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A New Blog

Kim — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:46:10 +0000

I know many of you have seen this bit of frottage work before, but this post is not about any of my work. Today, I am introducing you to a new blog. Many of you may remember my interview with my glass artist friend, Lesley McIver. Some of you have even ordered jewelry from Lesley, and I know you have an amazing piece of art. Our friend Lesley has started her own blog. You can find her using this link or from the list of blogs at the right. I hope you will go over and give her a welcome to the blogging world. I just wanted to share this with you today.

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Art Paper for the Door Queens

Kim — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:03:53 +0000

One thing I learned when we were in Paris is how much variety the French (or maybe the Europeans) have in art paper! I have a fetish for both pens and paper, I was in heaven in the art shops and Andrea was the perfect guide. One day she stopped by our hotel and walked with us across the river to the old Sennelier shop. What an amazing place! If you ever have the chance to visit this old art shop, do. It is an adventure you will never forget. I know I shall never forget it. The thing which struck me was the variety of papers available. Andrea told me about Moulin de Pombie paper she had used with great success, so I walked away with (paid for) a small booklet.

Here is the thing, if you ever have the chance to purchase this paper, don’t do as I did and make the purchase of a small bit, but a larger one and even sheets of the stuff! It takes liquid color like magic! I love it.

This is the very first sketch I did in this little book. I am drawing a lot of doors as Andrea and I have the Door Queen’s Project going and it is getting very exciting as we consider the impact of doors. It is also great fun. Andrea has also started some door painting (not just a doodle, mind you) which looks wonderful. We will see where this project leads each of us, but for now, we are having a great time.

I also came home with a sketchbook which I am loving made by Hahnemuhle (which I think is German). It is not for wet media, but I am enjoying the pen and ink drawings in this one.

I used the Copic pen seen in the photo to try another, looser rendition of the first Paris doors, on Rue Royale, I shared with you.

You may see these doors again, as I am working to get the sketching loose yet clear. You can see the shakiness of the line as I still struggle to let go of drawing with tools. You would think I could do this, but those nasty old brain tapes keep playing in my head! Do you have these issues? Professors chatter continuing to come back to you? In some ways, it is comfortable for me to use these architectural features and in other ways it is a major challenge. I love the psychology behind the architectural elements, so I move forward with that. I can absolutely see the challenges and the rewards of this Door Queens Project!

Now this afternoon I head into my studio, crank up the music and cut loose with some serious, free-flowing abstract work. I have lots to show you there, too! How about you? Are you finding lots of projects to keep you busy with your art? Do you consider the psychology behind the work you are doing? What are you doing which helps you feel as though you are so much more yourself when you work on it?

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Rice Paper, Watercolor Paper or Plastic for Frottage?

Kim — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:49:48 +0000

Recently I have been talking about how certain things in my studio practice have an influence on my paintings. I find just spending time doing brings about so many ideas and possibilities for newer projects. I have talked about doing frottage work before, but it seems to be one of those things which lends itself to the type of work I do. When I am not using the plastic sheeting, I find myself using rice paper and sometimes watercolor paper. Recently, this particular image revealed itself to me on rice paper:

I keep these pieces because I know they will prove useful later. Sometimes I am not sure how they will be useful, but I find this craggly tree shape appealing. Using rice paper allows me to have a nice base when I do these as does watercolor paper. The choice is intuitive between these two, however. The use of the plastic is often a more conscious choice.

Let me know your thoughts! I am always eager to hear from you.

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New Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook for Studio Testing

Kim — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:15:24 +0000

I find it takes a lot of work and a lot of time to realize a painting (even then, sometimes they do not work). Testing ideas is one important part of what has to happen as I work through my personal, creative process. I hope you will find it interesting and helpful as I talk about the various aspects of my process and their evolution.

Many of you know I have been encouraged by Andrea to “make a mark every day” even when I can’t get into my studio. I have really been trying to keep up that practice and find it helps me more and more to think through my studio work. One of the things I have learned is I really enjoy making marks with more of me than my hands – I like to at least use my full arm when I make a mark! I also love my Moleskine sketchbooks and find they hold up the best, because I put my sketchbooks through their paces. I think Moleskine heard my plea, because they now have A3 and A4 size journals and sketchbooks. This larger collection from Moleskine is known as the Folio Collection and the products used to make the products in this collection are all of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified which appeals to my sense of environmental responsibility. I quickly purchased and A3 watercolor sketchbook, because I love the way the watercolor paper works with both acrylic ink and acrylic paint.

