Summer Workshop

Okay, okay....yes it has been a loooooong time since I posted. Call it a hiatus.

But, I have been checking in on the blogs I follow, reading, looking, keeping up with your art and art lives.

 

 

The two paintings posted below are some of the results of a workshop I took this summer with Kathleen Elsey at the Cuyahoga Valley Arts Center.  She is a wonderful instructor and wonderful painter!  Please visit her site and check out all of her impressive paintings.

 

 

 

 

20  x 24 

oil on canvas

 

                                                                          

                                                                                              20 x 24

                                                                                             Blue Vase

                                                                                            Oil on Canvas

 

The top painting was done while at the workshop; Blue Vase was painted in my back yard a few weeks after the workshop.  It was fun to shift away from the landscape as subject matter and work with still life compositions.  What a pleasure too, to spend entire days painting and painting and painting....with like minded souls.  Complete immersion. 



 

Photographs

Molly

Digital Photo

Beau Sedivy

My son takes beautiful pictures.  Yes, this is nepotism.  Horn tooting from a proud mother.

But, seriously.  His photos are beautiful. His gift as a photographer is in finding the quiet moments.  Sometimes there is a pensive nature to his photos.  He sees light and shadows.

There's more to say, but I'll let his photos speak for themselves.

Click here to see Beau's photos.

New Works in Two Shows

                                                                          Emma'sView
                                                                                          Oil on Canvas
                                                                             20 x 24

This Friday night is the opening for the faculty show, "Water" at BAYarts in Bay Village in the Dianne Boldman Education Gallery.   The painting shown above, Emma's View will be one of the works on display.  When I was asked by the gallery director to contribute to the exhibit with the theme being 'water', I thought...Great, this will be fun, a challenge, something new to paint--I don't often include water in my paintings.
It was a challenge.  Over the last few months, I was looking at water in many ways.  Water in a vase, glass, pond, rainwater, streams, rivers, lakes, ice.   I settled on this view of the river from my neighbors yard. The challenge was painting in cold weather, painting at the same time of day-- morning for this one, painting in good weather and finding the time.  Painting by the river became a peaceful experience.  Paint, birds, water, the sound of water, light, color, the warmth of late winter sun on my back.  It is titled after my husbands grandmother, Emma.  She lived in the house that is now my neighbors house.  Apparently, she would sit on her side porch and enjoy the view of the river; its' birdlife and plant life.  Many of my paintings of barns have paid homage to her husband Yaro, who built the barns.  Now it's Emma's turn.

                                                                           Light Behind
                                                                                           Oil on Canvas
                                                                                               30 x 40

This painting was accepted in the BAYarts 2012 Spring Juried Show.  Yay!  I'm happy and pleased that it got in.  The judges are people I respect, it's a boost to the old artist morale when your work is accepted in the eyes of people you hold in high regard. 
The opening for this show is also Friday night at BAYarts from7-9 in the Sullivan Family Gallery. 
It'll be a busy night at BAYarts, for any of you reading this who are in the area, stop in and see what promises to be two nice art exhibits.

Landscape, fits and starts

no title

oil on canvas

24 x 36

This painting started as something different; eventually evolved to this.  It changed because I didn't like where it was going.  At all.  Unfortunately Fortunately I don't have the beginnings painting documented.  I was so frustrated with how the painting looked that I was going to put a coat of color over it and start fresh with an entirely new piece. 

Instead I took a lithography pencil, palette knife, cut up credit card, an oil pastel, an old stiff paint brush and started drawing and scratching into the painting.  Which felt very good.

I began to like what was happening.  Energy was entering the piece. 

I rode the coat-tails of that energy and kept painting, feeling right about the new direction.

In the end, I find myself looking at the painting often.  Enjoying the layers of color, the leftover scratches and pencil marks. 

Here is a close up which shows detail and the subsequent layering of color and texture that happened after I almost scrapped the painting.

Title ideas anyone?

