Archive for the 'Art & Such' Category
-image-I’ve Been Painting Again
Ok… I think I may have become obsessed, or maybe just temporarily consumed? To be honest, even though I’m feeling a time crunch with work it occurred to me this weekend (not that Wakizashi hasn’t been telling me this for weeks) that maybe if I take some time to not do any work the time I do work will be better.
I know this. In fact, I teach it in coaching. What do they say, “Doctor, heal thyself.” Yeah… We all need reminders.
Painting is a lovely way to while away a day or two (running neck in neck with reading a goo book of course). After painting went so well yesterday I decided to just keep right on painting. I worked on another project from the beginning of the year (actually, I probably started it last December as it was meant to be a birthday gift for my sister-in-law and her husband who both have January birthdays). It’s one of the biggest pieces I’ve ever done and I don’t know how to scan it. I’ll probably photograph it when it’s completely finished.
After working on that for a bit I decided I really wanted to work on another really old project. I had three mini pieces of paper taped down to work on a project for Wakizashi (Japanese Garden) but decided instead to use them for something I’ve had in my sketch book since last November. (I can’t believe they were dated 2006 and I’m only just getting to them.) I sketched them out last night and did one background. This morning I finished all three of them off (they are small and simple after all).
The story behind the paintings:
Last winter while killing time in a library I came across a picture of Tibetan prayer flags. That got me to thinking about prayer and its different manifestations. I loved that these flags were solid, physical, representations of prayers (kind of like candles in a Catholic church I suppose). That inspired me and I sketched out three pieces with prayer flags flying in the wind. I meant them to be more than paintings of flags, but to be paintings about prayer and so I called the series “Praying”.
Now I have a dilema though. When I finished the first one I was a little disappointed - my pencil drawing was so much better! So, I added in pen lines to give the flags better definition. I ended up doing this on the second one too. I really like both images, and I don’t have a problem with the pen lines, but they always make a painting a little lighter or more cartoony feeling.
I tried a different sky technique with the last image (with the sun directly behind a flag fading everything out) and it turned out beautifully. I think it’s my favorite just becuse of that technique. I don’t want to add pen lines to it because I don’t think it needs them; plus, I don’t want to give it that feeling - it’s too good the way it is. Without pen lines though it kind of seperates it from the others, and I had meant them to be a series.
Now, I’m at a loss for what to do.
I suppose, I could consider the first two a kind of practice run and redo them to better suit the final out come of the third - think of it as a learning experience. Or maybe they look ok together the way they are? Or, maybe I should add some black lines to the third… I just can’t decide. Anyway, here’s my final (I think) pieces of weekend art.
The two with black lines (and of course, the scanner doesn’t even come close to showing the colors accurately):
Praying 1 (I’ll give them distinct names when I know what I’m doing with them)
Watercolor and Pen on Cold-press paper
Praying 2
Watercolor and Pen on Cold-press paper
And the one I’m not sure what to do with (the flag in the sunlight is actually green not yellow as this scan implies):
Praying 3
Watercolor on Cold-press paper
Maybe some experimenting with tracing paper will help? Now there’s a good idea…
Don’t forget about the: Girlfriends Art Contest
Here’s how it works, I’ll share three of the insides I’ve got here for cards and you pick two (or all three) that you’d like to illustrate. Then draw whatever comes to mind. Send me your art at muse @flamingrenaissance.com (without the space obviously) and I’ll judge the contest (well, not alone, Wakizashi and a few nameless others will help me). The winner of the contest will have their art published on a small line of greetings cards that will be sold through Everyday Renaissance - and besides the prestige of saying you won and being able to show people your cards you’ll get a contract for 20% royalties on all the cards sold.
Phew… You may submit original art, or you may submit works you’ve already done that you feel suit the cards (as long as you still own the rights to that art). I don’t want to give you too many constrictions (and lose out on a potentially great idea), so instead I’ll give you four words to guide and inspire you. Think: Girlfriends, Cute, Quirky, Fun!
So, if you are interested then here’s the final piece you need to get to work:
Card Text #1 - “Just a little note to remind you that You Matter to Me.”
Card Text #2 - “Shine, Baby, Shine. There’s no one more fabulous than you!”
Card Text #3 - “Laugh and the world laughs with you; Cry and I’ll be right over with the ice cream.”
Submission Deadline is September 29th. Winners will be announced by October 6th.
I can’t wait to see what you all have to send in!
Posted by Megan @
11:04 am |
-image-Calling All Artists
Yes! I actually did paint; a little bit yesterday, and more today. It felt (feels) wonderful! Sigh…
Tell me again why I didn’t do this sooner?
Today I finished up a very old project. You may recall all the way back in February (yes that’s - five, six, yes seven - seven months ago) I posted about this nameless painting which I was going to do larger. Well, I finally finished the larger version of it.
Yesterday and today, as I was working on the petals I found myself thinking that maybe I didn’t even know how to paint any more. This little (nasty) voice in my head kept suggesting I work on something pointless until I got the hang of how to manipulate the paint again. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped back to look at the finished product - I think I like this version even better than the first.
