Art Kit for "Oceans of Art Retreat" at Bamfield

January 20, 2009 in Bamfield, Art Retreat

Sketchbook

I made the decision to work entirely in a sketchbook while on my “Oceans of Art Retreat” to Bamfield. I made the sketchbook using directions from Teesha Moore’swebsite; instead of canvas boards I used mat boards in order to make the book more flexible to hold and to work in.

Preparation: I have given several of the pages a background: white, black and gold gesso; Gloss medium; heavy white gesso with texture impressed into it; blue wash, Quinacridone Gold wash, various stamping techinques etc.

Paper

I used Strathmore Aquarius II Watercolor Paper for the signatures in the sketchbook. Strathmore describes this Paper: “Strathmore Aquarius II is made with an innovative combination of cotton and synthetic fibers that work beautifully with all watercolor techniques. This lightweight 80 lb (170 gsm) sheet was created to reduce the buckling and swelling found in other sheets of the same weight.”

I have used this paper for my mixed media work with acrylics and various drawing mediums. It lays flat and takes a lot of abuse. I just love this paper.

I am also taking a mini sketchbook – 3”X4” and a Moleskine 5” X 8”

Paints

Acrylics: I bought little paint pots from Michael’s to hold my favourite Golden Acrylic paints:

Hansa yellow medium, Yellow ochre, Quinacridone Magenta, Napthol Red, Phthalo Blue (green shade), Phthalo Green (blue shade), Zinc white. These particular colours are part of the GOLDEN Principal 8 Color Mixing System

Mediums: I filled other pots with acrylic gloss and matte medium, white and black gesso and soft gel medium.

Watercolours: I have a little mini watercolour kit that I got as a gift years ago, I fill up the wells with my Winsor Newton watercolours. This time I am taking two triads:

Rose Madder, Alizarin, Cobalt Blue and Aureolin Yellow;

Cadmium Red, New Gamboge, French Ultramarine and Hookers Green.

In the picture above you can see two watercolor discs – a stacking kit made in China on sale at a local art store for $3.99. I have no idea how these will work but given how small they are I threw them in and will give them a try.

Gouache: Black, white and Holbein Jaune Brilliant #2

Pens, Pencils and Brushes

I have included a variety of pens. My favourite is a Rotring Art Pen in “F” nib size. This takes a water soluble ink (do not use an india ink) I love this pen and one of the things I like best is that I can give the drawing a wash of water to add values where I need them. I am including a variety of graphite pencils ranging from 2B to 6B and 2H, a mechanical pencil, a few watercolour graphite pencils. I also have a set of 4 PITT artist pens in a sanguine colour. I have chosen a variety of water color pencilsand a few of my favourite brushes - Gold Sable, Series 800.

Miscellaneous

I have a mini strippable palette, UHU glue stick, paper towels, small jar for water, small spray bottle, a couple of plastic credit cards for scraping and mark-making, two corks and an Exacto knife to carve into them to make a stamp.

New Work by Kirsten Brand at "The Gallery at the MAC"

January 18, 2009 in Artists, Exhibitions

Kirsten Brand -Flower Boats #3 - Acrylic and botanical specimens on Canvas, 36 x 36

Kirsten Brand - Flower Boats # 2, Acrylic, with botanical specimens on Canvas, 36 X 48

Kirsten is a good friend of mine who is having an upcoming art show; here is the information on her show followedby her artist statement.

"Regeneration"

Opening Reception Monday, January 26, 7-9 pm

The Gallery at the MAC, Lower Space, McPherson Playhouse, #3 Centennial Square, Victoria, BC

January 26 through March 16

Gallery hours during performances or by appointment (250) 361-0800

kirstenbrand@shaw.ca

www.studio222.ca

Kirsten Brand

Artist Statement

I am a Victoria born painter and have been studying and producing art since early childhood.

I believe nature has a natural harmony. The beauty, profusion and growth rhythms of flowers and plant life create a visual music for me. I use bold colour and floral and plant forms to convey the vitality, energy, and movement of the life force.

The human figure appears in some of my work to symbolize our infinite love and fascination for, as well as dependence upon botanical life.

