Art Every Day Month 2011

One Painting, Many Stages (or Trust the Process)

I'm not usually the most patient person. I like quick results, especially when it comes to making art, and when I say quick I mean the piece is done at the end of one art-making session.

Um, really? Though sometimes I manage to do just that, it doesn't always work that way.

Allow me to indulge a little and offer you a glimpse into the making of one of my new favourite pieces...

~~~

One night I created a background with my brayer, a quick art-making session that resulted in this:

I saw a woman meditating in an urban oasis. I liked the colours and almost left it as it was, but I knew it wasn't finished so the next night I did this:

I kept the woman and meditation theme but ditched the urban feel in the background. The dark "eggplant" colour was a pure accident that left me frustrated. Interesting, yes, but certainly not finished.

Feeling stuck and tapping into my art mantra #2, Can't Be Too Precious, I spent the next day flipping the piece around on all sides to see if anything jumped out at me. Seeing it upside down triggered something:

 I saw abstract figures in a snowy landscape so I moved on to this...

... and finally to this:

The Gift, 9 1/2" x 12" acrylics on mat board

~~~

The moral of this story?

Don't be afraid to explore a piece from a different perspective. Trust the process, it usually knows where to take you.

In the Works: Solstice Reflections, Art and an Online Shop

I've been playing with a few creative projects these past few weeks. Here's a glimpse of a few things I  have in the works...

Solstice Reflections 2011

The Winter Solstice holds a special place in my heart. In 2008 I created a space for my personal reflections leading up to December 21st; last year I curated a Winter Solstice group art exhibit right here in Ottawa featuring five local artists.

This year I decided to take it online and offer you a gathering of reflections from a group of lovely women on the spirit of winter and the migration from darkness to light. It starts here December 1st.

Come join us?

AEDM Day 17: purple girl, a work in progress, 16"x16" on canvas

Art, art, and more art

Oh how I'm loving Art Every Day Month. I've been painting up a storm, learning, practicing, taking creative risks and struggling working through the process.

I've come to accept that there may be more pieces in progress at the end of the month than there will be finished ones, but that's OK. So far the process and some of the interim results have been reward enough.

 a selection of prints will soon be available online

An online shop

I'm also hatching an online shop for my artwork! I'll most likely start with some prints and work my way to originals. I'm still firming up the where & how, but it's coming along. Stay tuned.

It's been an expansion-filled few weeks. I am grateful.