Thoughts Turning to Spring

I know that it is not as bad as the big Winter of '78. Nor is this Winter much different that a two month stretch in '07 that wrecked havoc on my budget with excessive plow bills. But this is a long and annoying Winter none the less. We have been spoiled these last 20 years with little snow fall and the ability to walk around like it is still Fall for most of the bleak white season. This year though, my patience is tried to its last bit of strength.

In a few months I will be moving again. For the most part everything will go back into storage, I'll be crashing with a friend for a while to save some money and with any luck I will not have surgery on those hamstrings. Yes.... it is getting to that point. I'm in a level 3 constant amount of pain in both legs and over the last two days I am losing the feeling in one foot... the one whose hammie has been torn twice. And the back is not cooperating. Every time I get stuck without the benefit of the boyfriend's assistance I do more damage. Oh if only I could stay home when he is not here!

With these trials and constantly numb fingers I find myself looking forward to Spring. Not because I want to move heavy stuff around. But because the color will come back like a slow spreading pinkish orange sunrise. I have the newest issue of Somerset Studio and this is the article that I want to pour over the most.



photo: www.stampinton.com, artist: Heather Jacob. See her awesome blog at www.heatherandlife.blogspot.com
Yes, borrowed without permission and edited like mad to avoid the impression of digi-theft.
Full credit where it is due... this is wonderful.
Seriously... check out her blog there is even more wonderful stuff there. Showing link love on the right too!  

 Oh no, not because I am a scrapbooking fool at the moment. But because I like the way her negative spaces gives you a chance to breathe and dig deeper into the work. It is filled with great bits but the work isn't cramped or crowded. It spreads out a bit.... like a cold tired somebody stretching into the sun after a dark and cold winter.

The stark white pages, like our stark white winter bursts with color. This is the article that grabbed a hold of my imagination on first and second look. It has that Boho Chic whimsy and the Shabby Chic simplicity that really speaks to me right now as I contemplate another move. It speaks to me as I am trying to stretch into Spring to break the grip of cold that runs through and across me every day. Even with my Sweetie by my side I feel the cold creeping.... he warms my heart. And he inspires me to be more than I have been in the last few years of conflict and fleeting peace.

We talked about Art. The making of it, the process and the absolute desert that is the home when I am fully involved in a project. We talked about the things that take him inside of himself in a similar way. So we already know there is conflict between Muse and Life, between Egos and Encouragement. And we are already preparing for the eventuality that we will chose to live together somewhere and make our dreams come true. He isn't an artist in my medias, but we shared an art class so he knows how the process becomes entangled. He is an artist in the kitchen. I am a mere foodie in his presence. But I know the rapture of a well executed meal. The pain of plating and the foibles of study that let him become better at his craft even after his 25 years of experience. And he knows that culinary art is the same to him as my media are to me. So we know. But can our egos handle it?

I think so. And somehow... Heather Jacobs' work seems to convey that feeling to me... the growing together and yet independently. The mutual success. The encouragement and the praise for each other. I think that the red so close to the mid February Hallmark holiday may also have something to do with how I feel toward this particular article.

My thoughts are turning to Spring at any rate. There is so much to do between now and then. And so much change coming. Good change. I am actually not afraid like I have been in the past. I think that means that things are settling in my fluttery, little anxiety-riddled heart.

I picked up artful blogging this week too. The cover is a few shades of Winter Blue darker than the persistent steely blue grey skies and lifeless evening shadows outside. Crisp and brighter, this has me thinking Spring again. Still. Also. And with those thoughts, I think of how to make the blog fresh again. To bring it into the Spring season and celebrate the warmth to come. While I think, I shall read. There is a lot of great information in this magazine.  As I absorb and assimilate the posts here will be rather small and scarce.... or maybe just scarce. So get your art fix with the links at the right and see what others are doing.

You'll love it. I promise!

Reblogging: A Change in Policy

Originally, when I started this blog is was to be just for my own art. Spilt Paint was to be about my work and selling it, promoting it the best that I could. It occurs to me that I have been very shortsighted in a way. And by focusing on myself and my work, I've cut out a vital part of what being an artist is: the things that inspire us.

I posted that cartoon from Rhumer. And today I am going to link to a blog that I have been following. And the reason for that, aside from it being well written and an important message to other artists, is because of something that Amelia said:

Being an artist isn't something one does in 3 years anyway. It's a LIFESTYLE; a way of being; a mode of ongoing thinking and existing ad infinitum.

Art is a lifestyle. If van Gogh's life and death, taught us anything it should be that. Artists are essential to the human condition: feeding the soul, healing wounds, being there when there is not an earthly person to depend upon. Since artistic endeavors look so much like play and not much like work artists tend to take a lot of abuse from the people who could most benefit from our passions. And becoming a paid artist is a lot harder than one could ever imagine.


