Painting Dreams

The above painting was inspired by the second drawing in the previous post on automatic drawing.  I allowed the paint to guide me through this creation. The first drip of burnt sienna from the figure’s left hand reminded me of a quote I had clipped from a National Geographic, years ago, and placed on my refrigerator. It read:

“What I wanted was…

         a place where dreams

did not stop at dawn.”

In this painting, I clipped pieces of masa paper for the darks in the landscape and collaged them into the piece. The wings on the figure are also clipped pieces of masa.  I left portions unfinished to give this the feel of a work in progress. I also did not want to furthur define the figure. I did this, partially out of respect for other viewers to assume what they wanted  about that figure. Was this figure a part of the landscape? Was she or he the artist?  Did the artist intend for her/him to be anyone? Was it an angel or a fairy?  So many interpretations and I wanted them all to flow. I hope I have captured that, this painting.

 

Automatic Drawings

I have long been interested in automatic drawing. A while back Chris Carter had a post about automatic drawing and came up with this on a sleepless night. I finally decided to give it another go. As busy as I am, lately,  it is something I can do when I have a moment of time.

  click to enlarge

The above was my first attempt. I have no idea what the egg or the bird signify.  The book I read on the subject of automatic drawing said to start by making marks on your paper. They can be any marks (swooping lines, crosshatches, dots). You can use the side of your pencil and your eraser. The idea is to draw. It was suggested that you follow the shapes of what you are creating and can turn the format and view it from all angles as you work your drawing. As you begin to see something appear, shade and draw to bring that image to the foreground. I have a tendency to be judgemental, so I have to keep reminding myself to let go and let it happen.

click to enlarge

This was my second automatic drawing.  This one actually moved me as it began to appear.  I imagined a fairy- like figure shaping the landscape. I searched for what she might be fashioning. I stopped, prematurely, because I wanted to allow that landscape to become whatever the viewer wants to imagine it to be. I may try and watercolor and rice paper collage this one. I wonder if I can maintain the mystery in paint.  I will post it if I do so.

 click to enlarge

Back to another egg and figure and bird.  What is this?  I can assure you I did not set out to draw them. As it began to appear in the lines, I even had to erase back along the bird’s breast to bring the figure I saw forward. I think I’d like to paint this one, also.

If any of you try this, I’d really like to see what you come up with. I find it a great way to free me up and suggest possibilities for paintings as well practice my drawing skills.

Yellow House on the Hill (a study in values)

Remember when I said I don’t paint anything fast? …and that it takes me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to finish something. This is a painting painted in one evening.  I have a soft spot for yellow houses. This house sits on a hill on the edge of a small man-made lake called Trader’s Point Lake north of Indianapolis. I took the photo reference sitting in my sister’s paddle boat right before that awful dry heat spell began. There are a few things I need to watch for when I paint quickly. In this painting, the lean of the house?  🙂  and that real hard edge to the right and on top of the foreground hedge (wish I had softened that).  I also think I could have had a little more fun with the house without harming the value pattern I had decided upon. My favorite thing about this painting is that Huge oak behind the Huge house and how they seem to be trying to outdo one another.  My goal with this painting, other than completing something in one evening, was to work on the value patterns to promote depth.  I used greens, violet, yellows, burnt sienna, halloween orange cerulean blue and a few dabs of prussian blue to paint this piece.

I live in a yellow house, just not this one.  🙂

 

 

 

Moose!

YAY!    This is my last painting on masa paper adhered to coldpress illustration board.  I did have fun with this one. It was similar to painting the previous landscape with the Belgian horses. I concentrated on shapes and values rather than trees, meadow and moose. I found the reference for this photo on the Wet Canvas image library.

I had painted one moose, prior to this, several years ago here.