Elis Cooke Art

Finding Inspiration

2011-09-26T12:48:00.000-04:00

Spark of Madness VI

Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas.

Sometimes one has to look no further than your own work for inspiration. The above painting was loosely inspired by the cropped closeup below from another painting. Another wonderful use of the Photoshop tools. Inspired and re-inspired!

Travelling Light

2011-09-17T10:36:00.002-04:00

Mixed media on cradled hardboard.

'always travel lighter

than the heart.'

--Lorna Crozier--

Travelling Light is an ongoing series of intuitive work exploring the movement and interplay of light.

aDrift III

2011-09-13T15:05:00.000-04:00

Mixed Watermedia on stretched canvas.

'Not all who wander are lost."

--J.R.R. Tolkien--

unCharted Territory VII

2011-09-06T09:15:00.000-04:00

Mixed Media on stretched canvas.

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."

-John Keats--

"One of the best things about paintings is their silence - which prompts reflection and random reverie."-- Mark Stevens

Series: Uncharted Territory

"Terra Incognita:
Latin term for 'unknown land', used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented."

Tide Pool 15

2011-09-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

Mixed Media on stretched canvas.

Series: Sea Views

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),

It's always our self we find in the sea."

~e.e. cummings

The Sea View series is an ongoing series of intuitive impressions of bodies of water. The semi abstract images are suggestive of water, waves, surf, tidepools, water lines and foam.

Nesting Urge

2011-08-24T16:02:00.001-04:00

Mixed watermedia collage on stretched canvas.

Divining 109

2011-08-08T21:13:00.001-04:00

Mixed watermedia collage on paper.
Divining series.

Spring Dreaming

2011-07-26T22:57:00.000-04:00

Watermedia collage on paper.

"Chaos is a friend of mine."

--Bob Dylan--

Divining
"1: to discover by intuition or insight : infer
2: to discover or locate (as water or minerals underground) usually by means of a divining rod."
--Merriam Webster Dictionary--
The Divining series focuses on experiments with watermedia collages incorporating washi rice paper, tissue paper and fibred papers. These intuitive works focus on the introduction of fluid watermedia [ink, acrylic, watercolor] onto the surface of wet and dry papers to find a path and pattern of their own.

Spark of Madness iv

2011-07-24T20:47:00.001-04:00

Mixed watermedia on stretched canvas.

'You are only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

--Robin Williams--

"...ring the bells that
still can ring,
forget your
perfect offering,
there is a crack in
everything;
that's how the light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen-

aDrift 142

2011-07-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

Mixed watermedia on stretched canvas.

"Not all those who wander are lost."

--J.R.R. Tolkien--

Blooming 116

2011-06-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

Mixed watermedia on stretched canvas.

'To Bloom where you are planted."

Mary Engelbreit

aDrift 140

2011-06-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

Mixed water media on stretched canvas.

'Not all who wander are lost"

--J.R.Tolkien--

Divining 108

2011-06-22T15:04:00.001-04:00

Mixed watermedia collage on stretched canvas.

"Chaos is a friend of mine."

--Bob Dylan--

Series: Divining

"1: to discover by intuition or insight : infer
2: to discover or locate (as water or minerals underground) usually by means of a divining rod."
--Merriam Webster Dictionary--

The Divining series focuses on experiments with watermedia collages incorporating washi rice paper, tissue paper and fibred papers. These intuitive works focus on the introduction of fluid watermedia [ink, acrylic, watercolor] onto the surface of wet and dry papers to find a path and pattern of their own.

Blossoming 112

2011-06-20T15:26:00.002-04:00

Mixed Watermedia on stretched canvas.

inVision 112

2011-06-10T15:37:00.000-04:00

Watermedia Monotype on Paper

Musing 33

2011-06-08T21:11:00.000-04:00

Mixed Watermedia Collage on Paper

inVision 110

2011-06-05T20:39:00.000-04:00

Watermedia Monotype on Paper.

inVision 108

2011-05-30T22:46:00.001-04:00

Water media Monotype on 8x10 paper.

in 11x14 mat.

Most of my recent work has been very process driven. I keep coming back to the processes that fascinate me. And I am coming to realize they are all unpredictable-- I have no idea for sure of what the result will be-- and I like that element of chance involved-- the responding to the materials and elements-- moment to moment. This series of work involves creating masks and resists from various materials- rice papers, tissue, strings and then applying paint in layers, printing over printing until I have an image that is mysterious and ethereal-- an image that takes me places.

Blossoming 109

2011-05-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

Mixed watemedia on stretched canvas.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

--Anais Nin--

The Blossoming group is focused on studies exploring the action "to blossom."

Hanging Gardens

2011-05-17T22:37:00.000-04:00

Mixed media on 3 stretched canvases.

"In search of my mother's garden, I found my own." Alice Walker

Cocooning

2011-05-03T21:09:00.000-04:00

Mixed media on stretched canvas.

"You can fly, but that cocoon has got to go"

--Polish proverb--

Mantra

2011-04-26T17:01:00.000-04:00

Mantra 102

Mixed Media on Paper

Mantra 101

Mixed Media on Paper

"A mantra is a sound, syllable, word or group of words [or image] that is considered capable of 'creating transformation.' " [often used as a focusing tool for a meditative state of being]
--Wikipedia--

The Mantra series is an ongoing series of exploratory abstracts focused on painting as meditation practice.

Divining107

2011-04-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

Mixed watermedia collage.

"Chaos is a friend of mine."

