Acrylic Wisteria

Wisteria flowers are one of my favorite subjects which you may have noticed. This one is painted in acrylic - always a challenge for me. When I started painting the background (my first step,) I was fighting with the paint because I was treating it as though I was painting in watercolor. I know better than to do this but each time I paint in acrylics, it's as though I'm doing it for the first time. I guess I'm either a slow learner or I'm stubborn and determined to do it MY way. However, the paint always seems to win.
The canvas that this is painted on is rather unique. It is a gallery wrapped canvas but instead of having sides that are perpendicular to the front, the sides angle toward the back at a 45 degree angle so the painting can be hung in a corner of a room at a 45 degree angle. It can also be hung on a wall in a traditional manner and then looks like it is floating. It's a fun concept.

Acrylic Wisteria
Image Size 12" x 12"
Acrylic

Running on Water

"Running on Water" is my first attempt at an abstract in watercolor. I'd been planning to do one for a long time. I found a piece of paper in my my art supplies that was a cream color which was interesting because I've never seen a watercolor paper that color. Well, after starting to paint on it I realized that it is probably printmaking paper because it is very absorbent and didn't seem to have sizing in it or on the surface. That made the paint react differently than usual which made it a challenge. It was hard to get the dark colors dark enough because the color kept absorbing into the paper. I ended up using the black straight from the tube which is a weird feeling with watercolor because it doesn't flow.

Running on Water
Image Size 15" x 22"
Watercolor
Framed

Sunflower vignettes

This is a painting that I did about a year ago so it's not my weekly painting. I did it for the Tustin Garden Club yearbook for this upcoming year and wanted to post it with the paintings below so that you can get a feeling for this project. If you visually divide it from top to bottom down the middle, you can imagine what the front and back of the book will look like. The three pictures below are my weekly painting project.

Azalea

This is a very small painting that I've been playing around with for awhile and finally finished this week.

Azalea
Image size 4.5" x 10.5"
Watercolor
Unframed

Acrylic Abstract IV

This was an experiment combining abstraction with realism. There are some things that I like about it and some that I don't. I used a black gesso to prime the canvas which has a very matt finish which I do like contrasted with the varying shine of the acrylic paint so I decided not to spray a finish on it because I would lose that effect. I like the idea of combining the two concepts within one painting but I think I need to make them relate to each other a little more.

It has been accepted into the Orange County Fair and will be on display from July 10th-August 9th. For more info on the fair, go to www.ocfair.com.

I would love to hear your feedback on this painting.

Acrylic Abstract II
Image size 20" x 20"
Acrylic
Unframed-gallery wrapped canvas, no frame needed

Acrylic Abstract III

This is a small abstract done in acrylic on a board coated with "Absorbent Ground" acrylic medium that is manufactured by Golden Acrylics. When I heard about this medium, I didn't think that it would really have a use for me personally. It's purpose is to give the artist a support with the same absorbency as a piece of watercolor paper. So I thought, "why wouldn't I just paint on a piece of watercolor paper instead of going through the extra work of prepping a support that would give the same effect?" However, after having painted on this medium I can see that by applying it with varying textures I will be able to achieve some nice effects. This piece is fairly smooth though. The experimenting will come later.

As I started this painting, I was trying to paint a representational subject. That didn't work for me on this medium so I just started playing around with it in a much more free manner (a very difficult thing for me to do) and I am very pleased with the result. It looks like an abstract forest to me.

Abstract Acrylic III
Image Size 7" x 9"
Unframed

First Figs

Our figs are starting to ripen and I'm fighting the local wildlife for them. I love how colorful and textural the insides are and wanted to capture that. I have a lot of small mat boards that I have prepared with pumice gel just waiting for a pastel to be applied. I haven't worked with pastel for a very long time but I thought that medium would make this subject translate well. I like leaving the rough strokes when I work with pastels which is very different from my style with other mediums because I usually like everything to be blended. For those of you that work in pastels, you can probably tell that I'm left-handed because my strokes are going the "wrong" way.

First Figs
Image Size 4" x 6"
Pastels
Unframed
Sold

Spanish Style Wisteria

I took the reference photo for this painting at a house down the street from our house but I wanted it to look like it was down in Mexico. I don't even know if Wisteria will grow in Mexico but in my mind they can. I love the power we have as artists to alter reality, even if it's only in our minds and on paper (or canvas). Wisterias are so beautiful but for such a fleeting amount of time, I wanted to capture their beauty and my love of Mexico at the same time.

Spanish Style Wisteria

Image Size 16" x 12"

Watercolor

Unframed

I've been painting a "painting a week" for a year now and I think it has really improved my paintings. I'm not ready to take on the challenge of a "painting a day" like so many artists but I wanted to share why I think doing a painting a week has been valuable for me for those artists out there that are thinking of taking on a painting challenge.

1) I am more likely to take risks with a painting because I know that if it doesn't turn out the way that I want, there will be another chance to correct my mistakes on the next painting, next week. Each painting is less "precious" to me and I don't agonize about trying something new.

2) If I decide to do a series (I'm working on one now but won't post the paintings until the series is finished), I know that it will be possible to complete it within a reasonable period of time. The one I'm working on now is an idea that I originally thought of in 1995. Because I wasn't painting consistently, I lost my momentum.

3) My energy and excitement levels stays high. I love when I can't decide which medium to use for a subject because so many of them would be fun.

4) By keeping painting and art at the forefront of my daily thoughts, I feel that I am moving forward in my artistic career. It has motivated me to enter contests and contact art galleries where before I would say to myself, "well, maybe next year I'll be ready to do that".

5) Blogging is fun! I look forward to posting my paintings each week and am thrilled when I get comments from viewers.

As I enter my second year as a "weekly painter" I plan to push myself even more and hopefully you will all see some really exciting paintings and explorations.

Monster Kumquats

We have a small kumquat tree in our backyard and the first two years it had regular sized kumquats on it. Since then, they have been about 3" long and 2" in diameter! I have never seen another one like it. I've asked a couple of people at nurseries if it is possible for it to have cross pollinated with the meyer lemon next to it but they claim that is impossible. Whatever caused it, I just glad it happened. They are great sliced thinly in salads or just to eat by themselves. That way, I can get rid of all the seeds since I really don't like crunching on those. It also makes a great conversation topic since nobody can guess what kind of fruit it is.

Monster Kumquats
Image size 9.5" x 7.5"
Watercolor
Unframed