Just for Fun!

This is from an iPhone app.

Remember, these paintings really are only 12" x 12"

I was told about this app called PhotoFunia. It was free in the iTunes store.

So why not? 

This really makes me want to work large again.

It's difficult without a proper studio, my space is quite small and crowded.

Wondering about #5 in the series?

Me too.

4 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

Today this is my favorite.

3 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

This may be my favorite. Today it is.

2 in a Series of 5

12" x 12"   Acrylic on Panel

I'm calling this Number 2 for now, but really all of these paintings were developed simultaneously.
This is finished.
It's a little busy, but I like it.

1 in a Series of 5

12" x 12" Acrylic on Panel

I don't have titles.
Actually I haven't even thought about it yet!
This is 1 in a series of 5 experimental paintings.
 It is finished.
I like it.
I am happy.

Study in Limited Palette 2

This was super fun to paint! It still needs some adjustments and tweaks. I really like the incongruity of the red egg in contrast to the crazy abstract elements. For me there is something lyrical or even musical about this one. Some version of this will probably make it to a large canvas.

12" x 12" acrylic and collage on canvas board

Study in Limited Palette 1

I might love this one! It's a little busy - and actually I'm not sure why I love it so much...

Pretty sure this will show up as a larger painting also.

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 3

There are things in this study I like very much, but over all I am still undecided on how much I like it.  I just haven't figure it out yet.

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 2

This has so much power and energy! I really like it, and it was fun to do. Destined to be a larger painting too. 

12" x 12" mixed media and collage in sketch book

Study in Black and White 1

I really enjoy working in my sketch book this way. I also like this one very much and I think it will become a much larger painting.

12" x 12" collage and mixed media in sketch book

Work in Progress 2

It's most likely that I'll be posting sketches and works in progress for a while.

This is #2 of 4. I haven't photographed the others yet. I will post them when I get that done.

12" x 12" Acrylic and mixed media on canvas board

work in progress 2

New Beginnings

I've enrolled in an online art class called Creative Visionary Path. It's taught by Nicholas Wilton of Art2Life. I was hoping it would give me a kick in the rear to get back to work - and it is doing just that. It is turning out to be the absolute best investment I've made in a long time. Excellent program,  excellent teacher and coaches, it is truly top-notch and everything about this is just what I needed.

That doesn't mean it's easy! It's actually very challenging and making me rethink a lot of things. My life is still a bit of a mess. Crises after crises just keeps coming, and it feels like my life is fracturing and crumbling all around me sometimes. I cling to my faith and trust in Yeshua - and this gives me a reprieve and new focus, although it is very difficult to get my creativity and art together when nothing else in life is working so well. However - it is getting better, slowly - but it is getting better and I am learning.  Learning and changing. At least I hope I am...

12" x 12" Acrylic and mixed media on canvas board - experimental

work in progress

Cy Twombly

I fell crazy in love with this triptych by Cy Twombly! Probably the reason I had to go back 3 times.

Three Studies from the Temeraire by Cy Twombly

I really have no idea why this moves me so much but it sure does. I could not get enough of it. It is enormous! Each canvas is around 8 feet by 7 feet. Each one is a little different size, so that's just an educated guess, but it's huge. You can't really appreciate the subtlety, the line work, or brush work from these.

Art Gallery NSW

I made a mistake. On the previous post where I talked about the dark room with the light in it was NOT at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art - it was at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The artist is Anthony McCall.

I probably can't say enough about the Art Gallery NSW. I love the place. We visited 3 times. Yep. 3.
I have a wonderful patient and supportive family. The museum is free, which is always a bonus. However they had a fabulous Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition that was special and we needed to purchase timed tickets. I am not a big Kahlo fan, but my daughter is and it was a wonderful opportunity to see works that we

had only seen in books before, plus some rare film footage of them. These aren't great photos, I know that - but I really liked them and I like the reflections too. Not sure why...

The museum has no problem with photography. And they don't seem very uptight about how close you get to the work either. I loved the place!

Sydney - Museum of Contemporary Art

We went to The Museum of Contemporary Art.  Ummm...not my thing.  You can see some of the better work that was on display (my personal assessment) here if you are curious. There wasn't anybody doing acrobatics on the suspended ladder things - just ladder thingy's hanging from the ceiling. Boring.

However, there was one exhibit that was absolutely fascinating and nothing I post here will come close to the experience, feeling or visuals we experienced. We spent a good amount of time in there.

It was a totally blacked out dark room. It was actually a bit scary and intimidating to walk into because it was so, so dark. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face - nothing. We walked slowly and carefully not knowing what we were walking into. There was another couple of people in there. We never saw them, couldn't see them,  but heard them whispering and speaking very low and quiet.

And yet there was a light in there - being projected through a slit, onto a wall. It then had some kind of mist that was released from the light source every once in while that moved around in this beam of light like ethereal mystical clouds. Awesome.

This will give a little bit of an idea of the light projection - it would change the shape and placement of the lines projected onto the wall every once in a while, but not often.

