This week's new works

It's been raining a lot in Portland, and I think everyone here is in a funk because of it.  For days, I stared at my art desk and felt so uninspired.  I eventually kicked my rear into gear and started working on some art. 

For the past few weeks, I've been reworking some of my older pieces.  Forecast is a black and white monoprint that I decided to add some color to.  There is a lot going on in the background, so I wanted to keep the new elements simple, while creating another layer of interest.

The title Forecast has a double meaning.  The sporadic white dots in the work look like raindrops on a window, which gives the work its weather reference.  The second meaning refers to the unstable economic state and the hope for a more positive outlook in the near future. The weather and the financial market can be both very volatile and therefore, devastating to many communities.  I added little homes to the work to represent the many individuals impacted by such crisis.

The second piece I completed this week is called Coral Bells, which are one of my favorite flowers. They remind me of my grandfather who kept an immaculate garden.  Last year, I took some starts from his garden and planted them in my own garden. 

Like Forecast, Coral Bells is a reworked monoprint.  I painted images of coral bells using watercolor and added some patterning to the background with ink.  Both the works measure 9" x 12".

An unexpected project were these two illustrations I drew yesterday.

I would love to write and illustrate a children's book one day, and I believe these drawings manifested from that desire.

New work, "Books"

Since last Fall, I have been reworking a lot of my older pieces.  This particular piece is a monoprint that was originally in black and white.  It's been sitting in my portfolio for years.  After finishing Sea last week, I decided to tackle this piece next.  The design has always reminded me of books, like old books sitting on a library shelf.  Using watercolor and marker, I colored the vertical shapes based on book covers in my classic book collection.  (Pink is the one color I added for fun.)

I just added Books to my Etsy shop, where you'll also find more information about the piece. 

New work, "Sea"

This week I decided to "recycle/reuse" one of my older monoprints.  There was one that reminded me of the ocean, and I felt compelled to add some patterns and details to it.  The new work is titled Sea, and, measuring at 18" x 24", it's the largest mixed media piece I've completed in the last six months. 

Lately, I've been experimenting with flattened features in relation to three-dimensional qualities.  With this particular piece, I wanted to create a multi-viewing experience, kinda like looking at a fish bowl.  I wanted the viewer to feel as if they were underwater and also looking at the water from above.  To help with this interplay of perspectives, I added some tiny leaves that are falling onto the surface of the water.  

The pattern of ovals can be viewed as a ground or a structure.  I drew each circle by hand with a pen and then filled in the spaces with a small brush and black ink.  It was tedious but therapeutic at the same time.

Although time-consuming, I enjoyed working at the larger scale.  And I'm all for taking art work that I'm not sentimental about and reworking it into a new piece.  I already have ideas for the next monoprint make-over! 

Different color palettes of art

My daughters are polar opposites, even when it comes to ice cream.  One loves chocolate flavors while the other prefers fruity blends.  When it comes to art, I wouldn't be surprised if one preferred a darker, monotone palette, and the other, a fusion of bright rainbow colors.  This week, I happened to come across a few artists who created works in both of these palettes.  I work in a wide spectrum of colors myself, so I love both color groups.  Maybe this is why I like a double scoop of ice cream!

Betsy Walton, Riverbank, acrylic gouache.

Two Teas, gouache on paper.

Kristin Brenneman Eno, Just One Pod, monoprint.

Cells, oil.

Tony Wuman, Herring Chandelier, plastic and brass. 

Herring Pendant, plastic.

Alex Beeching, The Constellation of the Elephant.

 Dolce, digital photography.

New works- "Night Lights" and "November"

For the past couple of weeks, I've been reworking two panel pieces.  Night Lights is a piece that I just completed yesterday, and it was the third time that I had painted the panel.  Originally the work was a drawing of the Space Needle on an original monotype of mine mounted on a birch panel.  In October, I painted over the drawing and created You are here (the second picture shown below).

I liked the colors in You are here, but wanted to play around with texture some more.  I ended up layering black paint over most of the painting and then using a palette knife to create the repetitive line effect.  I then coated the top of the painting with Galkyd, which created a high gloss. 

Night Lights was a fun piece to work on, and I don't think it'll see another transformation . . . any time soon that is. 

I've been drawing a lot lately with markers, too.  Sometimes I prefer working in pens because I don't have to worry about clean-up or dry time.   It's also therapeutic to sit for an hour and draw patterns. Here's an 8" x 8" drawing from this week called November.

New work- "Fiddleheads in the Woods"

As a child, my family (cousins and all) would take day trips to the mountains to pick fiddleheads. I can still recall the woodsy smell of our station wagon after coming back from our excursions. 

Fiddleheads are used in Korean cooking.  My grandparents used to lay all of the picked fiddleheads on the ground outside to dry.  Here is a picture of what they look like in a package.

photo source: maangchi.com

I realize they look more like dried worms, but they are tastier than they look!

This week, I created a new mixed media piece called Fiddleheads in the Woods. Normally I am inspired as I work.  So it wasn't until after I drew the graphite treeline silhouette and the patterned clouds that I decided to add ferns to the art work.

For more information on materials used in Fiddleheads in the Woods, you can check out my Etsy shop here.  And, as of today, I decided to close my Big Cartel gallery and just showcase all of my work on Etsy.  So now you can see all my current works in the nifty sidebar widget at top. 

Contemporary artists and techniques abound in "The Printmaking Bible"

One of my favorite places to escape to is Powell's in downtown Portland. A few days ago, I picked up a new book that I'm really excited about.  It's called The Printmaking Bible, and it's a comprehensive guide to printmaking techniques- intaglio, relief, lithography, screenprinting, and monotype (which was my art emphasis in college).  Instead of reading like a text book, The Printmaking Bible highlights each printmaking technique through the stories, works, and illustrative processes of contemporary artists.

I've enjoyed reading the different artist profiles in each section, but the features I appreciate most in this book are the step by step techniques detailed in photographs and text.  There are visual outlines of unique printmaking methods every few pages of the 400+ page book- techniques such as Chine colle´ to sugar lift etching to blind embossing.  Fascinating stuff for any printmaking fan!

For those who enjoy art books as much as I do,  I decided to start a new section in the sidebar called "Books I Like."  Only images of books that I have shared on this blog will be uploaded, and I'll try to post new book reviews at least every two weeks.

Taking the old and making new

This is what my drafting table looks like at the moment.  I've decided to work on smaller pieces for now and move away from canvases.  It's been fun to take some of my old monotypes and create new works mounted on birch panels.  I've also been experimenting with safer alternatives to conventional resins. . . will post my first trial piece soon.