Meet Gigi, the giraffe.

After more than a year away, I am finally painting again!

Meet Gigi.
A blue giraffe! Well, she's blue right now, but that will change.
What you're seeing right now is her acrylic Phthalo Blue underpainting against a bright Yellow Orange Azo/Napthol Red mix (orangish) background.
After roughly sketching her with a black sharpie (not something I usually do), I washed the canvas with these bright colors, the opposite of what the top coat colors will be.
Ultimately, the sky will be shades of blue and Gigi will be shades of gold and orange with small bits of the bright underpainting peeking through here and there in the finished painting. I love that effect.
Colorful and whimsical are my goals with this painting, and so far, I'm digging the results.
I especially love her sweet face. She's got a dragonfly on her nose, and will be just slightly cross-eyed and grinning as she looks at it.
And, did I mention she's a full 6 feet tall?!
She's a diptych, two 18" x 36" canvases.

How did I find my way back to my easel and paints again after more than a year away?

Well, I've been pretty much a full time caregiver for my hubby these last 3 years as he's fought Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Myelodysplastic Syndrome.
And he's doing pretty darn good now considering what he's been through, including intensive Chemotherapy in 2011 (which thankfully put his Lymphoma in remission) and a Bone Marrow Transplant 20 months ago that has put his Myelodysplastic Syndrome into remission as well, but he still needs quite a bit of care. I can't leave him alone for long lengths of time.


So.
I did some minor remodeling of our home, which included converting our home office into a small (9'x10') studio inside the main part of our house.



To reach my other big ole studio (14' x18'), I had to go through two closed doors.
It was way too far removed from the main part of the house and way, way too far away from Brian for me to feel comfy painting there.
I simply couldn't relax or get in a painting zone not knowing if he needed me inside the house. I tried, but just couldn't do it.
In my new smaller studio, I can see and hear him, so I am now totally relaxed when I want to paint.
Yay!!

Yep, Gigi's going to be an adventure, and the perfect project to become reacquainted with painting again. I'm super excited to see where she leads me.
I'll post progress pics as I find small chunks of time to work on her.

Let Your Spirit Run Wild!

'Let your spirit run wild!'
24" x 36"
acrylic on canvas
sold
private collection
Tucson, Az





She's signed, sealed and delivered!
My oh-so-patient client took delivery of her wild mustang Annie's portrait this morning and I'm happy to report she was delighted with the finished piece.
I am a bit sad to see her go, but pleased she's loved.
I thought I'd find enough time to get her painted and delivered within 3 weeks of start, but life, well, life kept throwing me curves that kept me out of my studio. So, it actually took six weeks to find the necessary chunks of painting time I needed to get this portrait done.
My wonderful client knew 3 weeks was a guesstimate going in, and was kind and patient with me needing the extra weeks. 
This first commission since B's been ill provided the perfect opportunity to answer those questions I'd been asking myself a few months ago in this blog.
Yes, while finding studio time may be a challenge at times, it can be done, and, yes, I didn't completely forget how to paint during those long months away. Yay!

Here's the reference photo the client provided for this piece. You can see, in the finished painting,  that I used creative license to liven the photo up in a way that suited the unusual cropping.

It also included, at the client's request, a painted script along a 4" black band across the bottom that read "Let your spirit run wild!", hence the title of the painting. These words pay homage to her love of marathon running and of course, her love of her wild mustang Annie. 

Let the sun shine in.

'When the moon is in the seventh house
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars.
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius.
Let the sun shine in.'
excerpt from the song-Age of Aquarius/Let the sun shine in.

I liked this song from the '60's musical 'Hair'.
And it had nothing to do with the fact that I was born under the sign of Aquarius.
Really.
In fact there were several songs from that musical that I really liked. They had a fun vibe.
Growing up in the sixties was a blast. All our music was amazing, and still is.


Anyway, when I walked into my studio today to paint the next 6" square (of my still unnamed '60's painting), I was going to add a cropped portion of a keyboard. Instead, I got a crazy urge to paint this.
She was painted over one of the solid red squares, so you can see the red peeking out all around the edges.
I kinda like her. Although painting a request to 'let the sun shine in' may have had an unwanted effect on our weather. I was hoping we'd have another fabulous, much needed thunderstorm like yesterday, but it didn't rain a drop today. Maybe my next painting session should pay homage to the Cascade's 'Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain'. Just saying.

