A Gray Study

I am learning more about colours and their influence on the viewers response to a piece. For whatever reason, I love all the grays in this picture. It would be a good exercise (for me a big challenge) to paint this and mix all the grays necessary. Hmmmm...

Seasons of Colour

I am fascinated by the Old Ala Windmill in Gotland Sweden. This is the same windmill that I painted below. I took this picture in the September of 2008. The painting below is from a picture I took in December of 2010.

Notes on painting...

Here are a few things about painting that I want to remember from Italian painter, Jerry Fresia's book:

#1: IT IS NOT ABOUT THE TALENT - It's about pointing to a God given gift that we all possess, the gift of being able to celebrate perception by tasting with our eyes.

#2: THE MEASURE IS THE FEELING - We ought not to fear painting badly because the results are not the measure. Our fear ought to be not getting a thrill from what we see. If we get the thrill, the results will follow.

#3: IT IS ABOUT BECOMING MORE OF WHO YOU ALREADY ARE - A deep pleasurable fulfillment comes from the very exercising of our ability to create. In fact, it may be our most crucial fulfillment. We know each other by the brushstrokes we make and our feelings that they express, "I am the brushstrokes that I make."

#4: THE PAINTING IS THE BY-PRODUCT - Each painting we paint is a springboard from which we grow. They are little chunks of expression that happen on the way to finding ourselves.

#5: DO NOT PAINT LIKE AN IMPRESSIONIST - Be an expressionist, dedicate yourself to the person you are most and find the freedom to be who you are.

Polina in the Mirror

The is LittleBark Matryoshka, aka Polina. I sold her to Lapseekers Chihuahuas in Sweden. With a camera, her new owner captured this wonderful moment of her looking at herself in the mirror. I was moved to try to paint it...and try I did. I was concentrating on seeing and composing the shapes the different colour values made and not getting bogged down in detail. Some parts of the painting are okay and then there's other parts that are just 'anal' brush strokes. LOL But no matter, I really enjoyed painting this little girl!

The Horrid Vegetables

My friend invited me to come over for an afternoon of painting. We set this still-life up and set about painting. One thing I found about about myself is that I am terrified to paint in front of others. My fear is all tied up in that nasty thing called ego. What a multi-layered journey this will be for me. The painting I did that day was so horrific. I took a picture of the still we had set up and re-painted it from scratch at home. The fact that I was breathing had a profound effect on my ability to see and move the brush. Ha-Ha! I had fun painting it this time. Painter, Jerry Fresia, says it best, "Our task is not to make an amazing thing called art. Our task is to get a thrill from what we see. When we are moved, we will move others. So the point is not to intend a great painting but to intend a great experience. Look for pleasure, not results. Get to the pleasure and the amazing thing called art will follow."

The Old Ala Windmill

I painted this old Windmill from a reference photo that I took when my husband and I were on the Island of Gotland, Sweden last Christmas. I have many photos of our time there that I will be painting, I think :)

"Too Much Drama"

This is a mask that I purchased when I went to see Cirque du Soliel in Kansas City years ago. I thought it provided interesting subject matter with all the shadows that make the face dimensional. Most people think it is creepy but to me it really expresses the drama within me.

Lois and Webster

Two of my buddies lounging on the back of the couch provided my second challenge in oil. I learned many things from this painting. I might try to repaint this later when I am better.

My First Oil Still - EVER!

This was painted at my first workshop using a limited palette of color. I can't remember what the actual colors were in the still set-up but, all I could mix this first day of painting seemed to be purples and greens.

My dance with art...

I have been dancing the many forms of art as long as I can remember. Performing Arts is my passion. A month ago, a friend of mine urged me to explore painting with oils, something I had never done. While I have never considered myself a 'visual artist', I attended a workshop with her and find myself drawn into this process called painting. This blog will chronicle that journey. For those of you who stop by, feel free to leave me your earnest comments.

Lisa T.