In my current work I take real pieces of nature in the form of dried, pressed, plants from their outdoor landscapes where a chaos of texture, colour, and pattern reign supreme, and place them in an abstract setting of painterly texture, colour, and pattern.

I am intrigued by the play between something real and abstract both working together to create a work.

The idea of "regeneration" applies because I would like the viewer to see nature again and in a different way, connecting physically – hence the texture – giving them a sense of feeling the touch of the surface in order to heighten awareness and joy about what is given us.

Mary Stewart

January 17, 2009 in Artists

Mary Stewart "60 Cycles Per Second" 12" X 12" Mixed Media

Mary Stewart is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists - several months ago she received Associate (AFCA) Status. This status is achieved through a selective process of those Active members consistently having demonstrated superior ability in the General Members' Exhibitions and through other jury criteria.

The painting "60 Cycles per Second" won an FCA Award in the show Canvas Unbound II which was held at the Federation Gallery, Vancouver, BC - May 29 - June 10 2007. This painting also graced the cover of "art avenue" a publication of the Federation. (Vol. 7 - No.5 September /October 2007)

Mary describes this painting: "Houses and their symbolic parts have appeared in my artwork since our purchase of a 1918 Craftsman style house in need of restoration. My husband recently replaced the entire elctrical system and as his "apprentice" I became familiar with some of the terminology. "60 cylces per second" is the standard frequency (hertz) for household elecrtrical current in North America.

My painting is a collaged mixed media piece that started with old schematic drawings and an electrical template. The warm oranges and reds represent the heat genereated by electicity. Their placement on the cool coloured background causes the viewer's eye to "cycle" around the canvas."

More of Mary's work can be seen in the Summer 2007 show also shown at the Federation Gallery.

Mary also operates "Vancouver Island Workshops" in Nanaimo, BC. Over the past several years Mary has brought to Nanaimo many well known artists from Canada and the United States to teach 5-day workshops. I have attended several of these workshops with artists such as Gerald Brommer, Carole Barnes, Betsy Dillard Stroud, Ann Zelinksi, Suzanne Northcott, Jane Pederson and Carolyn Houg. In the spring of 2009 Mary has Pat Dews teaching a 5-day workshop.

Mary is a brilliant workshop organizer who creates a wonderful atmosphere that is comfortable for both teacher and student. She works tirelessly to produce a workshop experience that the student can relax in and enjoy every moment. Mary's behind the scenes work takes care of every detail, right down to a never ending supply of coffee, tea and snacks, such as the famous cheese ball, veggies and decadent desserts offered thoughout the day. Thank you Mary for all the hard work that you do.

MAGIC PALETTE ™ Color Mixing Guide

January 17, 2009 in Workshops

The Colour Wheel Company™

Studio Mixing Guide - 841 Colors

The Color Wheel Company describes the Magic Palette™ Color Mixing Guide as follows:

"A color mixing guide for artists that takes the guesswork out of mixing colors!"

"An indispensable tool for artists and color designers at every experience level. Shows artists how to mix beautiful, luminous colors." they also describe the guide as:

841 colors created from 29 tube paint colors
Broader palette and color spectrum
Ideal for studio, classroom and art workshops
Detailed instructions included
UV coated for durability
Finest quality printing for color accuracy
24” x 24”

On Monday I received this wonderful mixing guide as a present from my good friend Mary Stewart. Thank you Mary!

Carla O'Connor

January 15, 2009 in Artists

Creative Catalyst Productions produces the highest quality art instruction videos for many skill levels in a variety of mediums. I own several of these DVD's and I have found them to be a first class product and they are very informative . The most recent one that I purchased is by Carla O'Connor.

Creative Catalyst Productions states on their website :
"Carlahas worked extensively with all media, from oil to pastel, but eventually found her love in gouache. She believes every medium is capable of saying something different. Gouache was the one that finally spoke truest to her. With gouache Carla creates shapes (she's a self described "shape maker"), using the human form as her guide. As an artist, Carla focuses on design. Many of her workshops focus on incorporating design principles into students' work.
Carla's art world extends far beyond her canvas. She has become a much sought-after workshop instructor and has taught all over the world. She has served on juries for prestigious national and international exhibitions, including shows for the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, and the Adirondacks International Exhibition of American Watercolors."

