white #4

Set up a problem for yourself and then figure out a way to solve it.

These words appear in many of my sketchbooks and notes from art books I have read over the years. I have heard them from fellow artists, teachers, and authors. And now, I am working at not just being a listener, but a do-er.

Yesterday's white still life painting was a disaster and the paper towel roll looked like it had been stomped on by a gorilla. That became my problem to solve today: paint the paper towel roll with feeling and lush paint so that it looks like you really endorse and love those paper towels.

Or, something like that.

I am pleased with the paper towel roll in this painting.  No gorilla crushed its core. It has a nice shape, good rhythm, and I think I could dance to it.

There are plenty of new problems to solve in the white still lifes ahead. And, you know what? That's a very good thing.

The Beatles were just a little bit ahead of my time, but because the cool teenagers who were my role models, idols, and babysitters loved the group, I became a big fan at a young age. And, because I am all about white these days, here's another thought about The White Album. REVOLUTION!

Well, you know we'd all like to change the world ...

last spoke on the wheel -- green!

11 x 7, pastel on BFK

blue cattails

7 x 11, pastel on BFK

Still working my way around the color wheel with the cattails paintings. This time it's all about blue and its analogous and complementary colors. By creating my own textured surface (Acrylic Pastel Ground on Rives BFK paper), I feel like I'm speaking my native language with another native language speaker. All of the lines and bumps make perfect sense to me, because I created them.

When I first started to hear about colors and their complements, I thought artists were referring to "compliments." As if the blues and violets in this painting whispered to the oranges and yellows, "Oh, darling, you look divine! That dress is mahvelous! And your shoes are amazing! Come here and sit with us at the popular table. Really! You must!"

What a letdown to learn that I was wrong.

white

He said it many times during the course of our workshop last month, so I decided to take Elio Camacho at his word.

"Find your weaknesses," he urged. "Start with all white objects in a still life and see if you can see and paint the changes in temperature, value, and still describe the shapes of your objects."

10 x 8, oil on canvas panel

I understand that I may be a while at this particular exercise. Say, 200 or more. I won't share all of them on the blog, but here is the first. All white still life. In oil. Per Elio Camacho. I painted it, photographed it, then wiped it away. This was fun to do and I can see that I have plenty to learn.

I am using one of the limited palettes Elio suggested. Yellow Ochre, Viridian, Alizarin Crimson, white, and black. I think that this is the "Zorn Palette."

Speaking of white makes me think of the Beatles' White Album! What is your favorite song? I have many favorites, here's one ...

slumped

ta-dah!

before it got slumped

This was my first glass slumping experience and while I enjoyed playing with the glass pieces (the color and shapes were dazzling), I was disappointed in the final result. No experience is wasted and I will look for opportunities to try this again.

Tacoma and glass

the furnaces were fired and the artists worked the glass at MOG

Lemon Drop Mouse, glass sculpture done from a child's drawing at MOG

Union Station in Tacoma, "Wall of Baskets" by Dale Chihuly

Union Station sea forms by Dale Chihuly

Ooh, color and glass and more fun in Tacoma. The Museum of Glass has a wonderful exhibit of glass sculpture that were exact representations of children's drawings. I loved it! It reminds me that play is crucial to art making. The exhibit is on until October 2011. I hope you'll go there if you haven't already been. Next time I go, I will have to buy the catalog just to read the childrens' comments about their creature creations.

Bainbridge Island graffiti art and lava lamps

unexpected art on Bainbridge Island

water reflects the sky and clouds in elipses

gray skies and dark evergreens in roundish bits

 I keep watching the reflections in the water. It calms like a lava lamp!

watery thoughts

patterns on the water remind me of Chuck Close

sweet ride on the water (photo credit: Steven Rush)

Mt Rainier dominates the vistas of Puget Sound  ... read about it here, watercolor

sketchbook page from today, ink, Inktense pencils, water

"Zee hond" in Dutch, translated "sea dog" ... aaarf!

On the water and I can feel my perspectives changing. In my spare time I increased my Dutch vocabulary, but I long to get back to my oils and practice what I learned at Elio's workshop. Soon enough.

glass in Tacoma

abstracting the landscape in glass at a workshop at MOG

nighttime neon

nighttime view of "rock candy" glass

glass sea forms by Chihuly

Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA

departing Tacoma on the Thea Foss Waterway

invitation!