Imagination, Sperm Whale and 29 Faces

 

She Had a Whale of an Idea
oil and paper on hardboard - 9 x 9
Face #13

Things have been getting serious around here.  Seems that I've gone on some bird tangent and what better way to mix things up than to bring a whale into the picture :)

 

I also decided to mix things up a bit and try some different kinds of faces.  I was feeling a bit in the need to cut loose and be more imaginative.  I was talking to an artist friend a while back and asking what she does with her left over oil paint after she works on her portraits.  Her answer was that she plays - she paints some fun, not-for-real, imaginative stuff.  I thought that sounded great - but really I had noooooo idea how hard that is for me until I tried it.  Honestly, I've been feeling like I have no imagination at all - give me something tangible and real to paint like a portrait or a specific animal - a photo to follow... but to dream something up?  Total painter's block - like zero, zip, nada - nothing comes to mind.  Its been stumping me for a while on what to do about this - because art is fun.  Its imaginative (or real) or whatever - but it shouldn't be difficult.  So, I've set out on a side trip along the artful journey and that is to try some silly, imaginative, make believe things - just for fun + I've really been wanting to paint a Sperm Whale :)

 

Face #14
oil on paper

Spring
oil and paper on hardboard 9 x 9
Face #15

With these, I'm half way through 29 Faces.   I did a little research on framing oil paintings done on paper - it really didn't look good.  In fact, it sounded like less than ideal and difficult is more like the answer.  Oil paintings can't have glass.  So, I'm experimenting with first mounting paper on hardboard - then painting oils on it.  Does anyone know anything about this?

 

29 Faces 9-12, Mugs and the Work of Karin Jurik

Here's to the mugs in the world.

Face #9

 One of my favorite artists - Karin Jurik, uses mug shots to practice painting faces.  She has a blog dedicated to her mug shot faces called BUST-ED as well as her 100 faces project on her website here.   I have to agree with her that it is a better way to learn.  These people have not been photoshopped, altered, prettied, make-upped or anything.  They are a face - plain and simple in its natural way with all the lines and creases and uneven color.

Face #10

Face #11

Face #12

Want to see more of Karin Jurik's great mug shot faces?  Here's a video of her work.

Clutter, Tidy Up, and 29 Faces

 

I love flat surfaces.  They can hold so many things.

 

Maybe its the time of year - or maybe its something else.  It seems like I have the need to clean up my act.  I cleaned up my studio - and I can use the entire top of my work tables now.  I had let clutter accumulate along the edges - photos, paper, books, and all kinds of inspiration that once used was just moved aside rather than put away.  It crept inward and higher - all this inspiration.  Soon, moved aside stuff, meant that my work space had diminished down to just a small area by my palette.  My work tables are big too - I have 4'x8' of space - that's 24 square feet of space to work on and I was down to about 2 foot square space that I could call my own.  Remarkable really - to think that much stuff had accumulated on the remaining 20 square feet.  In all fairness, the fans and palettes occupy some of that - so really its not all clutter inspiration.  I've always worked this way - I like to have all of my inspiration all around me, close at hand.  It looks like clutter to anyone else but to me - its everything that I need and its all within reach and available.  I have a system.  I have my "go to" items right there ready at a reach.  Being that I use a torch to fuse my wax, I have things that will catch on fire a little farther out than those that don't flame up.  I pile like things together.  Yet, its a hard way to work too - because I often can't find what I need because it is buried under other things.   I had reached system breakdown and it was time to clean up.   Now, with my tidy up - a clean table top is such a pleasure - so much space - so much space to pile new inspiration :)

 

I've been tidying up this blog space too.  There is more to come - a gallery and I'm even going to start a FB page.  They're in the works.

 



More faces for 29 Faces:

Face #6



Face #7

Face #8

Happy Friday, everyone! 

29 Faces: two thru five

On the way to 29 Faces for the month of February. 



Face #2

Face #3

Face #4

Face #5