We took it in for a bit, then got our courage up, it is a museum after all - it felt like touching a valuable painting at first, like a security guard would appear out of the darkness and chastise us. We got over it and walked in and out of the light and fooled around in there, very interesting. These photos really don't do it justice. The more time we spent in there, the more spiritual it seemed. The darkness took on a look, and almost a feel, of really deep, dense, plush velvet. So lush I wanted to touch it but it was intangible, of course. It was a sensual look and feel and very enticing.  The light  began to feel sharp and piercing like a blade - almost intimidating. A very purposeful and efficient light, no waste, no superfluous overflow, leaking, or extra. Just an extremely sharp and intentional focus and purpose. Exact. Small but extremely powerful, even with the mist swirling gently around - which appeared to stay in the light only. This really was an "I wish you could have been there" experience.

Catching Up - Second Try

Catching Up - Second Try Not sure what went wrong but I see that the videos didn't show up. So here is try number two. Hoping this works... Why is it that the thing we call life keeps getting in the way of my plans and preventing me from doing what I want to do, which is create? Is it life, really? or is it just complicated busy-ness. Nonsense that social and cultural paradigms and customs require? I don't have an answer, but I suspect its a little bit of everything. My intent was to get back to blogging (and painting)  on a regular basis, which obviously hasn't happened. At least not the way I want. I have some catching up to do. I think I left off in Australia, which is my new favorite country. Such awesome, friendly people! It was a wonderful visit. We started in Sydney. I have the obligatory city-scape, bridge and opera house photos - but really who cares about that stuff? We went to Bondi beach. No real beach when we were there - and no seaweed or shells or surfers. It was absolutely freezing cold and super windy. There was a sculpture walk all along the trail but it was just too darn cold to enjoy much of it. But I did enjoy this, and I think there is a glimpse of one of the sculptures in there somewhere. The sculpture I did see were not to my personal taste and I wasn't very impressed. But I  love the idea of the sculpture walk - and so did a lot of other people - in spite of the freezing windy and sometimes rainy weather - the trail was busy - almost crowded. And this my friends is why I should never be in charge of family vacation photos! LOL - Oh, but the colors and textures...!!!

Hotel Art

We are staying in a very nice hotel, in a very nice suite. I walked in the room and as always the first thing I check out is the art on the walls. This is the only piece of art in our room. It's real, not a print or anything so that's very cool . 

My thoughts........"Huh.....well......OK."

No title, no name or signature.

Then....little by little it started drawing me in and I began looking closer...

The edges and pencil lines got my attention 

More cool edges, and color

It has some texture...and there is a sort of creepy smiley face thing in the texture

There are lots of super subtle coolness to this oddity which I'm loving more and more daily - I've even decided I know what it's about, it's story but I'll let you make up your own mind if you are so inclined .

This painting in about 30" x 48"

I like it.

Sydney - day two - QVB

I didn't prepare, research or read up before this trip. Thats pretty unusual for me, as I am a compulsive researcher. However I also know that exploration by the seat of my pants is rather suiting to me. Of course anyone who actually knows me knows thats pretty much how I live my life anyway. That is... when I am not googling the daylights out of something.

Take for example this absolutely gorgeous historic buildings on George St directly across the street from the hotel. It's the Queen Victoria Building, or QVB. I have no idea what the history is  - yet. But it is truly stunning inside and out! Inside is all very high end shopping, outside unfortunately  is road construction, making decent pictures a real challenge.  So here are just a few pics of this gorgeous building. It is truly stunning inside and out! Inside is all very high end shopping, outside unfortunately  is road construction, making decent pictures a real challenge.  So here are just a few pics of this gorgeous building. 

*****Sidetrack- a little mother/daughter toast on the plane :-)*****

OK - now the pictures  of the QVB

There is what seems like miles and miles of these gorgeousç mosaic tile floors

f

I hope to have some time to get back over there for some more pics- it's a beautiful space.

Sydney, AU

Just arrived in Sydney. This is the view from one of my hotel windows. Grabbed a quick nap. Next a shower and off to explore!

Here is what I've been working on currently. The 12" x 12" painting from Sundays post now looks like this. It is not finished, but I have set it aside for a little while. 

Then this old canvas, 18" x 24" which was covered in the start of an old and forgotten collage attempt became the ground for the next endeavor.

 Here is the beginning. I got frustrated trying to collage black tissue on so I just painted the black on. The collaged background was actually wonderful to work on too. It was a nice middle tone gray, all I had to do was add some lights. I did not work from a thumbnail or sketch I worked from life, then took a photo as the flowers were wilting fast from the lights.

From there, I collaged color tissue paper on, and also drew a bit with water soluble wax crayons. There may a few touches of paint in there too - I don't remember. 

 And this is the completed piece. 18" x 24" acrylic and mixed media on canvas.

I may have to go back in and punch up a few small areas that seems to get lost when I sprayed it with fixative, then I'll varnish it too. Maybe even sign it. LOL