I had the opportunity to take a workshop with Carla about 5 years ago - she is a fabulous and gifted teacher. Carla is well organized and I got a week packed with information that was worth its weight in gold.

Paintings based on collages

January 13, 2009 in Collage

JoanMiró collage - Barcelona, February 10, 1933

Printed paper and graphite on paper, 18 9/16 x 24 13/16” (47.1 x 63.1 cm)

detail upper right corner of collage above

Joan Miró - Painting based on the collage above

Barcelona, June 10, 1933

Oil on canvas, 51 3/8 x 64 1/8” (130.5 x 162.9 cm)

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection FundWadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT.© 2008 Successió Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS),New York/ADAGP, Paris

Paintings Based on Collages are part of the exhibiit at the Museum of Modern art...If you ever wondered where Miró got his ideas or source material for his shapes, take a look at these collages and paintings. MoMA states that "Each of the collages features an array of mechanically reproduced illustrations cut from catalogues, magazines, and newspaper advertisements".

Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927–1937

January 12, 2009 in Artists

Joan Miró

Montroig, Spain late July–early October 1929

Conté crayon, gouache, ink, flocked paper, newspaper, abrasive cloth, and various papers on flocked paper, 28 5/8 x 42 3/4” (72.7 x 108.6 cm)

Joan Miró

Collage

Montroig, Spain, late July–early October 1929

Conté crayon, ink, and flocked paper on paper, 28 15/16 x 22 1/16” (73.5 x 56 cm)

Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927–1937

Museum of Modern Art

Click: Miro at MoMAto see the online exhibition - this is a super presentation and teaching tool, once you click on the first painting in each series click again on the explore icon, you hear the voice of the curator and conservator describing and explaining the meaning and techique behind each series. You can zoom in on each piece and many have a written description of the process. Very interesting.

THe Museum of Modern Art states: "This is the first major museum exhibition to identify the core practices and strategies Miró used to attack and reinvigorate painting between 1927 and 1937, a transformative decade within his long career. Taking his notorious claim—“I want to assassinate painting” —as its point of departure, the exhibition explores twelve of Miró’s sustained series from this decade, beginning with a 1927 group of works on canvas that appears to be raw and concluding with 1937’s singular, hallucinatory painting, Still Life with Old Shoe. Acidic color, grotesque disfigurement, purposeful stylistic heterogeneity, and the use of collage and readymade materials are among the aggressive tactics that Miró used in pursuit of his goal. By assembling in unprecedented depth the interrelated series of paintings, collages, objects, and drawings of this decade, this exhibition repeatedly poses the question of what painting meant to Miró and what he proposed as its opposite, and in the process reveals the artist’s paradoxical nature: an artist of violence and resistance who never ceased to be a painter, a creator of forms. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition".

"Oceans of Art Weekend Retreat"

January 09, 2009 in Bamfield

I am going to be participating in the "Oceans of Art Weekend Retreat" at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

I will be travelling with a group of about 48 artists between January 23-27.

Bamfield, British Columbia is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in a protected inlet on the south shore of Barkley Sound. Bamfield is surrounded by the traditional territories of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, Crown Land and portions of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre - photo from BMSC website

Google map of region

Photo by Charles Seaborn and Rich Palmer

View slide show of BMSC and activities

Throughout the retreat, a marine seabird/mammal still life studio will be available as well as studio space. We have the option of participating in several field trips for example:

Plein-air painting on the sandy shores and rocky sea stacks at Brady's Beach. BMSC staff will be on hand to guide, talk and answer questions. Seaweed will be collected for creating 'algal art' later in the lab. Now this is a curiosity to me and I look forward to learning about algal art so I will keep you posted on what it is and I will post examples of this work once I get home.
Ocean Explorations and Island Cruising on BMSC Research Vessels. Exploring what's under the waves on the bottom of Barkley Sound - the knowledgeable staff will bring some examples of sea life from the bottom to the surface to view.
Exploring the coastal biodiversity of Bamfield and Grapplers Inlets. Plankton will be collected during the trip for later microscopic observations in the lab.
Visits to the Lab for marine botanical inspiration and the creation of algal art from the seaweed collected of the beach. Microscopic examination of plankton samples with the introduction to "The Big World of Small Things".
On our last afternoon there will be a trip to the open coast and sandy shores of Pachina Bay. Here you can hike the start of the west Coast Trail, paint on the beach or, weather permitting, kick back around a driftwood fire and watch the sun go down.