--Bob Dylan--

The Divining series focuses on experiments with collages incorporating washi rice paper, tissue paper and fibred papers. These intuitive works focus on the introduction of fluid watermedia [ink, acrylic, watercolor] onto the surface of wet and dry papers to find a path and pattern of their own.

Spark of Madness I

2011-04-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

Mixed Media on 16x20 on stretched canvas.

You are only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t loose it.

--Robin Williams--

Falling into Blue

2011-03-24T17:17:00.001-04:00

Mixed Media on 12x12 stretched canvas.

return of hope now

from grey to endless cobalt

falling into blue

Storm Spill

2011-03-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

Mixed Media on 16x20 stretched canvas.

Meltdown

2011-02-21T15:21:00.001-05:00

Acrylic and Ink on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

boundaries breached

overflowing the edges

racing the meltdown

Blooming

2011-02-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

Acrylic on stretched canvas.

Longing for spring still

undercover of white chill

green will bloom again.

Let it Flow

2010-12-01T21:05:00.001-05:00

Mixed Media on stretched canvas

Mixed media on stretched canvas

Alot of my work lately has been intermingling fluid paint with heavier paint-- so some areas flow and drift and mix and other areas of paint tend to stay put or create interesting barriers and resists to the path of fluidity. I can absorb many hours watching and reacting to this dance of paint. These two are my favourites thus far.

still aDrift

2010-11-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

aDrift 101

Daily Painting

Mixed media on stretched canvas.

aDrift

2010-11-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Mixed Media on 24x24 cradled hardboard

Playing Catch Up

2010-11-13T21:36:00.000-05:00

So I guess the fastest way to catch up is to do a few posts with paintings I have finished over the last several months. These ones are from my Musing series-- small daily warm ups, practising-- seeing what the muse has to offer. Sometimes I like what happens-- sometimes I don't but its all good practise in forms and colours. All mixed media [acrylic, ink, collage] on stretched canvas.

Coloured Rain

2010-11-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

Mixed Media on 18x24 stretched canvas.

Away too too long again... Working with more fluid paint and india ink-- in love with stains, running paint and well placed drips... coloured rain.

Matting Works on Paper

2010-06-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

Dream Space 101

Mixed Media on Paper

[ink, watercolour, acrylic, rice paper, collage]

I love working on paper. After monthes of working mostly on paper in my art journal and out of it, I've also come to appreciate just how differently paper takes the paint. I used to just accumulate these works on paper, thinking someday I would finally get around to mastering cutting mats. Hasn't happened yet. But I have found a wonderful alternative Matshop.ca which also has a dot com link for US customers. The prices are reasonable and the best thing is they will cut the opening to any size you want! They also sell backing boards and archival bags so you can mount your work and keep it safe. So now I just have to got through the stacks of paper and find the little gems amongst the dross.

Dream Space

2010-06-09T12:56:00.001-04:00

Dream Space 105

Musing series

Mixed Media on Paper

[rice paper, collage, ink, watercolour, acrylic]

Waterway

2010-05-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

Mixed media on stretched canvas

Musing series

2010-05-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

Mixed Media on 8x8 stretched canvas

Musing series

The Musing series are my daily paintings. I start my day in the studio with an open mind working with what arrives, somewhat like working in an art journal. This series is a daily reflection of current obsessions and explorations. It includes studies in form, composition and colour, experiments, sketches and detours from the main path.

Coming Back

2010-05-16T16:14:00.000-04:00

Mixed Media on 8x8 stretched canvas.

Musings series

Officially this sabbatical is over. It took much longer than I expected to heal and find new ways of working. I am coming back around to painting daily after monthes of working predominantly in my art journal when I could work at all. I am hoping to post more regularly now that I am getting back into the swing of things.

On Sabbatical

2009-08-04T14:55:00.003-04:00

Concrete Poems

2009-06-26T14:08:00.003-04:00

Surfacing series

Mixed Media on 4- 8x8 stretched canvases.

[handmade paper, rice paper, crackle paste, acrylic, ink, metallic powders]

Still Playing around

2009-06-23T20:10:00.003-04:00

I am supposed to be avoiding the computer-- so new work but less typing for the next little while. All acrylic with ink pencils.

a Peace of Joy series

2009-06-15T16:34:00.003-04:00

Mixed media on 3- 12x24 stretched canvases.

[ink pencils, graphite, acrylic]

Some days are starting days and some days are finishing days. I have been trying to finish up what I have begun before I get some repair work done on my right wrist which will force me to take a bit of a break for healing. So to prepare, I have also been trying to paint with my left hand when precision isn't required... which is kind of interesting-- my left hand is not well trained at all I am finding-- tends to be a bit raw. I have been working on these ones over the last week. I have been making marks with the ink pencils or acrylic on a brush using my right hand, then pushing them around with paint or medium on a larger brush to blend them with my left hand. I guess I should be grateful I have another hand at least.

Work in Progress

2009-06-08T14:52:00.003-04:00

I have been working away at this one over the last week or so. The support had been layered with rice paper and dried. Then I started out by spraying the surface with water and sketching with an India Ink Inktense Pencil [they are fast becoming one of my favourite markmaking tools]. Then I painted wet into wet with inks and acrylics.

After that layer dried, I started painting out to reshape things and glazing with fluid colours, and used the Inktense for additional markings.

The last layer was mostly more markings with the Inktense and a bit more glazing to deepen colours. As usual, there are parts I really like, but I think I will have to live with it a bit longer before calling it done.

