Monday Sketch Group

A perfect day, cool, breezy and sunny, for our Sketch Group to meet and work at the Caldwell Lily Pool at the north end of Lincoln Park Zoo. This is the first of 2 watercolor sketches that I worked on today. The other is not completed yet so I will post it later. There were lots of lilies showing off today, guess they liked the weather too!

Experiments Continue

Here is another of the experiments from the studio. I have combined pouring paint thru various papers, stencils, actual brush work and mono printing techniques. One seems to be leading to another and I now have close to 20 completed and I am moving on to try some larger works now as well. These works will be the basis for my part of the small group show coming up in September at the CAC Gallery. More info on that later.

Monday Sketch Group at the Zoo

Yesterday was warm and breezy and the rain never came, so it was a good day for the zoo. I had to find a spot in the shade where I could still see the flamingos, so I was not as close as I would have liked but I still enjoyed trying to capture their poses. I hope to return on a cooler day when I can tolerate being in the sun, closer to them.

A Visit To See Roy Lichenstein Exhibit

Last week I had the chance to visit the Art Institute with my friend Marilynn and we were able to take our time walking thru the Lichenstein exhibit. There were 160 works in the show and the majority of them I had never seen. I have always been aware of his importance as a reflection of our popular culture, but the exhibit showed be a depth to his work that I had never understood. I especially enjoyed his Perfect/Imperfect Paintings series and the interiors of the artist's studio. This is definitely an exhibit worth visiting.

Something A Little Different

So experimenting has lead to more experimenting and now I seem to have something a little different going on here. I have been working with a combination of techniques: monoprinting, pouring paint on and thru papers, transferring, and actual painting with the brush. Pictured here is one of the more interesting/successful pieces. It is fun to see what results from each successive application of color. There are at least a dozen small paintings scattered around the studio all in various stages. Hopefully they will continue to develop into completed works.

Monday Sketch Group

Yesterday we went to the Palmer House to sketch in the lobby. I had not been in there for quit some time and had forgotten how ornate the decor was. There was so much to look at it became difficult to chose what to paint but when I saw the lovely floral arrangements, I knew what I was going to do! Because of Memorial Day, our next outing will be in June to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

And Another Detail...

Here is another bit of the same painting I featured earlier, the Full Harvest Moon painting. I am actually done with this one and have started experimenting with a series of smaller, non-objective works using a variety of techniques including mono printing, pouring color and stenciling. Hope to have something worth showing soon.

Last Saturday was the opening reception of the 2012 IWS National Exhibition in Dixon, IL. It is a wonderful show filled with works by incredibly talented artists. Our juror, Donna Jill Witty, did an impressive demo for a very attentive crowd. If you find yourself out near Dixon between now and June 1, stop at The Next Picture Show Gallery to check it out!

A Certain Slant

This is a small watercolor I did last week, working on a series of smaller paintings helps lead me to bigger ideas. After several failed starts, I have some promising beginnings going right now. The studio floor is littered with work in varying stages of layering, drying and contemplating, will have to see what emerges.

Full Harvest Moon

This is a detail from a recent painting that is currently hanging in my studio while I decide if it is finished or not. I have included full moons in many paintings, but this Harvest Moon has a barn in a moon play on the man on the moon theme. Or has the moon harvested this farm? I am not sure I know the answer to that question yet!

An Unexpected Pleasure

Monday morning bought an unexpected pleasure my way, an impromptu mini Sketch Group meeting at the Art Institute. An opportunity to meet with a writer interested in learning more about our little group gave me a chance to get out and talk about what we do and then sketch for an hour before moving on with the rest of my day. I added a little color after returning home. What a great start to the week!

Experimenting

I read an article recently in Watercolor Artist Magazine about covering failed watercolors on paper with a mix of gesso, matte medium and water. This gives a new, textured surface that allows some of the previous design to show through. Having several discarded paintings on hand, I decided to try it. The effects are very different, paint sits on top and color can be lifted easily. I saved a few elements from the first painting but most of the shapes emerging now are new. This is definitely a learning experience!

Bubble Up!

This is a detail from a nearly done painting. I had started it some time ago but had to put it aside while I finished the work for my recent exhibit at the CAC. Now I am trying to get it done along with a few other pieces. I also have some new work just getting underway but not quite ready for sharing!

Bits and Pieces

Trying to get back to work after the creative push to do the two person show has been a challenge. Pushing thru so much new work in five weeks proved to be a real creative drain! Also trying to choose the next direction to take with new work, so I am dealing with bits and pieces of smaller works, paper prep and palette cleaning and will see where it takes me.

Show Closes

All the children returned home this morning as we deinstalled the exhibit at the CAC Gallery. It was a great experience and I hope to find other spaces to show some of this work soon. And I am inspired to move forward with interesting new work! Thanks again to all that visited the exhibit.

Paintings From Exhibit

I spent some time today at the gallery documenting and journaling some thoughts about the show and my work. Exhibit is up for two more days and has to come down by late morning Wednesday. Looking at it all for a while helped me to gain some insight and perspective on my work, especially after receiving input from others. This will help me as I move on with new work in the next few months. These two paintings, Sky Squared and Purple Haze, are two of the most recently completed works in the show.