29 Faces Complete, The Couple and Milestones

The Couple
encaustic and oil on cedar block 6 1/4 x 11 x 5 1/2
Faces 28 and 29



Today is an exciting day. 

 

Milestone #1 -  A selection (a small selection) of my paintings are out in the world, hanging in a retail space for sale.  Its like a major milestone - one that was so very far away but I've actually arrived and its really exciting.  Now, I will just wait for them to find their new homes where they belong :)

 

Milestone #2 - I completed 29 Faces.  All 29!!  The one above is really not quite done but pretty close.  A friend of mine gave me some cedar scrap blocks from a project.  I've put one of them on feet and have painted The Couple on one side.  I'm deciding what will accompany them on the remaining sides - a house with a picket fence?  a dog? a cake? or perhaps nothing.. only one side painted.  I'll share the entire process and the remaining sides when its complete. 

 

The third milestone - This is my 300th post on this blog.  Hard to believe that actually.  I started in May of 2010.  I'm going to have a celebration with a giveaway - but not today... coming soon.

 

The Fourth - I actually committed and signed up to take an encaustic painting workshop at WaxWorks West in California.  I leave next Friday and spend the weekend painting faces in wax with Charlie Levin.  Actually booking and pushing the button to commit was major - but once that was done, the excitement settled in.

 

The Fifth - I got up the guts to tell my story and be the featured artist for PPF this week.  Took me all year to do that. 

 

And... one more - I have a new facebook page and I would love for you to come be my friend :)

 

Thanks to Ayala Art for hosting 29 Faces.  What fun!  So many creative artists participating - so inspiring.  Also, many thanks to the artisits of PPF for being so supportive.

 

 

 

29 Faces: 25-27

A Face a Day for 29 Days

Face #25
oil on paper



Face #26
oil on paper

Face #27
oil on paper

A Face a Day for 29 Days

 

 Two more to go - Come back on Friday :)



Fab 5, Blanks and Getting Things Done

Fab 5
encaustic on birch 4 x 6
29 Faces:  Faces 20-24

I'm drawing a blank when it comes to new painting ideas.  So, new starts are on hold for today.  Some days are like that.  I actually believe they are meant to be days of rest.  I believe we actually have gotten ourselves so wired that we just need to have a day (or two) that is blank.  The brain and the body get in together and rise up and call for a blank day.
On these blank days, I tend to do mundane, routine things.  I still show up in the studio, because sometimes blanks turn into blossoms.. and other times - no, just blank.  I put wires on the backs of paintings, paint the edges of the cradled panels, and prep and tape new panels.  I make wax medium in the garage.  These tasks are ones that I put off... ones I hate taking the time to do.  Yet, there is a peacefulness in doing something that requires motion and no real thought.  I've come to enjoy blank days.  And with all the tasks complete, I feel ready for when the spark returns. 

In my blankness, I've discovered some new good things:

I've found a new Pandora station that I love - Fun. radio.  Fun. as in the band that won best new artist of the year.

I've signed up for Deepak Chopra's upcoming 21 Day Meditation Challenge.  I've loved these in the past - and even though it takes 21 days for a habit to form.. I don't seem to hang on to meditation.  But, the challenges are great and free and you can sign up here.

I've also signed up to be part of Kat Sloma's Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap again this year.  The Swap is open now, so sign up here.

 

29 Faces: 16-19

The first two are from my imagination.  The second two, I used photos for reference.  This time, I think I did better on the ones I dreamed up.

I think she's pretty cute. 

Face #16

This one, a bit Asian

Face #17

She looks a bit cheeky

Face #18

I think this last one looks like Scotty McCreery.   Only... it wasn't supposed to :)

Face #19

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