Surfacing series

2009-05-29T13:55:00.004-04:00

Over the last week, I have been back to my textured works-- cycles upon cycles. I have been focused on the surface-- using a variety of materials to create texture with a simple landscapish theme as a constant. On the top one, I am using rice paper and tissue paper, letting them wrinkle over most of the surface and crumpling them up into folds in the green area.

In the second picture again I am using tissue and rice paper again, but pushing the rice paper together to create the raised lines.

In the third photo, I am using again the tissue paper for sky, crumpled rice paper in the coppery area and crackle paste [I love that stuff!!!] for the burnt sienna base area.

Variety is my Spice

2009-05-15T15:13:00.005-04:00

Work in progress.

I seem to need to have alot of pieces of work on the go... I just keep moving from one to the next... I never know if I will finish anything in a day or if suddenly 2 or 3 pieces will come together and feel complete. I also need alot of variety in my processes... so in between painting, I will be collaging or making paper or making journals.

This is a piece I have been plugging away at for awhile. I started by collaging tissue and rice papers onto the canvas support. Some of the papers were already painted and some were white or cream. While it is all still wet I like to introduce the paint [ink, watercolours] so it creeps into the papers creating cool mixtures and textures. Then I will let that dry and have an interesting surface to work on...

Close up.

Sanctuary series

2009-05-11T21:49:00.004-04:00

Mixed Media on 3- 12x24 stretched canvases.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

love is a place

love is a place

& through this place of

love move

(with brightness of peace)

all places

yes is a world

& in this world of

yes live

(skillfully curled)

all worlds

ee cummings

The Sanctuary series is an ongoing series of work exploring concepts of shelter, refuge, home and sacred space. Each of these works feature at least one window, a way of seeing outside [material reality] and a way of seeing inside [spiritual world].

In progress.

Detours

2009-05-06T20:44:00.003-04:00

Needless to say, I shouldn't discuss plans for what I am planning to get to here-- the muse seems to get a bit unruly when burdened with expectations. So today, I worked on one for the Sanctuary series--I think it is getting close, it is a bit hardedged and I want to soften some areas.

I also took a few detours-- I think I need to start a new series just titled Detours-- for experiments and explorations that just don't seem to fit in anywhere else-- but are part of my process of discovery and I still like to look at. These 3 seem to be a morph of the cruciform structure of the Sanctuary series but with the curving forms of the Soar series-- they didn't know what they wanted to be-- but the colours make my heart sing and they look so cool together.

Soar mini

2009-05-06T00:52:00.004-04:00

Mixed Media on 2- 6x6 stretched canvases.
[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

I tried smaller instead. Just as there are challenges in going larger, there are challenges in going smaller. These 6x6 pieces came out alright-- yet the 4x4 canvases I tried out bombed badly-- I finally figured out that I would need to find smaller brushes as a swipe of the 1 1/2 bristle I have been using to blend pretty much blended everything too much on such a small canvas. So we'll have another try at things tomorrow.

Soar series

2009-05-04T18:56:00.003-04:00

Mixed Media on 8x8 stretched canvas

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

This is the beginning of a new series that I think I will call Soar-- focused on transformation-- these images to me seem suggestive of birds, butterflies, spirits, even florals perhaps-- evoking fragility and motion. I love the kind of ambiguity that brings the viewers imagination into play.

I am still working mostly with studies, getting an idea of how to make these work larger. That is an ongoing challenge I find-- translating processes that work on a smaller scale to larger scale. I am hoping to take that on this week. I think I will try gradually going larger-- maybe some 12x12 canvases next. Unless I'm feeling particularly brave...

Breaking Through

2009-05-01T15:13:00.004-04:00

I hoped I would eventually remember how I paint...

Points of Departure

2009-04-30T22:17:00.006-04:00

Lightbulb! I am beginning to get the point of studies as a great place to explore an idea before committing to a larger canvas. Although I experiment and play [alot] I rarely use these as reference for larger work-- it just never occured to me. It was like the blank canvas was always a place for something new, open to possibilities. I've never been a planner-- and I accepted a long time ago the consequences of that being work that is strange and surprises me which is good in my world--but with my random approach there are also alot of false starts. But lately I am finding that it is really helping to play with these smaller canvases to find out what might happen if I did this or that before I do it on the larger work. And once I have a study worked out- usually in several different approaches, I am making better decisions about what is going to work or not work... Now when I take on the larger pieces, the studies are points of departure and I can still let the work develop into what it is going to become, instead of copying or repeating larger where I've already been smaller, but it seems like my trust in where I'm going is surer. I am learning so much through theses studies-- I love my job!

Paint Sketching

2009-04-28T20:30:00.003-04:00

[acrylic, ink on 8x8 stretched canvas]

I spent most of today working on little paint sketches, trying to work out some ideas about where I'm going. I usually use small canvases for studies, just in case they develop into something interesting. I am largely playing with colour combinations and composition. I am trying to challenge myself with colour still and will often do a base colour in a colour that isn't a favourite and see where I can take it. This one started with a pink base which is peaking through in areas. I am liking the curving shape and the interplay of fogged out areas with the sketchy areas.

Sanctuary III

2009-04-27T15:20:00.004-04:00

Mixed Media on 16x20 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

This series is generating itself-- giving me lots of ideas of where I can go with this theme. I have a couple more in progress-- hoping to get to them soon. I am seeing in alot of ways, these are kind of refining or simplifying things I was playing with in the 'going green' piece I did earlier this year. Variation in the method of getting there, but similar in the mark markings.

