I Blog For…Art!

I started a copy of Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Monkey yesterday on a lovely recycled 11″x14″ canvas. I’ve been tempted at every point to call it quits because I love the juxtaposition of the abstract shapes and wonderful brush strokes and colors of the background with my homage to Kahlo.

Here it is around noon:

And here it is in the evening:

I’m frustrated with myself only a little, after deliberating over three copies of Frida’s work, (the one above and two others I worked on today,) when I have so many ideas that are forced to lap the fishbowl of my mind. Friends, acquaintances, even fictional characters from films, books, and my imagination fight for their place on one of my canvases. They stare angrily through the moss and rust shades of my eyes, in disbelief that I would laps yet again into obsessing over a nose shadow on a Frida portrait finished about a year ago. Soon, you’ll see them here! They’ve been using a log on the door of my mind and are bound to come racing onto a canvas near you shortly!

Below is the most recent progress on the painting I started last week. I didn’t get much feedback, so I followed my instincts and put more detail. I ended up liking it better— what a surprise!

After slaving over a yard sale for hopefully the last time, I rushed up to Los Alamos for Dara Mark’s solo show at the C Gallery. Another great show at Connie and Nina’s new contemporary art gallery. I particularly loved this piece:

It’s formed from multiple translucent layers, so already it has a depth that draws you to it. The next thing you notice is that it interacts with light, so wherever you are in the room, you see quite a different painting. You have to walk around it and study it to really see all of its beauty. A lovely piece!

Dara was my mentor when I was in high school. It was fun and educational to learn from her artistic sensibility  and techniques, and gain experience from showing my work for the first time in a group show at the end of the program.

And speaking of teachers! I also studied art and drama in high school with Connie Rohde. That was fun and intense! A shy teenager breaking into Shakespeare in front of her peers wasn’t easy. Nor was taking advanced chemistry as a sophomore so I could fit Connie’s wonderful art class into my last semester at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School! I still cringe when I think of the oral report on vitamins I made in AP Chem! I think moments of extreme embarrassment like those that immediately followed my oral report serve to form our character. So fortunately, there was a bright side!

I wish I had the patience to check if everyone’s eyes were open! Nina is second from the left, followed by Lily and Rob.

Lily chatting with Dara, with Wayne in the background.

You can check out the show at C Contemporary Gallery’s homepage.

I have been able to start a number of painting in the last several days, some more exciting than others. That’s the good news!
Here are some of the works:

This was done completely with a palette knife Monday evening, September 1st. I believe it’s a 20″x 24″ recycled canvas. I’m debating whether to add details or not. I’ve got mixed responses from people I’ve asked! What do you think? More realistic or is it fine rough and stylized as it is? Click the images to view larger.)

This is almost finished at one sitting! Not the greatest photo. Oil on a 16″x20″ recycled canvas. August 31st.

Not the best start, but I was once again in a hurry to finish so I could sleep! I mostly used a palette knife. August 29th.

(Yikes! This may be my worst drawing yet. I’m still hopeful for the final painting. A bad drawing and under-painting doesn’t necessarily mean a bad painting in the end! This was done late at night after already painting quite a bit that day and posting! August 29th.)

The bad news is that three pieces in the State of the Art 2008 Exhibit were vandalized. Pieces that the artists invested thousands of dollars into, just for the privilege of displaying their work to the public, and for only $1,500 compensation. It’s really a shame. Here’s a link the article describing the events.