365/3 continues

#103 - 108

Yes, I've fallen a bit behind - so sue me!  I had a bit of a creative melt down, but I'm recovering and I'll get back on track.  Here's the last pieces I did as part of Jane Davies' composition class.

A focus on circles - in different scales.

Circles and lines - unity in repetition, but also variety in scale.

I wanted to experiment with one oversized shape - it seemed to need filling so.......more circles.

The point of this lesson was to explore pattern and scale - include a variety of patterns with a variety of scale.....I found this relatively easy and lots of fun.  You can see the evidence of my 100 drawings on Cheap Paper in this series - primarily because it is a series.....I made many (some didn't make it to the post) and kept experimenting and trying to answer "what if" - the artist's perennial question!

Hopefully I'll be back to creating and posting on a regular schedule again.  Stay creative!

365/3 continues #98-102

I feel like I've been away forever!  But I've been keeping busy with my Jane Davies class work in Dynamic Composition.  This week was all about the cruciform - an exciting style that has intrigued me for a long time......and now I'm forced to get out of my head and actually give it a try.

I started by creating the basic shape in collage using my own gelli prints and a few magazine pages - then painting, obscuring, making some marks, used some bubble wrap or stencils, scribbled with graphite, stamped and whatever else grabbed my attention.  The whole process was quite fun.

I think the one above ended up straying a bit too far from a cruciform shape - the side arms are too far apart which means the central core of a focal area isn't there.  The crimson dribble down the center was the result of a leaky bottle of ink and my attempt to deal with it :)

On a personal note, Dan has a job!  After almost 3 years of unemployment and discouraging job hunting, he is employed as a management consultant here in Seattle.  Woohoo!  It's been a tough few years at a time in our lives when we expected to be almost retired.  With the serious depletion of our savings over the last few years, that won't be possible for a while, BUT hopefully we're back on track.  He's been working for 2 weeks and feels like the job is a good fit for him and his skills.  We're so thankful something has come along that provides us with income again, but just as importantly, is something he'll enjoy doing.

365/3 composition

I'm continuing with lesson 2 of Jane's Dynamic Composition class - this week we're working on abstract landscapes - a combo of collage and paint.

#94 - 97 - I'm sharing my starting point & my finished pieces.  If you'd like some guidance and tips on creating a variety of compositional styles, I'd definitely recommend taking Jane's class - she offers such great feedback.

#1 - start

#1 finished

#2 start:  collage on 9x9 white square

#2 finished:  All that random collage made for some great texture in the lower half of the piece - tried to create more contrast with the addition of the black handmade papers but think it's too harsh.

#3 start:  created my horizon just on a 9x9 white background.

#3 finished:  Added some text collage on top of the original collage to beef up the contrast and created texture by scraping stripes through the wet paint.

#4 start:  A 9x12 collage over painted background.

#4 finished:  Though I like this one and think I've created some interesting textures top and bottom, I'm not sure I created enough drama in the horizon line - this one might need a bit more work.

Thanks for browsing my site - hopefully you're inspired to try your own mixed media abstract landscape! Have a creative week!

365/3 - a new class

I'm starting a new Jane Davies online class - Keys to Dynamic Composition.  Here's my first week:  simplifying compositional elements by limiting the color palette (monochromatic) and then working with collage in a grid format.

#90-93

Started with a painted background and some painted papers as well as a couple scrapbook papers and some paint chip pieces.

I like the addition of the textured dark green.

These were all done on 9x12 papers.  An interesting start for the class......

Hope you have a really creative week!

class wrap up

Finished the 10-wk online art class with Jane Davies: 100 Drawings on Cheap Paper; 10 drawings a week for 10 weeks (drawing being a loose definition). Each week focused on a different technique and element of constructing a regular art practice, of creating works in a series, and of expanding mark-making and shape making art options. Though there were times I was overwhelmed, I learned lots, which is the whole point, right?

 Here's my stack of "finished work" - over 100 9x12 pieces.....

Above is separated into stacks for each of the 10 lessons. What a valuable class.  I highly recommend it - I think she's offering it again in the fall.....  Thanks Jane!

365/3 still painting

Last week was the last of the Jane Davies class 100 Drawings on Cheap Paper. The 'lesson' was to set our own parameters - basically design our own lesson.  The plan is to get us used to setting our own rules or guidelines when practice painting. It was actually harder than you might think.

My 'rules', or plan is to focus on shape and mark making - both things I wanted to practice. I decided to explore one shape (keep it simple) using marks, no marks, etc.  Behold.....the square (or maybe more accurately, anything square-like :))

#76-89

These are some that I think are the most successful.  A great class, highly recommended.  If you get a chance, take it!  Thanks, Jane.

365 -3

Jane Davies' class is keeping me busy and challenged.  This week it's all I got done.....

This week's class assignment was to create (on a 9x12 piece of her recommended "cheap drawing paper - see her blog) 10 drawing/paintings that were about 25% busy/active, 25% transition and 50% quiet.  Here's some of my efforts:  [ed:  I forgot to post this last week, so you get last week's efforts now]

#58 - 65

I started most of the paintings with a layer of collage, then layers and layers of paint/mark making, etc.

I had lots of practice this week using my layers and layers. Sometimes the collage stayed part of the finished pieces, sometimes less so.  Some of these quiet spaces need to be a bit more quiet or the busy needs to be bolder to be a stronger contrast, but that being said, this is the first week that some of the pieces feel somewhat finished.

Hope you're having a creative week!