You are here: Home / Archives for aedm11

rise : a lotus painting

November 30, 2011 by 14 Comments

I started a painting ages ago which was supposed to be, well actually, I’ve got no flipping idea what it was supposed to be. It was one of those testing times when the genius idea in your head is not what appears on the canvas. In the end I gave up and it languished for many moons on the floor of my studio.

Then recently, as is my wont, I decided to gesso over the whole thing and start again. Here it is, pre-gesso {not pretty}:

Gesso plus new colours at random:

The more time passes the more I’m learning about my own process. It will always be evolving of course but certain threads remain constant.

I notice that when doing certain things I am smiling or dancing while I’m painting ~ these must be ‘my’ things I guess! When I’ve tapped into creative source and it’s just flowing through me. I love this photo – so scrummy:

Shapes repeat themselves, as do colour choices. Often there is collage, although not on this one. I also get a really strong urge to draw and write on them.

I went into one of my painting trances after first consciously deciding to just dive in and pick colours, brushes and other tools as the feeling arose, not to question anything but just to keep moving and adding and wiping and smooshing.

There was already lots of great texture from the painting beneath it. I wrote ‘rise’ because I was thinking about the lotus flower and how it grows from the mud but looks so beautiful and clean. It represents purity in Buddhism.

Tara’s Genius Tip Of The Day: use chalk to draw in ideas before committing to them with paint. It shows you what something will look like and is really easy to rub off with a cloth. I painted over my chalk lines {more or less} and then rubbed away the chalk when I felt happy with it. I’m sure I didn’t invent this but I did make it up for myself, and it’s the best way I’ve found to try out composition and subject ideas that I need to see ‘down’ before I know if they work.

I’ve been wanting to paint a lotus for ages, but all my efforts looked like artichokes. There is a hint of artichoke here but I’m happy with it all the same.

So I was pleased with the composition and the areas of dark and light, but it didn’t feel quite pulled together enough. I asked the painting what it needed {yes, really} and it said ‘more white’, so I went back in with some white lines and circles, which I then went over again with pencil.

This painting took several weeks and also just a few hours, paradoxically. I’m really pleased with it! It’s in the shop now, and will live in my healing room until it finds a new home.

Filed Under: AEDM, art development, intuitive painting, mixed media art, mixed media painting, painting, paintings Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

inkblot paintings and energy healing

November 25, 2011 by 16 Comments

I confess I have taken Leah’s inkblot painting idea and not run very far with it. In that I made some inkblots, and then let myself be entirely inspired by her own style of women in big dresses.

Plus I really like to use my white pen lately, and then use the black as contrast.

Still loving dots also.

I could do so much more here, but am not feeling too inspired the last couple of days. I just did these while watching Robin Hood (the UK series) on dvd. Not my instinctive first choice but it was lent to me by a friend and it’s good light hearted viewing.

I just noticed both these girls are looking wistfully towards the sky. I feel a bit like that myself lately; there’s a definite feeling of a cycle drawing to a close for me, on all sorts of levels, and a wondering about what comes next.

I’ve also been painting over an old piece on canvas, but so far that’s ground to a halt too. It’ll all come good. Most of my time at the moment is spent doing Reiki sessions and sends (distant healing); this time of year can take its toll on all of us. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the list. You can find out more about how it works here.

 *********************

PS. Don’t forget that until December 5th it’s 20% off anything in my Etsy shop with the code LOVEYOU. {Cause I do, innit.}

Filed Under: AEDM, intuitive painting, reiki, sketchbook Tagged With: , , , , ,

in between times

November 13, 2011 by 4 Comments

One of things I’m loving most about this AED month is how it’s changed the way I work. I have written into my Teux Deux online diary thingo a note to do ‘art every day month’ every day, and having it scheduled into my day like that seems to be effectively ensuring I do something every day, even if it’s just something small. And sometimes the small things lead to the big surprises, right! Then when I’ve done my creativity for the day I get the pleasure of crossing it off! It’s a win win.

So in between the ‘big paintings’, when I’m low on inspiration or just don’t feel like painting big, I’ve been doing something in my sketchbook every day {bar one, where I totally skived}. Sometimes it’s just a sketch, like this one I did after a painting idea I had on the beach. This of course looks nothing like the image in my head but at least it reminds me of it should I decide to actually make a painting from it, and also I kind of like it.

This one is a mixed media number inspired by Leah; I so love the way she tells stories in her paintings {as I may have said once or twice before}, and her feminine figures and symbolism. This one wanted me to call it ‘I See You’. I don’t normally name my sketchbook work but it asked nicely so I said ok then. :)

Also, this one was made from a page on which I’d used up some leftover paint from a big painting. I just drew over the pink splodges and then used water soluble colouring pencils {plus water} to fill in the shapes. I didn’t have any plans except I wanted to try out figures and trees and a moon {which you can’t really see}. What is kind of interesting to me personally is how it reflects some emotional stuff I have going on at the moment without me consciously deciding  to do that; even the title is significant. So that was pretty cool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS. Thank you so much to everyone who left lovely comments and helpful suggestions yesterday; it was much appreciated. At the time of writing I’m on the cusp of deciding on a name…

Filed Under: AEDM, art, drawing, intuitive painting, mixed media art, sketchbook, sketches Tagged With: , , , , , ,

music and sketchbooks and roaring log fires

November 9, 2011 by 15 Comments

These are a few of my favourite things. ;)

m u s i c

Here’s a video of Breathe by Alexi Murdoch ~ new to me and already much listened to, although a quick recce tells me his music’s been on The OC, Prison Break and Stargate Universe, {which is where I found him}, so obviously not new to the world in general.

s k e t c h b o o k s

Nothing large going on, just some playing in front of the tv and trying things out. Superior photography courtesy of my phone.