A3 Moleskine Sketchbook and 8.5 x 11 inch paper

For those of you not used to the standard A paper sizes, I have placed an 8.5 x 11 inch printer paper in this photo for reference. This larger, sturdy sketchbook is really helpful as I think through the work I am doing. For example, recently I have been working through several processes and one is about not using brushes as I work. I use other items to apply paint, but not brushes. I am also using both acrylic paint and acrylic ink in combination with each other or sometimes the ink alone.

acrylic ink used in sketchbook

This is one of the tests I have been working with in the sketchbook. Here you see a shape (just the one my hand typically wants to make) made with an eye dropper. I then placed plastic sheeting over the entire image. The sheeting helped me fill in the space I had created with a large border and add some color around it and yellow along side the orange. Just watching these colors merge is so meditative.

The dark bits along the upper part of the orange are bits of acrylic ink which had dried on plastic sheeting from another piece. They were applied when the ink was wet. The orange and yellow are regular acrylic inks while the blue and the green are pearlized acrylic inks.

This larger Moleskine format has made a huge difference in the way I am doing preliminary work for my larger canvases. If you like to work large or are wanting to work on composition, I highly recommend this wonderful sketchbook. It feels so good to carry around, see in your studio and to work with wherever you might be.

What have you found recently which has made a difference in your practice? I would love to hear from you. Also, please take a look at the pages I have posted here. I have ideas for a lot more, but you might like to read through what is there so far.

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Acrylic Inks

Kim — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:55:52 +0000

As many of you know, my painting process is often a lengthy process. I love getting lost in the work and multiple layers are important in finding the depth I often seek. If I use acrylic paint, oil sticks or layers of rice paper, I find multiple layers are important and satisfying. This may be one reason I do not work well with watercolors. Can you imagine the mess I would have then? Does this mean I like working with a heavy hand?

The process I find most appealing is to apply the medium to the surface and remove some of it, apply more and remove, etc. When the painting is where I think it should be I begin another layering process of clear glazing. I might add up to 100 layers of clear glaze to a painting. Sometimes, I find I can also continue to adjust the work as I go along between the layers of the glaze which can be very interesting.

One product I have found to be of great interest to me lately has been acrylic inks. A few companies have come out with this very stable product which gives the most sheer, smooth application. These inks blend in amazing ways. If you enjoy working with very fluid mediums (like watercolor) and watching the colors meld together, I think you will really enjoy acrylic inks. My reflection series uses a lot of these inks in both regular and pearlized formulas. On canvas I often combine them with acrylic paints, on paper I will often use just the ink. Here is a close up example of a work in progress. You can see the pearlized ink easily here.

The dark background is fluid acrylic paint. The bit of blue in the lower left-hand corner is regular (not pearlized) ink.

I use these inks in several different ways and have tried them on a variety of surfaces. They do well with many applications and on a wide variety of surfaces. The example you see here is on hardboard.

Have you given these new inks a try? Do you like them? Would you like to try them?

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Busy Days

Kim — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:26:00 +0000

I have been really busy doing things other than being in my studio this week. You may have noticed in some of the comments I have mentioned I am hosting Thanksgiving for about 15 here next week. I am not so great with cleaning, so I am busy with such things.I grabbed this shot of some canvases waiting on me for further tweaking…like glazing, signing, etc. I thought it was telling of my seemingly unorganized work methods.
Do you ever come across items you have not known about before and even have a difficult time locating on the web? This summer I needed some white acrylic while I was traveling. When I went to the local art supply shop, I found this brand. I have since tried to find it on the web but have not had luck with that. It is student grade acrylic, but I was really just piddling around. So I purchased this, new to me, brand A>2. If you ever find yourself wondering about this brand, I found it to be good. One of the things I like about the packaging is the opening for the paint to exit the tube is small. One of the things I do not like about the packaging is it is plastic!

Okay, so that is basically all I have today. I have to get back to my organizing for next week. Does having a group of people over for a meal take a lot of prep time for you?

Have a Beautiful Day!

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Glazing

Kim — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Some of you may receive Robert Genn’s twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) newsletter known as The Painter’s Keys. If you do, then you know today he spoke of glazing and gave a few keys helpful when using glaze. In this newsletter he speaks of applying a darker glaze over a lighter color to adjust the intensity or make some changes. He describes different methods you might consider when you wish to do this on your paintings. If you do not subscribe to Robert’s newsletter, I think you might enjoy some of the topics he discusses. If you are interested in this one on glazing, I will be happy to forward it to you if you will email me.Reading today’s submission by Robert made me think of how I use glaze. I have shown you examples here on this blog and continue to glaze away. Robert, a realistic landscape artist, uses glazes to add depth while making subtle changes in color and I used clear glazes to give a depth and glass like appearance to my overall work. I have tried to photograph the results of my glazing technique, but it is difficult. Here I am showing the edge of the same painting in hopes you can get an idea of what I am doing.
Now many of you might wonder what in the world takes me so long to paint these very minimal works I create. The answer to that – the application of the glaze. Sometimes it takes me a long time to get the painting the way I want it, but more often than not it is the glazing which takes forever. In the case of the painting I am showing you the application of clear glaze took 4 to 6 weeks after I had the base painting done. But the build up of thin layers of clear acrylic brought a depth I can’t show or even describe. I do urge you to try this sometime. Here is the recipe I use:

2 parts distilled water
3 parts soft gel (gloss)
Blend this together until smooth and allow it to sit for 24 hours (some may feel this is overkill, but it gives me peace of mind) to allow the bubbles to come to the surface and dissipate. Brush on prepared painting allowing each layer to completely dry before applying the next layer.