Sanctuary II

2009-04-26T14:02:00.003-04:00

Mixed Media on 20x26 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

A new one in the Sanctuary series. This one is layers of wet into wet washes of acrylic, ink and Inktense pencils on almost raw canvas for staining effects. Then some sharper contrasts put on top once it all dried. I'm starting to realize how my themes are all interconnected. This series as well really seem to be part of my Crossing Place series. Maybe we all have our thematic obsessions and really can't escape them?

Sanctuary 1

2009-04-25T00:51:00.001-04:00

Mixed media on 20x24 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

I think this is the beginning of a new series-- I have the underpaintings in progress to explore a few more ideas with this theme-- I'm having alot of fun with these paintings-- mixing blending and layers of colours with sketchy forms and shapes. In this one, I love the magenta against orange and red orange.

A Good day's Work

2009-04-23T17:22:00.003-04:00

Letting in the Light II

Mixed media on 18x18 stretched canvas

3- 12x12 canvases
Letting in the light series

Finally I am getting some focused studio time... and finally starting to feel like I am making some progress. I finished 3- 12x12 canvases in between working on the 18x18 canvas. I am really liking this colour combination-- the lime green/ turquoise with violet red-- and a touch of the quin. gold I've been hoarding. These ones meet my ambiguous 'strange and otherly' criteria and I like looking at them. After monthes of working really hard, these ones came together in the flow of things-- I so wish I could arrange more of those hours/ days.

Anima Animus

2009-04-22T16:48:00.008-04:00

Mixed Media on 2- 12x24 stretched canvases.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

Sometimes the unconscious is a richer pool for imagery than anything I could ever plan. Most days I try to give my self at least some time to just paint and see what happens-- no plan-- just jump in and follow the brush like meditation. I painted these ones upside down actually [another example of the muse getting my mind out of the way so she can do her thing] When I flipped them to more easily fix something on what I thought was the bottom, I got an uncanny sense of masculine and feminine-- thus anima/ animus. The oddest thing is I have been thinking about figures again-- not sure how they would develop just that they would be different from the handmade paper ones I used to make. But knowing any figures I did would be mythic and archetypal, representative of soul instead of realistic. I'm not sure this is how they will develop-- but I do think it is very interesting to uncover what's on the muses mind.

In Progress

Work in Progress

2009-04-21T22:34:00.002-04:00

I am finding that white in addition to being useful for glazing and misting out an area, is very useful for revisions... I've been playing with this one for awhile-- just making marks and reshaping things... it is still too busy, but it gives me a sense of where I'm going... and maybe I don't have to be the gesso queen anymore!

Looking for advice

2009-04-20T23:36:00.007-04:00

Passage 6

Mixed media on 22x30 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink, drawing media]

I decided to try the passage theme on stretched canvas. I worked this one wet in wet which is quite possibly my absolute favourite way to work. Because the canvas stays wet and absorbent alot longer than hardboard, I had alot longer time for blending and created some transitions I really like.

So I'm looking for advice-- does anyone know if you can stretch canvas over cradled hardboard? I like the hard surface of the hardboard but the absorbency of the canvas-- I think if I could have both I would have my ideal working surface. Any advice out there vis a vis whether this could be workable? anyone done it? would the canvas eventually be damaged by contact with the hardboard? if I used gesso first on the hardboard would that minimize deterioration? Any input appreciated...

Passage5

2009-04-20T23:33:00.001-04:00

Mixed Media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.
[ink, acrylic, rice paper]

Passage4

2009-04-16T19:39:00.003-04:00

Mixed media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

I've been trying to push myself out of my colour comfort zone. My usual palette tends toward analgous-- either all warm or all cool. This one was a real stretch-- mixing red and oranges with greens... trying to avoid that xmas look. Again the white glaze comes in handy... I have also been trying to bring in more mark making and symbology.

Passage3

2009-04-15T23:23:00.001-04:00

Mixed Media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

Wrinkle in Time2

2009-04-13T22:41:00.003-04:00

Mixed media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

[rice paper, ink, acrylic, monoprinting, collage]

Behind the scenes, I have continued my obsession with rice paper and monoprinting. The lighter central area is several ripped pieces of rice paper that I reverse monoprinted against various plastics. The border area are all monoprints where I used gesso as a resist on my handmade print plates, then washed colour over them. I am considering deepening the border area with a glaze of indigo, but I suspect the monoprints will be pretty much lost which may or may not be a good thing. For now, it is on the long wall of my Now Whats? Any opinions???

Exploring White

2009-04-08T21:57:00.002-04:00

Work in progress.

One of the things I love about my work is there still alot to learn and One of the most frustrating things about my work is there is still alot to learn! I've been exploring white lately--- I tended to avoid white-- it was just too overpowering and chalky-- so usually if I wanted lighter areas I tended to use more of a watercolourist approach-- either using the white of the support and working transparently-- or thin it with lots of water so it was more of a wash... which just doesn't work with heavier bodied paint. So I finally figured out to mix it with alot of medium so it is more of a glaze and doesn't kill the colour when I mix it in. I'm sure it's not rocket science for most of you out there-- but sometimes this 'self taught' approach means learning things the hard way and this has been a revelation for me. I think I like white now-- it certainly has it's uses in layering color over colour.

Passage2

2009-04-07T16:45:00.001-04:00

Mixed media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.
[acrylic, ink]

Passage

2009-04-05T19:18:00.003-04:00

Mixed media on 24x24 cradled hardboard

[acrylic, ink]

Earth Forms

2009-04-03T00:17:00.004-04:00

Uncharted Territory 8 and 9

Acrylic and inks on 2-12x24 stretched canvas.

