I consider myself an artistic explorer, which means that I try different things to see what happens. I often work on small 5” x 7” canvasses to test materials and techniques. If it turns out it gets framed and sold. If it doesn’t it gets thrown back into the pile for future experiments. The best part is that I am constantly learning and some of that goes on to become part of my larger pieces... with confidence. Those explorations that fail completely are gessoed over and wait patiently for future experimentation and inspiration. By the way, black gesso is my favourite! The only thing I use white gesso for these days is to knock back the colour on mixed media pieces.
Lise Butters, a former student and respected fellow artist has a saying that I think should put it all into perspective… she says that “nothing is precious”. Everything can be changed, improved or painted over… so don’t stress out over it!
Painting Tip: Perfection is not mandatory!
When I was young, I saw an image of Alex Colville’s "Hound in Field" in an encyclopedia of art. I was fascinated and studied it for hours at a time. It formed my idea of what art was... what I had to do. For many years I did create "ultra realism" and people marvelled at my work... they couldn't believe that it wasn't just a photograph. However, they didn't buy my paintings. Instead they would go to the booth next door to me at the art show and buy something more "painterly" or loose and impressionistic or group of seven-ish.
I came to understand that purchasers of art didn't want paintings that were reproductions of photographs. They wanted pieces of art that inspired their imagination, which can only be achieved by allowing them the ability to interpret the painting through their own filters.
And so, when someone asks, where is this painting of? You should ask them where it reminds them of and then talk to them about that place... help them make their connection to your painting!
Painting Update: More Cards
I finished last week’s fabric and paper collage cards by adding a bit of bling to create a focal point. I used plastic “rhinestones”, gluing them down with gel medium. One thing I did discover, although I should have known this before I did it… by spraying the cards with Satin varnish the bling lost its sparkle. I was able to almost fully reverse that by giving the bling a shot of gloss varnish, but in future I will spray the initial coat with gloss and then see if I need to add satin or matte to other areas of the cards.
The varnish is important because it creates a harder layer of protection for the acrylic paints and mediums, which tend to soften up in heat… like we have been having. In that heat an unvarnished card could become stuck to the inside of the envelope… not pretty!
Lise Butters, a former student and respected fellow artist has a saying that I think should put it all into perspective… she says that “nothing is precious”. Everything can be changed, improved or painted over… so don’t stress out over it!
Painting Tip: Perfection is not mandatory!
When I was young, I saw an image of Alex Colville’s "Hound in Field" in an encyclopedia of art. I was fascinated and studied it for hours at a time. It formed my idea of what art was... what I had to do. For many years I did create "ultra realism" and people marvelled at my work... they couldn't believe that it wasn't just a photograph. However, they didn't buy my paintings. Instead they would go to the booth next door to me at the art show and buy something more "painterly" or loose and impressionistic or group of seven-ish.
I came to understand that purchasers of art didn't want paintings that were reproductions of photographs. They wanted pieces of art that inspired their imagination, which can only be achieved by allowing them the ability to interpret the painting through their own filters.
And so, when someone asks, where is this painting of? You should ask them where it reminds them of and then talk to them about that place... help them make their connection to your painting!
Painting Update: More Cards
I finished last week’s fabric and paper collage cards by adding a bit of bling to create a focal point. I used plastic “rhinestones”, gluing them down with gel medium. One thing I did discover, although I should have known this before I did it… by spraying the cards with Satin varnish the bling lost its sparkle. I was able to almost fully reverse that by giving the bling a shot of gloss varnish, but in future I will spray the initial coat with gloss and then see if I need to add satin or matte to other areas of the cards.
The varnish is important because it creates a harder layer of protection for the acrylic paints and mediums, which tend to soften up in heat… like we have been having. In that heat an unvarnished card could become stuck to the inside of the envelope… not pretty!
Remember the canvas cards that I wasn’t impressed with last week? Well I have applied paper napkins to those, which will become backgrounds. Again, I spread liquid medium over the surface of the card, applied the napkin (removing the various ply’s of paper first), and then gave them a topcoat of liquid medium. Once everything was dry I cut away the excess napkin.
Not sure what I will do with them next, but it could include stencils, texture or bling, depending on what the napkin image is. It will be fun and the worst case scenario will be that I ruin them… then onto the next!
Not sure what I will do with them next, but it could include stencils, texture or bling, depending on what the napkin image is. It will be fun and the worst case scenario will be that I ruin them… then onto the next!
So that's it for me today. Looking forward to showing you new stuff next week!
Best wishes,
Susan
Best wishes,
Susan
RSS Feed