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Monday, April 30, 2007

My Flemish Technique

Okay - just because you asked...here's how I did the apple.
I called it a Flemish technique, but really it's quite heavily modified - first the traditional technique is in oils, and I'm using acrylics, and second, I'm impatient and undisciplined...if you want to know more about the real thing, take a look here.
So, anyway - here we go...
My step 1, which is really like 3 steps - the drawing, the imprimatura (which is really just toning the canvas) and the umber layer to establish the lights and darks.
Step I...Umber Layer
Next up is the dead layer. Now - having done this, I think I could have completely skipped the umber and gone straight to the dead layer - seems a bit redundant to me. This is really the meat of the painting - I used Payne's Gray and white gesso here - and really worked to model the form. This is also where the most time was spent - revising shape, shadow and highlight. At the end of this stage is really a nice painting - only in grayscale...
Step II...Dead Layer
Now I started glazing color onto the painting. I used a very heavy glaze - that is a lot of glaze to a little paint. I probably could have done with less glaze, but I wanted to make sure I didn't go too thickly here...next time I'll probably use more color...
Step III...First Color Glazes
Step III cont...more color glazes
Step III cont...more color glazes
The last layer consists of the most opaque paint - mostly in highlights and areas that need re-defining after all those color layers. So, this is where I ended up...
Final Painting
I was inspired to try this after looking at the artwork of Mark Woodland - go check out his site!

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Not my usual, but...




I was trying something new. I did a modified Flemish technique with imprimatura, dead and color glazing layers. It's a long process, but it really gives a lot of depth at the end. I'm not sure I'll do it much, but it was really a great exercise.
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12x12" acrylic on canvas

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Well, Crap.

Apparently...I don't exist...


HowManyOfMe.com
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Eight in One Day

I've signed up for yet another ATC exchange at WetCanvas...I'm starting to think it's a procrastination technique when I don't want to face painting large stuff...

But they are still fun. I've decided to do an entire series of dogs for this exchange - boxers to be more precise. They have such great faces, don't they? I'll have to try to get one of my dog, Oscar, in there, too - he's not really a boxer, just a suspected boxer mix. I think he shares enough characteristics to make up for it...

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

2 1/2 x 3 1/2 acrylic ink on 140lb cold press

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Art Fair!!

Today was the annual Art Fair at school. It is always so much fun to see the diversity in entries - you just never know what these kids will come up with. It's a unique art show in a lot of ways. Being a home-schooling cooperative, the kids may or may not have ever had "formal" art classes. Some go to private lessons, some work with their mom and dad and home, but very few have had an art class that you might think of in a public school or traditional private school setting. What that means is that entries range from very basic to very complex and that judging is HARD!! Just ask our own dear Linda, who graciously gave up her morning to judge the upper grades.

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She and my friend Maynelle probably had the hardest of the jobs, judging 4th - 9th grade entries. But, they pressed on and did a great job of it.

Of course, the most exciting news of the day is that my little J won 1st place in his class, for his giraffe sculpture,

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and D won 3rd place for his army dog sculpture.

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YAY!! You can read more about how they made their sculptures on their blog, Abderian Adventures.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Thanks a lot, Linda...

Okay – Linda has thrown down the goals gauntlet of a quarterly update. C’mon, Linda – don’t you know that once you set your goals, you are supposed to ignore them completely? Geez.

1. Hang some artwork in a gallery or art space, other than my own home...or the home of my mother.

Well – I’m not sure that Linda’s bathroom counts, but at least this isn’t hanging in MY house! (or the house of my mother…)
flamingo

2. Continue to draw from life, concentrating on the figure.

Uh…sure. I’ve drawn from life, but rarely has it included an actual figure. Of a person. Okay – gotta work on this one.

3. Further refine my "voice". Take stock in the things that inspire me, to which I find myself drawn, and combine them in a way that is distinctly me.