I really like these long narrow canvases. These ones kind of painted themselves-- I did an underpainting of warm tones [yellow/ oranges/ red oranges] and let that dry. Then put the paintings on an angle and dripped and poured the cool tones and tints. These ones turned out interesting-- the third one is a mess--- but that's pretty good odds for playing!

Works in Progress

2009-03-30T15:34:00.003-04:00

I am still working with almost raw canvas [just a thin wash of gesso to prime] and using inks and fluid acrylics wet into wet. I have been playing with some of my drawing media to make marks. I am especially becoming a fan of the Derwent Inktense Pencils. If you use them while the canvas is still wet, they become insoluble when they dry. I also really like the Caran D'ache Neocolour I which are oil based wax crayons.

On this one I have been layering poured washes of acrylic and inks, letting them mix and intermingle and backrun. In between I have been making marks with oil pastels for resist. I think this one is getting close to done.

Uncharted Territory

2009-03-25T00:00:00.004-04:00

I've still been working with this landscape theme... and no one is more shocked than me??? I haven't had anything grab me this much since I gave up figures... it seems like I've been putzing for over a year, doing a bit of this-- a bit of that--- just messing around trying to figure out where to go next. But it is more the process that is grabbing me--- I am so enjoying the slowing down of the process... the calm meditative aspect- layering colour over colour, scratching back, and blending colours on the support mostly. I am feeling like I am learning so much. It must be what I'm needing now... so I follow.

Create what you want to Look at

2009-03-19T15:37:00.004-04:00

Autumn Impression

Still light

One Tree Hill
I found these 3 pieces on a shelf.. so I guess it reveals just how messy my studio can get... I must not have seen them as finished at the time I stuck them on the shelf-- probably to make room for some new concept I decided needed to be pursued immediately! lol! But sometimes seeing with fresh eyes makes all the difference-- especially in knowing what to do next. So with a bit of re-orientation, fine tuning and a few glazes they meet my kind of strange and otherly criteria and I like looking at them. Maybe I need to misplace more of my work in progress.

When I was studying to become the next writer of the Great Canadian novel-- way back when-- an essay by Alice Walker really struck me-- I am paraphrasing but-- She said she couldn't find literature that she could relate to [no surprise there, since most of what we got to read in English Lit. was written by white males] so she decided to ' Write what she wanted to read.' I have taken this advice, twisted it a bit and reapplied it to art--- thus I try to 'Create what I like to look at.' Alot of the time when I just can't decide if something is done or not, I ask myself if I like looking at it--- if so, then it can be done.

Landscapes

2009-03-16T16:10:00.002-04:00

I've been getting obsessed with this abstracted landscape theme lately. Just working very slowly and meditatively... blending colour into colour over a textured base. They were intended to be practice.. a learning exercise with the landscape theme as the constant... So I'm kind of surprised at myself but think I like these ones... looking at them takes me places... which is what I aspire to in creating... and I am enjoying the slowing down of the process. I think I need to get more of the Open medium so I have more blending time.

Transitions

2009-03-15T23:54:00.004-04:00

First session: This canvas sat around the studio for several monthes--- one of those ones that was clearly not there but I didn't know what to do with next as it had alot of texture because of some raised flings and alot of scratched out gouges.... so then I put it up on the easel up side and down and started to play...

Second Session: After the second session... it was still pretty raw and didn't seem to know what it wanted to be.

Third session: so it sat around again a few days... then I started to work slower just playing with colours and adjusting shapes-- using pastels, watercolour crayons and acrylic... and it seemed to be moving towards the Lifelines series.

Life Lines II

Mixed Media on 24x24x 1 1/2 on Gallery stretched canvas.
[acrylic, pastels, watercolor crayons]

Writes of Passage 1

2009-03-12T20:49:00.003-04:00

Mixed Media collage on 18x24 cradled hardboard.

[monoprints, direct painting, text, acrylic, collage]

Painting squares wasn't working out so well-- so I have been taking on squares using my hand decorated collage papers. I used monoprinted papers, some foreign text, and marbled paper for the base, then painted out some areas. I used one of my favourite print plates [it makes me think of fences] in some areas, did some sanding to distress things a bit and applied a glaze of burnt sienna to unify things. Of course each of these steps involved the usual time delay and debate of Now What? but I am much happier with these squares-- they feel like my work.

I am hopelessly addicted to hand decorating papers with various methods and have stacks of them. I used them mostly for my journals but now I have an excuse to make even more...

Life Lines 1

2009-03-11T16:18:00.003-04:00

Mixed Media on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

[rice paper, acrylic, ink]

Another long meandering journey involving abandoned squares, rice paper layers, paint layers and a spray bottle.
In the In Progress photo you can also see part of my wall easel which I built myself. I used 2- 2x4ft peg boards mounted on lattice boards and drilled it right into the wall so it is very sturdy. With the peg board hooks I can adjust for whatever size of support I am working on-- up to 4ftx4ft.

In Progress

Going Green 2

2009-03-02T22:21:00.002-05:00

Acrylic on 24x24 cradled hardboard.

[from the Crossing Place series]

My daughter really liked Going Green1 which had already been spoken for so-- I decided to take a stab at doing something similar but unique. I am reeeally starting to love this limey yellow green-- it was one of those colours I've had to learn to like. Happily my daughter likes this one even better!

