New Pages

I'm taking a break from producing because I need to focus on varnishing, framing, and wiring those thirty pieces that I have just made. I want to show them at the next big art event here in town, which is the "Holiday Art Crawl:" Lots of downtown shops are hosting regional artists for a couple of days and nights, and people are invited to come in, have some wine, and buy some original art. I love this event, most connections I have made as an artist started right here, and the instant feedback has been so valuable. In a way, this event has helped me discover what my forte is, so that the art business has become a lot more profitable for me.

I kind of enjoy the process of getting the pieces ready for hanging. It's so rewarding to see my thoughts and stories framed. At the same time it is so hard to take this break from creating. I have lots of images in my head, and they keep accumulating. I need to make. Very soon please.

With that in mind, I went to a book sale this weekend and found lots of nice material. Some of the highlights: wiring diagrams, a pile of magazines for movie theater businesses where you can learn about the most efficient popcorn warmers and how a certain enamel can help you give your old cinema chairs a lift. A few vintage books about etiquette and antique furniture, very nice children's books, and a "Man's Magazine" about railroad. Lots of new pages to turn.

Et Voila! - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

30 Paintings in 30 Days - thank you, Leslie Saeta, for hosting it every year!

This was the third time for me to do the challenge, and I think the 2018 is my best so far. It's amazing how productive I can be, once I have the opportunity to mainly focus on my art. 

I have loved seeing daily the other artists' works, and also the wonderful feedback the participants give each other. It feels like a true community. Thank you for the comments I have received, I appreciate the exchange very much.

Here is the summary of my makings:

Endtable

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Thirty:  "Endtable"

I've been wanting to make a trauma piece, and here it is. For some reason I associate trauma with these particular colors I've chosen. The square room is soaring, or it is in some sort of a vaccuum. It may be hard to see on the photo - the person huddling at the bottom is holding her hands over her ears. Her feet are resting on an endtable.

I used lots of elements of a vintage furniture layout kit to create the landslide in her home. To add dimension, I blackened all sides of each shape with an ink pad.

Because of the build-up of the many shapes, the person is actually sitting in a cave.

"Endtable"

Mixed media: acrylics, vintage furniture layout kit, storybook clipping, ink, on canvas panel, 20" x 16"

Feeling Lucky

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Nine:  "Feeling Lucky"

 

I finally got to use my little frog friend. For weeks he's been waiting in line to be glued on, and today was the day to make that happen. 

 

The illuminated dice come from a book about pinball machines. It is quite a fantastic book from the early 80s with lots of photos not only of the machines but also of the players and the whole cult. The book wasn't in best shape when I first got it, that made it possible for me to actually cut it. 

"Feeling Lucky"

Mixed media: acrylics, book clippings, ink, on canvas panel, 10" x 10"

The Silence Of Growing Things

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Eight:  "The Silence Of Growing Things"

Generally, I am not a fan of those cheesy sayings that are written in big letters on some shabby chic wooden scraps, made to put them on the mantle of your fireplace. The all-time cheesiest is probably "Live Love Laugh", closely followed by "Life is better in flip-flops." 

Once in a while I get to read a good one though. That actually happened when I came across "Love the journey you choose." And I bought that piece of wood, not only to put it on a shelf but to make it the motto of my life.

On another occasion I was reading on a silver spoon that was hammered flat to become garden decor: "How lovely is the silence of growing things." Yes, how very lovely! 

This sentence holds so much truth and peace and contentment. It's like a mantra, I feel calm, when I say it a few times.

 "The Silence Of Growing Things"

Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, ink, on canvas panel, 9" x 12"

Goodnight Elephant

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Seven:  "Goodnight Elephant"

Yes, right, it's another Goodnight Moon thing. I'm so glad, I found this book, it has given me a good harvest indeed. 

Quick now, I have to do a second piece today still ... 

Mixed media: acrylics, parts from an old furniture layout kit, storybook clippings, ink, on canvas panel, 8" x 8"

Whatever It Takes

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Six:  "Whatever It Takes"

It makes me so happy that this turned out the way how I intended it to be. You may have noticed thatI love using bookpages for all kinds of landscaping, so that's what I did here, too. I created a mellow water wave for the fish so they have a chance to be high enough to catch that drop of water. Some fish are more ambitious than others. But what for?

"Whatever It Takes"

Mixed media: acrylics, yellowed edges from a vintage novel, book clippings, sewing thread, on canvas panel, 16" x 20"