Today, while painting, I found myself listening to a lot of Pink Floyd, which gave me a crazy idea for another square that I may or may not use. It would always remind me of my son, so I may add it, but it may not fit with the '60s theme so we'll see.
I think this painting will morph into whatever it's meant to be. Six of twenty-four squares are done. And so far, it's been a fun, whimsical painting, that's also allowing me to become familiar again with how acrylic paints behave.
I'm not getting huge chunks of time to paint, but I'm getting enough. I'm trying to time my painting sessions around B's naps or when he's in his studio recording. If he's just chillin' with TV or something, I sit with him so we can be close. He's still numero uno to me.

With a little help from my friends...

...this painting might get a name. I've been having a heck of time thinking of a clever title for this newest piece, so if any of you have suggestions, please let me know, either in a comment here or on my Millward Studios Facebook page.

In my last post there is a pic of the whole canvas with a few finished squares to help you get an idea of where this painting might be heading. I'm sure as more squares are finished and posted, a title will become more obvious, but for right now I'll just refer to it as the 'Music and the '60's' piece. Boring. 
I like clever twist-of-words or pun type titles.
I once named a painting of Brian's guitar slides 'Sometimes, you just have to let it slide', with a subtitle a la Rocky and Bullwinkle of 'No sense fretting about it.' 
I know there's the perfect title for this new painting out there and one of you will think of it.

I've decided to reveal the 24 squares of my 'Music and the '60's' (yawn) painting a few at a time as I finish them.
Then, once all the squares are done, I'll reveal the entire finished piece.

Here are first two completed squares so far:

All the squares are 6" x 6". So far, five are done. There will be 24 squares total making up the finished painting.
To help you with name suggestions, a few other ideas I'm toying with including on this canvas are a paisley design, a VW bus, tuning keys, a keyboard, song lyrics (probably Beatles or Dylan), a Vox or Fender twin's knobs, more flora, a tambourine, a macro cropped portion of a drum, McCartney's Hofner, John's Ric headstock and....????
That's just a portion of my list. There's a lot of neat stuff on this list and it remains to be seen what will make the cut design wise.
I'm having too much fun with this. 
Here are the 3 squares I completed today. :

The black and white checkerboard on this guitar square loosely represents the neat inner decorative strip known as purfling sometimes found around the front edge of a guitar's body. Martin & Co. uses a herringbone design purfling on their guitars that may show up somewhere on this painting too.


Brian's every two week visit with his transplant Doc yesterday went really well.
He's feeling good too so in theory I should be spending some quality time in my studio these next few weeks.
After so many many months away, I'm painting again! Pinch me!

Just Playing

I am playing with paint.
That means that B is doing okay and I've been able to spend a few hours here and there in my studio. Finding a balance is making me a very happy girl.
Many years ago, I did several paintings on 24" x 36" canvases that had been divided into 24 equal 6" squares. The subjects of these paintings were varied and apparently popular as all of them sold.
Back then, I had also started an abstract 24/6 painting that never got finished. I didn't much care for how the randomly created patterns of each square were turning out, and my ADD took over, making me grow bored with it. 
So, I set it aside, intent on changing it someday when my interest reignited. 

Someday arrived a few days ago.
I took that unfinished painting and gessoed over all the original squares to start new. Some of the previous patterns are still peeking through, but they will disappear as I add new pattern and paint.


I want this reworked canvas to be all about music and the '60's, with each square painted with bright colors and loose brushwork.
It will mostly feature musical things, but I do intend to include a VW microbus (of course) and a square or two of paisley patterns, and perhaps some text and.....who knows? ....the possibilities are endless. I will also probably leave a few squares of just yummy solid colors so it doesn't get too busy.
I am having so much fun just playing with acrylic paint again. 

This flower design is taken from an old 1969 hippie shirt I still have from a previous lifetime. It's a classic 1960's beauty with the long pointed collars and wide cuffs on long sleeves. I love this vintage shirt and wanted to give it's cool pattern a nod in this painting.

I'm letting the solid colors of each new square peek through from underneath the patterns.
Here I've used pink and white over orange.












Here's a photo of the fabric of my old '60's shirt. Isn't it cool!

Detail of acoustic guitars and a gold and white over red version of the 60's flower print.
















Below is another 24/6 painting I did back in 2006.
This one was called 'California Dreamin' and featured 24 coastal scenes, including one with a VW microbus on the beach. I think it's Washington, DC owners have actually moved to California since it's purchase years ago.

Here's my original blogpost for California Dreamin'.

California Dreamin' 2006
24" x 36" x 3/4"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Scolnik collection, Washington, DC

It's been a long time.

Sunflower revisited 2013
20" x 24"
Oil over Acrylic on canvas

Hello friends.

Perhaps you're a new visitor here or an old friend. Either one, I'd like to thank you for stopping in today.

