A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone. It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose. It doesn’t have to. It is different. And there’s room in the garden for every flower. ~ Marianne Williamson
Work in Progress
Beginning
Too Dark!
Ring around the collar, I mean clouds.
Calling it done.
Just noticed the images are a bit rough, 72 ppi is why. This came together fairly quickly. I did have to go back and fix some mistakes. I have been working on watercolor paper that has a layer of gesso. Bad paintings making way for new ones. I like working on the gesso with watercolors. Gives you a bit of freedom to rework, almost erase paint you have laid down. That is a new discovery for me.
I am working with an inexpensive set of student pan watercolors, and I notice that they do not mix as easily as tube paint. I expected that, and part of it may be the gesso. Still, they are fun!!
My friend Sea Dean is adding to the fun of this painting challenge by allowing all the participants to post their work on her blog as well. Please visit her blog and vote for my painting. She is giving prizes – how fun is that! And check out the fabulous work being posted in Leslie Saeta’s 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.
And they’re off! I mailed my submissions for the Richmond Art Gallery, Memory: International Mail Art Exhibition and Swap. The Richmond Art Gallery is in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. In close proximity to Vancouver. I am so happy with how the postcards turned out.
And I actually remembered to sign them before I mailed them off. I have been forgetting to sign my art for this challenge. I remember just after I have scanned it in, and because I am jammin’ to make a deadline, I have just let it slide and posted them unsigned.
There are some bits of turquoise that are not showing well. (the white patch on the left leaf, and a couple of other areas.) It really does look nice in person though. The memory theme I chose was “In Memoriam”. Red flowers such as roses, chrysanthemum, hydrangea, gladiolas and tulips are often used in memorial service flower arrangements.
The end of the challenge is right around the corner. I am a little sad that I won’t be seeing the work of over 325 artists each day. But I have made some new friends, and their art will still find it’s way into my mailbox. Yea!
One more small (and HUGE) thing I have learned from Leslie’s challenge. I have ruined so many paintings, seeking perfection. I have learned more about re-working things I don’t like and also when to quit and let the drips and blooms win. I love all the imperfect parts when I see them in other artists work, but in my paintings I would see them as flaws. I still have a TON to learn. But I feel, really just in the last few days, that I have more confidence.
That in part is due to all of the great feedback I have received from my fellow challenge participants. Thank You Lucy, Joan, Samara, Kim, Sandy, Katie, Julie, Mariette, Jim, Maggie, Karen, Joanie. Big thanks also to my friends who are not part of the challenge, and family! Seeing my art through your eyes, has been a gift.
Happy Saturday to everyone! Thanks for taking the time to look at my art, and if you have left a comment, Thank You! Thank You!
Here are the first two postcards I painted for this show:
Earlier this week I donated a piece of art to help raise funds for the A.I.R Gallery. The Artists in Residents Gallery is celebrating 40 years of advocating for women in the visual arts. They are a Not-for-Profit Organization.
A.I.R. Mission Statement: In 1972, a group of women artists founded A.I.R. (Artists in Residence) Gallery, the first artists-run gallery for women in the United States. A.I.R.’s goal is to provide a professional and permanent exhibition space for women artists to present work of quality and diversity. A.I.R. is an artist directed and maintained gallery, providing a sense of community for women and serving as a model for other alternative galleries and organizations. Through lectures, symposia and a Fellowship Program for emerging women artists, A.I.R. Gallery sustains a political awareness and voice, and brings new understanding to old attitudes about women in the arts. (From the A.I.R. website)
Submission requests were for a single 4 x 6 postcard. Each will be sold for $45 and proceeds will help to fund Gallery programs. The annual show will run from June 27th – July 21, at 111 Front street in Brooklyn, New York. This is my first piece shown in a gallery, and I am honored that it might help to benefit others.