Heart Chakra

 snippet of acrylic/mixed media assemblage

Another series still in the works. I have no doubts that it will be finished. There are only 7 paintings to this series to illustrate the chakras. This is the first one that I did because it was the first one I needed to work on. Odd how that works.

I've updated the photography since I have a camera that is way better than the first one that I started posting with. And slowly my camera skills are sharpening. Photo editing software still has to help me soften up the rough spots  and compensate for some limiting lighting issues. And I really wanted to be able to do macro shots of the "cool" parts like they do with Somerset Studio. So this is a macro shot.

This is one of those things that I know I won't finish without Photoshop which is *mumblecough months away from happening. I have a very specific project in mind with the set. So while I am saving up for the software I have plenty of time to figure out what the other 3 Chakras have to say to me about their nature.

Better Art Through Chemistry

 I found this blue while cruising through the Blick catalog. It is a fairly close match to Indanthrene blue which I like for getting deep rich colors. I need a really full ranged blue for mixing colors. And I think that this will be it.

Doing a little research to see if my assumption that it is related to the quinacridones that I love, I found some interesting facts about this quirky little blue.

For one thing, the science behind all the chemistry that makes these colors is complicated! And a bit frustrating. There is a lot of information to wade through that is so far over my head that now I have a head ache. But the trivial stuff is kinda interesting

• this pigment is oxidized anthracene
• it is a building block of Alizarin Crimson
• this blue chemical is the agent used to BLEACH paper
• naturally occurring in aloe and rhubarb, some fungi and lichens as well as some insects
• used to make hydrogen peroxide

Who knew!

 

 

As with all new pigments added to your personal palette, it's always best to make swatch pages so that you can see how your new color reacts with the colors that you are already familiar with. You will quickly discover which combinations make mud and which ones make a vibrant new shade. With your own custom color swatch book you have a true to you resource. Your own light, your own hand gives you a much truer idea of how your project will come out than relying in an online resource which is subject to the quirks of the computer screen of the originating computer and yours own screen.

 

This is a sample of Anthraquinone Blue mixed with the first of many new colors for me

 



Progress

And another couple of layers go down. With the new additions to my stash of tubes, I added some Opera to the poppies near the top. Some of my poppies were a pale pink but not very vibrant. So when the Opera came... woo hoo!

And with a little Perylene Maroon, which is my goto for a deep red, the pomegranates really start to pop. I am especially pleased with the pome crown in the back. It actually looks like a real pomegranate and it feels to me like I've done something that the Masters would encourage.

One day I will do a tutorial on the texture I used. I used to do a pointalist approach but that is so tedious. This technique is much easier. But you have to have patience with yourself and let the layers dry well in between applications.

I haven't done anything with the poppy in the foreground yet. I really like the subtleties there and don't want to overwork it. But it does need to come out a little bit more.

Just like Starting Over....

When it isn't working it isn't working. You just have to suck it up and start over. Take the good, ditch the bad and have faith that you learned enough last time around to do better this time. Art skills and life skills really are not that much different from concept to execution.


first attempt

2nd attempt



Progress 2012 Christmas Card Design

So the guord houses are on hold until I get this finished. I'm shooting to be finish by the 21st so that I can take advantage of a coupon at moo and have some Christmas cards printed. At this stage I am about 16 hours in. I know. But I've been lax in my practices for too long. And this vacation is about 3 days longer than I really needed and I needed to really stretch. So... here we are stretching.

watercolor on bristol paper

I've let my facebook friends know that I am taking orders. The deadline is the 21 November. That is when the coupon expires. 3.00 each or a dozen for 20.00 You can find me on facebook and leave me a messege with the pertinent information. Pay Pal will be quickest.

The final painting I hope will be done tomorrow. And another picture will be up either tomorrow or Monday showing the final product.

Edits

wash of Hookers Green over the original gourd color
 

There was something that bothered me about the nearly completed painting. It is the same problem that I had with the first house. Not enough black. And, while inspired by the work of Antoni Guadi, I had rather missed something in my work that I appreciate in his.


India ink detail above the green base

Chiefly, I did not have my spaces broken up quite enough. And the undulating lines of his work were missing in mine.When I washed the Hooker's Green over the gourd and gave it some flowing lines I realized the that eaves were what were missing in my gourd. I also realized that the stained glass transom over the entry was just hanging out. It wasn't really tied into the design for the entire entry in any sensible way, though it is tied to the entire aesthetic by virtue of its motif. So bring out the India ink. AGAIN!
And what I like about how this turned out is that it now more closely resembles the spiny ornamental gourds you see out for the holidays. I also enjoy the fact that the lines are more serpentine and less abrupt than my hand usually draws. Not sure if that is fatigue in my hands or just the nature of being heavy handed with the pencil. Though... now that I am blogging and only looking at the picture on the right instead of the whole thing I see that the spires in the valley are not as smoothly transitioned as I would like. And I could join the eaves to the doorframe...

