monochrome mountains

Tags

acrylic, art, bob ross, colorblind, landscape, monochromatic, mountain, painting

Working with color has always been a challenge, because I have a form of red-green colorblindness. According to a recent test, my specific variation comes from weak green receptors. Green isn’t the only thing affected; I have trouble distinguishing some purples from blues, light pinks from white, browns from greens, and many more. But guess what?

Mountains; acrylic on canvas, 24×30

I love playing with color anyway. I still see it. My world isn’t black-and-white. That would be an even more extreme colorblindness. Mine is like color “confusion” compared to that. But because color remains a challenge, I was thrilled to learn Bob Ross recorded a landscape painting demonstration designed just for colorblind artists. It’s very much like his other work, but all in one color: a grey tone mixed with white to create lighter values.

I watched it twice in a row, utterly mesmerized, and then tried my hand at his techniques on a much larger canvas with acrylic paint. Ross used oil, and many of his techniques don’t translate to acrylic. Acrylic dries faster, so you don’t have the luxury of blending as smoothly as Ross did with oil.

On the other hand, you can do a few things with acrylics that Ross never did with oil: layers of color washes, splashes, and other “wet” effects you get from making a mess with water and paint. My art teacher loved Payne’s Grey and first suggested it to me as a color for painting the mountains in Sedona at night, just at the end of sunset. I love it too, and when the little tube she gave me ran out, I bought 250ml of the stuff. Payne’s Grey is the only paint I used in this piece, plus white: an ultra-white interior house paint (semi-gloss) from the hardware store.

Ross uttered an especially memorable line in his monochromatic demonstration of building mountains: “All you need is a dream in your heart. And an almighty knife.”

Watch and learn!

oceans

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, painting

One of the neighbors moved out and left behind a 36×12 canvas with a generic photo print of a flower on it. Time to break out the acrylic paints and texture media!

mermaids

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, mermaids, painting

No actual mermaids appear in this abstract painting, but it was the last wash of turquoise that made me think it might be the kind of place they’d like to swim. The other two colors are quinacridone magenta and ultramarine violet. The colors are liquid acrylics from Golden, and the black and white layers underneath are semi-gloss acrylic house paint. A couple coats of gloss varnish from now, she’ll be decorating the wall. 15 x 30 in., acrylic on canvas.

perpendiculars

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, painting, perpendiculars, poured paint

Perpendiculars. 24 x 30; acrylic poured on canvas.

No, it doesn’t require much technique, but it’s a fun way to cover a few square feet of empty wall. I did this as a sequel to Parallels since I had leftover paint.

parallels

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, painting

blue feather

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, feather, painting

blue feather. prussian blue and white acrylic plus feather on 8×10 board-mounted canvas.

nebula

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, color wash, nebula, painting

Blue & White Nebula. Created on an 8×10 canvas mounted on board. Using a trowel, I smeared on a thick layer of white semi-gloss acrylic house paint and let it dry. Then I sprayed it with water and dropped Golden brand liquid acrylic artist paint, in Prussian Blue. It made these interesting patterns as it diffused through the water. Now let’s have some rock from the band Nebula, from the Nebula/LowRider split album:

painted abstracts make unique backgrounds

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, book covers, collage, making books, painting, textures

I’ve been experimenting with a new method of creating colorful, visually interesting backgrounds for things like book covers, business cards, and blog headers. It begins with painting 8 x 11 canvasses which are mounted on a board instead of a frame. They fit nicely on my scanner, so I can digitally manipulate the images later.  This one began as a collage of pages torn from a proof copy of my new poetry book. It ended up as the cover to a new book.

Throw a filter and text on it, and it comes out like this:

It looks pretty awesome in print with a matte finish. Once I get a few good scans, the canvases can be recycled by adding layers of different materials to create cracks, swirls, and other interesting textures. Below is the same canvas as above, but in the process of getting a new, messy layer of krackle over it.

Here’s one I haven’t used for any backgrounds yet, a basic color wash with acrylics.