I will be participating in "Oceans of Art" a fundraising exhibit for BMSC to be held 11 - 29 June 2009, at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, 150 Commercial St. Nanaimo, BC, 250-754 1750

Jylian Gustlin

January 07, 2009 in Artists

"Aeris 5" - Jylian Gustlin 48' X 48"

Check out this website for information on the artist and a vast portfolio of paintings and drawings. Click on her name for the link.

Acrylic Revolution

January 03, 2009 in Books

"Cosmic Haze" by Nancy Reyner -- 48" X 62"

Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner

New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium.

Liberate your creativity with acrylic paints. (The following info is from amazon.com)

Acrylic Revolution is your essential, all-in-one guide for acrylic painting techniques and more. It features over 101 ways to break through the boundaries of conventional painting and re-define the creative potential of this all-purpose medium.

Every page provides insight on how to use acrylic paint in ways you never thought possible to create stunning visual effects and textures. Ten complete sections detail a range of empowering applications, including how to:

Prepare and paint on virtually any surface
Create textures of all kinds
Work with transfers, collage, resists and mixed media
Achieve innovative stenciling and line work
Customize your paint to adjust thickness, transparency and drying time
Simulate other mediums, such as oil, tempera or watercolor
Create faux finishes, magical effects, sheens and more

To give you additional insight and inspiration, this book features a gallery of finished works by fellow painting revolutionaries that blend various acrylic techniques to create amazing effects. You'll also find practical advice that covers the basics and beyond--from selecting materials and cleaning your brushes to finishing and preserving your artwork. There's even a complete glossary of terms for fast and easy referencing.

Pick up a brush and start your own acrylic revolution today!

Use the techniques in this book to free your creative spirit and create the paintings you've always dreamed of.

About the Author

Nancy Reyner has been a technical consultant and professional instructor for Golden Artist Colors, Inc. for the past 8 years, teaching artists techniques and tricks with acrylic paints. Nancy has had numerous exhibitions both nationally and internationally. While living in New York City she created costumes and sets for Broadway and off-Broadway theater and film (including a Madonna film), coordinated public arts programs for New York State, and directed and performed with the Ragabash Puppet Theater. Nancy was selected for a two-year painting and drawing residency for the City of Phoenix, and is now a Santa Fe, NM resident, where she has lived for the past 15 years.

NANCY REYNER - ARTIST STATEMENT

I paint my versions of heaven; places that are beautiful and meditative not found on earth.

Call me an optimist, but I believe that man has the powerful ability to dream, to create better worlds and new realities. And images play an important role in this. Our history begins with images, which go far back in time, even farther than language, and are cross cultural. We are united through images. I keep this in mind daily as I am barraged through news and media with sensationalist stories and events of world crisis. Part of me wants to join the peace corps but instead I paint. I paint with the conviction that my images can heal.

Imagine clear pieces of amber with fragments of nature held forever in suspension. My work has a similar mood-evoking quality. I combine images of botanical elements such as plants and fruit, geometric patterns and layers of paint to create inner psychological landscapes. Some forms remain visible, while others become veiled or buried thus creating a metaphor for transformation and growth. Luminous and reflective lighting and effects are used to evoke a heavenly place.

To create powerful but positive images, painting becomes an excavation of self, searching for questions as well as answers. The very act of painting urges me to confront questions about aesthetics. What is the relationship between beauty and healing? I believe Beauty emerges when the painting takes the viewer on a journey where they can question, explore and discover their own truth.