Old friends will know that this Artblog of mine has been static for quite some time now. Two years ago, I became the full time caregiver for my precious husband Brian.

His cancer returned in March 2011 and the treatments and complications that arose, necessitated huge changes in my life. My mission was to try to save his life. Anything I could do to help, anything at all, I would happily do to keep this wonderful human with me for as long as possible.

That meant hanging up my paintbrushes these last 2 years as I've stood beside him in his fight for life.

And now, after a Bone Marrow Transplant on February 13th of this year, I am happy to report he's on the mend. And while, he's not 100%, he's getting better. And he doesn't need my constant care anymore.
 
Which brings me to today.
And this post. And this latest painting.
 
Brian still needs my care, but not nearly as much. Yet, with some free time to finally get my paintbrushes wet again, I was having trouble getting back in my studio. I found myself befuddled and fearful as to how or where I should start.

How was I to go about rediscovering myself as an painter, and finding a balance between caregiver and artist?

I simply couldn't seem to get started.

For the first year or so that I was away, I still 'thought' like an painter. Daily, I saw inspiration for paintings all around me, everywhere I looked. And, I'd have a good idea of just exactly how I'd translate those inspirations to canvas.

But, as Brian became more ill, and life became heavier, I started losing that painter's vision, and gradually the inspirations and hands-on knowledge of my medium faded.

You fellow artists know what I'm talking about when I say we see every little thing in the world through painters eyes. We see the way light plays with ordinary things, we see the magic in shapes and colors, the abstract of light and dark. It's a wonderful way to view the world. And we usually have a good idea of how we'd translate those visions into art through the medium of our choice. In the past, for me, that's been acrylic paint. I understood that silly, fast drying, paint. I understood my brushes. I knew how to get the look I wanted instinctively with these tools.

But now, after 2 years away, I was feeling a lot like a beginning painter again. I hadn't a clue if I could even still paint. I felt like I had forgotten how.

This scared me.
I mean, who knows, after such a long time gone, how that first painting would turn out?

And what did I want to paint?

Art is emotion and emotionally I am definitely not the same person I was 28 months ago. Cancer and nearly losing my Brian (several times) have changed the way I view the world. No way around that.
In the past, despite dark childhood baggage (the kind that some artists would use to fuel dark, introspective paintings), I've mostly leaned towards painting cheerful stuff.  
And, despite the toughness of these last 28 months, I'm pleased to find I still want to paint happy things.  If anything, I now want even more whimsy, more color, more life, more happy in my paintings.
 
So, I knew I wanted to paint something bright and colorful, but what would that be? Would I perhaps finish a previous work-in-progress that's been waiting patiently or would I begin with a new, start-from-scratch, fresh clean canvas?

Should it be big? or small? Abstract or realism? Pure whimsy or contemporary? And how about maybe trying oils now? The possibilities were endless, I just needed to face my fears and start.

And, while my fear that I'd lost my mojo was playing a big part in me not getting started, my biggest fear, was leaving Brian alone. It was downright paralyzing.

My studio is somewhat isolated from our main living area. And from past experience I know, when painting, I become completely absorbed in the process, unaware of time passing or things around me.
So, fear I'd get lost in a painting and perhaps not be aware if Brian suddenly needed me, continually wreaked havoc on me starting. I'd walk into my studio, then turn around and walk right back out so I could check on Brian. After being by his side non-stop for 28 months, I was finding it almost impossible to let go, paint, and have faith that he'd be fine.

So there I was. Befuddled. Fearful.
Ready to paint, but not painting.

Then it occurred to me, use your Artblog, silly. Launched in 2008, this blog is an old friend.
Before Brian became unwell, I'd artblogged regularly and loved sharing my painting adventures here.
So, I decided to brush the cobwebs off my static Artblog and use it as the catalyst to help me get started again. To get me painting again, to show me I can find the balance.

I can be a painter, and a caregiver.
I just have to start.

So, I set a goal, to get me off my fearful, befuddled duff and start painting again.
Ten days ago, I posted the following note at the top of my blog:

June 19, 2013-
After more than two years away, helping my hubby through Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Myelodysplastic Syndrome and a Bone Marrow Transplant, I am full of questions. 
Can I still even paint? 
How has this incredibly emotional experience changed me, both as an artist and a human being? 
I know I'm changed, but have I lost, or have I've gained sight?
As my husband's health slowly improves, it's time I find out.
Using this Artblog as a catalyst to kickstart my painting again, I've set my first goal.
Post a new painting here before the end of June.
Can I do it? Can I find a balance between caregiver and artist? 11 days will tell.
Baby steps.

