Newer work #69

#1257 Aurorae #3. Mixed media on panel, 14×11″, $180.

This is a slightly different treatment of Aurorae #2.  The refractured watercolor pieces came from the same parent watercolor painting, but I did not fill the entire panel with refractured watercolor, but finished it off in acrylic.  They’re also the same size but I chose the other orientation.  I thought also I would show it to you on the wall with oblique light.  One of the hardest things about selling my work other than in-person, is getting people to appreciate this aspect of it.

 

 

 

 

Aurorae #3, full front view

Newer work #30

#1199 “The Greening II”. Refractured watercolor 11×14″ in mat ready for 16×20″ frame. $195.

Somehow the circles are always so soothing – especially on a calm morning scene over the water.  This little lake or pond could be anywhere.  Your favorite morning walk…. a memory of a relaxing vacation….

X marks the spot…

The one I don’t* understand is the “top left” part of the X. But then physics was so long ago.

… the years I’ve lived here, I’ve come to know lots of ways the light plays through the house at various times of day or year.  Although it’s late October, I’m still finding it necessary to slant the blinds to deter sunlight in the afternoon, in order to avoid needing to run the A/C.  I guess I just had one slat out of place, creating a shaft of light way over in the dining room and out the back door, and reflecting back inside to make an X.  Never seen this one before and likely won’t again…

Water, water everywhere.

#1093 – Movement, stillness. Refractured watercolor, 14×11″ in white mat to 20×16″. $175

A couple of years ago I did a commission for a couple, based on their triptych of a scene looking east across a bay at sunset.  They weren’t sure if they wanted horizontal or vertical wave cuts so I did one of each so they could choose. Also, I did some slight color variations for them to choose from.  As a result I ended up with quite a bit of leftovers.  No worries, the pieces formed a cohesive scene that I could reuse, and I had their permission to use the leftovers.  Waste not, want not, recycle, go green – or in this case some beautiful shades of peach, salmon, blue and mauve.

#1094 Just chillin. Refractured watercolor, 11×14 in white mat frames to 16×20″. $175

So far the leftover pieces have featured prominently, if not exclusively in at least 12 further refractured watercolors or watercolor collages.  I was starting to think that the things were breeding in the box overnight.  Over the weekend I sold two of the resulting refractured watercolors, and created two more that are in mat and frame to 16×20 and a couple of small collages.  So here are introducing the two new larger pieces – they will be at the show in Hermosa Beach with me this weekend.

 

Wow that looks better.

Sea Crest Dawn #33, 24×18″

Sea Crest Dawn XXXIII has been hanging out at the Pioneer’s Museum in Imperial for the last couple years.  Having work hanging in a museum all the time may look good on the resume, but that’s not always the best way for a painting to find its new home, so I persuaded the museum gallery director to let me trade out.  Well, two of the frames were broken (I guess they did have an interesting time there…) so I decided to remount all three refractured watercolors on panel, rather than reframing. This is the last of the group.  I ordered a 2″deep panel from Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and today the UPS truck stopped at my house. Spent the afternoon at the delicate peel-n-restick process.  Hopefully I will never have to do that process again.  But it was worth it to see the result.  Still have to put acrylic glaze on, but couldn’t wait to show the world the new look.  I love it.

5 steps to thunder clouds

Plain blue sky.

Here are five progress steps for the painting I created at the 6th Indio Chalk Festival yesterday.  I understand my painting is being washed away by rain as I write.  That is the destiny of ephemeral art.  It took about 5 hours.

Tops of clouds, early stages

Lower clouds taking shape

Golden reflection added.

Finished.

Empire Polo Club anyone?

Distant Hills

This afternoon I will be setting up in Indio at the Empire Polo Club for the South West Arts Festival with refractured watercolors and watercolor collages. It’s my first time at this Festival and I’m looking forward to the event. It’s a three-day show and if you’re looking for me – I’ll be in booth #835 which is in the north-central area of the field.

You can find out more info on the show here.

Here’s one of the little collages I created this week – ‘Distant Hills’ – 5″x3″ in mat – $25.

Lovers in the mist

Lovers in the Mist – 9×12″ watercolor collage on flat panel with acrylic painted edges. $110.

Although I rarely get to experience mist up close these days – the most I usually get is a little haze over the Salton Sea in the mornings – nevertheless sometimes I am inspired by the subtle clouds in leftover pieces of watercolor, to create a misty scene.  And as mist usually hangs around water, what better subject to add than a few birds.  In this collage I added two water birds – they could be geese but are too small to be specific – and thought about how many species of birds will mate for life.

The foliage in my collage looks more like Finney-Ramer Lake, which is just south of the Salton Sea.  Must make a point of taking some time to go wander around there in the not too distant future….  see what the birds are up to!

Back to Whitewater Park.

Perfection over Finney Ramer.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve shown work at Rancho Mirage – last year I had a show in La Quinta that was on the same weekend.  This year there’s no clash, so I’m happy to come back to this venue.

The Speed of Light

House – by James Youse – about 8×10, watermedia

For the last three years I’ve created a painting for Alzheimer’s Association for the fundraising – and one of the interesting aspects of this is that I get to do a painting in response to the painting of an Alzheimer’s patient.  This year I happened to be in San Diego around the time they started this year’s project, so I was able to see all the available patient’s artwork instead of a small selection of images emailed to me because I’m so far away.

Many paintings spoke to me, but one spoke louder.  I am very aware when looking at these pieces of artwork of the decline of life of the artists, and this aspect alone significantly alters my response.  The painting is by James Youse, and is on the right.  It is simply titled ‘House’ – and is on the right above, but the part that struck me was the difference between the house and its reflection in the water.  My initial urge to respond was with a poem, which I did, and then created a refractured watercolor, including the poem on the painting.

The Speed of Light.

At the edge, after my day is done,
sense of fulfillment resting in my heart,
my body’s atoms coming all apart,
returning to the dirt from where they’ve come
I’ll stop, before I dip these aching toes
into the water of the after life
(my soul arrived before the speed of light –
I don’t know how, but that’s the way it goes),
So I can see the breadth, the depth, the height
I leave behind, before my dive will break
the surface and destroy what others take
to memory, being slower still than light.
The vision in that lake will, by and by
return to stillness, leaving only sky.

The Speed of Light. Refractured watercolor with poem on float panel, 8.5×28.5″