PAINTING BLOG:

Nancy has a great painting blog that has weekly postings of art news, ideas and acrylic techniques. I have the link for it on my sidebar for easy access.

Two videos of Nancy

1. Her personal painting philosophy 2. Nancy demonstrates a unique way to create an acrylic landscape painting using new acrylic techniques and unusual layering processes. (Scroll down the page below the puppet show).

Acrylic applications and techniques

January 02, 2009 in Painting, Books

"Bombastic Plastic" by Patti Brady

Acrylic on Plexiglass

While at the Learning & Product Expo in Chicago this summer, GOLDEN Working Artists Program Director Patti Brady, demonstrated the limitless possibilities of GOLDEN Acrylics, specifically Coarse Molding Paste. View the video to get a step-by-step look at her use of this new product and to better understand how you may be able to incorporate Golden Gels & Mediums into your artwork. GOLDEN Gels are the undiscovered and under-utilized secret of acrylic materials. No other medium offers artists the incredible array of options in surfaces, viscosities, transparencies, textures, glazes and extending possibilities, while maintaining great flexibility and a relatively quick drying time.

Patti Brady

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There is vast array of applications and techinques on the Golden Paints website, for example:

Gels, Mediums & Additives

"Light Molding Paste", "Gels are cool", "Gel "Skins", "Direct Image Transfers", "Working with Clear Tar Gel", Sgraffito Effects with Heavy Gel", "Gels as a Drawing Ground"...

What I'm reading right now

January 02, 2009 in Books

Rethinking Acrylic by Patti Brady

Rethinking Acrylic by Patti Brady shows readers how to use acrylic paint in a variety of ways. Acrylic can mimic oil paint, watercolor, gouache and encaustic; it can be applied in subtle transparent washes, or troweled as a heavy thick impasto; it can be as transparent as glass or as dense and black as tar. Because of its ever-changing state, the author and contributors are covering the most popular techniques for acrylic, making them accessible to the contemporary artist and crafter thorough a variety of mini-demonstrations followed by full demonstrations that show how to transform those techniques into finished paintings.

Takes an in-depth approach to the most popular techniques with 27 mini-demonstrations and 10 full demonstrations that show how to incorporate the featured techniques into completed paintings. (This info is from amazon.com)

Patti Brady at work in her studio

Patti Bradyis the Working Artist Program Director for Golden Artist Colors. She has developed curriculum for acrylic classes for artists and art educators. Patti currently has trained and manages 42 national and international artists for the Golden Working Artist Program in the US. Canada, Korea, France, Austria, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. 2004 and 2006 she traveled to Japan for Golden Artist Colors to lecture at Universities in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

Her paintings and prints have been exhibited nationally and reviewed by the New York Times. She has exhibited at the Brand Library, Glendale, CA., Arch Gallery, Chicago, IL, Mills College, Oakland and U.C. Berkeley CA., Greenville Museum, Lander College and University of South Carolina. Furman University and the Govener's School.

Gingham Sprung - Patti Brady

Acrylic and Fabric on Panel

Winter Wonderland

December 22, 2008 in Cowichan Valley

Drinking blue-greens

December 16, 2008 in Artist profile

Diana Lynn Thompson

Installation Artist

Drinking blue-geens installation 2007

Diana Lynn Thompson is an installation artist who works with ephemeral moments, accumulated objects, collected stories and insertion/intervention strategies, which she documents in video and photographs.

She took her BFA at the University of Victoria.

Her works have been exhibited, performed and installed

nationally and internationally.

In the 1980’s Diana worked as a park naturalist and botanical illustrator. This background in- and deep love for - biology influences her work, which integrates scientific methodology with a poetic sense of wonder.

She has been known to count every leaf on five trees, patiently collect and pin thousands of pine needles onto

a gallery wall, and distribute 25,000 shaped pieces of shell to people around the world. She has hand-made and numberedthousands of ceramic stones which she then permanently placed on an eroding beach, and stitched and hung over 8000 brilliant autumn leaves at the SOFA Gallery in Bloomington, Indiana. Currently

she is painting and stringing millions of wooden beads for her ongoing project on cyanobacteria.