So I am linking to 101 Bird Tales article here. http://101birdtales.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-diy-art-school-education.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+101BirdTales+%28101+Bird+Tales%29 and telling you all to go for it. Unless you live in the frozen tundra (which is now melting under your feet) you are not too far away from a resource that will let you develop your natural talents. I am close to the tundra in that there is not much that is close to me that I can afford to attend on a regular basis. But I do have the power of the internet and the gift of serendipitous discovery: I can manage to fuel my imagination.

But I can not do it if I am only focused on myself. Look at every artist out there. They belong to some kind of a community. My friend Michelle is constantly in contact with other artists. They feed her and she feeds them. I do not know it musical artists do the same thing... I assume at some point they must, Sting and Dominic Miller being one example. But I do know that without constant immersion in art the well begins to run dry.

That is most likely the root of my current dry spell.... in addition to a profound discomfort in working conditions. There are things still brewing, fleshing out the Unverwundbar and Unendlich inspired pieces is taking a bit of time. Honestly, I don't usually plan pieces so carefully. I mostly work with a slight concept and work the kinks out as I go. This time is different. Still.... I need more art to fuel my own ideas because that is how the process works.

So I think it is time to spice up the Spilt Paint blog with a bit of the things that I find inspiring. I see being immersed in all things BBC has given my writer's imagination some fire for creative thinking over at 6°. So it is time to see what I can do with this one.

Resistance is Futile

With a title like that you would expect this to be a post for Geekdom. But no... you are in the right place. The last few years without a brick and mortar art supply store in town has hurt. It hurts the community. And it hurts artists. We are stuck with the box stores that don't have the most highly informed staff. And without a car for a year getting a box store to be disappointed has been an issue. So I finally broke down and started surfing the Dick Blick website.

Dick Blick has been in business for as long as I've been a live, at least. And it is a trusted company. I just prefer to have a hands on experience rather than trust that a catalog's print shop has faithfully rendered the colors. I like to touch the thing that I am buying. I like to eyeball it so that I can tell if it is going to work in my space. But these days that is just not happening. When I needed the easel I just had to throw in the towel and swallow all of my assertions that holding out would bring a brick and mortar store back to town. And I was happy with the easel.... it is a great place to work.

Until that moment when you chose your favorite old yellow and can't open it. Not without breaking your teeth while the stuck cap is in the vice grip of your teeth. And when the vice grips fail to remove the lid without tearing the body of the tube apart you know that you have to break down and replace your favorite old yellow with a fresh tube. But the box sores don't carry it. Aureolin apparently is not a hot seller. And they apparently can not stock an adequate yellow hue of a different name for any length of time. I waited six weeks for one store to get a tube of gamboge back only to be told that the company discontinued it. Do you know how long it took me to get colors from Blick? Three days.... but I am getting ahead of myself.

The easel was great. The transfer paper that I ordered was great. And thus the slope gets slippery. One of the best things about the brick and mortar store is that when you are an artist pregnant with ideas and cravings set in at 3 a.m. no one is open. So you get to be a bit smarter about your impulse purchases and learn to make do in an art emergency. The worst part of a brick and mortar store when you are an artist pregnant with ideas and cravings set in at 3 a.m. is that no one is open. So your creativity has to wait for morning and your need to shop is tempered. Enter the internet age and the store is never closed.

And it is almost never out of stock. If it is out of stock you find out before you ever click on something. My resistance crumbled like a dry shortbread cookie.

So yesterday I picked up my order from the post box. 6 brand new tubes of color.... one that I had never heard of and one that I had been drooling over for about a decade now spilled out into my hand. With them a color that sounded intriguing as the cliffs of Dover but disappointed in reality. Another tube bearing the name of a pigment I love in maroon and stare moon-eyed at in violet. A completely utilitarian green gold that excites only when paired and a replacement for a color that I use quite a lot. Yes... color has broken down the last of my defenses against on-line shopping.  And strangely it was not the color that I had been drooling over.

It was the new blue. A blue so deep and rich that you have to see it to believe it. And the first thing that I have to do with all of these colors is make a worksheet that shows me how they all blend together. Thank you college instructor for teaching me how to do this for myself. It was one of those things that I think would have made watercolor lessons in high school less stressing.

What is this new blue?
I will tell you next time.....

Leftovers

First rule of paint mixing: Make more than you think you will use, then make more. I do not always subscribe to this rule because normally I have an infallible talent for color matching. However! That was back in high school. And the first time it happened was a battle between logic and inspiration; the instructor and me. And since I was doing water with lots of breaks and reflections I knew I was not going to need a lot of any ONE color let a lone ALL of them. Plus, God and I both knew I was being made an example AGAIN. And we (God, Fate & I) decided to stick it to her. But I still, until about 5 years ago had an Uncanny X-man power. But I digress...

This time, because I knew I did not want to run short of the blue like I did the violet purple for the Boss Lady's sign, I made tons! So what do you do with the leftovers?

Rescue a canvas from the Set It & Forget It Pile. I decided three fruits instead of four in the p series and had a 4x4 left over. So slap on two shades of blue, clean the brown brush off in the corner and across the top voila! A vibrant jewel tone piece of love.