Taking Flight 1

2009-02-23T15:53:00.004-05:00

Mixed Media on 16x20 stretched canvas.

[rice paper, watermedia]

Closeup of texture.

What a strange ride this one was... I had the base layer of rice paper down and was applying the second layer when my brush zigged when I intended to zag... resulting in a massive clump of rice paper instead a smoothish layer. So I could have removed it... but the texture intrigued me and I followed... using my brush to push the paper into ridges and whorls... then I poured some paint around and put it under the fan overnight to dry.

When I showed it to my daughter, she said it made her think of cross between an eagle and a figure running so fast-- they took flight.... she said I should call it 'taking flight'. Thus it is. I used to do alot of very dimensional work with papers... maybe this flight is a sign it is time to explore that kind of work again...

Wrinkle in Time 1

2009-02-22T17:11:00.004-05:00

Mixed media on rice paper mounted on 20x24 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, mica powders, metallic powders, ink, washi]

Close up of top center.

This piece developed by laying rice paper down on heavy plastic with acrylic medium, then squirting acrylics and inks around-- copper, blue, violet and turquoise. To top it off I poured on some metallic powders I had mixed with gum arabic and distilled water, but my mix was heavy on the powder side and the powder didn't move much ---just settled in and created these cool wrinkles, fissures and crevices which I'm hoping you can see in the close up at the bottom. I was just going to use this one as a collage paper, but instead I decided to mount it on a canvas because I didn't want to tear it up.

Energy Exchange

2009-02-20T14:22:00.002-05:00

Acrylic on 20x24 stretched canvas.

I am liking the organic shapes in this one and the energy of the flings... but I think the yellow needs adjusting... I think I want to soften it a bit-- knock it back... it just keeps jumping out at me. Maybe a glaze of quin. gold?? Any opinions?

Sharing the Light

2009-02-12T22:48:00.003-05:00

Series: Letting in the Light

Mixed Watermedia on 24x30 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink]

I forgot to take in progress photos for this one... got lost in the process. Again, I only applied one thin coat of gesso mixed with some water for an almost raw canvas effect. After that dried, I sprayed the canvas with water and poured on some inks, letting them drift and stain the canvas. From there I used acrylics-- fluids and heavy bodied... with a few flings here and there. I still really like flinging.

Now What? Works in Progress

2009-02-10T19:47:00.005-05:00

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursula K. Le Guin

I have been plugging away... I have several Now Whats? in progress--- I love to start a with a new canvas... it is full of possibilities... my first layers are usually playful-- but once the first marks are made, one has to decide where to go next? It's like each mark, colour defines and refines the path towards completion... which is often a long meandering journey... Sometimes I think I should just name all my paintings Journey lol!

Jacob's Ladder1

2009-02-01T23:07:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 18x24 stretched canvas.

This one was interesting to work on-- you can see it in progress below. I hand stretched this canvas and find it much easier to stretch raw canvas than gessoed canvas. Instead of doing several layers of gesso to prime it, I instead just primed it with a wash of gesso thinned with water. The result was a very absorbent surface-- almost paper like. So I started layering colours over colours in glazes, really enjoying how the surface took the paint. I think I will try this again.

ALight

2009-01-26T18:06:00.003-05:00

Mixed Media on paper mounted on 8x8 stretched canvas.

[washi, ink, watercolour, acrylic]

The washi/ rice paper collages are easy to stick with as the process itself and the unpredictability of how the surface interacts with the paints keeps it challenging. I am finding it a different kind of challenge to work on the squares... I just love how squares look, their edges and solidity-- but they are a real struggle to make my own.... I keep getting close to finished, then realize it reminds me of someone else's way of doing squares.. maybe it's something I have to go through to understand how to develop squares that feel like they are mine. I have a few in progress but nothing that is singing to me yet.

In My Garden 1

2009-01-23T18:00:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to keep better track of how I get from one place to the next in my work by trying to remember to take in progress photos.

This was actually the first one in my garden series-- the seed-- and it afforded me a lightbulb moment of realizing that just because one flung some paint didn't mean one had to keep the fling as it was--- one could modify the fling with a brush if it didn't work as a fling. So I ended up with alot of modified flings in this one that made me think of a garden... but I didn't like the background... it was too pale and too pinky red. So I needed to wait until I had a day where I felt like I could take on some fiddly negative painting to fix the background and hopefully retain the tangled mayhem of the flings which I liked.

Work in Progress- version 1

Mixed Media on 24x24 cradled Hardboard.

[ink, acrylic, watersoluble crayons]

I decided I wanted alot more green in the background which I painted in layers of acrylic washes and glazes... did a bit more flinging... some markmaking with water soluble crayons... and some calligraphic markings with india ink.

Earth Impression

2009-01-20T20:23:00.003-05:00

Mixed Media on 8x8 stretched canvas.

For this experiment I layered rice paper, tissue paper, matte medium, acrylic, and ink onto a piece of 100% cotton. This created a sturdier base to mount on the canvas, but the cloth is very absorbent and the colour really soaked into it and ran alot further than I expected. I had to crop out this one and add more colour to salvage it. I'm thinking I may try this experiment again but maybe put a layer of gesso on the cloth and let it dry first [that's also how I make my bookcloth] before applying the collage elements and paints.

Speaking of book things... I am starting a new blog for my journals for anyone who is interested. I plan to post new journals, some of my ideas about journaling and notes from classes I've taught, and occasional journaling prompts or art journaling prompts.