You'll also notice that at this stage I have removed all of the masking fluid and the formerly white spots now have an eerie green appearance. Later in this session the top of the gourd got a good dose of Indian Yellow that really makes everything pop. And that sloppy swash of green is now fully integrated. I have an idea of how this is all going to work out so that I have a great holiday ornament for a desk or childs dresser that uses my rubber stamping techiniques.


cut from the background with more details added though that
bat on the door is still giving me fits of pique. I may have
the problem solved, but it is going to require some trickery.

 

Once I have the mechanics worked out I should have a marketable item. The first one is going to Jesse with another for her to auction at her kids' school fundraiser this year. The third one is going to go to etsy. We'll see how that goes before I get crazy about building these things enmasse. Of course, with the way the Internet works and the fact that we "live in the future" I can always build on demand and not worry about the overhead of stocking product. So now that I have some of the bugs worked out of this one I feel a bit more confident about that Venetian Peacock house.

A bit. 

Kurbisshaus

India ink, watercolor, Radiant Pearls on Bristol paper.

This was the most fun I've had in studio in a long time. The rendering phase was difficult. Structurally correct, it seemed flat. When I added color I could see where the issues were. And for a  change, it turned out that I didn't have enough black in the drawing to balance out all the white areas that would get color.

And it really needed some landscaping. Like all good homes, curb appeal is key to a sale.

Now, I am not normally a cake person. I love to look at them. The skill it takes to render a 3d object in edible materials just dumbfounds me. But I do not like to eat cake...

except that I can not help thinking that this would make a great cake and I would love to sink my fang teeth into this one.

I would also like to make this Kurbissehaus (pumpkin house) with craft materials for submission for next years Somerset issue.

Art v. Artifice

Since I am contemplating updating my blogs to a new blogger platform which will really only work with a lot of photos to illustrate the posts, I am tryingto take more illustrative photos than portraits of my artwork.

For my Geekdom post today I needed something to harken back to highschool. One of the nice things about tradition is that traditional tools make it easy to fudge things. This photo is artifice. It was taken today.

I wrote that today to reflect the school experience & honor my favorite English teacher. Simple paper, ink pen and the desk in the background could be a library table at school... could be taken today. Could have been taken 25 years ago.

The art is that it is still an illustration.

Pear Review

Stage One Painting: After the sketches were tweaked the first layers went in. A two-tone wash then custom colored modeling paste through a stencil (acanthus on the right) and the base coat of pear yellow modeling paste through the part of the sketch I cut out. Hey! It's the digital age. Why do I have to keep the paper sketch?

Stage Two Painting: Add the blush, highlights, shadows, redifine the textures in the leaf pattern, then some detailing with a micron pen. Also added at this point is the shadowing that grounds the pear in its space so it isn't floating. If the pear had looked this good in real life I would have left it alone. But the green parts of the skin have bled too much into the background colors as the paint is drier. Completely dry the pear only has distinction because of the texture. So.... to edit!

Stage Three Painting: I mixed up another batch of tinted modeling paste and spread it on thick then dug aound in it a bit with the tip of the putty knife. Granted I covered over much of the scrolly penwork, But I got good texture. When the paste application dried I was able to go over it again with more highlight. The stem got a good paint job.

You will see some shadowing across the pear and into the fleur-d-lis. This is not a paint effect. It is the shadow of the cat's ears. He could not be persuaded to share the good natural light or leave me with more room to work than the 4x4 canvas I am working on. Oddly enough though, I believe that shadow makes a more dynamic presentation. So as I contemplate the next step I will keep that in mind.

OBSERVATION: This is a critical step in the creative process. I know there are other elements that I want to bring into the painting. This will require some thought and a little planning. My process is not to work everything out in a thumbnail like many artists do. I let moments and inspiration finish the details after I have settled on a rough outline of what I want to achieve.

This is a slower process. In the end though I think it the best way for me to work. It forces me to narrow my field instead of roaming aroung the studio for this or that. It also forces me to work out the details with some custom work instead of relying on someone else to provide something for me to incorporate into it. Makes it more me. At least it makes it more authentically me.

Introducing.....

Okay, so Phaelen was a no-brainer. But what do you name a cappuccino machine? Why name one? Because it makes life a little more interesting and if I want a Looooong vacation then I will have to be committed? I do not name cars as those in my family have a habit of doing? It seems the thing to do on the corner of the world that I live in? It's what I do?

