Mixed Media

Right now I am completely enjoying doing mixed media pieces. I have sent for some new materials and will follow up with articles on them. Many of the art materials companies are developing new products all of the time and it is exciting. The new products are usually safer (many art supplies have heavy metals in them like cadmium and cobalt) and longer lasting. Many are eliminating solvents and using water instead so clean up is easier.

Pastel Journal Oct. 2009

I finally got around to reading the October issue of Pastel Journal. On article I found very interesting was on why you should paint the same scene 100 times. It was about really stretching yourself as an artist to go way past what you typically paint.

Another article covered a pastel painter who does semi-abstract pastels Frederick D. Somers - really gorgeous pastels.

Meadowdale Show

Meadowdale library is brand new. As my son and I approached it for the first time, I looked around to see where the Vivaldi was coming from and then realized it was coming from the library. My art is hung in their large conference room -- nice display area!

People are voting there today so maybe there will be sales!

Building a Base

I am using the gouache as a base upon with I will apply hard pastel along with pastel pencil.

Earlier today, I was speaking to a fellow artist and she was not familiar with this being tried before. Although artist have used gouache in its watery form with pastel on top, she id d not think anyone had tried using it thick and then using pastel. interesting. I tried to research what she thought on Google and she might be correct.

Progressing

It's progressing.....

Ugly Stage

this is such an "ugly stage" in painting. I have now added the yellow base color in areas.

Photos for Painting

Yesterday, I wne through photos for potential paintings. I have many to use but I also need to do a road trip with my son at the helm again so I can take shots out of the window while moving.

Here are some I already have.

Hay Cow Resting

I have begun a new piece. It will be gouache with pastel on top. I am trying using complimentary colors first as a wash, then the thicker layers of gouache on top.

Approach to the Economy

The Economy is awful. This was not a good time to begin an art business.

I am already offering prints that are less expensive than the originals. The next step is to alter the production of my originals to reduce their prices and my costs. I am going to do more pieces that are the size I can mat and frame myself. I am also going to do more canvases as framing those is less expensive, too. I am going to do one large piece a month that has to be professionally framed. This should keep those costs to $200 or less.

Hope the economy turns around soon so there will be sales.

June Hay

Watercolor and Ink

12" by 16"

2009

Speed

Everything is happening so quickly. It is good but sometimes overwhelming. When I dropped the three pieces off for the Louisa show there were probably over a hundred entries and there was still an hour for work to be submitted. I was doubtful that I would get all three pieces in as they were so big, too. I was disheartened. But alas.....all three got in!! Hooray! Wow. It is all going forward with such speed.

First Sale

I have made my first sale! A "Willa" print sold from the Central library show. Nice to have money coming in instead of so much going out for framing!

Sand Pattern 2

Watercolor and Ink

12" by 16"

2009

Happening

It is all happening so quickly! I just got a one person show at Montpelier Art Center in March 2011! The place is huge so I better get busy!!!

Next Show

For my next show I have the entire display area at Powhatan library -- 78+ feet of wall space!!! i also realized today, that I can also display originals that are not for sale, such as pieces that are owned by my hubby! I am very excited. This is terrific.

First Show Finished

We took down the first show today. Below are some photos:

The next show is in Powhatan. I am not sure if we will have the entire library or just the small conference room. If it is the entire library, then I will include originals with the prints.

Nature Trail

I have named this one and decided to take it in for photographing and then framing. [8/31/09 --- I have reposted the professionally photographed image.]




Ink
22" by 30"
2008

Sand Patterns 1

I still need to stare at this one a while longer before I take it in to be photographed but I think it is finished. It will make great LE prints. [8/31/2009 --- It is finished and I have reposted the professionally photographed image.]






Ink on cold press watercolor paper

16" by 20"

2009

FB

OMG, I went out to FB and my language had changed to some Nordic language with umlauts. If it stays that way, I am not sure what I will do. I need to be able to read things in order to change the language.....

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P sent me instructions on how to change back to English even if I can't read what it says. Thank you!!

I also wonder if it is hackers. What a hoot if it is.

Stuck

I wonder what it means... I have only been able to put 17 items on my "30 things to do before 60" list.

Libraries

I now have libraries lined up to show my prints through April, 2010 (and then again November, 2010. I think I am also going to investigate displays in various arts centers in the area. I know there is one in Orange, Va and Short Pump, VA; and today, my son and I discovered a really nice one in Montpelier, VA. A percentage of each sale goes to the canters but the percentage is usually low like 25% to 30% which is very manageable. Most of the sale price will come back to me (hooray).

Calculus Is Beautiful

Calculus is very abstract. Imagine getting infinitely close to zero but never reaching it. Wonderful. Beautiful.

Things To Do

Lists can be good things. The lists I particularly like are ones like "40 things to do before 40". I started to think of a "60 things to do before 60" but...the list is just too long -- 60 things.

So maybe 40 before 40 is okay but then perhaps subtract 5 for every decade after 40. Ah. Now my list is more approachable. I am going to think of a "30 things to do before 60" list. I better think fast as there are only three more years left!

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See the new entry under my Links section to the right. A work still in process.

Where to start...

One of the libraries has asked for an artist's statement. The problem is; where do I start? There is so much to say. I walk through the world constantly aware of patterns and colors around me. In fact, probably more colors than most people because of my keratoconus. And, I probably see more patterns because of my orientation towards math. When I was adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing at the age of 5, I was also thinking of picture -- glimpses. My path through the world of art has been circuitous to say the least. So, perhaps that is where I should start.