As this self imposed deadline rapidly approached, I was finally able to put together a few hours of studio time here and there these last few days and made the deadline.
It was a good exercise. Without this goal, I probably would still not have started.
Now, I can't wait to paint again!

No, I didn't start this painting from scratch, but I did put wet paintbrushes on canvas, and that was a huge step forward. 
I'd been curious for quite some time about using oil paints over an acrylic under-painting, but hadn't gotten around to trying it before B got sick and I had to put my paintbrushes away.
Not feeling very confident with my rustiness and a new medium (oil), I decided to rework an old sunflower painting I'd originally painted in 2009, one that I'd never really liked. I figured if I messed it up big time with my oil painting experiment, no worries.

Below is a photo of the way the 2009 acrylic painting used to look, and how it looks now with oil paint applied in areas over the old acrylic paint. I'm okay with the reworked sunflower painting now. It's colors are more subtle, and it's not as garish as it was, but it's still not on my list of favorites. Although, I do like it better than before.

After this first attempt at oil painting, the jury remains out on me using oil paints on any surface, much less an acrylic one. (Holy guacamole, this stuff is wet and messy and I'm not fond of the clean up, which requires strong smelling solvents).

It was an interesting, and somewhat amusing experiment. 
I had oil paint all over me because I kept forgetting it was wet. Then I'd have to use the odorless solvent (odorless? not!) to clean up. 
It was really quite comical. I had paint everywhere.

There were some things I really liked about the oils.  And I'm not giving up on them. 

But before I embark on any more oil painting experiments, my next few projects, as I try to regain comfort at the easel, will be done solely with acrylics, my truly odorless, water based old buddies!
Hopefully using a familiar medium will help me find my painting mojo again.

Btw, Brian was fine. I found small ways to keep in touch with him hourly so I wouldn't be so worried. Timers, monitors and such, gave me just enough connection to him to let me relax and get lost in painting for a few hours at a time.

And he was delighted I am finally back spending some time doing what I love. 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas tree, whose lights now shine so brightly!

I started painting these trees in 2008. 

At that time, I was playing with heavy texture on canvas. I was also doing a lot of textured tree paintings.  

With this one, I sculpted the trees, sky and snowy foreground with a sculpting medium. 

I then added layers of glazed colors, coaxing the texture out of the canvas with these layers.  I started with a dark ultramarine blue/black under-painting over the whole canvas. Then I highlighted the texture with lighter layers of turquoise and white just softly skimmed upon the raised portions of texture. 

I used warm highlights on the main tree and foreground reflections. I also painted colored lights on the main tree, and dappled some of those colors in the foreground as well.

It ended up a simple, snowy winter scene, featuring a softly lit Christmas tree glowing in the snow. 

I liked it okay, but I set the canvas aside, thinking that someday I'd like to try to add real Christmas lights to the main tree. 

Well, someday came today.

Because B's Bone Marrow Transplant is just around the corner, I knew we wouldn't be able to put up our normal Christmas tree this year. (Follow B's Journey here)

I found myself thinking this last week "Wouldn't it be nice if I had a painting of a Christmas tree to hang, so at least we'd have a tree of some sort up for this holiday."

I was lamenting that I didn't have time to paint a Christmas tree painting from scratch, when I remembered this painting I'd started so many years ago. 

I found it in my studio this morning, still waiting patiently to be finished, so I set about lighting it up. I had purchased a mini light set several years ago with this idea in mind and was delighted to find I had conveniently stored them with the painting.

The texture on the canvas was really thick, which worked out great for holding the lights. I punched holes through the textured canvas and pushed the mini lights through. I then used some gel gloss medium to attach a few shiny stars in front of the tree to mimic the lights reflecting in the snowy foreground.

Okay, so now it's far more artsy craftsy than fine art, but I still like it. It will help make our home feel more festive and I have to say, it's the easiest Christmas tree I've ever put up.

This image shows the unlit mini lights poking through the canvas. The 3-D effect looks sort of neat unlit, as well as lit. You can also see some of the heavy canvas texture in this image too.

Here's a short video of the finished painting with the lights on. 

I had a frame on hand that suited the finished piece well and now, after a few hours of fun playing with this painting,  it's hanging in our home, doing it's part to help make our season a bit brighter.
And, for the first time in almost 9 months, I got to spend some time playing in my studio.
Neato deato.

My husband, my hero.

 'You've Got A Friend'
16 x 20
Acrylic on Canvas
Detail of a work in progress.










