"I should have know it was yours, because of the blue." Someone that knows my work well once said this after seeing one of my pieces in a group show. Until that moment I had never considered my use of blue. It is interesting how we do things & are completely unaware of the choice we make. Since that comment however I am acutely aware of how much blue I use. In fact the comment started a cascade in my thoughts & almost every series I have completed, if it has not been black & white, has been blue. So it is not surprising to me that I am enjoying these blue experiments with the Dr. Ph. Martin & Winsor & Newton paints best. Happy Thursday Y'all!
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Well the experiments continue. The deeper darker red is the Dr. Ph. Martin's Wild Rose & the more orange, in this comparison, red is Winsor Red by Winsor & Newton. The Dr. Ph. Martin's definitely don't respond to salt in the same expansive manner, much more of a subtle texturing instead of a bold patterning. I am also intrigued by the white lines, that are particularly obvious in the spot painting, that surround the interaction of the two paints. It is almost as if they repel each other... Things to notice & push the boundary of. Happy Wednesday Y'all!
Finally an image I am satisfied with. After a week of experimenting with the Dr. Ph. Martin paint I finally had a breakthrough, thanks to something my friend Lydia Makepeace said about how she uses the paint: just use the dropper to apply the pigment directly to wet paper. Ah, the clouds parted & the heavens opened! Such a better working method for this paint. Huge thanks to Lydia for the insight! I persevered with this paint, because the colors are so vibrant & different, than my favorite Winsor & Newton's. I am excited to see where things go now. Happy Tuesday Y'all!
Maybe it is the post-Olympic visual processor that lead me to paint the flag or maybe it is the current news about the Ukraine, the first foreign country I visited, and it's dilemma with Crimea, Russia, Tartars, and the EU, which naturally leads me down the rabbit hole of nationality, place & belonging. Yes, as an artist my calling is to bring beauty, but it can also be to ask questions. So with my flag painting I ask you to consider your nationality & what it means to you. I also include John Green giving an overview about the problems in the Ukraine. Happy Thursday Y'all! We have a daffodil farm close by that I heard about last year, but did not have the opportunity to visit. But this year I did! It is amazing to see row on row of happy yellow blooms dancing against the grey-brown tree line. If you live in the Lowcountry I highly recommend checking out this beautiful farm! Happy Tuesday Y'all!
I have been making pom poms & pennants for weeks, thinking that they were for Valentine's Day. However they have not coalesced into Valentines, just masses of pink yarn & tape, joyful but not cogent. So I am sharing a salt painting test that reminds me of cell diagrams from high school biology class. What intrigues me about this painting is that it appears as if the salt crystals are still on the painting, but I can assure you they have been scraped away. Interesting metaphor for love & human interaction more generally: your love can change a person & even after you are gone your presence can still be seen in their actions. So be careful with your fellow travelers & love generously. Happy Valentine's Day Y'all!
It is icing outside right now. It started a few hours ago & sounded like hail inside. But when you go outside it sounds like rain in the gutters & snow on the ground. The flowers look like they are crying or sweating depending on the angle, but the reality is none of the water is moving on them; it is all frozen in place. All of the paradoxi depict the feeling I had when viewing ice on the tropical forest, weird & slightly unsettling. I am certain there will be interesting things to see & I will keep my eyes open. Happy Wednesday Y'all!
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