Following Daydreams

Dream

Yesterday during a facial, I morphed into a state of totally being into my mind.  I was laying on a cloud, perfect temperature in the room which was filled with a moist and fresh fragrance my body being smoothed with human touch.  I cajoled myself into seeing color leaving form up to my subconscious without demand in my heart only a wish, a plea.  The Universe chose to allow it.

This painting doesn't even begin to be what I saw.

There was a foggy mist moving slowly from the left and the color was the most wonderful gray I have ever felt.  From the right top a kind of thunderbolt in the most cool shade of blue slowly came down and began to widen with green coming into the left of it as it is above.

I enjoyed the feeling of color in my subconscious as it was happening; as the feeling moved into my consciousness it would fade to black.  I was able to go to this place a few times.

My painting "Dream" is a first attempt at portraying what I saw.  It is not nearly as colorful, as warm, as meaningful as the experience.  BUT it's a first attempt.

Diggin' These!

My latest creations:

Y for Yellow

So!  This is the image I used for my palette today.










I had two small and new canvas boards, each 5x7", so decided to create a diptych.  I soon made the decision to utilize a vertical in a vertical composition on each one using the opposite colors (one for the background, one for the major design).

Believe it or not, I used the same colors of paint but here one is more blue than green.  In life, both are the green and they look really nice hung side by side for an overall 10x14" composition.

I'm calling this mixed watermedia.

#22

I kinda like this abstract.  When I got up and close to it, there is so much going on:  texture, limited palette though it is double digit layers, collage, some scratching and finger work (very technical art skill).  The colors are calming to me though, thus Calm Commotion is the name of this piece which is an 11x14" mixed media.

Yay!

Painting of Rocklin for Jen

This is today's entry in the 30 days painting challenge.  Last week, Tina asked me to do a painting for her friend at work.  Jennifer had taken a picture in which she fell in love...so yes, I can do my interpretation of the scene and I have done so.  I began it yesterday, finished up today.

 I actually liked the background all alone before placing the in the tree, so I took a picture for here.




I always feel like if I don't work on a painting for weeks sometimes months, it could not possibly be good.  That is I get to a point fairly early in my process when I am happy with the work.  However it's too quick for me and I continue to a point of being overworked.

Maybe there's a lesson here...a good painting (one that I, the artist, considers good) happens when it happens.  Let the Universe decide!  Wow...lol

And Sketching Day 20 I Think

All I could muster over the weekend were a few sketches of the beach in Ventura.  We sat for hours watching the grandkids and their parents enjoy the surf.  Luckily I threw my sketching stuff into my bag.  I haven't done a lot of watercolor painting, practically none; however it really feels good to get a soppy brush into those pigments and kind of slosh them on the page.

So for explanation of what it is I drew:  background is outline of the Channel Islands and then the darker ocean seemed to be out there in more of a green than the blue I used but ok, the middle part is the ocean and little movements (still trying to do a green that was the color of the water that day), the darker burnt orangish is where the surf came in and receded leaving a warmer sand color and the foreground is the sand.  Right?  Lol, ok so it is about the process...not the outcome.

Loved our day in the sun and sand and sketching.

Three years to get it?

Another acrylic to add to my month of paintings. 

I actually just finished this painting today; it was begun a few years ago.  At the time I originally painted it, I was showing my art at the Sutter Creek Gallery.  I was so intense at the time trying to do enough paintings to keep the exhibit fresh and different.  For me it was no longer about the process but just churning out paintings to hang and sell.  I sold quite a few, was busy and feeling good about keeping up with other artists and the numbers we were putting out there.

When I finally decided to let go of all of that and get back to the joy of creating, there were a few that had never sold.  I didn't really like this one and didn't know why for a long time.  I hung it in the bathroom where I could study it and after a year or so knew that the light was coming from behind the trees.  I had painted them with sun shining all over the place and not much change in values.  I have darkened them and tried to place some value changes on this side though they are dark...I like it much better.  

So this small 11x14 took me oh maybe 3 years to paint.  The preliminary work I did when I was showing and selling at the gallery.  Today I finally added the finishing touches and voila!

"Oh, That Guy!"

So I am placing a painting I did around September 1st, on Leslie's 30 days blog as my Day 14 contribution.  I really didn't care for it, an abstract, until my daughter told me how much she likes it.  This morning I saw it through her eyes and with fresh perspective since it is 6am, really am getting it.  I like all the colors, the circle, the nails and that guy/girl.

It's mixed media on wood, 10x10.  This is wood I had left over from another challenge which didn't work out.  I tried to do a 3-dimensional something and nailing the thing together just couldn't be done, by me anyway, thus the two nails kind of imbedded in the wood right side.

This is hanging in the hallway on my drying rack.  When my eye is drawn to this piece, my brain says to me "Oh, that guy!"...so it will forever be called that.  There's a box totally in the center of this thing and the design might be better with it gone but no.