I've always thought that the kids in this painting could've been me and Brian as kids, if we'd known each other back then.
He's my best buddy in the whole world.
And he's in a fight for his life right now.

I started this painting years ago and set it aside, unfinished. Perhaps because Brian didn't want me to sell this one, and I needed to be painting things that would help pay the bills.

I'm currently still unable to paint at all (as many of you already know) because of Brian's need for full time care. There was a nano second last month, where it looked like he was getting better and I thought I'd be painting again soon, but that was not to be.

He's really, really sick right now with a disease called Myelodysplastic Syndrome. He's transfusion dependent, unable to make blood on his own because of chemotherapy induced stem cell damage to his bone marrow.

He's also the bravest, toughest person I've ever known, facing each adversity with determination and grace.

So, I thought I'd send out this request, to all of my artblog friends and others who might wander in here for a visit.

For those of you who pray, I'd sure appreciate it if you could put in a good word for our Brian. Please pray that his bone marrow starts working again.

And, also, please ask that the painful peripheral neuropathy in his fingers, that's taken away his beautiful guitar playing, also heals.

We'd sure appreciate it. 

Click here to see his complete, up to date journey, chronicled as a subpage of this blog.

We make plans... and the universe laughs.

'Winter Trees'
15" x 30" x 3/4"
Acrylic on canvas  
Livingstone collection- Tucson, AZ


Happy New Year everyone!
2011 was a doozy, with many twists and turns we least expected.

My Brian got sick early in the year. So, I put away my paintbrushes and spent much of the year helping him through some really difficult stuff.

B's Journey is chronicled here.

December started out with Brian seriously ill in the hospital, but these last few weeks he's been improving rapidly.

He no longer needs constant care.


That being said, there's even a chance I may be painting again within a few days.
First I have to clean my very dusty (and somewhat cluttered) studio.
Then squeeze some paint on palette and dive in.
I'm sort of nervous and excited about that. I literally haven't painted a single stroke in over 4 months.

What if I've forgotten how?
I'm sure rediscovering painting will be quite an adventure and I'm curious to see what changes this 4 month hiatus may have created in my approach to painting in general.  I've got a ton of ideas I've been chomping at the bit to paint. New subjects, different cropping, and maybe, just maybe I will try oils for the the very first time. Oooh, scary!
I'm hoping to recap my 'Year in the Life' accomplishments within the next few weeks. I did get a lot done before Brian became ill.
I'm also taking the optimistic approach in making my New Year's list of Art Goals for 2012. I believe Brian will continue to improve and I will find more and more time for painting and marketing. I've got a ton of new ideas to help get my art out there and look forward to getting those ideas up and running.
Wish me luck.... and...
Happy Painting!!

Win A Mug featuring my painting 'First Christmas'!!

Congratulations to Nichol Boyle, winner of the December Mug giveaway!!
My thanks to all of you who've become followers of this blog. You will all be eligible for all future contests as well.

A print of this painting will be featured on the December Mug giveaway.



click image for larger view

'First Christmas'

11" x 14" 

Acrylic on canvas

I'm having a Dec 1st contest for all followers of this Art Blog. 

The winner of the contest will get one of my popular Zazzle Mugs, this one featuring a print of my painting 'First Christmas'.

If you're the winner, you'll get your mug in time for the holidays, to enjoy yourself, or perhaps give as a gift.

It's so easy to enter!  

Click the blue 'Join this Site' button found in the right margin over here. ►►►

Scroll down a bit, past my artist's bio and you'll find the blue 'Join this Site' button. It's just above all the little thumbnail images of my Blog Followers so far.

Simply join this blog and be entered.

All my blog followers, old and new will be eligible.

If the drawing were held today, the odds would be 1 in 34 that you'd win, because that's my blog follower count at noon today, as I post this contest. The odds will be 1 in whatever that number is on Dec 1st.

All my Blog Followers, old and new, are eligible for all my Blog Contests.

Become a blog follower before Dec 1st, and your name will be entered in this drawing for the 'First Christmas' mug giveaway.

Remember, once a Blog Follower, you are eligible for all future contests held on this blog as well. So, join today. Keep up to date on all my latest art happenings and be entered to win free stuff now and then.

Thanks for visiting ... and good luck!
View Mug here.

Win A Mug featuring 'Emma's Fireflies'!!

Hi everyone!

I'm having a Mug Contest this month. Go to FACEBOOK and like my new Millward Studios-The Fine Art of Jenna Millward Corkill  Facebook Art Page and your name will be entered in the November 1st, 2011 (next Tuesday!) drawing to win a free mug featuring my painting 'Emma's Fireflies'.  