I’ve scanned it for you so you can see it to, but it’s really very sad because neither of these scans (the old one or this one) have come out true to the painting. The first smaller one is completely washed out and you can’t see the beautiful blue and yellow shading in the flowers. On this one you can see everything, but it looks like I painted it in an ugly grey color when in truth the flowers are all done in Ultra-Marine (and look stunning if I do say so myself). Try to imagine the washed out grey as a lovely mellow blue and you’ll be closer to the original.
I also scanned the simple drawing I did the other night. She’s called, “I Believe…” and is part of a project I’m working on for Everyday Renaissance. I’ll have to tell you more about that later, but for now I just had to share her. I’d love to hear what you think.
I Believe…
Pen and Ink
I knew I wanted a sillouette, but didn’t know how to begin. So I did a line drawing in my sketchbook, traced it (so as not to loose my original in case I needed to rework it), and then began experimenting with filling it in). It’s simple, but it turned exactly as I had envisioned it in my head.
Beholder
Watercolor on Hot-press Paper (I was experimenting, I’ve decided I prefer cold-press)
You know how you can tell that you’ve done a really good job on any particular piece? It’s when you just can’t stop looking at it. Maybe this isn’t true of all visual artists, but don’t you find that when you’ve done a particularly good piece everytime you look at it you are a little shocked at how perfectly wonderful it is? When it’s lovely everytime I look at it, then I know I’ve done what I set out to do.
Speaking of art, I’ve decided to hold a Contest. I’m putting together a small line of greeting cards especially meant for women to send to other women. I’ve got a creative line already set up with art and words, and I’ve got six fun and quirky cards written - but no fun and quirky art. I was pondering this dilema yesterday and decided that the solution must be to simply hold a contest for greeting card art. Let’s call it the:
Girlfriends Art Contest
Here’s how it works, I’ll share three of the insides I’ve got here for cards and you pick two (or all three) that you’d like to illustrate. Then draw whatever comes to mind. Send me your art at muse @flamingrenaissance.com (without the space obviously) and I’ll judge the contest (well, not alone, Wakizashi and a few nameless others will help me). The winner of the contest will have their art published on a small line of greetings cards that will be sold through Everyday Renaissance - and besides the prestige of saying you won and being able to show people your cards you’ll get a contract for 20% royalties on all the cards sold.
Phew… You may submit original art, or you may submit works you’ve already done that you feel suit the cards (as long as you still own the rights to that art). I don’t want to give you too many constrictions (and lose out on a potentially great idea), so instead I’ll give you four words to guide and inspire you. Think: Girlfriends, Cute, Quirky, Fun!
So, if you are interested then here’s the final piece you need to get to work:
Card Text #1 - “Just a little note to remind you that You Matter to Me.”
Card Text #2 - “Shine, Baby, Shine. There’s no one more fabulous than you!”
Card Text #3 - “Laugh and the world laughs with you; Cry and I’ll be right over with the ice cream.”
Submission Deadline is September 29th. Winners will be announced by October 6th.
I can’t wait to see what you all have to send in!
Posted by Megan @
7:45 pm |
-image-Painting Problems
Watercolor on Yupo Paper
Last week, I did a set of paintings for my mother, I used childhood pictures of my sister, my son, and myself and made three small fun “portraits”. I kept them light, with only a few layers of paint, and even went a little cartoony. I knew they would be a perfect gift for her, but I didn’t love them. I liked my work; I think I did a good job; they just weren’t the art I wanted to be making.
The problem is, I’m not sure that I know how to make the kind of art I want to make. (Case in point, I love this tree piece, but I can’t remember how I made it and can’t seem to duplicate the effect with the yupo paper.) I just can’t seem to loosen up. So, out of frustration I’ve just backed off of the painting. I think that what I really lack is the courage to experiment and just let go.
To be honest, I’m dying to immerse myself in a few creativity books I’ve got on my shelves, and to get some time with a teacher who paints in the style I’m trying to create. I’d also kill for some acrylic lessons (on my own the paint just isn’t liking me). So far though, I haven’t been successful in finding the kind of class/teacher that I’m looking for. Not to mention that there’s so much else to lose myself in (work, house, etc…) that it seems so easy to let the painting slide.
And yet, when I come across some great art (like Leah’s stuff at her Blue Tree Gallery) I feel this tug deep down in my gut, some combination of jealousy, frustration, and longing - a kind of grief for the work I’m not getting onto the page. (In case you didn’t know, jealousy does have a purpose, it’s a giant blinking arrow showing you what you can/should be doing.)
I can almost see in my mind, almost grasp the pieces I want to do. I can feel how they would make the viewer feel, what they would say, but I simply can’t figure out how to get all that out of my head and onto the page. Sometimes, I think I need to remind myself that I haven’t even been painting for two years and I’ve had pretty much no art instruction so it’s time to extend myself a little bit of grace and confidence when it comes to my work!