Abstract collage

2009-01-19T19:48:00.004-05:00

Mixed Media paper collage mounted on 8x8 stretched canvas.

For this piece, I layered rice papers, salt, tissue paper, ink, watercolour and acrylic onto cotton paper. When the big mess dried, to me it hinted at rock crevise? or maybe winged thing? moth? cocoon? I love this sort of ambiguity--- work that hints at things, but isn't locked too rigidly into place. I have put this one by my chair where I sit with my journal first thing in the morning and before bed. It takes my mind places... and I follow... so maybe it should be part of the Dreaming Place series... I haven't decided yet.

Never too Late for Resolutions

2009-01-17T16:32:00.003-05:00

Square Root II

Mixed Media on 16x20 stretched canvas.

[rice paper, texture medium, acrylic]

Instead of all this flipping around, I have been thinking I need to stick with something long enough to build a body of work... Since I recognize I would go crazy if I had to stick to one thing, I am going to dedicate the next 3 monthes [as that sounds manageable] to 3 focuses-- flinging, rice paper collages and squares [yes I know squares will be a stretch-- especially to make them my own]. I guess this is my late New years Resolution... wish me luck! But my out is I do still get to play first in the morning with whatever occurs to me at the time.

Reverse Monoprinting

2009-01-14T21:39:00.005-05:00

Way back in December I made a promise to Dianne to discuss my monoprinting processes. So I put together this tutorial. I think of anything that involves creating an image and transferring it to paper as monoprinting... but my methods are somewhat unorthodox... And I fully acknowledge I make as many awful prints as cool prints. I've been doing some sort of variation of this method for several years and I still find myself coming back to it for the unexpected surprises and unpredictability of the process... if I have prints drying from the last night... the intrigue to see what has developed will often propel me out of bed and into the studio faster than usual.

Supplies
clamps
2 boards [masonite/cardboard/foamcore]
2 heavy plastic sheets [Vapour Barrier, polyethylene, drop sheet]
[at least 2 inches larger on all sides than your paper]
Paper [printmaking [I love Stonehenge] or coverstock]
Spray bottle filled with water
plastics [ie drop sheet/foodwrap/ recycled plastics] cut into shapes you like.
netting [ie from fruit or onion bags]
waxed paper
salt
alcohol
fluid paint [acrylics, inks, watercolour, airbrush paints]
syringes/pipettes/eye droppers/ squeeze bottles

Clamp one piece of heavy plastic to your board.
Spray both sides of the paper with water and place on the plastic so it sticks.
Sometime I will do a very thin wash of paint... usually burnt sienna watercolour. This helps to see your resists.
Arrange your resist pieces [plastics/ netting/ waxed paper/salt] on the paper in an arrangement that is pleasing to you.

Apply your paints along the edges of the resists... some of the paint will crawl under the resist pieces... but that can create interesting effects too.

Place the second sheet of heavy plastic on top of everything. Then place the second board on top of that and undo the clamps. Flip everything over so it is upside down. Remove the top board and top piece of heavy plastic.

Let dry from the back. This can take quite awhile... often overnight. Ceiling fans can speed this along.
Once everything is bone dry, [no longer cool feeling on the back of the paper] the print should peel away from the plastic quite easily. Then you can remove the resist pieces as well.
Sometimes these pieces just need a bit of cropping to refine the composition. Other times you can use them as a starting place. Sometimes, they end up in the collage pile.

Have fun!

Variation: Faux chine colle'

Before placing your resists, you can attach random pieces of paper [tissue, rice, washi etc] to your paper with matte medium.

Dreaming Place 3-1

2009-01-11T16:40:00.002-05:00

Mixed Media on 18x24 cradled masonite.

[acrylic, watercolour, ink, rice paper]

“There are two worlds; the world that we measure with line and rule, and the world that we feel with our hearts and imagination." Leigh Hunt

I have been wanting to work larger in this series. This piece started as an experiment [on rare occasion they do work out] I glued a bunch of different types of rice papers to a sheet of plastic with matte medium. Then I painted wet into wet washes of sepia, burnt sienna and raw sienna. Then I just let them do their thing until dry. Once I pulled it away from the plastic... it created a translucent fused sheet of papers. From there I glued it to cradled masonite... and a few glazes and fine tuning... and I am happy with it. It has the right balance of suggestive and 'otherly' for me to want to look at it for awhile.

In My Garden

2009-01-07T20:05:00.006-05:00

Mixed Media on 16x20 stretched canvas.

My garden starts out each year full of promise... I choose my favourite flowers in colours I love... but as time goes on... it gets kind of wild ... a bit tangled and untamed. And I've come to realize I like it that way... so I no longer seed in rows or cultivate or weed... I just plant and let nature take its course. This series of paintings are like my garden... colours I love tangled all together, taking root, forging their paths and growing wild.

Monoprinting Experiment 1

2009-01-05T20:45:00.004-05:00

This experiment was one of those happy accidents. I was doing monoprinting on a piece of heavy plastic... but got called away. The paint never got transfered to the paper and dried on the plastic by the time I came back. So I wanted to get the now dried paint off my plate... and I wanted to see if it somehow could be transferred now that it was dry.

So I put a coat of acrylic medium on the painted plastic and on the paper. Then put the paper onto the painted plastic and smoothed out the air bubbles with a brayer. I let the paper dry on the plastic and was then able to peel away the print.

I am thinking this process has some possibilities for acrylics especially, since they dry so fast. Plus one could layer colour over colour, letting each dry in between... It is also a great way to create thin lines, since they tend to smoosh out when monoprinted wet.