And I  still have tons! But I can adjust shades and do some layering with more stencils when I figure out what the heck to do on this. But I kinda love it as is. Ran the leftover brown through a stencil and hit it with some brush handle dots to get this layer. Of course the stencil work across the top is sloppy. It's sloppier than I would like it to be, so that will get a layer of blue. And nothing feels quite right if it doesn't have words on it since I am such a font geek. But I really like how this is starting out.

oh and it needs a shot of something metallic. I am trying not to over do since it is a small canvas. But the funny thing is somehow this color is making my heart sing. Not Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music sing. But like electricity humming through a line sing. Well maybe zing. It is energizing and I just want to run. Not sure what the artistic procedural equivalent is, but I kinda feel like running through a field of poppies while flying a kite in Summer with big poofy clouds until I'm out of breath. Usually I feel that way when I see what Michelle is doing (especially the new stencils. swoon!). Normally I do not do this to myself. I think if I can hit those notes inside me then I will invalidate the last post and stay excited about stuff.

The second rule of paint mixing:(for those of you playing along at home who thought I would gloss over the numbers) is to keep track of your mixes so you can duplicate the process. I know how smart that is because I keep getting told so. Since my Uncanny Ability is fading like I've been shot with the mutant solution I really need to discipline myself to do that. But it is also a visually stunning thing to do, like doodles in the margins of a notebook.

Since I did not do that. I will have to make a note of it. So, again, for those of you playing along at home.

DWK Blue Bold = Brilliant Blue (Artist's Loft) + Phthalo Green (Artist's Loft)
DWK Blue Light= Brilliant Blue (same) + Phthalo green (same) + Titanium White

DWK Chocolate Dark= Brilliant Red (same) + Pyrrole Carmine (Liquitex) + Phthalo Green (same)

Why two shades of red in the mix? Well, for one, I have discovered with a lot of trial + error that the red is really what makes the browns brown. If you mix a warm red and a warm green you get a boring brown. If you mix a cool red with a cool green you get a matte brown. Both boring and matte are dull. Especially when they are with other colors. So you need to add the opposite temperature red. It's like adding cumin to chili powder for a sauce. Without the cumin its just kinda meh. In this case, because I used the Phthalo to make the blue I used just a dash of the Pyrrole to cool off the chocolate and tie the blue and brown together.

WARNING: Do not mix warm and cool reds in even amounts! That just makes mud. For a more milk chocolate brown start with a big gob of the warm red tone and add bits of the cool red. The more cool red the darker the chocolate color. This brown looks like about 80% cacao.

The other thing about using swatches as you mix is that you can remember which formulas hit the mark and eliminate the ones that didn't work in the future.

Crap! I just realized (AGAIN) there really is math in art. But of course, eyeballing it works too. Eyeballing it in art is less detrimental than eyeballing it in the checkbook. :)

Duplication

I once had a discussion with my sister about why it is I don't "paint a bunch" of a painting that I've done that I really like. Her thought was that since I was the one who painted it I should be able to duplicate the painting stroke by stroke. It is a beautiful theory. But it is just a theory. Right before I packed up the shop amd moved everything into storage I did some studies to practice with some new watercolor pigments. And, I did pears.... it was easy. The pears were on the counter so...

You can see that there are some very obvious differences in the two pears. The colors and composition are the same. And really that is all that you can hope for. The reason for this is that watercolors are done with layers of washes and the water will never run the same way twice. And depending on your energy level and how physically ready to work you body is, you will never move your brush in exactly the same way twice.

Look at the background of the two pictures. The upper right corner of the large one is streaked and the overall shape in the corner retains a strong suggestion of wood panel which is what I was going for. You can also see that there are distinct variations in the colors of the dioxizine wash with the deepest wash remaining at the buttom. In the smaller version the colors ran so much that there is little variation and the vertical lines disappeared. In this one the background has the same curvaceous quality as the subject itself. The smaller one loses some dynamic qualities as a result.

Now look at the lower right corner of each in the foreground. In the large one the foreground is so blurred and the variations are so indistinct that it loses focus and allows your eye to travel along the lines of the pear toward the stem without really hesitating or confusing your brain as to where it should look first. This was intentional. I intended that the same should be true in the smaller one. But it did not work that way. The brush strokes and paper were both too dry to achieve the desired effect.

In the midground of each, you see the shadow worked itself differently. In the large painting the shadow is a sharp and soft edged puddle of deep color. In the small one, the shadow is all sharp edges and rather uniform in its medium shades.

Then look at the shape of the pools of colors in the pears themselves. Each one worked out differently even though I did the same layers of colors in the same order. The smaller pear has a deep rounded sharp edge to segment the wide and narrow parts. The large pear is rather indistinct in this regard so even though we read it as a pear it does read a little less rounded and somewhat flat sided there. The stems are also different.

The one I like the best? The first one. The large pear. Why? Because the only thing that really detracts from the composition is that softer  edge between the wide and narrow globes of the pear body. The pools of color are more defined... but I can take a wet brush and calm some of those edges even now. It is a more dynamic composition than the smaller one.