I do not know really. Its just something that I want to do. So everybody meet the other studio mate, my exalted friend and cheering section....

Cappi? Ya know, because that would be short for cappuccino.
Fra Marco because that is who everyone decided invented the drink in the first place?
What about Luigi? He is the guy with the patent on the first espresso machine back in 1901.

I do not know. So I am doing a Little more research on how cappuccino got invented in the first place. There is no doubt that the mass marketing appeal began in Italy. But I have always wondered why it seemed so much like Turkish coffee. And now I know. It might actually be.

It would seem that way back in 1683 the Hapsburgs finally launched a campaign that would start to remove the infiltration of Islam from south central and central Europe in Vienna. Fro 300 years the European continent struggled to maintain its autonomy from Islamic advances. The Battle of Vienna marked a turning point in that struggle against the Ottoman Turks. It took 16 years for the Hapsburgs to remove the Turks from Hungary and Transylvania.

The 300 years of Ottoman Occupation would have provided more than enough opportunity for cultures to bleed as it does now in our modern wars. So the Italians fell in love with the drink but found it what? Too bitter? Too thick? Or perhaps to cumbersome a process to produce? But nonetheless, there was love for the Turkish drink. So, ingenious thinkers with time on their hands that they are, some group of monks perfected the production of espresso. Rich, dark, smoother and with less viscosity?

Those monks were a group of Franciscan Friars known as Cappucin because of their hooded robes. And the story goes that Fra Marco d'Aviano was the monk to refine the process.

Okay.

So why not, in the spirit of celebrating ones German heritage name it for one of the Hapsburgs? Oddly enough... I find I don't much like the goings on of that family. I know. We wouldn't have a Christmas tree if it were not for the Hapsburgs meeting up with the Mountbatten's. From what little I've read there seemed to be a tyrannical streak in them. I never have liked people who steamroll their own kind to advance their agenda. It's rather cannibalistic to me.

I'll have to give the name more thought. In the mean time, a cappuccino machine without a name still makes a damn fine eyeopener.

Punny day! Keepin' the Clouds A Way!!!

The English monetary unit of a pound comes from the Latin libra pondo. And the standard abbreviation of the word pound comes from the practice of taking the first two consonants of a word to make communication easier in the economic world, thus "lb" is pound.

Who cares? I didn't think I did. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew that. But it took so much to dig for it I just said, "huh, I don't know." I am the resident Cliff Claven at work. And some body's kids asked why they had to write lb instead of pnd. So that means asking me because no one else cares to clog their brain with this stuff. Since I didn't know we googled it around the lunch table.


 libra means weight. It does not refer to mass but rather how things are measured as in a balance of  scales. pondo means mass. Which now has me wondering how the Latins measured volume. Would it be a libra something? Or something totally different? I do not know.

And as usual, my fascination with script and symbols got me to thinking about the structure and all the meanings inherent in the shape. And I guess, not that I have anything against the English, you can see my feelings toward the relationship I have with money shining through in the little "time waster" project.

• 16 ounces equals a pound. 16 tons equals a lot of misery for Tennessee Ernie Ford. And it is almost exactly how I feel about my take home wage versus the actual wage.
• talking pound notes always puts me in a frame of mind for Adam Ant
• the root of all evil is the love of money... the German word for love is liebe. A lover is a lieber. And with some relationships when the money is gone so is the love. Been there so thus the German lyric from Matthias Reim... and then the Beattles.

The color scheme is totally inspired by Martha Lever's last pear post which you will find here http://marthalever.blogspot.com/2012/01/pear-on-pink.html
Of course it is my go to complimentary color scheme. So that is why the whole thing resonates.

This does feel a little unfinished. I am thinking about run to Wally World for a set of stencils I saw so that I can add some green and a few extra layers of meaning into this. And in all reality this is probably just a rough draft for something frame-able. Or even on canvas later.  The writing is off and the green is just kinda floating there not tied into other elements. When the thing is more dry I will have to go in and smooth out the yellow areas that are too "in your face" for the mottled textures that I used in the rest of the background.

And I am thinking about a series of symbol portraits. Since I am a few months from having means and opportunity to enact part of my plan to take over my corner of the world, it might not be a bad thing to plan a rubber stamp series around these symbols. The pencil sketches yielded a good crisp and simple image that I can totally see as a stamp. And would use!

But then that means that I will really really really need some new Michelle Ward designs to go with it... hmmmm

As promised.... the Smoking Jaguar

Smoking Jaguar watercolor center panel from handmade card.

