This And That

 

acrylic 30 x 36 inches

acrylic 20 x 28 inches


Just tiding up the studio a bit, and finished two paintings I had started  awhile back. getting ready to start Canada day with a bang!

Rocky Mountain Magic

Acrylic 36 inches x 48 inches,

Another from the mountain magic series, from the Canmore to Banff range...varying views from  a moving vehicle along the highway. Amazing how it changes from moment to moment...day to day.

Magic Moment

large 36 x 48 inches

Another Canmore mountain scene.

Magic Up Above

Large acrylic 40 x 40 inches.

This painting is referenced from photos I took while driving through Canmore along the highway. I was in the passenger side and no, my husband would not stop, lol.

I also did a video clip using still I shot throughout the painting, and posted it to you-tube. It's a little amateurish but it was fun to do and hopefully I will get better at it. video

This is the original photo before I enhanced it.

Step Above and some Brianisms

acrylic 24 x 48 inches

At the Brian Atyeo workshop, he came up with some pretty good 'Brianisms'. Some are funny but they all carry truth. These are only a few.

1) 'This painting is better than it looks'
2) 'If you can't meet your expectations, then lower them'
3) 'Light doesn't know edges'
4)  'activate early marks'
5) 'Sometimes it's not putting in the darks, it's putting in a light to activate a dark'
6) 'Hang your composition over a large dominant shape'
7) 'Explore what you don't know'
8) 'Don't go into a brush stroke with a little paint and expect a big change'
9) 'We see tone (value) first ,then color.'
10) 'When you make a change in a painting, make sure it has an effect'
11)'Constantly learning what you don't know is the best part of my day'
12) 'Put a lot on take a lot off...paint that is'
13) 'The reset button-that's why God made gesso'
14) 'When you ask yourself a question, pay close attention to the answer'
15) 'Your job as an artist isn't to know, it's to find out'
16) 'If you think it, paint it, trust it, don't fear it.
17) 'Trust the mark and modify it if necessary-it's not the initial mark but the residual mark that counts'
18) It's not as important to know what a stroke will do but to find out what it can do.
19) 'Don't get caught up in the small stuff'
20) ''If I predetermine the outcome it negates the creative process'
21) 'Good art happens for a reason'

Jazz Clip

I finished a painting I started at the Brian Atyeo workshop. This is acrylic,15 x 30 inches and untitled at the moment.

I also did another clip of Brian's Jazz demo with Louis Armstrong singing 'What a wonderful world'...I didn't want to waste his beautiful song so I filled the rest with some pictures of our group dinner and various other shots I took around the area.

It was a wonderful week and chalk full of information and energy. Brian is a wonderful teacher has a great ability to know exactly what each individual needs. Each day he did a morning demo and although I tried a few of his techniques, I decided it best for me to paint the way I paint. Even though I was frustrated at times, I'm glad he pushed me. I came away a better painter...in my opinion.

I hope you enjoy this little clip

Brian Atyeo Clip

acrylic 15 x 30 inches
I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to share Brian Ayteo's second day painting demonstration.(an amateur clip of stills I shot).

Also my warm up... a painting done the evening before the workshop started, at River Rock Studio outside Cochrane Alberta.

 

Where Magic Happens

acrylic, 24 x 30, "Where Magic Happens",

I just arrived back from a five day intensive advanced acrylic session with the talented Brian Ayteo. I'm exhausted and my brain is full, so here is just a peek of what I've been up to.  ( the beginning of my new series ). Once I have wound down, I will be using this blog to post many of my exciting experiences...so stay tuned!

Hidden Falls Commission

 

I'd been dreading starting this commission,even though I've done nothing but think about it for the past month. But actually,it came together quite nicely and quickly too. I had painted a vertical waterfall painting and the client loved it,especially the colors...but she wanted it horizontal. Tricky. I hope she likes it.