When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

acrylic painting

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Paint Arson

Thursday, March 26th, 2009


 

Paint Arson, Sequoia and Redwood National Forest, California, 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Paint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted.

Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.


 

Progress and process phases 1 and 2 images.

  Paint Arson, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, phase 1 work in progress Paint Arson, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, phase 2 work in progress


 

Paint Arson, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


 

Painting, whatever the subject may be, is a journey through all kinds of unanticipated thoughts and associations; some are short and sweet, ending within 1 – 6 hours and not much more than a visual, but some are packed full of adventure that isn’t even realized until surfacing from a few hours of work.
A new jar of Cadmium Red medium hue was just the thing to reboot, then re-route some old habits I was falling back into, like over-working paintings. Trying a new color invigorates the work process like nothing else can, adding certain life to the results as well. Incorporated as a base, straight out of the tube or mixed with your usual palette, a new color can change everything.

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Neighborhood Heron

Thursday, March 19th, 2009


 

Neighborhood Heron, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Neighborhood Heron, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.

Sold but a similar piece can be recreated upon request. Please allow 7 days to paint before shipping.

Started with a base coat of very watered down translucent pthalos green mixed with cerulean blue. Spraying rubbing alcohol over a damp painted water-based surface then allowing it to dry without moving it will create starry, spotty textures. Salt shaken over wet paint allowed to dry, then wiped off with a dry cloth will produce similar effects.

Alcohol loosened up the entire surface of paint, so using fingernails under a damp smooth t-shirt cloth, I rubbed off areas to shape the heron and winter trees. This represents a super argument for the wingin’ it methods!
In college I took a pottery course for one semester, and the thing I remember most is the instructor saying how it’s a good idea to allow some of the raw characters of the materials we work with to remain and “speak” without trying to smooth over and perfect everything. She was of course referring to clay, but over the years I’ve found that it applies to many other mediums also. In Heron, the branches extend into the body of the bird, connecting it to its environment. The effect also does a subtle play on the motion of its flight too.

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.

Iguana and Strangler Fig

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009


 

Iguana on Strangling Fig - Costa Rica, 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, sides painted
Iguana and Strangler Fig, Costa Rica, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.
The Strangler Fig is a parasite. Seeds sprout in moss or decaying matter among the branches of rain forest canopies. Roots gradually extend downward and over time completely surround the host tree, which dies while nourishing the Strangler Fig growing in its place.
March 14th, March 13: Phases 1, 2 and 3 earlier progress in thumbnails below. Today layering thin washes of pale yellow, placing the iguana more into the background. Some of the details of the Strangler Fig growth that are now covered up might be brought back into focus since this is more about the tree than the iguana. Posting the painting on the blog is helpful because it’s viewed differently than while painting or studying it. It’s somehow easier to see areas that still need change when looking at it on-screen.

 

Strangler Fig and Iguana, phase 1 work in progress Strangler Fig and Iguana, phase 2 work in progress Strangling Fig and Iguana, phase 3 work in progress

Chapala Wind

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009


 

Chapala Wind, Mexico 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Chapala Wind – Lake Chapala, Mexico, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.

Sold but a similar piece can be recreated upon request. Please allow 7 days to paint before shipping.

Sprayed alcohol loosened the paint and I was able to scratch it, at first with my nails and then a pottery tool. Thanks to Karen Xarchos for all the feedback and additional information. We worked together painting murals in Ottawa for a couple of years. Karen has done extensive work in restaurants and homes in the Ottawa area.Thumbnails: phase 1 and 2 in progress.

  Chapala Wind, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, phase 1 Chapala Wind, phase 2: spraying alcohol, scratching paint

Myrtle At The Zoo

Monday, March 9th, 2009


 

Myrtle At The Zoo, Crepe Myrtle Seed Pods and Zebra in January, Fort Worth Zoo, TX - 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted

 

 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3 acrylics on canvas, phase 4 bottom side detail

Myrtle At The Zoo – Crepe Myrtle branches and seedpods before pruning, February at the Fort Worth Zoo, Texas. 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Signature is on the side, so one is superimposed here on the front. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

 

Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 1 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 2 Myrtle at the Zoo, 11 x 11 x 3acrylics on canvas, phase 3

Decaying Ceiba Leaves

Sunday, March 8th, 2009


 

Decaying Ceiba Leaves from the Mayan Tree of Life, Costa Rica - 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted
Decaying Ceiba Leaves, Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Sold.


 

Ceiba Leaves, Lake Cote Cloud Forest floor, Costa Rica, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress Ceiba Leaves, Phase 2, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress

Howler Monkey

Friday, March 6th, 2009


 

Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted

Young Howler Monkey at the Dallas World Aquarium, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.


 

Young Howler, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


 

Work progress detail images shown, scrubbing and scratching away more paint than adding it.

Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, phase 01 Howler Monkey, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition (post-dated comment).

The Visitor: Raccoon

Thursday, March 5th, 2009


 

Raccoon, Ottawa, ON Canada, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

The Visitor: Raccoon, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.


 

The Visitor, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


 

Progress and process details:

Raccoon, 11 x 11 x 3 inches, acrylics on canvas, work in progress Raccoon, 11 x 11 x 3 inches, acrylics on canvas, work in progress

Sweetgum Seed Pods

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009


 

Sweetgum Seed Capsules - Autumn in Texas - 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Sweetgum Seed Pods, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Signature is on the side, so one is superimposed here on the front. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

 


Sweetgum Pods, 11H x11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas - wrapped sides painted


Jone’s Falls

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009


 

Jone's Falls, Ontario, Canada - 11H x 11W x 3D acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted

Jone’s Falls,  near Thousand Islands, Southern Ontario, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface.

Sold.

 
Some barely noticeable lines were scratched on wet paint here and there, and they break up the space  into sections now, if you compare the 3rd thumbnail and the finished piece.

 Jone's Falls, mapping out composition, removing paint with cloth Jone's Falls, phase 2 work in progress, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas Jone's Falls, phase 3 work in progress, 11 x 11 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas

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