"Composition in Shape and Shade"

I have the windows open and the birds are giddy.  We should all be giddy after the winter we had.  I know we're lucky to live in the mid-Atlantic, but still, compared to most years...

I'm posting my new painting "Composition in Shape and Shade." (Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48"). I'd love some feedback.  For instance, my mom wants to know the little boy's name, what he's looking at, what he's reaching for.  I tell her it's not my intention to tell those things.  I'm just asking the questions!

I hope my (awkward?) title tells you that the subject matter is not important for me but that I'm exploring light, shade and shadow.  This painting is from a photograph I took on Spring Maid's pier in Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago.  I was fascinated by the light patterns on that November morning.

"Pointer" Sells

 My painting "Pointer" whose story is below, recently sold.  This painting is the first that went to complete strangers, and my husband and I had mixed feelings about its sale.  I knew some details about the couple, but Larry Elder of Elder Galleries, in Charlotte, did not give me their names.

My sister is a professor at U of Florida, and one day when she was walking with a fellow professor, she told the woman about the painting, describing the couple as I had described them to her and as Larry Elder had described them to me.  My sister's friend said, "I know them.  They're friends of mine." She told me about the couple, and now I feel like I have "placed" the painting with friends. My goal is to get invited to dinner at their house so I can see my painting hanging in their dining room!

"Pointer" Set to Travel

My painting "Pointer"has been included in the Elder Gallery's traveling version of "Carolinas' Got Art," traveling for a year in both North and South Carolina. I am honored to be included, as 39 pictures were chosen from 1800 entries.  "Pointer" is 48 x 36"acrylic on canvas.

I should tell you the miracle of "Pointer," I guess. More than two years ago, I found a photo on the internet on which this painting is based, and in transferring it to my files, I lost the source.  I thought it came from The National Archives, but after trying unsuccessfully to locate it again, I basically gave up.  When it was accepted into the recent show in Charlotte and they asked us to write where our inspiration came from, I tried again to verify my source, going through some 4000 photos on line, to no avail.

Imagine my surprise when two days later I was browsing eBay's antique photos, the very photo I had downloaded more than two years ago popped up for sale.  The owner had indeed put it up for sale before and it had not sold.  She was offering it as an "Buy it Now" option.  She and her husband travel the US buying stuff to resell, and she could not give me any details.  The photo was included on a torn- out photo album page and included some other characters and some children playing on what may be a porch of the antebellum house in the background of the photo. So now I own the photo on which my painting is based, and I feel more at ease about it.

"Meet Me on the Moon"

This painting is dedicated to a friend who died suddenly, but who has become a patron saint for many of us. We miss you, Cynthia.  And thanks.

New Series?

I can't be sure, but I may be starting on a new series:  Mothers and Daughters.  Above is my first piece.  My second piece is giving me trouble.  I took an old canvas bought at Goodwill and covered it with gesso. Then I randomly collaged the canvas. (This one is 20 X 20," small for me.)

Next I tried a technique from Anne Bagby (google her if you aren't familiar with her work or her DVD from Creative Catalyst).  Bagby says she draws faces 15 minutes every night, then manipulates them for size on her computer and prints them out.  She tapes these faces onto her canvas and develops her picture from there.  I was surprised how helpful this technique was.  Later, Bagby uses a carbon transfer to draw the face on and then paints it in.

Another technique she uses is stamping.  She makes her own stamps, masks off the figures with clear Contac paper then stamps the background. I developed my own stamp by burning with a wood burning tool some dense foam blocks I cut up from an upholstery project.

I left most areas of this painting loose, leaving my drawing lines and just developed the faces and the mother's hand.  I like the ambiguity, the push/pull in the relationship.

I watched the documentary "The Rape of Europa" yesterday, about the confiscation of artwork by the Nazis during WWII.   (Very powerful theory on why Hitler did what he did.  I recommend it if you haven't seen it.) One of the pieces by Klimt called "Adele" reminded me of what I did here.  Of course I love Klimt, but I didn't realize I was influenced by him.  More likely I am influenced by people like Bagby and Polly Hammett and Carla O'Conner who were influenced by Klimt.  Nevertheless, this painting was a surprise to me.

2011 Small Shoulders Calendar

I have begun printing the third edition of my

Small Shoulders Calendar. These calendars are

quite labor intensive, as I do the artwork, print

the calendar and assemble it all myself. If you

are interested in owning this "collectors item," shoot me an email. My calendars are 8 1/2 x 11" and sell for $25 plus shipping.

New Adventure: A Year-Long Journal Swap

I envy and use for inspiration the book True Colors from a few years ago by a group of collaborative artists who exchanged art journals with each other. Because I long to share my art with another person on a deep level, I jumped at the chance to collaborate with another artist through "Blissfully Art Journaling," http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blissfully_Art_Journaling/

moderated by the wonderful Kim Owens. Kim keeps this rowdy group in-line by giving us daily journal prompts. She also matched a fellow artist from California and me through telephone interviews. We are about to embark on a year-long journal swap starting this month.

My journal will follow the model by Teesha Moore (one of my idols) shown on YouTube of her 16-page 8 x 10" journal made from one sheet of watercolor paper. If you haven't seen the videos, search for it and watch it. She's terrific.

My journal partner and I have elected to send signatures and bind later. My first signature will deal with "Things I Used to Be," and will include some "Defining Moments." I plan to title the next signature "Things I Am Now" and the third one, "Things I Want to See and Be."

The picture above is the cover of my first signature.