“Heartrise” is one for the raising of the saddened soul – the words are written first on a lower heart, then on a couple higher ones. It was one that I thought was appropriate for the competition “Gateway to Imagination” for which it is entered. I won’t find out if it is accepted until late August, though.
#1355 Heartrise. Mixed media on panel, 12×9″. The words painted into it are: “My heart rises each dawn into possibility”
Here you can see the texture.
My client that I met at Calabasas had commissioned me to create a repeat of a small painting in a larger size for a space in the guest bathroom. He lives close enough to my other half that I was able to deliver. Here’s ‘Ron’s Red Morning’ in it’s place.
Gonna be hanging out with the towels.
…to cut up a perfectly good watercolor skyscape and refracturing it into something more. This one is going to really hurt.
A beautiful morning, many moons ago
One of my students who enjoyed my watercolor collage workshop also mentioned that she has a Sizzix machine. This is a hand-run press with embossing templates. Immediately we both saw the possibility of adding this texture to my refractured watercolor work. Last week I created a new painting for a refracture:
… and yesterday when she was at sm’Art studio for a follow-on lesson to my Absolute Beginner’s class. she loaned it to me again to emboss the pieces I had cut. This is what they look like so far!
The two on the left are our original test to see if the watercolor paper would emboss nicely. The rest are the refractured watercolor.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this works out when I assemble them. Watch this space!
Top clouds going in.
Well, didn’t think I’d finish today, but I did. Put in a full two hours, it’s easier to work when you know that some of the traffic that’s honking is honking at you in appreciation.
The north side…
And about every third person who stopped at the lights rolled down their window and said it looked great.
Getting down through the cobalt. (I didn’t run out after all.)
Another local artist who also does murals in a different context stopped by to chat.
It’s harder to photo this side as I’m shooting into the sun!
I did the top clouds lighter because it seems like they will fade darker anyway (comparing with photos of the original) and I knew the city planner was always a little unhappy at how dark the top came out.
Tah dah!
And now, the clean-up.
A few years ago I painted a mural on a traffic signal box for the City of Indio. It’s on Monroe Avenue so I name it Marilyn’s Morning.
Marilyn’s Morning, traffic signal box painting for Indio, CA
I guess something in there needed a bit of an upgrade, and there was an addition to the box. Monday and this morning I spent time working on bringing the addition up to match with the rest of the box. My phone omitted to save the ‘before’ and ‘after first coat of undercoat’, but here it is after the second coat. I’ll be putting the last undercoat layer on tomorrow morning when I’m on my way to set up for the art fair in Palm Springs. The weather is still to warm to paint much beyond 10am, so I’ll be making the best use of passing not too far from the box each day.
I always love getting this newsletter whenever Gavin gets to writing one. The vacations sound a little cold for this desert rat, but the necklaces and earrings on the ‘Buy Cloud Jewelry‘ page look like I might need to sent Santa some fake news about how good I’ve been this year….
How good? My cloud painting ‘The Road to Selfoss’ is on the front page of their website this month. That’s not fake news! It was painted from a photograph by my good friend Murray Foote.
