March 28, 2011 March 29, 2011

It took a few days of thinking and painting and thinking and painting but I think I am finished.

Blood Flow 2

This painting was done on a half sheet of watercolor board and is once again based on the idea of blood and blood vessels…as carriers, as givers, as destroyers of bad cells. I wanted to give this painting a more positive look so I used the pastel, spring colors that I like so much.

Ken spent 4 hours sitting in one position yesterday. He had a needle in each arm and they were harvesting stem cells from his blood to make a “Ken” vaccine to stimulate his immune system. Sooo I still have blood on the brain.

Just a fun note: On Saturday I got to meet my newest GREAT Granddaughter. Her name is Layla and her big sister is Hayden. Here is a photo of our four generations – me, my oldest daughter, her oldest son and his wife and their two little girls. We are all so proud!

Four Generations

 

March 25, 2011 March 26, 2011

Leslie inspired me when she commented on my post of yesterday. She mentioned blood vessels making a chain link fence (I loved this analogy!) and I was focused on blood (to any new readers this must sound grusome!) Anyway I started working on a second painting and this one is much different from yesterday’s post. Yesterday my painting was 8″ X 10″, very orderly and was primarily acrylic. Today’s painting is a half sheet (15″ X  24″), is chaotic  and is watercolor and ink. I think today’s painting more closely captures some of the emotion I feel. The darkness at the center of this painting is indicative of a malignant growth. It also comments on the dark place I’ve talked about. All cancer patients and their friends and family fight the darkness of depression. I’ve tried to show the veins that will bring a new treatment to my husband. .. that will enhance and strengthen his immune system with a vaccine made from his own blood. Closer to what I want to say …

Blood Flow 1

This is very new technology and we are optimistic.

 

March 24, 2011 March 25, 2011

Ken will start a new treatment program next week and, while he has been having lots of blood drawn over the last few months, that will increase significantly as he goes through the next several weeks. I have been thinking about blood, blood flowing out of his body and blood flowing back into his body. I painted this as I played with these thoughts.

Blood Flow Out, Blood Flow In

The painting has collaged strips from the product information sheet. Maybe it is my focus on geometry and maintaining an optimistic attitude but the painting doesn’t communicate emotion to me. I started in watercolor and finished in acrylic paint. I am not sure if I will keep this or try to recover the surface and do something else. Either way, I’m glad I did this painting. It is putting me more in touch with my feeling.

 

Weird Referrers

Just a question for those of you that view my blog. I have noticed over the last two weeks that I have “weird” referral sites. When I click on them they have nothing to do with art or my art or anything I’ve ever done. Also site traffic is way down. That may be due to Spring Break and my own messed up schedule. If you are having any issues associated with my blog can you please let me know by commenting or sending an email? Thank you, my friends!

March 23, 2011 March 24, 2011

Just a rushed note as we head off for more tests. You all know I love to work with geometric shapes and color. I had never used an ATC for one of these pieces. I like to have ATC’s to send to my family with their Christmas cards. Here is my first ATC sized Geometry painting. Simple and small.

Geometry 1 - ATC

 

March 21, 2011 March 22, 2011

I am posting the second sketch I did based on photos coming from Japan. This woman captured my interest immediately. Here was this woman with her stylish hair cut and color, with her fur collared coat sitting alone on a heap of rubble. She was so alone, so tired and showed such sadness that the contrast between her past and her present captured my imagination.

People of Japan 2

This sketch was done in a 6″ X 9″ sketchbook with aquabrushes and watercolor.

I am impressed with the way all of the Japanese people are dealing with this hard time and want to acknowledge the courage, responsibility and total lack of selfishness of the workers fighting to contain the disaster at the nuclear power plan. Their selfless devotion to their job and to protecting others fills me with admiration.

March 20, 2011 March 20, 2011

The photographs coming out of Japan are really heart breaking. The people of Japan are enduring extraordinary tragedy with dignity, intelligence and resilience. I admire what I see. I tried to capture the essence of some of the riveting faces I’ve seen in magazines. I have been sketching using my aquabrushes and wet media sketchbook. Here is the first sketch I’ve completed. I was fascinated by the humanity of the woman clutching the rag to her face. I wasn’t sure if she was crying into the cloth or clutching something that had meaning for her.  The photo was on the cover of Time magazine this week.  I have made minor changes for my sketch.

People of Japan 1

March 17, 2011 March 18, 2011

Ken and I volunteered at the Information Desk at the museum yesterday. That will be his last time until his treatment is finished at the end of April. I have one more activity next week. While we were there I worked on two ATC’s. I really love making these little paintings and I’ve only created one this year. I decided to do a second poinsettia. I send my family ATC’s with their Christmas cards and they are collecting my little originals.  The first poinsettia I did had a very dark background. This time I used a white background. Both work well.

Poinsettia 2 - ATC

The second ATC was inspired by a new grandson story. As I mentioned recently my grandson has Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a high functioning form of autism. Someone witrh Asperger’s is usually very literate with a good vocabulary. They are also very literal. A few days ago Ian told his mom he had heard a new expression and wanted to know what it meant. He had heard someone say they were offering an olive branch.  He was convinced they were offering real food/olives to someone. My daughter got a real laugh from this and a reminder than we have to be careful to mean what we say.  Here’s the olive branch I’m offering you…

Olive Branch - ATC

 

 

March 16, 2011 March 17, 2011

On November 14, 2010 I posted a drawing for a new painting I wanted to do. Well I’m a little slow! This is the ninth in a series I’m doing of geometric shapes. Aren’t I clever titling it Geometry 9? As most of you know I am a Purdue math major and am fascinatated by geometric shapes and prizmatic color. I have painted five other paintings similar to this one.

Geometry 9

It took me two years to come to this approach but I think it is very pleasing. I started small by doing three 5″ X 7″ paintings – circle, square, triangle. I moved up to 8″ X 10″ paintings and this completes that set of three. I will now scale up again. As the works get bigger the design gets more complex and the triangle is the most difficult basic shape to work with.  Working with the design of these works is like gymnastics for my brain…difficult to find beauty and balance and power and interest but so satisfying when I do.

 

March 15, 2011 March 15, 2011

Today, in Indianapolis, is dreary and rainy. The kind of day when you are happy to sit inside with a hot cup of tea and a good book. To bring some smiles, I thought I would share a funny story. In 2007, the year I started painting, I was working a lot with Yupo and primary colors. Sandy Ezell was teaching a class in Experimental Watercolor and she taught us how to lay down a thin pool of water, drop in fairly thick color and then make a print from a second sheet of Yupo. This gave you two mirror images to work with and as most of you know Yupo provides amazing minglings of color and extraordinary effects. I decided after doing a series of seven paintings with primary colors to work with dark earthtones and Payne’s Gray. As soon as I started painting,  a title popped into my head and I couldn’t shake it. I called the painting Dance with the Devil.

Dance with the Devil

Now the funny story goes like this. My grandson Ian would like to be an artist. He has had a painting shown in the Indiana Statehouse with other young artists. He is also a high functioning autistic with Asperger’s Syndrome so he can be a bit obsessive and talk about things “out of the blue”. He was fascinated with this painting. When he began to talk about his grandma and her dance with the devil and how he loved dance with the devil and on and on the school became concerned. The teacher talked to the principal and the principal called my daughter. Everything was straightened out very quickly and the principal had a good laugh. Just goes to show the power of a painting!