And Now the Collage

I started this collage before the Masa one and gave up on it. But I don't like to give up, so I went back to it today. The camera cropped it a little close on the sides - it's really a square. I'll try to get a better photo if the weather is better tomorrow. This was done with stained and torn washi (rice papers) mounted on Arches 300 lb. rough 11 x 11 inches. The element of design is still "texture".

Masa for Texture

This is the third version of the Ti plant, focusing on TEXTURE. My first effort for this one was a collage, which I was not too happy with, so I got out my trusty Masa paper. Crumpled Masa creates great texture, and I love the way the paint settles in the cracks. I used an underpainting of Quinacridone Gold (my "mother color"), various greens, blues and reds, sometimes mixed with the Quin Gold and sometimes on their own. I think I'm ready to move on to something new now.

Sketchcrawl 17

I don't sketch enough. In fact, I rarely sketch at all unless I am doing a painting en plein air. So when I read about Worldwide Sketchcrawl, I knew I had to try it. A sketchcrawl is an all day sketching event held simultaneously all around the world. I wasn't expecting the next one to be in January.

It was cold, so my sister, Joan, and I went to one of the local parks where I knew we could sketch through the observatory window. We did a few sketches through the window, and some from the aquariums and displays inside the building. Then we drove to another park which had a little zoo. Many of the animals were gone or inaccessable for the winter. The only ones we could find were a few bison which were too far away to sketch, and some farm animals. I sketched a cow and started on a sheep. By then we were freezing, and the zookeeper actually made us leave before I finished my sheep drawing because it was getting late. So we went to a nearby mall for coffee and sketched some people and called it a day.

You can see the rest of my sketches at http://www.sketchcrawl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2789

It's All About Shapes

This version of the Ti leaves is all about shape, so I painted the shapes negatively. I first poured the background - Winsor Red, Winsor Blue and Winsor Yellow, and then painted behind shapes layer by layer, going darker with each layer. This was a relaxing painting to do. The hardest part was waiting for each layer to dry.

Emphasizing Line

Through my internet buddy Rhonda, I found Myrna Wacknov's blog and have been watching her and other artists as they work on challenges that Myrna proposes. This month's challenge had to do with the Elements of Design. I've modified Myrna's challenge a bit to make it less complicated for myself and have chosen a subject and an element. My subject is a Ti plant that I photographed in Hawaii, and the design element I want to emphasize is LINE. Originally I was going to draw the lines with pen, but just before I started it got the idea to paint red lines instead. As I went along it occurred to me that I could leave some of the leaves white for more interest, and then I decided to put the black rectangle in the background to add more lines, as well as a good dark to make the subject "pop". I evidently did not take my photograph entirely straight on, so please forgive the little bit of distortion in the rectangle. Next I will be doing the same subject emphasizing SHAPE.

Ti Leaves 11 x 15 on Winsor Newton Hot Press