Sacred Landscapes: Project 1

This is project 1 from the Sacred Landscape class with Ivy Newport (see sidebar for link), and is supposed to be an abstraction of a figure in a landscape, using a magazine image for the figure. It is mixed media using various materials and techniques to create the painting, which is on an 8" x 8" wooden cradled panel, with primary colors. I used Paynes Grey, Raw Umber, and Burnt Sienna, plus white gesso, which may, or may not, have been a good idea. It did make the background kind of dark and mysterious looking though, I think.

Beginning layers on gessoed panel...

More layers, and I wrote LOVE in the sky for some reason...

Then I decided to "lay it on thick" with a palette knife for the next layers...

I decided the background looked too choppy, so I added more layers to even it out.The final layer is a thick coat of gel medium, which I got a little too thick in places, but I think it gives it kind of a waxy dreamy look. I have a tendency to get everything too close in value on every painting. Maybe that's how I see the world? A couple of things I'm still not happy about, but I can live with them. On the whole, I am pretty pleased with how the painting turned out, the process, and what I learned with her.

The writing says, "She couldn't decide whether to stay or leave everything behind."

Close up of her face. She looks a little Vampirish to me in the earthy colors, but that's ok!

Project two is a grouping of people, which I already have in progress. It's proving to be as much fun as project one was.

Do something every day that makes your soul sing! :)

Quick Sketch and WIP Painting

Life has, once again, invaded my creative time, but I did get in a very quick sketch from a photograph that sits on my beside table the other morning, using a black gel ink pen.

This is also where I left this wip painting, inspired by the Sacred Landscape classes (see sidebar for link) last week. I lack the finishing touches before calling her done. Loving her, and this project is fun. Hoping to get her finished in a day or two, without messing her up, and move on to project two!

Will share her again, and tell more about her, when she's finished!

May we all have more time to do the stuff that we love to do, and that feeds our souls!

Sacred Landscape: 2nd Abstraction/color Practice

My second practice inspired by Ivy's class using a magazine page as a base for learning about abstraction with figurative landscapes. I know there's more I could do to it, but, since it's a practice piece, I decided to stop here and move on.

I used dio purple, ultramarine blue, magenta, and naples yellow acrylic paints, white gesso, graphite pencil, and colored pencils. The practice is fun, but I'm ready to move on the the next class, even though I know I definitely need more of it!