Explaining Evergreen

Here are the next two layers of the text painting I am working on. I also started my website, I have a lot of work to do on it but it is out there in the electronic world none-the-less. I will put a link to it in the margin for your convenience.
So I never really discussed my final school decision. It turns out I am going to Evergreen. I was not considering it until one day I realized that I didn't want to spend another three years getting my bachelors.
I had thought that if I were a truly dedicated artist I would be glad to spend three more years studying art. Then I realized that because I am truly dedicated artist I want to stop incurring debt, get into the studio, make some art, and get out into the world.
Since I attended Evergreen for two years after I graduated from high school I can finish my degree there in a year. Part of the reason I hadn't considered it before was because their art department didn't seem to have a reputation around here. No one knew any artists from there or had heard anything about it. I looked up the faculty, though, and checked out the facilities; I think it will be a great program! One thing Evergreen is known for is teaching students how to work independently and be self-directed. Those are skills I know I will need so I am very excited about the coming year.

Tapping the Wisdom of My Inner Boss

So, when I returned from my family reunion I was strangely despondent. The reunion was fun and no obligations lay before me for some eight weeks besides working at the cafe on the weekends (oh, and moving to Olympia but that's a whole 'nother post). It didn't make any sense to be anything other than ecstatic but I am used to not making any sense and have developed expert excavation skills to get into these sorts of surprises.
So I stared expertly at the ceiling and contemplated the exact nature of this despondency. I realized that I was overwhelmed with all my free time
I did what any good Capricorn would
do and made up some rules. This morning I woke up perky knowing I had rules to follow and obligations to fulfill. I went to work and found, with delight, that the overwhelming pressure was gone. It was no longer important how much I achieved because I knew that with the time set aside I couldn't not get things done. Now, I know what you're thinking! You're thinking that I should be an accountant instead of an artist. But the whole crazy rebellious artist thing is just a myth that only came about after Van Gogh. Personally I find when my outer world is fairly structured and simple I have more inner room to be creative. These photos are of phase one and two of an under-painting for an all text piece I'm going to do. This first layer is just paint over gesso, the letters are scratched through while the paint is still wet. The second one is lettering in ink that has been mostly washed away.

Like Knowledge

I think I am making some progress with this crow painting but there are many decisions left to make. I want to start some more paintings but the summer keeps having its way with me. I really shouldn't complain. Camping and working extra barista shifts can only help my art in the long run. I've opted out of the normal holiday activities on the grounds that I need a day to be myself before I go back to work and then head off to my family reunion and I think I may just start a site on Etsy. We'll see what happens.

Learning to Fly Solo

For a moment I didn't think I'd make it. I was so excited to paint this summer without any assignments or insidious desire to prove that I have at least some technical rendering skills to be considered legitimate. But there I was, alone with paint and under-painting. The under-painting was easy. I know it will be painted over so I can relax and have fun. The picture is not the completed under-painting but you get the idea. I was just mapping out the web of text and creating some intense colors to show through the real painting. Anyways back to
the gripping story...there I was, alone with paint and under-painting and there was no teacher around to ask, what color this that should be and how come my grey shapes look so bad and this isn't what I intended, is it any good? It really seemed hopeless, I figured there was no point in even finishing my degree, I may as well get on Craigslist and look for a job serving. But out of some rare genius that was mercifully graced upon me I figured I could learn to paint alone just like I could learn to paint in a room full of people or ride public transit or tie my shoes. (If you have ever had the misfortune of being waited on by an introvert you will understand why grace acted up at that moment).I painted away, trying to cultivate the monk like patience I figured I'd need for the task and discovered that I could, quite easily paint really atrociously on my own. That was a start! I kept at it and I think I see a decent painting emerging here. My next task is to tone down the letters where the crow is and make the bottom as interesting as the top. We'll see what happens...

Georgia O

One day, in printmaking class, my teacher handed us each a pencil drawing done by a child in the daycare and showed several reproductions of works by famous painters. He then instructed us to determine which painting the child was looking at when they drew their interpretation and then create our own interpretation incorporating the child's drawing. The drawing I received was a page of tulips in pots done by Leimommi. I determined that she was interpreting Georgia O'Keeffe's painting of an iris and came up with the print here. I thought it was a brilliant assignment and feel like it really stretched my style in a way I'd like to pursue more. It has this flippancy that is not irreverent and despite the whimsy it is still interesting.

Life Painting

Life painting is a somewhat grueling experience for a whimsical artist like me, you have to pay so much attention to what you're seeing! Trying to get correct proportions is like a zen koan. I notice the arm is to short but if I make it longer it is not in the right place in relation to the knee so I have to figure out if the leg is too short or if it angles out more but then it is in the wrong place in relation to the side of the head. Eventually I just go ahead with the painting anyways but I find it hard to be at all loose and creative with the human form. I do really enjoy inventing scenes for the models. This one of Kate with a basket ball is my favorite. I especially like the bra hanging out of the drawer next to her because there is no way it could fit her. I was just painting what I know.