The other day I started on a new piece. I was looking through some papers I have thinking that I may do a collage. I found a piece of white paper that has a fan like design. I don’t remember the names of these art papers, but this one is fan like and sort of feathery. Lots of holes etc. So, I glued it onto a piece of 300# Arches CP watercolor paper. I then thought I would paint some more tulips. I looked at it some more and decided lilies would be a better flower to paint. Plus, it has been a while since I have painted lilies and I really love to paint them. Especially the Stargazer lilies or varieties like that. So, I took out some photos I had taken years ago of some lilies that I had purchased and drew on the paper in pencil. This paper is very delicate, so I had to be careful when erasing lines to not rip it. I wanted to see how this paper would look with a watercolor. And I thought it would be fun to begin with the background. Well… it was interesting. I’m pretty sure there is no sizing in this paper, so the color spreads quickly. It was near impossible to control which made it kind of fun. I was able to just abandon all thought of control and go for a much looser, abstract of lilies. When I had finished the background and painted the lilies I realized that it wasn’t really working as a watercolor so I decided to get out the acrylics and have a go at it. I had so much fun painting it really thick. I painted the white right out of the tube, mixing on the paper with the pinks. Lots of fun. I re-did the background too after painting the flowers. Still the same colors,(I mixed a rosey gray), and made it very thin so there is still some of the papers texture showing through. The end result is a painting with lots and lots of texture. It is more impressionistic than anything else. This was the first time that I have painted flowers with acrylics and I gotta say I loved it! I’m thinking I may want to try oils at some point too. What I loved about the acrylics was how quickly they dried. Remember I live in Southern New Mexico and it is very dry here). I could see where the fast drying could be a curse though. I did use some extender in parts of it and some water as well. Generally I had enough time to work with it, and it was such a fun and interesting learning experience as to how the paint works and the different brushstrokes to use for the various effects. Overall it was a wonderful, textural experience.
Man are you flying!!!!!!….It is so great to read about your first discoveries with pastels and then with acrylics and the oils yet to come!!!….Congrats…I am SO impressed with your pieces and your explanantion…and very happy that you haven’t been that awful sick this year……Take care and keep on producing…
Sue
Sue, Sue, Sue,
Where have you been and what have you been up to? You need an art blog my friend. Then I could see what you are working on. Did you see that we will be in MN for the summer? I will call you so we can hook up. I would love to have some painting excursions with you. How is that studio of yours? I have so many questions…
Take care!
Love the new work, great job letting the mediums lead and teach you! I love acrylics…just hate that drying time thing…I switched to oils about 7 years ago now and only play with acrylics or use them for under painting my oils. I love oils…but then there’s the dry time thing again…it takes so long sometimes! Because oils don’t dry they cure…and green oil color takes the longest of all to dry, well white is bad too…your heat is just what I need up here! I love lilies too! I collect them when I can have a garden and I love to take pictures of them too. Great job!
Thank-you Heather!
I want to try oils at some point. the problem will be where to put them to cure when we are in the motorhome. It might not work. But, I have more and more urges to use them. We shall see. I know there is a fast drying white that could be mixed with other colors to speed up the drying time. But, still I would need a place to hang them and there are few of those places in the motorhome. As it is I
m hoping to have a space to hang the painting you sold me. my daughter may end up having it on her wall for awhile. She is going to have several of my paintings and an oil painting a friend of mine did last year. I may have to ask some family and friends to keep some of my artwork until we end up getting a plae that will act as “home base”. Of course we aren’t sure we will do that at all. I see this as the biggest downfall of the mobile lifestyle, not much wall space!
There are water based oils now, and they cure much faster. Also, oil pastels can be worked with linseed oils, turps, and other agents that will make them easier to carry and store than oil paint tubes, and they look just as good, plus you have more control that way of the medium itself. Also you can use a canvas with the rubber instead of staples on the back (think that stuff they use in window screens, that rubber stuff) and then when it’s dry, undo the canvas and roll it up to store it, re-use the canvas frame by getting flat canvas (pre-primed or not, your choice) and then cut some out of your “bolt” of canvas, attach to the frame and paint again. I did this for the first three years of my art life because we were moving around a lot. Just an idea…you don’t have to be without just because your mobile…you just have to get creative about your art space. For the longest time my art space was a brown box…I could move it easy, it took up small amounts of space and people still wanted to buy my art…they had to have it stretched onto a new frame, but that’s not a big deal for most folks. Most craft stores will do that for a couple bucks and the cost of the frame. Good luck on the mobile lifestyle, I’d do it in a heart beat if I could!
I have been looking at the oil pastels and oil bars too. I need to figure those things out. i’ll be honest, I have never stretched a canvas before. I’ve mostly painted with watercolors until recently and then I used already stretched canvases. But, you have a good point. I just figured out what you mean by the rubber thing for screens. just use it to hold the canvas in place and then pop it out to take the canvas out. What a good idea! I have to take a reall hard look at my supplies and decide what is coming with and what is going into storage and what is going to the garage sale. I am taking my french easel with me as it folds down to table top size for inside the RV and then I can use it outside as well. I may bring my folding watercolor easel. It isn’t very sturdy, but is very lightweight. not sure if i will need it though. Then there are the paints. And the pastels. And the papers. I will put most of my full sheets of WC paper in storage. So many things to think about. I may just paint on panels for the oils and acrylics. They will be smaller, and will stack easily. Lots of stuff to work out. Thanks for the suggestions.
Yes…I am still around…still working dilligently at the studio. I was “let go” after 10 years at my job in January….so I am collecting unemployment and painting and writing alot. It was a total blindside but I think the further I get from it the better it becomes. The ability to keep the studio is the only fall out..but so far it is do-able…At some point I will have to get another job but I’m looking at flower shop or something similar…we’ll see how the cards fall…Once again it is so impressive to see your work and inspiring!!!!….sue
Wow,
i bet that was a total blindside. The good thing is you are no longer in that energy sucking environment. Of course the bad thing is the money aspect. i hope you can get it worked out. I wish you could write and paint etc. full time. thank goodness for unemployment. Also that you don’t put your self worth in the job you have. just remember you are very talented with your writing and painting. this could be the start of something big in the art world for you.
Take care!
Sara! I did one almost exactly like this (3 lilies)in ‘04. It is startling how similarly we approached it. I just might have to dig it up for you – I think you’d smile…. Needless to say… I love it!
The fast drying acrylics are brutal in a furnace dry winter house as well…. I hear ya!
Michelle,
that is so cool. I would love to see yours if you find it.
wow! i LOVE this one! (: sooo pretty. i would love to buy this haha. would go perfectly in my room!
Hi Bri!
I guess I haven’t been on here in a long time. I will keep in mind that you like this one, ok?
I sure miss you!
Love,
Sara