Friday, October 21, 2011

Critiques Welcome

Pumpkin and Grapes
SOLD 
All artists love the positive feedback on their work, but I also love good criticism, if delivered kindly.  I've been meeting occasionally with few members of a local art club for "Critique Night" but have not been able to make it for a while.   I'm hoping to create a "Cyber Critique" from anyone who might read my blog.

I've been working on a lot of still lifes (still lives?) lately and have two that I consider almost done but something is missing.  I've been looking at them for a while and I think I know what they need, but I'd love some feedback from my artist friends (and strangers).

Please feel free to add comments on either of these two paintings.  (I know I forgot the stem on the pear)
Modest Pear
SOLD 

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Surrendering Control


Task List

The end result of my latest paintings were not my vision.  I'm not an abstract painter but this media transformed my approach to painting.  I recently took a class in encaustic (wax) painting.  I tried many different techniques with the wax including collage, layering and scraping to lower colors, etching and filling grooves with paint.


But before I could experiment, I had to be willing to give up any designs I conjured up before starting the painting.  The wax hardens so quickly and the techniques to smooth and soften (iron and heat gun) do not give predictable effects.  As a result, I had to adjust my plans as I progressed.  Each of these paintings has some small part of my original vision, but most evolved over time. If you are looking for a way to learn to let go, encaustics just may be the thing for you.
Are We There Yet?



"Task List":  Many layers of wax manipulated with a heat gun.  Text (my Outlook Calendar dump to a text file) was printed on laser paper and rubbed onto the wax.  Paper then wet and rubbed off.  The hand was etched and filled in with black paint and then painted with oil paint.


"Are We There Yet?" is primarily collage (paper, metal findings) with some etching and rubbing as described above.  Many failed attempts before I finished with this one.


Going Home
"Going Home":  Many layers of colored wax.  Scrapped away to lower colors.  The poem is scrapped in and filled in with various colors of paint.  The water is also embedded with little tiny silver beads.