I had some old acrylic varnish and played around with pouring it and liquid paint at the same time, splashing water on them while they were drying, and mixing them together before pouring.

It isn’t going to hang in a museum or anything, but it’s a fun way to get unique backgrounds and textures. I sampled a section of the image for the current header on this blog. The image’s right half is simply a section of the canvas with its colors inverted.

legend of the frozen coast

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, painting

art sales today

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, art sales, collage, dream journal, guitar, painting

We sold two paintings today. We had our doubts that anything would ever sell due to a Craigslist ad, but we were happily proven wrong.

Guitar #20: Frozen Coast caught an art lover’s eye on Craigslist. While she was here, she took a liking to Dream Journal #8: Night at the Lake. Good choice! We are very fond of that one, and miss it already.

You can read more about Guitar #20, or Dream Journal #8, in our archives. Their original posts include detailed close-up photos.

Guitar 20: Frozen Coast

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, guitar, painting

Guitar #20: Frozen Coast
Acrylic paint, varnish, and texture media on gallery-wrapped canvas
24 x 30 in. (60.9 x 76.2 cm)
Colors: Prussian blue, anthraquinone blue, deep permanent green, white, black.

This painting is currently for sale on eBay SOLD.

I enjoy working at this size, even though building up the layers of color and texture on something this size takes approximately forever. Below, you’ll see a bunch of close-ups that show just how textured this piece is. The last half-dozen or so pics illustrate its long journey from blank canvas to colorfully tactile art.

As promised, some “in progress” photos. Yes, we did start off thinking this would be red, but got wonderfully sidetracked by blue instead.

cosmic hand

Tags

acrylic, art, comic book panel, hand, painting

A John Buscema panel from Thor #200 (Marvel Comics, 1972) inspired this painting. Measuring roughly 2 feet wide by 3 feet high, it comes on unframed canvas. The canvas comes from Fredrix, and it was intended for use as a floor mat. It didn’t make sense to me how a loose piece of canvas on the floor would be good for anything, so I nailed it to the wall for a couple weeks to paint on it.

Unlike the small pastel study from last year of this same panel, it wears a metal bracelet, hinting at the eye in a similar tribute to Jack Kirby. The detailed reflection lines on the metal became the focal point of the painting. This results in a somewhat unbalanced piece, with the viewer’s eyes drawn to such a low center point under the mass of the open hand. It may be worth coming back and adding another visual element to balance it out: a ring or rings on the fingers, or something held in the palm.

galactic banana

Tags

acrylic, art, banana, painting

Sometimes it’s fun to paint silly things.

We did the background last summer when we got some good training on basic color wash techniques. We enjoyed it so much that painting over it became nearly impossible. It suggested many grand epic things to us, most of which seemed to lie entirely outside our ability to execute. Do you ever have projects like that? Projects whose potential scope becomes overwhelming to the point where all progress stops? Maybe it’s time to stop being so serious about them, and just go bananas!

Banana may not be a masterpiece, and it may never enjoy its own page in an art history book with a polysyllabic discussion about the conceptual meaning of it all. But, it made us smile, and sometimes that’s enough. Here are some close-ups.

Too Bad for Them We’re Out of Here!

Tags

acrylic, art, painting, portrait, sharpie marker, sharpie paint pen

Too Bad for Them We’re Out of Here! acrylic/enamel on canvas, 16 x 20 in.

Too Bad for Them We’re Out of Here, loosely based on a panel from X-Men #5, revels in the exaggerated grittiness of 90s comic books. Here’s to Extreme Everything!

Acrylic paint and Derwent Inktense water-based ink combine with line work done in Sharpie Paint Pen. Three coats of gloss acrylic varnish add brightness, protection, sheen, and durability.

Winter Woman

Tags

acrylic, art, painting, winter woman

Winter Woman. acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 in.

