Studio, rearranged

I am lucky to have a wonderful room to use as a studio. In honor of the Creative Every Day August theme, MOVE, today I rearranged to give myself more working space for art. The large table in the photo used to be my computer table, and I was using a much smaller table for art stuff. I’m very excited about my big new work space. I can’t wait to get going on some new projects.

Now if only I could figure out a good solution for storing all these canvases…

Tags: Creative Every Day 2009

Sachiko sketches

This week I’m doing some preliminary sketches for a portrait of a friend.

Tags: Creative Every Day 2009, drawing, portrait

Self (portrait)

Inspired by this month’s Creative Every Day theme, self, I decided to start a new self portrait today. Can you tell what kind of mood I’m in?

I’ve done tons of self portraits, my whole life long. I like making portraits, and I’m always the most available subject. I’m doing this one (like most of my self portraits) by looking in a mirror. I like working from life when I get the chance.

I actually try to curtail the number of self portrait paintings I do, because they are pretty unsellable (and ungiftable). Not that I only do art to be able to sell it, but I have to sell things in order to have room to produce more. And who wants to live in an apartment full of self portraits? That’d be a little creepy. So would giving people portraits of myself as gifts… so yeah, I try to focus on other things. But I’m enjoying this chance to revisit my oldest subject.

Tags: acrylic, Creative Every Day 2009, painting, portrait, work in progress

Revisiting the Volksbad

I keep coming back to this tiny painting, trying to rework it into something I can be happy with. The colors have become brighter since the last time I posted it. Not quite where I want it to be yet, but moving in the right direction.

Tags: acrylic, Creative Every Day 2009, work in progress

Catching up on the 100 in 100

I signed up for Warrior Girl’s 100 in 100 challenge a few days late, so I’ve been behind from the start (which was supposedly June 1st). No problem, since I don’t mind doing more than one drawing/painting/collage per day to catch up. Most of my 100 things will be small sketchbook pages, but I’m also counting the larger works I do when I happen to finish one.

As opposed to Art Every Day Month, when I posted daily, I’ve decided I don’t have to post all 100 creations for this challenge. That leaves me freer to experiment and produce some totally crappy stuff. I like it that way. But I will post some of them. Here are a few of the drawings, paintings, and collages I have created over the past month. I’m proud to say that as of today, I’m all caught up on my 100 in 100.

Tags: Creative Every Day 2009

New series: city collages

Dublin, Ireland, 24 x 18 cm, found paper and acrylic on panel.

Tampere, Finland, 24 x 18 cm, found paper and acrylic on panel.

I really enjoyed making these, and I’m pleased with the initial results (I’ll do a little more work on the Tampere one, at least). The collage elements consist of paper (maps, fliers) from the cities themselves that I’ve collected on my travels. I need to buy more panels so I can continue the series.

I think this one is finally finished (although this photo of it is somewhat out of focus):

Piran, Slovenia, 40 x 30 cm, mixed media on panel.

Tags: cityscape, collage, Creative Every Day 2009

Inspired by Kandinsky

Played around with gouache today.

Tags: Creative Every Day 2009

Back from a travel break

My in-progress Slovenian collage, last seen here.

I’ve been on the road for most of the past month and a half, which is why this blog has become neglected once again. I’ve missed having time in my studio, but at least I have been staying creative. Every day while traveling I write and take copious photographs. I’ve also been keeping up with my other blog, posting travel reports and photos.

To jump start my return to drawing and painting, I’ve just signed up for Rowena’s 100 in 100 challenge. I’m a few days behind, but I’ll catch up. First I’m trying to work out exactly what these 100 things will be. Sketchbook pages, perhaps. I’d love to say paintings or collages, but that’s not very realistic (most pieces take me a week to a month to complete). Or perhaps it can be anything visual, as long as I post here about it. That would be a whole lot of blogging… I’ll sleep on it and let you know what I decide (and by “you” I mean the one person who still reads this blog).

Tags: collage, Creative Every Day 2009, work in progress

A Slovenian mess

I love the beginning stages of a collage, when everything is so chaotic, various materials slapped together in disharmony. At least that’s how mine usually start out.

This collage-in-progress is inspired by my recent trip to Slovenia. The background consists of pages from an old Slovenian book my friend and I bought for a euro (it’s about flowers). The foreground is layers of charcoal, conte crayon, and gouache. The imagery is inspired by various photos from the trip, mainly those taken on the coast.

Like I said, I love beginning a collage. The process is infinitely enjoyable. It’s making it into a finished work that I’ve yet to master.

I’ll let you know if anything comes of this one.

Tags: collage, Creative Every Day 2009, work in progress

Painting: Munich’s Volksbad

30 x 30cm, acrylic on canvas

Last seen in this post, my Volksbad painting has been sitting stagnant for quite a while. I did a little more to it this week. I still think it’s pretty… boring. It’s not the kind of painting I want to produce. Can’t decide if it’s worth any more work or not. Back in the wait-and-see pile it goes…

Tags: acrylic, cityscape, Creative Every Day 2009, Germany, Munich, work in progress