Maple Rock Gardens

So!  I have visited Maple Rock Gardens in Loomis many times.  Always I take pictures because it is so beautiful there and I always want to paint a scene from that location.


This is an image I have had in my computer for months which was the inspiration for my painting.

On My Way

Lots of times when looking for something to paint, a story to tell, I end up with this composition.  For me, it's a metaphor for life-- a life well lived, well traveled, well delved into without knowing where the end is and not even caring but always knowing I can handle whatever is put before me.  This particular painting reminds me of the beautiful life I have had, the many wonderful relationships I have stopped to enjoy, the decisions I have made that were good ones.  There must be another painting in me showing the bad decisions I have made in my life but right now, today all I can see is this place...a smooth place to walk in my sandals and a hat to shade my face, prettiness and nature around me with love in my heart.

Smile

Smile by Bobbie Powell

Today I created this abstract as my ninth  day entry in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge.  I decided to cover up a vase and fern painting I did years ago and didn't really like.

I used Leslie Saeta's process and selected an image of a room (porch) that really inspired me.

With that palette, I envisioned a painting that is to go on that wall.  I began with a the darkest color all around the edge of the wood,  then some collage pieces of black and white lines and zig-zags went onto the piece.   I used the remaining 3 lighter colors to layer in washes over the whole piece. Somewhere in here, I placed the word "smile" random-like on the painting.   It actually turned out too dark at that point.  See!

I decided to do a white gesso wash over the top to lighten up parts of the work.  I lifted off the parts of the wash where I wanted it stay the dark.  When that dried, I still felt the need to lighten parts of it so I did another white wash over it.  Last step was to go back over parts of it with a light orange wash for a result with which I am finally happy.

Platter of Fish

So!  Been checking up on Leslie's blog to make sure all my paintings were uploaded to find nothing from Bobbie Powell for Days 2 and 3.  What the heck?  I will confess I knew I was one painting behind but thought I could still catch up.  What I didn't know is that my second painting never got on her blog at all and now it's too late!

I completed "Platter of Fish" today, Day 6, and this piece came about because I know about an open call for the Salmon Celebration in our area of Northern California.   There is to be art at the celebration to focus on the importance of our keeping the Auburn Ravine clean and healthy.  I may do a still life painting and enter it in the show, now that I know how to paint fish that is.

Day 4

There's so much yellow on this painting I should just call it "yellow" but I didn't.  My reference is a picture I took of a gentleman walking through this wetland area.  We were taking a drive to see the Fall colors a couple of years ago.

Saguaro Memory

We were off this morning early, lots of plans and some goals to accomplish on this sunny Thursday morning.  Before leaving the house though, I arose at about 5:30 am or thereabouts.  After coffee, discussion with my husband at the breakfast table about the day ahead, along about 7am I enter my studio.

Utilizing an 11x14" canvas board that seems sturdy and strong for today's painting, the 3rd in my commitment to accomplish 30, I am loving a small amount of violet mixed with lots of white for an underpainting of pigment and gesso.  As I'm spreading this all over my canvas my husband saunters into the room to further discuss the plan for the day.  I simply ask, what should I paint today totally planning to ignore whatever he says because he probably will not have 1 idea for me that is appealing.  He says you know I would love a painting of a Saguaro.

At that, I decide to go with his suggestion.

Yes, so this is Saguaro Memory and it is a memory of when my husband introduced me to Phoenix and his love of the Saguaro cactus, Camelback Mountain and his childhood there in Phoenix.

Northern California Foothills

Yeah I actually love it here in Northern California.  I've only been here for 20 years, however when my husband brought me it was because I begged him to take me somewhere where there were seasons.  He had lived here for many years and thought this would be perfect for me and that wanting snow was really not what I desired.

Anyhoo, we were very busy today helping one of our kids move here too.   I decided to do a small painting of what I know well since I only had a few minutes before we left this morning.  We took off all day, got home this evening and there were a few finishing touches I needed to add and voila!

30 Paintings in 30 Days

Recently I took an online class with an artist I admire greatly, Leslie Saeta.  She paints totally with a palette knife and uses big blobs of juicy paint.  I also subscribe to her blog and it appears for a number of years she has led a large group of painters in this challenge of doing a painting every day in the month of September.

A couple of my FB friends have done it, and are doing it this year.  While I am not very good at commitment, I decided to join my friends.  It's fun to share something that one has accomplished, and I love talking art.

I began this small 5x7" canvas this morning with the thought of a "C" composition.  Why C?  I dunno, I like them and it's a popular letter.  I used acrylics, gesso, collage materials and some inks.  Leslie will notice I am using some of her techniques which I just learned last month.   Elma, my ongoing mentor and teacher, will notice my struggle with abstract and her influence also.

Now my head is beginning to plan tomorrow's painting.  I love this, yay!