Thursday, May 22, 2008

COLOUR!!!!!!

The oxymoronic online painting course that Nomad and I are taking started yesterday, I had tremendous problems with the video, but it was enough...she wants us to sand the canvas (I didn't) and prime it (again) with gesso (I didn't) and she wants us to sand that smooth as well (can you see where this is going? I didn't) Not very obedient am I, especially for a Canadian, eh?

Anyway, the course is focussing on backgrounds, so we were supposed to lay down a plain thin smooth layer of colour as the base. Well, mine isn't smooth at all, I kind of like the texture of paint, so rather than spraying it with water to thin it, and mixing the colours with white (I like them bolder so...I didn't) and then spreading it with a foam brush...well...I trowelled it on with a pallete knife...let me tell you, THAT was fun. But it was still a little boring (I know, this was supposed to be an underpainting, but like I said, I am not so good at obedience) so I decided to add some variations to the colour, you can see it here, I have spread the base coat and squirted on the brighter yellow....



Then I spread it around in a pattern I like, and took the picture. As I looked through the viewfinder I really liked the highlight effect I saw from the light behind me, so I snapped the photo and then added some white.

This is what I got:



My only problem is that I really like it and I am not sure I want to do anything else at all. (This may be why she wanted it so plain, hmmm?)

I had decided to do a couple of other canvases at the same time, so I did this one on paper, using a discarded painting by youngest as the base....recycling is a good idea, isn't it?



As you can see I am still applying rather too much texture and variation to the canvas for the class requirements, but I think it is interesting anyway....they are also WAY too big for the class requirements, they were supposed to be 8"by 10" the big one is probably two feet by three feet, and the smaller, a foot and a half by two. Ah well. I like working big.

Then I did this third one, again I failed to make it plain and simple, in fact it is probably the most dramatic of the three. First I laid down the red, but it needed to be controlled a little, red is kind of that way, so I layered on a thick coat of blue and then I started to play...sort of sculpting it around on the canvas, which was WAY fun...and then I added the finishing drawings with the point of the trowel. The only problem is that I don't want to stop. I did all that far too fast. Disappointing.



We are next supposed to do some collage work and stick things onto the canvas when they are dry, meh, I am not too enthusiastic about this, but I will do it with at least one....I am taking the class to play with the paints, so it makes sense to try out a number of options. I think I will paint the main features on though rather than collaging them. Smacks a little of scrap-booking, which isn't awful, but not what I am aiming at. I may do one more if I can find where the kids hid the painting paper, and do this one the way we are supposed to for the course. Or not.

For all of you bored senseless by this, here's one other very colourful thing that has appeared in my life....look what came in the mail!!!



This is a bag that I bought from Joyce who makes them herself, and they are stunning, not only that, the money goes to help the crisis in Darfur...I love the bag if you see this Joyce, and thank you so much...

13 comments:

Undercover Mother said...

No real artist who was ever worth a damn followed directions. Sounds like you're off to a great start!

oreneta said...

Mom of three...thanks! We're virtually live blogging here!

Beth said...

After four "I didn't's" I stopped counting. You rebel, you!
Do what you love to do. The course is inspiring you - as it should.

Hula Girl at Heart said...

I love the yellow/white background. It makes me feel happy. I haven't painted in years, but when I did, I always enjoyed the feel of putting layers of paint onto a canvas with the pallete knife. I hope to do it again one day...when I have a little more time. Oh, and love, love, love the bag, too.

Alice said...

My favourite is the purple/red creation there... It looks stormy and mysterious... I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to art classes. It's important to learn certain techniques, particularly with preparing materials, but I find it an inside-out upside-down concept to be told what to do and how to look at things. I am a mixed media kind of person... I think you should definitely give the collage a go... It just creates a variety of different textures for you to paint on... I enjoy it anyway...

And what a gorgeous bag! (I like bags way too much, so I am very envious of yours!)

Alice :o)

elPadawan said...

You're a runaway Canadian, of course you don't follow the rules anymore :D. Just like I, as a temporary resident, yield to said rules for now :D.

oreneta said...

Beth, I don't know how many I didn'ts I put in, but I am still not....

Hula, glad you like it, life is ages and stages...it'll come around again.

HC, what kind of bags do you like? How's the new place? I like collage work in general, and I saw a great example in BCN, but it is tricky to pull off well, and it isn't what I feel like, I am giving it a go on two pieces though....

elPadawan....now I understand;-)...does that mean I have to be good this summer when I go back for a couple of months?

Anonymous said...

Nice bag. I have always been the person who has to do a project (craft art, yard) bigger and better than the instructions call for. Hmmm...I am now thinking that is why I have so many unfinished projects due to me losing interest and starting an new bigger and better project.

oreneta said...

Dawn, yes, I have a fair hall of shame with unfinished projects myself...most of them very ambitious. Some of them I regret not having finished a fair amount.

mmichele said...

you got your bag! i missed this earlier. It's a perfect ending to your paintings.

joyce said...

oooooooh, I missed that too!!
How wonderful that the fabric I found in the out of the way town of Grunthal, Manitoba is now in SPAIN!!

Anonymous said...

LOL...glad to know I wasn't the only one not sanding. I also was going to do a base using my palette knife for fun.

Glad you are embracing your inner free spirit!

oreneta said...

Michele, I did!!! IT is fantastic...maybe I should have done a seperate post if you and Joyce both missed it....

Joyce: Weird small world isn't it! I find it fantastic that my fabrics came from Canada! Let me know when you're going to put up a new batch, I'll give you a shout out again...

Carla...I secretly have about seven variations going on, some are far enough out though that I am not going to post pics to the group...only here. Which reminds me to post pics at all of some of the others...I'm having fun with this though.