Partially obscured by mists and fog, Winter Woman contemplates her season. Maroon suggests an inner warmth, the warmth of love and home or a comforting fire in the coldest months of the year. In her serene repose, Winter Woman expresses the season where life takes an inward focus.

Dream Journal Eight: Night at the Lake

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, collage, dream journal, dreams, mixed media, painting

Dream Journal Eight: Night at the Lake. Acrylic paint, varnish, and mixed media collage on canvas
12 x 12 in. heavy duty frame, 1.5 in. deep.

Our Dream Journal series combines collage, print media, found objects, and acrylic paint to make deeply personal expressions.

Night at the Lake recalls a memory of a dream, a dream written on pages collaged into the layers of this piece. At night, you and your love swim in this lake. Silent fish drift by in the deep waters. The clouds part their fingers to reveal the full moon at its apex above the forest. The two of you tread water together, then dive.

Tiny metal beads adorn the surface of Night at the Lake, finished with several coats gloss varnish for durability and protection, resulting in a glass-like finish. The signature appears on the back of this original piece.

Sedona Sunset

Tags

abstract, acrylic, Arizona, art, painting, sedona, sunset

Sedona Sunset. acrylic on 40 x 16 in. canvas.

Inspiration for Sedona Sunset comes from the color of the sky and mountains in the Arizona desert in the last glow from the sun setting behind them. Deep violets, blues, purples, and Payne’s grey express both the natural splendor and the warmth of this popular Arizona destination.

Renowned for its scenic views and spiritual vibe, Sedona attracts many seekers and explorers. Yet, its ancient hills, streams, and rock formations give it a timeless quality that endures long after its visitors move on.

The edges all around this 1.5 in. deep professional wood frame are fully painted and varnished, making this piece attractive from any point of view, without an additional frame. Numerous coats of high-gloss acrylic varnish give it a glassy finish and bring out the brightness in its dark but vibrant tones.

Red Hand

Tags

acrylic, art, eye, hand, painting

Red Hand. acrylic on 16 x 20 in. canvas.

The palm of this red hand contains an eye. The texture suggests a stone carving, but the point of view suggests the viewer’s hand. The image of the eye in the hand appears in many cultures and art traditions. Some believe a charm like this protects the viewer from evil. To someone who works or creates with their hands, the image speaks to the power of their creative vision. Perhaps it can even see into our future, which we also hold in the palm of our hands.

Rest

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, painting, rest

Rest. acrylic and metal leaf on 16 x 20 in. canvas

Planets 7

Tags

acrylic, art, painting, planetary art, planets, space, space art

Planets 7. Acrylic on canvas, with acrylic varnish, 16×20 in.

Behold the Awesomizer; comic book pop art painting inspired by Jack Kirby

Tags

acrylic, art, awesomizer, behold the awesomizer, comic book art, eBay, Jack Kirby, Kirby Krackle, outer space, painting, science fiction

Painted in bright, primary acrylics with chrome enamel highlights, it has a protective high-gloss varnish. Behold the Awesomizer measures 16x20x1 inches, with the artwork extending uninterrupted over the edges of the canvas.

Inspiration for this work of comic book-themed pop art comes from comics legend Jack Kirby, whose style practically defined Marvel Comics art of the 60s and 70s. Best known for co-creating Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer, the Eternals, OMAC, and the DC classics of his own Fourth World series, Kirby published Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers near the end of his career.

Behold the Awesomizer pays tribute to Kirby and to the sense of cosmic wonder found in science-fiction comic books. As the powerful hand emerges from a whirlpool of rippling energy, a metallic eye shoots beams of light into the krackling vastness of outer space. Kirby Krackle coalesces around the hand as beams of light radiate from its fingertips. Inside it all, a great cosmic brain thinks thoughts that only you can determine.

Toy Robot painting

Tags

1970s, acrylic, art, painting, robbie robot, robot, science fiction, Tomy, tomy toys, toy robot

Painted in bright acrylics with a high-gloss varnish finish, it shines like a metal robot should! It measures 10×10 inches, with gold, red, black, and tan colors. Inspiration for this work of pop art comes from the Tomy toy robot in the 1970s.

