The Latest

“Invitation: to hear” is now complete. Before I embarked on painting the next in the series I undertook to research some photos and organize the following  few images alternating between horizontal and vertical. I like variety. I then took the time to draw in the grid and transfer, collage, amalgamate the various source photos onto a new watercolour sheet. It will wait in the wings as I paint the picture I had already previously drawn. Completing everything before I begin another has a negative effect on my creative inspiration. I tend to come to a dead halt. There seems to be a necessary link between having several images in various media on the go at once and creative flow. At the moment I have a nagging mixed media itch that I have been ignoring for some time. I simply do not have the space in which to experiment or begin a new mixed media series. This could be dangerous… but I have a plan. Instead of beginning the new series once the murals are done, I will take some used hardboard, seal it, prep it and have fun. There are so many ideas I wish to try. Once back in the flow I will begin my new series while continuing with watercolours at the same time.  In the meantime I begin the next in the “Invitation” line while I wait for paint to dry on the murals. Love it!

More Crowded

I may have to develop wings so I can hover above the surface! Soon the other mural panels will be gone. I am not so sure that is a good thing. As you can see two of them are protecting my watercolour from the mad painter who throws paint in all directions in preparation of the new sheets for the second mural. Perhaps another small sheet of plastic would be in order. Prevention is infinitely more efficient than cure. Accidental acrylic drops on my almost finished watercolour would be more than sufficient to tip the madness into fury or at least disappointment. The priming is now complete and the next step is molding paste. I do love the way the molding paste makes the surface irregular and therefore unpredictable. On occasion this causes me some time costs as I scratch my brain to figure out a way around the unfortunate irregularity…. Most of the time it is just beautiful. Life is good.

Crowded

So this is my first attempt to accommodate the nine foot by seven foot panels for the Willington mural. My false wall is now the table top. Even with the wall atop the kitchen table the surface is insufficient to allow more than one segment at a time (there are two to a panel). As is, doing one sheet at a time would lengthen significantly the preparation time for each piece before drawing and painting could begin. Too long. I found an extender which I attached to an eight foot side and I can now work two sheets at once. With the extender I can prime one sheet and allow it to drape over the ends and side while I prime the other. About two or three hours later I can flip them and do the other side. Of course there is a consequence for pushing things this way…. My hands and everything else get covered in paint. There are four to six layers of gel and paint to apply yet so there will be a lot of waiting for paint to dry over the next couple of weeks. Once all of the layers have been completed I will remove the extender and replace the false wall in a vertical position so that the surface is more easily accessible for drawing. I have not figured out how I am going to keep the two segments together as I move them around. Having an eight foot wall for nine foot panels requires moving. The movement will include side to side as well. Challenges for later. In the meantime the preparation is advancing nicely. And the best part: I get to paint my watercolour while waiting for paint to dry!  Life is good.

Four Done

All four panels are done for the Redwater Health Unit. I will be delivering them this week. The unveiling will take place around the middle of June. Watch for the event on my Facebook page and in the St. Albert Gazette. In the meantime I am waiting for paint to dry again as I prepare panels of the Willington mural. I love waiting for paint to dry. It gives me a chance to work on my watercolours. The third in the series “Invitation” is just about finished and I will soon turn my attention to the image for the sixth. I plan on drawing the sixth before I begin painting the fifth in order for me to maintain the momentum for the journey. Taking small constant steps in the direction I wish to go gets me to places I had not foreseen.  Should I stop and wait for the “right” moment time has a way of running away. Time is like water. Have you ever tried to capture water in your hands? I have occasionally, usually on a hike. My hands are small and the quantity of water I manage to cup in my palms is easily lost as well. Water flows. Time flows. I find moving with it and being in the moment gives me the most satisfaction. Now is the “right” time, none better.

Two Done

As I predicted the lighthouse is the first to be completed. A little discouraged by the dismemberment of the waterfall I turned my attention to the harvest scene knowing that the choices therein were far less complicated. It has a vastly different feel to it. The colours are more subtle. The layers do not produce a stark contrast. It is quiet. I kept wondering if it were finished. I tend to repaint different areas with my imagination and I came to the same conclusion each time: leave it alone. It does not need fixing. This could be applied to my life. I am highly critical of all that I do and look for the areas that need to be improved. On more than one occasion I have been told that there is nothing that needs to be fixed. Take a deep breath. Accept the differences and enjoy the simplicity. Time to celebrate!

 

On the Road

It has been a little hectic around here lately. A few days ago I was looking forward to driving a friend’s car down to Los Angeles thinking that the pastures were greener a bit further south…. Well, I hit a snow storm in southern Utah, more snow than there was at home. There is something to be said about blooming where one is planted. The sun did come out while I was in California and I did get a bit of a tan as I managed to paint two en plein airs before returning to Canada. I am now back home, safe and sound and very double booked. The St. Albert Painters’ Guild opening was blast as usual with good friends, good art and good music. The only missing piece was my biggest fan, my husband. At the same time he was master of ceremonies at his own opening for an annual regional meeting he had helped organize. I spent the rest of the weekend with him there as we are both interested in the work the group does. The pace does not look like it will slow anytime soon. This week I finish one set of murals and begin another. Hopefully I will sneak in some watercolour too.Never a dull moment. Life is so much fun!

Keeping the Faith

Painting is something of a puzzle. It has a lot to do with keeping the faith.  There is a point where I wonder if I should begin all over again. Nothing looks as if it will come together. I use a lot of colours. It is much easier if one chooses a limited palette. Even two or three colours can really make a beautiful painting. As always I prefer a challenge and, as I said, it is a matter of keeping the faith to proceed in spite of appearances. In the four panels there are two images that are quite simple. The other two require more planning. The most complicated is the waterfall. All of the images required redesigning as the format had changed from seven by four to six by four. The lighthouse needed something more to fill in the bottom and so I added some more rocks. At the moment the waterfall is very dismembered. The rock faces have very distinct colour changes from light cream to dark blue/black. There are reds, blues, browns, yellows and purples in the mix. The darks are too dark and there are no transitions or gradations making the whole thing look like a cut and paste affair. I have not scrapped it yet but I must admit I am spending more time on the other panels as they seem to be giving the results I am after more quickly. So… I will keep the faith and proceed. Life is good.