Dec 29, 2012

Lovejoy News for Earlier this Month





The morning is dark, only traces of blue and purple behind the tree in the lot. A jet rumbles across the sky while the shadows of the room stretch and slink out the door. 
It is Saturday, only an occasional car. When a truck goes by the squeak of its brakes lays across the bed with the fragile blue light. The oak holds its curly branches still against the grey while two leaves wiggle slightly in a tiny wind.

Dec 28, 2012

Crow Love Poem 3




The other day I was walking home from the Post Office when I was drawn into the J Rollins Art of Framing shop by some really lovely horse paintings in the window. Inside the shop there were even more paintings by Laure Heinz. I grew up around horses and was really enamored with how Heinz captured their essence while also making really beautiful abstract paintings. The woman running the shop agreed and described them as love poems. If you have spent any time at this blog you can imagine how that description captivated me. I immediately went home and started gessoing little pieces of paper so I could paint love poems to crows. Trying to emulate Heinz turns out to be the perfect exercise for me to work on a painting style that describes tangible things without being caught up in realism. Tree love poems are next.

Dec 27, 2012

Crow Love Poem 2







Acrylic and ink on handmade paper 5'' x 3.5''.

Dec 26, 2012

Crow Love Poem




Acrylic and ink on handmade paper, 4.5'' x 4''.

Dec 19, 2012

Soft News for December 7th on NW Lovejoy




 The streets were empty, one car blinked its four-ways while the driver gathered things from inside. Soon the trucks came to scoop up the wet leaves and sweep the streets. The clouds barreled across the sky. The people scurried across the parking lot. On the corner the rough, red edges of the unfinished building took up too much of the sky and the whole block felt raw. In the courtyard the yellow leaves rattled inside the tree and settled with the rain.


Dec 14, 2012

Treescape 6: Between the Bristlecone and White Pine Trails




I painted this treescape in watercolor and gouache on handmade paper that I mounted on a board and sized with gelatin. It was not my favorite surface to work on. As much as I love this painting, I was having a really hard time focusing when I was out sketching. Always I am torn between wanting to make as realistic a rendering as possible and wanting to do a whimsical painting that express how a place feels. Ultimately I know I want to make whimsical paintings but I feel like I need to master realism first. Maybe there is some middle ground I haven't considered yet.

Dec 12, 2012

Framing Paintings



I've begun framing some of my last series, so far I just have the support frame and hanging wire attached. I still need to photograph them and put a protective frame around the outside. I am probably going to varnish them, too. I don't remember anyone talking about varnish in school but it seems like a reasonable thing to do.
Of course framing paintings makes them bulkier to store so I'm hanging them in the entryway. Its a little art-crowded at this point but soon they will be out in the world finding new homes. I am still considering what the best venue for my work is. So far the one thing I am sure about is that I would like to stop taking things so seriously and do what sounds fun.
I'm a little surprised when I look at the back of these paintings and realize that my last series was finished two years ago...where has time gone?!?! I feel ready to start a new series, it will be fun to see where all the experimentation takes me.
Yesterday I encountered the work of Helen Frankenthaler on-line. I was amazed by her work and puzzled that this was the first I was seeing of it. It was one of those moments of seeing art and feeling, that exists inside me. The odd part to me is that I have that experience with such diverse types of art it seems a little exasperating, I wish I were just drawn in one solid direction! Anyhow, if I could make landscapes inspired by Helen's color palettes and softness that would be just over-the-top wonderful. I'll have to make a trip to PSU soon to look at some collections of her work in print.

Dec 11, 2012

Microscape 3: Kitchen Floor



If you aren't sure what you are looking at, I don't blame you. This was difficult to paint, it's the entry into my kitchen, I have an orange curtain hanging across the door way so I can save a bit on heat.

Dec 7, 2012

Soft News for the Last Week or So.


The grey freeway rushes into the stormy blue, broken by branches.




The tree outside holds one morning star perfectly.

Experiments in Progress






I decided to take a break from my studies of landscape to be whimsical and experimental. I often fall into the trap of believing that my life would be better if I could just be more disciplined and focused. Turning myself into a robot, however, isn't a better alternative to being a little stuck. I sense that if I were more heart-centered I could exercise a light-hearted discipline, aka-devotion, to remedy inertia without turning my art career into a nightmare of pressure and other capitalist demands. I started these paintings by scribbling then looking for a picture in the scribbles...it's how I used to make art before I went to art school. It is really fun and I still get to finish them, we'll see where they end up!