I THINK I’ve been doing this – I think that my work has become more distinctly me, but I may not be the one to determine that. Would you recognize my work? I mean – I would, but I painted the darn things.
BatherRoosterP4041755-1Accordian Girl

4. Write a coherent and succinct artist statement. One DONE!!! Yippee – have I posted it before? I don’t know, but here it is, now…

I find myself continually drawn to the sensual pleasures of art – the smell of paint, the feel of the brush in my hand, the sound it makes as it glides and skips across canvas. The act of painting transports me into a place of serenity and calmness. I am fascinated by bold, clean, clear colors and how they work to transform even the most mundane subjects into sublime and fantastic creations. I like to imbue my works with a sense of energy, as if the subject is resonating in the moment, by using a limited palette of primary colors along with texture and brushwork, and the incorporation of text. I desire that people view the subjects I paint in a new way – finding beauty and energy in something that is generally considered dull, quiet and immovable.

Cheesy? I don’t know. But it is done. True? I think so, and really – isn’t that what it is all about?

Saturday, April 07, 2007

WIP - Stephanie

I started this painting yesterday, as part of the WetCanvas Weekly Drawing Event. It was hosted by my dear cyber-friend Valri, and one of the images absolutely grabbed me. It is a photo of her niece, Stephanie, who recently had a baby girl. What is it about pregnant women - they just glow...it's true. I never felt like I was glowing, personally, but people always told me I did. Anyhow - for the WDE, I posted a WIP, so I thought I'd do the same here.
First, I transferred my drawing over to my 140lb cold press watercolor paper.
Step 1 - Transfer the drawing to paper
Then, I started adding in washes of acrylic ink. The background was done with yellow, magenta, and indigo, and unfortunately doesn't show up like it does in real life - it looks too flat in the photo. The skin tones were started with very light washes of yellow and magenta.
Step 2 - Initial washes - background and skintones
I continue building tone by adding light washes of color. This painting is done almost entirely with yellow, magenta and indigo - layering glazes on top of each other.
Step 4 - adding depth
And here's the finish!
Final - Stephanie

Accordian Girl


Accordian Girl, originally uploaded by diahn.

Just finished!! This may be my favorite rendition of her so far. I took the photograph back in July at the Bele Chere art festival in Asheville, NC, and I've done a postcard in acrylic ink based on it - but this one was just too much fun.

6x12" acrylic on stretched canvas

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Big Bad Bass

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Admit it - you were looking for a fish, weren't you? HA! I did an ATC awhile back of the headstock of a Fender Jazz Bass, and really wanted to do something a little larger on canvas. This is another of those 6x12" canvases I have stacked in my closet - it's really a nice format - they make nice groupings, even if the subject matter is different - trust me...you should buy some (of mine) :D
So - here's a little WIP - not sure if I accomplished what I wanted here, and really probably should have stopped at step three, but now it is finished and I'm moving on. I'm trying very hard to not get hung up on paintings. I'll live with it for a while, and if it needs something, I'll revisit later...but for now, here's the rest...
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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Not to beat a dead horse...

but COME ON, people...

From the Dogwood Arts Farcetival...link

Was I right, or was I right?? Of course, I was right.

Another Beautiful Day



I know I just keep harping on about this Spring-thing, as if there has never been Spring before, but really...it's just so freakin' nice out. The weekend is supposed to cool off somewhat, and we do need some rain, but for the meantime, I'm just continuing on my happy dance...it's been a really L O N G winter. Mercy.


I took the boys to the park before art class today. They played on the playground and I sat in the sun. Ahhhh. I walked after they went to class, and then stole a chair from the front of the art center to sit and sketch the one lone iris blossom amongst a host of buds and leaves. When i got home, I considered adding some color, but then I decided against it. I love to work in pencil - why not just let it stay that way? So there.

pencil in large Moleskine watercolor sketchbook



I painted this over the weekend - it's one of the inhabitants of the Fountain City Lake, so I thought it was appropriate to post it today...on one of our Fountain City Tuesdays. I'm not sure it's finished, but I'm done with it for now.

6x12" acrylic on canvas


Hey - if it's getting to be Spring wherever you live, go outside and enjoy it! That's right - switch off the computer, open the door and do a little happy dance for me. You'll enjoy it, you'll feel better about life and if you have a friend video tape it, you could put it on YouTube and become famous in about 15 seconds. I love technology.