My Birthday

Hah! Everyone is celebrating my birthday, even Google! hahaha

Acryla Gouache

I have discovered and purchased aryla gouache by Holbein. It sounds intriguing. It is flat acrylic paint. Since it is flat, other water media such as regular gouache can be used with it. Once dry, it will not blend with other layers. So what excited me about this is that I love to paint on a colored ground and then layer and layer and layer! I'll let you know what it is like when i use it in the next couple of days!

Clean-Up Time

Wow. I can now see the floor and get to my paper and paints.

Yesterday, my son and I cleaned up the "room above the garage" where I store my art supplies. I can now actually walk to the drawers storing my paper! Much better than reaching across and above "stuff". I also organized my studio area so now my paints are much much better organized. Wow, again.

Licenses

I got my business license and my sales an use tax license! I am official.

Photo Trip

With my son at the wheel (so I could hang out of the window and take pictures), I set off yesterday to take photos along route 60. The photos I took were a surprise -- hay bales! So I am going to start to do a series of paintings on hay bales. I love humor in art!

Official Business

My business has now been registered with the county and the states tax department for sales tax reporting! Awesome.

Chapter 12

After chapter 11 which had some long difficult predicate logic proofs, chapter 12 is such a break. This chapter is on identities or "x=y" type statements.

So when I approached the proofs, my brain was still in "the more difficult proof" mode. It was somewhere about the third proof I realized that the proofs were very easy! My brain was making them more complicated than necessary! The first time I did one proof, I finished in 40+ steps. Then I decided to go back and redo the proof to see how streamlined I could get it. It decreased to 18 steps. Then I realized I could streamline it even more and I realized the proof had extraneous information that I did not need to use at all! Following is the ultra-streamlined proof.

The Proofs Of Increasing Difficulty

Embedded Proofs

Truly Grueling Proof

40 steps so I had to spkit it into two sections.

It took sooo long to get this proof!

Edge

Gouache and watercolor

30" by 22"

May, 2009

Gouache

I have fallen in love with gouache. I love its intense colors. I love its "flatness" when it dries. i love the fact that I can control it better than watercolor. Fabulous paint!

What are we missing?

We are stuck in our three dimensional existence; and that dimensional existence hinders us from seeing past that existence. Could our understanding of the quantum world benefit from investigating in both one and two dimensional spaces? We could accomplish this through our mathematics, but I do not believe we have any means to measure and detect in any other dimensional array than our current three. I wonder what we are missing. There are known missing pieces in our current understanding of light, gravitational theory and quantum theory do not line up, and entanglement is a mystery. Perhaps if we could measure fewer dimensions these current quantum issues would resolve. Maybe we would find that every where we go our atoms leave a personal quantum signature (seems unlikely with our current quantum understanding). What are we missing?

Thomas Paquette

I have become curious about gouache so I sent for a couple of books. One of the books covered gouache paintings by an artist, Thomas Paquette. following is his web site. Beautiful paintings! http://www.thomaspaquette.com/main.html

Ink On Watercolor Paper

I am using Rotring Rapidograph pens (http://octoberthoughts3.blogspot.com/2008/11/rotring-vs-koh-i-noor.html ), and Arches 140 lb. cold press paper. I got a surprise today. The rapidograph ink spreads out less on the watercolor paper than on drawing paper so I need to use the larger nibs! What a surprise. Any point smaller than .35 almost disappears on the paper. Points .5 and above look the best. What a surprise. Even 2.0 looks fairly good although it is probably the maximum size before the ink would have too much texture.

Wonders of the Internet

The Internet certainly does have its issues, but it is also such a wonderful resource. I want to begin an ink and watercolor painting and began to wonder if the sizing on the paper would interfere with the ink by clogging my technical pens. I tried researching over the Internet and could not find an answer. Then I went to B&N's site and looked for books. I found several by an artist, Googled that artist, found the artist's website and emailed her (she is out in Portland, OR). I got a response in less than a half-hour! I do not have to worry about the sizing as i am using high quality paper. So great to be able to network with other artists!

Two Kayakers

Appalachian Trail

Difficult But Interesting

More Work From UVA

Since I had my work photographed, I have some more pictures of my work from UVA.

Big Step

I have a dozen pieces at a photographer's shop in Cahrlottesville being photogrpahed. Once I have the digital images, I will then make fine art prints, frame them and sell them. Hopefully, this will be a nice source of income so I can build a studio by our house!

Predicate Logic

I just finished my first predicate logic proof! What fun!

The Infinite

Every time I pick up a fresh piece of paper or a blank canvas, I am staring at infinity. Each one holds the possibilities of anything. The bounds are endless as to what they could contain, and how they could be approached. The infinite is in my hands.

My First Palette

After weeks of work, I think I have finally developed my first selection of palette colors. I think every watercolor artist struggles to identify the colors that they feel represent them, and also work well blending with other colors (blending is a vital aspect of watercolor painting). Some of the colors I have chosen are not great at blending but they still offer other aspects that I like. I have also placed Holbein's Leaf Green in my section reseerved for yellows as that is how I am probably going to use it. All of the other colors are Windsor and Newton. So, going from left to right around my John Pike palette are the colors:

Leaf Green
Winsor Yellow
Quinacridone Gold
Indian Yellow
Raw Sienna
Winsor Orange
Permanent Rose
Brown Madder
Winsor Red
Cobalt Violet
Winsor Violet
Winsor Blue (red shade)
French Ultramarine
Cobalt Blue
Manganese Blue Hue
Viridian
Winsor Green
Cobalt Turqousie Light
Permanent Sap Green
Antwerp Blue