Posted on

Making Time

Making time seemed like the perfect title for a blog post, considering that it has been almost a year since my last one. If you know me personally you know I have two little boys at home now. My studio productivity and class schedule are not what they once were. Sometimes, life gets in the way of art making. But now as I get more comfortable with finding a balance in my role as a mother, I am slowly making my way back. That being said, the days I have time to paint are not always the days when I am mentally able to. One thing that has helped recently is starting a new sketchbook. In all honesty I hadn’t kept a sketchbook for years and now I find it so therapeutic. I can have it with me anywhere and get a few moments of creative time in here and there. I can even use my kids’ watercolors while having arts and crafts time at the kitchen table. Every little bit helps keep me engaged. So when I am able to make it to my studio I don’t feel as disconnected from my work.

 

*image is a recent pen drawing in my sketchbook

Posted on

Ugly Stages

This image is from last Tuesday’s abstract painting class at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts. The image on the left was the quick expressive first layer. I was reacting to the colors and shapes from a random magazine ad. The image on the right is the second layer which incorporates different techniques such as masking, rollers, and dripping. I found the result particularly interesting because I like the first painting and then I “messed it up” for the sake of demonstrating techniques. However, I also found this to be a good opportunity to talk about the ugly stages in painting. Often there are moments when you will like a painting and moments when you will hate it. Of course the goal is to come out on the side of like. Yet, the more I look at the painting I ended up with the more I like it anyways!