Mixing it up

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Super Moon!

Super Moon!

All of the sudden I decided to change it up! I think that I was inspired by this photo that I took of the super moon (I think it was July 7 or 8). The photo itself didn’t turn out, but the scene in person was pretty awesome. We had gone out on the boat with friends to watch the fireworks from the water…when I turned and looked back there was all this water churning up behind the boat and this really big moon with a super reflection. So, in order to keep the memory I did take a photo…which is working as a good reference. I think I will do several of these as paintings and drawings. The encaustic painting was really fun to do. It’s not my usual style…but I found it very liberating!

Cone Flower

Cone Flower

After that I decided to try a more impressionistic approach using encaustic…and the cone flower is the result. It’s a difficult medium to work with, so this is more of learning experience. I used casein to paint the ground and then worked on top of the wax medium with a combination of oil pastels and encaustic paint. I really like working on the birch panel.

I am keeping up pretty well with my 5 minutes sketches! Good warm ups.

coneflower5min

Sketching

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Water Soluble Crayon and Colored Pencil

Water Soluble Crayon and Colored Pencil

Lately sketching is all I can manage. I feel frustrated with the lack of time, and I need to let that go. I have decided to do at least one 5 minute sketch everyday. You can’t really accomplish a whole lot in 5 minutes, but it is amazing what you can do! And, it’s kind of like 10 minutes of yoga, its better than nothing and still adds value. The other thing about sketching that is good for me is that it just gets my hand and my head moving together. I am also adding some journal entries to the sketch and that is good too. Helps me focus on the moment and I think it will be nice to reflect back on.

sketch

sketch

My goal this weekend will be to start a piece that I intend to finish…more than just a sketch. But the sketch will get me there!

5 to 7 minute sketch

5 to 7 minute sketch

All over the place!

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Rooster warm-up

Rooster warm-up

A sketch here, encaustic there, painting, drawing, waxing….a chaotic week with no discipline! No excuses for any of that other than I guess I haven’t dedicated the “time” to work on finished material. The Art Shed did get electric this week! That took me out of the studio and left me with the dining room table (which is fine). I am on my 4th Derwent Art Academy lesson–drawing a rooster with colored pencil. This seems like it will be a challenge, so I started with a warm up drawing of the rooster and then decided that I should do a warm up using colored pencil only. I should be warmed up by now, and now I am just procrastinating! I am not going to do one more drawing until I finish the rooster!

colored pencil warm up

colored pencil warm up

Because I got electric, I felt obligated to do a little encaustic. I am happy with the two dandelions. The photo was printed on tissue paper and then adhered to a found wood block, encaustic paint and medium over the image. I also did a piece on stone–round shell in casine, colored pencil and encaustic. Not as pleased with this one. I think that the stone needs to be smoother–and the color ran, which I would prefer didn’t happen.

photo-encaustic

photo-encaustic

On to the rooster!

Quick Sketch

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lupinesketch

Most successful piece of the day was just a quick sketch of my one and only Lupine! We planted these years ago, and finally one has surfaced. It’s a beautiful fuchsia color. I sat down to do a warm up sketch mid day….I like it! Maybe I will turn in into a casein painting on stone next.

Studies

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magnoliasketch

Trying to maintain a loose style. It is so easy to get all worked up and tied tight while drawing and painting. I have done some pages in my sketchbook with just random color…they have been sitting in my book for awhile now. I have decided to try some drawing over top the color, it’s oddly liberating. I will keep trying this for awhile. In some ways the color suggests the drawing and in some ways the drawing leans towards one of the previous done grounds. I like the way that works!

broken shell

broken shell

Spring Time

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sketch for painting

sketch for painting

It’s funny, I keep thinking that I will get back to my snow shadows (I have several that need to be completed!), but the spring weather is pushing me to the flowers. Especially when they are growing in my own back yard. Inspiration everywhere. I really like the sketch above, I am going to work on a water color and a casein painting for this composition. I am still finishing up the Iris painting, but almost done.

I found a little stretched canvas at the Goodwill for 99 cents, so I am experimenting with that. I am trying a casein painting of a seagull sitting on a granite wall. The layers will be really thin in order to make it work on this substrate. So far, the ground is really fun, we will see where it all ends up. So different to work on from paper.

light layers of casein on canvas

light layers of casein on canvas

Wanderings

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Study for next casein painting

Study for next casein painting

I need to get organized! I have at least 5 paintings started and not finished. I think that some are destined to always be partially done, but others deserve my attention. It is so difficult for me not to start a new piece once the vision hits. Sketching is so much fun, I love the graphite, the spontaneity and immediate gratification. Casein is a difficult medium and one that forces you to work in stages. However, I like the challenge of tackling something new and different. The color of the casein is rich, the layers offer a lot of possibility.

Below is a piece I did while traveling of an evening primrose. These were all over Frisco and Avon (outer banks of North Carolina). They indeed only bloom at early evening and through the night! If you get up really early, some are still open. They are charming.

Water soluble colored crayons and colored pencil: 4″ x 6″

eveningprimroseobx

Graphite

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single spring crocus

single spring crocus

Less time for finished work lately. Sketching is quick and loose. Gives way to ideas for new finished work. My goal is to do at least one sketch a day, and then choose one to pursue finished work from. The graphite initially seemed limiting, but I think in fact it forces me to see more detail. Moving quickly allows me to have a fresh approach and make marks that are more intuitive.

crocus from above

crocus from above

This will be my next finished piece.

The bunny was just for a lark..but I might consider pursuing a more finished work with a bunny as the primary subject.

bunnysketch

Sketching

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sunflowersketch

Sunflower: 5″ x 5 1/2″ watercolor and colored pencil

Sometimes I don’t have enough time to do finished work. So, at times a sketch will have to do. I think that sketching might help me loosen up anyway. I am going to isolate some resource images to do sketches from. For this, I put down a base layer of watercolor and then added the pencil. I like the looseness of the watercolor underneath, and it acts as a really minimal guide for the drawing. The great thing is I can put the watercolor down and then come back and add the drawing without a lot of time commitment.