Mud Pie Becomes "Sweet Place"

Sweet Place

8 x 11

As some of you may remember, last year I undertook a project with my class to do 20 plus paintings variation on a same theme composition using the same size paper. I called it Mud Pies because it was to be a playful creative adventure in experiment. It was fun. I experimented with liquid media even used garlic flavored olive oil in the process. Looking back it was fun, therapeutic and revealing to me. I came out the better for it. It loosened me up. Here's a few of the mud pies.

Mud Pie #9

Mud Pie #7

Mud Pie #15

The reason I am telling you this is that I did a do-over on one of them. Sorry, I forgot which one. I took a kleenex tissue wiped off the pastel and scrubbed it a little with a toothbrush. It left a faded ghost image behind. So I started a whole new painting. With a vague idea of what I was doing I just started applying pastels picking colors that appealed to me and thinking of some sort of landscape scene in spring or summer. I started it some 2-3 months ago. I remember having three sessions on it spread over the 2-3 months. It sat around waiting for me to get my next inspiration which happened last week when I finished it. I felt at peace with it and called it done. I was in a sweet place at the time.

Painting in Progress, Sunset in Progress

Painting in Progress  Stage 1

Stage 2

Stay tuned for the continuing saga of this painting. I'm on a journey.

Speaking of journeys - My husband and I had an E ride for the eyes coming home from Oakhurst yesterday. We saw an amazing sunset happening. It changed with every turn of the mountainous road. It was like listening to a symphony all the way home. Darn, wouldn't you know I didn't have my good camera with me but I did have my antiquated cell phone. Here are the photos I took.

 

In a way isn't it like creating a painting that has its way with you. It controls you from beginning to end. It captures you, like what you're doing or not. It beckons you and says just keep going. Thoroughly frustrated you keep on going. Your muse is sitting on your shoulder chuckling because she/he knows that  it will turn out to be a satisfying experience, maybe even awesome.

The Journey Continues

Heron Pond Glow

10 x 15

Pastel on Canson Paper

Referring to my blog of January 8th you will see the the first two legs of the journey this painting took.  It happens to me from time to time that I pronounce a painting done before its time. I get an uneasy feeling and the thought enters my mind that the piece has more of a story to tell. Slowly at first, the idea begins to build in my mind until I reach a point where I can't stand it. Curiosity drives me to continue on. All I knew was that I wanted to increase the warm areas and in general give the painting as a whole  more punch. I guess you could say that I wanted to change the mood of the painting yet another time. I'm allowed to do this. As an artist, I have permission to practice my artistic license. Do you?

Moody Heron II

Moody Heron

Painting In My Studio

Marcia's Lillies

16 x 29

Pastel on Canson Paper     Sold

Prints availabe at fine art america

It's great to be able to take a few steps down from my kitchen and be in my studio. It's always there for me no matter what I'm wearing, no matter the weather , no matter what time it is. It's where I love to get in touch with me. Outside the studio, I am wife (of a wonderful and supportive husband), mother to my wonderful kids, grandmother to five fantastic grandchildren, friend to some people I hold dear in my hear, etc. etc.etc.etc. .... but in my studio I am not labeled. I am there with me and my muse and or my spiritual advisor who puts me in touch with me and says paint from your heart , your emotions and your intuition. Forget the rest of the world and the judgments of others. There are no rules in my studio for how I express myself. My muse/spiritual guider is all I need listen to. Any others comments that my head congers up are not allowed here. Here I am free to express myself on canvas any way I want. No judgements. Rules be damned. Here I need only listen to what's in my heart.

Winter Mood

Moody Heron II

10 x 15

Pastel on Canson Paper

I took a painting I posted before as "Moody Heron" and gave it some more life and color today just because I felt like it. It used to look like this.

Moody Heron

Am I sorry? I don't think so. After living with Moody Heron for a while, it began to look unfinished to me. It's so nice to know that as an artist, I can and do give myself permission to alter a painting and to paint it anyway I want. This is called artistic license. Every artist has this license. Some use it more then others. Some not at all. Where do you fit in? 

A Serenade of Frogs

Sometime in Spring

12 x 16

Pastel on Sanded Mat Board

The rain had finally stopped. Yesterday was filled with bright sunshine. Everything sparkled. Last night the stars were at their brightest, so clear, so beautiful. Lots of new frogs have emerged since the rain and it's a delight to my ears to hear their serenade. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I am so grateful to have found my passion as an artist (certainly not a writer).

I'm happy to show you my second painting of the new year. Finished yesterday, it is a transition painting that went from this

to the painting "Sometime in Spring" above. It was a 20 x 26 work in progress that sat around most of last year unfinished. I decided to do a rework on it. First, I hosed it down but the pastel did not come off (I guess because it was so well fixed with hair spray). While it was still wet I took a piece of pipe insulation and began scrubbing and moving the pastel pigments around on the board. The painting started to have an ethereal feel to it but after an hour of experimenting it didn't seem to be going anywhere until I sprayed water on it and played using my fingers to move the pigment around. That felt good. I didn't like the painting as a whole but the upper right hand  corner section intrigued me so I focused on that area playing around until it came to be "Sometime in Spring" So the 20 x 26 work in progress became a 12 x 16 work transformed. I was surprised and pleased how things  turn out. One never knows.

Water, Water Everywhere

Down Levee

11 x 14

Pastel on Pastelbord

I'm on a water painting kick. Could it be all this rain we're getting. What influences an artist to paint on a particular subject? Would like to hear what you have to say about this.