Another variation of my peacock feather- inspired abstractions.
I’m still on the move this weekend, enjoying a little family time, wish they lived closer. I only have a few family members in Canada, but seeing them always means a long car ride. So different from St. Lucia, when you bump into family and friends wherever you go … to the beach, the grocery store, the bank.
I am very distracted here, so I’m going to wait till I get home later today to paint.
This is the third canvas in the peacock feather-inspired abstract triptych. And here are the canvases all together …
and another combination …
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, I had to quickly take them with my phone before I left the house. I am traveling with my brother and his wife, visiting family. I brought my paints, so that I can keep up with the challenge.
This is the final photo of the whole triptych:
The second part of this triptych is abstracted, so right now it is all about movement and colour. I painted all 3 canvases at once, as if they were all one continuous image. Tomorrow when I post the third, I will also post a photo of what they look like together.
I was up late tidying my studio last night, in preparation for the interview. It was very casual, one videographer/interviewer, but I used it as motivation to tackle the chaos that was piling up in my studio.
Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of the interview, but Kune will be using the footage he is taking of several Cultural Makers in Burlington ON to compile a quick promotional video that will be introduced by our Mayor at the Culture Days event I am participating in next Friday, in front of Burlington City Hall.
If you are in the area, save the date, I will be doing an acrylic painting demonstration from noon till it gets too dark to see! There will be bands, & other performances, as well as other arts and culture booths to check out.
This is the final triptych:
I am so excited about this triptych! I am posting the first one day, but there are 3 canvases that go together … the image is abstracted, so you could place them horizontally, vertically, or even separately. They can even be rotated, until you get a composition you like – I will post a few combinations on day 20 of the painting challenge, when I post the third painting.
I have more to say about this triptych, maybe tomorrow, today is a busy day, and at some point I need to clean/organize my studio because a film crew is coming by tomorrow to interview me. More on that later.
This is the final triptych:
Another peacock feather-themed abstraction. I am having fun with these. There is a joyful sense of play, so much potential for new compositions … I have ideas for many other variations I’d like to explore.
Tomorrow morning I will photograph the next mini-series, also peacock feather-inspired. I painted them as a triptych. So in love with how it came out.
I’m looking forward to painting this subject on large canvases. There is an organic, natural flow to the work, that I also have when I paint foliage, it’s like I’m conveying the vitality, movement and life of my subject matter. It is obviously my passion. So, thank you for letting me share it with you.
This peacock feather themed abstraction is based more on yesterday’s painting than on reality, so it’s even looser. And the third painting – which I will post tomorrow – is even more so. I think they look better in person, especially when viewed together.
At this point, I have painted ahead … I’m really having fun running with this theme. I will probably stick with it for a while, there are so many variations I want to try out. That’s all I’ll say for now, but stay tuned!
Surprised? If you have been following my postings each day during the 30 in 30 challenge this month, then you may have been expecting more fruit today. The truth is, as much as I was enjoying working from observation, the still-life was just feeling too … still!
Often in my larger paintings, there are areas that I define/refine more (realism) and areas that I have fun just playing abstractly – in the case of a flower painting, that may be the background. So far during this challenge, it seems I’ve been giving in totally to one impulse in each painting, instead of a yin-yang combination.
With realism, the more you look, the more you see, and it is easy to get carried away on a wave of perfectionism. So, I wanted to take a break and paint something fun, something with more LIFE … and although the inspiration for this painting was another still-life object, my approach has been to imply more movement.
The object that I’m using as inspiration is a mask with peacock feathers. I bought it in Leeds, England in 2001 and it has just been hanging in my studio for years, waiting till I got around to use it as a prop. There is just something about a peacock theme that I love, maybe it is because there is so much blue and green and those are colours I use a lot in my painting. Maybe it’s because turquoise has always been my favourite colour.
It could also be because of the patterning, one of my favourite art movements is Art Nouveau – decorative and romantic, the goal was to bring beauty into our everyday lives. That’s an ideal I can get behind.
Embracing and inviting love and joy into our living and working environments does not mean a rejection – or ostrich-like attitude – of the ugly truths that also exist in all our lives. It is a conscious choice to counter-balance those truths.
One way for you to share more beauty with the world, would be to share my Facebook page! Thank you to those of you who have recently started following, commenting and liking. As my work does vary, the more people who get to see it means the faster each painting will connect with someone who just has to have it in their life. And of course, that means I can continue creating more art.
So, I really appreciate all of you who not only follow to see what I might paint next, but also tell your friends about my art!
The last apple variety in this trio is red delicious. And to be honest, I was ready for a change … so I’ve started something completely different for the next trio.
I might return to the Fruit & Vegetable theme during this challenge, there are a few more I’d like to paint – thanks also for your suggestions (kiwi & purple cabbage).
So happy to be halfway through the challenge. My brother & his wife arrive tomorrow for 2 weeks, so it is possible that I won’t post a new painting every single day while they are here with us.
To me life balance is not a static state, there is constant change (even when it is so subtle you don’t realize it is happening). Some of it is beyond your control. The key is to remain flexible, and aware, and choose to exert some force when you want to change direction.
If you would like to know more about my semi-private art classes or upcoming exhibitions, please take a look here.
More apples. Thanks to my friend and collector, Alison, for encouraging me to cut the apple “along the equator” for an interesting view. I had actually tried it the night before, but it was not as impressive with the variety I first tried (red delicious), so I had given up on that idea. I think most of us do not cut an apple in this way, so it might be a surprise to see what it looks like. Nature is full of interesting patterns.
I am excited to show you tomorrow’s apple painting, which I have already completed. I am happy with how it turned out.
Meanwhile, this week I went to a meeting for the Art in Action studio tour (if you want a brochure, let me know I have lots), and we are going to have a pre-tour group exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington.
The opening reception will be mid-Oct, we’ll each have a painting/sculpture/photograph/jewellery/fibre art etc. on display, so this would be a great way for you to get a sense of what you’ll see on the actual self-guided tour Nov 1 & 2.
My 30 in 30 paintings will be available on the tour … as well as some of my larger paintings, and blank greeting cards featuring my artwork.
This little painting was fun to do, I am getting into the groove with these Fruit & Vegetable paintings. It is so nice to have the object in front of me, so that if I need more information, I just have to get up and move closer to see.
I think this is an Ida red apple, the variety I buy the most. Our other family favourites are red delicious, golden delicious and granny smith. My husband takes one to work nearly every day, because it is so convenient, it doesn’t need any prep and isn’t messy. I usually give the boys apple slices for school, I wonder how many apples I’ve cut for them in the last 12 years?
Later this month I will take the boys to a local farm to pick our own apples and/or pumpkins, it’s a family Fall tradition.
I am not sure if to keep going with the Fruit & Vegetable theme for the rest of the challenge, or to go back to Flowers & Foliage, or Landscape? I’d love to get some feedback from you. And while you’re at it, I’d love to hear which is your favourite Donna Grandin painting?
