In The Studio
April 6, 2024 at 10:27 am | Posted in Art Studio | Leave a commentTags: acrylic on canvas, acrylics, Artist's working process, Caran d’Ache Neocolor II, paint palette
As you can see, I don’t use a traditional palette for mixing acrylic paint. Those wood kidney shaped ones with all the colors neatly arranged on them are a wonder to me, so neat and organized. However, they feel small and restrictive to work on. The paint saver palettes that are covered in a box, ones with little round or square wells, the paper palettes, plastic ones, I’ve tried them all. This palette is a 21”x23” rectangle of thick framing glass that was handy. Using duck tape on the edges worked well (why is it named after a bird?). The glass sheet sits on top of white paper that has the circle outline of a color wheel, just in case. I considered using a neutral gray paper underneath as a color grounding element but opted for white instead as a mixing background. The glass allows me to scrape paint off easily since acrylic dries fast, even with extenders. Best of all, there is lots of working room. Speaking of wonders, how about the photos you see of artists painting in nice clothes, that is, with not a speck of paint on them. Often, they are shown sitting at an easel in a living room or such, sometimes on a wood floor or beautiful rug. I’m not one of those either. I feel fortunate to emerge from the studio with no paint in my hair or on my teeth.
The collages are ongoing but recently I started another 48” abstract landscape painting also, feeling the need to hold a brush. Using Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Aquarelles, I begin with a loose drawing of the composition with the color scheme mostly thought out. But things always change during the process…
p.s. see the floor. LOL.
Insert Catchy Title Here
December 27, 2015 at 10:43 pm | Posted in Art Studio, Considering Ideas | Leave a commentTags: abstraction, acrylic on canvas, Art, considering landscape, painting
for this post about a body of work. An unfinished body of work it is. Yet, today I’m having trouble seeing the beginning, and the parts that came after. All because I couldn’t remember when, when, when, I painted this acrylic.
©Joan Desmond, Day/Night. Acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 30″.
I recall the name Day/Night. It’s about opposites in many ways. The visual thinking I see and recall easily. It was a time of exploring tensions between geometric and organic, of the vertical and horizontal, color polarities, all that stuff. When was that? For me, painting is usually a process that morphes into something else with a little of the old, and a bit of a new direction. There are breakthrough works, exploring works and new direction works, it’s always ongoing when the immersion is there. But the dates don’t stick.
You’d think I’d have records. Surely I have records somewhere. It wasn’t the only undated, unrecorded, un-moored painting I found while looking around. This would not be an issue if one documents things. So that’s the catchy title angle. Document, date, ’cause you forget. You forget so much. The sanity you save may be your own.
The landscape calls to me
January 25, 2015 at 5:16 pm | Posted in Art Studio, Considering Ideas | Leave a commentTags: acrylic on canvas, considering landscape, drumming, Imagination, Miles Davis
©Joan Desmond, This I Sing For The Setting Sun. Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 48″.
Recently I was reminded of a Miles Davis quote. “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” It pretty much sums up how I’ve learned to approach landscape painting (and drumming). To paint what’s not there opens up vast potential in the imagination and on the canvas.
My relationship to my outdoor environment, my landscape, is ongoing, direct. Early, most mornings, be-robed, I find myself outside, with fingers curled around a hot cup of something as Blinky Cat and I peruse the house perimeter. First, with groggy, slitted eyes, I scan across creek and up mountain for predator movement: coyote, bobcat, or a peaceful deer. Blinky immediately sniffs out some night intruder on plant and house corners. Next, there’s a horizon check. Do clouds over the northern mountains herald strong afternoon wind? At this hour pine needles soft shuffle in a light breeze. We saunter on. Green wildflower sprouts are evident, although the cheek-felt January chill keeps most scents locked in the soil. I notice how angled light sweeps over rock face, tree bark, and pine branch. Each becomes important for a second, divulging new information, something not considered before, a color revealed, perhaps, or softness, sharpness, a rhythm. These images shift with the rapidly rising sun. Finally, considering it all, and with a deep inhale of the day to come, we return to the house, curiosity sated.
Similarly, I may step outside in the early evening, again with the intent of appreciating the scene. Often I’ll bring my 22” frame drum, and close my day by singing into it, sending the resonance into the sky, the wind, and the colors.
Fresh from the Studio
April 3, 2013 at 5:22 pm | Posted in Art Studio, Considering Ideas | 1 CommentTags: acrylic, acrylic on canvas, COLOR
©2013, Joan Desmond. Acrylic on canvas, 10″x 10″.
This means it may or may not be finished. I wouldn’t usually display such a work yet, but this one feels pretty close to finished. Anyway “finished” is a concept that needs discussing so I’m posting it.
When is a piece of art finished and ready to jump off the easel? Hah, the answer is… relative, vague, unclear, depends on the artist, what was for lunch, or maybe on an evening glass of wine. Generally, it’s a cumulative decision based on experience and that sense that anything else would be extra. It has something to do with accomplishing the idea you began with but also being mindful that a work develops its own direction as you progress. But that’s a whole other conversation. Mostly, the work has to “pop”, stand on its own.
“Finished” is also intuitive, if you listen, the painting says, “That’s enough, put down the frigging brush!” It’s much better to stop before that point so the thing doesn’t look tight; something I still struggle with, as I like to push design and color to the edge.
What works best for me is to leave it sit out for a time period and just glance at it in passing. Often, if it’s not finished, my eye will keep coming back to something that bugs me, some unwanted tension. The perspective of time, which sometimes means six months and put it out of mind until you have more insight, is invaluable.
Then again, some works can come together in a day, title and all. This one is yet untitled. It reflects a stronger direction toward movement in my art, so perhaps something about dancing or rhythm. I’ve also been thinking about marbles. Go figure.
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