VIEW MUG HERE 

So, click the FACEBOOK link, LIKE the PAGE, and be entered to win this mug, featuring a print of my original painting:

Congratulations to...Jason Livingstone! He won the 'Emma's Fireflies' Mug on my Facebook Art Page contest.

My thanks to the 60 folks who entered the contest by Liking my Facebook Art page.

'Emma's Fireflies' 2011

10 X 10 X 1.5"

Acrylic on canvas

Original not for sale,

but prints are available here.

click image to enlarge

I'm also having a Dec 1st Mug Contest for all Followers of this Blog. 

That Mug will feature a print of my painting 'First Christmas',

and you'll get it in time for the holidays, to enjoy yourself, or perhaps give as a gift.

All my current Blog Followers are eligible, old and new, for all my Blog Contests.

Become a new follower before Dec 1st, and your name will be entered for the 'First Christmas' mug giveaway.

I'll be having additional contests periodically for all my Blog Followers, so start following now to be eligible for all future contests as well.

(Click the blue 'Join This Site' button found in the right margin, just above all the little thumbnail images of my Blog Followers so far.)

Thanks for visiting ... and good luck!

click image

to enlarge

A print of this painting will be featured on the December Mug







'First Christmas'2004

11" x 14" 

Acrylic on canvas

'Sometimes, you just have to let it slide'

or ...
'No sense fretting about it'
~a-work-in-progress~
6" x 6" acrylic on canvas panel

I haven't decided if this one will be for sale or not.

Morning light filters through our window blinds on a few of Brian's guitar slides. 

(For those of you not familiar with what a guitar slide is,

here's video of Bonnie Raitt playing guitar with a slide.)

Placed on your finger, you make notes by sliding it on the guitar neck. They create a very distinctive sound.

Brian's got about a dozen slides, each one unique, and I think they make cool subjects for still life paintings.

I love the reflections in the metal slide.

This painting is almost done. I still need to finish bringing the sunshine in with highlights here and there, as well as a few minor tweaks on the metal slide.

I can work on these small canvases in the house, without being too isolated from Brian while I paint, so you will probably be seeing more of these smaller works from me for a while, although I am still working on the giant canvas 'Matheson Hammock Memories' too.

"Men plan and God laughs." ... old Yiddish proverb

I started this year with a plan. To chronicle, 'A YEAR IN THE LIFE' , a year in my life as an artist, with a focused plan to grow my art business and expand my art endeavors. I looked forward to seeing where that new, more focused approach would take me.

Then, on a dime, in March, the plan changed. Brian's lymphoma returned and I had to put my 'YEAR IN THE LIFE' project, along with a whole lot of painting, on hold.

Being there for, and taking care of this man, my best friend, my husband Brian, is (happily) getting almost every bit of my attention.
So, in the spirit of this painting's title, I'm learning to let (the less important) stuff slide right now. And it's ok. It's been necessary to help me these last 6 months.
My (overgrown!) flower beds are actually pretty, in a wild untamed sort of way, and adjustments with what chores are really necessary everyday, has allowed me to still find small snippets of painting time.
Using these small canvases allows me to paint near Brian, to be close by if he needs me.

This newest Non-Hodgkins lymphoma journey has certainly had it's ups and downs.
The most recent up- the chemo is working! (as per PET scan results).
The most recent down- Brian, weak from chemo treatments, fell and broke his back last Sunday night.
Our whole journey, thus far, is chronicled on my blog page, B's journey.

Thanks for visiting.... and please consider becoming a blog follower while you're here. (Click the blue 'Join This Site' button found in the right margin just above all the little thumbnail images of blog followers so far.)
My (somewhat lofty) goal is to perhaps hit 50 followers by years end.

Matheson Hammock Memories

A peek at the process.

I found time to paint today and was able to get the sky almost done on this big canvas. It just needs some minor tweaking where the black gesso is peeking through the highly textured areas a bit too much. Otherwise, I like it. My apologies, as this photo is not very good. It was taken tonight and the colors, brushwork and texture are lost in the poor lighting. It's much prettier in person.

As I was working on this big canvas, I got to thinking about some of the beaches I used to visit in the late 1960's as a teenager growing up in Miami.

One of them was Matheson Hammock Park.  A man-made atoll on the Biscayne Bay, near my hometown of Coral Gables. It was built in the early 1930's,  a part of President Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corp that helped put unemployed men to work during the depression.
Back in the day, it was a beautiful place to spend a day at the beach. I hear it's not quite as nice now, which is too bad, but I'm painting it as if it's still in it's heyday.

