More Holiday Art

It's A Holly Jolly Christmas

As promised, the second inspiration.  It's a long story, but I will attempt to shorten.  For years, since I was a very young girl, I have drawn and painted holly.  In fact, for my very first commission ever I created baker's dough, clay wreaths with holly leaves and berries (I was 13, and that is a completely different and long story).  Almost always I used three leaves and three berries which would show up on homemade gift tags, note cards, decoration on stationery.  It was just a way to add a little holiday color to what ever I was doing, not art, just decoration.  Doodles, almost.  I never thought of painting this subject.

A couple weeks ago while listening to Holiday music the notes and words to Holly Jolly Christmas filled the air.  The snow wasn't falling, in fact it was very dry outside, not much snow on the ground, and the thought of painting more snowmen just wasn't going anywhere.  While the music played I was standing at the kitchen sink looking out through the window at a large, lush holly bush which is covered with brilliant red berries.  Hmmmm......

The palette from my most recent Desert Plant painting was filled with simple, basic, primary colors...perfect for Holly.  I ran into the studio, picked up the brush, grabbed a small canvas and started painting.  

Inspired by a song, a bush, and previous doodles.  It's a great time of year, and though there might not be snow, we can still have a Holly Jolly Christmas.  

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;

It's the best time of the year

I don't know if there'll be snow

but have a cup of cheer

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;

And when you walk down the street

Say Hello to friends you know

and everyone you meet.

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Prickly Pear Painting

A Chilly Week In The Desert

Oh my.  The entire country is COLD.  To be expected in December?  Yes, but here in the studio, I continue to visualize the warm desert and work on this Prickly Pear painting.  All the paddles are in though there will be more shadowing eventually.  The time has come to work on the fantasy flower.

Most of the flower has been laid in, however I realize I would like to add one more petal, so I am leaving the computer, returning to the easel.

When an artist puts a brush in her hand, sometimes unexpected changes occur.  So from the image above to the image below, the addition of a couple petals, not just one.  It was a intuitively visual necessity. 

While working on the petals I thought I would add in the stamen and pistol parts of the flower after a slight adjustment to the base under the blossom.  The flower didn't look balanced without this change.

That's it for now.  Check back to see the painting as it comes to conclusion.  My goal is to complete it this week.  Then these cold temps will inspire Holiday themed work.   At least being cold is a type of inspiration.

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Thankful For Art

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.
Friedrich Nietzsche 

We have passed through Thanksgiving in the U.S. when we spend time thinking about situations and people surrounding us that bring us joy, happiness, and thoughtfulness.  We then give thanks and express our gratitude.  Those of us who create acknowledge our passion, desire, and ability to make something where there was nothing before.  As artists we also realize and honor the torment under which we live, well, maybe.  Personally I am comfortable, sometimes, and greatful for the torment.  If it weren't for this torment I might not take the time to create.

The constant torment of what to create, how to create, when to spend the time, questioning the result, desiring acceptance of the work.  The questions go on and on, endless in fact.  Everyone who is successful conquering the torment has embraced it, used it to push their work forward and knows it will return over and over again.  It's the plight of the artist, but one for which we should all be thankful for it is a tool and part of who we are and part of our ability to create.  

beginning the background on my newest painting

the background painted in with high and low lights and a great deal of movement

the prickly pear paddles begin to appear

close up brushing the pigment onto the canvas

the painting as of today....loads more to do

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How Long Does It Take To Paint A Painting?

Yes, I have talked about this before...

Kayaking Into The Rocks

48x30

2000.00

However I have run into an interesting situation, one that has helped me understand something you might see in a museum or art gallery.  And what has just happened in my studio may help you understand this as well.

So, how long does it take to paint a painting?  Artists are asked this over and over again.   I truly believe it has taken a life time of doing what ever one has done before to get to the point of creating what ever it is that was just created.  That explanation is not always readily accepted though it is true.  But what about those paintings that sit in the studio, unfinished.  Or what about the painting that was completed and then worked on again some time later.

This is exactly what just happened to me.  I completed a painting several years ago, about ten years ago.  It has been exhibited and just recently returned to my studio.  During those ten years, between the completion of the painting and its return, my work has changed, evolved, moved in new directions.  I see the world and my inspiration differently.  I portray my inspiration a bit differently than I did ten years ago.  So when this painting came back into my studio I felt compelled to work on it again knowing I could ruin it and knowing I could improve it.  I had never done this before because I think that once something is done, it is done, leave it alone.    Oh boy.....brush in hand, I tackled the work, changing what had been there, working to improve the painting.

So what is it we see in museums and galleries that I refer to at the beginning of this post?  It is information given about the artist and the work.  The date a work was created is typically on the descriptive tag next to a painting, and sometimes that date spans several years.  I have always wondered about this.  Why so many years?  Well, now I have one answer to this question and now this particular painting will have the date listed as 2003-2013.  And I guess if I am asked how long it took to create this painting my answer may be: ten years.

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Fall Palette, Fall Subjects

Yes, It's Fall

Those of us who live where the weather truly does change with the seasons are entering a colorful time of year.  Tones of red, gold, copper,  and apricot begin to fill the forest and gardens.  With all this luscious color it is no wonder my palette begins to change color as well.  And it's not just the palette, it's the subject matter for the paintings.

Pumpkin Delight

Pumpkins and gourds of every size and shape (some of them are fantastical!) show up in markets, roadside stands, as decorations on front porches.  I brought a few into my studio and have begun to paint little vignettes, working towards a larger canvas.

Did you know that a pumpkin is a gourd like squash.  It is thought to have originated in North America.  Pumpkin related seeds have been found in Mexico that date 7000-5500 BC.  And these pumpkins grow in colors from white to yellow to orange to purple to grey.  This is an artist's delight!  So for now it's pumpkins in the studio but with all the color around who knows what might be next.

Pumpkins

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