Square Root 1

2009-01-04T20:07:00.003-05:00

Mixed Media on 14x18 stretched canvas

After being away from the studio, I seem to lose my place... it tends to make me switch gears. I've been playing with square and rectangular shapes...the structure feels like a real departure from my usual curving forms. My daughter liked this one, so it will live for awhile...

Happy Holidays!!!!

2008-12-24T00:26:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 16x20 stretched canvas.

I'm away for a few days over the holiday so I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday time filled with love, laughter and peace!

Raw Painting

2008-12-22T18:46:00.005-05:00

"If you want to explore, to move with your intuition, you must get used to not knowing where you are going. There is great freedom there.... Art is the place to not know."
from Life, Paint and Passion by Michele Cassou

Leap of Faith

Acrylic on 16x20 stretched canvas.

After reading this book, one of the things I have been trying to do since the summer is take at least a couple of days a week and just paint for the joy of painting! No worries about results, making 'art' or if it will sell or not. I just paint like a kid for the sheer joy of spreading colour across the canvas, instinctively following the brush, just being open to what arrives... I wait until no one is home, turn the music up really really loud and get at it! My initial goal for doing this was to find out how I paint... find my own way so to speak. My academic background is in creative writing and one of our assignments with the goal of 'finding your voice' was to just write for 2 pages a day, then put it away... no rereading, no editing for a month until you had some distance from the work. So I figured this might be a way of visually 'finding my marks.'
Although I have been using paint for years-- it has largely been a tool in my mixed media work as opposed to a process. I was hoping to eventually have a better understanding of what paint can do on its own without the prop of my collage and textured work. I was hoping to just become a better painter and maybe use it as a starting place for creating a new body of work. I am giving myself the space to paint and keep the 'critic' out of things for now. So I paint and then I put it away and I paint some more.
After years of thinking I didn't have my own style because I seem to need alot of variety in my day to day projects, I am starting to recognize my instinctive marks... More importantly, what I am finding is I love painting--- and I have been trying to get to painting daily. When my daughter was young, we used to play this song by Raffi for her. The lyrics went: "... all I really need is a song in my heart, food in my belly and love in my family..." Painting makes a song in my heart! I am hoping that some of the vitality and joy will translate and come through in my paintings.

Going Green

2008-12-21T22:28:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 24x28 stretched canvas.

(from The Crossing Place series)

The Crossing Place is an ongoing series exploring transition… the place in between one place and another, one state of being or awareness and another...between awake and dreaming, life and death, death and rebirth, love and fear... Crossroads, portals, doorways, thresholds and windows can all symbolize crossing places; axis’ where the material and spiritual planes cross… the veil thins… and stepping through becomes possible…

India Ink

2008-12-18T19:56:00.004-05:00

I usually start my day in the studio with some sort of play, warmup or experiment that has usually has nothing to do with projects in progress. I use this time to fool around with materials and explore the 'what would happen if I.....?' factor.
So the most recent experiment went like this: What would happen if I made marks with a long narrow rigger brush loaded with india ink.... then what would happen if I sprayed it with some water when it was still wet in areas, let it drip down and used a paintbrush to create some grey tones.
Then what would happen if I let it dry and painted in the sections with acrylics:

Dreaming Indigo Group

2008-12-12T21:16:00.002-05:00

Acrylic Monoprints mounted on 4- 6x6 stretched canvases.

Indigo is a hard pigment to find in Acrylic paint in my area. I've only ever found it by Pebeo. So I have to mix my indigo. On every tube of paint, it should list the pigments used to mix the colour. This tube of paint used Phthalo Green and Dioxazine Violet to create Indigo. So that is how I mix most of my indigo. You can also mix Ultramarine Blue with Carbon Black for a decent indigo. Or Phthalo Blue will also work with Carbon Black if it is all you've got.

Alternative Mounting

2008-12-11T17:11:00.004-05:00

Watercolour & Acrylic Monoprint on paper

mounted on 6x8 stretched canvas.

While I do love to work on paper and have a sizeable stack of pieces I consider ok... I am awful at cutting mats, worry about shipping glass and framing isn't at the top of my 'fun' list. So I have decided to create a different look for my works on paper. I paint a canvas black or indigo, mount a ripped [to appear deckled] piece of cotton paper on top and then mount the artwork on top of that.

On the Edge

2008-12-05T16:34:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on 28x34 unstretched canvas.

I've been experimenting with working on unstretched canvas... I like to pin it to foamboard for a firmer surface to work on. One of the things I like about working on paper is the ease with which you can crop for a better composition... and I was thinking that door would still be open with unstretched canvas as well. I suspect the real challenge will be to stretch it straight... Any pointers out there???

Bloom 2-1

2008-12-04T19:34:00.004-05:00

Mixed Media on 8x8 stretched canvas.

[Acrylic, ink]

I am a new fan of the Golden Open Acrylics. Took a trip into the 'big' city yesterday for supplies and picked up a starter pack to try them out. Today I decided to just play with them and see what they could do. It was so nice to be able to just relax and play with the intermingling of colours without the stress of them drying on me. I have to admit I am amazed at how long they stay wet on the palette. It's just like having a new toy!!! with new possibilities! I also tried them on my print plates and they stay wet long enough to use them for printmaking! Happy dance!

Far Flung 2

2008-11-30T22:24:00.002-05:00

Mixed Media on 24x30 stretched canvas.

[acrylic, ink]