Friday, February 20, 2009

. . . played with paint




This is one of four pieces of foam core that I kept beside me while I have been painting for the last few weeks. Whenever I remembered, I would use the leftover paint and texture material to decorate these pieces. These things are heavy. . . there are just layers and layers of stuff on them. You can kind of tell the color pallette I've been using from these paintings. . . lots of blues, grays, white, black, and a spot of red here and there.


I also realize that I haven't used many paint brushes in these paintings. . . mostly I've been using trowels and squeegees to apply the texture medium, and then using a brayer, squeegee, or a crusty old dried-up paint roller with lots of texture on it to apply the paint, which results in rough surface coverage and allows for variations in the colors. I have discovered Liquitex extra-thick gesso is good for an underlayer of texture, as well as black and clear gesso to which I can add color.


On these little pieces, I have also seen firsthand the effects of multiple layers of paints and washes. Although I layer my paintings quite a bit, I'm sure many artists apply more layers than I do. Much of the paint on these layers is quite opaque, but even so, I can see the underlayers have an effect on the "finished" product. So even while I was playing around, I discovered things I can use in the future.

10 comments:

M said...

I love the colour combination with the splash of red. Red commands so much attention. Maybe that's why I love poppies so much.

I received my collage yesterday. I have it framed and hung already. Now I'm moving it around to find its home. Thank you. It was such a lift to get it on a dreary day with more talk of another storm.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

What a gift to yourself to be able to truly experiment. I love your sense of adventure. It will serve you well in creating your future, and your art. I see an artist’s loft in your tea leaves, a serene space with great art, near to cultural happenings. And a wonderful, friendly escort who thinks you have the best taste in all things artistic.

Jazz said...

That just looks so damn cool - I love it!

Blue Sky Dreaming said...

It's rare you can SEE the texture on the screen but this one is clear...perfect way to experiment in the studio! Lovely!

Susan McIntyre said...

I just discovered your blog when I followed the link on The Altered Page. I rarely spend as much time on a blog as I did on yours. It is quite fascinating. I love the format and indeed your wonderful experimental collages. Keep up the good work.

Regina said...

This is SO COOL! I love the idea of working on foam core. (Why didn't I think of that?) I'm always grabbing some paper to use up the leftover off my palette. Foam core makes so much sense because you can put so much on its sturdy surface.
And - I really, really like the results you got here, too. It's so rich.

Mary Buek said...

Margaret, I'm glad you received the collage, and I hope you enjoy it. I love poppies, too. I just wish I could get some started in my garden.

Leslie: About that friendly escort. . .does Betsy count? See my post today, that area would be a cool place to live. Unfortunately my experimenting only extends to art. . . in anything else, I'm frozen by indecision.

Jazz, thanks so much, I'm glad you like it.

Mary Ann: The texture on this piece was so thick that the scanner would not close, even with a weight on top. That accounts for a partial shadow on the picture, too.

Susan, I'm glad you found me through Seth...he's such a great artist/blogger. And I hope you come back to visit my site often. Thank you for your compliments.

Regina: I have a bunch of foam core around and I just cut it into small pieces to make collages and paintings on the spur of the moment. I use other stuff, too, but I think I like the foam core best.

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Of course Betsy counts! She is friendly! And she loves hanging out with you.

Seth said...

The texture on this piece is beyond desciption. It is so organic!

Mary Buek said...

Leslie: Good thing Betsy counts, because she's probably the closest thing I'll get to a companion for a good long time. Maybe there will be a guy in the nursing home where my kids will put me in a few years. Keep my options open, right?

Seth: Crusty, isn't it? Thanks for your comment.