small raven on a large painting. But here, in The Collector, he takes a starring role.

I can't say that it always works out as easily as it did yesterday, but I felt really happy with this painting.

Fellow artists, do you ever paint to a frame? How does it work out?

How Life Influences My Art--River Tapestry #4

In this new series of paintings, I wanted to find a way to incorporate all the fabric of the rivers I love into art. The water is the most obvious piece of the experience, but the river canyons are carved in rock. Plants and animals soften the harsh edges of the rocky canyons. On many of the Northwest rivers, we find petroglyphs and pictographs—the art and history of the Native people.

River Tapestry #4

14 x 20

These paintings are a combination of those threads of the river canyons creating a tapestry. The stamped patterns come from stamps I’ve made using Native American images I’ve seen on the canyon walls. I use many media including paints, pencils, collage, ink and gesso. By painting, stamping, and mark making; I intertwine the river with the other pieces of the canyon to create the whole.

I now realize these paintings also could be an analogy of my upbringing. My father was an outdoorsman, exposing me to the rivers, lakes and mountains of Oregon. My mother was a homemaker and seamstress. I can’t remember a time in my childhood that didn’t include fabrics, patterns and sewing. I can’t remember a time in my childhood that didn’t include camping, fishing and boating. I celebrate the weaving of my life into my art.

This painting and others in this series will be hanging in the Pearl Street Cafe, 842 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon November 4 through December 8.

A Busy Week in the Studio

I finally ordered more cradles (wood panels) for framing my River Tapestry Series. I think this clean and contemporary style of framing really suits these paintings.

So some of the first part of this week has been spent finishing the sides by staining and top-coating with water based polyurethane.

Because I will be hanging art at Pearl Street Cafe (Full City Coffee) soon, I've put effort into some small creations. I have used these pieces to try out some techniques and ideas I might not use in larger paintings, but appeal to me as a way to connect to a critter and make an interesting backdrop. Learning to use acrylics with more skill is a benefit, too.

These varnished paintings will be framed in 7x7 inch traditional frames, no need for glass.

The script in the background is taken from a little poem about a frog jumping into a cup of tea.

















Behind the bear are translations of many names given to bears by other cultures, including Native American tribes. The outer area is decorated with my take on a NA petroglyph bear paw symbol.

I love using stamps, so used my Man/Woman stamp which fits very nicely in the 7x7 inch frame.

I wanted to create something that speaks to my large paintings, but is more whimsical. I'd love to hear thoughts from my readers.

New Painting--Stamping and Enhancing the Stamps

In my search for new paths of sharing my river experiences in my art, I've created a number of stamps based on the many petroglyphs and pictographs I've seen along our travels. This Man/Woman stamp is inspired by the pictographs we saw this summer on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.

I had originally thought I would use it in the background of other pieces, but it turned out to be too demanding of attention. That led me to feature it as the centerpiece of a piece of art.

This image to the right shows the piece in it's middle stage. I've stamped a frame with another petroglyph inspired stamp, and used a similar stamp to create texture and interest in the background.

To finish this piece, I looked for the most interesting areas of the background to enhance with color and play with creating other areas of interest. To connect this piece to my River Tapestry series, I added threads to weave the painting together, top to bottom.

Rather than a traditional mat and frame, this painting will be mounted on a wooden cradle. How to Mount a Painting to a Cradle

River Tapestry #3 Man/Woman

11 x 14 inches