Guitar 5

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, guitar, memoir, painting

Guitar 5. 11×14 in. canvas. Acrylic paint, texture media, and varnish with metal leafing.

Guitar 5 started out as something else entirely. Twice. Maybe three times. Sometimes, you run experiments, and they fail. Many of us fall into the trap of not experimenting or trying new things simply to avoid that failure. In life, people often respond to failure with powerful emotions of frustration, grief, or even guilt. But if you approach life like a scientist, you know you need to run lots of experiments to learn anything meaningful.

On the canvas, as in life, we need the freedom to explore and experiment. Learning and advancing never come to us without falling on our face a few times – just like when we learned to walk. Where would we be now if we had given up the first few times we failed to get on our feet?

I used to paint houses instead of canvases. Running my own painting crew included finding work for them. To find work, I walked from door to door all over the city of Ann Arbor, MI. My days often consisted of being told no and having doors shut in my face. But, enough people said yes that I was able to employ my crews, or at least find enough solo work to feed myself. My experience landed me a job with a professional crew that came out at my request to fix one of my crew’s mistakes. I had a great working relationship with them for years, and learned a lot.

In the end, people congratulated me on my success. I worked for myself, set my own hours, and got good enough at refinishing decks that I only had to work about 3-4 days per week in the summer.

What does that have to do with painting canvases? Take Guitar 5, for example. It told me no several times. It shot down a lot of what seemed like good ideas. But, I kept coming back to knock on its door. I ran some experiments on it and just had fun with it. What happens if we try…. this? Or that? In the end, it wasn’t what I set out to do — but it ended up rocking anyway.

As you can see in the detail below, a rich, complex, colorful surface resulted. My experiments with Croma Krackle led to even more confident use of this texture media in Guitar 7. I discovered some different ways to use water and alcohol in color washes, which served well for Guitar 15.

I’m glad I kept going.

Guitar 13

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, guitar, painting

Guitar Thirteen. 10×10 in., Acrylic paint & varnish on canvas.

When I lived and worked in San Diego and La Jolla in 2000 and 2001, every corporate office had some kind of art based on beaches and palm trees. On the one hand, it got to be cliche. On the other hand, I was inspired by all the different ways artists chose to represent these themes.

I pay tribute to those inspirations with Guitar Thirteen. Using blues and greens that remind me of La Jolla, and some paint scraping techniques I picked up from a video on Gerhard Richter, Guitar Thirteen abstracts all my pleasant memories of living in Southern California. The square shapes bring to mind the buildings. And, if you look hard enough, you might even see some highly abstracted palm trees on the left!

Guitar 15

Tags

abstract, acrylic, art, color wash, guitar, painting, wash

Guitar Fifteen. 10 x 10 in., Acrylic paint, media, and varnish on canvas.

You might be interested to see how we built up this painting layer by layer. Below, you can see some of the lower layers of the painting. Using Ultra White and Titan Buff in a composed arrangement, then letting them bleed together and/or separate, created a rich and varied wash. Below that layer, a thick series of washes makes a nearly solid dark purple background. Putting light colors on top of that will let the colors of our top layers shine.

Next we blocked out the shape in white, because white paint covers better than anything else. It will get a couple coats of white and then one of black before we move to the final layers. At this point we almost went with copper for the background, but our art teacher suggested silver. Good call.

Below, you can see our shiny new palette knife coated with silver paint and ready for action. We applied a mix of Payne’s Grey and Silver. We dipped our knife in each color separately, then blended them on the canvas. Next, we crumpled up a plastic bag and smooshed it onto the surface. When lifted, it creates an interesting raised texture. You might see interior decorators do ‘faux finishes’ with similar tools, like a sponge or rag.

As a final step, we went along the outline with Payne’s Grey, pulling out the excess paint into the dried silver area to create something like a glow. After two coats of varnish, it truly does seem to glow in natural light.