The two glyphs are very obviously personal interpretations of the Mayan glyphs. My flame is far too ornate and my cat does not have the typical roundness of a Mayan hand.

My favorite parts are the stripes, the cats eye and  the three "beans" along the bottom. The washes worked out a lot better than I had hoped they would.

Why does the cat have an earring? Well most of the animal faces wore some kind of human decoration in the Mayan originals. I think that was so that the reader would know the difference between the writer talking about the cat in the jungle and the King with the animals name.

I've done two versions of this painting, trying to perfect the ideas. And each time I do it I realize that I like this version the best because the actual painting part... how it flows, is the most spontaneous of the versions.

In Progress

As much as I love what cafepress offers for me. I think I found a better company for what I want to do with my artwork. While traipsing through the blogosphere today I found some artwork that sang to me. So I did a little digging around and found that it was printed by a company called MOO. And here's the think, unlike cafepress, MOO will print multiple images in a pack. AND I do not have to buy special software to convert my images. They have an uploader and I can edit the stuff in THEIR house. Not mine!!! I am so excited. I can't wait to make stuff.

But now I also have to ask myself if that means that I have to go schlepp my work myself. Cafepress will manage my store for me. Now I wonder if MOO will do that too. These are two great resources. Now to merge them. How does that happen?

I need to do this. It could be the easiest thing in the world to do. And the most profitable. Well... of to research.

Theobroma

from the artist's sketchbook

It is the latin for chocolate and its literal translation is "Food of the Gods." After doing a little research a few years back, learning how it grows and is harvested, I have a greater appreciation for this luxury.

The cacao pod at the left was supposed to be a quick sketch... a colorful doodle at lunch. But it ended up being an hour and a half at the coffee shop. It isn't even 3 inches tall. Just a little something to keep me in the art groove while I am sorting out  some personal issues.

Sold!

Apparently the reason that artists like coffee shops is because people who like spending money on art spend money in coffee shops. Since I am sans atelier I have been creating in cafes. Well, only one. And normally I sit in the back where I figure I won't bother anyone. But yesterday I was sitting in the window where the western sky bled in through the huge picture windows overlooking the bay. MInding my own business I cranked out a few quick cards. One lady asked me what I was making. I told her. Another lady walks up and asks me what I am doing?
Just making some cards.
L: Where do you sell them?
M: I don't right now.
L: Do you have a business card?
M: Not at the moment.
L: I would love to buy some of your work.
M: Let me give you my info on the back of this one. [I gave her the card with my name and number on it.]
L: Is 6.00 enough.
M: No it's too much.
L: 6.00 is a good price. I would like to contact you about more cards. I have a friend who is sick with cancer. I want to send her something every week while she is at Munson. I will call you by week's end.

Holy Crap! Is is just that easy. I never thought it could be. But I have been showing my work to people in the shelter and I've gotten a lot less nervous about it. So it was nothing to talk to this lady. Progress. All I have to do is get out of the way of my fear and there I go....

matched set

This is a pair of collage paintings that I did for my brother and his wife for Christmas gifts in 2001. They hang in the dining room of their home, so I guess you could say this is private collection stuff.

I wish that I could say the concept was original. I've done similar things with my jars. But this was inspired by a piece I saw at Michaels. None of those motifs would have worked for my brother. And the colors were all wrong. So I amended. The first step was to look at the things that they had in their home. I took the palette and large leaf from the rug design in the living room which is open to the dining room. Second step was to figure out what went with it so as to not totally rip off the rug artist or the print artist.

This set was a blast to paint. Apparently the stars were aligned and the Muses were right in my wheelhouse because this was the easiest set I have ever done. I had just the right tools, just the right colors and my brushes were just the right kind of crappy to leave intriguing brushstrokes right where they needed to be. Should I admit to such serendipity?

Yes. Part of being an artist and understanding how your chosen medium works is having the vision and wisdom to know when to let the material paint itself instead of struggling to impose your own hand on the medium. Serendipity is an artists friend; but it is also the egoists enemy. And you can always tell if it was the soul or the ego that painted a piece... even if it is in a series. If it is stilted and leaves you flat or cold the chances are great that the artist's ego got in the way.

Solar Plexis

I probably shouldn't explain too much of the work. Explainations may lessen some of the awesome, but then again, for those of you who are here to see how art is put together, translated by the artist or for inspiration, if I don't point out a few things then you've wasted a trip.

I have always loved the fleur de lis motif. I don't know why. I know it is the symbol of French Kings, persons for whom I have no use and less respect. Although, I like them more than Henry8. As I said, the french king's symbol, Le Roi, the sun kings. With all the gold dripped throughout their palaces it may have been fitting in an artistic sense.