The only photo I have of me as a baby, was taken at Matheson Hammock Park. I'm in the water, being held by my mom. I've always been fascinated by that photo, probably because it's my only baby pic and because my mom looks so happy. All heck broke loose in my family a few years later, and I pretty much rarely saw my mom happy again. Heck, I rarely saw my mom at all.

Reminiscence emotions got a hold of me and I decided to change the random location of my original beach painting, to this beach at Matheson Hammock Park.
I love it when I have an emotional connection to a painting I'm working on. It takes the painting experience up a notch.
This change of location meant I had to add the sea wall/sandbar and a few palm trees and I had to make the water calm. It's almost like a tidal pool at this beach. The water softly meets the sand, so the big waves I had started in my original layout had to go bye-bye.

Before I added the sandbar and trees to the canvas, I used a technique I learned from artist Robert Vickrey. He painted with egg tempera. When he wanted to add an element to one of his paintings, (such as a hat on a child) he would often place a piece of clear acetate on his (dry) canvas, painting the idea on the acetate first, to see if he liked it. He could move the acetate around, helping him with placement, perspective and such, before he actually painted the new element directly on his canvas.
He, of course, did not use the acetate on wet paint. So, if you use this idea, let whatever medium you are using dry first. Because I use acrylic paint, which we all know, dries in a nano second, I usually don't have to wait long if I want to use the acetate.

I use 3M Transparency Write-On Film. Sold in a box of 100 sheets (8.5x10.5) for about $22. Another neat thing about these sheets is they will static cling to the canvas. Just rub the sheet around on something to activate the cling. No tape needed.


Here are my trees, sketched on an acetate sheet to see if I liked the idea or not. I put the sandbar where one of the original waves was. You can see the lights in my studio shining on the acetate sheet.

The reference photo for my original beach/umbrella idea is one I created by mashing several photos together with photoshop.

I had a photo of a plain umbrella on the beach. I wanted a patterned umbrella, one of my own design, so I replaced the plain umbrella with a polka dot umbrella I found in an advertisement. Fortunately it's perspective jived pretty good with the original (plain) umbrella so it fit in nicely.

The polka dots became perspective reference points for me so I could create the patterned umbrella correctly. I wasn't worried about copyright issues using a published photo, since it was going to be SO different from the original. It was just a perspective tool for me.

 Here's the painting from my last blogpost, before I added the sandbar and trees. I'm glad the silly cartoon clouds seen here are gone now.

Brian's latest battle with lymphoma has kept me out of the studio quite a bit, so my painting updates will be sporadic for a while.
I can't wait to find a chunk of studio time again soon as I'm really having fun with this painting.


Thanks for visiting!

Paint it Black...

or... 'Rocky Mountain Bye'

There were several things I really liked about this painting, before I gessoed the entire canvas black! 

One was the tree canopy... the leaves....  another, the black edges peeking out here and there. I liked that concept. 

One mistake I made with this painting, was tackling a new style without a reference photo on a HUGE canvas ...what was I thinking?

Whenever I changed my mind on a composition element, it was ridiculously time consuming to make the change throughout this gigantic canvas... and then my AAADD* would kick in, making painting a chore (painting should not be a chore!) 'til I finally said "enough!".

But the biggest reason (besides not having a reference photo) for starting over on this big canvas was I simply decided I didn't want a giant Colorado landscape in my living room. This painting is for our home and this canvas is meant to go back to the same area it's hung for 10 years. It's was an (unfinished) ocean scene for 3 years, and I didn't know how much I liked having a waterscape in that spot 'til it was gone. The forest was pretty, but it wasn't water.

This poor ole canvas has been gessoed over 3 times before. It's first two incarnations were colorful abstracts, then it was the simple (unfinished) sea scene. Each time I brought the Colorado landscape in from my studio to see if I liked the colors in my living room's east light, and I'd find myself wishing I'd stuck with an ocean theme. When I mentioned this to Brian, he simply said, go with your feelings. 

Wow. Duh. I couldn't get the black gesso on the canvas fast enough. (except for a few parting photos of the spots I liked). At the time I decided to gesso the whole darn thing, I was happy with most of what I'd finished on the painting... so I took photos of the parts I liked and will use those ideas in future works.

This time, with a reference photo in hand, and a whimsical patchwork umbrella idea brewing in my head, I started this giant canvas's newest life. An homage to my hometown, Coral Gables and to the beach... my ocean. I miss the ocean.

This is definitely a work in progress. The umbrellas will all be COLORFUL, the sand almost white, and I think as soon as I'm done posting this,  those silly cartoonish clouds are going to float right on out of the painting. 