{this is an ink blot painting inspired by Leah, although mainly just an excuse to doodle with my white pen.}

r o a r i n g   l o g   f i r e s

This is a) the first fire I’ve ever lit on my little own and b) the first fire I’ve lit in my flat since I moved in a year and three months ago. I’d say I’m a natural.

s e c r e t   b o n u s   s h o t

{because adding ‘and soup I made’ would’ve ruined the whole Mary Poppinsness in the title}

Soup that I made. Looks kind of radioactive. Tastes pretty good.

Filed Under: AEDM, cooking, interior decorating, sketchbook, sketches, youtube Tagged With: , , , ,

letting myself do collage

November 4, 2011 by 10 Comments

Goodness me I’m looking forward to the day this month when I actually like what I’m producing. I don’t mind that I don’t really like any of it so far because the process is good and I’ve suddenly given myself permission to do stuff that has no meaning to me {uncomfortable but Good To Do}. Plus you just don’t know what’s going to come up when you have no investment in the outcome of what you’re doing, and that’s kind of exciting. Possibility is my favourite word, after all.

Before I started this bad boy I had a vague idea in my head about the artists I’ve seen who use simple collage behind beautiful, spare, minimalist drawings. That’s not what happened here, but it was my starting point.

I had some fun picking out pieces from my ridiculously huge collage materials mountain, and used some gold transfers and some linen as well as various papers. I was very pleased to discover the brown paper that I painted the feathers on; it was torn out of an old spiral book I had and has yellowed very pleasingly around the edges, as well as being nice and feathery when you tear it.

I do love these colours, and feather shapes.

Then I went in and painted here and there. Apparently I can’t not fill a page, no matter how minimalist I want to be. More is always more in this house.

I’ve gotta tell you, the ‘motivational words’ are really making me puke, but they were there lying about and I stuck them on in my happy sticking trance. I might cover up the ‘be’, since the whole exercise was in fact powered by letting myself do what I liked, and then I might feel less pukey about it. There, meaning. :) And I can always cut it up and use the bits I like best in another piece.


I am a little bit wondering why I don’t do a little thing like this every day, why I need Leah to make it something I let myself do.

Meh, who cares.

Filed Under: AEDM, collage, sketchbook Tagged With: , , ,

sketching and muse. . .ing \see what i did there/

November 3, 2011 by 5 Comments

Firstly, hello, welcome and thank you to everyone who popped by from AEDM ~ it’s lovely to meet you and find new blogs to read! And as always love and thank yous to everyone who isn’t new around these parts and still drops in to leave comments. :)

So clearly I’m embracing the relaxed approach to ‘Art Every Day Month’. Actually, that’s not strictly true. I did do art yesterday, just not til really late and then it was too late to be fiddling about with photos and blog posts. It’s only some sketching really ~ but gosh I really do love sketching in front of the tv! I don’t really watch tv actually but I had David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet on and was laughing at penguins and being astounded by the filmography {is that even a word?} while thinking about the stories I could tell in a painting.

Also I was having a look at Leah’s work and feeling really inspired by her approach; many of her paintings are reworkings of myths and fairytales, usually with an ‘empowered woman’ slant, which I really like. I’m no feminist, but I’m reading and thinking a lot about what it really means to be a woman lately, and ways in which I haven’t owned all of that in the past. And I’m still wanting to make art that combines figures, abstract, mixed media and stories. Perhaps something is coming together here, slowly!

I’m definitely noticing recurring themes in my work these days; the sea {bet you didn’t see that coming}, women, dreamlike images, the moon, aspects of growth and the ‘journey’, and a generally contemplative feel.

These sketches are partly the beginnings of ideas, partly for exploring composition and storytelling, and partly for the joy of moving a pencil across paper and feeling where lines want to go.

 

 

Filed Under: AEDM, drawing, sketchbook, sketches Tagged With: , , , , ,

full of beans

November 1, 2011 by 10 Comments

Here I am. I am full of beans. Blurry, but beaned up nonetheless.

After a week of no beach {I really haven’t been myself!} I went twice today! I also discovered that my phone camera can make vintage style photos.

I found a good heart stone for my collection. {I have over thirty now.} What was also really nice was the atmosphere down there today; a lovely lady came and asked for a ‘peek’ at my sketchbook and we had a scrummy art chat. There was some filming going on, looked like for a music video, and a gorgeous bounding dog came to see me.

Also, I’ve been umming and ahhing about doing Leah Piken Kolidas’ Art Every Day Month, and had decided I definitely wasn’t going to do it.

‘Not doing it’ apparently translates into me signing up and, in fact, doing it. I took my sketchbook to the beach, feeling massively uninspired, and did one oil pastel drawing and one pencil drawing. I am not happy with either but I am relishing the prospect of having a nudge to do something art related every day, especially as lately I’ve been doing pretty much bugger all.

What I also really love about Leah’s approach is how relaxed it is. You don’t HAVE to do art every day, it’s an encouragement and a way to share and be inspired by other people’s work. You don’t even have to join up today {or before}; you can join whenever. If you’d like to join in, the button on the right will take you there.

{oil pastel and black aquarelle pencil}

{HB pencil and a lot of rubbing out}

Happy November to you! Do leave a comment if you’re doing AEDM11 too; we can encourage each other. :)

Filed Under: AEDM, art, brighton, drawing, hearts, sketchbook, sketches, the beach Tagged With: , , , , ,