Instant Gratification (what an artist does when she isn't painting)

This Fall I got an I Phone and I've been having fun with it ever since.  My kids have been a goldmine of information on how to use it along with introducing me to some interesting Apps.  Two photo Apps I'm currentl messing around with are Instagram and Photosynth.  All of the photos displayed here are modified using Instagram and some are taken first with Photsynth and then reworked in Instagram.  For those of you who aren't familiar with either of these apps; Photosynth takes multiple shots to create a panorama and Instagram is a little program which provides filters and some smudging tools to modify photos.  It also provides the square format seen here.

West Woods 

Instagram Photo

Wacky Photo

Photosynth modified with Instagram

Tree Heart

Instagram Photo

Larry

Instagram Photo

Fingers

Photosynth Photo

Windowsill

Photosynth Photo modified with Instagram

Wacky Feet

Photsynth Photo modified with Instagram

Good Night Moon

Instagram Photo

Equine Pair

Instagram Photo

Table Top

Photosynth Photo modified with Instagram

When I take the Photosynth Photos, I don't take them the way they're supposed to be taken.  Normally, as the camera pans across the view, the camera clicks in succession thus taking a panoramic, 3-d picture.  I move the camera up, down, sideways, anywhich way, overlap...so I can get strange accidents.  Then through Instagram I zoom in on an interesting composition and continue from there using Instagram filters.

Who'd a thought an I phone could be so much fun?

By the way, If you have a smart phone and download either of these apps, they're free!  Plus you can follow me on Instagram...and I can follow you.  Fun : ))

200

This is the 200th post for Orion Art at White Dog Studio!  It's true!

 I've been looking over my blog from when I entered blogland on June 23, 2007 to the present.  At times an art journal and at times a personal journal, either way I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts, ideas and art in this space.  For a while I considered closing this blog, mostly because I couldn't give it the time I felt it deserved.  But, when I realized it was ok; that I don't have to be a daily blogger or even a weekly blogger.  No rules.  I can just blog, whenever...allow for the ebb and flow of life. 

Here's to more posting, paintings and life!

Last week my AP Studio Art Class finished up a unit which incorporated the figure into textural acrylic paintings.  My goal was to utilize some figure drawings they'd done while exploring surface texture on canvas.  We used acrylics, gesso, newspaper, mediums added to the acrylics, pencils.  Individuals added whatever other media they felt inspired to add. They scratched into the paints and added to the paints. While working the students were thoroughly engrossed in the process and I believe they are happy with the results.



Here's a few of the student works:

This last one is what I produced. 

I really had fun playing with the textures, juxtaposing flat areas against raised portions.  The color palette was toned down and limited compared to what I usually use.



Until  # 201, wishing all a season filled with Peace and Love!

An Outpouring

Light Behind

Oil on Canvas

30 x 40

Thanks to a couple of shows this December, a beautiful barn down the road and the incredible Autumn light, I had a painting outburst that from which I  produced four paintings that I'm really happy with.  

Light Behind is just what the title implies.  As the shadows grew longer this fall, the light behind this barn was...well...so many things.  A visual, soulful feast. 

I've been soaking up the views of this barn for many years, but nothing emerged until now.

Glow

Oil on Canvas

30 x 40

Same barn, just zoomed out. 

Red Sunset # 1

Oil on Canvas

22 x 28

The last two aren't of the barn, but instead are landscapes of nowhere in particular.  My focus and goal was to work real loose using the canvas as an exploration in messing around with color and texture.  With Red Sunset #1, I had lots of fun with layering colors, then scratching into the surface, then laying glazes on top, more scratching.

I haven't used glazing much in my paintings, so this was an interesting and different approach for me.  I called it Red Sunset #1, because I enjoyed the process and end result enough that I plan on painting more red paintings. What is it with red lately?  I think our taste or desire for certain colors is like food cravings.  For the last few years, I've been using, loving and craving reds (especially raspberry reds) in my art and life.

Home Fields

Oil on Canvas

22 x 28

The second of the two landscape in my head paintings.  

My apologies, the photo isn't the best.... but I think it relays the essence of the piece.