I'm trying to channel a soft, old fashioned vintage post card feel with this. Wish me luck.

 

Thanks for visiting! ... and if you like to see what this giant canvas (finally?) ends up being, please consider becoming one of my blog followers.

*AAADD- age accentuated attention deficit disorder  :o)

'Rocky Mountain High'

Under-painting of a work-in-progress-

3.5' x 4' Acrylic on Canvas

When I was a little girl, I loved crayons and coloring books.... I loved to color! I loved COLOR!

I spent a good deal of my childhood in a state-run orphanage. Sometimes, local charities would deliver donated toys and if those goody boxes had crayons and coloring books, and if  I was one of the lucky kids with a chance to use them, I was thrilled.

Back then, using the black crayon, I'd carefully trace all the lines of the design. Then I'd fill each area with color. Lots of color. Layered colors. This look of beautiful colors, outlined in black, has always been a favorite of mine. I think that's why I was drawn to becoming a glass artisan as well. I love the brilliantly colored glass bordered by the dark lead came outlines. Simply love it.

A few weeks ago, I decided to explore this idea a bit with paint. Bright colors, darkly outlined here and there. I had this big (3.5' x 4') canvas that I'd gessoed black. I started drawing, using the medium and dark colors of the under-painting (this image didn't capture the Prussian/ultramarine blue sky at all), to compose a Colorado mountain scene. Currently, I'm just playing with colors and shape. Once I'm satisfied with the composition, I'll start adding more colors with an emphasis on brushstrokes. I want to play with light. I want this painting to shimmer! 

I'm working top to bottom, and the bottom third of the painting, under the trees, is still unknown. I've got this vague image in my head of dappled light hitting the ground under the trees with a few flowers sprinkled here and there. I'm chasing that illusive idea, trying to capture it with paint. Right now, it's still mostly black gesso. 

So far, there are a few parts of this painting I sorta like, and if nothing else, it's given me a chance to simply play with paint. A little escape from the reality of my Brian's ongoing battle with cancer. He's sick today, so to stay close to him, I'm on the computer in the house rather than out in my studio (it's too isolated from B). Since he was diagnosed, there's been no time to blog....little time to paint. I wasn't even going to show any work-in-progress photos of this random experiment, but I've missed blogging (it's been 3 months), so what the heck. 

I'm only getting small, random chunks of time to paint, sometimes having to put my brushes away for days, at a moment's notice. With this newest experiment in style, I've been able to come back to this canvas days later and easily pick up where I left off. I need the flexibility this style is providing. It's allowing me to be creative....to paint.... and I need to paint. I don't know where this painting is going for sure, but if it ends up somewhere I don't like, there's always black gesso. In the meantime... I'm still chasing.

"Never take time for granted, and always, everyday, let the ones you love, know it, by your actions and your words." Jenna Millward Corkill

'Lauren and the Old Piano' 2003
Acrylic on canvas

Private collection- Tucson, AZ

This is one of three paintings I entered in this month's CFAI art challenge. Two of them star our granddaughter, Lauren.
Update 3/28- The March results are in and I didn't win, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Part of stepping outside my comfort zone this year is entering art contests and I'm doing just that. Who knows, someday, I may win one.
See all the CFAI entries submitted (including mine) here

This portrait is of three year old Lauren. She will be 16 next month, the 2nd oldest of our ten grandchildren. She is beautiful and talented young woman, who has starred in a few of my paintings. Fifteen year old Lauren is also the star of 'The Girl', a modern style portrait and another entry in the March contest. I am especially pleased that in the painting of the younger Lauren above, I was able to capture her Mom's piano and music books for posterity, as that piano is now gone and missed.

Now, on a different subject, I'm sorry to have to say, my wonderful husband, Brian, the light of my life, was told yesterday his Non-Hodgkins lymphoma has returned. 

We knew this day might come, as when they 'typed' his cancer in 2000, they told us the good news/bad news with his type of lymphoma was: 

• Good news-it doesn't like to metastasize. 
  
• Bad news-it was a persistent type that almost always comes back. 

The docs were hoping he would get 10-12 years of remission, saying that with the advances in cancer care, if/when it came back, they would have new medicines to fight it with. We got 11 years remission.

So begins another journey.

I'm not sure how much time I'll get to paint or post, but I hope I'll be able to find time to do both. I hope through this blog, to chronicle another success story for him. He has been my Superman, fighting cancer (twice) and heart disease this past decade, with courage, determination and grace. We've had three miracles and now pray for another. If any of you speak regularly with your higher power, please put in a good word for my/our Brian.