Posted by Megan @
12:20 pm |
-image-Paintings - As Promised
Here, as promised, are the paintings I finished this week while on my retreat. (Sadly, scanning is not the ideal method of digitizing these paintings it seems. You’ll just have to take my word for it that the flowers are really much more detailed and lovely in person!)
I’ve already redrawn this painting double it’s size. I’m hoping to get the highlights better on her face in the larger version, although, I should say, the whiteout of the flowers (caused by the scanner) makes her shadows look much more overwhelming (or off) than they are on the original.
I love this piece. What do you think?
Can you blame me? It’s beautiful (if I do say so myself).
I’ve been pondering what to call it. The only thing I’ve come up with is “Beauty” (or maybe “Beautiful”); it makes me think of another painting that I’ve done, and plan to continue a series on, called Wonder (I have another reference photo for “Bliss” in progress too) in which case the one word name would tie it into the series. I especially like the analogy that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and this is a beautiful image of an eye. Of course, it could be a little corny…
This one came out looking a little more “illustrated” than realistic (I’m blaming it on the lack of a face to build up layers with). And I’m still working on a title for this one too. (This scan is also less impressive, you’re missing a lot of the cloud detail, but you get the idea.) The reason I painted it is because I had been thinking about a kite as an analogy for prayer and when I went looking for images of kites I found this. The vast sky between the boy and the kite struck me and I’ve been saving it to paint. So, I’m thinking of calling it “Praying” (I thought about something like “Like a Child” or some such, but thought it was definitely corny!) I want whatever I name it to make the person looking at it think about something more than what a cute kite flying illustration it is. I’m thinking of painting it larger (it’s only about 6×4) too.
Posted by Megan @
7:57 pm |
-image-My Life, Megan’s Universe, and Everything On My Mind
You know, if you read all the “How to be a Good Blogger” stuff they tell you it’s important to have one topic in each post, but, never being a follower of rules I’ve decided to shun all that! So, here’s a general up-date on My Life, Megan’s Universe, and Everything On My Mind (I’ll number them to allow you the choice of topics if you so choose):
1. On This Blog - as I mentioned last week (or such) I’m in the process of blending my two blogs together. Today, I began taking the most popular, relevent, or my favorite posts from Living Abundantly and moving them over here. I can’t tell you how frightening moving my most personal stuff in with my professional stuff has been this last hour, but I’m confident it’s the best choice for me. Therefore, you may notice changes in things like categories, and such… It’s all just part of the stretching of the blog. Simply, pay no attention to the (wo)man behind the curtain.
2. Speaking of moving blog entries. Did you read my Odd Story from two weeks ago? Yesterday, I was just as high as a kite (all natural I assure you) because they came back! And, they seemed to really like the house (despite the fact that I still haven’t cleaned it or anything). They just showed up in front of the house, and by the time they left (almost an hour later) we had talked about timing, prices, and the possibility of private sale. Nothing’s finalized, but it’s looking great! Woo Hoo.
I have to say, in general, last week was just a fantastic week! I can’t wait to see how great this week turns out. (Nothing like a good mood to affect how you see the world at large.)
Summer Red
watercolor on cold-press paper - 10″ x 6.5″
$110 (Matted and Ready to Frame)
3. On Art - I haven’t talked very much on Flaming about my art - to be honest, I haven’t made much art since the holidays (or, any art for that matter). This weekend I was surfing some blogs, visitng other artist’s work, and I realized, the more I looked at their art the worse I felt inside. This isn’t a new experience for me. It’s like the more I like the work of others the less I can appreciate my talent (or skill even). This time around though, it did occur to me that maybe my problem with making my art (at least lately) is connected to that fact that every time I’ve thought about art for the last few months I’ve had some kind of negative emotion connected with it (this comparison thing, or feeling guilty for not painting, or feeling frustrated it’s not doing what I want it to) no wonder I’m struggling with my art work, what other result can I expect.
Months ago I talked about (and honestly meant to) start up a blog just for my art - a place where I could list my paintings for sale. Wakizashi though, thinks I need to get one thing up and running at a time (and I can see his point). So, the fact that all my attention is currently devoted to Everyday Renaissance, and not to mention the sheer fear at selling - and fillling a site focused on selling - my own work, has delayed my following up on this plan. On the other hand, it has occurred to me that people liking, and wanting to own, my paintings would probably really help me overcome my recent negative associations with the work process. So, as a temporary measure (and so that you can really get to know all of me), I’ve decided to post one painting a week (probably on Sundays from here on out) for your consideration and possible purchasing. If you are interested in any of my stuff, just visit the Contact Page and drop me a line.
Interstingly, since I made this decision yesterday, it’s like some weight lifted off me and I’ve been (once again) mulling over what to paint next. I do miss the feel of the brush on the paper and the way the colors blur and expand, and the feeling of flying and being nowhere and everywhere all at once while I paint. Who knows, maybe I’ll have something new for next week!
You may now consider this a full update on my life and mind outside of our usual blogging topics. Feel free to go about your business as if this never happened.
Posted by Megan @
11:31 am |
