CHILDHOOD MEMORIES IN PAINT

The Memories Challenge painting was due at our painting group this morning. I went into the art room just before bed time last night and found an old canvas and started applying paint. It seemed to be working so I continued until the steam engine and the tunnel were done. Then caught some zzzs. In the morning I found the painting was too dark. Applied gesso and added paint and isolation coat, and went off to our group.

This challenge turned out to be a really great idea. Each of us had a memory, a part of our childhood, painted on paper or canvas, and we shared the story the painting represented. No one seemed concerned about the paintings themselves as we were caught up in the tale they told. A great idea! Thanks Jack.

Here is mine: A steam engine coming through the tunnel. My friend and I would be sitting up the hill, excitedly awaiting the rush of excitement when the train broke through and the steam engulfed us. It was great to revisit that site this summer and revisit the feelings too.

Non Objective Continues

Last week I prepared for a demo and instruction in non-objective painting. I re-read all my notes from the June course and watched the available videos on you-tube and then went to the paint and paper and tried my hand at this myself. Not too happy with the results of the first one but the second held promise. By morning it was too dark for my liking but it would serve from the design point of view.

We covered the floor and tables with plastic and drop sheets and began with a demo and showing of those paintings that had worked during the June course. The paint/water ratio proved a problem and some experienced a faded design after the water had evaporated. Still we persevered and enjoyed the experience.

This did get me painting again and I tried once more to bring one particular canvas to an acceptable point of completion. Over and over again I applied paint and the result was 'pretty' but not what I was trying to achieve. I wanted bold and dynamic. Does it matter that I was not feeling either bold or dynamic. I was willing to keep trying. Did it work? The circles intrigue me.

Another painting was looking just 'pretty' too, so I tried bold washes of magenta over an underpainting of yellow/orange/red, and then overlaid with swatches of colbalt blue on a full sheet of watercolour paper.

I do like this one and think it is done.

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PHOTO THRU GLASS

The photo here was such a surprise, a pleasant surprise! The kids were working on their pumpkins with Grandpa and I was recording the event with my camera... getting rather repetitive re the view so decided to walk out on the deck and take a photo through the window.

See the result!

A friend and professional photographer saw the photo on facebook where I later posted it and quickly identified - photo taken through a window, centrifugal view.

Not my discovery, just catching up, and I love the photo.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

More Lila + NonObjective Painting

Click the title for this you tube special brought to you by Genious Alive, April 27 2009.

A Five Day workshop with artyist Lila Irving Lewis....paintings beautiful, BOLD.

Time: 2.32 min. Lila's and student works. Music is bold too.

Enjoy!

AUTUMN SLIPS AWAY

Weekly painting group, plus monthly meeting of Sarnia Artist Workshop, prep for its AGM and there are a myriad of 'little' things to do and follow up with, mostly concerning our Annual ART AT THE LAKE Show and Sale which quickly approaches.

There is a challenge painting due for the weekly painting group, 6+1 however it has now been extended to the first Thursday of November. Likely I will fall back on this older oil painting that I began a number of years ago. It is not finished and perhaps never will be, but being the home of my maternal grandparents, it evokes many years of memories.

I had hoped to paint a train trestle, a steam locomotive, plus my friend and I sitting excitedly awaiting the train to break through the 'tunnel' and its steam to engulf us. However, Turner's atmospheric painting of a train crowds my mind

and I think his painting has captured my long ago feelings and sensations. I cannot do better. Or, is the challenge just too representational, too objective for me just now.

My time is also called upon to do some preparation and planning as I have agreed to give a mini demo and instruction re non-objective painting to this group next week.

I am hoping to enter a painting in the LHCA Floyd Gibson Colours Show in November as well as submit something into the SAW show Art at the Lake. SAW also has a show at the LHCA in December and another painting is required. Perhaps I should stop typing and go paint.

Just one last note. It has been possible to catch a few of the Art and Ideas presentations at Gallery Lambton. A few weeks ago, Tony Urquart showed his slides of grave sights in Paris and the paintings that resulted from his photography. Last night, the lecture was given by Peter White and referenced his book: Beyond Wilderness: The Group of Seven, Canadian Identity and Contemporary Art, an anthology by Peter White co-edited with John O'Brien (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007), now in its second printing. I bought the book and have lots more to digest.

Q comes tonight and there may be some use of the Paint Room and an art video.

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SKETCHING

All kind of things ART are happening not the least of which is the announcement that we will have a Class 'A' Art Gallery in this town in a few years. More on this later.

Just getting settled back into life here has been distracting, though I did try to reclaim some of what I had learned when away this summer. One canvas is getting full attention, so much so that it is now on its 6th revised design along with equal or more coatings of paint. Maybe I should have stopped earlier but now the painting is still not satisfying me and I will need to apply more thought and more paint.



Now I want to sketch, to jump out of the "Oh-no-you-can't-see-my-drawings" phase and 'draw' the town, maybe even set a sketch-crawl in motion. The first sketch, to the left, was done Saturday at a public studio tour.

The others were part of a sketch stretch that I'd made some years ago. The man with earphones was on TV doing the Canada A.M. show while the other gentleman, who appears to be staring off into space, was waiting for his plane at the Atlanta Airport.
This little 'dollhouse' scene is of the Hotel pool from our room on the 22nd floor in downtown Atlanta. Definitely a stretch!

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NON-OBJECTIVE + SILHOUETTE

Surfing and watching videos this morning:

* Lila on YouTube:
Click Link on Blog Title, above

Another Lila video may be found at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhhMQW9C9HE

* Here our friend, John Climenhage, on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hod4GL4FADs

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* And Donna Zagotta's Silhouette Challenge....

http://donnazagotta.com/blog/

INDIA INK & NON-OBJECTIVE

The room where I paint is dismantled,

but not before trying one or two more non-objective paintings. These were prepared yesterday and did some drying overnight.

The enlarged one shows how the drying affected the India Ink that was applied over the acrylic. This photo does not show the canvas completely dry and more lines developed in the bulky black area. The same crackle effect appears in the other paintings as well.

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Yesterday I attended the Rideau Lakes Artists' Association monthly meeting and became a member. It will not likely be possible to attend the meetings or any of the activities until next spring but I do hope to keep up with the events of this group throughout the winter months.

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What an interesting group. Pretty laid back and seem to be interested in each other, the personal sales members make, the shows, and learning new things. They meet ten times a year and usually have a program following the business portion of their meeting. This time, they had an accomplished artists named Steve, who brought in his canvasses of watercolour paintings, painted on 140 lb watercolour paper that had been stretched onto a frame and when the painting was completed, it was sealed. No glass. There is lots of interest by the members in attending Christmas Dinner together, participating in shows and paint-ins, etc. I would like to be living close enough to participate all year.

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One of my classmates from the Lila class last June attended yesterday as well. Kathy had a framed painting of one of her non-objective works which had won the members choice award at their recent show in August. It is beautiful - orange, brown/black and turquoise. She and her painting will likely appear in the newsletter and I will provide a link when it does.

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One last row in my dorey, Dora, and a walk down the lanes, dinner with our daughter and grandsons, load up the car, and leave in the morning.

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Our summer is done!

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