The Solar Plexis is about Identity and in some respect our accomplishments. The vessel is classically called the Trophy Urn. I didn't know that before I chose it. It just felt right. Sorry. But sometimes that's how art goes. Its 90% inspiration and 10% conscious choice. And, in some cases there is an extra 5% to accomodate puns, riddles and humor. I entertain myself quite often by connecting dots. In this case Language and Art.

"Sol" is Latin for our sun. Yes, our sun has a name. Our planet has a name in latin too, Terra. So sol is the basis for solar and related to all things attached to solar; flare, panel, rays, winds. In the latin existential concepts, the solar plexis covers the abdominal region because they considered this area the seat of the sun within man. Take a direct hit here and you can't breathe. Without that breath you die. The sun keeps the solar system alive so the solar plexis was thought to be where the source of life is in man. Talk about anthropomorphism. And thus yellow is the proper color for this chakra. The obvious color. But what is not so obvious is what I learned about myself.

I have despised the color yellow for most of my life. It'll never be a staple in my wardrobe as it washes me out. But I wondered about the aversion I had to this color.Then suddenly it started leaking into my other work. And as we learned about this chakra, I understood... the solar plexis is the self. By the time I added the flower, representing the healed and whole chakra, I was happy happy and loving what came out.

Heart Chakra

Originally the homework for Verta's class came out as a 12x12 scrapbook page on canvas with Dad, Grampa and Sting featured prominently. I redid it to look like this, fitting the concept I developed during work on the Solar Plexis.

I had a duh moment with the Solar Plexis and turned it around to rework the Heart.

The main motif in this one is the damask pattern repeated in the background. Texture is one of the things that I can get "lost" in. Damask is smooth, satiny and cool to touch even when the fibers seem to be coarse and dense. But it also reminds me of my grandparents, the first source of safety.

Violet and Green: opposing compliments

First, yea me I figured out how to make the image part of the post! Second, forgive the hotspot please. I am not so adept with the webcam and the digicam is coming.

This is a sample from the AOG Studios line. The designs are mine and so far, I haven't sold these particular images to anyone else. Of course, economics being what they are, who knows what state the catalog will be in within a few months.

This card uses the papyri motif I designed about 10 years ago. It's one of my favorites for backgrounds, versatile, easy to layer and lends itself well to color blends. Here it is a tone on tone treatment that sets of the main body well.

The jar is similar to the evryday earthen vessels used throughout the mid East and Mediteranean Sea. The bird motif is adapted from an Egyptian painting in a Pharoh's tomb. I don't rememebr who's. it isn't important who so much as that the everyday thing is emblazoned with the regalia of the elite. Nothing this fancy would ever have been used for commoners. And, in my spirit of rebellion, I've just done what I damn well please.

Everyone should have something beautiful to look at every day. Rich poor or any where in bewtween.

Amphora

This is one of the first paintings in series I began around 2004.
The central figure is an amphora, unearthed from a completely fictitious place as evidenced by the fake Latin. The work uses acrylic paste, paint and a custom rubber stamp.
The color scheme is one of my favorites. I started using it for autumnal themed cards at the stamp store I used to work at. But the major theme of the work comes from a Kabbalistic idea behind the Sephirot; that of creation being a vessel into which G'd poured It's essence. Both Judaism and Christianity metaphorically use the human body as a receptacle for the in dwelling spirit of G'd in their more mystical and ecumenical moments.
The Sephirot describe this indwelling as a unification of G'd and Man, introducing the concept of Tikkun which is the repair of the world, through unification of the divine spark in all things and giving humanity some responsibility to seek the Divine and nurture creation. Our human vessels were created to hold the in dwelling spirit. In uniting with each other, we fill the Universal Cup. When the Cup is full the Shekinah is in complete harmony with G'd and with Man and the New World is made in which there is no disharmony and G'd and Man are one.
The Christian teachings that call G'd the potter and we the clay also teach that these mortal vessels hold the Spirit, thus putting man close to its creator. The spirit that fills the cup sanctifies the cup. Unification between men and between G'd and man seems to be an absent concept. While I grew up Catholic and embraced the mortal clay concept along with many more mystical points of interest, I always felt there was more to it that the priests wanted to teach but were prohibited from doing so. And thus I find that Kabbalah teaches the nuances that are missing in the newer Christian doctrines. It fills in many blanks which I could only speculate upon as a contemplative child. Discovering Jewish roots three years ago has made this an even more interesting journey and the art that emerges on this path that much more personal.