This is also a good recipe to use to embed things between layers of glaze. I have actually seen paintings where items and paint appeared to float above the surface of the canvas when it was embedded in enough layers of clear glaze. Maybe I will try that next.

Normally, I have to have at least one painting going and be glazing others. Right now I have a real back up of those needing glaze, but that is the way it goes sometimes. So now you know what takes me so long to accomplish these paintings. The good side to it is I can have glazing going all the time and do not need a lot of time to slip in there and apply some glazes, nor do I have to “get in the groove” to do this.

So do you have techniques which take you a long time to accomplish? Do you find speed is important in your work? Do you obsess with details?

Have a Beautiful Day!

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Fun Painting Surface

Kim — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:50:00 +0000

I thought it would be fun for you to see something different. So for a quick post today, here are the details…

Signature Canvas has this interesting canvas style on offer. It does not come inexpensively, however. If you receive the Empty Easel Newsletter, you can use a discount offer to purchase one of these fun canvases.

If you purchased one (or more) of these, how would you paint it? Would you use the indention as a painting and the exterior part of the canvas as a border for the painting or would the indention be part of a 3-D collage? But you might have another completely different idea.

Have a Wonderful Tuesday in Your Part of the World!

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Influencing Your Art

Kim — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:46:00 +0000

I want to share with you a book I completed reading yesterday. And if you have been reading this blog for a few months, then you have already heard about it.Catching the Light is written by Susan Pope. You know Susan, she is our very own Sukipoet. I have to tell you this book was a real page turner for me. I just had to see what this young woman was going to choose for herself. She had so many obstacles to overcome, but behind it all she was drawn to her art. And Susan shows how she used her life to influence what she so loved doing. This book is so well written and draws you into the location and into the lives of the characters. In addition, an underlying message is how we come across people who influence so many parts of our life even after they have gone from it. I highly recommend you locate a copy of Catching the Light…I know it has become a treasure for me. And thank you so much, Suki, for such a beautiful gift and such a beautiful message. You are an inspiration in so many ways.

And I have something else for you to play with this weekend. You don’t have anything else to do, right? Take a look at this image:
It looks like some people at MOMA, right? Well it is not! This is a sketch of mine…a lowly sketch you have already seen on this blog before. I used an online service called Dumpr where I uploaded this sketch to be placed in this setting! This kind of thing has been making its way around the blog world, so you probably have seen it on other blogs. My apologies to the blogger who made the recommendation, I can’t remember the blog I first saw it.

One of the things I thought was so interesting is how you can use something like a sketch to get an idea of how that might translate into a larger painting. For example, I think this looks better as a painting than it does than a sketch…I had no idea it would translate that way.

Dumpr has some other fun things to play with on their site, too. Some of them you have to pay for, but these I am showing are free. One of the toys I have had great fun with is the Amazing Circles feature. See what a photograph of a red tulip translated into with that feature:
So now, here are a few fun things to do this weekend. I really hope you have so much fun and enjoy reading and playing with images…believe me, when you read Suki’s book, you will want to get in there and do some serious creating!

Have Fun!

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I Finally Found It…

Kim — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:04:00 +0000

I did not plan to post today, but now I can’t resist.

First of all, this is a little gift to you. I did a few of these when I was in Montana as bookmarks. You can print this and use it as a bookmark if you like. If you print it on watercolor paper it will be stable enough. I used Inktense Pencils for these little doodles.

Now, what I am so excited about… You might remember some months ago I asked if anyone knew of an easel which would expose the edges of a canvas and would turn to give access to not only the front of the canvas, but also the edges. I had seen these used on a BBC show called “Art School” several years ago. Well, I have found that easel! It is called the Windmill Easel! And that is just how it works, too! If you visit this site, you can see some videos and an explanation of how it works.

While I am not sure it is currently in my budget, I plan on exploring them further. Anyway, I feel very excited to have found this product. I had written Chelsea College of Art in London (as that is where the program was filmed), however I did not hear back from them. So this was a great treat for me.

Does anyone own one of these easels? Do you like it? Does it work as it is supposed to work? Do you think it looks like a good product? Would you like to own one?

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